Paladins gets a new patch OB56: Ranked 2.0 arrives and completely changes the system for ranked games. There are new epic skins that significantly increase the level of cosmetic items. Additionally, legendary cards have been adjusted, but so have the champions themselves
Paladins’ new patch OB56 could be one of the most important for the MOBA shooter so far. Today, on August 9th, the patch will be deployed on PC.
The ranked system is completely being adjusted and makes the professional scene of Paladins much more attractive.
Many of the legendary cards from the champion deck builds received a buff, making strategic decisions more exciting. In Paladins, champions can be individually customized with cards. The legendary cards are particularly strong, and each champion is allowed to take only one of these into the match.
Furthermore, the skin level has been further increased and the new cosmetic items are quite impressive. This is no longer comparable to the old “re-colors” that were previously advertised as complete skins.
Paladins Ranked 2.0 changes competitive play – A restart through hard reset
The biggest and most significant change in patch OB56 is the introduction of Ranked 2.0. Studio Hi-Rez has adjusted its entire system for ranked games.
- A player’s ranked status now applies to the entire account. Previously, competitive ratings only applied to individual champions. This means players could achieve a particularly high rank with one champion while other heroes were in the lower ranges.
- A hard reset will be done with Ranked 2.0. This means all players start from zero and will be re-ranked. The hard reset takes effect immediately with patch OB56.
- There are 7 ranks players can be placed in. 5 of these ranks (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond) are each further divided into 5 divisions that one must climb. The two highest ranks (Master and Grandmaster) are only for the top players of Paladins. Slightly different rules apply here, and there are no divisions.
- Everyone must play 15 qualification matches after the hard reset and will then be placed in one of the ranks. From here, one can either go up or down.
- Up to 5 players can be added to a team for ranked up to the Platinum rank. One can thus play ranked with a full team.
Here is a detailed article about Paladins Ranked 2.0, which contains a conversation with the developers about the new system.
In the bottom image are the new ranks, with their respective divisions:
Kunoichi Skye & Ronin Ash significantly raise the skin level in OB56
Paladins has long had the reputation of having simply poor skin designs. Many of the old skins were just re-colors of the original models.
This means the clothing or hair was just differently colored and did not differ significantly from the original champion. In the last updates, Hi-Rez has already delivered solid new skins that have their own animations or voice lines.
However, looking at the new epic skins Ronin Ash and Kunoichi Skye, they almost seem like a statement from the artist team.
At this point, a video of Ronin Ash is embedded, as you have to see the animations and especially the weapon in motion. The skin is meticulously designed down to the smallest detail, and the theme of the dragon runs through to the ammunition of the weapon. This has nothing to do with re-colors anymore.
From minute 1, the skin can be seen:
Ronin Ash can be unlocked in the shop, Kunoichi Skye is available through a quest
Ronin Ash can be unlocked in Paladins’ in-game shop with crystals.
Kunoichi Skye can only be obtained through a quest, and this is how you get her:
- Ronin Ash must be unlocked
- Whoever achieves 40 eliminations receives the Ronin spray (An elimination means being involved in a kill)
- Whoever manages 20 kills afterwards will receive the Kunoichi spray (A kill means that you dealt the final blow)
- Whoever can now deal a total of 300,000 damage will receive Kunoichi Skye
The quest points must be completed in the specified order. You can complete the quest with any champion.
Kunoichi Skye is already visible in the title image, but here she comes again.
Champion adjustments give many legendary cards a buff in OB56
In update OB56, studio Hi-Rez focused on balancing the legendary cards. Each champion has three legendary cards in their deck build set. These are particularly strong and define the player’s strategy.
So far, the legendary cards have generally had a selection that was particularly good. Players could not really make a strategic decision since often only one card made sense. The developers have worked hard to address exactly this issue.
For example, Barik has received a buff on the legendary card “Fortify”, which now reduces the cooldown of “Barricade” by 3 seconds. This buff makes the card a much more attractive option and makes it just as strong as Barik’s other two legendary cards. With these adjustments, one must really consider where they want to go with their build and how to best counter the opponents.
You can find all champion adjustments in the official patch notes in our source reference.
Patch OB56 comes today, August 9th, to PC.
Play Paladins for free on PS4, Xbox One, PC
Leya says: This patch will bring a significant change in competitive play of Paladins. While the old ranked system stood out from others in the genre, it was also confusing. Because each individual champion was ranked, it was difficult to track overall progress.
A player could have an extremely high rank with one champion. However, if this champion was then chosen by another player, the player could have problems keeping up.
The ranking system for the entire account simply provides a clearer line.
I like that Hi-Rez has tightened the balance of the legendary cards. Because the entire strategy lies in the cards that distinguish Paladins from other hero shooters. The legendary cards are so powerful that it must be difficult to decide between one of the three.
I am very curious to see how the new ranked system will develop and how it will be received by the community.
