In the Free2Play shooter Paladins (PC, PS4, Xbox One), a new card system has been announced that suspiciously resembles that of Star Wars Battlefront 2. Players are angry and are now accusing Hi-Rez of wanting to introduce Pay2Win mechanics.
The timing could not have been worse for Paladins to introduce the new system “Cards Unbound“.
Anyone who has followed gaming news in recent weeks has surely come across the major loot box controversy in Star Wars Battlefront 2.
In Battlefront 2, there are Star Cards that improve characters like Darth Vader or Yoda in the game. Players could buy loot boxes for real money to enhance these Star Cards with a level-up. Which cards popped out of the boxes and whether they led to a level-up of the desired card was random. Additionally, Star Wars Battlefront 2 is a full-price title, which is why EA was accused of being greedy.
The gaming community expressed massive outrage over this system, causing the microtransactions to temporarily disappear from Star Wars Battlefront 2.
And then Paladins came with Cards Unbound …
Studio Hi-Rez is now planning a similar system for its hero shooter Paladins. In a presentation of the upcoming patch OB64, the developers introduced the system “Cards Unbound“.
In Paladins, players use a deck of five cards to customize the stats and skills of their champs individually. This leads to increased mobility or higher damage, for example.
At present, players acquire cards by crafting them with the currency “Essence” or pulling them from chests. The chests can be purchased with the premium currency “Crystals” or the in-game currency “Gold”.
This is set to change with the new system “Cards Unbound”:
- The currency Essence will be removed from the game and credited to players as Gold.
- Cards now have a level of 1-5 and can level up by collecting duplicates. The number of duplicates players need for a level-up depends on the rarity of each card.
- Cards will still be drawn from Radiant chests, which can be purchased with “real money”. However, special champion chests will also be introduced, which can be obtained through in-game rewards. These will also contain cards.
- All cards are automatically unlocked for every player at level 1, including special legendary cards.
- In ranked matches, all cards will be set to level 3. It doesn’t matter whether a player only has a certain card at level 1 or already has one at level 5. The cards will be adjusted to level 3. This is intended to ensure fairness in the ranked mode.
- In casual matches, however, players may encounter opponents with differently strong card sets.
Planned system triggers outrage in the community
Right now, as players are heatedly discussing microtransactions in games, the Cards Unbound system has caused significant backlash in the community. The system reminded players too much of the Star Card system in Battlefront 2.
Even though players in ranked matches play with cards of equal strength, most feel that the new system is a disadvantage:
- On one hand, there are players who only want to play a few casual matches. They also desire fair play for that.
- Then there are players who see casual matches as an opportunity to practice for ranked matches. They have the need for the starting situation to be the same as in a ranked game.
Complaints and satirical posts are now appearing on Reddit, claiming that Paladins with Cards Unbound is heading down the Pay2Win path.
The new system is currently on Paladins’ test server. This testing phase is intended to last longer than usual. Studio Hi-Rez wants to closely analyze what happens with the new system and how players perceive it. What planned changes will ultimately make it to Paladins remains to be seen.
In the action RPG Dauntless, the random loot box system has been completely scrapped: Dauntless eliminates loot boxes – developers say: “Player First!”
