Paladins Open Beta Patch 55 Review (Xbox One)

INTRODUCTION

Playing a creative and entertaining online battle arena title always pushes my competitiveness to the limit. Because of that, it was not hard for me to try the free-to-play game Paladins when it was released. For players who have not yet given this title a try, I must mention that Paladins brings great challenges for a shooter style, where champions collaborate in teams to complete objectives. The game is highly comparable to Overwatch and other popular AAA titles out there.

Paladins has rapidly expanded its popularity among players that enjoy customizing cartoonish heroes with special cards that can boost their abilities and powers. In my opinion, the customization element present in this game makes it easier for players to reveal their own champion style and take them to the battles.

Paladins was developed by Hi-Rez Studios and is available for free now on Xbox One, PS4 and Steam

CHARACTERS

Given the fact that customization plays a very important role in the Paladins' gaming experience, the Celestial Uprising Patch has arrived to not only to expand the potential of pre-existing characters but to also introduce new in game elements through beautiful and unique skins.

Having a brand new skin can definitely help you show opponents how powerful your character can be and perform during a match. It also gives you the chance to stand out among other heroes in your own team. Finally, a brand new look adds the extra fun of making your favorite character more special and unique. With the new Open Beta Patch 55, players will have the chance to improve the looks and powers of their champions. Here are some of the main details you don't want to miss:

• Torvald – The new Cosmic Champion Skin adds a sleek touch to this character. It is quite a nice upgrade but is not as eye-catching as Clockwork Torvald, which has brought a very decent design that fans of the hero have been waiting for. The gears and backpack give Torvald a sense of energy flowing around his body, while the right-hand glove improves the execution of attacks and power usage. Along with this amazing look, you will find weapon upgrades and a voice pack in this collection.

• Ying – Just like Torvald, this character has received the Obsidian and Cosmic Mastery Skins as a nice upgrade. If you like to use Ying in battles, you will notice that the new look fits her so well that it will not disappoint. Both collections come with a Champion Skin and weapon.

• Willo – This is for sure one of my favorite upgrade options for champions. Hemlock Willo brings a much darker design that intimidates enemies at first look. This Epic Skin not only looks good but adds a unique fire detail on the top of its head that I absolutely love. Willo looks powerful and has fantastic movements that match its new skin. The collection comes with weapon and voice pack.

• Mal’ Damba – The Defiler collection comes with a rare skin and weapon, giving the champion a very nice appearance that blends really well with the character’s original design. If Mal' Damba is your preferred choice when joining a battle, the upgrade will definitely make you look fierce.

• Rukus – In my opinion, this champion is one of the most reliable characters when joining a battle. For that reason, I felt a little disappointed with the new visual update. In my opinion, the new design brings an ok look and a not so interesting style. You can see some improvements on its overall FPS performance, but shooting sounds are different and not as good as they used to be. Unfortunately, this was one of my least favorite changes with the patch.

In addition to all of the great upgrades available for all popular champions in Paladins, the Celestial Uprising Patch includes a brand-new character: Jenos, The Ascendant. The champion joins the team with powerful execution of abilities that can rapidly influence the results of a difficult battle.

If you enjoy playing with a support character that is also powerful in battle, Jenos can definitely be a great option for you and your team. The new champion can use the power of the cosmos to unleash incredible attacks and long lasting heals in battle. Here is the collection of abilities that allows his great performance against enemies:

• The champion’s primary ability is called "Star Splitter", which is a very good mid-range weapon that shoots every 0.13s, dealing 120 damage to the inflicted enemy.

• If you are looking for that powerful healing ability, get ready for "Astral Mark", which unleashes long-lasting heals allowing team members to recover 250 health per second.

• My favorite skill is called "Void Grip", which is a pretty interesting anti-gravity power. It gives Jenos a game-changing ability that deals 150 damage per second while lifting the opponent in midair. It is simply beautiful to watch and effective against opponents.

• In addition, the champion counts with "Stellar Wing", which prevents Jenos from firing while it is in effect but boosts his movements with 75% improved speed and longer jumps to help you move around the map.

• Finally, the area damage move “Through Time and Space” is a great skill for short defense strategy followed by a powerful blast move. This ability makes Jenos immune to damage for a short period of time and then releases a straight-line energy blast that ignores the presence obstacles. This skill deals 2400 damage on surrounding enemies.

Overall, Jenos The Ascendant is a pretty decent new champion that has the potential to become one of my favorite characters. Make sure to check Hi-Rez’s trailer for this super powerful hero:

MAPS AND KEYS

In addition to all amazing skins for current characters and a brand-new champion, Paladins Open Beta Patch 55 brings a brand-new map: Splitstone Quarry. The map has a pretty decent look, with alternative routes to move around. The only problem here is that avoiding hazards along the way can be very confusing and frustrating at times. I really enjoy an extra challenge in battle, but this would probably be one map I would not want to be taken into while trying to complete objectives.

Moreover, players now have the option to use Legendary Keys to boost chests in an interesting way. Using this key on Radiant Chests allows you to get a total of 4 items that includes one legendary item, one uncommon item, and two random not-owned items. Pretty good stuff that guarantees new items to your collections.

GENERAL

The Celestial Uprising Patch also comes with important bug fixes that will improve your overall experience with Paladins. We all know that it is not hard to encounter issues when playing beta titles. The good news is that with the Open Beta 55 Patch, several functionality issues and important ability fixes have been looked into. The list is very straight forward and all items are found below:

•    Custom matches are now sorted alphabetically by lobby name
•    Fixed issue where switching classes multiple times in Shooting Range would disable Legendary card effects
•    Fixed an issue where Legendaries or Loadouts couldn’t be selected when loading late into the start of a match
•    Fixed issue where Evie could blink while Rooted
•    Fixed Sprays not equipping properly in match lobby
•    Fixed issue with Lian’s grace drawing two firing traces
•    Fixed instance with Lian’s Legendaries not showing properly on entering match
•    Fixed captured waypoint icon saying persisting on screen for too long
•    Fixed missing text for Founder’s Pack Essence acquisition
•    Fixed end of match lobby chat disappearing right after a match ends
•    Fixed issue with players who didn’t receive account level 30 beta Achievement from OB53 adjustments
•    Fixed end of match reward issues with Onslaught Practice
•    Small clean ups in the items section of the store.
•    Shooting Range
•    Fixed issue with all Champion Emotes playing Viktor’s.
•    Fixed not being able to use non-default Emotes
•    Fixed unable to use Sprays

CONCLUSION

The Open Beta Patch 55 brought meaningful enhancements to Paladins, while adding improvements to status and looks of champions. New skins, weapons and voice packs promote an even better in game experience for the most part. Hi-Rez has also revealed attractive improvements such as the introduction of a brand-new champion, a new map, and other game updates. Together, these announcements have improved the potential to gather more fans for the title.