Paladins has just released a huge update to the game. A whole new event and map are now included under the name “End Times.” The story goes that the Paladins have finally tracked the Magistrate to the desert (explaining the new map called “Shattered Desert”) where shards of the shattered moon fell. (The Moon was destroyed in an event that has not yet been explained). The Paladins are trying to catch the Magistrate, but mysterious fractures in space have started appearing. This has added an interesting play mechanic involving portals. In the End Times event you collect chrono shards by completing achievements in the End Times game mode such as getting 1,000,000 damage, or earning 900-point control time (both of these achievements are not an easy feat). By earning chrono shards one can unlock limited time items including emotes, poses, sprays, skins, and death stamps.
This update has also announced something Evil Mojo (the creators) are calling “The Hunt.” They have devoted 20-30% of their programming team to polish it. The goal is to have Paladins in a better state at the end of 2019 than it has ever been before. This includes more detailed maps and skins, as well as bug fixes. This has already started with noticeable changes such as more detailed textures on champions, prettier maps, and many gameplay bug fixes, making the game look and flow better.
One major fix is the balancing and improving of the new champion, Imani. Imani controls dragons and shoots ice out of her hands. She is a new character and was bound to have bugs. Many of those bugs have now been fixed within the month. This was a very fast fix, fixing bugs such as graphical glitches, as well as exploitable and overpowered gameplay bugs. These fixes have made this character more enjoyable and have made the game more balanced and enjoyable. This update is a big deal and is raising expectations for the improvements to Paladins during 2019.
by Konrad Smith ’23