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Paladins Joins Battle Royale Trend with 'Battlegrounds'

Battle Royale games are the big thing right now and Hi-Rez Studios is bringing its hero-based shooter to the party.

Ozzie Mejia

January 4, 2018 7:30 AM

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It's a big weekend for Hi-Rez Studios, who are kicking off this weekend's Hi-Rez Expo in grand style. In addition to several announcements for the studio's key franchises, like Smite, there was also one major noteworthy reveal for Paladins. The free-to-play team-based shooter (whichi boasts over 4 million players and counting) is now joining the battle royale craze.

Paladins: Battlegrounds is being touted as the first hero shooter to be a part of the growing battle royale genre. Like its contemporaries, 100 players will all compete for survival. The maps are estimated to be roughly 300 times the size of the standard Paladins Siege map. In addition to shooting any opponents that might swing by, players must initially utilize teamwork and combine their characters' abilities to survive. They can also explore the map aboard their mounts, looting any nearby outposts and following zeppelins that drop legendary gear. The last team standing is the winner.

Paladins: Battlegrounds is set to come to Paladins later in 2018. Hi-Rez Expo attendees will be able to try an early alpha version this weekend. For more, check out the video below.

As for Paladins proper, that's getting a major update, as well. Moji is a bit on the diminutive side, but she'll ride into battle aboard a two-headed dragon mount. She'll also have magical powers to draw upon in the heat of battle. Here's a brief look at the new character below.

Players will also find a new Team Deathmatch mode with a new Trade District map. Look for this game mode, along with Moji, to hit Paladins' PC version on January 10 and the game's console versions on January 17.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?