In addition to the core shooter experience, Paladins also offers deep strategy and in-match character progression through decks of collectible cards, which amplify and augment a character’s core set of abilities.

In Paladins, teams are pitted against one another to capture control points and demolish the enemy's base while defending their own. Each combatant enters the battle with a primary weapon, a set of combat and movement abilities, and a personal mount to carry them quickly from one fight to the next. Players begin each match with a customizable deck of skill cards which can be activated and evolved upon leveling up in-match for enhanced strength, defense or utility throughout the session.

It’s official: Paladins will launch out of beta on May 8!

We’re celebrating with you, our community. Because if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be here today.

The Paladins Launch Celebration kicks off today, with two weeks of great in-game events and one massive giveaway.

We’re giving everyone who played in the Paladins beta 200 Crystals ($5 USD), free. With over 25 million players, that’s up to a $100 million giveaway! Just log in from May 8-31 to claim your free Crystals and a special Beta Avatar!

If you’re new to Paladins, there’s no better time to start playing. All 36 Champions are unlocked today through May 7, and you’ll become eligible for the Crystal giveaway as long as you log in before our launch day!

There’s more planned as part of the celebration, including a day-long stream on launch day where you’ll be able to hang out and play with your favorite Hi-Rez developers. We might even have cake?

And that’s just the beginning. The party continues all month with contests, broadcasts, giveaways, videos, in-game events, and more! Follow our social media channels to see how YOU can get involved!

We want to thank you all for being a part of this wild ride since our Sept. 15, 2016 Steam Early Access launch. We’ve always believed in developing our games alongside the community — even if we sometimes take a few wrong turns before we find the right path.

Even now, with Paladins a million times more polished than it was at the start of Early Access, we do not consider Paladins a truly “finished” product. We know there’s still work to be done. We are going to keep polishing, keep refining, keep fixing bugs, and keep putting out awesome new content on a regular patch cycle.

But what this does mean is that we are planning no more major system changes. We’ve found a formula that works for everyone: Free cards and sweet cosmetics. If you’ve been afraid to get really invested into Paladins because we might change things again, don’t worry: This launch is our commitment to this vision for Paladins future.

If you enjoyed Siege of Ascension Peak, consider that the first small test of what’s to come. We’ve got a whole year of events planned out, even bigger and better than Siege of Ascension Peak. From awesome new Champions to fully custom in-game events, fun new game modes, lore cinematics, and incredible themed skins and cosmetics, we will be taking it to the next level in 2018.

If you get good enough, there’s a world of competitive esports waiting for you. Every weekend players in NA and EU can participate in the open-entry $250,000 Paladins Console Series, powered by Mixer. And if you’re the best of the best, you can qualify for quarterly LANs — like the one May 12-13 live from the Hi-Rez Esports Arena.

Again, thank you all so much for being a part of our community. We’ll see you in the Realm and on our May 8 launch day!