Paladins Beta Test Now Underway

In case you don’t have enough arena-style class-based first-person shooters in your life, Paladins: Champions of the Realm has kicked off its closed beta starting today and is looking for fighters brave enough to put their skills to the test.

Coming from the tem at Hi-Rez Studios, Paladins hails from a studio that’s had some decent success in the realm of free-to-play games these past couple of years. You might be a fan of one of their other games, Tribes Ascend or Smite, so Paladins is certainly worth giving a look see.

Launching today for PC, the Paladins closed beta is in need of participants, and you can sign up simply by dropping in your email address at the game’s official website. If you’ve played games like Team Fortress 2 or are looking forward to games like Overwatch, then you’ll definitely want to check out the trailer below.

Set to launch in 2016, it should come as no surprise that, while technically free-to-play game, there are ways players can fork over some real-world cash in order to gain new playable characters or skins. While those kinds of items won’t be available until the game launches, you can go ahead and grab yourself a “Founder’s Pack” for the game that, among other goodies, guarantees your access to the closed beta.

For 20 bucks, you’ll get a crack at all the early gameplay you can stomach, as well an exclusive mount called the Infernal Warhorse and 20 Card Chests that offer five items each.

There are seven Paladins to choose from at present but, as is typically the case with these kinds of games, there will be more added leading up to and following the official launch. For now, there’s a gun-toting fox-thing named Pip that appears to be heavily inspired by Rocket Racoon, a flame-thrower-wielding knight by the name of Fernando, a goblin with some deadly inventions known as Ruckus, as well as the now mandatory bow-wielding female hunter named Cassie.

All of the characters offer unique weapons and abilities, so you’re likely to find someone who fits your preferred playstyle.

Paladins is currently only set to arrive on PC, but since Smite eventually came to Xbox One and it was recently revealed that Overwatch would appear on consoles, maybe there’s hope for a future appearance on additional platforms.

There sure are a lot of shooters similar to Paladin these days, but I consider that a good thing. Multiple fighters in the ring means that developers will have to strive even harder to make their game stand out, which typically translates to a better product for players to enjoy. If you manage to get in on the Paladins beta, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below.