A Hirez Showcase Recap
Recently, Hi-rez did a showcase week with the upcoming changes and updates to the games: Paladins, Rogue Company and Smite. We also have been told of a new game that will be free to play which is coming out soon. So, what do we know and why will it be a good time to start playing these games?
Rogue Company
Hi-rez has just unveiled their new rogue, Glimpse. Glimpse is out right now as the last operator we are getting of year 1 and the reason she is inside the rogue company games is because she was an experiment who decided to escape using stolen cloaking technology. She wants to find and destroy those who have wronged her and experimented on her. We also welcome the final update of season 1, Project Saint. Project Saint is mostly a load of quality of life improvements. We also see Watch Games take over Rogue Company which is aiming to make the game 10x better than before. One of the systems they are working on making is a Human Backfill feature to help replace people that leave casual games as well as a rework to the interaction system. We also get a look at the new map coming in Season 2, Meltdown. The Meltdown map is an old laboratory that was consumed by hell, the lava just everywhere. A perfect new map for you to get your buddies to dive in with you. Just remember though, it's over when the enemy has the high ground.
Paladins
Paladins has slowly been on a decline but, we now have a new update that adds so much more to the game. To begin with, we get a brand-new map! We don’t know the name and we have not seen the whole map, but we did a teaser art on what the map will look like! They really are keeping us on our toes for the new season. We are also getting major updates to all maps, the magistrates (the council inside of Paladins who control the whole game) are ready to start the carnage.
New Champion VII
We also welcome Vii of the Outer Tribunal, here to orchestrate judgment within everyone. He offers select fire on his main weapon, allowing him to either go for accuracy with burst fire or mag dumping with full auto, going to ham on everyone who dares stand in his way to securing the judgment of the guilty. He also has a grapple which helps him get that little bit closer to you, or even further away if he finds himself in a little bit of bother. Strategically, you could also use this to set yourself in a hard-to-get spot and provide cover fire for your whole team.
New season, New battle Pass
We also get a new battle pass, and this season's theme is Abyss Hunter Academy. Like Vii, the champions must protect the innocent... From the Abyss. Engage in battle with a handful of different academy students vs the dooming threat! We will see skins such as Class President Rei and Schoolyard Maeve.
New Mode
As well as all the other changes, we welcome a new mode, Siege: Beyond. Siege Beyond is just a variant of the classic siege mode, however, it is a living game mode. Meaning that the whole mode will evolve and grow throughout the year. Maybe we could see flying turtles? Makoa will be happy about that. It will also feature brand new items inside of the shop which is only available inside the new game mode. Do not worry though, we also are able to have the original siege modes.
Smite Season 9
Welcome to Smite season 9, The Dharmic Era!
Shiva enters the battlefield, creating peace and tranquillity amongst those who fight, and he completely changes the main map, conquest, with his godly appearance. He may be classed as the destroyer but he saves Bellona, Ganesha, and Gilgamesh from Tiamat.
Shiva
Shiva is a brand-new playable god as of Season 9 and we got a good look at some of Shivas abilities. Shiva, the lord of dance, balances helping his allies as well as de-buffing his enemies. That is all we know of Shiva at the moment, however, his entry into Smite is massive! For a long time Hi-Rez couldn’t add Hindu gods into the game because many Hindi thought that Hi-Rez was not staying accurate with the religion, this time though, they have asked many people who believe in the Hindu religion to check over the design and lore just to make sure everything is all good.
Slash, A blend of Clash and Siege
Slash, is a mixture of the current maps Clash and Siege. We take the map of Clash and add the mechanics of Siege which makes Slash. Many people were struggling to find fair matches inside of both siege and clash so Hi-Rez decided to merge the good aspects of both modes into 1 to create Slash. We may lose the 4v4 of Siege but we gain (in theory) a bigger player base for the new model. The new map is Mayan and Egyptian-themed. Who's side of mythology are you on?
We also saw some of Smites Content Creators fight it out on the new map on a Content Tournament. They battled to the death and they fought hard to be deemed the first champions of Slash, SamDaDudes Team, Able Gamers.
2022 God Teaser
We also get the first “looks” of Smite’s season 9 God list. Alongside Shiva, we will see 5 more playable gods. These gods will have the ability to change the game and be able to destroy your foes with ease.
The Obelisk – Conquest Map Change
Shiva has entered and completely changed the map. We now see signs of life growing all around the map with more trees and bushes coming off the buildings. We also see changes in the jungle camps with an all-new objective, the Obelisk. The Obelisk makes little flowers grow onto certain jungle buffs, and when the jungle buffs are destroyed, it drops the flower in which you pick up. This fills the Obelisk which when it is fully filled, the team who fills it first gets a buff. Enemies around the Obelisk take damage, where you and your team gain healing.
Glyphs and Relics
Glyphs are a new item deemed as a 4th tier item. Each class has at least 1 glyph which they can use which can greatly help you in your journey to defeat the Titan. To also help, we welcome an additional path to relics! Both of these new paths introduce either an upgraded version of the original item or a brand-new passive to help you. For a more in detail look into the changes, please visit the Hi-rez Patch notes page
The Smite World Championships
Spoiler warning
The main event! We saw an amazing display of skill and quality. But only 1 team managed to win the whole thing. To begin with, we see a massive upset! Solar Scarabs managed to overcome the Jade Dragons. On paper, the Solar Scarabs were the worst team there! We also see Atlantis Leviathans take reign over the Olympus bolts which was a pretty even matchup. We then got to the Semi-Finals. Taurus Titans (my favourite team) vs Solar Scarabs. They won nice and easy. We also see Camelot Kings vs Atlantis Leviathans. Leviathans looked unstoppable. We then got to the finals. And the Leviathans crushed the Titans. It was a dominant display and the Leviathans deserved to hold the trophy. Zapman got his 3rd world championship win, beating Paul inside the Titans who was on his way to a 3rd championship win too! It was a battle of the greats.
With Smite Worlds getting its winner, we also get our SPL and SML changes (the smite competitive scene). All teams will be given a name to choose which was generated by Hi-Rez. There will also be more avenues for SML (The minor league) to go into more playoff tournaments. We will also be seeing the SPL roster registration event. Where teams will fight for their entry into the SPL (the pro league). Who will win?
Conclusion
To conclude, the showcase was amazing. It lasted a week and was some of the best content Hi-Rez has put out. It really defined what Hi-Rez was about and how much time/effort they put into their work. Each game is worth a good look into. Also, watch out for Hi-Rez Studio’s new game. We will hear more about it in the future but they are working on something.
Thank you, everyone!
Many thanks,
Reece,
Volcreation
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