The company who brought you the number action MOBA, SMITE – free-to-play multiplayer Hero shooter, Paladins and their new game, Hand of the Gods: SMITE Tactics which is a turn-based strategy card game that is set in the SMITE universe – announced a couple of new features that fans are sure to enjoy.
Hands of the Gods: SMITE Tactics
Hi-Rez Studios announced that their new game, Hands of the Gods: SMITE Tactics which was in Closed Beta, has now moved into open beta. While in closed beta, the company was able to fix and change features to make the game more polished, thanks to the feedback from the players who entered the closed beta.
“Over the course of Closed Beta we’ve reworked the strategic elements of gameplay and deck building while making combat much easier to read and understand,” said Scott Lussier, Lead Designer on Hand of the Gods. “Today with the launch of Open Beta, we invite everyone to download Hand of the Gods for free and lead the legends of mythology into battle.”
To celebrate the Open Beta launch, Hand of the Gods the company has introduced the new Venus Competitor’s Pack. This pack will support the decks of new players and veterans alike by unlocking over 70 cards and a number of bonuses, including a special Venus skin for Aphrodite in SMITE. The Hand of the Gods Open Beta is free-to-play.
Players may download the game from the Hand of the Gods website.
SMITE
Now when it comes to the company’s number one MOBA, they team decided to do something different. The SMITE team announced Project Olympus, a new initiative intended to improve core game features and to keep the game polished.
Now, the first phase of Project Olympus will being to roll out over the next three SMITE patches. Further quality-of-life gameplay improvements will continue through the start of Season 5, which is projected for January 2018.
“We’ve taken several key changes to gameplay, user interface, and overall progression and combined them into one massive overhaul that we are calling Project Olympus,” said Chris Larson, Executive Producer of SMITE.
“Project Olympus is full of big changes that SMITE fans have wanted for a long time, and we are excited to deliver on these requests as we take SMITE to a whole new level.”
The first features announced as part of Project Olympus include:
– Major engine and systems upgrades, including a 64-bit client and support for higher-resolution textures.
– Significant Console SMITE updates, including HUD improvements, additional controller configuration options, and match history sorted by God.
– An improved in-game knowledge bank, full of tutorial videos to help new players learn the game and existing players improve their skills.
– Prestige Levels, which allow SMITE players to level beyond the existing level 30 cap.
Can’t wait to see what the SMITE team has in store for players? Check out the video below
PALADINS
Paladins, which has grown in popularity in a matter of months – has now reached a milestone today, announcing the 30th Champion to join the Realm. Jenos, the Ascended, a Support Champion with an astral flair, is the 10th Champion released in Paladins this year, reflecting Hi-Rez Studios’ commitment to constant updates and new content.
Hi-Rez Studios also announced the newest map to join the Realm: Splitstone Quarry. This new map is the latest product of Paladins’ unique test map queue, where early, boxed-out versions of maps are shared with players.
These rough maps are updated, improved, and fully finished and polished locales based on player feedback. Lastly, the Frontline Champion Ruckus is receiving a visual rework to better root him in Paladins’ vibrant fantasy world.
This new visual direction reflects Ruckus’s lore-based origins as a miner in Splitstone Quarry, the map announced today. DreamHack Valencia viewers on Twitch have a special opportunity to get the DreamHack Maeve skin, exclusively available via Twitch drops on www.twitch.tv/paladinsgame or at DreamHack events.
DreamHack Valencia takes place this week, with Hi-Rez having five tournaments across three different games on two platforms. Players will face off in the $150,000 SMITE Pro League Summer Finals.
Players will battle it out to see who is the world’s best PlayStation and Xbox and try to win the $50,000 in the Paladins Console Wars.
SMITE Pro League Summer Finals: $150,000 – Starts Thursday 1:15pm CEST www.twitch.tv/hireztv
SMITE Console League Summer Finals: $50,000 – Starts Thursday 10:30am CEST www.twitch.tv/hireztv
Paladins Summer Premier: $100,000 – Starts Thursday 1:00pm CEST www.twitch.tv/paladinsgame
Paladins Console Wars: $50,000 – Starts Thursday 8:00pm CEST www.twitch.tv/paladinsgame
Hand of the Gods Valencia Open: $7,500 – Starts Saturday 2:00pm CEST www.twitch.tv/hireztv
