Paladins’ Year 8 Launch Focuses on Smaller Regular Updates

Things have been relatively silent concerning Paladins for some time now. This hero-centric shooter game has received minor updates, especially after the 2023 announcement of Hi-Rez’s restructuring and downsizing of some project teams. Additionally, Hi-Rez has been substantially occupied with SMITE 2 recently.

Throughout 2024, updates primarily revolved around character customisation, system streamlining, and Champion kit upgrades. Now as 2025 begins, we are set to welcome Year 8 of Paladins. You can even take a sneak peek at the upcoming content scheduled for release on January 29 by joining the PTR later today.

Year 8 introduces a new Ranked Season laden with significant improvements. The prerequisites in terms of Champions have increased from 18 to 24, and the tier points system now allows for more flexibility in terms of losses and gains. Special provisions have also been made for new entrants, introducing a ‘Newcomer Queue’. This voluntary queue is tailored to players below level 35, providing them with a relaxed environment to learn game tactics.

In 2025, developers will shift focus towards releasing minor updates more regularly, a method tested and validated by several games in the past couple of years. The team also plans on experimenting with “Subclasses”, a feature that lends a distinctive aspect to a particular set of abilities in your gameplay. Some details about these ongoing experiments can be found in the update’s notes.

The annual theme, named ‘Wekono’s Wake’, also comes with a new event pass and numerous bug fixes and balancing procedures. Make sure to check it out before the update is live.