To be fair, I’m not 100 per cent positive that The Fey, joining Epic Games’ action MOBA today to battle against laser commandos, bunnies in mech suits, killer robots and mutant beasts, is an actual princess. I am completely positive she seems a little out of place.
Or maybe she’s just an important step in establishing a narrative in a game that currently has next to none. A ranged support class, the lithe fairy creature is powered by the world of Agora, where Paragon’s MOBA battles take place. Is this what happens when a magical world meets a technological one?
The current lineup of heroes in Paragon’s beta is a mixed bag of robotic entities, tech-based combatants, fantasy warriors and beasts. Here’s a cross-section of the now 20 heroes in the game.
We’ve got a rhino man, a bunny in a mech suit, an alien riding a thing, purple stuff, a tech assassin, Skull-Face McMoonhead, tech soldier and now ooo, Sunny D!
I guess I’m giong to call her Sunny D from here on out.
Sunny D’s nature-based powers and fairy theme adds credence to the whole magic vs. tech theory. If it’s true, I am going to have to pick a side. Don’t make me choose between mech bunny and fairy princess, Epic Games. That’s just not fair.
Paragon enters open beta on PC and PS4 on August 16. Dibs on Sunny D.
Comments
7 responses to “Paragon Unleashes The Ultimate Weapon Against Robots And Monsters: A Fairy Princess”
Isn’t this a graphics card mascot?
I wanted to like this game, but it quickly devolved into more work than play. Be at this point at this time, make sure you have this exact build, make sure you play in this exact way. It’s not fun, and more than that, it’s sort of misleadingly actiony in its presentation. You can argue that “that’s what MOBAs are all about, the genre just isn’t for you” which is a fair point, but when this game is literally DOTA 2 with a different interface / input system, what’s the point of its existence?
Yeah I wanted to like the game too, I played out a whole game but just got bored and wanted it to end. I’ve played heaps of LoL in the past and just didn’t feel like learning item builds again. You’re right, the trailers etc are a bit misleading with how much action is in the game but thats the point of them.
The combat was alright, but I just felt like going back to Overwatch.
Dota 2 isn’t like that at all.
There isn’t a ‘correct’ way to play any hero. Heroes that were always played as carries have become supports (Wraith King, Morphling, Riki). I’ve seen Dazzle (probably the hardest support in the game) played as a position 1 carry… successfully!
And even once you get past the heroes, the items you buy and the way you play changes in every single game.
This is the thing though, you’re probably deeply familiar with DOTA, right? I’m not. I’ve played a few games and found it too daunting to stick with long term. This game has the same “problem” (i say it in quotations because I realise that this style of game isn’t a problem for the fanbase). I didn’t even know “Jungling” was a thing until a saw a video about it on youtube. A character like the Squid Gorilla dude has specific abilities that leverage Jungling but it’s never really explained to you that being in the jungle is a viable strategy vs. defending / attacking lanes. MOBAs have always had a problem with explaining themselves properly, but quickly putting you in situations where you need to leverage that knowledge you might not have yet to win.
The whole thing is an incredibly daunting experience that makes playing games past the first few matches really frustrating. You’re losing and you have no idea why, and each match is sometimes decided in the first 5-10 minutes but you have to watch it play out over an agonising 45 minute defeat.
I’ve always preferred games where your skill matters more than your meta knowledge. The reason why I love games like Destiny or as Scraggers says above, Overwatch, is because you truly feel responsible for your victories and defeats. Even under-levelled or misgeared players can push through challenges through having a high skill level in the second to second gameplay. You can do that in Paragon, but it’s significantly harder to achieve because of the way the game is built to reward playing particular roles and strategies.
Ah yeah. I’ve been playing Dota for many, many years now, and was fortunate that I started playing in Dota 1, because every was way, way worse at the game back then.
It definitely isn’t something you can pick up overnight. The most common benchmarks I hear are ‘100 hours before you have the slightest idea what’s going on, and 1,000 hours before you can start being any good’. Which, when you think about it, is insane.
That being said, have you tried playing with a coach? I had a friend walking me through my first couple of games, and it made a world of difference. Once you get a handle on the game you can start to understand what mistakes you’re making, and work to rectify them – however, getting to the level where you understand your own mistakes is probably the hardest part, and having a coach to point the mistakes out makes that process far easier.
I think ultimately, the type of game it is just isn’t for me. A coach would definitely help, but my desire to learn more is just not there. Like I said, I prefer games where I feel like I have more control over the actual gameplay and where I feel more responsible what happens.