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Paragon Open Beta Dates Announced, "Fundamental" Balance Changes Coming

Passive abilities and more are being removed for all characters because they "did not provide as much depth or strategic value as initially envisioned."

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An open beta for Gears of War creator Epic Games' next title, Paragon, will begin on August 16 across PS4 and PC, the developer announced today.

If you want to play the game right now, however, you can pay for entry in the Early Access version, which is currently available for both PC and PS4, starting at $20.

Another piece of Paragon news today is that Epic has unveiled the next Hero character, Khaimera. The character, who wields two axes, will be available through Early Access beginning on June 21. Check out the video above to see Khaimera in action. He looks pretty intimidating.

The other big Paragon announcement today is that the game's biggest update to date is coming next week. It will include a new feature in the form of Draft Mode, as well as "broad adjustements" to Hero balance. The update also makes changes to the game's Card Experience.

Here is how Epic explains Draft Mode:

"It will change how players select their Heroes by providing the selection after an entire group of 10 players has been placed in a lobby. We're aiming for Draft Mode to eliminate some of the longer matchmaking queue times in addition to providing the opportunity to collaborate with fellow teammates when selecting your Heroes into combat. We believe this will allow for a more synergized team composition before each match."

As for the Hero balance changes, this sounds pretty significant. In a blog post, Epic said Hero balance is being "fundamentally reworked to allow for a more concise play experience with various Hero roles and to improve the effectiveness of a number of Heroes in combat."

One of the biggest changes is that Passive abilities are being removed for all Heroes. Additionally, Epic is removing the ability to level each character's Basic Attack ability.

"We found that both of these options, Passive Abilities and leveling choices, did not provide as much depth or strategic value as initially envisioned," Epic said.

Watch the video above and read the full blog post to learn more about what's changing and why. You can also see the full patch notes for the .27 update here.

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