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Paragon

Paragon is a third-person sci-fi action MOBA where players assume the role of a hero and use their skills and teamwork to gain supremacy in the arena. The game features a unique card system that replaces the traditional in-match item shop.

Publisher: Netmarble
Type: Third-person MOBA
Release Date: 2016
Shut Down Date: April 26, 2018
Relaunch Date: Dec 5, 2022
Playerbase: Medium
Pros: +Gorgeous visuals. +Large, detailed map. +Unique card system. +Fun combat.
Cons: -Smaller playerbase.

Overview

Paragon Overview

Paragon is a third-person sci-fi MOBA from Epic Games set in a science fiction universe. Experience features of a traditional MOBA in a new perspective and setting. Engage in 5v5 matches on a classic three-lane map brimming with NPC units and heroes clashing for supremacy. Choose from a diverse roster of heroes, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, unique abilities, and roles in combat. Work with teammates to strategically defeat opponents, coordinate sneak attacks, push through lane defenses, and defend against incoming attacks. Face opponents head on in the lanes or take to the jungles until you're strong enough. Equip your hero with cards that grant stat bonuses and new abilities taking the place of traditional item shops.

Paragon Key Features:

  • Third Person MOBA - fight on the ground with your hero through an over-the-shoulder and behind-the-back perspective
  • Skill-Based Combat - aim your skills with precision to connect with opponents.
  • Distinct Heroes - choose from an ever-increasing roster of heroes with unique abilities and roles.
  • Stunning Graphics - running on Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4, Paragon delivers stunning visuals harnessing the full power of the engine.
  • Card Collecting - earn cards and build a deck to unlock new strategic decisions during the course of a match.

Paragon Screenshots

Paragon Featured Video

Paragon - Official Gameplay Trailer

Full Review

Paragon Review

By, Marc Marasigan

Paragon is a 3D third-person MOBA where players assume control of a hero and work together with their team to destroy the opposing team’s core before they do the same. The game runs on Unreal Engine 4, and features stunning graphics, detailed environments, gorgeous character models, and dazzling effects; although the motion blur seems a bit too much for my taste. Paragon falls a bit short when it comes to audio. The voice overs and sound effects are great, but the game lacks in-match background music. Players probably won’t notice it as much when they’re running around the map blasting minions or other heroes to oblivion but it becomes quite noticeable when you’re mulling over your recent death in spectator mode.

Learning the Ropes

Paragon lacks a playable tutorial. The game relies on a YouTube tutorial video to explain the basics such as heroes, minions, towers, and the overall goal of the game. Tool tips and pop-ups also appear during a player’s first match to help them along, or as I see it, delay them enough so the opposing hero gets a good head start. While MOBA veterans can jump right into the game, newbies probably need more than a 5-minute video and a few tool tips to get acquainted, specifically its unique card system. New players are also limited to Solo vs AI and Coop vs AI matches until they reach account level 3, which is roughly equivalent to 1 winning match or 2 losing matches.

Go For The Core

Over the past few years the gaming community has seen various innovations in the MOBA genre, including Domination maps, mounts, and third-person gameplay. While Paragon’s developers have adopted the third-person view employed by Smite, they’ve opted to stick to the traditional gameplay that was popularized by DOTA. For the uninitiated, traditional MOBA’s pit two teams against each other in a race to destroy the opposing team’s base, or in Paragon’s case their core. To get to the core player-controlled heroes, along with regularly spawned minions, must advance, or “push,” through one or more lanes by destroying a series of defensive towers that lead up to the enemy base. Players also need to deal with opposing heroes trying to do the same thing. The first team to destroy the core wins the match.

Typical MOBA matches last anywhere from 20 minutes to more than an hour depending on the players’ skills. They typically start out slow with a lot of back and forth until around the 10 to 15-minute mark which is where matches start to kick into overdrive and ganks and clashes tend to happen. Matches usually average around the same times but feel slower, as if they were perpetually stuck in early game. Paragon lacks the speed and aggressiveness present in most MOBA’s, as well as the quick reaction times needed to be an effective member of the team.

Collect ‘em All

MOBA’s typically make use of item shops (not to be confused with cash shops) as a way for heroes to grow stronger by granting additional stats and abilities, or to adapt to certain situations, such as equipping items that, when activated, temporarily grant spell immunity when going up against a spell-user. Paragon replaces the item shop with a card system, similar to collectible card games or CCG’s, turning the game from a simple MOBA into a DOTA and Hearthstone lovechild.

Players start off with basic starter decks for each hero. They then gain additional cards as rewards, or by purchasing them from the cash shop using in-game currency called Reputation points. I’m not a big fan of any system that gives players an advantage over others, especially in games that require skills: MOBA’s, FPS, and RTS games among others. But Paragon’s matchmaking system handles balancing quite well; I’ve yet to go up against a player equipped with overpowered cards.

Reaping the Rewards

Players earn experience and reputation points whenever they finish a match, regardless of whether they win or lose. The winning team, however, is rewarded with significantly more points. Experience points count towards a player’s account level and reaching certain levels unlocks gameplay features such as the ability to play against other players, build your own decks, and playing as advanced heroes. Players also gain additional rewards such as card packs every time they level up.

Heroes also gain experience points every time they’re used in a match, and reward the player with skins and card packs upon reaching certain levels. Reputation points, on the other hand, are used to buy items from the cash shop. They can also be used to initiate Hero challenges which reward players with Master skins for the Hero used in the challenge.

Unlike some MOBA’s that rotate playable heroes every so often, Paragon players can play as any hero in their growing roster without the need to pay real-world money. Speaking of real-world money, all that it buys players in Paragon is cosmetic items as well as convenience boosts that have no effect on gameplay. Everything else can be unlocked with reputation points and a little bit of patience.

Final Verdict - Good

Players have been waiting for Paragon to come out since it was first announced in November 2015. I’ve been steamrolled by the hype train myself. To be honest though, the game was a bit of a letdown. The graphics look great, but the audio was disappointing. What ultimately turned me off was the gameplay. It felt too slow compared to other MOBA’s. Paragon left me feeling bored. I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s just not good enough.

Screenshots

Paragon Screenshots

Videos

Paragon Videos

Paragon - Announcement Trailer

Links

Paragon Online Links

Paragon Official Site

System Requirements

Paragon System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit
CPU: Core i5 2.5 Ghz
Video Card: 1 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460, AMD Radeon HD 6870, Intel HD Graphics 4600, or equivalent DX11 GPU
RAM: 4 GB
Direct X: DX11
Hard Disk Space: 15 GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit
CPU: Core i5 2.8 Ghz
Video Card: 2 GB Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7870 equivalent DX11 GPU
RAM: 8 GB
Direct X: DX11
Hard Disk Space: 15 GB

Music

Paragon Music & Soundtrack

Coming soon!

Additional Info

Paragon Additional Information

Original Developer: Epic Games

Relaunched Developer: Netmarble

Engine: Unreal Engine 4

Other Platforms: PS4

Early Access Release (Closed Beta): March 18, 2016
Open Beta Release: August 16, 2016

Official Release Date: TBA

Shut Down Date: April 26, 2018

Relaunch Date: Dec 5, 2022

Development History / Background:

Paragon is developed by American game development studio Epic Games. It runs on the studios' free-to-use game engine Unreal Engine 4. Epic Games announced the development of Paragon on November 04, 2015. The game went into Closed Beta Early Access on March 18, 2016 which included select players and owners of Founder's Packs. Paragon is set to enter Open Beta and go free-to-play on August 16, 2016. The game shut down on April 26, 2018 after Fortnite's popularity took off and resources were diverted there.

Paragon relaunched as 'Paragon: The Overprime" on December 5, 2022 by Netmarble.