WhenFortnitereleased in 2017, the modern gaming landscape was changed forever. It may sound a little dramatic, but it’s important not to understate just how importantFortniteand its business modelhas been for the industry. In the years that have followed, live-service elements have now found their way inside the majority of titles, and the battle royale genre has only continued to grow in popularity. But where there is success, there is also those who try to copy it, and while some manage to achieve the same level of success, the majority don’t. Unfortunately,Realm Royale Reforgedwas one of those games.
Developed by Heroic Leap Games andpublished by Hi Rez Studios,Realm Royale Reforged- originally just titledRealm Royale- was a 2018 battle royale spin-off of Hi Rez’sPaladins. At the time of release,Realm Royalewas received fairly well by both critics and players, many of whom cited the game’s lack of building as a real upside. However, the initial luster soon wore off, andRealm Royalewas soon lost in the sea of battle royales. But over the last few years, one passionate team at Hi Rez has continued to work on the game, and a week ago, it was relaunched, now given the titleRealm Royale Reforged.
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Realm Royale Reforged’s Biggest Changes and Additions
The newReforgedupdate forRealm Royaleis truly massive, bringing a plethora of tweaks, changes, and new features to the game that both bring back some of the most beloved mechanics from the battle royale’s early days, while also keeping it in line with modern quality of life improvements. The first big change inRealm Royale Reforgedis that the armor system has made a return. A feature that was replaced by an obtuse Rune system, armor is back and better than ever. Players will now be able to loot, equip, and upgrade helmets, breastplates, gauntlets and greaves, each of which give them a unique buff to their abilities, such as additional health or faster reload speeds.
Another big change inRealm Royale Reforgedis that abilities and weapons are nowlocked behind a class system. As opposed to letting the player pick up any type of weapon or equip any ability, players will now only be able to use those items that link to their chosen class. For instance, only Mages will be able to use the Soar movement ability, which allows them to fly, and only Hunters will be able to use the brand new Grapple Hook ability. The same is true for weapons, with sniper rifles only available for Assassins and longswords only available for Warriors.
On top of the abilities and weapons that were already available inRealm Royale Reforged, the developer has added a few brand-new ones into the mix. TheAssassin, Warrior, and Mageall get a new combat ability each, with the Assassin being able to send out a decoy, the Warrior gaining super strength via an Enraged buff, and the Mage gaining the ability to shoot out a devastating fireball. The Mage class also has access to two brand new class-specific weapons, those being a fire and ice staff. An Auto Sniper Rifle weapon has been added toRealm Royale Reforgedas well, which can be used by any class.
Realm Royale Reforgedhas brought a number of general changes to the game, too. One of the most notable is the removal of Duos and Squads, which has been done in an attempt to keep the max player count high in every match. Class-specific chests have also been added to the game, which contain the aforementioned class-based weapons and abilities. Thestorm circlewill now be visible to players as soon as they enter a match, which is an attempt to keep the action focused from the get-go and reduce player downtime.
Realm Royale Reforgedis available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
