Realm Royale beginner’s guide

Realm Royale is yet another battle royale game, but if you’re tired of just shooting guns and building forts, you might find a lot to love here. The game’s developers, Hi-Rez Studios, flipped the script while taking some of the most familiar elements of the genre to create a title that feels different next to its competitors. Even though the game is still in early access, there’s enough meat on its bones to make this free-to-play game worth the download.

But if you’re diving in for the first time blind, you’ll be a little confused. Don’t worry though, we put together a quick guide that lays out the basics like classes while covering some of the game’s more interesting and unique mechanics.

REALM ROYALE SIMILARITIES

Hi-Rez Studios

Like other battle royale games, Realm Royale starts with the same premise as the rest: Drop 100 players onto a map, and let them battle it out until one player or team is left standing. Other familiar hallmarks of the genre are here, too: There are areas of the map with specific names and designs, the entire map is littered with random gear, and a circle will slowly enclose around a center point forcing players to get closer and duke it out.

From there, it diverges. The following differences are really what make Realm Royale stand out.

REALM ROYALE’S BIGGEST DIFFERENCES

One of the biggest things you’ll notice off the bat with Realm Royale is the inclusion of classes. Before you start the game, you must pick between one of five classes, each with their own set of perks, special movement skills and lootable abilities you can find among the weapons and armor. Who you chose makes a difference and this level of customization at the start of each map can really flavor your experience.

Another major aspect of Realm Royale is The Forge. Typically in battle royale games, your success relies on the luck you have in finding high-end gear or healing items. While that’s the case in Realm Royale, you can also sway things in your favor by using one of the many forges found at the center of each area of the map. We’ll cover The Forge in detail below, but it’s worth knowing that you can actually craft the game’s best armor and weapons at each location if you have the resources.

And when things don’t go well, you’re going to get taken out and putting into a “down” state. In other battle royale games, you can usually rely on a teammate to revive you before you get hit with a final blow. Things play out differently in Realm Royale. Once all of your health has been depleted, you’ll actually transform into a chicken that can slowly run and jump across the map. If you can survive in this state for 30 seconds, you’ll be revived. For those that kill you in a chicken state, they’ll get to loot your gear and will also receive an item that will help them upgrade faster at forges.

Hi-Rez Studios

The last small, but important difference in Realm Royale is mounting. All battle royale games require you to cross vast stretches of land to find gear and take out enemies, but many of titles in the genre don’t have a solution for the amount of time this takes. Thankfully, Realm Royale lets you mount a horse at any time to speed up your travel. It’s a small addition, but it makes running from forge to forge less of a hassle.

THE FIVE CLASSES

Hi-Rez Studios

Unlike other battle royale games, where everyone starts off on equal footing with the same skills, Realm Royale lets players choose one of five classes at the start of each match. Each class has four unique features that set them apart from one another: a class-specific perk, a different movement skill, four different spells that are only equippable by that class, and their own craftable, legendary weapon.

The key to mastering each class is to understand how to make the best use of their unique talents. You’ll eventually learn to favor certain abilities as you get comfortable with the game. Since you can only hold two abilities at a time, it’s helpful to test them out as you find them and experiment until you find a combination that works with your play style. Once you’ve found a class you like, it’s all about getting good enough with them so you can craft their legendary weapon and become a force to be reckoned with.

The Warrior

The Warrior is a good beginner class, since their perk allows them to passively gain health. Partnered with their movement skill, the Heroic Leap, you can bound across the map and survive easier than other classes. When you’re just learning the ropes of the game, consider using the Warrior.

On top of gaining health passively, two of the Warrior’s lootable spells will also allow it to survive a even longer.

These are great tools if you’re looking to keep yourself or your team in top shape:

• Healing Potion grants health to you or your allies.
• Shielding Potion can fix shields.

If you want to play more offensively, you can use the following:

• Charge gives Warriors the ability to dash a short distance while damaging enemies you slam into.
• Net Shot slows down enemies, making them easier to pick off. Mixing and matching these abilities gives the Warrior a flexible kit that will suit all sorts of play styles.

The Warrior’s legendary weapon is a throwing axe that deals more damage the farther away from an enemy you are. In a pinch, it’s a good short range weapon, but the axe’s unique trait allows it to act as a nice mid-range tool for high damage output.

The Engineer

The Engineer is a great class for those who want a bit more control over the battlefield. Their passive ability gains them shield over time while their movement ability, Thrust, shoots them high into the air, allowing the Engineer to reach the high ground much faster than anyone else. If you’re a more tactical player, the Engineer might be for you.

Much of the Engineer’s lootable talents are area of effect skills, giving them unique battlefield advantages that no other class has.

• Deploy Turret lets the Engineer drop a turret that can offer cover fire, protect forges or apply pressure in shootouts.
• Fire Bomb is a projectile that lights an area on fire when it hits. This is great for locking down areas or weeding out enemies in cover.
• Healing Totem creates an area of healing that the Engineer and their team can take advantage of.
• Barricade is a piece of cover that can be dropped anywhere, giving the Engineer a tactical edge in engagements.

The Engineer’s legendary weapon is a bomb launcher. It shoots vials that have a nice bit of splash damage. Since so much of the Engineer’s talent-based damage output effects a large area, the launcher is a good complement, allowing the Engineer to spread damage all over the map.

The Assassin

The Assassin is all about stealth and controlling what is seen on the battlefield. Their passive ability allows them to move 10 percent faster while on the ground, making them the speediest class of the bunch. With their movement ability, Blink, Assasins can teleport a short distance, giving them a great sense of movement throughout the battlefield.

• Ghost Walk lets Assassins escape danger, making them unable to be targeted and increasing their movement speed.
• Smoke Screen lets Assassins drop a cloud that blocks enemy vision and grants them stealth. This is great for getaways or for sneaking up on enemies.
• Sensor Drone is another way to get the drop on opponents by revealing nearby players.
• Concussion Bomb can propel you forward or knock back enemies to make space.

Unsurprisingly, the Assassin’s legendary weapon is a sniper rifle. While it can only shoot one bullet before it needs to be reloaded, the ability to take enemies out from afar is perfect for players who want to stalk the battlefield and fight without being seen.

The Mage

The Mage is a powerful offensive class whose perk makes potions 30 percent more effective. Their movement ability, Soar, is great for covering short distances on the ground or in mid-air. Mages are great for players who want something versatile, but different than the Warrior.

The mage has skills covering both offensive and defensive options.

• Explosive Flask is a projectile that deals damage on impact and slows enemies down.
• For more direct damage, you can use Fireball for a magic blast that flies through enemies.
• If you want some protection, Ice Block traps you in ice for a movement, locking down your ability to do anything, but you become immune to damage while regaining some health.
• You can also cast a Wall to create a barrier or cast it at your feet to shoot you into the air.

The Mage’s legendary weapon is a magical staff, of course. It shoots mystical blasts out in five-round bursts. It’s a powerful mid-range tool that gives the Mage a beefy and consistent way to output damage.

The Hunter

The Hunter is a bit of a mixed bag. For the sake of variety, they may also be a good class to play as for beginners, since their kit has elements from each class. To help you get more out of your basic gunplay, hunters have a 10 percent faster reload and weapon swapping speed. Their Dodge Roll movement ability lets them roll out of the way, making them harder to hit.

Depending on how you play, you can mix up the Hunter’s abilities to match your play style.

• If you want some more damage, Blast Shot will let you fire off an explosive projectile at the press of a button.
• For more battlefield awareness, Flare will allow you to reveal enemies in the area.
• If you need to defend an area, drop a Proximity Mine.
• Or you can use Withdraw to leap backward and gain stealth for a short time to disengage during fights.

The hunter’s legendary weapon, the bow and arrow, is as versatile as their kit. You can pop off quick shots at shorter ranges to deal small amounts of damage or hold your shots to get a more powerful and long-range shot. While the bow and arrow isn’t as exciting as the other legendary weapons, it performs well in most situations, giving it a lot of flexibility.

THE FORGE, THE GAME’S UPGRADE SYSTEM

Hi-Rez Studios

Scattered across the Realm Royale map are several forges, usually located at the center of each of the game’s different locales. The forges are important landmarks because they are where players can take part in one of the game’s most interesting feature: crafting.

At each forge, players can craft a handful of items, from healing potions to the highest level armor and most importantly, a powerful class-specific weapon — if you have enough shards. Players can create shards at any time by “disenchanting” any weapon, piece of armor or spell they find on the map. Once you have enough, you can enter any forge and craft what you can afford.

Crafting is one of the best ways to get a leg up in the game, but it does come with a caveat: The more powerful the item, the longer the crafting time. In addition, when a forge is active, a massive plume of smoke appears, alerting other players that a forge is in use. It sets up an interesting dynamic. On one hand, you can gain access to the most powerful gear in the game, but on the other hand, you’re a sitting duck giving away your position.

Knowing when to craft and how to defend the active forge is essential if you want to have some of the strongest gear in the game. So it helps to set up a perimeter or know how long your items will take to craft so you can return to the forge on time.

WHEN YOU DIE, YOU BECOME A CHICKEN

Another interesting quirk about Realm Royale is how it deals with player death. In other battle royale games, when your health is depleted, you enter a state where you move slowly and can’t defend yourself. This leaves you with an opportunity to crawl to safety where a teammate can revive you. In Realm Royale, things are totally different. When you’re knocked out, you enter a state where you can’t fight back, but instead of being reduced to crawling, you’re turned into a plump chicken. In this form, you have to survive for 30 seconds before you automatically revive.

Hi-Rez Studios

As the chicken, you have a slightly slower speed and the ability to jump. These mobility options do give you the ability to get to safety much better. We’ve found it’s best to run back to your allies in this state for cover. If you’re alone, one of the smartest things you can do is jump in and out of windows in buildings. Most buildings have windows that are only small enough for the chicken to hop through, which is one of the only advantages that chicken has.

Once you come to, you’ll still have all your weapons and some reduced health. For players who manage to dispose of you as the chicken, they get to loot all of your items and shards. They also get a chicken trophy, which let’s them craft items at the forge much quicker.

REALM ROYALE IS FAMILIAR AND DIFFERENT

If you’re growing sour with the current offer of battle royale games and want to dip your toes into new waters, Realm Royale is worth the trip. There’s enough familiar elements to make the game easier to pick up, but there’s also plenty of aspects to this game that make it enjoyable, even if it’s still in an early alpha phase.

The five classes offer up a lot of instant variety that other games in the genre simply don’t. It’s hard to tell if this game will catch fire like its brethren, but if you want to see the battle royale flipped a different way, then give this early access game a spin.