Paragon is getting a healer named Phase in the 'Age of Intellect' update

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My initial thought, upon reading the name of the new Paragon update, was that it was a joke, or maybe that I'd clicked on the wrong link. But no! Version 0.40 of Epic's huge-dude MOBA, set to go live tomorrow, is in fact called The Age of Intellect, and it features a new ranged support character named Phase, plus updates to existing heroes and cards, and new features including monthly vault rewards and Golden Loot Keys.

Naturally, Phase can deal damage on her own, but her true strength lies in her ability to boost the powers of her teammates. Her Telekinetic Link enables her to pass her Health Regen ability to an ally, and also to pull the ally to her directly, to help them escape trouble. Psychic Flare emits a damaging and blinding blast of light around her and her linked target, and Hyperflux gives both Phase and her linked ally a brief increase in movement and attack speed, a Mana Regen bonus, and a Cooldown reduction.

The Age of Intellect also includes 36 card updates, with "several reworks of niche cards alongside updated functionality and balance across the full library," Epic said. "We’re still in the process of a full rework of the card system planned for 2017. This release continues our trend of updating the existing card set to reflect our general direction for the future."

Along with individual card reworks, health per CP has been increased from 50 to 60, basic armor per CP has gone up from 7 to 8, and ability armor per CP has jumped from 4 to 6. On the loot side of things, players can now earn "stars" to gain access to rewards from the Monthly Vault, including new Golden Loot Keys that guarantee a rare or better item when used to unlock loot crates.

A full breakdown of the changes and additions in the Age of Intellect update can be found at epicgames.com. A week-long Age of Intellect event, in which players can earn the new "Sluggo's 'So Sorry' Banner" by playing ten PvP or co-op games, is also set to begin tomorrow and will run until May 23.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.