To say this has been quite a year for Paladins would be an understatement, and we’re celebrating by unlocking all Champions and Legendary Cards free for Xbox Live Gold members this weekend.

If you’re not one of the 17 million people who have already played Paladins on console or PC, it’s the free-to-play hero shooter from the makers of Smite. You can play as one of 32 unique Champions, each with awesome weapons and abilities. And you can make each Champion play exactly how you want by selecting one of three Legendary Cards in each match to help outplay your opponents.

All of the Legendary Cards and Champions will unlock for free starting on Thursday, September 28 at 2 a.m. PT and will last through to Sunday, September 28 at 9 p.m. PT. Once the event concludes, players will keep their progress and any in-game currency they have earned (which can be used to unlock your new favorite Champion), but will no longer have access to Legendary Cards and Champions that were unlocked during the event.

We here at Hi-Rez Studios have set an aggressive schedule for Paladins in 2017, and are pleased with what we’ve been able to do so far this year. Our 2017 goals are to release more than one Champion per month (we’re on pace for 15 new Champions in 2017), start revealing the lore of the Paladins, and start an esports scene within the console ecosystem.

We just introduced Talus, our 32nd Champion, and the 12th released this year! Talus is a medium-range flank character. His submachine gun is perfect for mowing down unsuspecting opponents (especially when overcharged!). Before engaging an enemy, Talus can mark a spot with his magical glyph. And a few seconds later, Talus will be teleported back to safety at his marked return spot — whether he’s done wreaking havoc or not.

Alongside expanding the roster for Paladins, we’ve also been slowly releasing morsels of lore for the Paladins universe. With Talus, Art Director Thomas Holt described Talus’s race, the Ska’drin, as beaten down, and oppressed, and nearly exterminated by other inhabitants of the Realm. We’ve also seen connections between other characters, such as Lex and Pip, Viktor and Strix, and Zhin working alongside Androxus. Our plan is to continue releasing more about the Paladins world in the very near future, which is something our fans have been requesting for a while!

We’ve also been getting questions from our community about console esports for Paladins. While we’re not ready to announce our complete plans for console Paladins esports just yet, we want to assure you it’s on the way. We’re looking to put on a series of tournaments through the rest of 2017 which will allow some teams to qualify for a Paladins console event at Hi-Rez Expo, happening January 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Please make sure to visit our Paladins esports website for the latest news as it’s released. Also, follow us on Twitter at @PaladinsGame or visit our website for the latest information on Paladins!

Once again, make sure to check out Paladins: Champions of the Realm this weekend on Xbox One and we look forward to seeing you in the Realm!