Roller Champions Preview: Here’s what to expect at launch tomorrow

Strap in!

Roller Champions is set to officially launch tomorrow and Stevivor has the head’s up on what to expect.

If you’re jonesing for some 3v3 roller derby action, read on… and don’t forget that you can check out our earlier preview for a in-depth look at the title as well.

The main objective

In seven-minute patches, your team of three will be pitted against another with the goal of getting to 5 points first. To do that, you’ll need to keep control of the ball and ideally make three laps around Roller Champions‘ pitch before sinking a ball through the goal. If you can manage to make all three laps before a goal, that’s it; five points. Those playing more cautiously will receive one point for one lap and a goal, or three points for two laps and a goal.

All of that is far easier said than done; clad with bad tempers and roller skates, the team on the offensive needs to coordinate to get the ball around the circuit without losing it to their opponents. If that happens, any attempt at building a big score dies with the failed run; naturally, those on the offensive without the ball should either block opponents or position themselves to receive a well-timed pass, and those on the defensive should be doing all they can to tackle and take or simply intercept the ball.

Teamwork will certainly be key; while passing is a no-brainer, you can also gain speed by leveraging a nearby teammate or using them to perform a evasionary double jump.

Available modes

At launch, Roller Champions will offer up the following modes:

• Quick match: The standard 3v3 PvP affair
• Ranked match: Feeling competitive? Put your skills to the test in this 3v3 PvP arena, which is unlocked after playing 10 quick matches
• Skatepark: A social hjub that will offer up mini-games like Lootball Madness; grab and hold onto the timed lootball and you’ll walk away with a reward
• Limited-time modes: Exactly as it sounds; 2v2 matches and a hot potato mode will be made available in Season One
• Custom match: Your match, your rules

Progression and the Roller Pass

Roller Champions is free-to-play and will offer incentives to keep players returning and evolving. The key to this system really lies in completing 10 quick matches, which also happens to make ranked matches available. If you’re not feeling overly competitive, you’ll have access to all modes and customisation categories. Additional maps are also unlocked through progression.

The rewards loop seems relatively simple: complete games, win or lose, to gain more fans. Fan bonuses are also unlocked with your first three matches each day. On top of that, you can fulfill weekly challenges in-game that will unlock additional sponsors that lead to more fans and loot.

All of the above feeds into Roller Pass tiers, Roller Champions‘ Battle Pass system. Completing levels in the Roller Pass will unlock additional items, banners, titles, goal effects and the in-game currency called Wheels. Roller Champions‘ first Roller Pass (obviously) has a paid Premium Pass that is comprised of an additional 30 tiers and 42 unique rewards if you’re so inclined. The paid pass is priced at $5 USD.

Roller Champions heads to Windows PC via the Ubisoft Store, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS4 and PS5 on 25 May.