EPT
![[image loading]](/staff/Heyoka/HeroesoftheSwarm/HotSLogo.jpg)
A handful of TeamLiquid staff played some Heroes of the Storm this morning, notably during the opening ceremonies because the line was so short we could go right back in immediately after our games. We played five or six games and won them all, which I believe qualifies us as some of the most experienced as well as top tier HotS players as of today. The line is now something like two hours so hopefully our record stands.
Overall the game is fun, and it's largely what you expect for "Definitely Not Dota Or League (But Totally Dota And League If You're Into That). The graphics are crisp and the game handles well, the art style is different enough from other games in the genre to make it stand out. The controls are good, with character animations leaning more on the League of Legends side of things with very fast turning speeds.
They have a handful of cardboard info panels with very basic information on the game on the floor, and while most of it is things you know (you can kill minions! your teammates help you!) this part about the hero roles is relevant enough to transcribe, as it seems to be the roles they are aiming for.
- Assasin Heroes do a lot of damage. Try to avoid enemy heroes and avoid enemy counter-attacks.
- Warrior Heroes are tough. They often have ways to stun or block the enemy. Try to protect your allies.
- Support Heroes often heal their allies. Stay close to your friends and help keep them alive.
- Specialist Heroes do lots of weird things! Many are good at killing teams but other have powers that change the flow of the entire game. Explore specials to have a unique Hero Brawler Experience.
Current heroes in the game
![[image loading]](/staff/Heyoka/HeroesoftheSwarm/HotSHeroes.jpg)
Time to play Name That Dota Hero
Time to play Name That Dota Hero
There is no one standard map type as of yet, currently there are three and they have intentions of adding new ones and retiring the old as people stop playing them. The whole experience reminds me a lot of the Diretide/Greiveling modes in Dota, they aim for 20 minute games and each map revolves around an interesting enemy or mechanic. One of the employees mistakenly told me there were four modes and some of the Blizzard-provided screens has terrain I don't recognize so presumably a lot are under development.
Blackheart Bay: There are chests that drops doubloons, and you pick them up to give to a pirate. When he gets 10 he starts firing a (ghost?) ship at your opponent's stuff, I think it randomly targets their towers but it may be something else. We made a lot of Diretide jokes during this.
Haunted Mines: You fight on two levels, one above ground as a normal map, and one underground (which has no towers or base structures). Haunted, spooky, mines open up on a timer, and you go into them to kill skeleton minions. When they're all dead, each team summons a golem with their strength depending on how many skeletons your team killed. In our first game of this we killed 98 skeletons and our opponents got 2 which made things fairly one sided (he raxed them himself while we pushed the other lane).
Dragonshire: This one felt the most standard to me. There are two control points on the map, and if you control both you can summon The Dragon Knight and control him. He is basically Roshan/Baron and from what we played seemed super strong and fun as you get to run into towers with him. The map layout is a little reminiscent of Twisted Treeline to me but that might just be because any non-standard MOBA map makes me think of that.
The general game mechanics are vastly different than similar games in a few ways.
- There are no items, there is no shop. You differentiate your hero by choosing feat-like abilities every so often (levels 1, 4, 7, with 10 being an activated ultimate and 20 being a different ultimate - I forget when in between those). It's things like +20 attack damage or 10% attack speed, with some of them also having cooldown reduction properties or adding to your q-w-e abilities. Each of these are dependent on your hero, there are some that many heroes have but also unique abilities (Diablo can choose to get a built-in Radiance at some level).
- You get 3 of your skills (plus a passive) at level 1 with the scaling of them depending on what you choose from leveling, and gain your last at level 10.
- Experience is shared throughout the team, no matter where you are on the map. You do not get extra experience, or any currency, from last hitting. You get experience while you are dead. Your team will always all be the same level.
- Hitting B will bring you to the fountain as with League. You also have a mount that you can use when you are out of combat that gives +20% move speed to run around the map. There are no TP scrolls.
- There are certain jungle creeps you can kill, and they will summon mercenaries that will march forward towards enemy towers. They are not controllable and seemed strong.
- Towers have a limited number of bullets, something like 16-20 and they can run out of ammo. They restock over time but an extended siege can run them dry.
- At the end there is a "Features" screen which lists "unlock heroes and skins" which leaves me to believe this will be similar to LoL in how to get new heroes, rather than having only cosmetics as unlockables like Dota.
- The alpha build has 2-3 different skins for each hero as well as each mount (screenshots of some below).
- I played 6 different heroes and they all had gap closers so I think this is a common trait. Also one of the supports has a teleport that can go to anywhere visible on the map.
Here is information from the press kit.
Heroes of the Storm Fact Sheet
What is Heroes of the Storm?
Heroes of the Storm is a free-to-play online team brawler starring your favorite Blizzard characters. In Heroes, the epic battles between the champions and villains of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo aren’t settled with last hits and kill-stealing—players are distinguished through the accomplishments of their team.
Whether you’re a hardcore WoW raider, a demon-slaying Barbarian, or a Bronze league Terran, you’ll find a customizable hero from across the Blizzard multiverse to suit your play style. Grab your buddies and engage in fast-paced mayhem across varied battlegrounds that impact strategy and change the way you play every match. When the mightiest characters in gaming history clash, only you can decide who’ll come out on top!
Who Are The Heroes?
Characters like Thrall, Kerrigan, Diablo, Arthas, Zeratul, Tyrael—powerful warriors from Azeroth, Sanctuary, the Koprulu sector, and beyond—have been sucked into the Nexus, a transdimensional storm. Stranded in a strange limbo of clashing universes, these combatants are joined by the same fate—to engage in pulse-pounding combat, to team up in a deadly struggle for survival . . . and to answer the age-old question. . . .
Who Would Win?
Heroes represents more than 20 years of Blizzard gaming history, settings, and iconic characters, all mashed up into an epic, action-packed team-based strategy game. Fight out classic showdowns such as Tyrael vs. Diablo, or settle those late-night debates you've had about who's the stronger leader—Raynor or Thrall? Could Kerrigan and Zeratul take down the Barbarian and Demon Hunter from Diablo III? Could Uther in his prime give Arthas the punishment he deserves?
Each customizable hero offers a wealth of tactical options and unique strengths that reflect their abilities in their respective games. Bringing these considerable powers to bear in the same setting opens limitless possibilities for previously impossible matchups and mind-blowing team combinations.
What Is The Nexus?
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill transdimensional vortex! The Nexus plunges the greatest warriors and strategists of the Blizzard multiverse into one of several unique battlegrounds for a no-holds-barred melee. Conquer mercenary camps to recruit powerful allies to your side, such as siege giants. Unlock the mysteries of each battleground, including ghostly pirate ships, the fickle Raven Lord, and massive grave golems to achieve a glorious victory.
Smash Your Enemies In Style!
Distinguish yourself and your team in battle with dozens of unique heroes, skins, and mounts. Then choose from among multiple heroic abilities, enabling you to dish out ruin in the form of orbital bombardments, strafing frost wyrms, or all-consuming hellfire—to name just a few of the many ways you’ll be able to visit destruction upon your enemies. Good players win. The great ones make it look good, too.
Heroes of the Storm is a free-to-play online team brawler starring your favorite Blizzard characters. In Heroes, the epic battles between the champions and villains of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo aren’t settled with last hits and kill-stealing—players are distinguished through the accomplishments of their team.
Whether you’re a hardcore WoW raider, a demon-slaying Barbarian, or a Bronze league Terran, you’ll find a customizable hero from across the Blizzard multiverse to suit your play style. Grab your buddies and engage in fast-paced mayhem across varied battlegrounds that impact strategy and change the way you play every match. When the mightiest characters in gaming history clash, only you can decide who’ll come out on top!
Who Are The Heroes?
Characters like Thrall, Kerrigan, Diablo, Arthas, Zeratul, Tyrael—powerful warriors from Azeroth, Sanctuary, the Koprulu sector, and beyond—have been sucked into the Nexus, a transdimensional storm. Stranded in a strange limbo of clashing universes, these combatants are joined by the same fate—to engage in pulse-pounding combat, to team up in a deadly struggle for survival . . . and to answer the age-old question. . . .
Who Would Win?
Heroes represents more than 20 years of Blizzard gaming history, settings, and iconic characters, all mashed up into an epic, action-packed team-based strategy game. Fight out classic showdowns such as Tyrael vs. Diablo, or settle those late-night debates you've had about who's the stronger leader—Raynor or Thrall? Could Kerrigan and Zeratul take down the Barbarian and Demon Hunter from Diablo III? Could Uther in his prime give Arthas the punishment he deserves?
Each customizable hero offers a wealth of tactical options and unique strengths that reflect their abilities in their respective games. Bringing these considerable powers to bear in the same setting opens limitless possibilities for previously impossible matchups and mind-blowing team combinations.
What Is The Nexus?
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill transdimensional vortex! The Nexus plunges the greatest warriors and strategists of the Blizzard multiverse into one of several unique battlegrounds for a no-holds-barred melee. Conquer mercenary camps to recruit powerful allies to your side, such as siege giants. Unlock the mysteries of each battleground, including ghostly pirate ships, the fickle Raven Lord, and massive grave golems to achieve a glorious victory.
Smash Your Enemies In Style!
Distinguish yourself and your team in battle with dozens of unique heroes, skins, and mounts. Then choose from among multiple heroic abilities, enabling you to dish out ruin in the form of orbital bombardments, strafing frost wyrms, or all-consuming hellfire—to name just a few of the many ways you’ll be able to visit destruction upon your enemies. Good players win. The great ones make it look good, too.
Heroes of the Storm FAQ
Q: What is Heroes of the Storm?
A: Heroes of the Storm is a free-to-play online team brawler, starring your favorite Blizzard characters. Build and customize heroes from across every Blizzard universe to suit your play style. Team up with your friends and engage in fast-paced mayhem across varied battlegrounds that impact strategy and change the way you play the game.
In each match you can select from an array of Blizzard heroes and join a team to battle against enemy players, with the ultimate goal of destroying the enemy base. You'll have the opportunity to stage classic showdowns such as Raynor vs. Kerrigan, or mix and match heroes from different games to fight together and against each other.
Each hero starts the game with a set of powerful abilities and traits, and over the course of the battle you'll have the ability to customize your hero with unique talents and heroic abilities. While each hero has certain core strengths, the talents you select can greatly change the way your hero fights. Support heroes like Uther for example, can be played as almost a pure healer, or can take on more of a damage dealing role.
Q: What makes Heroes of the Storm different?
A: Heroes offers a uniquely Blizzard take on the genre. You'll choose from an array of different Blizzard heroes, each of whom is customizable through a versatile talent system. One of these talent options is a selection between different ultimate heroic abilities. Arthas, as an example, can choose the ability to call Sindragosa, a giant frost wyrm, to do a strafing run. Or he can raise an army of the undead to swarm the enemy. Which one is better? Well, that's like asking if dragons or zombies are more awesome—that's up to you. Cool choices like these exist in each hero's unique talent array.
The game also offers a selection of different battlegrounds to fight on. Each battleground has a special secret that can affect the overall strategy of the match. In Blackheart's Bay for example, a ghostly pirate ship has taken up residence in the center. Treasure chests of gold coins spawn periodically on either side of the battleground. You can collect these coins or steal them from enemy players to pay tribute to Blackheart. Pay enough bounty and he'll train the ship's cannons on enemy fortifications for terrible, terrible damage. The Cursed Hollow battleground offers a different challenge. Here, the fickle Raven Lord holds sway. During the fight, tribute totems will spawn periodically -- collect enough of them and the Raven Lord will curse the opposing team, disabling their towers and weakening their minions for a period of time.
Many of the battlegrounds share environmental features, like forts, which are sprinkled along the pathways between each team's base. Each fort includes structures such as gates to prevent enemy movement and healing fountains for health and mana regeneration, in addition to a protective guard tower. Capturable watchtowers also mark important positions on many battlegrounds, offering vision on key areas.
Another differentiator with the game is match length. With a target game time of 20 min, Heroes of the Storm concentrates the intense battles and back-and-forth gameplay of online brawlers into fun, quick, action-packed matches, the perfect length to knock out a few games on your lunch break.
Q: Which heroes are in the game, and what roles do they play?
A: 18 heroes are available for battle in the BlizzCon demo of Heroes of the Storm, but this is just the first group of characters that have been sucked into the Nexus. Many more heroes will join the battle over time from Azeroth, Sanctuary, and the Koprulu Sector. But who knows? The Nexus may draw from other dimensions in the future as well.
Each hero offers different strengths and weaknesses depending on their role. Warriors such as Diablo can dive right into a melee, soaking up damage and dealing it back. Assassins like Kerrigan deal tremendous damage and can pick off unsuspecting enemies, but must choose their battles carefully, as they can dish more than they can take. Support heroes like Uther can swing the tide of battle, assisting with healing, buffs, or other abilities to manipulate the battle in the favor of allies. Other types include the siege and commander heroes, which are more specialized roles that bring different strengths as you build a team.
Q: Heroes of the Storm is free-to-play—what is available for sale and what can be earned in game?
A: We'll discuss more details about how the business model works in the future. What we can say is that you will be able to unlock heroes and other content just by playing the game. Cosmetic upgrades like skins, equipment, and mounts will be available. New heroes will also be released over time, along with new battlegrounds, though battlegrounds will probably be freely available to all players. It's also possible that additional talent options for existing heroes could be available as unlockable content.
Q: What kind of post-launch support is planned?
A: We will announce specific plans for post-launch support at a later date. But we can say that the Nexus is quite a powerful dimensional storm—new heroes are arriving all the time. That being the case, you can expect to see regular drops of new content throughout testing, as well as after the launch of the game.
Q: Is it required to have StarCraft II to play?
A: No. Heroes of the Storm will be a standalone game, separate from StarCraft II.
Q: On which platforms will Heroes be playable?
A: Heroes is being developed for PC and Mac.
Q: Will there be a beta test? When will it start? How can I apply for the beta?
A: Yes we do intend to run a beta test for Heroes of the Storm in the first half of 2014. We'll announce more details at a later date. Now is a great time to visit the Heroes of the Storm website and sign up for the closed beta as we begin preparations.
Q: When will Heroes of the Storm be released?
A: We don't have a release date we can share at this time. We'll have a better idea for a release window after we start beta testing.
Q: Is there something else you can tell me about the game?
A: Not right now.
Q: Seriously?
A: Yes, really.
Q: But...
A: Keep eye on the official Heroes website at http:/www.heroesofthestorm.com for updates. You can also follow the game on Twitter @BlizzHeroes, and on the official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BlizzHeroes.
A: Heroes of the Storm is a free-to-play online team brawler, starring your favorite Blizzard characters. Build and customize heroes from across every Blizzard universe to suit your play style. Team up with your friends and engage in fast-paced mayhem across varied battlegrounds that impact strategy and change the way you play the game.
In each match you can select from an array of Blizzard heroes and join a team to battle against enemy players, with the ultimate goal of destroying the enemy base. You'll have the opportunity to stage classic showdowns such as Raynor vs. Kerrigan, or mix and match heroes from different games to fight together and against each other.
Each hero starts the game with a set of powerful abilities and traits, and over the course of the battle you'll have the ability to customize your hero with unique talents and heroic abilities. While each hero has certain core strengths, the talents you select can greatly change the way your hero fights. Support heroes like Uther for example, can be played as almost a pure healer, or can take on more of a damage dealing role.
Q: What makes Heroes of the Storm different?
A: Heroes offers a uniquely Blizzard take on the genre. You'll choose from an array of different Blizzard heroes, each of whom is customizable through a versatile talent system. One of these talent options is a selection between different ultimate heroic abilities. Arthas, as an example, can choose the ability to call Sindragosa, a giant frost wyrm, to do a strafing run. Or he can raise an army of the undead to swarm the enemy. Which one is better? Well, that's like asking if dragons or zombies are more awesome—that's up to you. Cool choices like these exist in each hero's unique talent array.
The game also offers a selection of different battlegrounds to fight on. Each battleground has a special secret that can affect the overall strategy of the match. In Blackheart's Bay for example, a ghostly pirate ship has taken up residence in the center. Treasure chests of gold coins spawn periodically on either side of the battleground. You can collect these coins or steal them from enemy players to pay tribute to Blackheart. Pay enough bounty and he'll train the ship's cannons on enemy fortifications for terrible, terrible damage. The Cursed Hollow battleground offers a different challenge. Here, the fickle Raven Lord holds sway. During the fight, tribute totems will spawn periodically -- collect enough of them and the Raven Lord will curse the opposing team, disabling their towers and weakening their minions for a period of time.
Many of the battlegrounds share environmental features, like forts, which are sprinkled along the pathways between each team's base. Each fort includes structures such as gates to prevent enemy movement and healing fountains for health and mana regeneration, in addition to a protective guard tower. Capturable watchtowers also mark important positions on many battlegrounds, offering vision on key areas.
Another differentiator with the game is match length. With a target game time of 20 min, Heroes of the Storm concentrates the intense battles and back-and-forth gameplay of online brawlers into fun, quick, action-packed matches, the perfect length to knock out a few games on your lunch break.
Q: Which heroes are in the game, and what roles do they play?
A: 18 heroes are available for battle in the BlizzCon demo of Heroes of the Storm, but this is just the first group of characters that have been sucked into the Nexus. Many more heroes will join the battle over time from Azeroth, Sanctuary, and the Koprulu Sector. But who knows? The Nexus may draw from other dimensions in the future as well.
Each hero offers different strengths and weaknesses depending on their role. Warriors such as Diablo can dive right into a melee, soaking up damage and dealing it back. Assassins like Kerrigan deal tremendous damage and can pick off unsuspecting enemies, but must choose their battles carefully, as they can dish more than they can take. Support heroes like Uther can swing the tide of battle, assisting with healing, buffs, or other abilities to manipulate the battle in the favor of allies. Other types include the siege and commander heroes, which are more specialized roles that bring different strengths as you build a team.
Q: Heroes of the Storm is free-to-play—what is available for sale and what can be earned in game?
A: We'll discuss more details about how the business model works in the future. What we can say is that you will be able to unlock heroes and other content just by playing the game. Cosmetic upgrades like skins, equipment, and mounts will be available. New heroes will also be released over time, along with new battlegrounds, though battlegrounds will probably be freely available to all players. It's also possible that additional talent options for existing heroes could be available as unlockable content.
Q: What kind of post-launch support is planned?
A: We will announce specific plans for post-launch support at a later date. But we can say that the Nexus is quite a powerful dimensional storm—new heroes are arriving all the time. That being the case, you can expect to see regular drops of new content throughout testing, as well as after the launch of the game.
Q: Is it required to have StarCraft II to play?
A: No. Heroes of the Storm will be a standalone game, separate from StarCraft II.
Q: On which platforms will Heroes be playable?
A: Heroes is being developed for PC and Mac.
Q: Will there be a beta test? When will it start? How can I apply for the beta?
A: Yes we do intend to run a beta test for Heroes of the Storm in the first half of 2014. We'll announce more details at a later date. Now is a great time to visit the Heroes of the Storm website and sign up for the closed beta as we begin preparations.
Q: When will Heroes of the Storm be released?
A: We don't have a release date we can share at this time. We'll have a better idea for a release window after we start beta testing.
Q: Is there something else you can tell me about the game?
A: Not right now.
Q: Seriously?
A: Yes, really.
Q: But...
A: Keep eye on the official Heroes website at http:/www.heroesofthestorm.com for updates. You can also follow the game on Twitter @BlizzHeroes, and on the official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BlizzHeroes.
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