heroes-of-the-storm
Latest
Three new Heroes of the Storm
Well, gamescom is tomorrow, and we're already seeing news from it (like for instance this gigantic and frankly somewhat terrifying statue of Grommash Hellscream) but one piece of news that might have gone out a little early is this trailer. It reveals three new heroes for Heroes of the Storm -- the cunning Anub'arak, the loathsome Azmodan, and the inebriate Chen Stormstout. Blizzard's MOBA entry is as dependent as any game on the quality of its roster of heroes, so it's not surprising that they'd beef it up, but I'll admit to being surprised on who they've chosen here. With Diablo in the game already, does Azmodan bring anything? We'll find out soon. Still, count me in among players who might have appreciated a Jaina or a Sylvanas.
An early look at Heroes of the Storm's alpha
Heroes of the Storm: Just another MOBA, right? Well, maybe. I have to admit two things before we jump into this article. First, I like MOBAs, but I'm an MMO player first and foremost. I keep trying MOBAs as they come out, and I've sunk some serious hours into the genre, so I do have a decent working knowledge of the bare basics, especially starting experiences. Second, I'm neither a fan nor a hater of Blizzard. Blizzard often sticks to safe rather than unique features, but it also makes games for the masses, which is great because I love to drag my friends into my games. But a game that attracts everyone also attracts the kind of people I don't want to play with. So why should I -- or you -- play Heroes of the Storm?
Heroes of the Storm: New hero announced
Today a new hero option was announced for Blizzard's MOBA Heroes of the Storm: Rehgar Earthfury. I'm not surprised that Blizzard is giving us a shaman hero--after all, shaman are an iconic group in WoW lore and gameplay--but I am surprised that they've chosen Reghar as the shaman's representative. Compared to more well-known shaman in WoW such as Thrall, Rehgar tends to fly under the radar. He does, however, have his own history and tale to tell. Rehgar is one of the older generation of orcs and was born on Draenor. When Thrall came to power he eventually served as one of his advisors but before that Rehgar was a slave master who owned a particularly infamous gladiator: Varian Wrynn. Rehgar is a support character who posseses an ability set that goes along with his shaman class: he can turn into a spirit wolf, drop totems, and call upon the elements to aid him in battle. He seems to use a fist weapon for his basic physical attack, and I'm certain he'll have a range of fun shaman specialist attacks to go along with that. Frost Shock had better be on the cards! I'll also be interested to see what additional skins he gets--maybe a Thrall makeover, complete with epic braids? The announcement of Reghar as a hero makes me very sad that Varian isn't a playable hero option. If you've been playing the alpha or watching streams, you may have noticed that heroes with lore connections in their respective franchises often have more personalized banter when they interact on the battlefield. I would love to see what Rehgar and Varian have to say to each other, but it doesn't seem to be on the cards just yet. Here's hoping for the future!
Heroes of the Storm's Garden of Terror swaps between night and day
It's the gimmick, the hook that makes a well-designed MOBA battleground truly memorable, and Heroes of the Storm's Garden of Terror thinks it has its hook: a night-and-day sequence. Unlike the mostly cosmetic lighting filters in MMO day/night cycles, Garden of Terror's transition between the two will change the fundamental rules of the match. While during the daytime players can check out mercenary camps, the nighttime is a whole different story. The camps go away when the sun goes down, and out pops nighttime horrors as players' visibility decreases. The daytime only comes back when all of the horrors are killed, giving players control over how long the dark lasts. One of the Garden of Terror's objectives is gathering up seeds to plant so that a huge player-controlled mob can be summoned. Learning when and how to use the summon will be a key to dominating the match.
Heroes of the Storm previews Master Skins
The Heroes of the Storm team has been busy today, previewing both a new map and, just recently, Master Skins. Originally, Master Skins were unveiled at PAX East as a reward for individuals dedicated to playing specific heroes. Heroes of the Storm boasts a number of dramatic and even comical skins, but Master Skins function a bit differently. They're essentially evolutions of the original skins, with characters showing unique additions to their visuals, such as horns, additional props, et cetera. The video above shows off Master Skins for characters from the Warcraft universe including Arthas, Falstad, Li Li, and Stitches. They're all unique in their own right, but just how badass does Falstad look with his mohawk? Hopefully future videos will show us what we can expect from the Diablo and StarCraft universes as Master Skins go.
Enter to win exclusive Comic-Con prizes from Blizzard
If you aren't lucky enough to be heading to San Diego for Comic-Con 2014, good news -- you can still get yourself some Comic-Con goodies. Blizzard will be giving away 25 Comic-Con goodie bags chock full of cool and exclusive Blizzard merchandise. To enter, simply follow the link provided on the official announcement post, and earn entries by completing a variety of social actions using the contest app. Winners will receive a Heroes of the Storm T-shirt and lanyard, a Diablo Whimsyshire Treasure Goblin, a Starcraft Cute But Deadly Cloaking Zeratul, a Starcraft Funko Pop! Vinyl Primal Kerrigan, and a Warcraft Nether Faerie Dragon Plush. The contest runs until July 27, so you have plenty of time to get plenty of entries in. For more information, and the official rules, head to the contest app page. Good luck to all who enter!
Rob Pardo leaves Blizzard
In a rather surprising move, Blizzard's Executive Producer Rob Pardo announced today that he is leaving the company. At this time he has announced no immediate career plans or subsequent goals, although he mentions a desire to spend the summer with his family and consider his next move. Pardo's forum announcement thanks the design teams for all of their hard work and notes that he has immensely enjoyed his time with the company; he expresses great satisfaction at the growth of the company and all of the changes that have come about during his tenure there. Pardo mentions that he began working with the studio during development of the original StarCraft, having since worked on titles including Diablo III, World of Warcraft, and Heroes of the Storm. He has promised fans that he will attempt to be communicative about his next move via Twitter. [Thanks to Dystopiq for the tip!]
Building the Nexus: The voice of Gazlowe
The official Heroes of the Storm Youtube account highlighted a familiar voice earlier this week in its Building the Nexus segments. Travis Willingham is a man of many voices, having lent his pipes to an incredibly diverse list of characters in anime, animation, and video games alike. In Heroes of the Storm, he takes a different direction from the usual heroic-voiced roles and takes on Gazlowe, a goblin that WoW players should be plenty familiar with. The NPC was the Chief Engineer of the Horde back when Orgrimmar was being built after the Third War, but later moved to Ratchet, where he stays today. Affiliated with the Steamwheedle Cartel, Gazlowe now hands out quests to Alliance and Horde alike. He's also one of the few goblin NPCs in the game with unique voice files. In Heroes of the Storm, Gazlowe charges into battle armed with a load of mechanics and explosives strapped to his back, and a volley of well-placed quips to hurl at opponents. The latest edition of Building the Nexus features Community Manager Josh "Rokcet" Rester-Zodrow having a chat with Willingham about the game and the unique challenges of bringing a character like Gazlowe to life. We don't usually see a lot of voice actor highlights, so this is a pretty cool behind the scenes -- I'd love to see some of these done for Warcraft as well. Take a look at the video above, and if you like it, be sure to check out the rest of what the Heroes Youtube channel has to offer.
Blizzard extending Heroes of the Storm alpha test to other regions
Blizzard announced that it will expand its in-progress MOBA Heroes of the Storm to other regions following the launch of its next technical alpha stage over the next few weeks. Heroes of the Storm, an online multiplayer game featuring characters from multiple Blizzard franchises, will be playable for chosen, opted-in players in North America, Europe, Latin America, South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand during its next stage of development. Afterward, Blizzard will focus on localizing its client in order to expand its testing to Taiwan, Korea, and China. Heroes of the Storm hopefuls can earn a chance to join the game's testing phase by opting in at Battle.net's Beta Profile page. [Image: Blizzard]
Heroes of the Storm bringing in non-US players in next alpha
While there's been a lot already said about the upcoming Heroes of the Storm, the fact remains that the game is still in alpha. A technical alpha, to be specific, emphasizing the nuts and bolts of functionality. But the next phase of testing will be bringing in more people, including testers from outside the USA, giving an even broader perspective on what's working and what isn't. A recent development blog on the official site explains what's happened so far as well as what's coming next for the game. The short version is that the alpha is going well, but there's still more feedback needed to make the game truly the best it can be. As an early test version, it's still very much a game in development, with the emphasis being on what does or does not work from the technical side. Players who wish to opt in for a potential testing invite should do so via the Battle.net account management page.
Blizzard: Sexy Heroes of the Storm characters 'not sending a message'
Blizzard is about fun and fantasy, not about preaching diversity, the studio said. Polygon pulled quotes from Heroes of the Storm Game Director Dustin Browder in which he defended the sexualization of the MOBA's female characters by claiming that, "We're not sending a message. Nobody should look to our game for that." He also claimed that he didn't "get the applications" of specifically hiring female developers for the title. Browder later apologized for those remarks. But this month, Blizzard Executive Producer Rob Pardo acknowledged that the studio still struggles in its portrayal of women, explaining that "most of [Blizzard's] developers are guys who grew up reading comics books." "We're not trying to bring in serious stuff, or socially relevant stuff, or actively trying to preach for diversity, or do things like that," Pardo said.
Heroes of the Storm alpha patch notes
A huge patch for Heroes of the Storm has dropped today. In fact, it's so big that you'll need to uninstall your current Heroes and reinstall the game completely. You might find this odd, but in a alpha test, anything is game (and remember this is still an alpha test). There are an absolute ton of UI and character changes. It's clear that Blizzard is working hard behind the scenes to make this game as friendly and competitive as possible. There really isn't a stone that they don't turn over and do something with. You can find the complete patch notes after the break, and look at the hero changes over on Blizzard's site.
The complexity of Heroes of the Storm
Ten years ago, players told Blizzard that WoW was too simple compared to past MMOs like Ultima Online, EverQuest, and Asheron's Call. More recently, many (including me at one point) said the same about Hearthstone -- that too much complexity had been removed from the genre compared to games like Magic: The Gathering. Today, Polygon posted an interview with Heroes of the Storm game director Dustin Browder. His message: HOTS isn't "DOTA for babies." "If you come looking for complexity in exactly the same places," Browder said, "you will be disappointed. If you come looking for complexity wherever it may be, I think you're going to be surprised and have a great time." Blizzard has stripped away many MOBA hallmarks, such as the item store. Browder says that other features make up for this loss of complexity. Talent selection is crucial. Map-specific objectives also play a huge role in determining the course of the battle and require careful strategy to accomplish. In a video included with the story, Polygon's "MOBA expert" Emily Gera had some further comments on the game: "The masses don't want to play big, scary MOBA games... Blizzard is trying to create a game that has less of a barrier to entry and bypass the classic issue of MOBA games -- that MOBA games are full of jerks... There's a lot of infighting. In HOTS, everyone on the team is in it together." What do you think? Is HOTS dumbing down the genre too much, or are these the changes the genre needs?
WoW Moviewatch: Heroes of the Storm Developer Diary: Arthas
Creating a game presents no small task. Programming, design, dialogue, and game balance represent only small portions of the work. You also have to deal with licensing, actors, and egomaniacal undead rulers. That's probably why Ian Beckman released Heroes of the Storm Developer Diary: Arthas. With this video, we get an unedited look behind the curtain to see what it took to get Arthas into the arena. I think the revelation about his role in Frozen is the most important. After all, of all the WoW characters, I think Arthas could fit the Disney heroic arc the best. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
Blizzard highlights Crimson's cosplay
The Heroes of the Storm official site has posted an extensive interview with Singapore-based cosplayer Crimson about his incredible costumes for two iconic heroes from the Diablo series: the demon hunter and Tyrael, master of justice. Crimson and his girlfriend, Angelus, are the organizers behind International Cosplay Day, Singapore, and it's easy to see why. Their costumes are gorgeous, expertly crafted homages to the characters and franchises they love. The interview covers many of the aspects of cosplay you'd expect--how the costumes are designed, the kind of materials used in production, what are the major challenges of bringing a costume to life, as well as advice for aspiring cosplayers. There are some wonderful photos of Crimson's costumes, including a 6-step visual tutorial on the making of El'druin, Tyrael's sword. If you're interested in cosplay and costume construction, check out Crimson's interview.
New Heroes of the Storm trailer for Li Li
Heroes of the Storm has just released a new trailer for this week's featured hero: Li Li Stormstout. You can read all about her history and her moves in the latest Heroes spotlight. Li Li is the niece of the legendary Chen Stormstout, a powerful martial artist in her own right and an avid explorer. In fact, Explorer Li Li is one of her skins--complete with bug net and pith hat. Li Li's starting abilities are Healing Brew (heals allies), Cloud Serpent (summons a dragon to aid allies), and Blinding Wind (blinds enemies and blocks their auto attacks), and her Combat Trait is Fast Feet, which gains her movement speed after being struck by an enemy Hero. Judging by her abilities, Li Li seems like an interesting support character who may have a few good tricks up her sleeve. This week is her test week, so if you have access to the Heroes alpha, give her a whirl and see how she goes!
WoW Insider's guide to Blizzard resources updated
Looking for more blogs, podcasts, and resources devoted to Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, StarCraft, and Warcraft? Then you'll want to check out our newly updated guide to all things Blizzard. In it, we've gathered all of our favorite resources on Blizzard games for your browsing enjoyment. So why not take the rest of the day off to catch up on your reading? And we're always on the lookout for new Blizzard blogs, so if you have a favorite site that we've missed, please contact us to let us know. We're happy to add any resources that are regularly updated, don't advocate breaking Blizzard's terms of service, and don't have any R-rated content.
Heroes of the Storm heading to China
Blizzard has a troubled history with releases in China, but that isn't stopping them from bringing Heroes of the Storm to Chinese shores in partnership with NetEase. Currently, NetEase operates three Blizzard titles in China -- World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, and Hearthstone -- as well as Battle.net services. Heroes will face stiff competition from already established MOBA titles like League of Legends, but the popularity of Blizzard characters and properties on Chinese shores definitely suggests the game has star potential. Heroes is currently in technical alpha, and the announcement gives no hint of a release date, domestic or international. But while waiting for release, interested parties can visit Heroes of the Storm's Chinese website for more info or sign up for the beta on Battle.net.
Heroes of the Storm: First account wipe this Tuesday
The first account wipe for the alpha of Heroes of the Storm is coming this Tuesday, April 15. Players in the Alpha have received an email, which you can see after the break. It's working a little differently to the usual wipes, so let's lay out what you're losing and what you're keeping. All purchases made with real money will be unaffected. This does not mean future wipes will be the same. Your account will be reset to level 1 All experience points, all quest progress and leveling progress will be reset All in-game gold you've earned, and purchases you've made with that gold, will be reset. You will also receive some rewards for your hard work, to compensate you for what you're losing: Starting after the wipe on Tuesday, April 15, all players will gain access to every single hero until Thursday, April 17 at 3:00 p.m. PDT. You'll get in-game gold as a reward based on your leveling progress: Levels 1 – 19: 10,000 Gold Levels 20 – 39: 30,000 Gold Level 40: 30,000 Gold and an exclusive Heroes of the Storm lanyard Hit the break for the full email I received.
Four new Heroes revealed at PAX East
Heroes of the Storm's PAX East panel has unveiled four new heroes, from left to right, Brightwing, Zagara, Li li and Murky. There's already a trailer for Brightwing, and the Heroes of the Storm official post supplies more information on the new heroes. While it's surprising that iconic characters which appear on the main screen of the game, such as Chen Stormstout, are not yet in the game, while these other heroes are. Nonetheless, they're really exciting additions, as the official post elucidates their roles in the game we can really see how interesting and varied the hero roles and abilities are thanks to the different playstyle. Hit the break for their abilities and information.
