Heroes of the Storm has come a long way. The game contninues to win over MOBA fans and works well with players who want to find the fun side of the genre. Blizzard's Heroes of the Dorm tournaments have gotten lot of attention and continue to push the game into a positive light. And now, the team has announced that Hanzo and Alexstraza are heading to the Nexus. We spoke with Tony Su and John Deshazer about the upcoming changes to Heroes of the Storm.
Tony and John began talking about the two new characters and how they impact the game. Hanzo is a ranged assassin that builds rage after his first hit. He also uses scatter arrow which can affect the outline of terrain. His other important ability is a sonic arrow which can be used as a scouting power, something that is extremely important in knowing where each enemy is in the lanes. Combine his sonic arrow with the ability to leap terrain and Hanzo can go in for the kill quickly. If your timing is off and you have to escape, he can leap terrain and land mounted to get away. This gives Hanzo plenty of ways out if needed.
Alexstraza is the life binder and runs a support role on the board. Everyone is excited for her ability to turn into a dragon and cause havoc when needed. She has a lot more going for her though. While she has multiple heal abilities she can also tie her life to another hero. This makes her fantastic when diving into a fight. As a dragon she can also fly up and drop fireballs on players from the sky. These strategic advantages give her a balanced outcome on the battle field.
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The team also talked about making towers more effective in the game. They will still shoot at you if alive even with low health. However, the idea of having unlimited ammo was important to them. That said, developers are always looking for changes yet always want to meet player expectations. They are trying to manage map mechanics and to make certain objectives mean more. Regen-globes are a part of this idea. They are extended by two seconds in their neutral state. This should warrant more fights around regen-globes for both sides. They are also removing standalone towers and adding in True Sight to forts.
Another important feature is the performance based matchmaking system. This will give new players a better experience when entering the Nexus because they won’t be crushed in random battles by top players. Add in voice chat and you have some quality of life features to make the new player experience much better.
Heroes of the Storm continues to iterate successful moves in the game to welcome their growing community. As Blizzard’s MOBA, the game generally favors new people coming in to play and with its shorter matches compared to other games in the genre, the community continues to grow. We are excited for the upcoming changes.
