“Come Play With Me?”
The new Heroes of the Storm (HotS) patch was released on December 8, 2015. While the notes themselves aren’t long, and there aren’t a whole whack of major gameplay changes, these minor tweaks and decisions by Blizzard make it the best time to “enter the Nexus.”
Firstly there’s the Recruit a Friend addition:
As with any free-to-play game out there, especially MOBA’s, Blizzard is doing their very best to expand its player base and grow HotS. While this is no new concept in the industry or genre, the in-game rewards add a pretty great incentive that will carry for quite some time. The rewards range from Heroes to Mounts, and some of these gifts will be given to the player even after their friend levels up.
Recruits can earn rewards by simply playing Heroes of the Storm and leveling up
- Raynor & 5 Day Stimpack – Unlocked upon logging into Heroes after becoming a Recruit
- Sylvanas & Recruit A Friend Portrait – Unlocked by reaching player level 10
Recruiters will also earn rewards when their Recruit levels-up
- Recruit A Friend Portrait – Unlocked when at least one Recruit reaches player level 10
- Vulture Mount – Unlocked when at least four Recruits reach player level 10
The hand in hand rewards are a great way to encourage the new recruit and recruiter to continue playing, and playing together. This is another great co-op and friend inspired way that Blizzard is growing its player base. Just a few weeks ago Cho’Gall was added to the HotS roster, but only for those who attended Blizzcon, or purchased the Blizzcon Virtual Ticket. If not, the only way to unlock him is to play with someone who already owns them, while the current owner earns $2,200 gold for playing 4 games with a non-Cho’Gall owner. The 2-headed ogre is a really fun way to encourage a more co-op nature into the MOBA genre.
On top of that, the fine folks at Blizzard seem to be in the giving mood, and that’s a great thing for newer players. All content that was on sale for Black Friday and post-Blizzcon will continue to be until the end of 2015. Originally the content in the 50% off sale was set to end this week. In the Heroes of the Storm Shop, you’ll find bundles that include numerous characters, skins, and mounts. Not sure you want to spend that much? No problem, all the items will be individually sold at half-off as well. To me, this is the #1 reason to get into HotS right now.
I have only spent $25 on the game since I began playing it early this year. One of the starter bundles ended up being more than enough to get me started. I grew to love the game and earn gold as I went along, allowing me to unlock more Heroes in the process.
For these reasons (and the fact that it’s just a ton of fun to play), I think now is the time to “Enter the Nexus.” The bundles and 50% off sale I spoke about are great ways to get your feet wet without spending too much dough. If you have a friend who’s been bugging you and encouraging you to give the game a go, they can now officially recruit you! This way not only will you be rewarded without having to spend a dime, they will too, even if you don’t continue to play the game.
Are you a player on the fence about jumping into the potentially hostile MOBA genre? Well, I’m here to tell you that thankfully, Heroes of the Storm appears to be the most welcoming MOBA/Brawler game out there. Sure you’re always going to run into the occasional “coach” on the Battleground, but it’s few and far between I find.
What’s your experience been like playing HotS? Thinking of recruiting a friend? Need a Recruiter!? Let me know in the comments!
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