Heroes Of The Storm: New Characters And Map Announced

Gamescom 2015 marked a very exciting weekend for Blizzard fans. Heroes of the Storm fans received a rather large helping of information on the game’s future. As Eternal Conflict continues, our Heroes in the Nexus are in store for some big things before the end of this event. The two previous heroes released were The Butcher and King Leoric, both evil in their own right. Now, Kharazim, the Monk from Diablo 3 arrives to bring balance to The Nexus. This hero stands out from the others as he is the only hero in which his trait is chosen. Kharazim is labeled as a Support hero, but he is capable of so much more. The different trait choices at the beginning of the match make him the most versatile Support hero yet.

In line with Diablo themed content is an all new battlegrounds: Infernal Shrines. While this new battlegrounds uses the same tile-set as Battlefield of Eternity, Infernal Shrines is a completely different beast altogether. Infernal shrines is a three lane battlegrounds in which players will battle over a shrine located in each lane, once this shrine is “captured” it will spawn a fearsome boss called The Punisher who will come with an affix much like the elite packs of enemies found in Diablo 3. Once The Punisher is spawned it will travel down the lane in which it was summoned but with a twist. This Punisher is thirsty for blood, but only the blood of heroes will satiate this demon. The Punisher will jump over walls and trespass into enemy territory to hunt down and kill enemy heroes. Normally, mercenaries and bosses travel down lanes and only target A.I. save for the occasional AoE attack so this new Punisher will surely make for some exciting and terrifying gameplay.

The Punisher

As if this content wasn’t enough to send Heroes of the Storm fans into a frenzy, Blizzard shared plans they have in store after Eternal Conflict has passed. First of which is Rexxar, the Hunter in Hearthstone and hero from Warcraft 3. This half Orc, half Ogre is a ranged warrior and his kit involves his inseparable bear companion, Misha.

Rexxar and Misha

A lot of predictions have been made for a StarCraft event following Eternal Conflict which would align with Blizzard’s release of StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void. These predictions seem to hold weight considering the next two heroes teased at Gamescom 2015. The first being Artanis, the first StarCraft Warrior in Heroes of the Storm and the primary protagonist of Legacy of the Void. Artanis’ abilities weren’t revealed but Blizzard said that Artanis is for the player that “prefers warriors that get up close and personal with their enemies” Next is The Medic, the fan-favorite unit from StarCraft: Brood War. Her kit involves healing/shielding allies and supporting them with grenades. She’ll even make use of the Medivac to transport herself and an ally in or out of danger.

State the nature of your medical emergency!

Heroes of the Storm fans have a lot on their plate and they won’t have to wait for it either with Kharazim and the new map Infernal Shrines available on the public test realm now, and a possible release of Rexxar as early as the beginning of September.

Ben Sullivan

I have been a gamer my entire life and I am very excited to make my passion a career. I enjoy long walks at cons and candle lit tables full of character sheets and dice. I believe that The Fifth Element is the perfect movie. My true passion for gaming lies in anything Blizzard Entertainment. I am always open to discuss anything games, television, movies, and tech.