Last week at PAX East, Blizzard Entertainment announced a number of new details about its forthcoming MOBA, Heroes of the Storm, which is currently in beta testing.
New Hero: Sylvanas Windrunner
Firstly, Sylvanas Windrunner, the former High Elf who became the leader of the Forsaken undead, will be added to the game. She will be a Specialist hero, capable of significant damage both to heroes and structures. She can also teleport, silence enemies, and possess enemy units, turning them against their former masters. Blizzard released an introductory trailer for the character, which can be seen below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I70plIgmn1I&w=560&h=315]
New Battleground: Tomb of the Spider Queen
Secondly, Blizzard provided details about its next Battleground map, Tomb of the Spider Queen. The Battleground, which features a similar Egyptian-style aesthetic to the existing Sky Temple, will be very small, forcing constant engagements. The objective requires killing enemy minions to claim gems, which are then used to summon Webweavers to attack the enemy.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXdLXomv_Jg&w=560&h=315]
New College Tournament: Heroes of the Dorm
Blizzard also announced a new college e-sports tournament for Heroes of the Storm called Heroes of the Dorm. The event will be televised by ESPN and features $450,000 USD in prize money to be used to pay college tuition for the winners.
The tournament is open to any post-secondary student in Canada or the United States, and will take place across three rounds:
- Open Qualifiers : March 28
- Single-Elimination Bracket (Round of 64) : April 11
- The final Heroic Four event : late April
Each of the five members of the winning team will receive up to $25,000 per year in college tuition for their remaining years of undergrad. Those with no remaining years of enrolment will receive one year’s worth of tuition to help repay student loans or as a simple cash prize, according to Blizzard.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdN2yVm48ms&w=560&h=315]
More information on Heroes of the Dorm is available at Blizzard’s website.
New Gold Rewards
Finally, Blizzard announced that the level cap on heroes will be increased from 10 to 20. Players will receive new gold rewards for hitting certain milestones above level 10 (1,250 gold at level 15 and 2,500 gold at 20). Further, players will now receive 2000 gold when they reach account levels 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40.
