Heroes of the Storm





Heroes of the Storm is a Blizzard Entertainment "Hero Brawler" game, initially inspired by the  custom map for . The game features Heroes from across the Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo and Overwatch franchises, as well as original Heroes and Heroes from classic Blizzard games, who are seized by an unknown force and brought together in a mysterious location known as the Nexus to do battle.

After a lengthy alpha test period, Heroes of the Storm entered closed beta on January 13, 2015, went into open beta on May 19, and was fully released on June 2, 2015.

Gameplay
Heroes of the Storm is a team-based competitive game in which each player controls a powerful Hero with unique Abilities, and works with his or her team to invade and destroy the enemy team's Core.

Heroes of the Storm has a number of features which set it apart from other DOTA-style games:


 * Experience is shared among all players on a team and there is no gold or in-game item shop, so there is no benefit to last hitting (except in limited situations to gain experience for killing Minions when out of XP range, or to fulfill the requirements of certain Talent Quests). When a team reaches a certain experience point threshold, every Hero on that team levels up, acquiring amplified resources and damage. Every few levels, players may select a Talent which offers a new Ability or augments an existing one. This leveling system emphasizes the importance of teamwork and planning, since a player's actions can affect the whole team.
 * There are no purchasable items, although characters can be customized by learning talents as they level up.
 * Baseline skills are unlocked at the beginning of a match, save for Heroic Abilities, which are learned at level 10 for most Heroes, and certain active Abilities from Talents.
 * Most Heroes can also use a Mount, such as horses, lizards, or unicorns, to increase their Movement Speed, typically automatically dismounting when dealing/receiving damage or using an Ability.
 * Games are intended to last for about 20 minutes each.
 * Every game mode features multiple battlegrounds. Non-ARAM battlegrounds feature unique objectives.

Heroes
Heroes that have been released since June 30, 2015 include:
 * Diablo: Auriel, Azmodan, Cassia, Deckard, Diablo, Imperius, Johanna, Kharazim, Leoric, Li-Ming, Malthael, Mephisto, Nazeebo, Sonya, The Butcher, Tyrael, Valla, and Xul
 * Overwatch: Ana, D.Va, Genji, Hanzo, Junkrat, Lúcio, Mei, Tracer and Zarya
 * StarCraft: Abathur, Alarak, Artanis, Blaze, Dehaka, Fenix, Kerrigan, Lt. Morales, Nova, Probius, Raynor, Sgt. Hammer, Stukov, Tassadar, Tychus, Zagara, and Zeratul
 * Warcraft: Alexstrasza, Anduin, Anub'arak, Arthas, Brightwing, Chen, Cho'gall, Chromie, Deathwing, E.T.C., Falstad, Garrosh, Gazlowe, Greymane, Gul'dan, Hogger, Illidan, Jaina, Kael'thas, Kel'Thuzad, Li Li, Lunara, Maiev, Malfurion, Mal'Ganis, Medivh, Muradin, Murky, Ragnaros, Rehgar, Rexxar, Samuro, Stitches, Sylvanas, Thrall, Tyrande, Uther, Valeera, Varian, Whitemane, Yrel and Zul'jin
 * The Lost Vikings: The Lost Vikings
 * Heroes of the Storm: Orphea, Qhira

Characters that have been seen in artwork, trailers, or other previews include:
 * Overwatch: Brigitte, Reaper
 * Warcraft: Mekkatorque, Sir Finley

Other characters Blizzard was considering include Aggra, Aidan, Azshara, Belial, Blackthorne, Brann, Cenarius, Cydaea, Dagg'um Ty'gor, Dr. Boom, Druid, Gallywix, Ghom, Grom, Harth, Hybrid Zerg, Kil'jaeden, Kronan, Leah, Mengsk, Moira, Overmind, Paladin, Reinhardt, Sapper, SCV, Selendis, Snake, Sorceress, Tosh, Valerian, Varimathras, Vashj, Velen, Vol'jin, Warfield and Zurvan.

Future development
On December 13, 2018, Blizzard announced that some developers from Heroes of the Storm would be moving to other projects, and that the game would be set up for "long-term sustainability." Blizzard also announced the cancellation of their esports tournaments, Heroes Global Championship and Heroes of the Dorm. Members of the esports community around Heroes stated they were caught off guard by the announcement and had been told as recently as BlizzCon 2018 that HGC would continue.

Heroes of the Storm franchise heroes
There are currently Nexus heroes in the game, including  Melee Assassin and  Ranged Assassin.