Heroes of the Storm 2.0

Heroes 2.0 was a major content Patch for Heroes of the Storm. Heroes of the Storm 2.0 brought the games first major Overwatch-themed content, a ton of other changes to the progression and reward systems to the game. The end result of this release was the highest player engagement numbers of all time, including the original launch of the game.

Heroes 2.0 went into beta testing on March 29, 2017, and was released a month later on April 25.

Background
On March 29, 2017, game director Alan Dabiri announced Heroes of the Storm 2.0, described as "a culmination of all the ways Blizzard transformed the Nexus since launch, plus plenty of radical additions on their way". A major feature of the patch was a revamp of the player and hero progression systems. The level caps (40 for players in general, and 20 for individual heroes) were removed, and the uneven experience curve for levelling heroes was smoothed out. Another feature was the introduction of Loot Chests which contain cosmetic rewards, similar to the system used in Overwatch. In addition to heroes, skins, and mounts, the chests can also include new portraits, banners, custom announcer voices (similar to StarCraft II), hero voice lines, and graffiti sprays (both similar to Overwatch). A loadout system for cosmetic additions was also included. The in-game shop was remodeled and retitled "Collection", and two new currencies were added in addition to the existing Gold: Gems (which can be earned in-game or purchased with real money), used to buy heroes, Loot Chests, and featured items, and Shards, awarded from Loot Chests and from duplicate items from Loot Chests. As part of the announcement, a new Diablo hero, the Amazon Cassia, was highlighted.

Highlights

 * Revamped Progression System
 * Loot Chest rewards for All Players
 * Gems Replace Real Money Currency
 * Forge Cosmetic Items with Shards
 * Fun new social and customization Rewards
 * New Hero: Genji
 * Nexus Challenge 2.0 quest chain

Mega Bundles
Starting with the launch of Heroes 2.0 in each region, and lasting until May 22, 2017, players could permanently unlock 1 of 4 Mega Bundles. Each Mega Bundle contained 20 Heroes and had its own theme: Assassin, Flex, Support & Specialist, and Tanks & Bruisers.

All players who logged in between April 25 and May 22 received 100 Gems, which could be used to permanently unlock 1 Mega Bundle of their choice. Once a Mega Bundle had been unlocked, the other three became unavailable.

Progression overhaul
At the center of Heroes 2.0 was a massive overhaul to progression so that it's more frequent, meaningful, and rewarding.
 * No more level cap
 * Player Level is the total of all Hero Levels gained
 * You get a Loot Chest every time you level up
 * Even bigger rewards at leveling milestones

Loot Chests
Heroes 2.0 introduced Loot Chests - packages received through progression or purchase that contain four random items drawn from nearly every reward in the game, including playable Heroes and Loot Chest-exclusive items. Now all the rewards the game had to offer became available to all players, including those who are strictly free-to-play.
 * Basic Chests are awarded with every Player Level
 * Rare, Epic, and Hero-specific Loot Chests are awarded for reaching specific milestones
 * Reroll Loot Chest contents using Gold
 * Loot Chest exclusives such as Prime Evil Diablo
 * Guaranteed to drop at least one item of that chest's rarity, or higher

New Social & Customization Rewards
Loot Chests contain a wealth of new cosmetic rewards: Taunt opponents with new Voice Lines, joke with teammates using Heroes Emojis, or have Abathur call all the action in a match? Logical decision.
 * Announcers: Let some of your favorite Heroes call out your takedowns, kill streaks, and more
 * Voice lines: Cheer on your allies and jeer your opponents with quotable catchphrases
 * Emojis: A massive collection of stylized and Hero-specific Emojis make chat much more expressive both in and out of the game
 * Hero Mastery Taunts
 * Banners: Raise a flag whenever you assert your dominance on the battleground
 * Sprays: Make your mark on the field of battle by dropping unique icons and tags on the terrain
 * Portraits: Show off your personality and expertise on loading screens and in your profile

Collection & Loadouts
The Heroes of the Storm in-game Shop was replaced by the Collection — a central location for purchasing new items, crafting cosmetics using Shards, and browsing and sorting through just about every item in the game. Customizable Loadouts allow players to gear up their Heroes so they inspire awe in allies and enemies alike.
 * Collection better supports the diversity of new items in the game
 * Forge the cosmetic rewards you've been dying to get using Shards—a new crafting material
 * Loadouts lets you outfit your Heroes with preferred skins, mounts, sprays, and more—even Announcers can be set on a per-Loadout basis
 * Each Hero can have up to three Loadouts

Updated currency system
Alongside Gold, Gems were added as a new virtual currency, which combined with Shard crafting provide all players with diverse options for acquiring playable Heroes and cosmetic rewards.
 * Gold unlocks new Heroes and rerolls Loot Chests.
 * Gems replace real money and are used to buy Heroes or items in the Featured Shop
 * Players are awarded 1000 Gems at level 5 and occasionally receive more through progression
 * Featured items will rotate regularly
 * Splitting skins up into their separate color variations makes it cheaper and easier to get exactly the item you want and nothing more