Machines of War

The Machines of War was a StarCraft-themed event in Heroes of the Storm, that began on September 13, 2016. The event added two battlegrounds, the Braxis Holdout and the Warhead Junction; two heroes, Alarak and Zarya; seven skins; and two mounts. Alarak became available immediately at the start of the event, and Zarya was released two weeks later. The event concluded on October 17, 2016.

The event was available for testing on the Public Test Realm starting on August 30, 2016.

Official

 * Worlds collide as the Koprulu sector enters the Nexus, setting the stage for battles that will shake both realms to their core. Two new battlegrounds filled with signature StarCraft carnage await: time to let the nukes fly and unleash the fury of the Swarm on your enemies. Dominate the battlefield as Alarak, the Tal'darim Highlord, a brand-new arrival to the Nexus hailing from the sci-fi epic Legacy of the Void. Don new, themed Hero skins and fight side by side with familiar characters seen through the lens of StarCraft. The terrans, protoss, and zerg are no strangers to conflict, but the coming war across the Nexus will prove to be more intense than anything they have ever known.


 * Hell, it's about time.

Xel'Naga Artifact Hunt

 * Xel'Naga artifacts have begun to appear all across the Nexus, and SCVs are being deployed to collect them. Terminate the interlopers with extreme prejudice and collect artifact pieces! To participate, log into the game and play. You'll get a daily quest to collect artifacts. At the start of a match, artifact pieces and SCVs may appear. Collect pieces to restore the artifact, but watch out for SCVs trying to interfere!

The Xel’Naga Artifact Hunt tasked players with eliminating SCVs and grabbing artifact pieces. Collecting 12 artifact pieces in a single game will complete your daily quest, thus awarding you a 1 Day Stimpack. If you gather 150 artifact pieces prior to October 18, you would receive the Xel'Naga Artifact Xel'Naga Artifact Portrait.

Heroes

 * Alarak, Highlord of the Tal'darim
 * Backstory: Not all heroes are born of altruism... some, like Alarak, simply desire vengeance. As the new Highlord of the Tal'darim, Alarak leads his people to a destiny free of the corrupt influence of the fallen xel'naga, Amon.

Alarak

 * Master Alarak
 * Backstory: The Highlord's armor serves as both ceremonial adornment and as a conduit of raw power. Adorned with blood shards and fueled by terrazine, it channels Alarak's fury directly into his blades.

The Butcher

 * The Butcherlisk
 * Backstory: Abathur's newest creation was inspired by the tenacity of the hellish abominations he encountered in the Nexus. Its instructions were simple: Acquire fresh essence. Evolve.

Kerrigan

 * Queen of Ghosts Kerrigan
 * Backstory: Fully cleansed by the Xel'Naga Artifact, Kerrigan joined forces with Jim Raynor and Prince Valerian. Armed with the latest Umojan tech, they prepare to bring Arcturus to justice once and for all.

Rexxar

 * Raider Rexxar
 * Backstory: The terrans are descended from Earth's exiled prisoners, mutants, and degenerates. Some, like the military ursine-handler Cpl. Rex Arkk, are more genetically aberrant than others.

Zarya

 * Master Zarya
 * Backstory: The Tobelstein Reactor is an emergent technology, and its full potential has yet to be tapped. Rumor has it that the Gravitic Harness is the next great advancement in energy projection.

Mounts

 * Ghost Speeder
 * Backstory: This standard-issue speeder allows ghosts to reach their targets quickly and exfiltrate even faster. What? You've never seen one before? Exactly!

Bundles
&lowast;Dates may vary slightly by region.

Battleground Pool
The pool of Battlegrounds available in all modes, except Custom Games, are temporarily limited to the following:

First Group
The first group of battlegrounds will be in rotation beginning on the week of September 13 and will remain in effect until the week of September 26.


 * Braxis Holdout
 * Cursed Hollow
 * Infernal Shrines
 * Sky Temple
 * Tomb of the Spider Queen
 * Towers of Doom

Second Group
A second group of Battlegrounds will replace those listed above during the week of September 26. This pool will remain in effect until the event concludes during the week of October 17.


 * Battlefield of Eternity
 * Braxis Holdout
 * Cursed Hollow
 * Dragon Shire
 * Towers of Doom
 * Warhead Junction