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Machines of War
MachinesOfWarLogo
Dates September 13 - October 17, 2016
Duration 7 weeks
Theme StarCraft StarCraft
Highlights
Website
Machines of War
Machines of War

Machines of War

The Machines of War[1] was a StarCraft-themed event in Heroes of the Storm, that began on September 13, 2016[2]. 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.[3]

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.

Special Features[ | ]

Xel'Naga Artifact Hunt[ | ]

XelNaga Artifact Portrait

Xel'Naga Artifact

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.

New Content[ | ]

Battlegrounds[ | ]

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.
  • Zarya, Defender of Russia
    • Backstory: Aleksandra Zaryanova is one of the world's strongest women and was a promising athlete, but all that changed when the Siberian omnium reawakened. As a soldier in the Russian Defense Force, she now proudly uses her strength to protect the ones she loves.

Skins[ | ]

Alarak[ | ]

  • Master 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.
  • Epic Herald of N'zoth Alarak
    • Backstory: The God of the Deep writhes within his prison, thrashing endlessly. Alarak, the Corruptor's Herald, brings word of the Old God's return, preparing all realities for the coming change.

The Butcher[ | ]

  • Epic 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[ | ]

  • Legendary 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[ | ]

  • Epic 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 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.
  • Epic Thunder Guard Zarya
    • Backstory: Armed with their Mjolnir Cannons, Zarya Aleksdottir and the Thunder Guard serve as the Midgard megalopolis' last defense against the Jotunheim Republic and their frost golem army.

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!
  • Obsidian Cyber Wolf
    • Backstory: Designed for use by Dominion black ops agents, the Predator S-160’s chassis is made of prototype neo-carbon materials. These "Obsidian" models are issued to only the best of the best.

Bundles[ | ]

Name Date
Machines of War Bundle 2016-09-13
Herald of N'zoth Alarak Skin and Bundle 2016-09-13
Queen of Ghosts Kerrigan Skin and Bundle 2016-09-20
Raider Rexxar Skin and Bundle 2016-09-27
Thunder Guard Zarya Skin and Bundle 2016-09-27
Undying Legends Bundle 2016-09-27
Ultimate Undying Legends Bundle 2016-09-27
The Butcherlisk Skin and Bundle 2016-10-04

Dates may vary slightly by region. [2]

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.

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.

Gallery[ | ]

Videos[ | ]

References[ | ]

  1. 2016-08-16, Machines of War. Blizzard, accessed on 2016-08-17
  2. 2.0 2.1 Machines of War Revealed at Gamescom 2016!. Accessed 2016-08-29.
  3. Join us TOMORROW on the Public Test Realm and help unleash the Machines of War!. Accessed on 2016-08-29.

External Links[ | ]

Events
 
Seasonal SeasonIcon Lunar Festival Spring Lunar Festival (2015–2018) • Caldeum Complex (2019) • Fragments of the Dark Nexus (2020)
SeasonIcon Sun's Out, Guns Out Summer Sun's Out, Guns Out (2017) • Nexomania (2018) • MechaStorm II (2019) • Nexomania II (2020)
SeasonIcon Hallow's End Fall Hallow's End (2015–2017) • Fall of King's Crest (2018) • The Scarlet Heist (2019) • CraftWars (2020)
SeasonIcon Winter Veil Winter Winter Veil (2015–2017) • It's Time for Toys! (2018) • Toys II (2019) • Winter Treasure (2020)
Unique 2015 Nexus 15 Love is in the AirWarcraft NoblegardenDiablo (franchise) Eternal Conflict
2016 Nexus 15 Love is in the AirStarCraft Machines of WarNexus 15 Nexus Challenge
2017 Nexus 15 Love is in the AirWarcraft For Azeroth!Nexus 15 Nexus Challenge 2.0Nexus 15 Second AnniversaryDiablo (franchise) Malthael's BargainWarcraft Call of Kel'ThuzadOverwatch Assault on Volskaya FoundryNexus 15 Dragons of the Nexus
2018 StarCraft StarCraft 20th AnniversaryNexus 15 Behold the Power of the Dark Nexus!Nexus 15 3-Year AnniversaryWarcraft Echoes of AlteracNexus 15 Raiders of WarchromeNexus 15 Viper Ascendant
2019 Nexus 15 Viper ResistanceNexus 15 4-Year AnniversaryNexus 15 Return to Warchrome Wastes
2020 Nexus 15 5-Year AnniversaryNexus 15 Greek GodsWarcraftDiablo (franchise) Altered Fates
2021 Overwatch Overwatch CosplayDiablo (franchise)StarCraftWarcraft Legends of the PastNexus 15 6.5-Year Anniversary
Notes: Events that featured a quest line are bolded. Events that featured login rewards are italicized.
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