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Our next Heroes of the Storm patch has just hit the Public Test Realm and will be available for playtesting until February 5. During this time, we kindly request your assistance in trying out the new content before we officially release the patch. As always, if you encounter any bugs or other issues during your PTR play sessions, please stop by the PTR Bug Report forum to let us know about your experiences.
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Lunar Festival 2018
Join us in celebrating Lunar Festival this year by completing matches in Versus A.I., Quick Match, Unranked, or Ranked modes, and you’ll pick up some sweet new loot! The event kicks off during the week of Tuesday, February 6, and concludes on Monday, March 5, so be sure to complete the quests below before Lunar Festival comes to an end.
Quests and Rewards
- Part 1: Play 2 Games
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Reward:</strong> Cute Lunar Skyrocket Spray</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Part 2:</strong> Play 5 Games</span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Reward:</strong> Lunar Warcrest Banner</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Part 3:</strong> Play 8 Games</span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Reward:</strong> Cute Lunar Guardian Portrait</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Part 4:</strong> Win 5 Games</span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Reward:</strong> Lunar Skyrocket Mount</span></li> </ul> </li>
You can also stop by the Lunar Festival 2018 mini-site to learn more about the event and find out how you can earn ornate Lunar Festival 2018 Loot Chests just by playing Heroes of the Storm!
New Hero: Maiev
Maiev Shadowsong stood watch over the imprisoned Betrayer for ten thousand years, and hunted him relentlessly after he was released. Some say she’s determined; others say she’s obsessed. Either way, she will stop at nothing to ensure the security of her world.
Trait
- Vault of the Wardens (D)
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Leap into the air, becoming immune to all hostile effects for 0.75 seconds.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Passive: Maiev has 15 Armor.</span></li> </ul> </li>
Basic Abilities
- Fan of Knives (Q)
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Deal 180 damage to enemies in a crescent area.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Hitting at least 2 enemy Heroes with Fan of Knives reduces its cooldown to 0.5 seconds, and refunds the Mana cost.</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Umbral Bind (W)</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Maiev’s next Basic Attack cleaves and applies a tether to enemy Heroes hit for 2.5 seconds. If a tethered Hero moves too far from Maiev, they are pulled toward her, dealing 110 damage and breaking the tether.</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Spirit of Vengeance (E)</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Send a shadow of Maiev outward that will return to its cast location, dealing 100 damage to enemies along both paths. Deals 100% more damage to enemy Heroes.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Reactivate to Blink to the shadow’s location.</span></li> </ul> </li>
Heroic Abilities
- Containment Disc (R)
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Throw a glaive in the target direction. If an enemy Hero is hit, Containment Disk can be reactivated to remove their vision and Time Stop them for 4 seconds.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Containment Disc automatically activates 6 seconds after hitting a Hero.</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Warden's Cage (R)</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Summon 8 Warden Avatars as a cage around Maiev. After 1.5 seconds, enemy Heroes that come in contact with an Avatar re knocked to the center of the cage, and that Avatar is consumed. Warden Avatars last 7 seconds.</span></li> </ul> </li>
User Interface
Voice Chat
- NOTE: While available in the PTR, Voice Chat will not be enabled on the live servers until a later date.
- Voice chat for Parties and Teams has been introduced to Heroes of the Storm.
- By default, players will automatically join Party voice chat.
- Team voice chat is opt-in, but can be toggled to auto-join in the Voice Chat settings. There is a team voice reminder dialog at the beginning of matches that is enabled by default, but can be disabled.
- If Team voice auto-join is enabled and you are already in party voice, a confirmation dialog will appear that defaults to Join.
- Voice settings can be adjusted in the Voice Chat tab of the Options menu.
- A voice chat widget is also available in the top left of most screens. This widget lets you quickly change channels or join/leave voice channels.
- This can be found in the Tab screen while in a match.
- Microphone and speaker icons can be clicked on to mute/unmute.
- A voice chat widget is also available in the top left of most screens. This widget lets you quickly change channels or join/leave voice channels.
Target Info Panel
- Target Info Panels have been introduced to allow players to investigate a unit's gameplay stats in real time.
<ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">The Target Info Panel will display in the top left of the screen after selecting a friendly or enemy target with left-click.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">The Target Info Panel will display the following information:</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Health and Health Regen</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Mana and Mana Regen</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Basic Attack Damage</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Attacks per Second</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Attack Range</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Spell Power Modifier</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Movement Speed</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Physical & Spell Armor</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li>
Battleground Objective Counters
- All Battlegrounds with turn-in mechanics (Blackheart’s Bay, Tomb of the Spider Queen, Booty Coffers Heroes Brawl) will now show a visual indicator when a team’s gathered objective count is high enough to complete a turn-in.
Art
General
- Pings: Ping icons that appear overhead have received updated visual effects.
Heroes, Abilities, and Talents
- Abathur: A crown icon will now appear above Heroes’ Minimap portraits when they are affected by Abathur’s Symbiote.
- Ana: An overlay will now display for Heroes affected by Nano Boost.
- Archangel Diablo: Apocalypse visual effects that appear on the terrain have been updated to make them more obvious to players on both teams.
- Falstad: Hinterland Blast visual effects now more closely match the edges of its area of effect.
- Junkrat: Frag Launcher’s targeting reticle has received updated art.
- Leoric: Entomb’s targeting reticle has received updated art to better reflect the Ability’s shape.
- Li-Ming: Magic Missiles have received updated visual effects to make them more apparent.
- Lt. Morales: An overlay will now display for Heroes affected by Stim Drone.
- Tychus: Minigun visual effects have been updated to make the Ability more apparent while it is active.
- Tychus: Overkill’s retargeting icon has received updated art.
- The following heroes have received updated visual effects to coincide with Talent changes:
- Greymane
- Malthael
Battlegrounds
Ranked Battleground Rotation
- The Battleground rotation for Ranked Play is unchanged, and remains as follows:
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Battlefield of Eternity</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Braxis Holdout</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Cursed Hollow</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Dragon Shire</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Infernal Shrines</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Sky Temple</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Tomb of the Spider Queen</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Towers of Doom</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Volskaya Foundry</span></li> </ul> </li>
Volskaya Foundry
- Triglav Protector
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">The Protector will gain 10 Armor and 25% increased damage if both the Pilot and Gunner seats are occupied</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Base Health has been increased from 9500 to 10450</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Health Scaling has been increased by 10%</span></li> <li><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Pilot: Rocket Fist (W)</strong></span></span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Duration has been increased from 2 to 4 seconds</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Gunner: Gatling Cannon (W)</strong></span></span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Gatling Cannon will now fire immediately, instead of after a short delay</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Gatling Cannon rounds will now fire 50% faster</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li>
Heroes
| Assassin | Warrior |
|---|---|
| Greymane | Tyrael |
| Malthael |
Assassin
Greymane
Abilities
- Gilnean Cocktail (Q)
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Mana cost reduced from 70 to 55</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Explosion area increased by ~15%</span></li> </ul> </li>
Talents
- Level 1
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Perfect Aim (Q)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Mana refund for hitting a Hero reduced from 50 to 35</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Level 4</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Draught Overflow (Q)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Removed</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Level 7</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Wizened Duelist (Passive)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">New functionality:</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Every 6 Attacks against an enemy Hero increases Greymane’s Basic Attack damage by 1%, up to 30%. Gain triple benefit from attacking in Worgen form. These bonuses are lost on death.</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li>
Developer Comment: We made these changes in an effort to increase Greymane’s build diversity. Gilnean Cocktail felt a little lackluster without its associated Talents, so made parts of them baseline. While you can still enhance Gilnean Cocktail through talents, we wanted it to feel like a valuable part of your kit if you choose a more Basic Attack-oriented build. We've also redesigned Wizened Duelist to be less of a feast or famine Quest by shifting its requirements to something that a Greymane in a losing game can still accomplish. This also has the added benefit of being a reward that can be accomplished regardless of the lethality of a game (since the average number of deaths can vary greatly between different levels of play).
Malthael
Stats
- Basic Attacks now cleave in a radius of 3.25 in an arc in front of Malthael
- Damage reduced from 117 to 82
Abilities
- Soul Rip (Q)
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Healing reduced from 44 to 36 per enemy hit</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Death’s Shroud (E)</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Width increased from 2.25 to 3</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Reaper's Mark (Trait)</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Damage reduced from 2% to 1.75% of an enemy's maximum Health</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Tormented Souls (R)</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">No longer applies Armor to Malthael</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Last Rites (R)</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Cooldown reduced from 75 to 65 seconds</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Malthael can now also gain Quest credit if the enemy Hero dies within 1.5 seconds of Last Rites damage</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Range increased from 4 to 5</span></li> </ul> </li>
Talents
- Level 4
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Die Alone (Q)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">This now once again applies bonus damage if only 1 Hero is marked, even if multiple other non-Heroes are also marked</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Throwing Shade (E)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Reduced the hits needed to complete the quest from 20 to 15</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Black Harvest (Trait)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Quest completion requirement increased from 150 to 180 seconds</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Level 7</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Massacre (W)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Moved from Level 16 to Level 7</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Touch of Death (Active)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Cooldown reduced from 30 to 25 seconds</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Level 13</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Soul Siphon (Q)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Reduced the healing from 4% to 3.75% versus Heroes</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Ethereal Existence (Trait)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Maximum Physical Armor reduced from 40 to 30</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Level 16</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Mortality (W)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Moved from Level 7 to Level 16</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Damage increased from 4 to 6% of an enemy Hero's maximum Health</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li>
Developer Comment: Malthael, while powerful, has relied heavily on Tormented Souls to apply his Reaper's Mark during team fights. By making his Basic Attacks cleave and increasing the usability of Death's Shroud, we're providing more ways to him to apply his Mark to multiple enemies. Not only does this increase his survivability and damage without relying solely on Tormented Souls, it also gives him more options to use Wraith Strike. We've also sought to increase the usability of Last Rites to make it a more enticing Heroic option. Lastly, the ability to apply Reaper's Mark reliably makes it much more powerful, so we've adjusted the tuning of its damage and associated Talents.
Warrior
Tyrael
Talents
- Level 1
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Salvation (W)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Healing on shield destruction increased from 125 to 140</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Ardent Restoration (Passive)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Healing increased from 12.5 to 13.75 per stack over 5 seconds</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="color:#0099ff;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Level 4</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Stalwart Armor (Q)</span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Armor reduced from 25 to 20</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li>
Collection
Head over to the latest In-Development blog to catch a preview of all the new cosmetic items coming to the Nexus with this patch.
New Bundles
- Maiev Heroic Bundle – Available until February 19, 2018
- Lunar Festival 2018 Bundle – Available until March 5, 2018
- Lunar Festival Classic Bundle – Available until March 5, 2018
New Announcer
- Maiev
New Skins
- Maiev
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Darnassian Maiev</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Dusk Maiev</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Hellwarden Maiev</strong></span> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Bonewarden Maiev</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Dreadwarden Maiev</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Hordewarden Maiev</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Plaguewarden Maiev</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Kael’thas</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Lunar Kael’thas</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Jade Lunar Kael’thas</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Heavenly Lunar Kael’thas</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Sylvanas</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Lunar Sylvanas</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Jade Lunar Sylvanas</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Soaring Lunar Sylvanas</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Cassia</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Lunar Cassia</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Azure Lunar Cassia</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Honored Lunar Cassia</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Jade Lunar Cassia</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Midnight Lunar Cassia</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Zul’jin</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Lunar Zul’jin</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Ancestral Lunar Zul’jin</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Cruel Lunar Zul’jin</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Jade Lunar Zul’jin</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Ornamented Lunar Zul’jin</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Arthas</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Royal Mystic Kingdoms Arthas</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Azmodan</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Lunar Azmodan</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Genji</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Lunar Genji</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Illidan</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Dragon Lunar Illidan</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Jaina</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Jade Lunar Jaina</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Li-Ming</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Blossom Lunar Li-Ming</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Heavenly Lunar Li-Ming</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Imperial Lunar Li-Ming</span></li> </ul> </li>
New Mounts
- Lunar Skyrocket – Unlocked by completing the Lunar Festival 2018 event quest.
<ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Golden Lunar Skyrocket – Purchasable using Gold</span></li> </ul> </li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#0099ff;"><strong>Lunar Guardian</strong></span></span> <ul style="list-style-type:circle;"> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Jade Lunar Guardian</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:14px;">Marble Lunar Guardian</span></li> </ul> </li>
Bug Fixes
General
- Fixed a number of typo and tooltip errors across several aspects of the game.
Art
- Jaina: Corrected some minor clipping affecting Arcanist Jaina’s clothing.
- Samuro: Shadows will no longer appear to flicker behind Monkey King Samuro on the post-match score screen.
Battlegrounds
- Battlefield of Eternity: Fixed a visual issue that could cause the outlines generated by Natural Agility to dip below the terrain in certain locations.
- Braxis Holdout: Fixed an issue in which A.I. Heroes would pace near an enemy Gate rather than attack the Core.
- Garden of Terror: Fixed an issue in which Structures affected by Overgrowth could stop attacking indefinitely under specific circumstances.
- Blackheart’s Revenge Brawl: Damage will no longer interrupt channeling while Heroes are attempting to use teleportation portals.
- Escape from Braxis Brawl: Bosses can no longer push unpathable terrain created by Tyrael’s Holy Ground Talent.
- Try Mode: The effects of Ana’s Aim Down the Sights Talent are now correctly removed after using the Reset Talents Button.
- Try Mode: Sgt. Hammer’s bonus attack range, granted by the Graduating Range Talent, is now correctly removed after using the Reset Talents Button.
Heroes, Abilities, and Talents
- Ana: Shrike Doses after the first will now correctly deal bonus damage when Ana is affected by increased Spell Power.
- Auriel: Basic Attack damage dealt by Auriel’s Bestow Hope target will no longer generate less than the intended amount of Energy.
- D.Va: A.I. Heroes will now attempt to flee the area surrounding D.Va’s Mech during Self-Destruct.
- Junkrat: Will no longer become separated from his rocket when issuing movement commands during Rocket Ride.
- Li Li: Blinding Wind will now correctly deal damage to neutral Mercenaries.
- Li-Ming: The Astral Presence icon is no longer missing its mouseover tooltip.
- Lunara: Leaping Strike can no longer be cast while Rooted.
- Rehgar: Fixed an issue preventing the Hunger of the Wolf Talent from applying bonus damage to Ghost Wolf attacks at level 16.
- Tassadar: The Psionic Echo Talent’s timer bar will now correctly appear next to the Archon timer when both are active at once.
- Valeera: The Cheap Shot tooltip appended to Blade Flurry after breaking Stealth now correctly states it will Blind the target.
- Zeratul: Blink will now correctly break invisibility.
Sound
- Valeera: Thistle Tea activation is no longer audible to nearby enemies while Valeera is in Stealth.
- Settings: Hero voice reactions are no longer audible when the Voices setting is disabled.
User Interface
- Hotkeys: Basic Hotkeys can now be assigned to mouse buttons.
- Loading Screen: Removed an outdated loading screen tooltip relating to Tower Ammunition.