Heroes of the Storm; an Introduction

By Jamie Ross

Format: PC
Released: 2/6/2015
Publisher: Blizzard

With Blizzard’s latest contribution to the e-sports scene, Heroes of the Storm, a few weeks into its general release, what better time to take a look at this rather enjoyable game, and see what sets it apart from the competition? Rather than a review of the game itself, my aim is to just introduce what it’s all about to people who are maybe thinking of getting involved.

First up, what is a MOBA? Well, it stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, and basically consists of two teams of different heroes knocking seven shades of snot out of each other, all the while destroying each other’s base and capturing objectives on the map. Different heroes excel at different roles, with some assassinating enemies, whilst others rip down the walls of your foes. The genre is not one I am particularly familiar with. I dabbled in DOTA 2 and League of Legends, but found the community rather toxic. MOBAs were not kind to new players. After receiving my closed beta code for Heroes, I was pretty reluctant to play, having had such negative experiences in the past. However, on the whole, I can say that the community for Blizzard’s latest endeavour were much more welcoming than I was expecting. Of course, as with all online games, there is the occasional tool, but I am pleased to report they are few and far between.

So what about the game itself then? Heroes differs from many other MOBAs in that it does not have a “Last Hit” mechanic. This would involve players seeking to last hit enemies in order to gain experience points for their own character, thus making them more powerful. This in turn would lead to accusations of kill stealing, and general unfriendliness. Heroes of the Storm has a team wide experience pool, so everybody shares in those sweet, sweet points.

Another major difference is the wide variety of maps to compete over. The battlegrounds of Heroes will involve teams doing anything from collecting tributes to appease a vengeful god, to bribing a pirate with gold coins in order to persuade him to bombard your enemies. This encourages players to mix up their strategies, and try new things. Some characters excel on one map, whilst they struggle to do well on another.

Speaking of the characters, Blizzard have done an amazing job of bringing all of your favourites from their massive back catalogue of games together to duke it out. Champions from the Warcraft Universe are unsurprisingly heavily featured. All the big players are present, as well as a supporting cast of background figures and a few characters Blizzard have created just for this game. Starcraft and Diablo characters are also present, all battling for victory in the alternative dimension of the Nexus. Blizzard aim to add more characters from these realities, as well as from some of their earlier endeavours. For the most part, these characters all seem to be rather well balanced. Some will smash in the face of one style of character, whilst struggling against another. Except Illidan. He’s just filth…

I aim to have a much more in depth look at each of these warriors from around the multiverse, but for now I will stick to the basics. Heroes are divided into four categories; Warriors are your tanks, they get stuck in and soak up damage, Assassins are your damage dealers, Support characters heal your team and Specialists have tricks up their sleeves to deal with enemy fortifications. There is something to suit every play style, and I would recommend chopping and changing between different the different Heroes if you hope to improve your skills and play in the big leagues.

All in all, if you are looking for an introduction to competitive gaming, I cannot recommend Heroes of the Storm enough. Whilst it may lack the complexity of some of the other MOBAs on the market, it gently eases players into the world of e-sports, without taking away from the important aspects of teamwork and having fun.