In Heroes, the epic battles between the champions and villains of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo aren’t settled with last hits and kill-stealing—players are distinguished through the accomplishments of their team.

Whether you’re a hardcore WoW raider, a demon-slaying Barbarian, or a Bronze league Terran, you’ll find a customizable hero from across the Blizzard multiverse to suit your play style. Grab your buddies and engage in fast-paced mayhem across varied battlegrounds that impact strategy and change the way you play every match. When the mightiest characters in gaming history clash, only you can decide who’ll come out on top!

Characters like Thrall, Kerrigan, Diablo, Arthas, Zeratul, Tyrael—powerful warriors from Azeroth, Sanctuary, the Koprulu sector, and beyond—have been sucked into the Nexus, a transdimensional storm. Stranded in a strange limbo of clashing universes, these combatants are joined by the same fate—to engage in pulse-pounding combat, to team up in a deadly struggle for survival . . . and to answer the age-old question. . . .

Varian

Varian is an adaptable fighter who can become either a shield-bearing Warrior or a life-ending Assassin based on his talent choices in-game. Varian is Heroes of the Storm’s first multi-class Hero. Via his game-changing talent picks at levels 4 and 10, he can be played in six different ways—resembling a front-line tank like Johanna or an agile assassin like Illidan or Zeratul by the end of the match.

Trait

• Heroic Strike
• • Every 18 seconds, your next Basic Attack against an enemy Hero deals moderate bonus damage. Basic attacks reduce this cooldown by 2 seconds.

Basic Abilities

• [Q] Lion’s Fang
• • Create a shockwave that travels in a straight line, dealing moderate damage and slowing enemies by 30% for 1.5 seconds.
• [W] Parry
• • Parry all incoming Basic Attacks for 0.75 seconds, reducing their damage by 100%.
• [E] Charge
• • Charge to the target enemy, dealing light damage and slowing them by 75% for 0.75 seconds.

Heroic Abilities

• [R] Taunt
• • Force the target Hero to attack you for 1.25 seconds.
  • Passive: Maximum Health increased by 50%.
  • Passive: Attack Speed reduced by 25%.
• [R] Colossus Smash
• • Smash a target enemy, dealing heavy damage and making them Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
  • Passive: Attack Damage increased by 75%.
  • Passive: Maximum Health reduced by 10%.
• [R] Twin Blades of Fury
• • Basic Attacks reduce Heroic Strike’s cooldown by 9 seconds, and increase your Movement Speed by 30% for 2 seconds.
  • Passive: Attack Speed increased by 100%.
  • Passive: Attack Damage reduced by 25%.

Ragnaros

Ragnaros is a unique addition to the Nexus hero pool thanks to his ability to take over Allied Forts or Dead Forts with his Trait Molten Core. Seizing control of a fort grants him a new set of abilities that allow him to defend against the enemy’s siege or lay waste to an enemy town in an allied push. Ragnaros is a powerful Assassin who can sow the seeds of destruction in a team fight or simply when defending his team’s forts.

Traits

• [D] Molten Core
• • Channel on an allied or destroyed Fort or Keep to unleash your full power.  You replace the Fort or Keep temporarily, gain new Abilities, and have 4156 Health that burns away over 18 seconds.

When your Health is fully depleted, you return to your original form.

Basic Abilities

• [Q] Empower Sulfuras
• • Your next Basic Attack is instant, deals moderate damage in an area, and heals you for 20% of the damage dealt.  Healing doubled versus Heroes.

Molten Core

Molten Swing – Stun and damage nearby enemies.

• [W] Living Meteor
• • Summon a meteor at the target point that deals light damage, then rolls in the target direction dealing massive damage over 2 seconds.

Molten Core

Meteor Shower – Summon a line of meteors.

• [E] Blast Wave
• • Ignite yourself or an ally, granting 25% Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds, then causing a fiery explosion that deals light damage to nearby enemies.

Basic Abilities – [D] Molten Core Form

• [Q] Molten Swing
• • Swing your hammer in a wide arc, dealing moderate damage and stunning enemies for 1 second.

Damage increased by 75% versus Minions, Mercenaries, and Monsters.

• [W] Meteor Shower
• • Summon 3 meteors at the target point that fall in the target direction.  Each meteor deals moderate damage and slows enemies by 25% for 2 seconds.

Damage increased by 75% versus Minions, Mercenaries, and Monsters.

• [E] Explosive Rune
• • Create a rune in the target area.  After 2 seconds the rune explodes, dealing moderate damage to non-Structure enemies.

Damage increased by 75% versus Minions, Mercenaries, and Monsters.

Heroic Abilities

• [R] Sulfuras Smash
• • Hurl Sulfuras at the target area. It lands after 0.75 seconds, dealing moderate damage. Enemies in the center take triple damage and are Stunned for 0.5 seconds.
• [R] Lava Wave
  • Release a wave of lava from your Core that travels down the targeted lane, dealing massive damage per second to non-Structure enemies in its path and instantly killing enemy Minions.  Damage increased by 33% versus Heroes.

Blackheart's Revenge

Avast, ye, hearties! The ol' sea dog Captain Blackheart has shoved off in his ghost ship and taken to the high seas on a mission to blow the docks to smithereens. Will you aid him in turning the docks into a cloud of splinters, or will you fill his ship full of holes until it sinks into the briny deep?

This Brawl is the first battleground to feature attack/defend style mechanics and introduces asymmetrical gameplay to Heroes of the Storm. On Blackheart’s Revenge, only one team has a Core. They must gather cannonballs, load them into the cannons located around the docks, and fire on the ship in hopes of sending Blackheart to a watery grave. Defenders must assist the ghost pirate in his siege by stopping the attacking team from collecting enough cannonballs to sink the ship before it reaches its destination.

The Nexus Challenge

We just announced our biggest giveaway in Heroes of the Storm history to date: The Nexus Challenge! Starting November 15 until January 4, you and your friends will be able to unlock an epic set of in-game loot in both Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch just by playing Heroes together.

Complete 15 Heroes games in Ranked, Unranked Draft, Quick Match, or Co-op vs. A.I. before time runs out, and you’ll unlock the Oni Genji skin, spray, and player icon in Overwatch, as well as Zarya and the Oni Genji Portrait in Heroes of the Storm. The rewards only get sweeter when you play more games. Finish 30 matches and you'll pick up even more Heroes, the slick new Orochi Hovercycle mount, and a 30-Day Stimpack. Make sure you're prepared to embark on this daunting quest with your allies later this month by reading our blog post, which contains all the details you'll need to conquer the Nexus Challenge.