Heroes of the Storm | Cheerful Ghost

Blizzard Halts Heroes of the Storm E-Sports And Cuts Team To Focus on Other Projects

"Over the past several years, the work of evaluating our development processes and making hard decisions has led to new games and other products that we’re proud of. We now have more live games and unannounced projects than at any point in the company’s history. We’re also at a point where we need to take some of our talented developers and bring their skills to other projects. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to shift some developers from Heroes of the Storm to other teams, and we’re excited to see the passion, knowledge, and experience that they’ll bring to those projects. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to make tough choices like this. Games like... Read All "Over the past several years, the work of evaluating our development processes and making hard decisions has led to new games and other products that we’re proud of. We now have more live games and unannounced projects than at any point in the company’s history. We’re also at a point where we need to take some of our talented developers and bring their skills to other projects. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to shift some developers from Heroes of the Storm to other teams, and we’re excited to see the passion, knowledge, and experience that they’ll bring to those projects. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to make tough choices like this. Games like Diablo II, World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Overwatch, and more would not exist had we not made similar decisions in the past.

Despite the change, Heroes of the Storm remains our love letter to Blizzard’s worlds and characters. We’ll continue actively supporting the game with new heroes, themed events, and other content that our community loves, though the cadence will change. Ultimately, we’re setting up the game for long-term sustainability. We’re so grateful for the support the community has shown from the beginning, and the development team will continue to support Heroes with the same passion, dedication, and creativity that has made the game such a unique experience.

We’ve also evaluated our plans around Heroes esports—after looking at all of our priorities and options in light of the change with the game, the Heroes Global Championship and Heroes of the Dorm will not return in 2019. This was another very difficult decision for us to make. The love that the community has for these programs is deeply felt by everyone who works on them, but we ultimately feel this is the right decision versus moving forward in a way that would not meet the standards that players and fans have come to expect."

Heroes of the Storm is a very cool MOBA (Multiplayer online battle arena) set in the Blizzard-verse where characters from Diablo, Warcraft, Starcraft and the Nexus get together and duke it out. Heroes of the Storm is different in that it's a bit more accessible, exp is earned as a team and has a huge assortment of different maps and objectives(most MOBA games feature just one map). That said, it's struggled to find a massive audience even though it's totally free to play and has the backing of Blizzard in the wake of titans such as League of Legends and DoTA 2 and it looks like that struggle has cause Blizzard to halt it being a top tier game in it's crown after 3 years.

The good news is that Blizzard supports games for a long time after they've been released so the servers should remain online nearly indefinitely. The sad part is streamers, pros and the community will falter a bit and eventually lessen to a dedicated few. Still, Heroes of the Storm is a great free game to get in and play with friends and if you are looking to give the whole MOBA craze a shot I can't think of a better game to start with.

https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/blizzard/22833558/heroes-of-the-storm-news

Heroes Of The Storm 2.0 Thoughts + Upcoming Free Stuff

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Recently Blizzard dropped a massive 2.0 update on Heroes of the Storm and this last weekend I was able to play a couple matches. I paired up with a friend that plays a ton of Heroes of the Storm and we made our way through about 6-8 games together. As part of the Heroes of the Storm 2.0 launch celebration Blizzard let you select a Heroes pack that focused on certain types of Heroes such as Assassins, Bruisers, Specialists and Support. I picked the Bruisers bundle and as such played mostly of that type and focused on Muradin, XUL & Valla. Heroes of the Storm has come a long way since it's original launch and i'd say it's a really fun pickup and play hero brawler... Read All Recently Blizzard dropped a massive 2.0 update on Heroes of the Storm and this last weekend I was able to play a couple matches. I paired up with a friend that plays a ton of Heroes of the Storm and we made our way through about 6-8 games together. As part of the Heroes of the Storm 2.0 launch celebration Blizzard let you select a Heroes pack that focused on certain types of Heroes such as Assassins, Bruisers, Specialists and Support. I picked the Bruisers bundle and as such played mostly of that type and focused on Muradin, XUL & Valla. Heroes of the Storm has come a long way since it's original launch and i'd say it's a really fun pickup and play hero brawler that is fairly easy to learn. Blizzard has also added a ton of different maps with unique objectives making Heroes of the Storm a very unique MOBA that feels more like Unreal Tournament than DoTA 2. If you're like me and not a great player you can practice with bots only OR play games with human players on your side against bots. Heroes also has human team matches and full ranked system so if you are interested in that it's available.

So Much Free Stuff

If giving away the Hero packs with Heroes 2.0 wasn't enough Blizzard is giving away a few more things over the next month if you play the game. Starting back May 30th and ending June 12th if you play one match per day you get a free loot chest. Loot chests are like Hearthstone packs and you have the chance to open a hero, new player skin or any kind of spray, taunt, emoji or voice line. This weekend I opened the new hero D.VA and I can't wait to try her out.

To celebrate the Necromancer coming to Diablo III if you play 15 games with a friend as a hero from Diablo from June 13th - 26th you will unlock 1 epic loot chest, Leoric’s Phantom mount and Ghost Kerrigan wings in Diablo III. I am going to see if I can clock that many games as the Diablo III wings seem pretty epic and i've enjoyed the few pairs I have already.

http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/blog/20719773/
http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/blog/20811888/

Heroes of the Storm 2.0 Is Out So Head Over And Get The Free Heroes Mega Bundle!

The huge revamp to Heroes of the Storm is out and Blizzard is handing out 20 free heroes to everyone for logging in and selecting the pack you want. I went with the brawlers pack as I've enjoyed playing with Stitches and have wanted to try Muradin Bronzebeard for a bit now. Heroes of the Storm 2.0 added loot chests that unlock for you when you level your character so when you log in if you have any levels unlocked you will get some loot chests! Ultimately the Heroes 2.0 update makes unlocking skins, taunts and mounts a bit more accessible to free to play players and adopts an Overwatch and Hearthstone like loot system.

Heroes of the Storm is a free to play Blizzard... Read All

Heroes of the Storm Gets A Massive 2.0 Update For Azeroth.. And Sanctuary... And Auir... And Overwatch!

Blizzard is continuing to add heroes, maps and features to Heroes of the Storm and they are going even further in the upcoming 2.0 update. Firstly they are changing the way hero leveling works by removing the cap entirely and changing the absolutely crazy grind to reach higher levels. Another change is the addition of loot chests that are awarded when your Heroes level that award nearly any item in the game including voice packs, skins, banners and portraits! Blizzard is also changing up the way you can outright buy things in game with the new in game currency, gems. Gems can be purchased with real money and Blizzard will give you some at level 5 for free to "get you... Read All

Unlock Diablo For Free In Heroes Of The Storm

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If you purchased Diablo 3 and play Heroes of the Storm you might want to head back to unlock something neat. Blizzard is handing out the playable hero Diablo for anyone with a valid Diablo 3 license and all you need to do is log in to Heroes of the Storm before September 8th to claim it.

"Immediately following the next Heroes patch, any player with a Diablo III license on their Battle.net account will receive the Diablo Hero in Heroes of the Storm for free. Simply log in to Heroes of the Storm to claim the Lord of Terror and start unleashing hell on your foes. Don’t wait though— this offer ends at 10:00 a.m. PDT on September 8!"

http://us.battle.net//d3/en/blog/19867266... Read All

Heroes of The Storm Drops Today - Johanna Character Revealed

Blizzards Heroes of the Storm finally launched today. During the launch party live stream they talked about the new Crusader hero that will soon be added to the game. Johanna looks like a pretty beefy powerhouse that melee characters should enjoy playing.

Blizzard also is giving away a free in game Mechanospider mount for free if you play a Facebook game. I did it and it's not too bad but is currently experiencing some issues with a zillion people trying to play it.

https://teambuilder.heroesofthestorm.com/

If you are interested in checking out the Heroes of the Storm launch event archived feed.

... Read All

Heroes Of The Storm Beta Key Giveaway II

I guess Blizzard likes me because I have four more beta keys to giveaway. This time I am giving preference to long time Cheerful Ghost users. So if you want a key, hit me up in the comments and i'll send it your way!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/09/2015 at 04:06pm

This is a very fun MOBA! I recommend everyone check it out!

scrypt Supporter wrote on 04/09/2015 at 06:24pm

More fun than LoL?!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/09/2015 at 07:29pm

I've actually never played LoL. But I've played Dota2 a ton. It's not quite as good as Dota2, but that could be because that was my first, or because I've put so much more time into it.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 04/09/2015 at 07:40pm

Right on. I should probably just try it. I'll queue it up tonight.

Travis Admin wrote on 04/09/2015 at 10:09pm

I've played LoL and DOTA2 one about as much as the other, and the hyper-elitism turned me off. I'm sure Heroes will get there as well, but the learning curve is a little better so you aren't kicked or ganged up on because you suck.

Travis Admin wrote on 04/09/2015 at 10:10pm

And that also goes into Greg's discussion about competitive games. DOTA2 and LoL go far past my competitiveness threshold, so I may not be the right person to ask about how Heroes compares.

rettisawesome wrote on 04/09/2015 at 10:41pm

I would play if there were any more keys. But no worries if not.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/09/2015 at 10:50pm

rettisawesome: sent.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 04/10/2015 at 06:09am

Started it up and played through several of the practice matches. It's a lot more simple than both DotA 2 and LoL, but I kinda like that. I could see sinking a few hundred hours into this ;). Tempted to pick up the Nexus Bundle...

scrypt Supporter wrote on 04/10/2015 at 03:28pm

Just changed my Battle.net ID to scrypt#1203, to make myself easier to find, for those who want to par-tay :squirrel:.

JaBo wrote on 04/10/2015 at 08:14pm

I'd probably play with rett if you have an extra key. I love MOBAs (like dota 2). I tried getting Tim to play dota2 with me. He tried once and we had some asshat with us that I quickly defriended after he went all rage mode... poor Timmy...

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/10/2015 at 08:34pm

JaBo: sent.

JaBo wrote on 04/10/2015 at 09:12pm

Awesome! Rett let's play!

rettisawesome wrote on 04/11/2015 at 06:42pm

Thank you much! Jason m down. I'll install asap

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Heroes of the Storm: Lets Play Diablo, Starcraft & Warcraft

A few weeks ago I was let in to Blizzard's latest game to make it to beta, Heroes of the Storm. Blizzard calls Heroes of the Storm a team brawler that at first glance seems to be yet another MOBA like DoTA or League of Legends. While the similarities abound there are some really huge differences and at the end of the day, for me, Heroes of the Storm is more my style.

Heroes of the Storm is part of Blizzards latest push into the Free to Play game genre. Starting with Hearthstone and now Heroes of the Storm, free to play is a pretty big push. Heroes of the Storm takes a page from League of Legends in that there are a few heroes that randomly unlock for you to play from... Read All A few weeks ago I was let in to Blizzard's latest game to make it to beta, Heroes of the Storm. Blizzard calls Heroes of the Storm a team brawler that at first glance seems to be yet another MOBA like DoTA or League of Legends. While the similarities abound there are some really huge differences and at the end of the day, for me, Heroes of the Storm is more my style.

Heroes of the Storm is part of Blizzards latest push into the Free to Play game genre. Starting with Hearthstone and now Heroes of the Storm, free to play is a pretty big push. Heroes of the Storm takes a page from League of Legends in that there are a few heroes that randomly unlock for you to play from week to week and if you want to use them permanently you have to buy them. You can buy them straight up with money or earn in game gold to do it. As with League of Legends and DoTA 2, Heroes of the Storm allows you to purchase skins to give your Heroes a unique flavor. Heroes of the Storm takes it a step further and also allows you the ability to purchase in game mounts.

Whereas DoTA 2 or League of Legends allows you to only play on one map, Heroes of the Storm ships with 4. Each map has a unique flavor and different objective to give your team a winning advantage. On one pirate themed level, beyond pushing to destroy the enemy teams base, you can collect gold coins to give to a pirate and if you collect enough he will bombard the enemy base.

One of the things that has kept me away from embracing League of Legends or DoTA 2 is how flippin' hard the game is to learn. Blizzard has stripped down the gameplay of Heroes of the Storm to it's basics and forgoes any kind of in game item purchasing. All you have is your hero and with each level you make choices about what skills to focus on. I really like the simplified gameplay and as such had no problem figuring things out. As someone that loves playing video games but doesn't have a zillion hours to master it, Heroes of the Storm is great.

I was skeptical Blizzard could bring another MOBA to the table that offered anything new but after playing Heroes of the Storm I can say, this isn't DoTA 2 or League of Legends, this is very different and it's good.

Oh right, the game is also beautiful. After turning up everything to the max the game looks incredible. The game didn't suffer from much lag either, but all the matches I played were against bots so that may be why.

I think it goes without saying that as a pretty big Blizzard fan, playing a game with Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft characters in it all fighting together is pretty awesome. It's also pretty strange to have Jim Raynor deal a killing blow to Kerrigan and and then Diablo in the same game. Each of the different universes characters fit really well in the game and it didn't ever seem strange to have them together for a minute.

Heroes of the Storm seems really polished to me and I hope they unleash the beta to more players soon so you can check it out. If you have tried it out, i'd love to hear what you think of the game.

First Heroes of the Storm gameplay footage, beta signup

Blizzard has released some gameplay footage of their new MOBA, Heroes of the Storm. This game is basically "Blizzard: The Game" as it has characters from all their franchises.

This is early footage but the gameplay in this video seems far easier to keep track of than most MOBA's.

If you're interested in getting into the beta when they start it, sign into your battle.net profile, go to account management, and then click "beta profile settings." This will be one of the games you can choose.

Blizzard RE Announces It's New MOBA: Heroes of The Storm

In a time not too long ago Blizzard was making something called "Blizzard DoTA." Well it turns out IceFrog owned the trademark to DoTA and he went to work for Valve and after a bit of a legal showdown, Blizzard renamed its DoTA game to Blizzard All-Stars and Valve kept the DoTA mark. Well now it seems Blizzard has finally settled on "Heroes of the Storm" as the name for its new MOBA and dropped a bit more news about it.

Oh and did I mention it will feature Heroes from the Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft universes? The new reveal trailer made by the guy behind Starcrafts reveals the new bits and it seems Blizzard will unveil more details at Blizzcon 2013.

I wasn't excited... Read All