Blizzard has added Sylvanas Windrunner of World of Warcraft as the next playable character to be added in Heroes of the Storm. The game developer also introduced a new map where the objective is to obtain gems for summoning Webweavers.
Sylvanas is not your regular Heroes of the Storm character. She is the self-styled Dark Lady, Queen of the Forsaken, and has unique abilities that allow her to deal impressive damage, including the ability to possess an enemy minion or mercenary, and convert it to fight on her side. She also possesses the Wailing Arrow, which is useful in inflicting a lot of damage in wide areas by silencing enemies for 2.5 seconds.
As Queen of the Forsaken, Sylvanas can send banshees to a target location to deal damage upon an enemy and then teleport to where the banshees are, chase enemies, and quickly get out of tough situations. She can also deal damage to a close target using the Shadow Dagger, which goes on to deal more damage in other enemies close to the target.
Blizzard also announced Tomb of the Spider Queen, which it described as a "small map that feels like a knife fight in a closet." The goal of the Heroes in this map is to kill the enemy's minions and collect gems that will be exchanged for Webweavers, which can then be ordered to attack more enemies.
Heroes of the Storm will also be getting additional levels, something that gamers have been clamoring for. Blizzard says those who have capped at level 10 will now be able to play until level 20 and will receive rewards when they reach certain milestones, such as 1,250 gold when they reach level 15 and 2,000 at level 20.
Meanwhile, Blizzard is also cooking up a new tournament for college players. Dubbed Heroes of the Dorm, the competition will let teams composed of five college students in the U.S. and Canada battle it out for the grand prize in Blizzard's new multi-player online battle arena. Each member of the winning team will receive $25,000 to pay for their undergrad tuition, while graduating college students will receive a year's tuition to repay their student loans. Graduating students who do not have student loans to pay will receive an amount equal to one year's tuition as cash prize.
Blizzard will host the qualifying round starting March 28, and single-elimination bracket play will begin on April 11. Heroes of the Dorm will be aired over ESPN, making it the first college e-sport to earn the distinction.
