Blizzard is going to be busy in the coming days as it has announced a major overhaul of its multiplayer online battle arena Heroes of the Storm 2.0.
Heroes of the Storm 2.0 will soon feature a revamped player progression system and loot chest rewards similar to Blizzard's popular shooter Overwatch. Other changes include a new Amazon heroine based on the Diablo III game and lots of customization options.
The updates will go live on April 25 after a month-long beta phase to test the changes.
Progression System Gets More Progressive
The player progression system will be very straightforward, according to the official developer blog post. The old Player Level cap will now be a sum of all the Hero Levels gained. The Hero Level cap will be removed, as well.
As players move up the ladder, they will get badges as proof of their milestones. Portrait badge art will start as a simple circle at levels 1-10, but the badges will get more intricate designs every 25 levels. At level 100, the level will reset but not without the player getting an epic badge.
The hero XP gain and leveling up will also be adjusted. Before at lower levels, a player can get from level 1 to 3 in one game, which is a bit fast. On the other hand, upper levels tend to be a slow grind that can take hours for a single level. Blizzard is overhauling this system too, as XP requirements will be slightly increased at lower levels, while at higher levels the grind time will be reduced to "approximately 75-80 percent."
Important note: These changes will apply to present player levels when the patch rolls out. Thus, current level 10 heroes will be at 15, while those at level 20 will find themselves at level 55!
Loot Chests Are Coming
The next big patch will be an overhaul of the reward system in the form of Loot Chests.
Like in Overwatch, players will get one Loot Chest each time they level up. This chest will contain four random rewards like items, skins, heroes, mounts, and various cosmetic items.
The Loot Chests will be categorized as Common for every Player Level that does not award a Rare or Epic Loot Chest; Rare, earned every five Player Levels; Epic, earned every 25 Player Levels; and Hero-Specific, earned every 10 Player Levels.
Each Loot Chest type has a guaranteed one item of that Chest's rarity level or higher, although lower-level Chests can contain Rare, Epic, or Legendary items.
For players with cash to spare, they can do away with the leveling and purchase the Loot Chests instead via the Buy button in the Loot page menu.
Meet Cassia, The Amazon Hero
A new hero based off Diablo III Amazon class will be added in the roster. She is Cassia, an Assassin-type ranged hero that can unleash spear attacks and lightning-based skills.
Her primary skills are:
Lightning Fury. Throw a lightning javelin to deal 175 damage to the first enemy hit. It splits into two lightning bolts that deal 175 damage afterward.
Blinding Light. Channel for 0.5 seconds to Blind enemies in a target area for two seconds. Passive: Deal 15 percent more damage to Blinded targets.
Fend. Charge at an enemy and unleash a flurry of spears for 1.5 seconds to deal 78 damage to enemies in front every 0.25 seconds. Deals 50 percent reduced damage to non-Heroes.
Her heroic abilities are:
Ball Lightning. Throw a ball of lightning that bounces six times among nearby enemy Heroes and Cassia to deal 200 damage every hit.
Valkyrie. Summon a Valkyrie that rushes to Cassia after 0.75 seconds and pulls the first enemy Hero hit to deal 190 damage, and stuns them for 0.5 seconds at the end of her path. The Valkyrie knocks back all other enemy Heroes in her way.
More Awesomeness With More Cosmetic Items
More cosmetic items will be added to Heroes of the Storm 2.0 such as:
Announcers. Announce your feat whenever you destroy a fort or keep.
Voice Lines. Send cheers and jeers with your fave hero catchphrase.
Banners. Choose voiceovers from your favorite Heroes when you achieve takedowns or kill streaks.
Sprays. Leave your mark on the battlefield literally with static and animated graffiti.
Emojis. Express more in chats using thematic emoji both in and out of the game.
Portraits. New portrait art will be added for profile use.
Shards. Build your own cosmetic items using shards from loot chests.
For future updates, check out the Heroes of the Storm 2.0 official dev site.
