Healing sniper Ana and explosives maniac Junkrat from Overwatch are coming soon to Heroes of the Storm, the multiplayer online battle arena that combines characters from the entire Blizzard universe.
Also coming soon to Heroes of the Storm is a new battleground based on the Volskaya Industries map of Overwatch, and a giant robot controlled by two players.
'Overwatch' Expands Into 'Heroes Of The Storm'
There are already five Overwatch characters in Heroes of the Storm, namely D.Va, Genji, Lucio, Tracer, and Zarya. However, at the Heroes Global Championship, Blizzard announced that Ana and Junkrat will soon make that number seven.
Blizzard did not provide more details on Ana and Junkrat for Heroes of the Storm, but given that the other Overwatch heroes in the MOBA have mostly retained their skills from the massively popular multiplayer shooter, the two characters will likely play the same.
Ana will likely slide into a support role, with skills that can heal allies and disable opponents. Her Nano Boost skill from Overwatch could possibly lead to a painful amount of damage in Heroes of the Storm. Junkrat, meanwhile, will likely deal a lot of damage with his bombs, and his Rip-Tire ultimate from Overwatch will be fun to use in the game.
Also coming to Heroes of the Storm is the Volskaya Foundry map, based on Volskaya Industries from Overwatch and the second map from the game to arrive to the MOBA, after the controversially complicated Hanamura.
Volskaya Foundry will be a three-lane map that features three control points, similar to the map objectives from Overwatch. Players will need to take control of the points by standing on them, with the progress of taking over a control point interrupted if enemies arrive.
Once a team successfully takes over all three control points, a giant robot will be unlocked. Two players form the successful team will control the mech similar to the two-player character of Heroes of the Storm Cho'Gall. One player will control the robot's movement, while the other one will control the guns and fists.
Volskaya Foundry also introduces conveyor belts to Heroes of the Storm, which will either speed up the movement of players when going in the right direction or make it near impossible to move for those going the wrong way.
Blizzard is also planning to introduce new skins, mounts, and a new single-lane mode named Bash 'em Smash 'em Robots that matches two of the giant robots from the Volskaya Foundry map against each other.
When Will The Heroes Of The Storm Update Arrive?
Ana and Volskaya Foundry will launch on the Heroes of the Storm PTR for testing next week, while Junkrat will be added later.
However, there is currently no specific date on when the Heroes of the Storm update that will add these Overwatch content to the MOBA will arrive.