Blizzard’s team brawler Heroes of the Storm is about to get a large dose of Starcraft. An upcoming update called “Machines of War” will add two new Starcraft-themed maps, several Starcraft skins and mounts, and two new heroes to the Nexus – Alarak (from Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void) and Zarya from Overwatch.
Fact: Alarak was the best part of Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void. John de Lancie returns to voice the deliciously evil Protoss as the newest melee assassin. His moves provide short-range direct damage with some mobility. Players can also purchase a special Cthulhu inspired skin called the Herald of N’zoth.
Zarya represents Heroes of the Storm’s second Overwatch hero, after Tracer. As in Overwatch she’s a beefy warrior with a laser cannon. She also provides support to her teammates with her barrier shields. Her move set looks like it translated perfectly from Overwatch to Heroes of the Storm. And she looks like she’d easily fit into the Starcraft universe as well.
New heroes are always fun, and Heroes of the Storm has added about one new hero every month since its official release in June of last year. As a HoTS player, however, I’m most excited about the new maps coming in this update.
Unlike every other MOBA or hero brawler, Heroes of the Storm features multiple maps with varying objectives. Although HoTS features heroes from multiple Blizzard games, we had yet to see a map set in the Starcraft universe. Now we’re getting two!
Braxis Holdout features a race to activate beacons to gather a large army of Zerg forces. These weaponized aliens will then be unleashed on your opponent while they do the same, creating an even more chaotic battlefield. Warhead Junction features everyone’s favorite Terran weapon – the nuke, and lots of them to fight over!
A few heroes are receiving new Starcraft-themed skins. The Butcher gets a creepy Zerg skin, “The Butcherlisk.” The rarely seen Rexxar is outfitted in Terran armor (with robo-Misha). The real winner is the new Queen of Ghosts skin for Kerrigan, combining both her Zerg Queen of Blades look with her old Terran Ghost outfit. To complete the ensemble you can also purchase a bike that looks a bit like the Tron lightcycle.
Most of these new heroes, skins, and mounts will be available in a bundle when Machines of War begins rolling out on September 13 (Zarya arrives September 27). Purchasing the bundle nets you the exclusive Obsidian Cyberwolf mount as well. If all this new content isn’t enough to bring you back to the Nexus, a mini-event grants a daily quest to collect artifacts for in-game gold.
