January 13, 2015 — Let the brawl begin! We’re excited to announce that closed beta testing has officially begun in the Americas region for Heroes of the Storm™, our free-to-play, online team brawler featuring iconic heroes from more than 20 years of Blizzard gaming history.
Today’s launch brings a new Battleground, a new Hero, Ranked Play, and much, much more. The closed beta test is expected to launch in all other regions on January 14. Players can opt-in for a chance to join the beta test at www.HeroesoftheStorm.com or through the Beta Profile Settings page in Battle.net®account management.
The latest features introduced to Heroes of the Storm include:
- New Battleground—Sky Temple, a new desert-themed Battleground, challenges players to fight for control of ancient Temples. Once captured, these Temples fire devastating beams of energy toward enemy structures.
- New Hero—Thrall, Warchief of the Horde, is the newest melee assassin to join the Nexus, bringing fearsome abilities, including Chain Lightning, Windfury, and Earthquake.
- Hero League—This new Ranked Play mode enables players (who are level 30 and own at least 10 Heroes) to queue up alone or in a party of up to five for ranked, competitive matches against other players of similar skill and party size.
- Draft Mode—Utilize this mode to build a competitive team composition, counter your opponent’s picks, and dominate the Battleground objectives.
A complete list of our latest game updates can be found in this week’s patch notes, as well as in our new Closed Beta Walkthrough Video.
