Heroes of the Storm is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) which is a real time strategy game where you control one character on a team with other players vs another team full of players. You might know of other MOBAs such as League of Legends or DotA, which are known for being more intimidating and harder for newcomers of the genre to get into. Heroes of the Storm is an easier entry into the genre as it is more team and objective based and there are no items, so on the surface it isn't as complicated. This MOBA is developed by Blizzard and uses characters throughout their various games.
Cinematic Trailer
Gameplay trailer
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BlizzHeroes
Official Website: http://us.battle.net/heroes
Basic Gameplay Mechanics:
Heroes of the Storm is different than other MOBA's in the regard that there are many different Battlegrounds which change the map you play on and what the objective or side objective's of the game is.
Heroes are divided into 4 basic roles which consist of Assassin, Warrior, Support, and Specialist. Most heroes can be classified as 2 as a result of being built differently based on the match.
Assassin heroes do a lot of damage in a very short time, usually to single targets. They should focus on killing enemy heroes and try to avoid counter-attacks. Assassins deal tremendous damage and can pick off unsuspecting enemies, but must choose their battles carefully, as they can dish more than they can take.
Warrior heroes are a strong and tough role of heroes. They often have ways to stun or block the enemy from reaching their allies, and are often very tough themselves. Warrior heroes should try to protect their allies.
Support heroes often heal, protect, and empower their allies. Supports can stay close to friendly heroes and allies and keep them alive.
Specialist heroes do various things that aren't covered by other roles. Specialists can be siege heroes that do massive damage to enemy bases and towers, but some can have completely different effects on the flow of battles.
Other types include the Siege and Commander heroes, which are more specialized roles that bring different strengths as you build a team.
Talents: Talents are abilities gathered by your hero that improve their stats and abilities, and can even modify their auto-attacks to have new effects. Talents are similar to items in other similar games, but are specific to each hero rather than existing in a shop, Heroes gain new talent points at certain levels.
Forts: Forts are fortified positions placed along the lanes in the battlegrounds. Each team has one or more fort in each lane with one being their main base. Each fort contains their own towers, castlesm healing fountains, and strong gates that prevent enemies from marching through them. Teams need to group up and make coordinated pushes against enemy forts due to how fortified they are.
Towers: Every fort is fortified with multiple towers- two at each gate and one defending the castle. Towers attack enemy units and heroes that approach them dealing damage with each attack. However towers only have limited ammo and if a team doesn't defend them they can easily be rushed down by the enemy making them waste the precious ammo.
Healing Fountains: There is no fountain akin to Dota or Lol but a building in each fort. You can go up to these and click them to restore some health and mana with it having a cooldown before you can use the building again. Enemies can destroy these if they get in your base to prevent you from regenerating.
Mercenary Camps: Mercenary camps exist between the lanes on the battlegrounds, similar to jungle camps in other MOBA's. When killed they grand mercenaries for your taem that aid the creep wave, pushing against enemy forts with much more powerful minions. Mercenary camps also provide bonus experience when they're killed
Watchtowers: Watchtowers are look-out posts that grand vision for the team that captures them. Securing watchtowers provides your team with greater vision and map control allowing you to keep an eye on the enemy movements throughout the map. These are usually palced in locations that cover major paths on the map, typically in the jungle and areas between the lanes.
Released Heroes:
Released Battlegrounds:
Source and Big Credit to Neogaf and IGN Threads for info and graphics: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1055558, http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/official-heroes-of-the-storm-thread.454464407/
