Blizzard recently announced the new "Heroes of the Storm" characters at the BlizzCon 2017 event held in Anaheim, California in early November. The cinematic trailer of the game showed new additions to existing games "Overwatch" and "World of Warcraft" — Hanzo and Alexstrasza, respectively.
According to "Heroes of the Storm" Production Director Kaeo Milker, the two will play important roles in the hero game. Alexstrasza is a ranged Support with two different modes — one as a fire-breathing Dragon Queen to her enemies, the other as a self-sacrificing healer to her allies.
Kotaku explains that dragon trait, which lasts for only 15 seconds, boosts her defenses, damage, and health. This comes in very handy as most of the time, she uses her Gift of Life to lend some of her own enhanced health to another character.
Hanzo, on the other hand, is a ranged Assassin who can scout and take out enemies at the same time. Blizzard promises a more compelling Hanzo for "Heroes" with the Scatter Arrow ability. When fired, his arrow branches out into five separate tips to hit more enemies. With the game's top-down perspective, players can also angle the arrow the right way in order to hit all desired targets in one go.
Hanzo also keeps his Dragonstrike Heroic ability to summon Spirit Dragons. However, unlike in "Overwatch" where they are too big and out of control to avoid, the "Heroes" version is reportedly slower and thus, easier to evade.
The announcement came with a suite of core gameplay changes. Blizzard said it will improve performance, modify the function of stealth and evolved mechanics, among others. It will also add voice chat, a refined camera and "performance-based matchmaking" for better gaming experience. Milker said all these will be included in the 2018 "Heroes of the Storm" update, details of which will be revealed as the BlizzCon continues.
Alexstrasza will grace "Heroes of the Storm" on Nov. 13, while Hanzo will wreak havoc starting Dec. 4.
