The second Mechastorm event is in full swing in Heroes of the Storm. Alongside the unique quests and new anime-themed cosmetics, we also got a Chen rework. The Panderan Brewmaster received a full overhaul that makes him much more flexible and fun to play.
New ways to fight
Blizzard’s stated goal with this redesign was to give Chen more potential for plays, and they have been successful. His talent tree has been reshuffled to give him offensive and defensive choices on every tier. With an increased diversity of build paths, players can now take on Chen with multiple distinct play styles.
He finally has a solid auto-attack build, with Stormstout Secret Recipe at level one, Elusive Brawler moved to seven, and the new Combo Strikes at 16. Conversely, he makes an even better team defender with an improved Enough to Share talent and more potential to disrupt.
The redesign also gives him an old-school level 1 to level 20 talent combo, with Stormstout Secret Recipe synergizing powerfully with Energizing Brew. This is something Blizzard seemingly stopped doing some time ago, and it’s refreshing to see it again.
Chen’s new Stagger ability is a completely unique addition to the Heroes of the Storm mechanics pool. It adds a massive amount of survivability to the already tanky bruiser, but only if Chen pulls it off at the right time.
Customizable ultimate
Timing is the name of the game for Chen’s Storm, Earth and Fire ultimate as well. While conceptually more or less the same as before, the ability now plays out different based on how Chen times his subsequent mini-abilities. The last ability cast has a buffed effect, and it can really turn a battle. This effectively gives him six different ways to use the same ability.
Only time will tell if the new Chen is stronger, but we can confirm he is instantly more fun to play. For a full breakdown of the patch, you can check out Blizzard’s news post.
Stay tuned to Daily Esports for more Heroes of the Storm news and updates!
