Heroes of the Storm at BlizzCon brings Nexus Anomalies, map changes

The BlizzCon 2019 Heroes of the Storm deep dive show was highly entertaining. Blizzard unveiled a number of big changes planned for the game, some of which are sure to make waves. Read on for a full breakdown of all the changes coming to Heroes of the Storm, including new Nexus Anomalies.

Nexus Anomalies

Heroes of the Storm is introducing a new regular feature titled Nexus Anomalies. Every few months, an aspect of the game will change in a major way. The first planned Nexus Anomaly will make players collect XP as a pick-up from slain minions, rather than receiving it automatically. Passive XP gain will remain unchanged. Global abilities like Ragnaros’ Lava Wave and Abathur’s Symbiote hat will also continue to collect XP automatically. But all other heroes will have to change the way they soak lanes in order to get that level advantage.

This is just the first one in a series of Nexus Anomalies Blizzard has planned for Heroes of the Storm. Anomalies will change every couple of months. Developers will actively collect player feedback and incorporate it into future changes. All this sounds like a great addition to Heroes of the Storm for two reasons.

Obviously, this type of feedback-driven iteration is essentially an invitation to the players to help make the game exactly what they want it to be. But it also means gameplay is guaranteed to change in one way or another every few months, in the same way games like Apex Legends do with their regular limited-time modes. This should spice up Heroes of the Storm for long-time players and newcomers alike.

Haunted Mines might be coming back

In response to a player’s question, Blizzard developers revealed they are working on Haunted Mines. Perhaps the most controversial map in Heroes of the Storm history, Haunted Mines has been out of rotation for a while. It appears that balancing the map is a tricky task, but Blizzard is working on it. The map may be coming back in rotation at some point in the foreseeable future. Interestingly, the development team is also working on changing up Blackheart’s Bay, which is one of the oldest and most iconic Heroes of the Storm arenas.

Hero changes

Naturally, the deep dive show focused heavily on upcoming uber-hero Deathwing. Stick around — we have a breakdown of Deathwing’s abilities and play style coming soon! There are some interesting things in the works for a couple of other Heroes of the Storm heroes as well. Blizzard is currently working on more upcoming hero overhauls, including a complete Tassadar redesign. It seems the Protoss support might be headed for a role change, to come back as a ranged assassin. If you want to give Tassadar a try in his current form, you can. All Heroes of the Storm heroes are unlocked during BlizzCon 2019.

Finally, another event sequel is on the horizon. Tickle Mephisto is a continuation of the Heroes of the Storm Toys event, and it will deliver some new skins and the game’s first interactive mount. The event-limited Toy Train mount will allow players to chain together for a few moments, snaking their way through the arena as a cute little train.

Stay tuned for more BlizzCon updates.