A brand new update for Heroes of the Storm is now live on the public test realm, introducing its latest character and an assortment of changes that focus on the game’s UI.
The new character is Probius, a Protoss Probe from StarCraft II. Although he is unable to ride a mount, his base movement speed is 10 percent faster than other characters and he has a temporary speed boost ability. Probius warps in Pylons, which serve to power one of his abilities and restore his mana.
His basic abilities, Disruption Pulse does damage to all enemies in a straight line. Warp Rift slows enemies in an area, and if its center is hit by Disruption Pulse, it explodes, dealing damage. Photon Cannon warps in a temporary automated turret, though it has to be within range of a Pylon in order to function.
In terms of Heroics, Null Gate creates a type of wall that damages and severely slows enemies who are touching it. Pylon Overcharge increases the range of Pylons and lets them attack nearby enemies. As an added passive bonus, Pylons gain a shield equal to 50% of their max health when you choose Pylon Overcharge.
As far as UI changes are concerned, a new killfeed has been introduced that also serves as a means for tracking how much time you have to get multikills. There is also new art for numerous aspects of the in-game UI, such as the hero portrait: health, mana, and buff bars, and scoreboard, talents, and death recap screens.
The party frame at the top of the screen is designed to resemble what you would see when watching an eSports match of HotS. It makes it easy to see who’s alive, what Heroic abilities are being used, and which of your teammates are using their Hearthstone. The XP indicator shows when a team is approaching a level-up that will allow them to pick a talent. A team with a talent advantage over their opponent is symbolized by a flame effect on the level.
Best of all, the on-fire effect has returned for individual players. By performing well in a match, your portrait at the top will be surrounded by flames. However, only a maximum of three players can be on fire at any one time.
A release date for this content in the live game has not yet been confirmed. But you can take a look at the full patch notes here.
