Our latest Heroes of the Storm patch includes improvements for ranked play, major Hero updates for Raynor and Azmodan, new skins, and more!

A number of ranked play improvements have also been made with the start of 2018 Ranked Season 3, including the addition of a third ban, rank decay, seeding changes, and Hero League matchmaking adjustments. Read on for details.

A number of ranked play improvements have also been made with the start of 2018 Ranked Season 3, including the addition of a third ban, rank decay, seeding changes, and Hero League matchmaking adjustments. Read on for details.

Learn more about the rewards that are up for grabs during the new season by checking out our

Ranked rewards have been granted to players based on their performance during 2018 Ranked Season 2.

Ranked rewards have been granted to players based on their performance during 2018 Ranked Season 2.

The number of level 5+ Heroes required to participate in Hero League has been increased from 14 to 16 to ensure players will always have a Hero available if they pick last.

Ban and pick times have been adjusted in order to offset the addition of the new ban.

During the initial ban phase, teams will alternate until each has banned two Heroes.

A third Hero ban has been added to draft modes as part of the initial ban phase.

Rank Decay

Inactive players can avoid decay and regain active status by playing a single Hero League match to completion.

Players can earn additional “grace period” days by regularly playing Hero League matches during the current season.

Diamond, Master, and Grand Master each have their own threshold for inactivity.

Once a player becomes inactive, they will receive a small amount of rank and MMR decay each day until they complete one Hero League match.

Diamond, Master, and Grand Master Hero League players who have placed in the current season but haven’t completed any games in a while will be considered “inactive”.

Seeding Changes

Players who return to Hero League after an extended break will no longer be re-seeded into placement matches based on their performance in other modes.

Players who enter ranked play for the first time can no longer be seeded into placement matches higher than Gold 5.

Hero League Matchmaking Changes

In this situation, the Master player’s ranked points have not yet caught up to their rating.

If a Master player is placed into a Grand Master game, it is because that player’s skill rating is very similar to that of the Grand Master players.

It is extremely unlikely that a top Grand Master player will be matched with a Master who is on the cusp of demotion to Diamond.

Master and Grand Master players now have narrower ranges of acceptable skill ratings for the players they are matched with. For example:

This restriction will not loosen for players in Europe and North America. However, it can loosen for players in other regions after they have waited in queue for 1 hour.

Grand Master players will not be matched with players below Masters.

Master players can be matched with players who are either ranked Diamond 1 or Grand Master, but never both.

Master and Grand Master players will now only be matched with allies and opponents who are within 1 division of their own ranks. This means:

Players will now receive a notification in the UI when these quality restrictions are expanded in order to help them find a match more quickly.

Players below Master who have waited fewer than three minutes in queue will not be placed into any matches that are outside of the game quality restrictions that would have been used if the match had been formed around that player.

These players’ games should have allies and opponents of more consistent skill levels, which also match their own.

This should provide better experiences for players of very high skill levels who start playing later in a season.

For Master and Grand Master players, the Master-level players they are matched with and against are now determined by skill rating, and rank points no longer play a role.

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All Battlegrounds that were temporarily removed during the Echoes of Alterac event have returned to Versus A.I., Quick Match, and Unranked matchmaking queues.

All Battlegrounds that were temporarily removed during the Echoes of Alterac event have returned to Versus A.I., Quick Match, and Unranked matchmaking queues.

Heroes can no longer Heal, Shield, or target allied Mercenaries with Abilities unless an Ability specifically states that Mercenaries are valid targets.

Alterac Pass

The damage bonus provided by Cavalry units is now a flat 10%, and no longer scales with each completed event.

Battlefield of Eternity

This should help players more quickly identify which Immortal to attack and which to defend.

The opposing Immortal now uses an icon depicting crossed axes, while the allied Immortal displays a shield icon.

The Minimap icons that represent Immortals during an event have received updates.

Braxis Holdout

The progress bars in the lower-right corner of the screen have received visual updates to coincide with the above changes.

This should encourage teams to split up in order to defend against an incoming zerg wave, rather than send all five players to attack with an allied wave.

The baseline zerg wave has been strengthened significantly.

Now become contested immediately when Heroes from both teams are on the point.

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Abilities

Now also deals 50 damage (+4% per level) to enemies in the target area.

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Abilities

Melee Heroes who can see a Time Trap can now use melee attacks to destroy it without triggering its effects.

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Stats

Scaling increased from 4% to 5% per level.

Basic Attack range is now set to 6.5 and is no longer based on Raynor’s Trait.

Abilities

Summon a Banshee that assists Raynor. The Banshee deals 96 damage per second and regenerates 75 Health per second if it hasn’t taken damage in the last 4 seconds. Can reactivate to retarget or move the Banshee.

Attacks per second increased from 0.8 to 2.

Damage per missile reduced from 31 to 24.

Heal Raynor for 25% of his maximum Health over 1 second. Raynor’s Basic Attacks reduce Adrenaline Rush’s cooldown by 0.5 seconds, doubled against Heroes.

Raynor and all nearby allied Minions and Mercenaries gain 30% Attack Speed and 10% Movement Speed for 4 seconds.

Knockback distance is based on the target’s proximity to Raynor.

Every 4th Basic Attack splashes in a small area and deals 125% more damage to the primary target.

Talents

Increase Attack Speed by 20%. Your Basic Attack damage is increased by 25% against targets below 50% Health.

An enemy Hero who is the primary target of Give ‘Em Some Pepper has their Armor reduced by 25 for 2 seconds.

Give ‘Em Some Pepper lowers the cooldown of Hyperion by 5 seconds if the primary target is a Hero. Inspire grants Raynor Unstoppable for 2 seconds.

Increase the damage, Health, and leash range of Raynor’s Raider by 100%. When it dies, both Inspire and Adrenaline Rush are activated for free.

Activate Give ‘Em Some Pepper to apply it to Raynor’s next Basic Attack. 40 second cooldown.

If Give ‘Em Some Pepper’s target is a Hero, it deals an additional 3% of their maximum Health as damage and grants Raynor 5 Armor for 3 seconds.

Increase the damage of Penetrating Round by 50% and heal for 100% of the damage it deals to Heroes.

Increase Adrenaline Rush healing by 50%. While Inspire is active, gain 1 Basic Attack range.

Gain 10% Movement Speed while mounted and unmounted. Inspire grants 10% more Movement Speed.

Increase the duration of Inspire by 1 second. Casting Inspire grants nearby allied Heroes 10% Movement and Attack Speed for its duration.

Decrease the cooldown of Penetrating Round by 3 seconds. While Inspire is active, Penetrating Round’s Slow is increased by 20%.

Activate to increase the distance of the next Penetrating Round by 30% and increase its Slow duration to 6 seconds. 30 second cooldown.

Increase the area of Give ‘Em Some Pepper by 15%, and enemies hit by it are Slowed by 10% for 3 seconds.

While Inspire is active, increase Adrenaline Rush's cooldown reduction from Basic Attacks by 200%.

Quest: Every time Give ‘Em Some Pepper’s primary target is a Hero, gain an additional 5 maximum Health.

Give ‘Em Some Pepper heals Raynor for 3% of his maximum Health, increased to 6% if the primary target is a Hero.

Basic Attacks deal 50% more damage to Minions, Mercenaries, and Monsters. This is increased to 100% while Inspire is active.

Deal 30% more damage to Stunned or Slowed enemy Heroes .

New Talent: Ace in the Hole (Passive)

New Talent: Ace in the Hole (Passive)

Quest: Every time the primary target of Give ‘Em Some Pepper is a Hero, permanently increase its damage bonus by 0.75%.

Developer Comment: We're extremely excited to bring Raynor’s long-awaited rework to the Nexus! We've been reading and absorbing all the amazing feedback that you have sent us over the past year and think the new design will do him justice. We've massively increased his wave-clear potential with a new Trait and completely overhauled his Talent tree (one of the oldest in the game). Raynor mains should have a whole new set of tools to play around with while new users should still be able to pick him up and right-click their way to victory. We have been having a ton of fun with the changes and hope you do as well. As always, please send us any feedback you have and get ready to fill your enemies full of daylight!

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Stats

Abilities

Activate to make the next Globe of Annihilation cost no Mana and deal 50% more damage. 20 second cooldown.

Rain a small army of Demonic Grunts down on enemies, dealing 65 damage per impact. Grunts deal 42 damage, have 750 Health and last up to 8 seconds. When Grunts die they explode, dealing 65 damage to nearby enemies.

Mana cost changed from 12 per second to a flat 30 Mana.

Azmodan’s Movement Speed is reduced by 30% while Channeling.

Channel a beam of death on an enemy, dealing 136 damage per second for 2.5 seconds. If the Channel lasts its full duration, deal an extra 272 damage to the target.

Demon Warriors now deal a small amount of damage to nearby enemies every second.

Can now be cast while channeling All Shall Burn.

Greatly reduced the delay before impact warning effects appear.

Each stack of Annihilation increases Globe of Annihilation’s damage by 1, up to 400.

Hitting a Hero or killing a Minion within 1.5 seconds of being hit by Globe of Annihilation grants 2 Annihilation.

Can be used while channeling All Shall Burn.

Can now be cast on the Minimap.

Summon a Demon Lieutenant at any allied Mercenary, Minion, or Azmodan Demon. The Lieutenant will cast Demonic Smite every 7 seconds, instantly killing an enemy Minion. Lasts 20 seconds. 60 Second cooldown.

Talents

Activate to charge a short distance, dealing 240 damage and Slowing enemies caught in the path by 60% for 1 second. 60 second cooldown.

After gaining 400 Annihilation, Globe of Annihilation’s area is increased by 15% and its damage is increased by 100.

Globes of Annihilation empowered by Tide of Sin also leave a Black Pool at their impact location for 5 seconds. Enemies within the pool lose 8 Armor per second, and take 56 damage per second.

Globe of Annihilation damages Heroes for an additional 5% of their maximum Health.

If the channel lasts its full duration, a Demon Warrior is summoned at your target and your Demon Warriors deal 100% increased damage for 4 seconds.

If All Shall Burn channels for its full duration on a Hero, its cooldown is reduced by 4 seconds.

Increases the range of All Shall Burn by 20%.

Demon Lieutenants also grant 25% increased damage to nearby friendly Minions, Mercenaries, and Azmodan’s summoned Demons.

Reduces the Channel time of All Shall Burn by 0.5 seconds. If All Shall Burn’s Channel lasts its full duration against a Hero, Azmodan is healed for 8% of his maximum Health.

If Globe of Annihilation hits 2 or more Heroes, restore 30 Mana. If it hits 3 or more Heroes, gain an extra 5 Annihilation.

After casting Globe of Annihilation, Azmodan’s Basic Attacks within the next 3 seconds have an additional 2 range and can hit 2 additional targets. Hitting Heroes with Basic Attacks empowered by Bombardment grant 1 Annihilation.

All Shall Burn’s final damage applies to all enemies in an area around the target and grants 2 Annihilation per Hero hit.

Azmodan’s Basic Attacks reduce the cooldown of Summon Demon Warrior by 0.5 seconds and Demon Lieutenant by 1 second.

Demon Warriors and Lieutenants gain 35 armor and last 4 seconds longer.

Summon Demon Warrior spawns an additional Demon, but its cooldown is increased by 10 seconds.

Quest: After gaining 200 Annihilation, hitting a Hero with Globe of Annihilation increases the damage of Azmodan’s next Basic Attack against them within 4 seconds by the amount of Annihilation he has.

the damage it deals against Minions and Mercenaries is increased by 20%.

Globe of Annihilation’s range is increased by 33% and

Quest: After gaining 200 Annihilation, Globe of Annihilation’s range is increased by 33% and

Increase the timeframe in which Minion kills grant Annihilation from 1.5 to 3 seconds.

Quest: After gaining 200 Annihilation, each enemy hit by Globe of Annihilation reduces its cooldown by 0.25 seconds, doubled against Heroes.

Increase the number of stacks of Annihilation gained by hitting Heroes with Globe of Annihilation from 2 to 3.

Developer Comment: In Azmodan’s update, we’ve embraced and expanded his role as a late-game siege monster. He now has a baseline stacking quest for Globe of Annihilation that’s a hybrid of the old Taste for Blood and Sieging Wrath Talents. Whether you’re focusing on PvE or PvP objectives you should see Globe of Annihilation become more powerful as a game goes on. To compensate for this increase in baseline power, we’ve made Globe’s impact area more quickly visible to enemies, which will give them a chance to dodge their impending doom. We’ve also made major mechanical changes to Black Pool (now called Tide of Sin) and focused it solely on Globe’s damage without the need for targeting or alt-casting. Demon Warriors are now individually stronger and deal constant AoE damage, but are slower and no longer have multiple charges. The new All Shall Burn should be much more consistently useful and certain Talent combinations can be used boost Azmodan’s short to mid-range potential. Demon Lieutenant (formerly General Of Hell) is still a global pushing ability, but is less reliant on needing a large Minion wave to get value. Demonic Invasion’s changes are geared towards expanding its use in PvP scenarios without affecting its old structure-bustin’ potential. Dropping an Invasion on the enemy team will force them to run away or take a large amount of delayed damage.

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Abilities

Now also heals Alexstrasza and her target for 300 Health per second during channeling.

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New Bundles and Skin Packs

The following new skin packs are available now until August 6:

Raiders of Warchrome Bundle – Available now until August 6.

Heroes of the Dorm 2018 Bundle – Available now until July 23.

The following new bundles will soon become available for a limited time:

Warchrome Skins

Additional New Skins

New Mounts

This Mount will be granted to players the first time they purchase gems using real money following the release of this patch.

The following Mounts have been awarded to players based on their performance during 2018 Ranked Season 2:

The following Mounts have been awarded to players based on their performance during 2018 Ranked Season 2:

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General

Fixed a number of typo and tooltip errors across several aspects of the game.

Art

Malthael: Fear the Reaper’s icon art in the buff bar now correctly matches its icon art in the Talent pane.

Diablo: Will no longer appear to face the wrong direction while walking after Shadow Charge is interrupted.

Battlegrounds

Try Mode: Changing the Enemy Hero setting to None and then using the Set Level button no longer causes an enemy Hero to spawn.

Warhead Junction: Visual effects created by Boss and Podling Abilities are no longer visible through the Fog of War.

Haunted Mines: Fixed an issue that could cause the Grave Golem in the Mines to stop issuing Basic Attacks and casting its Root Ability when defending against nearby Heroes.

Heroes, Abilities, and Talents

Abilities: Fixed an issue in which certain Abilities, like Stukov’s Lurking Arm, could be unintentionally canceled immediately after casting.

Alarak: Deadly Charge will now always fire in the direction the player clicked, instead of the direction Alarak was facing when the Ability was cast.

Alexstrasza: Can no longer use Cleansing Flame to switch between the upper and lower levels of Haunted Mines.

Alexstrasza: Fixed an issue that could cause Cleansing Flame to fail if it was cast in the same moment that Dragonqueen was ending.

Cassia: Fixed an issue in which the Plate of the Whale Talent required more Basic Attacks to be absorbed per Health Regeneration stack than intended.

Deckard: Can now correctly use Healing Potions while affected by Zarya’s Graviton Surge.

Deckard: Canceling Stay Awhile and Listen no longer prevents the next source of damage from waking Sleeping enemies.

Diablo: No longer becomes unable to use any Abilities if Shadow Charge fails to cast.

Diablo: Fixed an issue that could prevent Diablo from using additional Abilities after casting Shadow Charge on an enemy who is using a dash, like Chen’s Flying Kick or Illidan’s Dive.

D.Va: Shift-queuing movement commands during Boosters no longer causes D.Va to become stuck indefinitely.

Garrosh: Can now correctly cast Into the Fray on Unstoppable allied Heroes.

Garrosh: Warlord’s Challenge no longer cancels Abilities that end upon taking damage, like Muradin’s Second Wind or Fenix’s Shield Capacitor.

Nova: After learning Anti-Armor Shells, the Target Info Panel now displays the correct amount of Basic Attack damage dealt.

Sleep: Damage over time effects that do not initially apply damage, like Gul’dan’s Corruption and Blaze’s Combustion, will now correctly wake Sleeping enemies.

Stukov: Healing Pathogen’s timer is no longer visually removed if the target becomes Polymorphed.

Takedown Credit: Fixed an issue in which takedown credit could still be granted to a Hero even if they left combat long before the target was killed.

The Butcher: Ruthless Onslaught’s visual effects will no longer persist on the target if they interrupt the Ability by entering Stealth.

Valeera: Sinister Strike’s targeting indicator now more closely matches the Ability’s area of effect.