Blizzard @ Gamescom 2015: new heroes and new battleground for Heroes of the Storm

Blizzard has announced three new Heroes, one from each of its most familiar franchises, and a new battleground for its popular MOBA, Heroes of the Storm, at Gamescom 2015.

Kharazim

First into the Nexus is the Diablo 3 monk, Kharazim. The first support class from the Diablo universe, Kharazim brings a mixture of offensive and defensive moves to the battlefields of the Eternal Conflict. A melee hero, he is a master of the ways who can take one of several paths via tallent choice; Iron Fists grants bonus damage, Transcendence allows him to heal himself with a few well-placed strikes, while Insight grants a balance between offense and defense.

Rexxar

From the Warcraft universe comes Rexxar. The half-orc, half-ogre Beastmaster whose heroic actions have earned him acclaim from the Horde and Alliance both can now be found standing his ground in the Nexus.

Joining this ranged warrior is the familiar hulking form of his companion, the bear Misha. Like the pets of the hunters of the Warcraft universe, Misha is integral to Rexxar’s gameplay, charging in to harass his enemies and deflect blows meant for her master while the massive hero unleashes devastating ranged attacks.

Artanis

Artanis, leader of the Protoss, comes from Starcraft, the first melee warrior from that particular universe. Although details are slim, he’s promised to come with some heavy-hitting melee and will likely be able to take quite a beating in the lanes.

With the worlds of Nexus overrun by Heroes and enemies, it’s only fair that the three newest additions bring with them a new battlefield upon which to fight. Joining the lineup in the Nexus is the Infernal Shrines, a Diablo-themed battleground. True to its name, the Infernal Shrines contains three shrines that teams must activate, which will summon a Punisher to fight for them.

The trick to this map is that each Punisher will spawn with one of three random affixes from the Diablo universe – Arcane, Frozen, or Mortar – and wil the closest lane as well as actively seek out enemy Heroes.

With three new Heroes and another new battleground, the Eternal Conflict event just got a little bigger. More information on these new additions to the Nexus, as well as other plans for Heroes of the Storm, will be available Friday, August 7th, at 9am PST live from Gamescom.

For those unable to attend, these and all other Blizzard announcements will be simulcast on the Blizzard Livestream.