Blizzard Entertainment is releasing a new mode for its online action battle arena game, Heroes of the Storm, later this month. Dubbed Heroes Brawl, the new mode adds a dose of "delightful madness" to Heroes of the Storm, thanks to unique battlegrounds with "surreal twists" and custom game rulesets.
If that sounds like something Blizzard already announced, there’s a good reason for that: Heroes Brawl is the new name for Heroes of the Storm’s Arena mode, the action-heavy gameplay variant the company unveiled at BlizzCon last year.
Heroes Brawl, like similar modes in other Blizzard games (Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Overwatch), will change its rules on a weekly basis. One week, Heroes of the Storm players may all have to play as the same character. The next, they may only be able to select spellcaster-class heroes.
Blizzard offered a few specific examples of Heroes Brawl’s "many, many" variations:
- Hammer Time: Hover tanks for everyone! All players on each team are Sgt. Hammers — with thrusters are permanently engaged! The cores are invulnerable so it’s all about capturing towers to win!
- Punisher Arena: Rack up points by killing enemy heroes and Punishers. The first team to score 100 points wins!
- Lost Cavern: A standard map, except there is only one lane. How will you fare when the enemy is in your face at all times?
Blizzard says it has a long list of "mutators" for Heroes Brawl in the works, as well as brand-new arenas and single-lane battlegrounds made specifically for the new mode. As an incentive to take part in Heroes Brawl on a weekly basis, players can earn unique rewards and up to 1,000 gold if they participate in three brawls a week.
Heroes Brawl will officially launch Oct. 17. Heroes of the Storm players can get a preview of the mode on Oct. 10, however, when Heroes Brawl comes to the game's PTR (public test realm).
For a look at Heroes of the Storm’s Heroes Brawl mode in action, check out the new gameplay trailer above. A handful of new screenshots can be perused in the gallery below.
