'Heroes of the Storm' news, updates: Big gameplay changes now up for public trial

"Heroes of the Storm" promotional photoFacebook/BlizzHeroesSEA

Blizzard Entertainment is set to implement vital gameplay changes for the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) "Heroes of the Storm." Before the changes become available in the actual game, the latest update will be tested first by the players via public test realm (PTR). Those who would like to try out the gameplay adjustments can go to PTR mode without affecting their actual progress in the game.

As reported by Venture Beat, Blizzard revealed their plans to apply some changes in "Heroes of the Storm" gameplay earlier at BlizzCon. Some of the changes that the game studio had talked about was fixing the camera back. The camera will be pulled into a more ideal location to have a clearer view of the action. The towers, structures that the players can deploy to attack the enemy heroes, will undergo a few adjustments as well. Specifically, the standalone towers will be removed and the structures connected to garrisons will no longer have reloading downtime.

The gameplay changes in "Heroes of the Storm" are expected to improve the quality of matches. On the earlier portion of a match, objective events will be prompted at a later time, thus giving emphasis on the initial laning phase. To note, laning is the first part of a match where team members are assigned to different level paths. With this, the team is more likely to get involved in small fights rather than a huge brawl.

Other gameplay updates available in "Heroes of the Storm" PTR include map enhancements, new minion and mercenary features, and changes in the game's user interface (UI). Meanwhile, Blizzard has also put a new hero, Hanzo, up for public testing. Hanzo was earlier announced to arrive in "Heroes of the Storm" alongside Alexstrasza from "Warcraft."

According to Dotesports, Hanzo will keep his abilities from "Overwatch." The hero is known as a long-range fighter that uses bow and arrow as his primary weapon. Even though he fights at a far distance, Hanzo is still capable of dealing huge damage to the enemy.