New hero, level, mount, and skins
[Update: Blizzard has released a piece of key art for the event, and it looks like it teases a number of different skins, and even a potential new character, the skeleton king Leoric. Like The Butcher, he was also featured in both the original Diablo and Diablo III. Diablo himself might also get an angelic skin, and Nova seems to be wearing Amazon armor from Diablo II.]
Heroes of the Storm just launched with new character Johanna, but Blizzard isn’t resting on their laurels just yet. A new Diablo-themed map will be released on the public test realm (PTR) on June 23, as well as The Butcher, a classic Diablo fiend, who is now fully playable in hero form. A full release will soon follow on June 30 if all of their internal tests go according to plan.
Battlefield of Eternity, the new map, will be two lanes, similar to the Haunted Mines, and will feature two bosses fighting each other constantly — representing heaven and hell. Once heroes interject, they can push the battle in their favor by destroying the other boss, allowing their creature to lane with them.
The Butcher looks like an awesome hero. His role is a melee assassin, and his passive relies on gathering “Fresh Meat” from enemy minions, which give him bonus damage. His moveset is pretty brutal, with a slowing axe slam, a healing brand that marks an enemy and leeches health, and a charge (that looks like Spiritbreaker from DOTA). The Butcher can choose between an area-of-effect explosion ultimate and a chain that hitches an enemy to a post for four seconds.
After the main content launches in July, Blizzard will be holding a Diablo-themed event complete with challenges, skins, and mounts. Pretty sweet!
