Heroes of the Storm - Breaking: Psalm retires from HotS to pursue Fortnite |
- Breaking: Psalm retires from HotS to pursue Fortnite
- First few games as a new player - immediately get team chats and whispers telling me that I'm ruining the game...
- First attempt on drawing Butcher
- Per Blizzard, HGC viewership for LAN events is up a great deal over last year. "Sometimes it's double, sometimes it's 30%."
- Happy Official Abathur Day!! May your days be filled with toxic nests and monstrosities!
- Found an Illidan Razorgrin variant
- Blizzard, when you re-released Haunted Mines, you put it in brawl for us to 1 map spam. Can we do the same for Alterac Valley?
- Gen.G's Rich breaks down Sgt. Hammer's kit bolt by bolt
- Being AFK in draft and having your hero banned, still doesn't kick you from the draft but gives you a random hero
- Dinomancer Rexxar Skin Concept by Isabel Grayce
- Just because Brawl is not 'ranked' doesn't mean you can sit AFK
- Important change in HGC Final.
- I've just finished a 57 minute game...
- This week's brawl was a huge missed opportunity for a themed brawl Horde vs Alliance in Alterac Valley.
- [Countdown] July 10th patch: what to expect
- Promises of the new features
- When do we get a Butcher skin in a Tuxedo?
- When are they going to nerf Zagara? She is just way too good.
- Above Platinum you are fight the other team. Below Platinum you are fighting you own team.
- Spent the night working on what should be the next Malf skin.
- Lore of Alterac Pass – Battleground Lore
- I played 30 abathur matches in 2 days, I'm That In love with him. Does anyone has any tips he can give to a new beginner aba ? Thanks !
- Next year this is how you can make a Nexomania event in the cheap
- A HotS Loss meme - Alarak of the storm
| Breaking: Psalm retires from HotS to pursue Fortnite Posted: 22 Jun 2018 05:04 PM PDT | ||
| Posted: 22 Jun 2018 02:01 PM PDT I have a feeling that this will downvoted to hell or just entirely removed as it's kind of just a personal rant, but I just don't really care so here we go.. Well I just downloaded the game and hopped in. I get into my first quick play game after a few practice rounds with AI, and jump in. The game begins and within minutes, these great guys just immediately start ripping on me, telling me I'm a "huge faggot" and that I'm "ruining the game".... So instead of helping along new players with some tips, I just IMMEDIATELY start getting absolutely shit on by half the team because I decided to pick up the game and I'm not playing as well as these super grandmaster players. About 10 minutes into the game, it's pretty clear we aren't doing well.. I hearth back to base and notice that these two guys are just sitting in spawn typing away at me instead of actually playing and trying.. I blocked and reported them, but I honestly feel like the reporting is completely irrelevant (though I could, and hope, that I am wrong..) The game ends fairly quickly after that and, surprisingly, we lose. I hop into the queue for another game, telling myself "there's always some" and that next game would be better. It wasn't. The same exact thing happens. This group see's they are will a couple of very low rank players, and just immediately start whining about it and go AFK. That game ended even quicker.. Anyways, I guess I just wanted to quickly share my first experiences with this game. It reminds me so much of old Warcraft 3 (which was my very first PC game back in the day) and I love it, but good lord, if this is what the community is like, and this is what most quick plays are like, I'm out. Lastly, my humble request is this - If you have new/newer players on your team, try giving them suggestions and constructive criticisms before calling them a "faggot that is ruining HOTS" and going AFK, I'd wager that it would improve everyone's experience a little bit. PS: on a positive note, somebody messaged me afterwards and offered to show me the ropes a bit against some AI, and I will definitely be taking them up on it. [link] [comments]  | ||
| First attempt on drawing Butcher Posted: 22 Jun 2018 10:58 AM PDT
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| Posted: 22 Jun 2018 12:20 PM PDT For a game that started off slow in terms of how it was marketed/perceived, those numbers are extremely encouraging & are backed by BIG prize pools. Viewership is not being impacted negatively by the battle royale genre to the extent other games/genres are. The passionate Heroes community is driving this train to places most thought it wouldn't go. Good job everyone! [link] [comments]  | ||
| Happy Official Abathur Day!! May your days be filled with toxic nests and monstrosities! Posted: 22 Jun 2018 04:20 PM PDT
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| Found an Illidan Razorgrin variant Posted: 22 Jun 2018 10:12 AM PDT Was screwing around in vs AI and saw that Arthas was tooling around on a pretty wicked looking shark: [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 21 Jun 2018 11:21 PM PDT Back at the end of 2016, Blizz put the newly reworked Haunted Mines into brawl with the pick 3 system, so that everyone who wanted to ONLY play the "new map", to be able to do exactly that! It was just the plain old map, no extra brawl gimmicks besides the pick 3 hero selection. I would LOVE for you guys to do this for Alterac Pass! Just put it in brawl for those who want to spam the new map to do so, while leaving all other game modes to still provide variety map selection. Here is a reference to the blog post over the haunted mines brawl that I want them to do for Alterac Pass... [link] [comments]  | ||
| Gen.G's Rich breaks down Sgt. Hammer's kit bolt by bolt Posted: 22 Jun 2018 08:36 AM PDT
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| Posted: 22 Jun 2018 07:11 AM PDT | ||
| Dinomancer Rexxar Skin Concept by Isabel Grayce Posted: 22 Jun 2018 11:36 AM PDT Was browsing ArtStation and came across this amazing concept art for a Dinomancer Rexxar skin. Rexxar is one of my favorite heroes and with BfA coming out shortly this would be an amazing cross promotional event skin that I would instantly buy. My only suggestions would be to have a smaller head piece, though Zul and Rastakhan also have giant head pieces it just looks a little off on Rexxar. Also to spice it up a little maybe giving Rexxar the gauntlets and a shoulder pad like Zul's would be good. Just wanted to share it with all of you. Edit#1: Totally didn't forget to add the link to the art. [link] [comments]  | ||
| Just because Brawl is not 'ranked' doesn't mean you can sit AFK Posted: 22 Jun 2018 02:22 AM PDT I don't care if you think you're allowed to sit AFK, refuse to help the team and call us idiots for 'wasting time' trying to make a comeback in Brawl. Just because you justify your behaviour as 'Brawl is not ranked' and we died a few times in the beginning doesn't mean you can refuse to play any longer. 'I will get rewards any way if we lose' isn't a justification either. You are a cancer on this game for ruining the experience for other players. This is why there is an option under the reporting tab for AFK/Non-participation. So yes, I had a brawl where our healer, Uther, refused to play any longer as we died a few times in the beginning. As a result of his inaction to heal any more the deaths snowballed and gave him more fuel to justify his non-participation. His hypocrisy was rife. Argh, how can players have this kind of mentality? [link] [comments]  | ||
| Important change in HGC Final. Posted: 22 Jun 2018 06:03 PM PDT https://esports.heroesofthestorm.com/en-us/about -participant Number of teams : 16 ---> 12 CN, EUR, KR, NA : 3x4 ----> 2x4 clash buddy pass : 2 horizon, intercontinental clash : 2 -group stage 4 round-robin groups, 4 teams per one group ---> 2 round-robin group, 6 teams per one group All gruop stage matches are two-game series that award points The top four teams from each group advance. -playoff Eight-team single-elimination bracket to determine the winner Semifinals and final matches are bo5 [link] [comments]  | ||
| I've just finished a 57 minute game... Posted: 22 Jun 2018 04:39 PM PDT Can't believe it finally ended, we couldn't even take the boss anymore without getting killed by it... [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 22 Jun 2018 01:52 AM PDT One side would have been Horde only while the other side would hava been Alliance in Alterac Valley. Come on! [link] [comments]  | ||
| [Countdown] July 10th patch: what to expect Posted: 22 Jun 2018 07:33 AM PDT The week of July 9th (July 10th to be more specific) will present us a new patch and one that's promised to deliver on the "Ranked Enchancements" changes Here I'll list in a summed up manner all features Blizzard has promised to introduce in this patch along with speculation on what else could be coming along. Will update this thread with other possible features/changes. Draft Mode("We're going to add a third ban for each team during draft mode's existing initial-ban phase.") MMR and rank decay("We're introducing both matchmaking rating (MMR) and rank decay for inactive Diamond, Master, and Grand Master Hero League players.") Placement seeding and re-seedingFirst-time ranked players: ("Platinum 5 is now the highest rank a new Hero League player can achieve as a result of their placement matches."). ("Players who enter ranked play for the first time can no longer be seeded into placement matches higher than Gold 5.") Returning ranked players: ("Players who return to Hero League after an extended break will no longer be re-seeded into placements based on their performance in other modes") Ranked matchmaking improvements("We are hardening Hero League matchmaking rules to enforce higher-quality matches over reducing queue times") Ranked Battleground Rotation("During the week of July 10, Alterac Pass will enter the Ranked Battleground Rotation") Game BalanceSources: Edit: uuuhhhh... formatting seems off [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 22 Jun 2018 04:31 PM PDT As I can remember, almost a year ago Blizzard said that they bring to us some of new features as:
I was waiting that some of them will release in autumn 2017 and some in spring 2018. A year passed, they are still not implemented. [link] [comments]  | ||
| When do we get a Butcher skin in a Tuxedo? Posted: 22 Jun 2018 02:12 PM PDT | ||
| When are they going to nerf Zagara? She is just way too good. Posted: 22 Jun 2018 05:32 PM PDT She needs overall numbers tweaked or flat out needs her auto speed and range reduced. As far as I'm concerned she is just way too safe and way too good. It's not like she is a slouch in a team fight either. Hotslogs winrates speak for themselves. [link] [comments]  | ||
| Above Platinum you are fight the other team. Below Platinum you are fighting you own team. Posted: 22 Jun 2018 10:50 AM PDT As I have risen from silver to diamond I have learned a lot about team dynamics. For those of you below plat it's best to not worry about macro too much. Just pick a character you can carry with and move up the ranks. Once you hit plat your macro becomes more important than before. You must use the mechanics you've learned from previous ranks and apply new macro knowledge. My point in writing this is that at low ranks playing as a 5 man team in HL won't happen much or at all. But keep at it and an actual MOBA experience may present itself. [link] [comments]  | ||
| Spent the night working on what should be the next Malf skin. Posted: 22 Jun 2018 08:59 PM PDT I present Malf-o-man Tyrande Savage. The Treant is a Slim [link] [comments]  | ||
| Lore of Alterac Pass – Battleground Lore Posted: 22 Jun 2018 09:59 AM PDT Hello all, This week I'm continuing with the lore threads on the Echoes of Alterac event by taking a look at the lore and easter eggs of the first Warcraft-inspired battleground in the Nexus: Alterac Pass! The World of Warcraft battleground that it is based on — Alterac Valley — is one of the most well-known battlegrounds in WoW and for good reason, and overall I would say that the Heroes team has done a pretty good job at capturing the feel of the original AV. Being the lore nerd that I am, I've also long personally hoped that the first Warcraft battleground in the Nexus would be specifically based on Alterac Valley, as it has far more backstory to it than many other popular battlegrounds like Warsong Gulch. So without further ado, let's get into it. All previous "Lore of" episodes Exile of the FrostwolvesFor centuries, the orcish Frostwolf clan lived among the volcanic tundras of Frostfire Ridge on the orc homeworld of Draenor, living in harmony with the land and hunting alongside their namesake snow-white frostwolves. Eventually, the demonic Burning Legion set its sights on Draenor and through their servant Gul'dan manipulated the orc clans into forming a bloodthirsty army called the Horde. The Frostwolves and their noble young chieftain Durotan were lift with little choice but to join the Horde alongside most of the other clans. However, as the years passed and demonic corruption began overtaking the orcs as they waged war on the peaceful draenei race (notably turning their skin from brown or gray to a sickly green), Durotan repeatedly defied Gul'dan and the Horde's tyrannical warchief Blackhand by speaking out against the Horde's corruption and later forbade his clan from partaking in drinking the cursed blood of the demon Mannoroth. After the Horde conquered Draenor and invaded the alien world of Azeroth to begin waging war against the humans of Stormwind, Gul'dan punished the Frostwolves' defiance by exiling them from the Horde. The clan traveled across the Eastern Kingdoms until they settled in the frigid Alterac Mountains in the far north. This land reminded them of their former home of Frostfire Ridge, and the Frostwolves made a home for themselves in the hidden Alterac Valley deep within the heart of the mountains. However, after Durotan's mate Draka give birth a son, Go'el, and discovered that his skin was green (a sign that he was infected by the same blood-curse affecting the other orcs, she and Durotan traveled south to tell Durotan's old friend Orgrim Doomhammer of their suspicions about the dark forces manipulating the Horde. On the journey back to Alterac, Durotan and Draka were assassinated by agents of Gul'dan, and their son Go'el was left in the snow to die. The infant orc was later discovered and taken in by a group of humans led by the noble Aedelas Blackmoore. With the death of Chieftain Durotan, the shaman Drek'Thar became the new leader of the clan. Using his connection with the elements, he helped his people eke out a harsh but peaceful existence in Alterac Valley. For years the Frostwolves evaded the notice of the outside world while many significant events unfolded. Orgrim Doomhammer killed Blackhand, took control of the Horde, and continued waging war against the humans. After the destruction of Stormwind, the other human nations united with other races like the high elves and dwarves into a great Alliance that eventually succeeded in defeating the Horde and imprisoning many of the orcs in interment camps. For nearly a generation the orcs languished in human captivity. All the while, Go'el was raised by Blackmoore as a slave named Thrall. Upon reaching adulthood, Thrall escaped from Blackmoore and sought out rest of his kind, a journey that eventually led him to Alterac and Drek'Thar, who revealed the young orc's parentage and taught him about the ancient shamanistic culture of the orcs. Thrall soon became a powerful shaman, took his place as the Frostwolf chieftain, and worked with Orgrim Doomhammer and the legendary chieftain Grommash Hellscream to liberate the orcs from the internment camps and reform the Horde as a force free of demonic corruption. During these efforts, Orgrim fell in battle and passed the title of warchief to Thrall. Shortly after, when the Burning Legion once again tried to invade Azeroth, Thrall heeded the warnings of the Prophet Medivh and led the Horde across the sea to the western lands of Kalimdor, where the orcs ultimately worked with other races to help defeat the Legion's invasion and free themselves from the demons' grasp. Afterward, the Horde settled a land that Thrall called Durotar in honor of his father and established the capital city of Orgrimmar, named after Orgrim Doomhammer. While Drek'Thar did assist in Orgrimmar's construction, he and the Frostwolves ultimately chose to remain in Alterac Valley, which they had after all called home for over 15 years. Frostwolf vs. StormpikeFor a time the Frostwolf clan continued living in relative peace in their snowy home, until new strangers arrived in Alterac Valley: the Alliance-aligned dwarves of the Stormpike Guard, an expeditionary force from the wealthy and prestigious Stormpike clan. A race known for their interest in archaeology, the dwarves wished to search the valley's unexplored caves for relics and natural resources, but this soon ignited a fierce conflict with the Frostwolves. Before long, the Alliance lent military aid to the Stormpikes while the Horde lent its strength to the Frostwolves, and thus the battle of Alterac Valley began. It's not clear whose fault the conflict ultimately was, since sources differ on whether the Stormpikes arrived as peaceful explorers or as poachers and conquerors. Troops responsible for recruiting Alliance adventurers to the battle agreed that Alterac was rightful Frostwolf territory, and (according to them) the Stormpikes had simply arrived as peaceful visitors to search for ore and relics. The Frostwolves had then supposedly responded with a brutal unprovoked ambush that claimed the lives of many dwarves. The counterpart troops responsible for recruiting Horde adventurers simply claimed that regardless of rumors, the Stormpike Guard had invaded Horde territory, an offense that could not be tolerated. The Stormpike dwarves themselves (including their leader Vanndar Stormpike) bluntly claimed that they had been sent to Alterac on a sovereign imperative by King Magni Bronzebeard, ruler of the dwarf kingdom of Ironforge, to "take, cull, and turn" the valley in the name of Ironforge, and that the orcs were savages standing in the way of this goal. Whatever the truth, it's clear that neither side was willing to give up control of the valley. In terms of gameplay, Alterac Valley (or AV for short) was one of the first two battlegrounds ever introduced in World of Warcraft in patch 1.5. In contrast with the patch's other battleground, Warsong Gulch, which consisted of a fairly traditional PvP experience, AV was an expansive zone serving as the setting of huge 40v40 player battles, with a large number of its own quests and NPCs that could help players in various ways: from empowering the own faction's NPC troops to launching cavalry strikes on enemy bases or summoning giant bosses to wreak havoc. AV was also home to various hostile creatures serving as various quest objectives, such as the troll Korrak the Bloodrager (who was pretty much a raid boss in his own right). Originally, the only way to win AV was to kill the opposing faction's general: Vanndar Stormpike for the Alliance, or Drek'Thar for the Horde. This led to extremely long battles of attrition, and Alterac Valley became infamous among the playerbase for oftentimes lasting for several hours or days on end, which in turn also led to extremely long queue times that made it difficult to even get into the battleground in the first place. AV has also long been notorious for a perceived imbalance between the factions, specifically regarding differences in the terrain around the Alliance base of Dun Baldar and the Horde base of Frostwolf Village that supposedly favor the Alliance, as well as rampant AFKing from players seeking to farm easy honor points (a PvP currency) by not participating in the battle. A few years after the battleground's introduction, Blizzard added a resource system that would prevent battles from lasting so long: each faction now had a limited number of resources that were gradually depleted when players died and structures were lost or destroyed, and battles would now only last until one faction ran out of resources, leading to drastically shorter skirmishes. Killing the enemy faction's general would instantly deplete the enemy's resources, but it was now possible to complete AV without the death of either general. Over the years, Blizzard have also gradually lessened the importance of the non-PvP aspects of AV by nerfing or removing many of the NPCs in order to make it a quicker, more traditional pure PvP experience. Thus, the modern Alterac Valley is fairly different from its original incarnation, but in Heroes of the Storm, Alterac Pass serves as an homage to the beloved and hated original incarnation of the battleground. Alterac Pass itself is unique to Heroes of the Storm, but in my personal opinion it could have also made sense to just call it Alterac Valley as it very much functions as a HotS representation of AV. As seen in the official reveal trailer and hinted at in material surrounding the Echoes of Alterac event, Alterac Pass is heavily influenced behind the scenes by the Raven Lord, the mysterious being who rules the Nexus realm of Raven Court, and by the Lady of Thorns from Dragon Shire and the realm of King's Crest, who now empower the generals of Alterac with strange Nexus energies in an attempt to claim control of the region for themselves. GeneralsThe two generals of Alterac Pass are of course based on the same generals from World of Warcraft's Alterac Valley: Vanndar of the Stormpike Guard for the Alliance and Drek'Thar of the Frostwolf clan for the Horde. When AV was first added to WoW, the only way to win a battle was by killing the enemy general, but a later patch added the resource system (see above) to prevent battles from lasting as long as they had in the past. Both of WoW's AV generals are powerful bosses that require a large number of players to take down. They remain inside their respective fortresses at either end of the battleground for the entire match, and any player attempts to pull them outside will cause them to run back inside their stronghold and reset to full health, just like how the Alterac Pass generals will leash back to their area and regenerate health if enemies retreat after attacking them. The Alterac Pass mechanic of removing armor and damage from the enemy general by destroying keeps is a reference to the marshals and warmasters in WoW's Alterac Valley. At the start of each AV match, Vanndar and Drek'Thar are accompanied in their strongholds by four marshals and warmasters, respectively, that each provide a 25% increase in the general's health and damage. Each marshal/warmaster represents one of the Stormpike Guard and Frostwolf clan's four main structures in the valley, and if one structure is lost to the enemy faction, the corresponding marshal/warmaster will also despawn. Blizzard originally planned to include this mechanic on Alterac Pass as well, but they found that it created too much visual clutter during the fight with the generals, which led to them replacing the marshals and warmasters them with the armor mechanic. (source) Some unused voice lines for Vanndar and Drek'Thar also indicate that each of Alterac Pass' forts and keeps as well as their corresponding warmaster were intended to have specific names corresponding to the names of the major Alliance and Horde bases, mines, and caverns in Alterac Valley: Icewind, Irondeep, and Stonehearth for the Alliance, and Coldtooth, Iceblood, and Wildpaw for the Horde. However, this was seemingly cut, and no references are made to these names in the live version of the battleground. Alliance general: Vanndar Stormpike - Vanndar Stormpike is a dwarf of the prestigious Stormpike clan and the leader of the Stormpike Guard. Having first been introduced in World of Warcraft, Vanndar doesn't have much backstory to speak of when compared to Drek'Thar, but what is clear is that he despises the orcs, seeing them as heathens and savages standing in the way of the Stormpikes claiming what they see as their rightful territory. Heroes of the Storm's Vanndar looks drastically different from his pretty mundane-looking WoW incarnation, with additions such as a billowing cloak, a Stormpike Guard sigil on his right shoulderpad, and the use of a single two-handed hammer instead of dual-wielding a hammer and axe. While in HotS, Vanndar uses the same charge and whirlwind abilities as Drek'Thar, in WoW he instead uses the abilities of a mountain king much like Muradin and can cast Avatar, Storm Bolt, and Thunderclap. HotS Vanndar's winged helmet and raven-shaped hammer suggest involvement with the Raven Lord, even though Vanndar's in-game quotes and some skin descriptions state that the Alliance and Stormpike Guard are actually being backed by the Lady of Thorns. Horde general: Drek'Thar - On Draenor, the blind shaman Drek'Thar served as the elder shaman of the Frostwolf clan. When the elements of Draenor went silent as a result of Gul'dan's manipulations and the orcs' war against the draenei race, Drek'Thar was one of many orcish shaman to turn to demonic fel magic and become a warlock. Like many orcs, Drek'Thar would go on to commit atrocities that continue to haunt him to this day. After the Horde invaded Azeroth and the Frostwolves were exiled from the Horde, Drek'Thar discovered that Azeroth was home to countless elemental spirits far stronger than those on Draenor. Realizing the error of his ways, he renounced his use of fel magic and returned to the ways of the humble shaman, using his renewed connection with the elements to guide the Frostwolves to their new home in Alterac Valley. After Chieftain Durotan and his mate Draka were assassinated by servants of Gul'dan, Drek'Thar became the new leader of the clan. Years later, he taught the young orc Thrall about his heritage as the son of Durotan, tutored him in shamanism and orcish culture, and played an instrumental role in aiding his rise to warchief and liberation of the orcs. Afterward, Drek'Thar and the Frostwolves chose to remain in Alterac, where they later became locked in battle with the Stormpikes. As the years have worn on, the aging Drek'Thar has grown increasingly feeble and somewhat senile, eventually becoming confined to a wheelchair, but WoW's Alterac Valley has never been updated to reflect lore changes such as this. As a result, the Drek'Thar we see in Alterac Pass, while still an old orc, is still a powerful fighter who can more than hold his own. In WoW, Drek'Thar uses a whirlwind and knockdown attack in battle (much like in HotS) and is always accompanied by his two wolf companions, Duros and Drakan (who only show up in HotS in the form of a portrait). He originally dual-wielded a pair of swords (which was also reflected in artwork like this and this) but was later changed to instead use a pair of axes. Heroes of the Storm combines the two by having Drek'Thar wield a combination of sword and axe. Drek'Thar's HotS appearance is generally pretty similar to his depictions in WoW, the most notable differences being the addition of raven skulls and bones in his armor, hinting at the Raven Lord's influence. General quotesSome of Vanndar and Drek'Thar's quotes have some interesting references to them, so I figured I'd cover them here. These also include the quotes spoken by the craftable Vanndar and Drek'Thar announcers you can use in other battlegrounds. Vanndar
The following are derived entirely or in part from various quotes spoken by Vanndar in WoW's Alterac Valley. There's not much to comment on, so I'll just list them like this to avoid repeating myself too much.
Drek'Thar A quick note on Drek'Thar's voice: it seems many are assuming that Drek'Thar in HotS is voiced by Tyrael's voice actor Jonathan Adams. However, HotS' Drek'Thar actually has the same voice as his younger, alternate universe counterpart in the World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor expansion, and that version of Drek'Thar was confirmed by Andrea Toyias on Twitter to be voiced by an actor named Ike Amadi.
The following are derived entirely or in part from various quotes spoken by Drek'Thar in WoW's AV:
The following are slightly altered versions of NPC quotes used by the alternate, younger version of Drek'Thar in World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor.
Minions and mercenariesAlliance melee minion: Human footmen - The backbone of the Alliance, footmen are stoic soldiers who make up the basic infantry of the human kingdoms. Dressed in steel armor and equipped with broadswords and heavy kite shields, they are a staple human unit in Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Warcraft II, and Warcraft III, and a common sight in Alliance armies and settlements across World of Warcraft. The iconic plumed helmets seen on most footmen, including those on Alterac Pass, were first introduced in WC2. Alliance leader minion: Night elf druids - Druids are guardians of nature with a deep connection to flora, fauna, and the mystical energies of the spirit dimension known as the Emerald Dream. They can call upon nature's fury for a wide range of offensive and defensive abilities, are known to be powerful healers, and perhaps most famously have the ability to shapeshift into animal forms such as bears, cats, and birds. The first mortal druid on Azeroth was the night elf Malfurion Stormrage, who was tutored by the demigod Cenarius, and though druidism is now found among multiple races it is arguably still most strongly connected to night elves; unsurprisingly, the druid units on Alterac Pass are night elves. Druids first appeared as various night elf units in WC3 and are a playable class in World of Warcraft. WoW's Alterac Valley features a handful of night elf druids fighting on behalf of the Stormpike Guard, most notably the archdruid Elerethe Renferal who assists in summoning the boss Ivus the Forest Lord to aid in battle against the Horde. Alliance ranged minion: Dwarf riflemen - Riflemen are perhaps the most iconic of all dwarven forces. Armed with their legendary single-shot Blunderbuss Longrifles, they have served as brave protectors of their mountain kingdom of Khaz Modan for centuries and have more recently offered their marksmanship to the Alliance. They serve as a basic ranged unit for the Alliance in WC3 and are found aplenty in dwarven territories in WoW in the form of "mountaineer" guards. Horde melee minion: Orc grunts - Grunts are powerful orcish warriors equipped with mighty battle-axes and battle-worn armor. They are the first and last line of the Horde's defense, and though they were once renowned for their depraved bloodthirst during the First and Second Wars, during the Third War they were returned closer to their noble savage roots by Thrall. They have been a staple Horde unit in every Warcraft RTS game and can be found as basic guards and soldiers for both the Horde and various other orcish organizations all over World of Warcraft. The grunts in Heroes of the Storm wear horned helmets, a signature feature of grunts and many other orc units in the RTS games but one that's missing from the vast majority of WoW's grunts. The Alterac Pass grunts also use shields like in WC1. Horde leader minion: Blood elf priests - Priests are devoted, spiritual casters who call upon the divine in the form of the two main cosmic forces the unierse: the holy magic of the Light and the shadow magic of the Void. Holy priests channel the Light to heal wounds and smite the wicked, Shadow priests embrace the maddening, vampiric powers of the Void, and Discipline priests tread the path between the two to balance the antithetical forces. Human clerics and high elf/blood elf priests appear as Alliance units in WC1 and WC3, respectively, and priests are a playable class in World of Warcraft. The priests of Alterac Pass are specifically Horde blood elves. Their staves resemble a common staff model in WoW that is mostly associated with priests, and the symbol floating behind their head depicts the phoenix used as a symbol for the blood elf capital of Silvermoon and the blood elf race as a whole and which signifies them "rising from the ashes" after the undead Scourge ravaged their kingdom of Quel'Thalas. Horde ranged minion: Troll headhunters - The spear-throwing headhunters of the troll tribes are cunning warriors who are trained from birth in the art of tracking and trapping the most dangerous beasts in the wilds, but in times of war they are just as eager to unleash their spears on more humanoid enemies. Headhunters from the Horde-aligned Darkspear tribe of jungle trolls serve as a staple ranged Horde unit in WC3, where they provide important cover fire for other Horde units and (like all trolls) can quickly regenerate health. Siege mercenary and reaver minion: Gnolls - Gnolls are a race of vicious hyena-like humanoids that live in disorganized tribes and packs in the Alterac and Redridge Mountains of the Eastern Kingdoms, as well as some parts of the continents of Kalimdor and Northrend. They are also often employed as mercenaries. Gnolls are renowned for two things: their extreme aggressiveness and their extreme stupidity. Though fierce in battle, they spend much of their time quarrelling amongst themselves over meaningless issues like "whose shadow is larger". However, they are not always as brutish as they seem, and there is proof that they can be quite fearsome if they stop fighting long enough to work together for a common goal, such as when the gnolls in the southern Eastern Kingdoms formed an army to attack the human nation of Stormwind in what became known as the Gnoll War. As mentioned, gnolls are indigenous to the Alterac Mountains, with Alterac Pass itself being home to a tribe known as the Wildpaw that dwell in a cave next to Frostwolf Village. The mercenary gnolls in Alterac Pass wield flails as a reference to the original gnoll units from WC3, most of whom also used flails. Boss mercenary: Ice giant - Ice giants are a type of mountain giant, a race of monstrous but gentle stone-skinned creatures that were created by servants of the godlike titans to help shape and protect Azeroth in ancient times. The mountain giants at one point entered a timeless slumber, but they were awakened after the invasion of the demonic Burning Legion during the Third War and temporarily pledged their courage to the night elves to help them banish the last remnants of the Legion from the world. Mountain giants are a hard-hitting night elf unit in WC3 and can be found in numerous locations in WoW. Ice giants are distinguished from regular mountain giants by their blue skin and snow-covered bodies, and have so far only been known to dwell in the snowy areas of Winterspring in northern Kalimdor and the Dragonblight in Northrend. They have never been seen in WoW's Alterac Valley, but the Alterac Pass mountain giants may be meant as a reference to two powerful bosses that can be summoned by players through an arduous ritual in AV: the tree-like Ancient of War Ivus the Forest Lord for the Alliance and the ice elemental Lokholar the Ice Lord for the Horde. Ice giants arguably resemble a mix between Ivus and Lokholar, with bodies consisting of both plant and rock parts. The Alterac Pass ice giants wield tree trunks as weapons, in reference to the WC3 mountain giants' ability to uproot trees and temporarily use them as clubs. Prisoners and cavalryThis feature of the battleground, in which players have to free their faction's prisoners from the other faction in order to iniate a cavalry charge down the three lanes, is based on the old cavalry and aerial assault mechanics from Alterac Valley. Players in AV are able to initiate a cavalry assault against a target enemy location by first taming several of the valley's rams (for the Alliance) or frost wolves (for the Horde) and then slaying the opposite faction's mounts to collect their fur for harnesses. Once this is done, Stormpike ram riders or Frostwolf wolf riders (AKA raiders) can be commanded to ride against the enemy faction. Aerial assaults, on the other hand, involve rescuing wing commanders that are held captive in enemy bases: these commanders are named Ichman, Slidore, and Vipore for the Alliance, and Guse, Jeztor, and Mulverick for the Horde (all obvious references to characters from the 1986 movie Top Gun). After they are rescued, players can turn in large amounts of medals or flesh claimed from the enemy faction to the wing commanders, who can then be ordered to bombard an enemy fortification from atop the backs of flying gryphons or wyverns. In Alterac Pass, the two mechanics are combined by having players rescue prisoners, much like AV's wing commanders, and initiate lane charges, much like AV's ground assaults. Alliance cavalry: Ram riders - The dwarves have long used the sturdy and fearless Barak Tor'ol mountain rams as mounts. Their thick fur protects them from predators and the elements, while their massive horns make them ideal for charging through waves of enemies. Since ram riders were never a unit in the RTS games and a lot of unit lore like this derives from the RTS manuals, ram riders sadly don't have much in the way of backstory. Horde cavalry: Raiders - The ferocious wolves of Draenor have served as mounts and battle companions to the orc clans for centuries. Raiders are savage wolf-riding warriors that were first seen during the First War. After the war, the warlock Gul'dan convinced warchief Orgrim Doomhammer that the raiders were plotting against him, causing the warchief to disband the wolfriders. Years later, after Thrall reformed the Horde, he ordered the creation of a new generation of raiders, who continue to serve the Horde to this day. In WC1, raiders serve as the main melee unit for the Horde, while in WC3 they are fast-moving attackers able to inflict heavy damage to buildings and snare flying enemies, but are also fragile and easy to kill. The raiders of Alterac Pass look very similar to their WC1 and WC3 incarnation, with horned helmets, huge swords, and armored wolf mounts. StructuresAlliance keeps are based on, well, keeps. These are the upgraded version of town halls, the central buildings of human military settlements in WC2, WC3, and WoW. The keeps' "birthing" animation at the start of a match is based on that of various human buildings in WC3. The symbol seen on the shields adorning the keeps is the "L" of Lordaeron, a human kingdom that served as the leading nation of the original Alliance during the Second War. Lordaeron was consumed by the undead Scourge during the Third War and the region is currently held by the Forsaken, a faction of undead that broke free from the Scourge and later joined the Horde. The Lordaeron L is still commonly used a symbol for the modern Alliance and for humanity as a whole. Alliance healing wells: Moonwells - Moonwells are sacred pools found in night elven territories, bound to the magic of nature and closely tied to the moon goddess Elune. They are used as repositories for the waters of the Well of Eternity, the sacred pool of magic guarded by the World Tree Nordrassil. These waters can heal anyone who drinks from them and are used for a variety of blessings. In WC3, moonwells are a night elf structure that provide the food necessary to create units and can also heal nearby friendly units, while in WoW, moonwells can be used to create a crafting reagent known as mooncloth. Horde forts and keeps are based on orcish great halls (as well as their upgraded versions, strongholds, and fortresses), the fortified central buildings of orc settlements in WC3 and WoW. The keeps' birthing animation is based on that of orcish great halls, strongholds, and fortresses in WC3. Horde towers resemble orcish watch towers, a basic defensive structure in WC3. Horde healing wells: Tauren totems - Tauren totems are structures where powerful tauren warriors reside and train through contact with their spirit totems. While in WC3, totems are used to train tauren units, they are barely ever seen in World of Warcraft (not as proper buildings, anyway). MusicThe music in Alterac Pass is derived from the various classic World of Warcraft PvP themes used in most WoW battlegrounds, including Alterac Valley. Other facts and trivia
That should be all of it; at least, all the stuff I could find. There was quite a bit more material to talk about than I initially expected, but of course, I could still have missed various minor details and easter eggs. If so, feel free to point them out, and I'll add them to the post (if I have enough space for them; this ended up running pretty close to Reddit's 40K character limit). Next week I'll probably tackle Warsong Johanna, so look forward to that. I might also include Sapper Junkrat in the same thread, depending on how much lore there is to talk about in his quotes. I haven't looked through all of their lines yet so it could go either way, but in any case, I'll see ya next week. [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 22 Jun 2018 04:17 AM PDT | ||
| Next year this is how you can make a Nexomania event in the cheap Posted: 22 Jun 2018 10:46 AM PDT
There, you now have a Nexomania brawl. [link] [comments]  | ||
| A HotS Loss meme - Alarak of the storm Posted: 22 Jun 2018 01:50 AM PDT
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