Xal’atath Joins Heroes of the Storm as First New Hero in Six Years
by JR Cook - 1 month ago show comments
Heroes of the Storm just dropped its biggest update in years, and it’s one fans have been waiting a long time to see. Patch 57 went live on September 28, bringing Xal’atath, Harbinger of the Void, to the Nexus as the game’s 91st hero. This is the first new character release for Heroes of the Storm in almost six years, and Blizzard is celebrating the occasion with a week-long Twitch drops event running through October 5.
Xal’atath plays as a ranged assassin built around spatial control and extended fights. Her kit revolves around the Dark Heart, a summonable talisman that pulses void energy and detonates on marked targets. She grows more dangerous the longer a battle lasts, rewarding players who can manage her dual resource system (Mana and Soul Essence) and position aggressively. If you’ve been looking for a reason to jump back into the Nexus (or try it for the first time), this update is worth checking out.
Whether you’re grinding ranked with a Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 or settling in for marathon ARAM sessions with a Secretlab Titan Evo, having the right setup makes all the difference when learning a new hero’s combo timing.
Our next Heroes of the Storm patch is live! Read on for more information.
NOTE: Orange text indicates a change between PTR and Live notes.
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New Hero
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General
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Balance Update
Bug Fixes
New Hero: Xal’atath
Xal’atath has arrived in the Nexus!
Base
Shadow Mark [Q]
Shoot a single Void Orb that deals 75 damage to enemies hit, and an additional 150 damage to enemies in the center. If an enemy Hero or Structure is hit by the center, they are marked for 4 seconds. Targets…
Heroes of the Storm is receiving a major new update with Patch 57! Starting today, Xal’atath becomes the 91st Hero to join the Nexus, and the first in almost six years. Whether you took a few years off from soaking lanes, are completely new to the Nexus, or have been patiently waiting for this day, we hope you all have a blast jumping in to experience all that is new with the game.
To celebrate today’s launch, head over to Twitch to earn drops from today, September 28, at 9:00 am PT through October 5 at 11:59 pm PT while watching all the Heroes of the Storm goodness you can handle. For information on eligibility and claiming Twitch drop items, click here.
- 1 Hour – 1000 Gold
- 2 Hours – Epic Loot Chest
- 4 Hours – Legendary Loot Chest
- 8 Hours – Epic Deadly Chaos Wolf
We’ll get into how we are approaching design for Heroes of the Storm, both now and into the future, but first, let’s take a closer look at our newest Hero!
Xal’atath, Harbinger of the Void – Ranged Assassin
A Void-wielding Ranged Assassin joins the Nexus. Xal’atath externalizes her power through a summonable object, the Dark Heart, rewarding spatial control, foresight, and extended fights: she grows more dangerous the longer a battle lasts.
A quick thank you to everyone that has been testing her out in the PTR! Due to your feedback, we updated her ability bindings from what was originally announced, with her mobility now on E to match most other Heroes.
- Role: Ranged Assassin
- Difficulty: Medium
- Resources: Mana (primary); Soul Essence (secondary, via her trait)
Ability kit:
- Trait — Void Volley. Basic attacks build Soul Essence; at full Essence, unleash a barrage of void orbs at a target area while moving freely. Tied to the Void Whispers quest, which rewards range, faster charge, piercing, and empowered void damage as it progresses.
- Q — Shadow Mark. Cast a large Void Orb that marks enemy Heroes hit by its inner radius; the Dark Heart moves to the impact point and detonates on marked enemy Heroes.
- W — Dark Heart Ritual. Summon the Dark Heart talisman to pulse void energy at nearby enemies, then follow and detonate on any Shadow Marked Hero.
- E — Void Step. Blink between three points in a triangular pattern, gaining attack damage at each stop; can be cancelled early to reposition or escape.
- Heroic — Void Eruption. Channel a growing void orb, launch it to blind enemies and dominate space, then detonate in a large area — cast on the Dark Heart for an instant, fully empowered eruption.
- Heroic — Void Convergence. Summon a portal that spawns relentless void minions to overwhelm nearby enemies, replacing fallen minions until the portal ends or is destroyed.
You can unlock Xal’atath now for USD $7.99! For those of you that would prefer to use gold, our aim is to make her available for gold later this year, tentatively set for the end of November. For launch, we have two key goals that led us to only making her available thro…
