Heroes of the Storm closed beta starts this week, check out the additions here

heroes of the storm

Blizzard will kick off the closed beta for Heroes of the Storm on January 13 (or January 14 if you're in the Southern Hemisphere). To get everyone up to speed, the studio has released a five minute video detailing all the new additions and changes since the technical alpha.

These include a more comprehensive tutorial. If you're new to the game, or MOBAs in general, the new tutorials aim to cover all bases. Meanwhile, a new three-laned desert themed Sky Temple map will feature, while melee assassin Thrall has been added to the list of playable characters, many of whom have undergone significant changes.

Hero League ranked play will also feature, available when the player reaches account level 30, though Team League won't be available until a future patch. Check out the full video below:

Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.