Varian and Ragnaros are coming to Heroes of the Storm

Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm MOBA will soon add a pair of new heroes to its lineup, each one a distinct departure from anything we've seen previously: The Warcraft hero Varian Wrynn, and the mighty World of Warcraft raid boss Ragnaros the Firelord.

Varian is Heroes of the Storm's first multiclass hero, an "adaptable fighter" who can take on a variety of roles, soaking damage or dishing it out, through his talents. Ragnaros, meanwhile, has the ability to empower a Fort or Keep on defense, "becoming a towering inferno" with a second set of abilities. Both characters are Warcraft legends, but they're also among Hearthstone's best legendaries—an interesting sort of two-for-one.

Blizzard also announced a unique new Brawl on the way, called Blackheart's Revenge, which will be the first battleground to feature asymmetrical attack/defend gameplay. One team has a Core, and must gather cannonballs and load cannons to defend the docks from an assault by Blackheart's ship; the other must help him reach port by preventing the first team from sinking it.

Also on the way is the Nexus Challenge, the "biggest giveaway in Heroes of the Storm to date." Beginning November 15 and running until January 4, players who team up to complete 15 Ranked, Unranked Draft, Quick Match, or Co-op vs. AI games will unlock the Oni Genji skin, spray, and icon in Overwatch, as well as Zarya and the Oni Genji portrait in HotS. Finishing 30 games will unlock even more Heroes, plus the new Orochi Hovercycle mount, and a 30-day stimpack.

Back to the two new heroes: Varian will appear on the Heroes of the Storm PTR next week, and will go live to all players on November 15. Ragnaros is set to follow sometime in December.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.