Blizzard recently announced a release date for HotS for June 2nd, but many have been actively engaged in this new all-star game since the release of the alpha last year. Out of all the MOBA's I've dabbled with, Heroes might be the most game-changing, both in ease and accessibility, as well as just sheer difference in overall gameplay and mechanics. There's a lot here for both veteran and new players alike, and with a free-to-play model on launch, there will no doubt be a large influx of new challengers.
While we're still technically in a beta phase for the game, history with Blizzard betas show that we're pretty close to a final product, and show expect very few sweeping changes before release. So for those of you who will be entering the nexus fresh, I've got a few tips and breakdown of systems to help you get started.
1. What is a MOBA? (skip this if you don't need a history lesson)
Standing for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, this style of game takes most of the elements of a real-time strategy genre, adds some automation, and then puts complete focus on you controlling one powerful hero unit. It has it's roots starting as a mod in past Blizzard titles, but saw an explosion in popularity with the custom map for Warcraft III called Defense of the Ancients (or DOTA for short) in 2002. Since then, we've seen all kinds of variations on the genre, with more mods and full title releases, such as Heroes of Newerth, League of Legends, DOTA 2, and SMITE, just to name a few.
A quick breakdown of a typical game in the genre has you team of 5 heroes fighting against an opposite team on a symmetrical battleground. Lanes determine paths for automated minions to fight, all lined with towers and fortifications for defense. Over the course of the game, your hero will gain experience and become more powerful and better equipped to take on your foes. Elements of teamwork, strategy, map awareness and anticipation of enemy maneuvers all play into success of any given game of a MOBA.
This is just an incredibly quick surface reading of the genre. There is an absolute gargantuan amount of depth and nuance for players looking for it. Reading about playing however is a poor substitute for just diving in and getting your hands dirty.
2. Play the tutorial (especially if you've never played a MOBA before)
While we're long-past the days of MOBA's not giving sufficient tutorials, props should be given to Blizzard for rolling out one of the best in the business. While you'll find everything you need here in terms of control, camera setup, and objective explanation, there's also a surprising amount of humor to be found here too, moreso if your a fan of Blizzard's previous works.
3. Learn the heroes
Getting familiar with as many characters and how they function is always a great first step when your getting into a MOBA. Heroes starts the breakdown by dividing heroes up into four different kinds of classifications. Warriors typically fight in melee range and specialize in soaking up damage. Assassins will play more like glass cannons, favoring abilities to dish out large amounts of damage to heroes and mobility options to escape danger. Support heroes work to make other team members stronger, usually by healing them or providing combat buffs. Finally, Specialist classes have unique methods of interacting with the battlefield and are often strong at advancing on enemy bases and fortifications.
While there are exceptions to every rule, playing towards these general playstyles are good steps to success. Learning what kind of repertoire of abilities are available to a hero does double duty. You'll not only learn how to best take advantage of the hero when you play him on the battlefield, but also what kind of weaknesses they are susceptible when you go up against them in a fight. A good way to start would be to glance over the heroes at the selection screen that are free-to-play for the week, as those will be the individuals your most likely to run into in a typical play session.
4. Learn the maps
This stands out as one of the largest divergent selling points for most MOBA players: Multiple maps. Instead of playing every game on a standard 3-lane map, Heroes shakes things up with a rotation of different maps with varying objectives. Learning the battlefield along with the objectives present is a key to success that shouldn't be overlooked. Luckily, you can find a quick breakdown of the unique challenges present whenever you load into a game.
Most of the time, a map's main objective is going to contribute into helping your team take down an enemies fortifications, and will be hotly contested with early team fighting, yet even here, there's a large amount of variance. Cursed Hollow for example encourages entire teams to converge on one objective every few minutes, while Dragon Shire will split the team up in order to hold shrines. Learning how your hero can interact with these objectives can go a long way in swinging the game in your favor.
5. Objectives!
As mentioned before, Objectives are critical to success, but this includes other points of interest on a map besides gold coins and plant seeds. Mercenary camps offer mini-challenges for teams to overcome in order to add some extra muscle to closest lane. Besides being able to help push a lane further into enemy territory, you'll be getting extra experience, and possibly extra resources for main objectives.
Boss level monsters will sometimes be present as well, functioning as merc camps but with higher risk and rewards. Players familiar with WoW will probably be getting flashbacks, but generally you'll want to fight these guys as a team, all while avoiding any telegraphed attacks they pull off. Keep in mind that a higher health bar means that the opposing team will have more time to gather up and intercept you mid-kill if they figure our what your up to, so be ready to disengage if need be.
That takes care of some simple in-game advice, but there's also a level of sort of meta-advice when it comes to getting your account set-up for continued play.
6. Try before you buy
Easily one of the coolest features that more MOBAs need to implement is a sort of training room environment that will allow you to practice any hero in the game before unlocking them for full gameplay. You should absolutely use this feature not only for checking to see if a hero falls in line with your playstyle, but also if your curious just to see how a hero's abilities function in a controlled environment. You'll not only be able to simulate a single lane of combat against an opposing hero, but be able to control the overall hero level, as well as have access to all of a characters talents.
7. Level up your account
Mostly as a function to not overwhelm new players, Blizzard has locked some functionality of Heroes behind a leveling system attached to a players account. While most tiers provide bonus gold to let you buy heroes from the store, you'll also find some features on the list that affect how you play the game outside of the game itself. Daily Quests for example provide you incentive to play the game in a certain fashion, usually by challenging you to play a few games with a certain class of heroes. This also ends up being the main way to earn in-game currency, so I suggest trying to get your account level up to 6 as soon as possible.
Hero rotation slots at 12 and 15 also play a pretty big part in learning the game. Starting out, you'll only be able to pick from a list of 5 different heroes each week, but adding a 6th and 7th will give you quite a few more options and help you learn the roster faster. They'll also give you a better chance of ensuring that the spread of heroes available can complete whatever daily quest is given to you.
8. Pay attention to your dailies
If you want gold, your going to want to do dailies. Keep in mind that you can have up to 3 different dailies active at one time, and you'll receive a new one every day. If you want to maximize your earnings, make sure to play a few games every 3 days at least, and always have an open slot for the next day, so you don't end up burning any quests. Some dailies can be completed simultaneously, such as playing as a certain class combined with just playing a number of games, so lining these up can play double-duty. Pretty much the exact same philosophy
9. Play with friends
From a cold, hard mathematics perspective, Blizzard offers incentives for you to play with your buddies by giving faster account and character progression with an XP buff. If you want to get the most of your time, play with people you know, or even random players that you've had good games with. But in terms of just having fun, getting a team together over voice chat and offering on the fly play advice and strategy just ends up giving you a better chance at success.
10. Time and connection commitment
Most MOBAs are notable for their lengthy match time, usually ranging between 45 minutes to an hour. Heroes usually tends to skew shorter, with matches lasting closer to the 20 to 30 minute range. That's not to say that games can't go longer however, so keep that in mind if you can only schedule so much time to play.
Your also going to need a pretty decent connection when it comes to playing as well. If you find your internet dropping at regular intervals for whatever reason, your going to find you'll have a tough time helping out your team.
That rounds out some broad advice for getting started, but with a cast of 35 heroes (and 2 more on the way in the near future) it can be tough to know what to get started with. Here are some easy picks worth trying out, as well as some unique heroes worth an extra look.
Easy to Play
These guys are pretty straight-forward mechanically, not to mention pretty cheap to buy. Learn their basics and you'll be able to start helping out your team in no-time flat.
Raynor - Besides being the tutorial character, Raynor has a lot of appeal for starting out as an Assassin. You'll mainly be worried about where to place your primary skillshot, as well as buffing your allies. Adrenaline rush helps keep forgetful players alive and makes you more durable than most other gunslingers. Extra range also helps keep you alive, and both of your heroic abilities can shake up any big teamfight.
Malfurion - Versatility is Malfurion's Modus Operandi: A strong heal, quick area of effect damage, a root, and a way to restore mana to teammates all comes in his starting kit. Heroics let you heal for massive amounts or dole out some punishment to the opposing team. Talent choices really let him specialize in being a great healer and team supporter, or pushing out on his own to deal a surprising amount of damage.
Li Li - If your new to playing a support class, Li Li is a great place to start learning some basics. Healing Brew ends up being very attractive since it doesn't have to be targeted. From there, learning to utilize your Cloud Serpent and Blinding Wind effectively with your teammates help to give incremental advantage over a game.
E.T.C. - Probably the easiest warrior to learn to play, Elite Tauren Chieftain focuses on staying alive, being mobile, and interrupting a foe's best laid plans. Face Melt in particular can be used to keep bad guys from escaping, even knocking them into your team for an easy takedown. Choosing between the ultimate mobility of Stage Dive and the incredible disruption of Mosh Pit will largely depend on which map your playing, but both offer very strong options.
Gazlowe - Specialists tend to skew towards more complex play, but Gaz manages to play with some very easy fundamentals. Litter the map with turrets, catch foes with bombs and lasers, then quickly knock down some towers and minions. Robo-Goblin in particular makes you masterful at clearing out mercenary camps as well as demolish unguarded lanes. Play safe and look for openings in order to roll into an early game advantage.
Unique
These tough customers will be the hardest for players to pick-up, but they also offer some incredibly original takes on how a MOBA hero can be made. Defiantly give these guys a whirl if they pop up on free rotation, or try them out in practice mode.
Abathur - The entire concept behind this zergy fellow is treat a match of Heroes more like a match of Starcraft. Instead of getting into the thick of battle, you'll be more concerned with having a more of a tactician's view of the battlefield, all the while being able to buff your compatriots and place traps for the enemy. You have to be incredibly mindful of everything that's going on in the battlefield, but a split-second decision can save some lives and win some fights.
Zagara - Much like the queen in Starcraft II, your concerned with a lot of different factors when you play Zagara. First and foremost, getting creep all over the battlefield to provide some nifty bonuses. Once you've got the map a lovely shade of purple, you'll be dealing out some burst damage by summoning all manner zerg creepy crawlies. While fragile yourself, mobility and disruption all play a part in elevating your team to victory.
Sgt. Hammer - Perhaps the foremost candidate of art informing design, Hammer is for all the players that get nostalgic about setting up in siege mode and laying waste to a base. Left unattended, you'll be the absolute master when it comes to bringing down towers and forts. The challenge comes around to knowing when you need to get out of dodge. Mistime when you should pack up your siege mode, and you'll be easy pickings.
Nova - It turns out permanent invisibility is a pretty great boon when you're trying to assassinate a target. As long as you don't get caught early by your opponents, mixing up the foe with holo-clones and sniper shots are a good way to keep any foe off balance. If you can spot someone low on health, then by all means take the shot, but be ready to make an escape. The dream play though ends up being able to triple-tap an entire opposing team.
The Lost Vikings - If your looking for complexity of play, then look no further. Instead of just one hero to control, you'll have three different individuals at your fingertips, requiring an incredible amount of multitasking in order to be effective. If you can manage to get these burly customers down however, you'll find increased experience for your team, as well an ability to apply pressure in multiple areas of the map, and some interesting teamfighting strategies.
Looking for more resources? Try the official site or Heroes Nexus
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