PAX East - Live Panel Coverage

[Nerraw]

Heroes of the Storm PAX East Panel: Inside the Forge

What: Be the first to learn how the lore of Heroes of the Storm will add to the larger Blizzard universe! Join the Heroes of the Storm development team to discuss the magic behind creating characters that leave a lasting impression and get a front row seat for the introduction of one of the most unlikely Heroes from Blizzard’s history to join the Nexus yet.
Where: http://www.twitch.tv/pax2
When: April 5, 9:30AM PDT / 6:30PM CEST
Who:

• Jeff Cannata [Moderator]
• Matt Villers [Lead Hero Designer]
• Kevin Johnson [Creative Content Lead]
• Kaeo Milker [Production Director]

Deckard Cain

• There's a lot of nostalgia for Cain, lots of people wanted him
• He is canonically a narrator, not a fighter
• Initial idea was to make him cast spells like a mage, due to his Horadric background, but it didn't fit well
• His abilities are more tactical in nature
• Despite Cain being dead in the lore, the Nexus is a magical place that allows for "snapshots" of heroes that might be dead otherwise
• Deckard Cain is a "setup/support healer"
• You are rewarded for thinking ahead, potentially supporting multiple lanes with Healing Potions
• Enemies can see potions, but not attack them
• They knew early on that he would be a support hero. Narrowing it down took more effort though
• They don't want supports to play whack-a-mole with health bars. More interaction, moment-to-moment decisions
• Cain's "Stay A While And Listen" heroic plays a track of him actually beginning to tell a story
• Deckard Cain will be on the PTR in the next few weeks

Lore of The Nexus

• Heroes has been a mix of other universes, borrowing lore from all of them
• But the Nexus has its own lore! The team has created a lot of places, each with its own unanswered questions
• What is the Nexus? It is an actual place. First hint was the trailer shown at last Blizzcon with the portals over Dragon Shire
• There are more realms out there
• The heroes are a wild card in the power struggle between realm lords
• The original battlegrounds are entirely Nexus-based. The announcers for those maps are the realm lords
• The skin descriptions are rooted in this lore
• The developers want to tell a linear story across multiple content drops throughout the year, starting this month
• Ravencourt (home of Cursed Hollow, Haunted Mines, Towers of Doom) is the first location for this story
• A lot of the story will be out-of-game, but they will also have in-game story
• Rise of the Raven Lord, the first ever Heroes of the Storm comic, is coming this month!

Q&A

• When are we getting the Kevin announcer?
  • Kevin is ready and willing! Team will see what they can do
• Who is in charge of Umbra-Orgrimmar?
  • There's a lot more story to tell
• Cain has a Carbot-inspired talent
• How difficult was it to balance Cain?
  • Design teams work together as the hero progresses, trying to make sure mechanics are balanced
• Have you considered introducing the Raven Lord as a playable character?
  • For now they're focusing on just heroes. Heroes and realm lords are widely different. Realm lords are almost demigod-like. Would be an interesting challenge
• Murky is a hero that relies on other teams not knowing how to deal with Murky and thus sees no pro-play. Anything coming for Murky?
  • Fair feedback. Can't announce anything right now
• Are you guys considering ARAM as a main gamemode?
  • They're always watching. Bringing it in as brawls more often
• Will Heroes have more things from the cinematic team?
  • They are planning to bring more to the visual medium, making it feel like Heroes at its core. Still trying to figure out how to properly tell the stories
• Will we get updated hero kill interactions?
  • They want to update them as much as they can. It's a complex process, every new hero creates new ripples. The team is working as hard as they can

[AwkwardSquirtle]

Ooh, Cain. Interesting.

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

This whole stream is just complete cringe. None of the guys on stage knows how to talk in front of a audience.

[RadasNoir]

Not gonna lie, a little disappointed it turned out to be Cain after all. While I adore him as a character, and will likely save up the shards for the inevitable Deckard Cain Announcer, it just looks really silly to see such a dedicated non-combat character (lore-wise) hobbling around the battlefield, whacking people with his walking stick. I know there are other, even more silly characters already in the game and it's good that we're FINALLY getting another Diablo character, but still...I guess a big part of my disgruntlement comes from the fact that there are quite few other Diablo characters I would have rather seen added first.

All that being said, I must begrudgingly admit that his actual gameplay mechanics do look interesting...although, I am definitely not looking foreword to watching my teammates do everything in their power to somehow avoid Every. Single. Potion. I put down for them.... -_-

[DesoPL]

I'm look forward for comics about HOTS lore definetly! One thing i can admit without any regret about Overwatch, that thier comics are maked really good and have good story telling.

[Nikkaszal]

All that being said, I must begrudgingly admit that his actual gameplay mechanics do look interesting...although, I am definitely not looking foreword to watching my teammates do everything in their power to somehow avoid Every. Single. Potion. I put down for them.... -_-

I can see it now:

You set up a nice little packet of heals for your team to use during fights, your PuG Genji dives in, almost dies, dives out, collects all the potions then immediately hearths.

Or your Repeater Cannon build Fenix Warps in, loses his shield, scuttles away and grabs all the potions.

It's gonna happen. Guaranteed.

[asignfromsatan]

everyone acts cool until they go to these nerd conventions, I bet...

[ophion1990]

Kinda expected a little more other than "more stuff is coming soon" but it was still a fun panel. Cloaken did a great job on stage, imo. I'm really excited to see how the story'll pan out.

Super dissappointed that they missed the juxtaposition of having Johnson Milker, though

• Kevin Johnson [Creative Content Lead]
• Kaeo Milker [Production Director]

But Nerraw delivered (yes, I'm 12 years old).

[RadasNoir]

It's gonna happen. Guaranteed.

Ugh, I was so preoccupied with memories of wounded party members avoiding regen globes like they were diseased, I failed to think of the reverse scenario. I have no doubt that is going to happen as well.

[DesoPL]

Any word about removal specialist class? I've heard rumors blizz announced it, but can't find it.

[Deleted]

Cain hype !

[Spazik]

This whole stream is just complete cringe. None of the guys on stage knows how to talk in front of a audience.

Hmm I wonder why... Oh! Maybe because they are actually "software developers" of the game, and not actors, moderators, marketing or sales people ;-)