All the big news and announcements from BlizzCon 2017
BlizzCon, the Blizzard annual big event returns in its 11th iteration this year and with it comes many news and announcements of both existing and upcoming games and contents. Need to be up to speed with all the news from BlizzCon 2017? You arrived to the right place
Starting off with Starcraft II, The 2010 strategy game and sequel to the godfather of eSports is going free-to-play. You’ll get to see what made the franchise so popular and beloved yourself beginning Nov. 14, no charge. On the same day, a new co-op mission titled “Part and Parcel” will also release. Previous owners of the game will receive the expansion “Heart of the Swarm” for free.
StarCraft 2 is going Free to Play!
Campaign: Wings of Liberty Free
Commanders: Free to lvl 5
Ranked: Free Unlock???? https://t.co/GDwvQvib77 pic.twitter.com/X9Vx79nQjo
— StarCraft (@StarCraft) November 3, 2017
Next up we have two familiar characters, Hanzo from Overwatch and Alexstrasza from World of Warcraft who are joining as new playable characters in Blizzard’s MOBA title, Heroes of the Storm. Watch the video below:
Hearthstone is also getting some love this year, as a new expansion titled “Kobolds and Catacombs” was unveiled. Additionally, a new card, Marin the Fox, was detailed. The release date for the expansion has not been revealed, but players can obtain Marin the Fox on Nov. 6.
Here for Overwatch news? There’s plenty. First off we have a new trailer for the newest map, titled “Blizzard World.” As the name implies, the part-assault, part-payload map is a theme park-like tribute to Blizzard’s history and videogame library. While you’re at it, why not watch the newest animated short in the Overwatch Animated series which is focusing on the hammer-wielding warrior Reinhardt. This one is emotional, so be warned.
Also, a new hero is coming to Overwatch. Blizzard announced Moira, the game’s 26th playable character, at BlizzCon 2017. Moira is capable of dealing massive damage as well as healing her teammates. She uses spells of sorts, firing damaging orbs of dark energy, while also deploying healing beams. Lore-wise, Moira is described as a geneticist who works for Talon, and also has a history with Reaper’s Blackwatch organization.
Moira is the fifth hero character to be added to Overwatch since the game was released in 2016. As with previous heroes, Moira will be released first on Overwatch’s public test region on PC before being officially released on PC and consoles.
Of course, it isn’t a BlizzCon without Blizzard’s biggest game of all time, World of Warcraft, which is receiving its seventh expansion. The conflict between the Alliance and the Horde is the centerpiece of the story, titled “Battle for Azeroth.” The expansion introduces an “island” system, warfronts and a purchasable level cap to level 120.
Not into expansions and would rather prefer going old-school? You’ll be glad to know that Blizzard finally listened and they’re bringing an official Vanilla server for the MMO game, titled World of Warcraft Classic.
That should be it for BlizzCon 2017. You can still catch few events that are happening right now by heading to the official schedule link for matches and tournaments in Blizz’s games.
