New Heroes of the Storm patch features Johanna nerfs, Gul'dan buffs, Chromie ARAM update and more
Image Credit: Bethesda
Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
New Heroes of the Storm patch features Johanna nerfs, Gul'dan buffs, Chromie ARAM update and more
Provided by Blizzard Entertainment

New Heroes of the Storm patch features Johanna nerfs, Gul’dan buffs, Chromie ARAM update and more

Chromie's Slowing Sands ultimate is now removed from ARAM.

Blizzard revealed the latest Heroes of the Storm patch on Tuesday, featuring Johanna nerfs, Gul’dan buffs, a Chromie ARAM update and more.

Recommended Videos
Peacekeeper Johanna skin in Heroes of the Storm
Screenshot featuring the Peacekeeper Johanna skin. | Provided by Blizzard Entertainment

Tanks: Anub’arak buff and Johanna nerf in Heroes of the Storm

Anub’arak and Johanna received balance changes. While Anub’arak got buffed in terms of spell armor, shields and damage, Johanna received nerfs to her levels 1 and 13 talents. At level 20, she can now hit six targets instead of four with Heaven’s Fury [R1].

“Johanna is dealing too much damage, so we’re partially reverting some of her recent buffs,” according to the announcement.

“We’re also taking this opportunity to alter how Heaven’s Fury functions,” the Heroes of the Storm developers added. “Heaven’s Fury previously fired 8 barrages of bolts, hitting up to 2 enemies and up to 2 allies with each barrage. We’re increasing both enemies and allies hit up to 3 while lowering its cooldown reduction to further differentiate good and great casts of Falling Sword.”

Screenshot featuring the Ivory Lo'Gosh Varian skin
Screenshot featuring the Ivory Lo’Gosh Varian skin. | Provided by Blizzard Entertainment

Bruisers: Artanis nerf, Thrall buff and Varian buff

As for Artanis, the StarCraft character now has reduced health regeneration alongside a reduced health total. However, his Shield Surge [Trait] talent at level 4 received a slight buff.

Meanwhile, Thrall got a health and health regeneration increase plus a tripled cooldown reduction for his Elemental Momentum [Passive] level 20 talent.

As for the former leader of the Alliance, the cooldown reduction for Heroic Strike [Trait] increased slightly. Varian also acquired more damage and armor reduction at levels 1 and 4.

Screenshot featuring the Mecha Rehgar skin
Screenshot featuring the Mecha Rehgar skin. | Provided by Blizzard Entertainment

Healers: Alexstrasza buff, Rehgar nerf and Whitemane buff

Next, Alexstrasza received an additional functionality for Gift of Life [Q]. Her health regeneration got increased by 150%. The World of Warcraft dragon also acquired buffs to her level 16 talents.

Hailing from the same universe is Rehgar, who received several nerfs. These include a reduction in his base health and nerfs to talents at levels 1, 4, 7 and 16.

As for Whitemane, she received changed and updated functionalities alongside buffs in her baseline to help with the early game.

“Similar to Alexstrasza, Whitemane has often struggled to compete with other Healers,” the Heroes of the Storm developers explained. “We’re hoping these baseline changes smooth out her early game experience.”

Screenshot featuring the Dark Nexus Alarak skin
Screenshot featuring the Dark Nexus Alarak skin. | Provided by Blizzard Entertainment

Melee Assassin: Alarak buff in Heroes of the Storm

Since other Alarak builds have fallen behind compared to the ones related to Discord Strike [Q], slight adjustments were made to specific talents at levels 1, 4 and 16.

Screenshot featuring the Jade Techno Vandal Chromie skin
Screenshot featuring the Jade Techno Vandal Chromie skin. | Provided by Blizzard Entertainment

Ranged Assassins: Cassia buff, Gul’dan buff, Sgt. Hammer buff and Chromie ARAM update

As for the ranged assassins, Cassia received buffs to encourage her basic attack build. At level 16, Martial Law [Passive] obtained an additional functionality that rewards players with bonus damage.

Meanwhile, Gul’dan received several buffs to bring Fel Flame [Q] and Corruption [E] up to par with his Drain Life [W] build. Sgt. Hammer also received buffs for several talents to separate her different builds.

As for Chromie, the Slowing Sands [R1] ultimate got removed from ARAM games. According to the developers, ARAM can be frustrating to players because those maps contain less space to move around.

Author
Image of Amy Chen
Amy Chen
Amy Chen is an esports journalist and enthusiast who specializes in in-depth interviews and breaking news. A University of Toronto and Humber College graduate, she is passionate about building up the Canadian esports industry. Her current favorite games are Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, and she has always had a soft spot for World of Warcraft!