Guide to Battlegrounds

See also New Player Guide

Each battleground is set within the Nexus, and has mechanics and individuals unique to it. This page covers the very basics as an introduction for players new to the game, ranging from map awareness and laning/roaming to objectives and mercenaries.

Map Awareness

Simply put, map awareness in Heroes of the Storm refers to the degree to which a player is aware of what’s going on throughout the battleground through information gleaned from the minimap, which players can find in the lower-right corner of the screen. In addition to providing the location of teammates, the minimap reveals opponents’ positions while they are visible to the allied team. It will also indicate when objectives and Mercenary camps are available, and the status of all fortifications.

By regularly keeping an eye on the minimap, players are in a much better position to make informed decisions about where they should be focusing their efforts. Are there three enemy Heroes visible on the other side of the map? Maybe it’s time to team up and take down that half-health enemy fort.

Being armed with the information from the map is one significant component to congealing the efforts of a team, but it’s just as important to communicate that information. In addition to team chatting via text ([Enter] key), players can press [ALT] or [G] + [left-click] to issue ping notifications. If no direction is pulled, then the ping command will respond contextually to what is selected. For example, if a player pings a teammate, a message will be generated for the team that the player wishes to lend that hero assistance.

If players hold the ping button and left-click, then pull with the mouse – they will be provided a radial menu that allows for ‘defend’, ‘danger’, ‘on my way’, and ‘assist me’ notifications. Additionally, pressing [V] + [left-click] will issue a retreat ping to the point selected. These pings are simple and easy ways to help let a team know what the focus is, or where they should steer clear from.

Laning and Roaming

From levels 1-10, it is crucial to harvest as much experience (XP) as possible from the incoming waves of minions who advance from the enemy Core across the battlefield’s lanes. This early portion of the game is an extremely critical time, as the first team to reach level 10 will unlock their Heroic Ability.

It should also be noted that XP from downed minions is acquired so long as a Hero is within the general vicinity (approximately within vision range) of the defeated unit. This should prove helpful, especially for heroes who are soloing a lane that need to temporarily retreat to the safety of their own fort during an ambush. Heroes that have more survivability (ex: Sonya, Dehaka), or those who can apply global pressure through abilities that will let them quickly traverse the battleground (ex: Brightwing, Falstad), are great considerations for lanes that may need to be soloed.

In addition to slain minions, Heroes will also accrue XP by destroying opposing structures, acquiring mercenaries, and killing enemy Heroes.

Roaming refers to another strategy where instead of a focusing on a particular lane, one or more allies actively scout for easy enemy Hero kills and siege opportunities. While roaming, Heroes can hide in vision blockers, such as bushes or vents, to obscure their presence from other players until they strike. This is an especially effective strategy for capable assassins with great burst damage, who are hoping to surprise players who have wandered too far into enemy lane territory.

• Tip #1: Towers, Forts, and Keeps give large amounts of XP when destroyed. Look for opportunities to safely bring these down.

• Tip #2: There’s no need to worry about kill stealing. Killing Heroes, capturing Mercs, and destroying Structures will always grant XP to your team, no matter who landed the final blow. However, do keep in mind that your team will miss out on minion XP if no ally Heroes are in range when they die.

• Tip #3: Look for opportunities in lane to deny your opponent Regen Globes (dropped by caster minions in the center of a minion wave) when they’re low on health and mana, or punish your opponent if they extend too far to grab one.

Objectives

Battleground objectives are central points of conflict, where teams create advantage and opportunity for themselves. Whether it’s the Raven Lord’s Curse, which greatly weakens your opponents’ minions and structures, or cannon fire from Captain Blackheart’s ship, objectives shouldn’t be disregarded.

The objectives are powerful assets that can help a winning team to bolster its lead, or offer a team that’s trailing an opportunity to catch up. As they are so important to the course of battle in the Nexus, objective locations are typically where players find team fights happening. Make sure to listen for objective callouts from Battleground announcers, and keep an eye on the minimap to spot their locations.

• Tip #1: Sometimes, it makes more sense to give up an objective if the team would be at a talent or player disadvantage during the fight. Instead, consider using this opportunity to gain some experience or capture camps uncontested.

• Tip #2: In certain Battlegrounds like Hanamura and Towers of Doom, the objectives are essential for teams to bring down the enemy core, which cannot be assaulted otherwise.

Mercenaries

Most Battlegrounds feature powerful, neutral creatures, known as Mercenaries. These Mercenaries can aid a team by advancing down the lanes and attacking minions and fortresses, and there are yet other kinds of helpful Mercenary Camps which offer different bonuses.

Mercenaries, such as Siege mercs, Bruisers, and Bosses can help sow confusion for the opponent when objectives become available. Timing a Mercenary assault in this way will give pause to enemies who will then need to choose between clearing the incoming Mercenaries, or contesting the objective. Additionally, splitting the opponents’ defenses can help in a big push against opposing fortifications, as well as give a team more vision, and more control over the map.

• Tip #1: Mercenaries are not won by simply defeating the camp. Players must stand uncontested for a few seconds on the beacon that spawns after clearing the neutral mercs. If they don’t, a keen opponent can steal the camp away from a team.

• Tip #2: When capturing a Bruiser Camp, kill the Wizard first. He deals the most damage and has the lowest health.

• Tip #3: Defeating a Mercenary camp in the Hanamura battleground can yield dragon spirits which seek out enemy heroes, turrets for gunning down the enemy, or healing pulses which can restore the health and mana of a team.