Latest patch brings new buffs, new battlegrounds, and a new hero

Orange text is the new hotness in the Nexus as it indicates what changes have been made since the PTR. Alarak and Anub'arak buffs are just the beginning!

Warhead Junction is the newest battleground to grace the Nexus and is the last battleground in the Machines of War patch to be added to the game. Unlike Braxis Holdout, Warhead Junction is an open battlefield with little choke points and tons of merc camps.

The objective is most similar to Blackhearts Bay, as players can hold, drop, and use the Nukes on their on volition, seperate from their team. 

Braxis Holdout, the battleground introduced with Alarak, has had the early snowball issues fixed with the following balance changes:
 

• All Zerg Units have received the following changes:
   
  • Early-game damage scaling significantly reduced
  • Mid-game damage scaling slightly reduced
  • Late-game damage scaling moderately increased
     
• Banelings
  • Base damage increased by 20%
• Hydralisks
  • Base damage increased by 25%
• Guardians
  • Base damage increased by roughly 17%
• Ultralisks
  • Base damage increased by 20%

 

These changes will make the early game objectives less impactful, and late game ones more impactful. Considering the only real problem with Braxis Holdout was how easy it was to snowball, these changes are nothing positive.

New heroes in need of Buffs

Chromie, Guldan and Alarak have all been buffed. But one hero in particular seems to be getting all the hype:



Chromie:

Stats

• Base maximum Health increased from 1260 to 1323
• Health regen increased from 2.63 to 2.76

Abilities

• Sand Blast (Q)
  • Range increased by 6%
• Dragon's Breath (W)
  • Range increased by 6%
• Temporal Loop (R)
  • Range decreased by 8%

Talents

• Level 13
  • ?Reaching Through Time (Passive)
    • ???Range bonus decreased from 25 to 15%

 

Guldan:

Abilities
 

• Life Tap (Trait)
  • ?Base self-inflicted damage decreased from 234 to 222
• Fel Flame (Q)
  • Increased base size by 5%
• Drain Life (W)
  • Base healing increased from 43 to 47
• Corruption (E)
  • Cooldown reduced from 16 to 14 seconds
  • Mana cost reduced from 90 to 80

Talents

• Level 1
  • Echoed Corruption (E)
    • Quest completion requirement increased from 35 to 40 Heroes hit by Corruption
• Level 4
  • Health Funnel (W)
    • Cooldown reduction gained when an enemy dies under the effects of Drain Life changed from 7 seconds to a full cooldown reset

 

Alarak:

Abilities
 

• Discord Strike (Q)
  • Mana cost reduced from 60 to 55
• Lightning Surge (E)
  • Mana cost reduced from 40 to 30
  • Damage increased from 90 to 100
  • Width increased by 50%
• Counter-Strike (R)
  • Damage increased from 250 to 275
  • Added Functionality:
    • Now grants Alarak Unstoppable for its duration

Talents

• Level 1
  • Power Conduit (E)
    • Mana cost reduction decreased from 15 to 10
  • Wide Lightning (E)
    • ?Removed
• Level 7
  • Thunderstruck (E)
    • Slow duration increased from 1.5 to 2 seconds
• Level 13
  • Hindered Motion (W)
    • Slow duration increased from 1.5 to 2 seconds

In addition to these heroes, Valla, Tychus, and Li-Li have also been given some hefty buffs.

You can check out the full list of patch changes here. With all of these changes, it sounds like Zarya's big day is being taken over by Valla's superiority.