The latest Heroes of the Storm PTR patch contains Winter Veil, Ragnaros, and more

The Feast of Winter Veil is almost here, meaning that things are going to be somewhat chilled in Heroes of the Storm for the next few weeks. Sorry, did I say chilled? I meant FIERY HOT and DIE INSECT. That’s right, Ragnaros the Firelord is coming to the Nexus, and as you’d expect, he’s packing heat!

He’s not due for a little while still unfortunately. If you’d like to take Ragnaros out for a spin now though, or get started on your Winter Veil celebrations early for that matter, I’d suggest you download the latest Heroes of the Storm PTR patch. It contains both of those, and more.

First up, Winter Veil 2016. What gifts do Blizzard have in-store for the Heroes of the Storm community?

• 25% XP Bonus
  • The XP bonus begins at 10:00 a.m. PST on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 until 10:00 a.m. PST Tuesday, January 4, 2017.
• Winter Veil Event Quest
  • Quest: Play 25 games in any matchmaking mode (Co-op vs. A.I., Quick Match, Unranked Draft, or Ranked)
  • Rewards: Special Snowflake Portrait and Festive Treasure Goblin Mount.

Not bad, not bad at all! Remember though, games played in the PTR will not count toward your progress in the main game client. Personally, I think I’m going to wait for the official patch before I go about tackling that Winter Veil event quest.

Next up we have the big bad himself – good ol’ Ragnaros! He was announced for the MOBA back at BlizzCon in November, and now, he’s finally playable.

As the lord of Azeroth’s fire elementals, Ragnaros desires nothing more than to burn the world to ash. Banished to the Firelands eons ago, the Firelord now turns his rage toward the Nexus, intent on incinerating everything and everyone within it.

Trait

• Molten Core (D)
  • Channel on an Allied or destroyed Fort or Keep to replace it with Ragnaros’ Ultimate Form, temporarily gaining new Abilities, and a significant amount of Health that burns away over 18 seconds.
  • Ragnaros returns to his normal form upon losing all Health during Molten Core.

Basic Abilities

Empower Sulfuras (Q)

• Ragnaros’ next Basic Attack is instant, dealing Ability Damage in an area around the target, and Healing Ragnaros for 20% of the damage dealt. Healing is doubled for damage dealt to Heroes.

Living Meteor (W)

• Summon a meteor at the target point that deals damage on impact, and then rolls in the target direction and deals additional damage every second for 1.75 seconds.

Blast Wave (E)

• Ignite Ragnaros or target Ally, granting 25% bonus Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds before exploding, dealing damage to nearby enemies.

Molten Core Form Abilities

Molten Swing (Q)

• Swing Sulfuras in a wide arc, dealing damage and stunning enemies for 1 second. Damage increased by 25% versus Minions and Mercenaries.

Meteor Shower (W)

• Summon 3 meteors at the target point that fall in the target direction. Each meteor deals damage and slows enemies by 25% for 2 seconds. Damage increased by 25% versus Minions and Mercenaries.

Explosive Rune (E)

• Create a rune that explodes after 1.5 seconds, dealing damage to non-Structure enemies in a circular area. Damage increased by 25% versus Minions and Mercenaries.

Heroic Abilities

Sulfuras Smash (R)

• Hurl Sulfuras at the target area, landing after 0.75 seconds and dealing damage to enemies hit. Enemies caught in the center of the impact area take triple damage and are Stunned for 0.5 seconds.

Lava Wave (R)

• Release a wave of lava from the allied Core that travels down the target lane, dealing massive damage every second to non-Structure enemies and instantly killing enemy Minions in its path. Damage doubled versus enemy Heroes.

But wait, there’s more! The PTR patch also contains a rework of the Haunted Mines battleground:

• Grave Golems now spawn in fixed positions in each lane, and switch lanes each time they are summoned.
• The layout of the Underground Mines has been reworked, and the Neutral Grave Golem can now be found at its center.
• The upper level’s center area has been reworked:
  • Additional Mine Entrances have been placed to the East and West of the Battleground’s center area, for a total of 4.
  • A Mercenary Camp has been placed near each Mine Entrance, featuring Siege Giants at the East and West Entrances, and Sappers in the North and South.

On top of all this comes a whole lot of hero changes. I’d list them all here, but it’s all a little too lengthy I’m afraid. If you’d like to read up on everything in more detail, I’d suggest you head over to the official PTR patch page.

If you couldn’t be bothered with the PTR, don’t worry, all of the above will make its way into Heroes of the Storm in the very near future. The official patch should be out on December the 12th or so if I’m not mistaken.

Last Updated: December 6, 2016