Heroes of the Storm May 2025 Update Sparks Excitement Before 10-Year Anniversary

Summary

Heroes of the Storm released a major update with hero reworks, bug fixes, and changes to Storm League rankings.
The update includes significant changes to heroes like Ana, Azmodan, Genji, E.T.C., and more.
Rank decay now only affects Master and Grand Master ranks in Storm League, with stricter party composition rules.

In May 2025, Heroes of the Storm has rolled out a substantial update featuring adjustments to several hero abilities, bug corrections, and modifications to the Storm League rankings and matchmaking system. These changes are currently active within Heroes of the Storm, happening just a few weeks prior to its 10-year anniversary celebration.

Despite being placed in maintenance mode back in July 2022, Blizzard surprised fans by issuing a balance adjustment and bug fixes for their MOBA, Heroes of the Storm, about a year later. Since then, the game has received new patches at regular intervals, with the most recent one rolled out last March.

A fresh update for the game “Heroes of the Storm” has just been rolled out by Blizzard Entertainment, introducing some thrilling alterations across multiple characters. Notably, Ana, Azmodan, and Genji have received additional functionality in certain base abilities and talents. Characters like E.T.C. and Lunara now boast new talent choices, while Imperius underwent significant changes, particularly to his core talents. In contrast, characters such as Auriel, Malthael, and Zagara experienced more modest updates, including tweaks to the strength of their existing abilities in terms of numerical adjustments.

Apart from making balance adjustments, the creators of “Heroes of the Storm” have eliminated numerous bugs across multiple maps and characters. In the competitive Storm League, rank decay will only affect Master and Grand Master ranks, which now require stricter team compositions. Additionally, players can expect a few extra tweaks like Anduin, the main character from “World of Warcraft”, being featured as the allied hero in Try Me Mode instead of Malfurion.

This specific announcement is significant as June 2nd marks a decade since the debut of “Heroes of the Storm”. Many enthusiasts have been anticipating a comeback of “Heroes of the Storm” to commemorate this milestone, particularly following Microsoft’s purchase of Blizzard. However, no details have been disclosed as of yet. If “Heroes of the Storm” is preparing something for its anniversary, fans should stay tuned for further updates in the coming weeks.

Players eager to expand their hero lineup in Blizzard’s MOBA, “Heroes of the Storm,” are in for a treat! Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers playing “HotS” will now get 30 heroes gratis, which represents approximately one-third of the total roster. Heroes like Varian, Tassadar, and the Lost Vikings are included in this offer. By taking advantage of this benefit, players can save a substantial amount of in-game gold that would otherwise be needed to unlock these characters. Therefore, if you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber and enjoy “Heroes of the Storm,” don’t pass up on this fantastic free perk!

Heroes of the Storm Patch Notes â May 15, 2025

Our next Heroes of the Storm patch is live! Read on for more information.

NOTE: Italicized text indicates a change between PTR and Live notes.

General

Anduin has replaced Malfurion as the Ally hero in Try Me Mode.
Numerous game strings have been updated to reflect current gameplay.
Updated Homescreen and Startup Music.

Storm League

Rank Decay will now only apply to players in Master and Grand Master Leagues.
Reduced maximum party size for Master and Grand Master players to 2.
Master and Grand Masters can only party with players 5,000 Rank Points away from them.

Balance Update

Heroes

Ana
- Base
  - Biotic Grenade [W]
    - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: If Biotic Grenade does not hit any enemies, its cooldown is reduced by 3 seconds.
    - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: If Biotic Grenade only hits Ana, its cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds.
- Talents
  - Level 1
    - Vampiric Rounds
      - Shrike now gives a 15% passive healing bonus.
  - Level 20
    - Deadeye
      - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: Eye of Horus can now be toggled On and Off.
      - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: Eye of Horus rounds are regained once every 10 seconds.
      - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: Eye of Horus cooldown is now 6 seconds.
      - Bonuses acquired from Deadeye now lasts 4 seconds.
Auriel
- Base
  - Bestow Hope [Trait D]
    - Reduced amount of energy stored from 40% to 35% of damage to non-Heroes.
    - Reduced amount of energy stored from 80% to 70% of damage to Heroes.
Azmodan
- Talents
  - Level 16
    - Trample
      - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: Now reduces Heroic cooldown by 25% if Trample hits a Hero.
E.T.C.
- Base
  - Face Melt [W]
    - Cooldown reduced from 12 to 10 seconds.
  - Rockstar [Trait D]
    - Armor from Basic Abilities increased from 20 to 25.
    - Armor from Heroic Abilities reduced from 60 to 50.
- Talents
  - Level 4
    - Crowd Surfer
      - Cooldown reduction reduced from 7 to 6 seconds.
  - Level 7
    - Hammer-on
      - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: Basic Attacks deal 12% more damage, increased to 36% while Guitar Solo is active.
  - Level 13
    - Encore
      - Cooldown reduction reduced from 5% to 4%.
  - Level 20
    - Power of the Horde
      - NEW TALENT: Activate to grant nearby allied Heroes a Shield that absorbs damage equal to 30% of their maximum Health for 5 seconds, increased by 2% for each other allied Hero in the area. This new Talent replaces Storm Shield.
    - Ride the Lightning
      - NEW TALENT: Activate to teleport to a nearby location and deal 48 damage to nearby enemy Heroes. The cooldown is reduced by 10 seconds for every enemy Hero hit, up to 50 seconds.
Genji
- Talents
  - Level 1
    - Pathfinder
      - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: Heroic Ability now heals Genji for 10% of the damage dealt to enemy Heroes, increased by up to 30% based on how low Genji’s Health is.
  - Level 10
    - X-Strike
      - Cooldown increased from 60 seconds to 75 seconds.
      - Detonation damage increased from 275 to 290.
      - Slash damage increased from 135 to 145.
  - Level 13
    - Shingan
      - Now does 40% less damage to Structures.
  - Level 20
    - Living Weapon
      - Cooldown reduction increased from 10 seconds to 12.5 seconds.
Imperius
- Base
  - Molten Armor [E]
    - Now hits two extra targets if no Heroes are in range.
- Talents
  - Level 1
    - Impaling Light
      - REWORK: Impaling Light cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds.
      - REWORK: Impaling Light does 180% more damage to Heroes, reduced by 20% for each additional Hero hit.
      - REWORK: Impaling Light mana cost is reduced from 40 to 30.
      - REWORK: When a Valorous Branded target’s Stun ends, Impaling Light’s cooldown is reduced by 1 second for each Valorous Brand on the target.
  - Level 7
    - Blaze of Glory
      - Blaze of Glory delay reduced from 2 seconds to 1.75 seconds.
    - Holy Fervor
      - Molten Armor no longer grants Holy Fervor.
  - Level 20
    - Heavenly Host
      - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: All Shields created by Angelic Armaments no longer expire.
      - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: Swords fired by Heavenly Host Shields can target non-Heroes, but Heroes are prioritized.
    - Molten Wrath
      - NEW TALENT: Molten Armor will now hit two extra targets even if enemy Heroes are in range.
Lunara
- Talents
  - Level 7
    - Splintered Spear
      - ADDED FUNCTIONALITY: Now grants 3 stacks of Splintered Spear. A stack is consumed when an extra target is attacked. Can have a maximum of 3 stacks and all stacks can be consumed in a single attack.
  - Level 13
    - Endless Spores
      - Now also refunds 50 Mana.
  - Level 20
    - For The Wildlands!
      - NEW TALENT: Thornwood Vine now shoots out 4 additional Vines in an arc.
    - Forest’s Wrath
      - Can now be selected with either Heroic.
Malthael
- Base
  - Wraith Strike [W]
    - Range is increased from 6 to 7.
- Talents
  - Level 4
    - Black Harvest
      - Quest goal reduced from 180 seconds to 150 seconds.
  - Level 10
    - Tormented Souls
      - No longer resets the cooldown of Wraith Strike when Tormented Souls ends.
      - Now reduces the cooldown of Wraith Strike to 2 seconds and removes its Mana cost while Tormented Souls is active.
  - Level 20
    - Reaper of Souls
      - While 2 or more enemy Heroes are in Tormented Souls’ radius, its duration does not decay.
Zagara
- Talents
  - Level 16
    - Corrosive Saliva
      - Damage reduced from 1.75% to 1.5% of maximum Health.

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed an issue with the display priority for the duration bar of Taunt effects.

Map

Battlefield of Eternity
- Fixed an issue where areas of the map were not covered under Fog of War.
Blackheart’s Bay
- Fixed an issue where some Heroes would not be able to path around Healing Fountains.
Cursed Hollow
- Fixed an issue where Hogger could go through unpathable sections of the map.
Warhead Junction
- Fixed an issue where healing fountains were not symmetrical on the map.