BlizzCon 2018 is underway and there is plenty that got announced during the opening ceremony. Whether you’ve been playing Overwatch for the past few years or Warcraft for the past decade or so, something was presented that you may enjoy. Unless you’re a StarCraft II fan. Not much really got announced on that front.
Heroes of the Storm Reveals Original Character Orphea to the Nexus
The new reveals began with Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard Entertainment’s MOBA that brings many of the developer’s fan-favorite characters together to clash in the Nexus. However, this time around, a brand new hero unique to HotS was revealed in the form of Orphea, a mid-ranged assassin who has some sort of connection with the Raven Lord.
World of Warcraft Classic Release Date Revealed, Summer 2019
One of the most anticipated releases has been World of Warcraft Classic. Bringing players back to the game’s vanilla days — some would call the golden age of the MMORPG (by some I mean me) — people seemed intrigued to either go back to the good ol’ days or see what it was like in the prehistoric era of WoW. That time is now coming fairly soon. In Summer of 2019, we’ll go back to those simpler times.
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth Cinematic “Lost Honor” Unveiled at BlizzCon
Closing off the World of Warcraft portion of the presentation was Lost Honor, a cinematic for the MMO’s newest expansion, Battle for Azeroth. By the cinematic’s end, we see Anduin let an imprisoned Saurfang leave his cell potentially leading to an alliance between the two once adversaries.
Blizzard Announces Warcraft III: Reforged with Cinematic Trailer
We may not have received some big Diablo announcement — like a new entry or remake — but we did get the first look at Warcraft III: Reforged, a remake of both Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne. New visuals and gameplay features will be implemented so it doesn’t feel too dated. It is expected to release in 2019.
New Overwatch Cinematic ‘Reunion’ Spotlights McCree and Reveals New Character
The newest animated cinematic focused on Overwatch‘s DPS cowboy, McCree and a dispute with the Deadlock Gang. The cinematic gives us a glimpse of how the Route 66 map got torn up in the first place. We also see what may become a future playable character with Echo, the sentient white robot. More importantly, we also got a look at the next playable character.
Cowgirl Ashe Joins Overwatch as Newest Playable Character
Yes, Ashe will be the next playable character to join the large Overwatch roster. Yet again, we get another damage hero but with some unique new abilities. Her primary weapon, The Viper, is a lever-action rifle that can be aimed down sights. Additionally, she carries a short-range shotgun that may not do much damage but knocks both the character and their opponent away from each other.
Lastly, for her ultimate ability, she summons her companion Bob, a cool robot who has a mustache and a bowler hat. When activated Bob will rush your opponents in front of you into the air and then start shooting away. What makes this particular ability unique is Bob almost acts as another player on the team; he can be healed and powered up just like another player.
HearthStone’s Newest Expansion Rastakhan Rumble Coming December 4
The popular competitive card game, Hearthstone, may have had a rocky start with its announcement but we eventually got it. Rastakhan’s Rumble will add another 135 cards and also feature a new keyword Overkill and card types like Spirits. It will release this year on December 4 and you can pre-order now.
Blizzard Announces Diablo Immortal, A Mobile Game
The very last announcement, and one that may have been unexpected for some came from the Diablo series. Diablo Immortal, a new mobile game, attempts to bring the fast, actiony gameplay to your portable mobile devices. This is somewhat in line with a post the devs published a few days back basically stating to temper expectations.
That was just about everything that was announced during the opening ceremony. Other announcements were made throughout the day like the Lego Overwatch sets and the free offer for Destiny 2. Make sure to check back on DualShockers for more of our BlizzCon coverage. If you want to check out the opening ceremony for yourself, look below.