Heroes of the Storm free hero rotation and sales for November 10

It’s that time of the week again. Heroes of the Storm discounts many heroes and skins as well as rolls out 7 new heroes you can play for free during the week. We were told at BlizzCon this last weekend that the number will go up to 10 by the end of the year! Until then, let’s see what’s in store with the free hero rotation for the next seven days.

Three new heroes were announced at BlizzCon this week and the two-player, two-headed ogre Cho’Gall will roll out next week on to the live servers. If you attended BlizzCon or bought a Virtual Ticket, you automatically have him unlocked on Nov 17. Even if you don’t own him, you can play as one of the heads, Cho or Gall, if someone in your party owns him. If you win two games with him in that manner, he will unlock for you. He will unlock for purchase for everyone after January 1, 2016. The ranged/melee Assassin Genn Greymane and the mobile harasser Lunara will arrive after him, but we don’t have release dates just yet.

Also, if you’re hoping for the Arena Mode soon, unfortunately it’s been confirmed that won’t be launching until “much later next year.”

We’ll start out, as usual, with a note from our resident bard, Mitch:

Teleports, leaps, kicks,

Warriors, come out to play,

The Nexus calls you.

Now on to this week’s free heroes:

• Malfurion — check out our guide to Malfurion
• Valla — check out our guide to Valla
• Tyrael — check out our guide to Tyrael
• Thrall
• Chen
• Sgt. Hammer (Available after you reach player level 12)
• Lt. Morales (Available after you reach player level 15) — check out our guide to Lt. Morales

If you need a starting point, check out our assassin guide, specialist guide, support guide, and warrior guide for quick rundowns on each hero.

If you’re in the market for new heroes or skins, here’s what’s on sale this week:

• Sonya — 3.24 USD |3.19 EUR | 2.49 GBP
• Wrath Sonya Skin — 3.74 USD | 3.69 EUR | 2.70 GBP
• Insectoid Zagara Skin — 3.74 USD | 3.69 EUR | 2.70 GBP

And now, our team’s thoughts on this week’s free hero lineup:

Anna: I’m excited to see Morales! I haven’t purchased her because I tend to overextend, and she’s super squishy, while as a support she’s the first target. Conversely, it’s going to be a bit of a pain to see inexperienced Moraleses on my team, but I can help them out by body blocking and zoning on less fragile characters.

Anne: It’s only appropriate they follow Illidan with his brother right — I wonder if they’re going to cycle through everyone announced as being in Legion at BlizzCon?

Mitch: I don’t have as much personal experience with Malfurion, but I know he’s a pretty strong healer and his ultimate will keep the whole team alive during team fights as long as they’re close to you. His roots can also be incredibly deadly if paired with another hero who can time damage bursts accordingly.

Anna: I’m a little surprised they didn’t pack the rotation with Starcraft heroes this week… not a single freebie who can proclaim, ‘For AIUR’!

Mitch: Sonya I didn’t like at first. Then I played her some more and my opinion changed. She’s squishier than some Warriors, but her self-healing and AOE abilities make for some incredibly fun play. She’s much more like an Assassin than a Warrior, but that doesn’t mean she can’t take a hit here and there. Plus, she has a rage mechanic, which is different from most, if not all, other heroes in the game.

Anna: The only thing you need to know about Sonya is oooAAAHHHHH! Leap is a mediocre talent, but it’s just so freaking fun. Yell it with her every time you use it, and I guarantee that it’ll be the best round you’ve ever played. Your SO, cat, parents, etc who hear you will think you’re way too into it, but hey, sometimes there’s a price.

Mitch: Valla is a hell (heh) of a lot of fun and a pretty decent beginner Assassin. She can still do a lot of burst damage, but her vault ability makes her great at escaping and movement in general. Depending on your build, her autoattacking can be very powerful on its own, and her abilities just add to the damage.

Anna: Much like in WoW Thrall is kind of a weirdo. He can hang pretty well, but keeping an eye on his trait is absolutely crucial. If you mistime your abilities and heal to early (or too late!) he’s very easy to take down. If you can get it right, he’s really good at keeping on the pressure.

Mitch: Tyrael is my favorite Warrior because he is the best. He can deal decent AOE damage, move in and out of fights easily, speed up his allies, and provide much-needed shields. He’s not as tanky as some of the other Warriors, and doesn’t hit as hard, but he’s pretty much an all-around Warrior. The only department he noticeably lacks in is the mana management (MANAgement?) department. It’s pretty easy to run out when playing as him. Be sure to save at least enough mana to escape if you get caught off guard by the other team.

Anna: The Asia region agrees with Mitch that Tyrael is fab, but we saw what happened to that pick over the weekend (GO CLOUD9!).

Mitch: Chen, on the other hand, is a Warrior that is… well, he’s a bit of an oddball. He relies very heavily on his trait, which means a lot of attacking, pausing to drink beer (yup), attacking, pausing to drink beer, etc. Personally, I still found him really fun, but I know a lot of people who don’t like his playstyle. The most fun you can have with him, though, is leaping in foot-first for a kill on an enemy hero.

Anna: I still freaking love Hammer, who’s based on the StarCraft siege tanks. “If it isn’t ol’ Bama the Hamma’. They still let you drive that thing?” “Haha, how do you think they’re gonna stop me?”

This week’s freebies and sales should go live on Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 PST / 5:30 EST — until then, we’ll see you in the Nexus!