Heroes Of The Storm Getting Major Rework With Progression 2.0 System

Blizzard's MOBA title Heroes of the Storm is going to start looking a lot different next month. Today, Blizzard announced a fairly massive rework to Heroes of the Storm, called Progression 2.0. The launch of Progression 2.0 will begin a new era for the game known more broadly as Heroes of the Storm 2.0.

The biggest changes in Heroes of the Storm 2.0 largely revolve around the game's free-to-play systems. In the current version of the game, you have the option of buying new heroes, skins, and mounts with in-game gold or cash. Gold is earned by completing daily quests, leveling heroes, and playing games.

In Heroes of the Storm 2.0, however, Blizzard is adding a couple of different in-game currencies. Gold is hanging around, but it'll be joined by gems and shards. Gems are essentially the in-game equivalent of cash – you'll now have the option of spending gold or gems on new heroes, for instance. Shards, on the other hand, will be used to purchase skins and new cosmetic items like announcers, voice lines, sprays, and profile icons.

You can earn gems through playing the game or buying them with real-world money, but how do you earn shards? You'll find those in loot chests, another new feature being added to the game. Every time you level up one of your heroes, you'll be given loot chests of varying rarity. For instance, you get a common loot chest every level, while rare and epic chests drop every 10 and 25 levels respectively.

Sometimes you'll be given shards as one of the four items in your loot chests, but you'll also be awarded shards whenever you get a duplicate item in a chest too. Those who have played Overwatch will be familiar with this process, which rewards credits for loot box pulls you already own. You can watch Heroes of the Storm game director Alan Dabiri explain these changes in more depth in the video below.

Beyond all of that, though, Blizzard also revealed a brand new hero who will soon be entering the Nexus. The video posted below previews Cassia, more commonly known as the Amazon from Diablo 2. She's a ranged assassin with an interesting trait that gives her armor as long as she's moving around on foot, which should make her difficult to kill as long as she stays mobile.

What has been revealed today is just the beginning, though. Blizzard has much more to reveal as we head through the next few weeks, including a couple of new heroes and a new battleground. For dates on when we can expect those reveals, you can check this handy little timeline Blizzard has put together.

Though there's no specific release date for Heroes of the Storm 2.0, it's entering beta today. Blizzard's timeline suggests that it will launch either on or around April 18, but we'll need to wait until we're closer to that date to find out more.

So, how about it, Heroes players? Does this seem like a good rework, or does it leave something to be desired? Head down to the comments section and let us know what you think!