Welcome to the Nexus! MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) games are all the rage now. A lot of multi-million dollar tournaments have been set up because of it. And for a good reason, it’s entertaining and fun. Heroes of the Storm is Blizzard’s take on the MOBA genre, and they pulled out the big guns with it. Your gaming laptop will be perfect for this as it doesn’t require much to play.

Heroes of the Storm lets you use iconic characters from Blizzard’s flagship games. Raynor from Starcraft, Diablo from Diablo, the different classes from World of Warcraft and Diablo, and even Tracer from Overwatch. It’s a cooperative top-down real time strategy where you control one character as part of a team to destroy the opposing team’s base.

All you need to get started is a PC or a gaming laptop, and you’re ready to go. But, knowing the basics is always a great way to start.

The Heroes

In Heroes of the Storm, heroes are separated into four different archetypes: Assassins, Warriors, Supports, and Specialists. The goal of these categories is to let you build a balanced team that can cover all the bases needed to win. Generally speaking, a solid team wants at least one assassin, one support, and one Warrior.

In Heroes of the Storm or HotS, there are four different roles to fill your team: Assassins, Warriors, Support, and Specialists. It’s a good idea to learn a hero from each role so you can fill any lacking spots. A balanced team would need at least one assassin, one warrior, and one support.

Assassins

They are well-known for dishing out DPS (Damage Per Second). There is a fair share of ranged and melee assassins in the family. They deal a whole lot of damage but often they are built to on the soft side to make up for their high damage.

Warriors

They take in a lot of damage from having high health and abilities to reduce incoming damage. Most warriors are melee-based. They can be annoying because they are hard to put down and scare off softer enemies.

Support

These heroes are there for buffing and restoring the health of their allies. Some of them also have powers to give shields. They make assassins less fragile and warriors more frustrating.

If you don’t know who to pick, just go for a character that you’re familiar. That’s a good start.

Specialists

They are a balance of all the other classes. They are best suited for particular tasks, like controlling lanes or destroying structures.

The Battlegrounds

What sets HotS apart from other MOBA games is it’s unique maps that are all played in their own way. You can’t just fight through each side and battle your way to a win. Each map has a particular task that needs to be done (controlling points, gathering resources) and your team has to complete it ahead of the other team. Once done, it triggers a temporary effect that shifts the balance of power from special structures that attack your opponent’s base to transforming into a powerful creature that can wreak havoc for the other side.

Plus there are mercenary camps placed all over the different maps that can be attacked to generate special creeps that help you in your assault. Currently, there are nine randomly picked battlegrounds before every match.

Everything Else

Each match nets you and the character you used XP (experience points) that help increase your level. Whenever you level up, you get special prizes (gold or special custom options). Whenever you level up your character, they get additional talents (powers) and even skins. You have to buy your heroes using gold but every week there is a rotating list of five heroes to choose from. You can use the gold you get from matches or daily quests or buy gold with real money to get a hero that you really want or someone you’re familiar with already.

The Specs

So, what do you need to start your adventure in the Nexus? Easy. You need at least Windows XP/Vista for the OS, an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ processor, NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT, ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT, or Intel HD Graphics 3000 for video, 2GB RAM for memory and 15GB of free hard disk space.

These are things a gaming laptop can easily provide; definitely an inspiring reason to go out and get a new one for yourself. Playing anywhere with an Internet connection with no hassle is always a fantastic thing.