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Another welcome two-lane map

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I really miss Haunted Mines in Heroes of the Storm, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be coming back anytime soon. As one of the premiere two-lane maps it was a joy to play, but the addition of Braxis Holdout (currently for testing in PTR) makes that the wait a lot more bearable.

In short, Braxis, a StarCraft level through and through, is another two-laner with a very simplistic setup and gimmick. There’s a boss in the middle, various merc camps fanning around it, and two objective pads — one at the top, and one at the bottom. At certain intervals players will need to stand on either pad and capture them (just light the sight pads on several maps, like Cursed Hollow), which will start accruing percentage points on a meter, signifying the addition of more Zerg in your pen. Once a team reaches 100% the pens pop and a giant wave is unleashed in a lane.

It’s a lot like when both Golems are going at it at once in Mines, as the system allows for both equal footing or lopsided rounds. Whereas most of the objectives are done “one at a time,” the refreshing double rush of Braxis is a blast, as you need to constantly assess the situation and either attack or defend on a dime. It also has the potential for snowballing though, so after some extensive testing I suspect we might see a few tweaks (fully charged Zerg rushes can be insanely powerful).

Braxis Holdout is expected to launch in mid-September once the PTR session is over, and will be followed by a second StarCraft map that’s built around the use of nukes. It’s an exciting time for Heroes of the Storm, and I’m loving most of the changes Blizzard has been making recently to the core game — even if I disagree every now and then on balancing.

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