Blizzard released a new Live patch for Heroes of the Storm and here are the official Patch Notes with all the changes.
Heroes of the Storm Live Patch Notes – September 28, 2026
Our next Heroes of the Storm patch is live! Read on for more information.
NOTE: Orange text indicates a change between PTR and Live notes.
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New Hero: Xal’atath
Xal’atath has arrived in the Nexus!
Base
- Shadow Mark [Q]
- Shoot a single Void Orb that deals 75 damage to enemies hit, and an additional 150 damage to enemies in the center.
- If an enemy Hero or Structure is hit by the center, they are marked for 4 seconds.
- Targets afflicted by Shadow Mark are Revealed and draw the Dark Heart and Void Minions towards them.
- Dark Heart Ritual [W]
- Summon the Dark Heart, which pulses for 50 damage per second to nearby enemies and lasts 8 seconds.
- The Dark Heart moves to Shadow Mark’s impact location.
- The Dark Heart will pursue targets afflicted by Shadow Mark and detonates on impact, dealing 305 damage to nearby enemies and an additional 150 more damage to the Marked target.
- Void Step [E]
- Cast to teleport Xal’atath 3 times in a triangular pattern.
- Each time Xal’atath teleports, her Basic Attacks deal 10% more damage while the Ability is active.
- Reactivate to end Void Step early and remain at the current location.
- Weapon Bonus Damage caps at +30%.
- Void Volley [Trait]
- After attacking enemies with her Basic Attacks 5 times, Xal’atath can activate Void Volley to unleash a barrage of 6 Void Orbs at a target location, each dealing 90 damage on impact.
- Charge fully decays if Xal’atath does not hit an enemy with a Basic Attack after 6 seconds.
- Quest: Hit enemy Heroes with Void Volley to grant 1 stack per hit increases Void Volley damage by 1%. Lose all stacks upon dying.
- Reward (20 Stacks): Increase Void Volley’s range by 2. Upon death, Xal’atath now only loses 6 stacks, but cannot fall below her current milestone minimum
- Reward (60 Stacks): Void Volley requires 1 fewer Basic Attack to charge Void Volley.
- Mythic Reward (100 Stacks): Increase Basic Attack and Void Volley damage by 50%. Void Volley projectiles Pierce all targets.
- Stack loss will never cause the Hero to fall below a quest reward threshold.
Talents
- Level 1
- Void Adept
- Quest: Detonate the Dark Heart on targets afflicted by Shadow Mark.
- Each successful detonation permanently increases Shadow Mark and the Dark Heart Ritual Detonation damage by 25, up to 20 times
- Anchored Core
- Increase Dark Heart’s area by 50% and duration by 25%.
- Dark Heart’s damage bounces 2 times from the primary target to nearby enemies, dealing 25 damage.
- Cloak of Shadows
- Activating Void Step grants 50% Movement Speed and 25 Spell Armor for 2 seconds. This bonus refreshes each time Xal’atath teleports.
- Void Adept
- Level 4
- Cold Feet
- Increase Shadow Mark’s duration by 1 second.
- Heroes afflicted by Shadow Mark have their Movement Speed reduced by 25%.
- Dark Barrier
- Each time Dark Heart damages an enemy, Xal’atath gains a Shield equal to 2% of her maximum Health, up to 10%.
- Void Acolyte
- Completing Void Step fully charges Void Volley.
- The next Void Volley deals 50% increased damage and costs no Mana.
- Cold Feet
- Level 7
- Toxic Mark
- Increase Shadow Mark’s duration by 1 second.
- Heroes afflicted with Shadow Mark have their Armor reduced by 15 and take damage equal to 1% of their maximum Health every second.
- Silence of the Lamb
- Activating Void Step summons a seal of void magic on the ground. When the seal completes, it deals 250 damage to enemies inside and Silences them for 2 seconds.
- Void Summoner
- Activating Void Step summons a single Void Minion in Xalatath’s original position. Void Minions are attracted to targets afflicted by Shadow Mark.
- Void Minions automatically choose a nearby lane to push.
- Void Minion Basic Attacks deal 95 damage per hit. Void Minions lose Health over 15 seconds.
- Toxic Mark
- Level 10
- Void Eruption [R]
- Channel a single powerful Void Orb that grows over time until reaching maximum size after 2 seconds. Recast to launch the Orb early.
- Enemies that come into contact with the Orb take up to 112 damage and are Blinded for 1 second.
- When the Orb reaches the end of its path, it detonates in a large explosion, dealing 400 damage.
- Charging up this Ability increases its contact damage up to 175 and its explosion damage up to 700.
- Contact damage is dealt every 0.25 seconds.
- Void Convergence [R]
- After channeling for 2 seconds, summon a Void Portal that spawns up to 3 Void Minions to attack nearby enemies.
- You can have up to 1 active Void Portal.
- Enemies near the Void Portal are Slowed by 25%.
- Void Minions automatically choose a nearby lane to push.
- Void Minions are attracted to targets afflicted by Shadow Mark.
- The Portal expires after 12 seconds.
- Void Minion Basic Attacks deal 56 damage per hit.
- Void Minion loses Health over 12 seconds.
- Void Eruption [R]
- Level 13
- Pull of the Dark Heart
- Enemies damaged by the Dark Heart Ritual are Slowed by 10% for each pulse, stacking up to 5 times and decaying over 2 seconds.
- Dark Heart’s Protection
- Casting Dark Heart Ritual Silences enemies inside its radius for 1 second.
- Xal’atath and allied Heroes gain 30 Spell Armor while inside Dark Heart’s radius.
- Crushing Cascade
- Enemies hit by Void Volley are Slowed by 6% for 2 seconds per projectile, up to 50%.
- Pull of the Dark Heart
- Level 16
- Marked Resilience
- Basic Attacks against enemy targets afflicted by Shadow Mark grant a 180 point Shield that rapidly decays.
- Relentless Whispers
- While Void Step is active, Xal’atath’s Basic Attack Speed is increased by 150%.
- Fractured Reality
- Increase Void Volley projectile damage by 25%.
- Void Volley projectiles leave a trail of fire for 3 seconds, constantly dealing 9 damage to enemies.
- Damage is increased the longer a target stands in the flame.
- Damage is dealt every 0.1875 seconds.
- Damage increases up to 300%.
- Damage increase from multiple fires stack.
- Marked Resilience
- Level 20
- Harbinger’s Consumption
- Void Eruption splits into 3 orbiting Void Orbs. Each enemy Hero hit by their explosions reduces Void Eruption’s cooldown by 14 seconds.
- Rift Invasion
- Void Convergence’s Void Portal no longer has a life duration, raises the active Void Portal limit to 2, and can spawn and sustain up to 4 Void Minions.
- Dueling Orbs
- Gain 1 additional Shadow Mark charge.
- Shadow Mark has a 3 second cooldown between uses.
- Unstable Core
- When the Dark Heart expires or detonates on an enemy Hero afflicted by Shadow Mark, it leaves behind a pool of void flames for 5 seconds.
- Enemies in the flames take 45 damage over time.
- The flames deal damage every 1 second.
- Paradox Loop
- After completing Void Step, Xal’atath immediately performs a second Void Step in the opposite direction. Added effects are triggered again.
- Harbinger’s Consumption
Collection
- New Bundle: Dark Twilight Xal’atath Bundle
- Xal’atath Hero
- Twilight Xal’atath Skin
- Sin’dorei Phoenix Mount
- Xal’atath Hero
General
- Updated Homescreen and Startup Music.
- Added the ability to ping your Healing Fountain cooldown.
Map Updates
- Garden of Terror
- Shambler Health and damage now begin 25% below their previous values and gradually return to their previous values over the course of the match.
Balance Update
Heroes
Abathur
Talents
- Level 13
- Bombard Strain
- Health decay reduction lowered from 50% to 40%.
- Bombard Strain
- Level 16
- Survival Instincts
- Now provides 50% damage reduction against non-Heroes, instead of +100% Health.
- Survival Instincts
Alexstrasza
Base
- Health increased from 1698 to 1780.
Talents
- Level 1
- Flames of Fury
- Mythic Reward requirement reduced from 40 extra hits without dying to 30.
- Flames of Fury
- Level 16
- Overprotective
- Shield reduced from 70% of healing to 50%.
- Overprotective
Garrosh
Talents
- Level 1
- Unrivaled Strength
- Damage bonus reduced from 125% to 75%.
- Unrivaled Strength
- Level 4
- In For The Kill
- Damage bonus increased from 70% to 100%.
- In For The Kill
- Level 7
- Oppressor
- Spell Power reduction decreased from 30% to 25%.
- Oppressor
- Level 13
- Bloodcraze
- Heal duration increased from 3 seconds to 4 seconds. Total healing remains the same.
- Double Up
- Armor duration increased from 3 seconds to 5 seconds.
- Bloodcraze
Mal’Ganis
Base
- Night Rush [E]
- Cast time reduced from 0.75 seconds to 0.625 seconds.
- Vampiric Touch [D]
- Healing based on damage against Heroes increased from 45% to 50%.
- Healing based on damage against non-Heroes increased from 10% to 15%.
Qhira
Base
- Blood Rage [W]
- Damage bonus per stack decreased from 0.25% to 0.2%.
- Blood Rage base damage per tick lowered from 8 to 7.
Talents
- Level 1
- Fatal Wounds
- Damage bonus against low Health targets increased from 50% to 70%.
- Fatal Wounds
- Level 13
- Pulsing Pain
- Damage increased from 135 to 150.
- Pulsing Pain
- Level 16
- Lingering Ailment
- Armor reduction decreased from -35 to -25.
- Lingering Ailment
Whitemane
Base
- Desperate Plea [Q]
- Base mana cost increased from 40 to 45. Mana scaling with each use is unchanged.
Talents
- Level 7
- Intercession
- Cooldown increased from 60 to 75 seconds.
- Intercession
- Level 16
- Radiance
- Healing increased from 175 to 190.
- Radiance
Yrel
Base
- Vindication [Q]
- Mana cost increased from 50 to 65.
Talents
- Level 13
- Aldor Peacekeeper
- Damage reduction increased from 40% to 50%.
- Damage reduction duration increased from 3 seconds to 4 seconds.
- Velen’s Chosen
- Damage bonus per stack decreased from 10% to 8%.
- Stacks increased from 3 to 4.
- Aldor Peacekeeper
- Level 20
- Seraphim
- Cooldown increased from 20 to 30 seconds.
- Seraphim
Bug Fixes
Maps
- Volskaya Foundry
- Fixed an issue where the fort walls on one side had more Health than the other. The game is now balanced…
Heroes
- Anduin
- Fixed an issue that caused Leap of Faith to be delayed when cast on Rooted Heroes.
- Malfurion
- Fixed an issue where Entangling Roots would not continuously root enemies within its area.
- Fixed an issue that prevented Entangling Roots from applying on first contact.
- Ragnaros
- Fixed an issue that caused Heroic Difficulty granted 25% more damage and duration.
- Cooldown on Molten Core when Heroic Difficulty is selected decreased from 90 seconds to 70 seconds.
- Xul
- Fixed an issue where Xul’s skeletons were sometimes not dealing damage.
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