Imperius now live in Heroes of the Storm PTR patch update

Despite some disappointing happenings with the esports efforts, Blizzard is continuing forward with Heroes of the Storm development and updates. There's a full 2019 roadmap of things to come and the first significant update is the arrival of new hero Imperius in the public test realm (PTR). The Leader of the Angiris Council and Aspect of Valor is playable today.

Imperius' fits into the Warrior archetype in the MOBA and his abilities are described as "exact and severe" in the Heroes of the Storm blog post for the new patch update. Here's a breakdown of all his abilities, which will certainly see some tweaks after testing in PTR:

Trait
- Valorous Brand
  - Each Basic Ability marks enemy Heroes hit for 10 seconds. Basic Attacks consume the target's marks, dealing 30% bonus damage per mark.
Basic Abilities
- Celestial Charge (Q)
  - Lunge towards a targeted direction and stab, dealing 35 damage. If an enemy Hero is hit, Channel to Stun for 1 second and deal 70 additional damage when it fully finishes.=
- Solarion’s Flare (W)
  - Release a fiery wave that deals 100 damage. Enemies hit by the center take 50 bonus damage and are Slowed by 40% for 3 seconds.
- Molten Armor (E)
  - Shroud Imperius in flames for 3 seconds, striking a nearby enemy for 19 damage every 0.25 seconds. Imperius heals for 100% of the damage dealt, with healing doubled versus Heroes.
Heroic Abilities
- Angelic Armaments (R)
  - Summon a ring of blazing swords that grants 1000 Shield for 3 seconds. If the Shield lasts the full duration, this ability can be reactivated within 5 seconds to launch 6 swords toward an area, each dealing 140 damage to the first enemy hit.
- Wrath of the Angiris (R)
  - After 0.75 seconds, charge in the target direction, lifting the first enemy Hero hit into the Heavens. While in the air, Imperius can steer the landing location by moving. After 2 seconds, slam the target into the ground, dealing 375 damage and Stunning them for 1 second.

There are also a few visual improvements being implemented for the boost system in and out of games in this patch for PTR. Check out the Heroes of the Storm 2019 roadmap and stay tuned to Shacknews for additional updates.