The day that many have long awaited for has come. A new era of gaming has dawned as Garena Heroes of Newerth is proud to present the beginning of Open Beta! All players in the four integrated regions of HoN will be able to participate without the limitations of Beta keys. Join the never ending battle NOW!!
What you can expect in the Open Beta:
1. In Game Hero Guide
One of the most important features of the OBT Patch is the integrated hero guides. Hero guides are created, voted upon, and judged by the community, ensuring a large quantity of differing play styles and viewpoints for each hero. The integrated guides feature pulls the most highly rated guides from the site and sets them as default “templates” for how to play your hero. Hero guides feature a template for ability leveling, item suggestions for each stage of the game, and user-written instructions.
It also has the optional ability to automatically level up hero skills according to the guide and provides players with the coaching needed to enjoy and play any hero at a basic level, even those that a player may have no experience with. This lessens the burden of knowledge for new players. Advanced players may use the guide to create their own list of “favorite” items that are condensed onto a single page.
2. Redesigned Item Shop
HoN features over 100 items, which may be daunting for new players. To reduce the amount of time new players spend browsing the shop, the entire system has been redesigned to help them learn the intricacies of items. In addition to enhanced visuals and interface elements, dual modes, a re-hauled purchase interface, and intuitive item progression, the shop introduces an entirely new search function, letting players search for any item by name. Not only are the HoN names included, but common nicknames, slang, and even the names of DotA counterparts. For example if you search a DotA item BKB it directs you to the HoN equivelence Shrunken Head.
3. Match Making
You are now able to select whether to play individually (solo matchmaking) or with a team (team Matchmaking). Upon launching matchmaking, you will be queued up against players or teams with a similar skill level as yourself, eliminating the annoying situation of having imbalanced teams.
- Worried about leavers in your games? Well with matchmaking, once a players leaver percentage reaches a certain limit, he will be barred from participating in matchmaking games.
- Matchmaking also earns you Silver Coins which can be converted into various badges and icons for your account as well as alternate avatars to differentiate your hero from the rest.
- Your game stats will also be constantly recorded so you can track just how many times you have cleared an enemy team or gotten the first kill of the game.
4. New Hero
The Martyr can both protect and heal his allies, making him a welcome teammate in any situation. His usefulness extends beyond the defensive; the Martyr brings with him a game of brinksmanship, excelling in quickly creating surprise health swings in combat. And like any self-respecting Martyr, his death helps the cause.
Check out the spotlight video
HERE
Get HON installer
HERE
More details including a FAQ will be posted about open beta. Stay tuned!
