Heroes of the Storm PTR Patch Notes - September 14, 2026

Our next Heroes of the Storm patch has just hit the Public Test Realm and will be available for playtesting. As always, if you encounter any bugs during your PTR play sessions, please stop by the PTR Bug Report forum to let us know about your experiences.

Quick Navigation:

• New Hero
• General
• Map Updates
• Balance Update
• Bug Fixes

New Hero: Xal'atath

Xal'atath has arrived in the Nexus!

Base

• Shadow Mark [Q]
  • Shoot a single Void Orb that deals 45 damage to enemies hit. Enemies hit by the center take an additional 90 damage.
  • Enemy Heroes directly hit are Marked for 4 seconds.
  • Marked Heroes are Revealed and draw the Dark Heart and Void Minions toward them.
• Void Step [W]
  • Cast to teleport Xal'atath 3 times in a triangular pattern.
  • Each time Xal'atath teleports, her Basic Attacks deal +25% damage while the ability is active.
  • Reactivate to end Void Step early and remain at the current location.
• Dark Heart Ritual [E]
  • Summon the Dark Heart, which pulses for 35 damage per second to nearby enemies for 8 seconds.
  • The Dark Heart moves to Shadow Mark's impact location.
  • The Dark Heart pursues Marked Heroes and detonates on impact, dealing 120 damage to nearby enemies and an additional 60 damage to the Marked target.
• Void Volley [Trait]
  • Void Volley is charged by Xal'atath's Basic Attacks. Unleash a barrage of Void Orbs at a target location, each dealing 99 damage on impact.
  • Quest: Hit enemy Heroes with Void Volley. Each Hero hit grants 1 stack and increases all Void damage by .1%. Xal'atath loses all stacks when killed
    • Reward (30 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 (55 Stacks): Void Volley requires 1 fewer Basic Attack to charge Void Volley.
    • Mythic Reward (90 Stacks): Increase Void Attack and Ability damage by 50%. Void Volley projectiles Pierce all targets.

Talents

• Level 1
  • Anchored Core
    • Increase Dark Heart's area by 50% and duration by 50%.
    • Dark Heart's damage bounces 2 times from the primary target to nearby enemies, dealing 18 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.
  • Toxic Mark
    • Increase Shadow Mark's duration by 1 second.
    • Damage over time dealt to Marked Heroes is increased to 1% of their maximum Health. Marked enemies have -15 Armor while Marked.
• Level 4
  • 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
    • Increase Shadow Mark's duration by 1 second.
    • Marked enemies are Slowed by 25%.
• Level 7
  • Void Summoner
    • Activating Void Step summons a single Void Minion in its center. Void Minions are attracted to Shadow Marked Heroes.
    • Void Minion Basic Attacks deal 95 damage per hit. Void Minions lose Health over 30 seconds.
  • Void Adept
    • Quest: Detonate the Dark Heart on Marked enemy Heroes to increase Shadow Mark's damage by 5 each time a target is hit, up to 100 additional damage.
  • Silence of the Lamb
    • Activating Void Step summons a seal of Void magic on the ground. When the seal completes, it deals 99 damage to enemies inside and Silences them for 2 seconds.
• 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 175 damage and are Blinded for 1 second.
    • When the Orb reaches the end of its path, it detonates in a large explosion, dealing up to 700 damage.
    • The Orb deals contact damage every 0.125 seconds.
  • Void Convergence [R]
    • After channeling for 2 seconds, summon a Void Portal that spawns up to 4 Void Minions to attack nearby enemies.
    • Enemies near the Void Portal are Slowed by 25%.
    • Void Minions are attracted to Shadow Marked Heroes.
    • The Portal loses health over 20 seconds.
• Level 13
  • Crushing Cascade
    • Enemies hit by Void Volley are Slowed by 6% for 2 seconds per projectile, up to 50%.
  • Dark Heart's Protection
    • Casting Dark Heart Silences enemies inside its radius for 1 second.
    • Xal'atath and allied Heroes gain 30 Spell Armor while inside Dark Heart's radius.
  • Relentless Whispers
    • While Void Step is active, Xal'atath's Basic Attack rate is increased by 200%.
• Level 16
  • Pull of the Dark Heart
    • Linked enemies are Slowed by 10% for each pulse, stacking up to 5 times and decaying over 2 seconds.
  • Marked Resilience
    • Basic Attacks against Marked Heroes grant a 480 point Shield that rapidly decays.
  • Fractured Reality
    • Increase Void Volley projectile damage by 25%.
    • Void Volley projectiles leave a trail of fire along their path for 3 seconds, dealing 15 damage over time.
    • The trail deals damage every 1 second.
• Level 20
  • Harbinger's Consumption
    • Xal'atath's Void Eruption splits into 3 orbiting Void Orbs.
    • Cancelling the ability early causes the orbs to travel faster.
  • Rift Invasion
    • Void Convergence's Portal no longer loses health over time and can spawn and sustain up to 6 Void Minions.
  • Dueling Orbs
    • Gain 1 additional Shadow Mark charge.
  • Unstable Core
    • When the Dark Heart expires or detonates on a Marked Hero, it leaves behind a pool of void flames for 5 seconds.
    • Enemies in the flames take 15 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.

Return to Top

General

• Updated Homescreen and Startup Music.

Return to Top

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.

Return to Top

Balance Update

Heroes

Abathur

Talents

• Level 13
  • Bombard Strain
    • Health decay reduction lowered from 50% to 40%.
• Level 16
  • Survival Instincts
    • Now provides 50% damage reduction against non-Heroes, instead of +100% Health.

Alexstrasza

Base

• Health increased from 1698 to 1780.

Talents

• Level 16
  • Overprotective
    • Shield reduced from 70% of healing to 50%.

Garrosh

Talents

• Level 1
  • Unrivaled Strength
    • Damage bonus reduced from 125% to 75%.
• Level 4
  • In For The Kill
    • Damage bonus increased from 70% to 100%.
• Level 7
  • Oppressor
    • Spell Power reduction decreased from 30% to 25%.
• 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.

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%.
• Level 13
  • Pulsing Pain
    • Damage increased from 135 to 150.
• Level 16
  • Lingering Ailment
    • Armor reduction decreased from -35 to -25.

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.
• Level 16
  • Radiance
    • Healing increased from 175 to 190.

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%.
• Level 20
  • Seraphim
    • Cooldown increased from 20 to 30 seconds.

Return to Top

Bug Fixes

Malfurion

• Fixed an issue where Entangling Roots would not continuously root enemies within its area.

Xul

• Fixed an issue where Xul's skeletons were sometimes not dealing damage.

Return to Top

Click here to discuss this post with other players in the official Heroes of the Storm forums.