Heroes of the Storm 2018 Ranked Season 3 dates and rewards unveiled

League of Legends had its Rift Rivals, while Dota 2 players prepare for the International, the best paying esports tournament in the world. Heroes of the Storm shouldn’t be disappointed though, because Blizzard Entertainment has announced the beginning of the third ranked season. This is an important milestone for their flagship MOBA game and they plan on marking the occasion properly.

There are plenty of rewards available to those who play ranked games in the upcoming months. The official date was revealed and Blizzard announced that 2018 Season 3 will arrive together with the new patch. As soon as this becomes available for download, the new ranked season will commence, so the time is now. The season starts on July 9 and will conclude more than two months later, on September 24. This means that there’s plenty of time for enthusiastic players to move up the ladder.

Ranked Play updates and news

Blizzard has big plans for the Heroes of the Storm 2018 Ranked Season 3 and is going to make some significant changes to the game. A third ban will be available during drafts, in addition to the initial ban stage. A new matchmaking rating will be introduced and inactive players from Diamond, Master and Grand Master Hero League will be affected by rank decay.

@Blizzard Entertainment

There are also big news for beginners who haven’t played ranked games before. Those who are ready to jump into the sharks infested waters, as well as returning players can’t be seeded above Gold 5 rank. Blizzard also promises to make sweeping changes to the ranked matchmaking and greatly reduce queuing time. This is something that players have been asking for quite a while and apparently the game developer decided to make the expected changes.

A Zero-Tolerance Policy for Rude Players

Heroes of the Storm has a friendly community, compared to the other popular multiplayer online battle arena games. Blizzard intends to keep it that way and is ready to take severe actions against those who are rules to fellow players. All the relevant information as well as the latest updates can be found on their “Stepping-Up Abusive Chat Penalties” blog.

@Blizzard Entertainment

While a bigger stick awaits those who choose to be an online or troll the team, there’s no shortage of rewards for 2018 Season 3. The most successful players will unlock mounts, gold rewards and new portraits to celebrate their success. There’s a long list of cool prizes, ranging from the aforesaid portrays to mount rewards. These cosmetic items give their owners bragging rights, while helping them stand out from the crowd for all the good reasons.

New Heroes of the Storm players are invited to consult the Ranked Play Guide to get the heads up. The number of active players is on the rise and Season 3 promises to be the most competitive one yet.