Heroes of the Storm enters final phase of technical Alpha

After more than a week of extended maintenance, Blizzard's multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) Heroes of the Storm has returned. Now in the final phase of Technical Alpha, Blizzard is gearing up to expand and increase the player pool over the coming weeks and months as they head into beta and eventually launch.

Arriving alongside the return of Heroes of the Storm is a new patch that, among tons of new features and tweaks, marks the final planned account wipe and monetary refund. Blizzard notes that all purchases made using real-money prior to today's account wipe have been reset and refunded to your Battle.net balance.

Below is a quick recap of what's new and what's changed in Heroes of the Storm since you've last played it.

• Moved to Production Hardware
  • Heroes is no longer on a testing realm. Players are now connected to their home region and can access their existing Battle.net friend list
• Custom Games Re-Introduced
  • Players can now face off against friends and pre-selected opponents
• Replay System and Observer Mode Added
  • Relive your best moments and watch any custom game you’ve been invited to view
• Two New Heroes Playable
  • Anub’arak and Azmodan are now available for play
• Heroes Community Tournaments
  • Updated our Community Tournament Policy to include Heroes

You can find the full patch notes here.