Heroes of the Storm Forums

ok so I've played on and off maybe totaling 100 games so pretty much trash and new. Not extremely good or skilled, lack of knowledge and play time hurts the most but will probably never be an elite player.....so consider me average casual. I don't have any friends that play so it gets a bit meh, my question to the community is if I would like to get more out of the game what steps should i take? Do i need to find a group / friends to play with ( sounds a bit desperate) or just solo que ? right now I've been solo queuing with teammates hrs AI ...its ok and i enjoy the game well enough just doesn't feel like a rewarding win hrs AI but afraid next step is way beyond my reach...any suggestions?

I think the best way to play the game is with friends. Either with online ones you meet or real life ones you have, you can make the most of your experience by playing with friends. To meet friends in Heroes, the best way is to play either Quick Match or ranked play (if you are good) and if you meet someone who is very friendly, /w him or he might /w you if you were very friendly as well. Just a suggestion, if you are planning to play Ranked, I recommend that you play Quick Match for a few games to see if you are good and when you make the transition, you should stick with heroes that are good in the meta or ones that you are particularly good with. Just remember that the ranked game has a 0 ban draft.

It's important to find heroes that you like, first and foremost. Whenever I get new Heroes or play them for the first time, I always play a few games against AI (usually the first with AI teammates and then with people from then out). I always come here and find guides that I feel would fit my playstyle too, or I'll use the talent calc beforehand to figure things out. Spend a lot of time on Twitch watching pro players and it'd also benefit you to watch your own replays.

I agree with the above statement of playing with friends, too. Playing together makes things way more fun!

Also return to heroes that you hated early on once you get more comfortable with the game. I hated Valla when I first started because I didn't know how to play her, but after I got a little more experience with the flow of a game, I am really enjoying her.

I play a lot of solo queue and sure people complain about not playing with friends, but when you find the role/heroes that work for you soloing can be great. Nothing beats making that play that turns around the game or just jelling with a group of people that you've never meant to crush in a game. For me all it takes is a little knowledge of overall strategy (soaking=good, fighting when down ppl=bad, etc.) and some like minded teammates to have some great games.

Finally, take pro-games with a little grain of salt - that is, remember that those guys have voice comms and practice to the point that they really know how their team will react. In QM and HL that just doesn't happen. Sometimes I get the chance to play with people who are physically in the same room as me and we still don't always have that kind of coordination. Basically, don't get too caught up in the details of pro-play (team comp, hero builds, particular maneuvers). That being said, pro-games are the best place IMO to learn overall strategy (when to fight, what to do when down, timing of mercs). For the other stuff, guides, forums, and time playing the game is what you need.