Heroes of the Storm Blackheart's Bay Tips and Strategies

Enter into Blackheart's Bay, a haunted 3-lane map for Heroes of the Storm. This is a deceptively complicated map, largely due to its asymmetrical lanes. The lanes are of different length, with the shortest on the bottom and the longest on top. That means the fastest way to your enemy's core is through the bottom lane, and that's backed by the fact that there are three mercenary camps. However, there's plenty going on in the rest of the map.

At the center of Blackheart's Bay is a ghost ship, captained by the pirate Blackheart. If you pay him off with enough gold doubloons, he'll turn his cannons toward your enemy's defenses, starting with the ones in the middle lane. The initial cost of using the cannons is 10 coins, but the price goes up by 2 for the team that least used it. That means, if your team pays 10 coins for the cannons, you'll need to gather 12 to activate them again. Meanwhile, the opposing team still only needs to gather 10.

Doubloons are acquired in a variety of ways. There are two treasure chests that periodically appear, and each holds 5 doubloons. Defeating mercenaries or taking down Blackheart's crew at special Doubloon Camps will earn 2 per camp. Lastly, defeating a Hero will win you however many coins he or she is carrying.

General Tips:

Take Your Time: A common mistake for this map is feeling the need to turn in your coins as soon as you have them. But the design of this map and the time it takes to turn coins in to Blackheart makes it a risky proposition. Turning in coins is definitely good, since then they can't be lost. Just don't go out of your way and risk your life to do so. Instead, do it only when convenient, or when you know you have enough to activate the cannons.

Support the Cannons: Your first use of the cannons is the least expensive, and getting it again will grow increasingly harder, so make your first shot count. Blackheart always targets the defenses in the middle lane first, and fires a fixed number of shots. You can supplement the volley by destroying some of the first towers - or at least one. That way, when Blackheart fires, he'll hit the defenses that are deeper in enemy territory instead of just taking out the first layer.

Control the Watchtower: Taking the watchtower at the top of the map is crucial to controlling the map, since you can keep an eye on what's happening in the top and middle lane. However, don't risk your life trying to get it. It far more important to take the treasure chests and win coins. So, if it looks like you'll take heavy losses in trying to win the Watchtower, don't worry about it. Just come back later for it.

Controlling the Bottom Lane: Being that it's the shortest lane with three mercenary camps nearby, the bottom lane is the easiest to push. However, the it's also isolated from the other two lanes, which makes reaching the Watchtower and the top treasure chest difficult. There's also a powerful boss Golem located at the very top of the map. Therefore, it's best to dedicate one Hero to gaining experience from the bottom lane, while the others work on the others and gathering coins. Then, about mid to late game, switch priorities and push the bottom lane hard.

Prepare for Ambushes: There are multiple paths into each lane, making it possible to ambush anyone who crosses too far into enemy territory. Keep an eye out for these ambushes and try not to be caught alone, or at least not while carrying coins. Meanwhile, it might not be a bad idea to set up an ambush of your own, especially when it comes to defending the bottom lane.

Only Fight If You Know You'll Win: The nature of Blackheart's Bay almost discourages fighting between Heroes. Nobody wants to risk losing their coins. Therefore, it's usually a good idea to limit fights to treasure chests, or when trying to keep the enemy from turning in coins to Blackheart, for the first half of the game. Try not to gamble with your coins, and only get into skirmishes you know that you'll win, or ones where you have nothing to lose. Taking on a Hero who isn't carrying any coins while you are isn't wise. Your opponent will have nothing to lose and everything to gain.