📥 Installation and Running

Replace in-game Try Mode with Try-Mode Installer (Windows) (Recommended ✅)
Replace in-game Try Mode with .stormmap file (All Platforms)
Replace in-game Try Mode with repo’s folder for modding (All Platforms)
Run the .stormmap file directly (❌ Not recomanded)
Post-Installation check

Replace in-game Try Mode with Try-Mode Installer (Windows) (Recommended ✅)

You can use the Try Mode 2.0 Installer to manage the installation of custom maps.

It currently only supports Windows. Linux/macOS support is planned for a future release.

It also includes additional features such as:

Install maps to Try Mode, and the three in-game tutorials
Storm Map Generator Integration
- For more info, please refer to its repo.
Directly run the maps without installation

You can download it at: https://github.com/jamiephan/HeroesOfTheStorm_TryMode2.0Installer/releases/latest

Installer Screenshot

Replace in-game Try Mode with `.stormmap` file (All Platforms)

Download any .stormmap file from Release page
Rename the file to (10)trymemode.stormmap.
Place the file in "Heroes_Of_The_Storm_Install_Location/maps/heroes/singleplayermaps" (create necessary folders if they don’t exist)

You should get the similar folder structure as below:

  Heroes of the Storm/
    ├── HeroesData/
    ├── maps/
    │   └──heroes/
    |      └──singleplayermaps/
    |         └──(10)trymemode.stormmap   <- the renamed stormmap file
    ├── Support/
    ├── Support64/
    ├── Versions/
    ├── .build.info
    ├── .product.db
    ├── Heroes of the Storm.exe
    └── Launcher.db

Then, you can launch try mode in the game and the modified map should be launched. If you want to restore the original try mode, simply delete the file.

If you want to replace the in game tutorial (Setting -> Tutorial) instead, you can place it in the following location:

  Heroes of the Storm/
    ├── HeroesData/
    ├── maps/
    │   └──heroes/
    |      └──singleplayermaps/
    |         └──startingexperience/
    |            └──tutorial01.stormmap            <- Tutorial
    |            └──tutorialmapmechanics.stormmap  <- Battleground Training
    |            └──tutorialveteran.stormmap       <- Veteran Tutorial
    ├── Support/
    ├── Support64/
    ├── Versions/
    ├── .build.info
    ├── .product.db
    ├── Heroes of the Storm.exe
    └── Launcher.db

Replace in-game Try Mode with repo’s folder for modding (All Platforms)

You may use the symlink util in this repo. Please refer to the symlink tool for more details

Run the `.stormmap` file directly (❌ Not recomanded)

This installation method is not recommanded. Put kept here for documantation purpose.

Note: Using the two command lines (obviously change the executable as well) method below might work in Linux or MacOS, but I haven’t test it out.

Important: Using the methods in this section will cause stuff such as heroes talent will not be loaded.

TODO: Determine why talents are not loaded.

Windows File Association

This allows you to double click on the *.stormmap file and run the map directly.

Each commit to GitHub automatically generates a patched version of all maps in the game. Including main maps (e.g Cursed Hollow, Sky temple, etc) and Brawl Maps (e.g Lost Cavern, Lunar Rocket Racing and PVE Escape from Braxis).

These maps will automatically include additional functionalities provided in this repo (such as using the debug menu with the \ key, chat command, XML files, extra UIs).

Note: Some maps may not work properly, showing the “Map Error” screen (as shown in the Post-Install check section). This is due to some maps no longer being maintained by Blizzard (surprisingly, Haunted Mines still works). This issue mainly affects Brawl maps.

Note: The map trymode20.stormmap is the packaged map file for this repo’s ./(10)trymemode.stormmap.

In the Release page, download your desired map.
Locate your downloaded .stormmap file:
On the “Open With” Dialog, click on “More Apps”
Click on the “Look for another app on the PC”
Locate the HeroesSwitcher_64.exe, usually in Heroes of the Storm/Support64/ folder.
Double Click on the file and load the map:

Windows Command Line (Directly)

In the Release page, download your desired map. Afterwards, you can run the map with the command:

Note: The commands below assumes you downloaded trymode20.stormmap. Change the path/name according to your downloaded map.

"path/to/Heroes of the Storm/Support64/HeroesSwitcher_x64.exe" "path/to/downloaded/trymode20.stormmap"

(e.g "C:/Program Files/Heroes of the Storm/Support64/HeroesSwitcher_x64.exe" "C:/Users/your_name/Downloads/trymode20.stormmap")

Note: path/to/downloaded/trymode20.stormmap must be an absolute path, or the map will not be loaded.

Windows Command Line (Relatively)

Note: Unlike most other shell commands, relative path for Heroes does not work current working folder, but relative to Heroes_Of_The_Storm_Install_Location/maps.

The game will load the map relative to the Heroes_Of_The_Storm_Install_Location/maps. If you want to not reference the .stormmap file with an absolute path (or save the map for later use), you can do the following:

In the Release page, download your desired map.

Note: The commands below assumes you downloaded trymode20.stormmap. Change the path/name according to your downloaded map.

Create a maps folder in Heroes_Of_The_Storm_Install_Location/ and copy the downloaded trymode20.stormmap into it:

  Heroes of the Storm/
    ├── HeroesData/
    ├── maps/                     <- Create This folder
    │   └── trymode20.stormmap    <- Paste the file in here
    ├── Support/
    ├── Support64/
    ├── Versions/
    ├── .build.info
    ├── .product.db
    ├── Heroes of the Storm.exe
    └── Launcher.db

Now that you can simply run:

"path/to/Heroes of the Storm/Support64/HeroesSwitcher_x64.exe" trymode20.stormmap

(e.g "C:/Program Files/Heroes of the Storm/Support64/HeroesSwitcher_x64.exe" trymode20.stormmap")

For even better, you can add path/to/Heroes of the Storm/Support64/ into your %PATH% environment variable, so that your command can be reduced to HeroesSwitcher_x64.exe trymode20.stormmap.