Heroes of The Storm: 6 Heroes we want to see in 2016
Heroes of the storm had a great year in 2015, with a huge growth for the eSports community, as well as a metric TON of content added to the game. Between new heroes, maps, and a massive overhaul of the games leveling system, focused around scaling for damage and HP, the game has come a long way since the Alpha/Beta days.
Greymane has been released as our first new Hero of 2016 one week ago. For the first time in recent memory we are completely in the dark about upcoming heroes. Given Blizzard’s current release schedule for Heroes, we are likely to see between 12 and 16 additional heroes launch this year. So what to do now? Why, what any self-respecting gamer does, speculate! Let’s take a look at six heroes, two from each major franchise, that should join the Nexus this year.
- Li-Ming, The Wizard
On top of the game really needing another burst assassin in the vein of Kael’Thas or Jaina, Li-Ming would also round out the cast of Nephalem from Diablo 3. Many people have been down on the idea of adding the Diablo 3 Wizard, as they feel that it gives an Arcane Mage from the Warcraft universe a lesser chance of appearing. Given that the nature of spell-casters in Diablo and Warcraft are so different, I think that Blizzard could easily design Li-Ming to be extremely unique, given the playstyle of Wizards in Diablo 3, when compared to an Arcane mage in Warcraft.
On top of that, the likelihood of her being added is fairly high, given the (possible) tease of her scepter in this promo image showed at Blizzcon this year which you can see here.
- Gui Montag, The Firebat
A very convincing fan-made concept!
Firebats were always one of my favorite units in the Starcraft series, and that’s because I’m not very good at those games, but even if that’s the case, there’s something very cool about a guy in Power Armor wielding flamethrowers on his arms. I’d imagine the Firebat as a durable melee assassin with a trait similar to Tyrael’s wherein he can detonate his gas tank upon death. Unlike Tyrael’s I think it should just be instant so the opposing team needs to choose when to kill you, and makes for interesting positioning choices, though perhaps it could do less damage to enemy heroes that Archangel’s Wrath.
- Calia Menethil, Lost Daughter of Lordaeron
Cool and Obscure? Sign me up!
I think it goes without saying that more than any other hero class, we need more supports in Heroes of The Storm right now. When most people think about a Warcraft Priest, they always gravitate towards Anduin Wrynn, so I’d like to submit a slightly different idea. Be warned, spoilers for the upcoming Legion expansion of WoW follow, based on datamined info from the Alpha build. Calia is Arthas’ long lost sister (Yes, that Arthas) who was believed dead for many years. As it turns out she was simply being kept hidden by Alonsus Faol, a now undead Priest of The Holy Light. Personally I think it would be so cool to have a hero come into the public view from WoW and be immediately put over into Heroes. Plus it would be a nice surprise since everyone is kind of expecting Anduin, given that he is a more prominent character, and also the representative of the Priest Class in Hearthstrone.
- Valeera Sanguinar, The Council’s Enforcer
For our second Warcraft Hero, I think a rogue would be an interesting choice. Adding a Stealth hero that has an activated Stealth trait, rather than a permanent Stealth like Nova or Zeratul adds an interesting layer of gameplay If all of their abilities have added effects when in stealth. Another way Blizzard could go with it would be to add a combo point mechanic akin to how Rogues work in WoW. Valeera isn’t a huge name in Warcraft Lore, unless you’ve read the comics, but she is the Rogue Hero in Hearthstone, which gives her a bit of clout. While we may be more likely to see characters from Warcraft who are relevant to Legion this year, I still believe that Valeera is the go-to pick for rogues.
- Dehaka, Zerg Essence Master
I think it’s safe to say we need another Starcraft Warrior, and who better to fill that spot that Dehaka? I know a lot of players really want him to be a nasty high damage assassin, but this game needs more viable “True” Tanks. It would be very interesting to give Dehaka a farming trait that gives him additional HP per hero kill, encouraging aggressive gameplay, but rewarding team coordination and picks. With so many of our current warriors filling more of a bruiser role it would be nice to have a full on tank from the Starcraft universe. Dehaka also certainly fulfills Blizzard’s requirement of having a Unique Silhouette, not really looking like any other character currently in the game.
- The Necromancer, High Priest of Rathma
I admit, I spent way too much time playing Diablo 2 in Middle School and High School, and as a 15-year-old who read a lot of Anne Rice, the Necromancer was the easily the coolest class in the game. While there is no Canon name for the Necromancer at the time of writing, his order is among the most interesting in the world of Sanctuary. In short, they arise when the balance of the world tilts in one direction or another, and seek to balance it in either way, making them feared and respected by both sides of the Eternal Conflict. Now, before I explain my vision for the Necromancer, know that I am more than aware that Dustin Browder has confirmed via Twitter that we are not due for another specialist for “a long time.” That being said, the Necromancers most iconic abilities are his summons. Summoning Skeletons from killed minions, or creating flesh golems from fallen allies would lead to some amazing gameplay, making the Necromancer truly unique among the current pool of specialists.
Those are our top 6 picks for this year, let us know in the comments if we missed your favorite hero!