Heroes of the Storm is unique in that fans can anticipate Hero releases with much greater enthusiasm than other MOBAs. Which Blizzard character will be next? Will it be your favorite World of Warcraft character? An iconic StarCraft hero? Maybe it’s an interesting take on your favorite Diablo class? The whole premise of gathering all of Blizzard’s avatars in the Nexus to brawl it out is genius and keeps us guessing as fans.
Next up is definitely Medivh, but players are still trying to guess what will come afterward. Deathwing? Vol’Jin? Mephisto? I don’t have any idea who they would pick next, but I know for sure who I would want in the game. For me, it’s all about these five iconic figures in Blizzard lore.
1. Valeera Sanguinar
To be fair, I haven’t spent much time in the World of Warcraft. But I love the idea of Valeera Sanguinar in Heroes of the Storm. After spending a large portion of her life trying to survive childhood and escape imprisonment, she finally found a trusted friend in the human Varian Wrynn. Her reputation as a lone wolf, independent of factions, and her surly attitude are somewhat reminiscent of Valla, but with a slightly more human (or elven, if you like) aspect to them.
According to her lore and art, she’s a crafty and dangerous Assassin, deceiving her enemies with tricks and mind games before swiftly dispatching them in a flurry of bladework. Like her Blood Elf relatives, Fel energies course through her body and make her greedy for power. I think it would be really cool to see her played as a melee Assassin with deadly combos as well as some fantastic escape options like blinking behind her enemies, an activatable stealth, or abilities that would reduce the vision of her opponents. I love melee Assassins, especially high risk/high reward ones, so Valeera would be the perfect Hero to play for me.
2. Reinhardt
Reinhardt is a member of Blizzard’s newest universe, Overwatch. He doesn’t seem to have a ton of personality, but it’s his concept design that intrigues me. He’s a gigantic tank that can soak up damage via his shield or just as easily jump into the fray, swinging his rocket hammer to and fro like a scene from a Lord of the Rings movie.
Similar to Braum in League of Legends, he could have a big shield that blocks all incoming projectiles up to X amount of damage, which would be the core of his gameplay; talent upgrades could increase the size of the shield, slow enemy attack speed or movement speed, etc. His Charge and Earthshatter are both prime examples of abilities that would function well in Heroes of the Storm and would make up the aggressive part of his kit. All in all, I think he’d be a fantastic addition to the game by providing more sieging options and a tank that isn’t entirely reliant on a stun or heavy CC.
3. Deckard Cain
Admittedly, I’ve never played any of the games in the Diablo franchise, but I’ve come to know some of the universe by proxy. Playing a Barbarian like Sonya or a Crusader like Johanna in the Nexus have given me an insight into how Diablo works and why people love the games so much. While there are still plenty of characters left to pull from the game, including a slew of Archangels and Demons, one character stands out from the rest of them from his sheer novelty: Deckard Cain.
Deckard Cain is the only character who manages to make an appearance in every game (aside from Diablo, of course), known famously for his catch phrase: “Stay awhile and listen”. What makes him more interesting than immortals fighting an eternal war to me is that he seems to have an aptitude for just shuffling innocuously through the midst of dangerous situations and arriving safely on the other side. In Heroes of the Storm, he would best fit into the role of a Specialist, using his uncanny knack for survival to navigate the battlefield and bring victory to his team.
4. Fenix
Fenix is the man. Who can forget that fateful cinematic of his death at Antioch from the first StarCraft game? Or his dragoon reincarnation when he ran with Raynor’s Raiders? Or his re-reincarnation in Legacy of the Void? Enough said, this dude is badass. He’s been around for ages, has proven himself as a warrior, and can’t seem to die no matter what happens to him.
As much as I would love to have the “early days” zealot Fenix in the game, that design probably overlaps too heavily with Artanis. Nonetheless, there’s a lot of possibilities for his dragoon form. The model for Talandar (Fenix’s re-reincarnation) could easily be loaded right into Heroes of the Storm without much of an issue, and many of his abilities would be really cool to see. I imagine a high impact, tanky ranged Assassin that could buff his allies with shields or soak up a bunch of damage if necessary. If anything, it would be cool just to see him bro out with Raynor again.
5. Grom Hellscream
Grom Hellscream is my favorite Blizzard character of all time and absolutely deserves to become a Hero in the Nexus. My memories go all the way back to Warcraft 2, where he first made an appearance as your standard orc, ferociously cutting down his foes and vying for dominance against the Alliance. In Warcraft 3, he assumed a more personal storyline as best friend and advisor to the Warchief of the Horde, Thrall. After an ill-fated meeting with Mannoroth, Grom and his faction drank the Pit Lord’s blood and were infused with demonic powers. On a personal journey to save his friend, Thrall risked everything to reclaim Grom’s soul and restore him before confronting Mannoroth in a final showdown. Grom traded his life to kill Mannoroth, but he and his orc brethren were freed from the Pit Lord’s spell.
His legendary axe, Gorehowl, is one of the most iconic weapons in Blizzard lore, and would be easily recognizable for Heroes of the Storm players. I remember him primarily as a blademaster from Warcraft 3, but Grom has tons of potential as a melee bruiser similar to Thrall. To keep the lines from getting blurred between the two orcs, I think Blizzard could incorporate a rage mechanic for Grom that would allow him to do extra damage or attack faster at full rage—instead of a sustain bruiser, he would be more of a tempo bruiser. One of Grom’s Heroics could be to throw Gorehowl, dealing damage in a line before landing in a target area and dealing massive AoE damage. After throwing his axe, he’d be defenseless for X seconds or until he could recover it.
After the introduction of his son Garrosh into the Warcraft universe, it’s unlikely that Blizzard will make Grom a playable character in Heroes of the Storm, especially since it would be impossible for Grom and Garrosh to share Gorehowl properly in the future. Nonetheless, I remain hopeful that my favorite Hero of all time will show up in the Nexus. What about you? What are your favorites?