Heroes of the Storm: Das sind die zwei neuen Helden – Nekromant Xul und Zauberin Li Ming

The next two heroes for Heroes of the Storm are known – they both come from the Diablo universe.

Faster than expected, the information embargo for the two newest characters of Heroes of the Storm has now fallen. Especially Diablo fans should be pleased, as both the Sorceress from Diablo 3, in the form of Li Ming, as well as the Necromancer from Diablo 2, in the form of the skeletal Xul, will make their way into the game.

The Sorceress Li Ming – A higher skill cap

The series of playable heroes from Diablo 3 will be completed by the charming Sorceress Li Ming. As with her hack & slash counterpart, she will expand the hero roster as a Mage, likely diving into the Nexus as an Assassin.

She also signals Blizzard’s efforts to give certain characters more depth – Li Ming is supposed to have quite a high skill cap, but she will have the potential to eliminate an opposing team (with a lot of skill) almost single-handedly. This will be achieved – at least according to the current plan – by resetting the cooldown of her abilities when she secures or assists a kill.

While many characters have only one or two really “functional” builds in the current meta, Li Ming is supposed to bring at least three of those. Once she can specialize in her “Magic Missiles,” allowing for an exceedingly flexible playstyle. Those who like to “poke” and “harass,” delivering small hits from a safe distance, will enjoy the Arcane Orb specialization.

Lastly, in true Assassin fashion, awaits the typical “All-In” build, where one dives right into the enemies and explodes vigorously – taking everything and everyone with them or meeting a shameful demise.

The Necromancer Xul – Assassin or Pusher

The second new character, the Necromancer Xul, technically does not come from Diablo 3, but from the much older second part. For those who think back, one thing is primarily in mind: skeletons. Many of them. And while one cannot flood the screen with them in HotS, he will resurrect up to 4 fallen minions who will stand by him faithfully.

Meanwhile, he curses enemy heroes or locks them in his bone prison, only to later dismember them using the rules of the corrupt necromantic arts.

As for his playstyle, he is supposed to be able to fulfill multiple roles. One can either build him as an Assassin or use him as an effective Split Pusher, advancing the lanes with his undead hordes.

Balance changes live – Nerfs for Raynor and Tyrande

Aside from these major revelations, a fresh balance patch was also activated this morning, on January 21, which is now live on the servers. This fixes some of the biggest issues, brings the long-requested buff for Lunara and Stitches (Little), but also the nerfs for Tyrande and Raynor.

Raynor loses some health (from 1371 to 1302) and the stun duration of the “Piercing Round” talent has been reduced from 1.5 seconds to 1 second.

Sparkles now deals more damage, as the damage from Arcane Beacon is drastically increased – at least in the medium target area. The effect is amplified from 137 to 274, the mana cost is reduced to 35, and the cooldown is decreased to 6 seconds. However, the “Arcane Precision” talent is removed.

The supporter Tyrande is in for some serious changes. Her automatic attacks will be weaker, the Aura of the Critical Hit will only affect allied heroes, the stun duration of the Moon Projectile will be reduced from 1.0 to 0.75 seconds, and Shadow Mimic is weakened in all respects. In compensation, Starfall is slightly strengthened and “Light of Elune” now heals allies slightly more than before.

The damage from Little’s automatic attacks increases from 74 to 85. Additionally, “Strike” now deals a total of 96 damage instead of 80. Such a cleaver should hurt, right?

Lunara’s health points and the corresponding regeneration have been increased by nearly 9% – from 1300 to 1430. The damage of her passive ability “Nature’s Poison” has been increased from 32 (+4% per level) to 34 (+5% per level). This should significantly increase her win rate.

Finally, the talent “Purify,” which some supporters have, has undergone a fundamental change in its function. It now grants the targeted hero “uninterruptible” for one second, which is meant to counter highly stun-intensive fighters.

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