My Top 10 Heroes Of The Storm Characters (3.0)

Happy 3 years old Heroes of the Storm! Let’s celebrate fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Yes ladies & gentlemen, it’s that time of year again. Time to celebrate one of gaming most popular MOBA titles. I’ve done 2 lists that chronicle my favorite characters in this title, and 2018 is no different. This year isn’t going to have as many multiples per spot, as that takes away future characters to put on future lists (Ironic, give that I’ve got multiple characters in some spots on the list). Regardless, Heroes of the Storm continues to crank out great & iconic characters from across Blizzard’s multiverse, and even the ones I’m not fond of still manage to be fun if I’m in the right groove. With that out of the way, here are my top 10 favorite Heroes of the Storm characters, part 3. Let’s begin!

10) Garrosh (Spotlight) & Kel’Thuzad (Spotlight) & Alexstrasza (Spotlight) & Maiev (Spotlight)

Good on you HotS team!

From late 2016 to early 2017, we saw a flood of Warcraft characters enter the Nexus. Some were good and some were bad, but most players could agree that this tide of characters really turned off a bunch of the fanbase from future entries of Blizzard’s first series. So once Valeera was released, Warcraft heroes were put on hold for a host of characters from other game series, with one in particular (More on that at the no. 4 spot) having a bit of the spotlight on them. So it came as something of a surprise that Warcraft characters would return later on in 2017. However......they were great!

You’ve got the beefy Garrosh. The combotastic Kel’Thuzard. The offensive & defensive Alexstrasza, and finally the slippery Maiev. I surprisingly enjoyed all 4 of these heroes, as the return to Warcraft was a surprising breath of fresh air. The best part of all this is that I’m strangely intrigued to see who else from Warcraft shows up, and given that a themed event is due for 2018, there’s not that much time to wait for.

Speaking of Warcraft.....

9) Rexxar (Trailer & Spotlight)

When Heroes of the Storm’s first ranged warrior came onto the scene in late 2015, it certainly turned a few heads. Up until this point, all warriors that showed up into the game were strictly melee, so seeing a beefy fighter who fought primarily from a distance definitely shook things up for a little bit. When Rexxar first came up, I enjoyed him immensely. I could stand in the back throwing axes while my bear Misha could maul someone’s face off, and still feel like I was a walking tank. I would have placed this champion of the horde higher on this list, had it not been for changes to the character. Mainly, the fact that I now have to manually target myself when recalling Misha back to me. Despite the changes, I still enjoy playing Rexxar when the mood suits me.

8) Sgt. Hammer (Video) & Sylvanus (Trailer)

Troll....masters!

In my mind, these two ladies are the essential characters to pick when you want to mess with the other team. In Sgt. Hammer, you have a buff no-nonsense woman in a giant tank, and said tank’s job is to make everything go boom. Minions, heroes, buildings, it doesn’t matter. Something is going to go up in smoke, and chances are you caused someone on the enemy team to have a brain aneurysm. As for Sylvanus, she’s a bit more on the cerebral side of things. Not having as much health as her tanky counterpart, the undead elf needs to know when to move, and when to stay put. Despite that, the master archer can lock down minions & buildings with ease, allowing other characters to show up and wreck face. At her highest ranks, she can silence people with a single arrow, or can take control of foes for a moment. Like Sgt. Hammer, Sylvanus is a troll character of the highest degree, and I love her for that!

7) Alarak (Spotlight)

Much like Artanis from last year’s list, it took me a little bit to get used to Alarak’s abilities. Unlike Artanis, I learned how the leader of the Tal’Darim works much more quickly, and for some reason I always seemed to like him a little more. Alarak is a constant smartass, as he’s just as likely to insult you for doing something right as he is to praise you, but even when he’s praising you he’s stroking his ego. Alarak is something of a strategist when it comes to his abilities. Knowing when to move someone with your Telekinesis, shocking a line of foes with Lightning Strike, and silencing anyone with Discord Strike is key to playing him. Once you get your ultimate abilities (Alarak is the only character to have both ultimates), you need to know when to use them at the right time. If you can get all of this down, then Alarak will be a mainstay for you.

6) Kharazim (Spotlight)

Kharazim is a textbook example of a character that first came to the Nexus okay, but later on down the line was vastly improved. Even before the improvements, Kharazim was an interesting support character. Unlike ever hero before him, he could select his trait to add an extra benefit. He could increase damage with every 3rd hit, heal someone a little bit with every 3rd hit, or regain some mana every 3rd hit (And eventually reduce cooldown on basic abilities as well). His first incarnation wasn’t bad, but you could tell that it needed some work. Come about a year after he was released, and he finally felt like he was something special. Improved trait options, reconfigured talents, and upgraded abilities all gave the venerable monk a much needed boost in playability & fun. So the next time you happen to be in the Nexus, why not fight alongside this wise one?

5) Stukov (Spotlight)

There have been plenty of characters within Heroes of the Storm that are rather odd, but none have left me scratching my head quite like the Nexus’s first infested human. On the one hand, I like Stukov! The idea of using pathogens to heal your teammates, viruses to disable your foes, and using your corrupted body as a weapon is really cool! On the other hand, I never felt like I was playing a full support class. Most of the time, it always felt like I was playing a multiclassed support character that wasn’t labeled as such. Given how the HotS development team seem so hesitant in making another multiclass character, perhaps I’m over thinking things in this. Regardless, Stukov is an innovative healer who can dish it out just as much as he can patch it up, and if you haven’t played him yet, give him a try.

4) Ana (Spotlight) & Junkrat (Spotlight) & Hanzo (Spotlight)

Ironically, 2017 had a flood of characters of it’s own. Well, not exactly a flood, but more of a pleasant trickle. Given that in May of 2017, Overwatch would turn a year old, I’m not all that surprised either. I already covered 4 of them last year, so why not cover the rest here?

If anything, I might actually enjoy these 3 more than the ones I previously covered. There’s the aged but clever Ana, who’s abilities were translated quite well into HotS. She can heal, she can sap health, and can even make people take a dirt nap almost as well as her FPS counterpart. Junkrat was also translated pretty well: his trait is funny when it kills somebody, all of his talents pay tribute to his love for explosions, and even his Riptire ultimate feels well in line with the character (The Rocket Ride option isn’t bad either). Hell, even Hanzo was a blast to play, and he’s one of my least favorite Overwatch characters! While his trait leaves something to be desired, it’s surprising as to how good his skills were implemented into the Nexus. With each arrow that leaves his bow, they always make their mark....even if you miss. All in all, 2017 was definitely the year of Overwatch in Heroes of the Storm, and I’m glad that happened!

3) Li Ming (Spotlight) & Malthael (Spotlight)

So the last 2 times I did these lists, the number 3 spot was dedicated to heroes from Diablo 2. 2016's list had Xul at no. 3, and last year’s had the valiant amazon Cassia on this spot. This year, I thought it might be fun to give a shout out to Diablo 3, and two candidates immediately stepped up to the plate. First up is the wild wizard Li-Ming, who first arrived during the 1st lunar new year event. Being an absolute powerhouse upon release, this ranged assassin would eventually get toned down a bit, but even then much of her strength remained. The character was a perfect embodiment of the D3 Wizard class, and to this day she’s a blast to play when I pick her.

Another character that’s a blast to play is the Angel Of Death himself, Malthael. Originally slated for a release during the Eternal Conflict event back in 2015 (His original trait went to Leoric instead), he instead would come out in the summer of last year instead, and he was definitely a treat. An in your face character, Malthael simultaneously required you to keep track of your foes, as his trait drains life from foes as long as it persists. Even with that in mind, it’s fun to see the Angel Of Death wade into combat, with sickles swinging all over the place, and draining the souls of those that he comes across. He a treat to play if you know what you’re doing.

2) Deckard Cain (Spotlight)

Like just about everybody that was a Pax & watched the livestream, I was shocked & surprised by the introduction of the last member of the Horadrim into the Nexus. Considering that the character had been dead for nearly 6 years when he came in, it seemed like he would never be mentioned again in any Blizzard product. Boy was I wrong!!!

Deckard Cain is just a huge burst of nostalgia in Heroes of the Storm. He heals his allies & himself with the classic Diablo healing potions, and has the power of the Horadric Cube as an offensive tool. Though it’s obvious he looks more like his Diablo 3 incarnation, there is not denying that they HotS team went with the D1 feel. I admit that my hearstrings were tugged a little when he was first shown off, and everytime I play him, they’re tugged just a little bit more. I bet most classic Blizzard fans feel the same way.

1) Blaze (Spotlight) & Fenix (Spotlight)

The cycle has been broken!

I was absolutely elated to learn that in 2018, the first debut character for Heroes of the Storm would not come from the Warcraft series, but would come from Starcraft instead. Given that the original Starcraft turned 20 this year (More on that below), it’s not exactly a surprise. Anyways, the first character introduced was the iconic firebat unit, and man did they hit it out of the park with Blaze! He embodies that classic character perfectly: badass, lots of fire puns, and is equal parts nostalgia & modern. I didn’t feel he was broken or overpowered in anyway upon his release, which is saying something. This veteran Firebat definitely earned being at the number one spot.....but he’s not alone.

Like I stated above, the original Starcraft turned 20 back in March, and Blizzard went all out across all of their games in celebration. Heroes of the Storm was no exception, but I don’t think fans were quite ready for the character who would be spearheading his way into the Nexus. Having been requested since the game’s launch, the valiant templar Fenix was more than worthy of being a combatant to play as. Like the fiery Blaze, Fenix is just dripping with nostalgia. Walking across the battlefield in his Dragoon, his surprising level of versatility makes him incredibly deadly. Whether he opts for rapid fire attacks, or goes for a stronger but slower style of combat, you can’t deny that this legendary warrior deserves to be number one.

So this was my 3rd top 10 list of my favorite HotS. As time goes on, more characters are going to get put in, and I’ll have more choices to put on future versions of this list. Hope you enjoyed, and once again I’ll see you all after next week for a little more Industrial Metal Insanity!



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If you want to see who my top 10 characters were last year, then check out the link below:

My Top 10 Heroes Of The Storm Characters (2.0)