One of the announcements made this past weekend at Blizzcon included the unveiling of two new heroes for Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm. The company has been releasing new heroes pretty much on a monthly basis lately and the two new characters will join the fray in November and December.
A king has fallen, and a lord has risen. Introducing Varian and Ragnaros, Heroes of the Storm’s two newly-announced Heroes, launching in November and December of 2016.
For those not familiar with Blizzard lore, both heroes come to us by way of Warcraft. Varian Wrynn is the gladiator king of Stormwind City, and he wields Shalamayne — a two-handed sword that can also be split into two blades. Most Heroes of the Storm characters have one class, but in the case of Varian, it looks like you can use him as a Warrior or as an Assassin depending on how you are wielding Shalamayne.
His primary abilities remain the same for both and include Lion’s Fang (a straight travelling shockwave), Parry, and Charge, but his heroic ability will change depending on class. As a warrior, Taunt will force the target Hero to attack Varian for 1.25 seconds and he receives two passive boosts: maximum health increased by 50% while attack speed is reduced by 25%. As an assassin, Colossus Smash which deals damage and makes the target vulnerable for 3 seconds as well as increases Varian’s base damage by 75% and reducing his health by 10%. Twin Blades of Fury, on the other hand, reduces Heroic Strike’s cooldown (Varian’s trait) by 9 seconds and increase Varian’s movement speed by 30% for 2 seconds. The passive on this one? His attack speed is increased by 100% but his base attack damage is reduced by 25%.
Ragnaros, the elemental Firelord, wields the fiery hammer dubbed Sulfuras. An assassin class Hero, Ragnoros can Emporer Sulfuras (which does area damage and heals him for 20% of the damage done), call down a Living Meteor (dealing damage on impact then rolling in the direction you specify), or briefly ignite yourself or a friendly Hero in a Blast Wave (increases movement speed and then explodes for area damage). As far as heroic abilities go, Sulfuras Smash sees Ragnaros hurling his hammer into the air, dealing moderate area damage when it lands. All enemies in the center of the impact zone are burned for significant additional damage, and stunned for .5 seconds. The other heroic ability choice is Lava Wave in which Ragnaros releases a massive lava wave which travels down a targeted lane, dealing high damage to enemies caught in the flames.
What do you think about Varian and Ragnaros joining the brawl in Heroes of the Storm? Let us know in the comments below, or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
