Samuro, blademaster from Warcraft 3, coming to Heroes of the Storm

We were wondering which character would be headed to Heroes of the Storm next and now we know: it’s the Samuro, a Blademaster from Warcraft 3. If you’re not familiar with the character (or, like us, it’s just been a long time since you played Warcraft 3), Samuro helped Rexxar in the Founding of Durotar campaign.

In Heroes, Samuro is a melee Assassin and Anna has already dubbed him “Gankasaurus Rex.” His abilities include:

• Mirror Image: Create 2 Mirror Images that deal 30% of your damage and have 50% of your current Health. Images last up to 18 seconds, and only two can be active at any one time.
• Critical Strike: Your next Basic Attack within 10 seconds will be a Critical Strike, dealing 50% increased damage. This also applies to Images, and does not break Wind Walk. Passive: You and your Images deal a Critical Strike on every 4th Basic Attack.
• Wind Walk: Enter Stealth for up to 8 seconds or until you attack, use an Ability, or take damage. While Stealthed, your Movement Speed is increased by 25% and you can pass through other units. Damage taken within the first 1 second will not break Wind Walk.
• Heroic: Bladestorm: Become an Unstoppable whirlwind of death, dealing 285 damage per second to nearby enemies for 4 seconds.
• Heroic: Illusion Master: Switch places with the target Mirror Image. Passive: You can control Mirror Images separately or as a group, and they deal an additional 15% of your damage.

In addition to his standard skin and master skin, there’s also a Hellblade Samuro option:

This reveal was a new style for Heroes, featuring Senior Art Director Samwise Didier drawing the character. Though the stream is over, you can watch the archive on Facebook.

Here’s the description of the blademaster unit from Warcraft 3:

Though their numbers are few, the seasoned Blademasters represent an elite fighting force within the Horde. These skilled swordsmen were once part of the ill-fated Burning Blade Clan which consumed itself in the throes of Demonic corruption. With their Clan scattered and broken, the proud Blademasters swore a grim oath to free themselves and their brethren from Demonic control once and for all. Under Thrall’s command, the Blademasters have once again joined the Horde and serve as the young Warchief’s personal honor guard.

And, like all Warcraft RTS characters, he had some interesting voice lines, and he’s sure to have similar in Heroes:

While no release date has been set, if Blizzard keeps to the regular release schedule, we could see this hero in game in two to three weeks, and on the PTR next week or the week after.