Heroes of the Storm > NewsAug 10, 2015 7:00 pm CT

Heroes of the Storm free hero rotation and sales for August 11

Every week Heroes of the Storm has some heroes you’d usually have to pay for that you can play for free in the free hero rotation, plus a number of heroes and skins on sale in the weekly sale. It’s a great way to try out new heroes without committing to buy, as well as grabbing new heroes, skins, and mounts at bargain prices — so without further ado, let’s take a look at what this week’s rotation brings.

But, really, what is there to say about this week’s slate but OMG ABATHUR, who hasn’t been seen in the free rotation since December (and whose Pajamathur skin we rate as a must-buy). For the rest of the rotation, you’ve got some good staples, like the easy to pick up (and commonly in the rotation) assassin Raynor, and on sale this week is Li Li, one of our favorite support characters, on sale. Let’s see what the week holds, shall we?

We’ll start out this week’s free heroes:

Raynor
Muradin — check out our guide to Muradin
Falstad
Sonya
Sylvanas
Brightwing (Available after you reach player level 12)
Abathur (Available after you reach player level 15)

I polled our team of Heroes players to get some thoughts on what the rotation means for players this week:

Mitch: OMG ABATHUR?! I can finally use the Pajamathur skin I got on sale a few weeks ago. Pajamathur was too great a skin to pass up a sale on. Knew if I ever bought Abathur, I’d use that skin.

Matt: UGH ABATHUR FREE WEEK. [Editor’s note: Matt says this about most things that are fun and cute.]

Mitch: There’s a reason Blizz has kept him off rotation since December — he’s not easy. Played well, though, and he can be a huge asset to a team. Raynor is the Soldier 76 of Heroes. Easy to pick up and a great starter hero, not really much difficulty in understanding his abilities.

Anna: I bought Abathur literally yesterday. He always looked so fun but I wanted to try him out first… but here was never on rotation

Mitch: Muradin and Sonya are both warriors, but Muradin definitely feels like it more so. Hopping in and out of fights can be really fun with him and I’ll never complain about Thunder Clap. Sonya, though, she is more of an assassin-warrior.

Alex: I initially hated Sonya. After trying again, I realized I was playing her wrong and now I love her. Her spear is not for opening combat, even though it gives you Fury. It’s for snagging and murdering attempted escapees. Speccing full Seismic Slam turns her into an absolute powerhouse, but she plays more like an assassin than a warrior. She’s kind of squishy. You get in there, unload Seismic Slams, and get the heck out before they kill you. Whirlwind, in my experience, is mostly for minions and not actually that useful against other players. I go with Leap as her ultimate at level 10 and use it for disengaging from combat just as often as I use it for engaging. Sonya is squishy enough that having the ability to get out of the fight, regen health, and get back in is FAR more devastating than using those things to open combat. Raynor is boring. Falstad sux. SONYA SMASH.

Mitch: I love Sylvanas, but that is definitely influenced by the actual lore behind her character. In Heroes, she’s definitely fun but it can be tricky to get used to her (especially her Haunting Wave teleport). If played right, she’s not someone you want unopposed in a lane.

Dan: Falstad is great for being able to fly around the map quickly, especially if you end up on the Raven map. Sylvanas is wonderful for locking down enemy defenses.

Adam: Li Li is a fun support, but she’s also the biggest target there is.

If you need a starting point, check out our guide to Muradin, then move on to our more general assassin guide, specialist guide, support guide, and warrior guide for quick rundowns on each hero.

If you’re in the market for new heroes or skins, here’s what’s on sale this week: