Another hero rotation leaves us waiting for Greymane

It’s the first Heroes of the Storm hero rotation for the year, and, as ever, we have the latest lineup alongside the team’s commentary (insightful and otherwise) on this week’s group of freebies. On deck this week we have newbie-friendly Raynor (with Matticus continuing to defend him), everyone’s favorite Azmodunker, and Anub’arak (whom we can’t quite decide on a nickname for).

But while the rotation is perfectly acceptable, all of us are looking forward to seeing Genn Greymane enter the fray. And, considering it’s been three weeks since Lunara joined the Nexus, we might be seeing him any time now. Will he be arriving this week? A launch date hasn’t been announced for him either way, and I’m starting to think it will be next week — or even later — before he’ll show his face.

Still, let’s dive in to this week’s rotation.

 

As usual, we’ll kick off this week with a poem from our resident bard, Mitch:

Good and bad interspersed in a Nexus bar,
Muradin throws a drink to Thrall, a little too far,
It hits Azmodan in the head,
Who wakes Leoric from the dead,
And now none will leave without a scar.

And a haiku from Joe celebrating Heroes’ resident Resto Shaman:

Rehgar is amazing
His support is swift and strong
He will bring you joy

And now here are this week’s free heroes alongside the team’s commentary:

Assassins

Nova (unlocked at player level 15)

Mitch: Novazon Nova is still on sale and that skin is perfection. Also, Nova herself is pretty fun but not really like most Assassins. Her strength comes from roaming and the ability to gank enemies. She takes patience and sometimes it can feel like you’re not doing anything because you’re waiting for the right moment to strike — that’s okay, though! A good Nova (in my experience) will be high on hero damage but lower on the rest. She’s not an all-around hero like some of the rest here, but if you like ganking and watching enemies’ health pools crash instantly, she can be a ton of fun (especially with a build that boosts her autoshot and out-of-stealth damage).

Raynor — check out our guide to Raynor

Mitch: In addition to my standard “Raynor is the tutorial hero for a reason” feedback, I want to make a special mention of his useful and incredibly annoying knockback. I had honestly forgotten about it until playing as Lunara recently and trying to aim my vines to hit an enemy only to have Raynor knock them back and out of the way. If you play Raynor, be careful with the knockback. Use it to escape, use it to clear minions when you’re sure you won’t need it soon, but don’t use it unless you’re sure a fellow hero won’t be aiming a skillshot any time soon.

Matticus: Raynor is the most diverse attacker and he can fit into a wide variety of team compositions with a sharp focus on playing the map, its objectives, and your team’s goals instead of constantly figuring out what abilities or buttons to press. He may be boring, but he’s like the crappy, Chinese takeout hole in the wall place around the corner — you know exactly what you’re getting and it’s always consistent!

Anna: Now I want crappy Chinese.

Anne: I…really want Chinese food.

Thrall

Mitch: I’m surprised I don’t actually own Thrall because he’s a really fun Assassin and one I play pretty much every time he’s on the free rotation. But now that I need to write about him, I’m blanking on specifics sooo… give him a shot. He’s fun!

Specialists

Azmodan — check out our guide to Azmodan

Mitch: Do I really need to say it? Azmodunking. It’ll be nothing but net on that field and some other sports metaphor. Now all we need is a basketball jersey skin for him and my life will be complete.

Sylvanas (unlocked at player level 7)

Anna: Sylvanas is a favorite right now not just because of that glorious fairy queen skin. She can shut down the enemy’s offense so effectively with her trait while doing a ton of DPS that even a half awake Sylvanas usually makes for a very quick game. I’ve been slacking on game churn over the holiday so I’m playing lots of Sylvie to catch up so I can get that sweet free 10 day stim pack before the quest expires. I’ve been able to win a game in under 5 minutes on standard AI mode with her. However, like the old WoW mantra goes, dead DPS do no damage. Sylvanas is very squishy and though Haunting Wave gives good escape you need to be very aware of your positioning and your outs when you play her.

Mitch: Okay, starting to regret playing all these heroes. This is a lot of typing. It’s worth it though, because Sylvanas is awesome and is not the kind of hero you want to leave unattended in a lane. She’ll be able to push very hard thanks to her trait that will disable towers. If you can aim it right, you can use her Q on one tower to make it autoattack the other and keep them both locked down. And if you really want pushing power, she can remove ammo (though this is probably better for AI matches).

Support

Rehgar

Joe: Rehgar is one of my favorite heroes because he’s a melee support and Shaman. He has some strong burst healing, minor CC, and can solo very well for a Support. Part of the reason he’s one of my favorites is his ability to be self-sufficient for jungling and obtaining objectives. With Heroes having such a large focus on objectives, it’s refreshing to have a Support who can play a heavy part in obtaining objectives and roaming the map. Chain Heal can be bounced off of minions to hit heroes outside of your initial cast range, Lightning Shield is great for dealing AOE damage, Earth Grasp Totem can be very annoying for opponents and can help give your team a couple of extra steps in a chase. Ghost Wolf, while slower than a traditional mount, is instant cast and basic attacks in ghost wolf deal 100% more damage, which is great for chasing a dismounted enemy hero. He’s just a versatile champ who will take some time to get used to, but can offer some very rewarding gameplay if you put in the time.

Mitch: Another really fun healer/Support class. I pretty much agree with everything Joe said. Also, sometimes I like to yell his “ARRARRARRR” chomping noise out loud because it’s fun and the noise is funny and I love that he chomps and don’t judge me.

Tyrande (unlocked at player level 5)

Anna: Tyrande is a new favorite because I’ve noticed a trend since the MMR changes. It definitely may be all in my head but since that patch if I’m playing an offensively-minded character like a Leoric or Raynor — or even Murky last week — I get stuck with an all-offense team. This usually works out alright. However, if I pick a Support character or even just a hero who needs other players on lane clear like a Rehgar or Nova, I’m frequently stuck in 3+ Support teams. Even if I win, these games stretch on into freaking eternity and aren’t all that fun. Tyrande can be built with talents DPS-heavy enough to help my team full of healers limp along quite well. Use that trait often and bring your team a victory that hopefully happens in under half an hour.

Alex: What’s the deal with that matchmaking, anyway? I’ve experienced the exact same thing. Pick a Support character, end up in a game with 3+ support and an Abathur. Pick an Assassin, end up in a game with no Support.

Anna: I think maybe they weighted the matchmaker far more toward MMR/player level and less toward team comps in AI? It’s hard to know with small sample size.

Warriors

Anub’arak — check out our guide to Anub’arak

Mitch: ARE YOU READY TO BE ANUB’ARAK’D?! Hahahaha that one will never get old. Okay enough fun. Anub’arak is honestly one of my favorite Warriors out there. If you’ve never played him, it may be worth trying his non-beetle build just to get a feel for his abilities. Being built around skillshots, he has a bit of a learning curve. If you’re comfortable with his playstyle or just feeling a bit adventurous, beetle builds can be very useful and will help to define Anub’arak’s presence on the field. Plus, beetles get targeted by towers first and can intercept skillshots… they’re relatively underrated, imo.

Liz: Is it really ANUB’ARAK’D? I mean shouldn’t it be ANUB’AWRECKED?

Anne: Anub’areckt.

Anna: I think we all know we’re only capable of anoobawreck around here.

Mitch: This one is like “rocked.” Like if Anub’arak had terrible pickup lines.

Rades: Anub’arak You Like a Hurricane.

Matticus: Thanks Rades, you’ve helped me meet my sigh quota for the day.

Leoric (unlocked at player level 12) — check out our guide to Leoric

Mitch: Another of my top Warriors. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel at first because his attack speed is very slow, but he can clear waves super quickly with his cleave, he’s extra tanky, and once you get used to not actually going back to the Nexus point after death, it’ll be hard to go back. As always, just be careful where you resurrect because his deaths do count for full XP. Harass for as long as you can, then pull back before resurrecting if you’re not 100% sure you’re in a safe spot.

Muradin — check out our guide to Muradin

Mitch:  I still think of him as my first Heroes haiku inspiration, so even though I don’t actually play him much, he holds a special place in my heart. I’d also say he’s kind of like the Raynor of Warrior heroes. He’s not too tough to get used to and can be pretty tanky and disruptive (the hammer stun brings back terrible memories of Rogue PVP in Burning Crusade) , but you’ll definitely be able to tell when someone has a mastery of his playstyle.

If you need a starting point with any of these heroes, check out our Assassin guide, Specialist guide, Support guide, and Warrior guide for quick rundowns on each hero. This week’s freebies should be going live this afternoon, so jump online to take advantage of them. And, as always, we’ll see you in the Nexus!