by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

Concept art has been released for Blizzard’s upcoming MOBA Heroes of the Storm, and in it, we see at least some characters that we can expect to be in the game. The roster’s not surprising thus far, featuring Warcraft mainstays such as Sylvanas Windrunner, Anub’arak, Illidan Stormrage, Chen Stormstout and Arthas in his Lich King getup. A couple of weeks back, we also saw concept art for Malfurion Stormage, and his terrifying flock of owls. Other Blizzard characters include the Lord of Terror himself, Diablo, along with the Witch Doctor. Nova Terra and Jim Raynor are present to represent the Starcraft universe.

Today, we’ll see and hear more about Heroes of the Storm at the game’s panel starting at 4:45 PDT. While we wait, it’s always fun to speculate on characters we’d like to see in the game. Here’s 10 characters not featured above that we at BlizzPro would like to see.

Baal

The Lord of Destruction was a worthy foe in Diablo II’s expansion pack, but what makes him an appealing pick to us is his potential as a MOBA character. In the final fight, Baal had the ability to shoot devastating lasers, teleport, clone himself, the works. This demon just begs to be made a high damage caster character, likely played as a solo mid ganker.

Taran Zhu

The super stoic panda badass would make a great character in Heroes of the Storm, and where as Chen Stormstout could be a bit goofier, Taran Zhu would be all business. I mean, the guy can apparently walk on water, survives taking Gorehowl to the chest and still lives to scold Garrosh Hellscream.

Fenix (Zealot)

There are a number of incredible Protoss characters from the original Starcraft title that should be included, and Fenix is no exception. Prior to his first untimely end, Fenix was a strong, agile zealot and would make a great agility/attack damage carry. It would also be awesome to hear him drop a line such as, “I can still, how do you say, throw down with the best of them!’

Samir Duran

Starcraft fans still have a lot to talk about when it comes to Samir Duran, and given that his story is still largely unfinished, inclusion in Heroes of the Storm only seems fitting. As a Ghost, Blizzard would have a lot of options when it came to what to do with him in a MOBA setting.

Cenarius

The Patron God of the Druids, Cenarius could bring down nature’s wrath upon his foes in Heroes of the Storm, whether through the use of moon powered spells, the summoning of bestial hordes, or both. There would also be the chance for a lot of comical exchanges between him and other, more technologically savvy characters if Blizzard chose to go the route of interactions between its cast.

Arthas Menethil

No, not the Lich King, I’m talking impressionable young not yet crazy Arthas Menethil. Soul Calibur, from the third installment on featured both Siegfried and Nightmare, and, perhaps more relevant, both DotA and Heroes of Newerth feature Arthas Menethil and Lich King equivalents. It’d be awesome fan service and leave room for a lot of entertaining interactions, wherein the Lich King could taunt Arthas about what he’s going to do down the road.

Deckard Cain

Alright, Deckard Cain might not be the most youthful of options, but there’s no doubt that he’s one of the most well-known faces in the Diablo franchise, and hey, he might totally have some Horadric magic up his sleeve. Most importantly, if there was any kind of taunt implemented, similar to Heroes of Newerth, imagine hearing ‘Stay a while and listen!’ just before murdering someone.

Thrall

This is sort of a no-brainer, but yah, Thrall should totally be in the game. It’d be nice to see the one time Warchief get into the fight, rather than try and diffuse it with diplomacy. It’d be interesting to see how the totem mechanic translated over to Heroes of the Storm. He could end up being similar to DotA’s Shadow Shaman, using his totems as an ultimate ability to cage an opponent while the elements wreck them.

Tychus Findlay

It’d be a daaayum shame if the Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty alumni did not make into Heroes of the Storm. As a Marine, he’d have the option to function as either a brawler, or a big, tanky defender. There’d also be the potential for awesome exchanges between the big brute and Jim Raynor because, let’s face it, they’ve had some differences in opinions.

Jaina Proudmoore

There’s no denying that Jaina Proudmoore developed some teeth in Mists of Pandaria, and Heroes of the Storm would give her ample opportunity to loose them upon her foes, regardless of what universe they hail from. It also seems borderline essential, given that Jaina’s character model was used for one of the original DotA characters, Rylai, the Crystal Maiden, a character that has been cloned across the genre.

These are just our suggestions, however. Obviously, there are a lot of characters in the various Blizzard universes. What characters would you like to see and, more importantly, what matchups would be the most satisfying for you?