A not so subtle hint was dropped today on Twitter.
For those who are unfamiliar, the words ward drives and the images of swirly technical looking beams of hexagonal energy fields are synonymous with the StarCraft’s race, the Protoss.
So, the next hero to be officially unveiled at the Western Clash will almost certainly be a Protoss Hero. The only question remaining is, WHICH Protoss hero? Here’s our top 4 countdown of most likely Heroes primed for Heroes of the Storm!
#4 Rohana
Rohana was one of three grand preservers who helped create the Arkships. When the Spear of Adun was reactivated, she served as an advisor to Hierarch Artanis.
Preservers were a very small group of Khalai Protoss who held the memories of other dead Khalai.
Similar to Abathur, if Rohana was to become a hero, her kit would have to be something dealing with the support or specialist roles as there are no in-game examples of her as a unit being able to do battle. The imagination abounds. Here's a quick cutscene for your enjoyment and subsequent nerd-chills.
#3 Vorazun
Vorazun, a Dark Templar like Zeratul, was the daughter of Raszagal, and was born and raised on Shakuras. When the zerg followed the Khalai to Shakuras, Vorazun personally took part in the defense of her homeworld. She took the skull of a hydralisk she slew as a trophy of her time in combat, which she would wear on her shoulder.
Vorazun, much like Zeratul, is an honorary badass, as you can see in this short cut scene.
Some of her abilities in Starcraft include Veil of Shadows, leaving Vorazun permanently cloaked, and Shadow Fury, rapidly teleporting Vorazun around the battlefield, striking up to eight enemies then returning to her initial position.
If Vorazun did come to Heroes it would most likely be as an assassin. As awesome as she is, we put her at #3 on our list because so much of her kit overlaps with Zeratul's and for her small role in the Starcraft fandom. You have to admit though, you wanna see her in action just because of her weapon and moves!
#2 Karax
Karax, starting out as a phase-smith, part of the lowest caste of Protoss society, was exalted to the rank of Templar and warrior by Artanis. An expert in weapons, armor and ships, Karax is one of the most precise of the Protoss engineers. Over the course of the war against Amon, he was able to rise above his worker origins, serving as an important part of the war effort.
Although newer to the Starcraft stage, there are more than a few Karax fans out there, conjuring up dreams of zapping sentries, phasing in killer turrets, and possibly more shield shenanigans. Karax wins style points in the Legacy of the Void for taking on the fun logical information officer role similar to Star Trek’s Data or Spock.
If we had to guess, Karax would fall into the role of specialist or some sort of specialist warrior, being a master of Sentries, Phase Cannons, and all manner of Protoss engineering.
Possible Kit Abilities
Karax, unlike the other members of our list, is a playable character in Legacy of the Void. Here are some of his abilities that might translate over to Heroes.
Reclamation - Take control of target robotic enemy unit or structure. Can take control of sentries, Immortals, Colossi, Reavers, and all Protoss structures (Two Sentries follow him around and shoot beams).
Master Phase-smith - Karax projects a power field that can be used to power Protoss structures. Structures in power field gain +100% attack speed and +900% production speed.
Phase Cannon - Creates a photon cannon with timed life. Must be placed within a power field.
Here's an example of what Karax's abilities look like In-game.
Karax already has great kit possiblities, at least as viable as Artanis before he entered the Nexus. With any number of unique possibilities and plenty of personality, we put Karax #2 on our list.
#1 Talandar a.k.a Fenix
Karax: “…wait, there is a purifier warrior prototype here as well! I will have to examine it more closely”
Prototype: “Artanis! It is good to see you young executor!”
Artanis: “Fenix, how? How can this be?”
Karax: “It was his clone personality that was used for the purifier prototype.”
Probably the most anticipated Hero to make his way from Starcraft into the Nexus has to be Fenix.
A little background on Fenix
First off, let’s get this out of the way; Talandar is a reincarnation of Fenix from Starcraft I fame. Fenix is a big deal. Like, Diablo 1 era big. Characters like Fenix represent some of the earliest lore nostalgia in the Blizzard universes.
Fenix played a pivotal role in the Second Battle of Antioch, ultimately being defeated by the Zerg. For his valor, Fenix's ruined body was recovered and placed into a dragoon.
Dragoon pilots were generally grievously wounded veteran Templars retrieved from the battlefield. Some of the most revered Protoss warriors, like Fenix, were placed in dragoons. A sacred shrine on Aiur was dedicated to the creation and maintenance of the dragoons. Of course, this was until the loss of the shrine after the Great War made it impossible to make dragoons.
Fast forward to the time of Legacy of the Void where the last of the Protoss run across the Purifiers. You can watch how this goes down here.
Unlike Fenix though, this Purifier become something of his own making as the Legacy of the Void story unfolded, later to name himself Talendar. "One who bears a strong Heart." If you're interested in watching All of Talandar's cinematics, you can watch them here.
Fenix/Talendar: “I am a warrior old friend, you know this as well as any. It is not my place to question the order of a judicator.”
Possible Kit Abilities
Talandar is another playable character in Legacy of the Void and would undoubtably be a Warrior and Tank in Heroes. Here are some of his abilities that might translate over to Heroes.
Thunderous Charge - Talandar charges at target enemy unit, stunning it and nearby enemies for 2 seconds.
Shield Capacitor
Fully restores Talandar's shields. The ability is only used when the user's shields are depleted, possibly similar to Artanis.
Whirlwind - Talendar spins to damage nearby enemies for damage per second. Can move while using.
