Necromancer, Wizard coming to ‘Heroes of the Storm’

Blizzard has just unveiled two more characters for “Heroes of the Storm,” and they’re great representatives of the dark and demon-infested “Diablo” universe.

For their very first “Diablo II” hero, Blizzard unearths the cadaverous Necromancer, while “Diablo III” fans will be pleased to know that the high and mighty Wizard is teleporting her way into the Nexus.

Xul the Necromancer

The Necromancer proved an insanely innovative character class when “Diablo II” came out in 2000. Here was a spellcaster who killed you by summoning an army of undead things to bash you repeatedly in the face. In “Heroes of the Storm,” he goes by the name Xul, and he’s a melee Specialist. From dead units, he can raise up to four skeletal warriors that can absorb damage or push lanes. His other abilities include Spectral Scythe, which behaves like a boomerang; Curse Strike, which slows down the attack speed of enemies by 50%; Bone Prison, which roots opposing heroes to the spot for a few seconds; and Bone Armor, which gives him a temporary shield.

His Heroic Abilities include Poison Nova, an area of effect spell that emanates from Xul’s body, causing enormous damage to those around him; and Skeletal Mages, which summons a wall of mages that slow down all heroes they hit.

“Necromancer has been a character that’s been asked about for quite some time,” game director Dustin Browder told Gamespot. “Since 2013 people have been asking about Necromancer, and now we’ve finally got a kit that we were happy with.”

Li-Ming the Wizard

The Wizard Li-Ming is a flexible, high damage hero. She does, however, require great skill to use properly, as she not only has a weak constitution, many of her abilities demand precise execution, as well. Two of her moves are Magic Missile, which requires the aiming skills of a marksman, and the sluggish Arcane Orb, which grows more powerful with distance from its caster. She’s also got a short-range Teleport, which is a risky yet lethal ability if used correctly.

Her Heroic Abilities include Disintegration Beam, which is a long-range sweeping beam of pure devastation, and Wave of Force, which is a telekinetic bomb that can be exploded from a distance.

Her Trait Critical Mass resets all her ability cooldowns every time she participates in a kill, so in the hands of an expert, she can be a real danger on the battlefield.

Li-Ming was inspired by the game design team’s desire to create an easily understandable yet high skill cap character. Browder expects her to be a treat for players who’ve been asking for a more challenging hero to master.

We can expect more news about Xul and Li-Ming in the upcoming week. — TJD, GMA News