Jason Hidalgo

jhidalgo@rgj.com

Anniversaries typically serve as an opportunity for forgetful partners to get in trouble.

In the case of “Heroes of the Storm,” however, the game’s one year anniversary provides a chance to look at its ever-expanding roster, which has not only seen new additions throughout its first year but changes to older heroes as well.

On that note, we asked members of Blizzard’s team to each provide five picks of heroes they either like or recommend for players to try out from the now 50-plus character roster. (Lead hero designer Kent-Erik Hagman is an overachiever so he picked six.)

With Heroes of the Storm celebrating a “free weekend” from June 24 to 28 to celebrate its anniversary, it just might be the perfect time to give some of these heroes a look. Which five heroes would you recommend other folks to try out? Feel free to share your picks in the comments section.

John Hodgson, Lead Technical Designer

Greymane: My personal favorite right now – powerful and really fun to play. Really helping me in the new Ranked season

My personal favorite right now – powerful and really fun to play. Really helping me in the new Ranked season Abathur: If you’ve been unsure about some of the oddball Heroes in the game, this weekend would be a great opportunity to get your feet wet. Abathur is definitely one of the weirdest ones. Try him out!

If you’ve been unsure about some of the oddball Heroes in the game, this weekend would be a great opportunity to get your feet wet. Abathur is definitely one of the weirdest ones. Try him out! Arthas: Recent Talent changes has helped Arthas feel like the King he was meant to be.

Recent Talent changes has helped Arthas feel like the King he was meant to be. Cho’gall: Grab a friend who hasn’t given the two-headed ogre a try and see how well you really work together.

Grab a friend who hasn’t given the two-headed ogre a try and see how well you really work together. Chromie: Chromie’s Time Trap has been buffed! If the time wasn’t right for you to try Chromie before…

Kent-Erik Hagman, Lead Hero Designer

Dehaka: Dehaka definitely requires some good timing to get a mastery of, thanks to his powerful [Q] Drag ability and his disorienting heroic ability [R] Isolation, which temporarily blinds and silences an enemy target.

Dehaka definitely requires some good timing to get a mastery of, thanks to his powerful [Q] Drag ability and his disorienting heroic ability [R] Isolation, which temporarily blinds and silences an enemy target. Li-Ming: Hailing from the world of Sanctuary, Li-Ming’s abilities can dish out a fair amount of damage and, if you can time things right, wipe out an entire enemy team.

Hailing from the world of Sanctuary, Li-Ming’s abilities can dish out a fair amount of damage and, if you can time things right, wipe out an entire enemy team. Lt. Morales: Lt. Morales is a healer in the purest sense of the word. Can you manage to keep your team topped off at all times while ensuring you stay alive?

The odd-balls

Abathur: This Zerg slug doesn’t actually engage in direct combat in the battlefield, but he can jump globally to any ally and support them from afar!

This Zerg slug doesn’t actually engage in direct combat in the battlefield, but he can jump globally to any ally and support them from afar! Murky: If you don’t mind dying but hate being dead, then you’ll love Murky! By placing his Egg out on the battlefield, Murky’s deaths are effectively minimized since he respawns in a matter of seconds. Good thing too, since his health pool is barely a quarter of most other Heroes!

If you don’t mind dying but hate being dead, then you’ll love Murky! By placing his Egg out on the battlefield, Murky’s deaths are effectively minimized since he respawns in a matter of seconds. Good thing too, since his health pool is barely a quarter of most other Heroes! Cho’gall: Grab a buddy, because Cho and Gall each require a separate player to control this two-headed Ogre. The Cho player has control of the legs, guiding Gall into position to devastate their foes!

Matthew Cooper, Lead Live Designer

Medivh: Excels with a well-coordinated and organized team who can make the most of his portals and Force of Will abilities.

Excels with a well-coordinated and organized team who can make the most of his portals and Force of Will abilities. Greymane: A ranged assassin with lethal capabilities at melee range. His burst damage is out of this world but be careful about the amount of danger you put yourself in.

A ranged assassin with lethal capabilities at melee range. His burst damage is out of this world but be careful about the amount of danger you put yourself in. Dehaka: A StarCraft Warrior with the ability to travel globally, which allows you to take advantage of lopsided skirmishes.

A StarCraft Warrior with the ability to travel globally, which allows you to take advantage of lopsided skirmishes. Lt. Morales: Likely the strongest healing potential in the game, Lt. Morales is an ace when it comes to keeping a single target alive in uncertain circumstances.

Likely the strongest healing potential in the game, Lt. Morales is an ace when it comes to keeping a single target alive in uncertain circumstances. Tychus: Recently retooled to be a tank buster, Tychus is the ideal candidate for dealing with high health Warriors.

Heroes of the Storm Community Team

Stitches: There are few things more satisfying in Heroes of the Storm than landing a HUGE Hook! Try out this Warrior Hero if you want to be a literal abomination on the Battleground, forcing the enemy into fights on YOUR terms.

There are few things more satisfying in Heroes of the Storm than landing a HUGE Hook! Try out this Warrior Hero if you want to be a literal abomination on the Battleground, forcing the enemy into fights on YOUR terms. Tyrande: Check out this Support Hero for a whole new take on helping out your team. Land crucial stuns, snipe Heroes from across the Battleground, and keep your team up with heals and buffs. Tyrande is a do-all Hero who can be an absolute powerhouse on the battlefield when used to her full potential.

Check out this Support Hero for a whole new take on helping out your team. Land crucial stuns, snipe Heroes from across the Battleground, and keep your team up with heals and buffs. Tyrande is a do-all Hero who can be an absolute powerhouse on the battlefield when used to her full potential. Sylvanas: Shutting down entire teams, freezing Minions and Mercenaries in their tracks, and Mind Controlling Heroes to do her bidding … it’s good to be a Banshee Queen. Check out this Specialist Hero for a unique and insanely fun take on Heroes of the Storm.

Shutting down entire teams, freezing Minions and Mercenaries in their tracks, and Mind Controlling Heroes to do her bidding … it’s good to be a Banshee Queen. Check out this Specialist Hero for a unique and insanely fun take on Heroes of the Storm. Zeratul: If this is your first time trying out a Cloaked Hero, you’re in for a treat! With powers that freeze entire teams for a few seconds, destroy unsuspecting Heroes with insane burst damage, and scout the enemy team from an unseen position, you’ll strike from the shadows and keep the entire enemy team on edge with this Assassin Hero.

If this is your first time trying out a Cloaked Hero, you’re in for a treat! With powers that freeze entire teams for a few seconds, destroy unsuspecting Heroes with insane burst damage, and scout the enemy team from an unseen position, you’ll strike from the shadows and keep the entire enemy team on edge with this Assassin Hero. Valla: This Assassin Hero translates perfectly from her Demon Hunter counterpart in Diablo III. Valla is an effective and viable pick at all levels of play, and has a super fun set of abilities to boot.

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