Zeratul has always been an interesting case in Heroes of the Storm. Skilled players make him look broken and inexperienced players fear him. He has insane playmaking potential and can change a game at any moment. The highlight reel potential is always there which is what makes him so exciting to play and watch. The only problem is Zeratul has been mostly missing from competitive play since his last round of changes. Fear not though friends, because our favorite Dark Templar is back and ready to put the fear of Aiur back into some players.

What has Changed?

Zeratul has received a round of changes that are currently on the PTR. For a full overview on the rework head over to this link and check out the patch notes. The biggest changes I see are:

Vorpal Blade Moved to Level 1- This change gives Zeratul sticking potential and an extra bit of mobility from the start of the game that he didn’t have before. This move also allows you to take Vorpal Blade in combination with Master Warp-Blade. Now you don’t have to choose between mobility and extra damage.

Combo Slash (Was Follow Through) Moved to level 4- This is another significant change because it gives you more damage earlier in the game, and allows it to also be taken with Master Warp-Blade. It gives Zeratul a nice power spike at level 4 and combos nicely with Vorpal Blade.

Wormhole Moved to Level 7- This is another nice quality of life change because of the escape potential and safety this talent adds. It allows you to play more aggressively earlier in the game.

New Talent Shroud of Adun- Even though Zeratul is a squishy hero 15% of his maximum health is a pretty solid shield. It allows you to have some protection when you open up out of stealth.

Master-Warp Blade Buff- This talent now causes your third consecutive basic attack against a target to do 25% more damage than it did before (125% now instead of 100%). This is a minor buff, but a significant damage increase.

Gift of the Xel’Naga- This is the new and improved version of Zeratul’s level 20 Void Prison upgrade. It now slows enemies by 50% for 3 seconds when they are freed from Void Prison. This adds much needed utility to a heroic upgrade that was rarely taken before.

All these changes lead to a new and improved Zeratul. It seems like we may be seeing him in the Nexus much more frequently once this new patch drops.