King Leoric steps into the Heroes of the Storm spotlight
If memory serves, King Leoric was a stand-up guy before he fell under the corrupting influence of the Lord of Terror. But then there was that spot of unpleasantness in Tristram, and now he's known to the world as the Skeleton King—and he's taking his act to Heroes of the Storm.
Blizzard's new Heroes of the Storm spotlight video portrays Leoric as "a front-line bruiser with a unique kit" that blends "an odd mixture of damage, control, and mobility." His play style is very similar to fellow Diabloite Tyrael and Anub'arak of World of Warcraft, and he brings a "good bit of tankiness" to the table as well as decent mobility and a degree of supplemental damage and utility. When he dies on the field, he becomes a controllable wraith, and can continue to employ two of his abilities: the devastating frontal cleave Skeletal Swing (called Ghastly Swing in wraith form), and Drain Hope, which drains enemy hit points over a four-second span.
King Leoric will join Heroes of the Storm during the Eternal Conflict event, which is adding a pile of Diablo-related content (including The Butcher, who we ran into last month). Learn more about the Skeleton King at the Heroes Nexus.
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.