The first Demon Hunter betrayed his people by creating a new well of eternity after the demonic invasion of Azeroth. Now Illidan lords over the realm of Outland slaughtering unsuitably prepared Heroes who venture into his domain.
With the Burning Legion threatening everything he held dear, Illidan Stormrage turned to any source of power he could get his hands on in order to save his people. With his unquenchable thirst for power he eventually betrayed everything he stood for, and was imprisoned for his crimes of resorting to demonic magic. Those 10,000 years in prison did nothing to subside his hunger, and once released he shaped the course of Azeroth for generations to come.
Illidan could arguably be one of the most iconic characters Blizzard has ever created, and his imagery has survived long after his death to be reborn in Heroes of the Storm. He also has the distinction of being one of the most quoted videogame characters of all time with his famous line, “You are not prepared,” - made famous during the Burning Crusade expansion of World of Warcraft. But how has this fan-favorite character’s transition into Heroes of the Storm fared for the winged demonic ruler of Outland?
As a melee assassin Illidan uses his speed and quick attacks to strike when his opponents are least expecting, but he is a tricky hero to play correctly. Blizzard ranks every hero by how difficult they are for players to use, and Illidan ranks as “very hard,” primarily because he has to get in close to kill while taking incredible amounts of damage. He’s best when he strikes after other heroes have engaged a target, and has trouble going head to head against most others.
Illidan’s basic attacks heal him for 20% of the damage dealt while also reducing the cool down of his abilities, and it takes practice to get the timings right. Furthermore, all of his abilities have a chance to apply a Mark of Azzinoth on targets, which increases the amount of damage they take and Illidan’s attack speed. Switching targets will dramatically lower his attack speed until another mark is applied, and it’s therefore best to try and focus on one target while they are distracted.
Hanging back and letting a tank engage the enemy is good advice, so Illidan can use his Dive ability to quickly leap a great distance to flip over a target while dealing damage. The range on Dive can be increased through talents and with its quick cooldown it makes for a great way to close the distance on fleeing enemies. With enough patience and practice you can hang back and quickly catch a low-health hero off guard as they run from your allies.
Dive can also be combined with Illidan’s Sweeping Strikes ability, that has him dashing through a targeted area dealing a small amount of area damage and increasing his basic attack damage. With Sweeping Strikes you can clear through a wall of creeps to reach your target, and talents can increase its range and damage modifiers.
But both of his primary abilities pale in comparison to his two heroic abilities: Metamorphosis and The Hunt. Both are viable choices that will vary depending on your taste. Metamorphosis transforms Illidan into his gigantic black demonic form that increases his damage and health considerably while doing an initial burst of heavy area damage. Through proper talent choices Metamorphosis can be sustained indefinitely to make Illidan incredibly powerful in the late game. Meanwhile, The Hunt is a super-strong version of Sweeping Strikes, with increased damage, range, and a stun to quickly bring down a target.
As Heroes of the Storm is still in its Alpha phase of testing many heroes and their abilities are not set in stone and changes are to be expected. Recently Illidan and all of his abilities were weakened, with Metamorphosis being a large part of why he was nerfed. Many players chose the ability because it turned Illidan into a walking demigod for 30 seconds and he could soak up more damage than anyone could dish out. But now that it has been nerfed, many players have given The Hunt its chance to shine.
Illidan will take much practice and patience for new players to fully understand his role on a team and how to best utilize his abilities, and personally I feel that his nerfs have been too severe. He doesn’t come with the same utility that other assassins have, and in a fire fight he’ll crumble under targeted fire. Hopefully Blizzard gets his balancing right and he lives up to his fearsome reputation, but it’s still super cool to revisit this character.
Are you prepared?
Brian Kale
@brianwkale
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