EPT
Li-Ming and Xul Preview
Double Diablo Action Incoming!
Last week Blizzard sent the HotS community into a frenzy of speculation with their initial #HeroReveal tweet on Tuesday followed by another teaser and then an official reveal that the Nexus would be getting some Diablo love in the upcoming patches: Diablo 3's Wizard Li-Ming and the Diablo 2 Necromancer Xul will both be available for play in the coming months.
Diablo fans worldwide joined in a united fist-pump when the news broke. Li-Ming was somewhat expected, with multiple sources having data-mined information regarding her sound files a few months back, but Xul was a complete surprise. In fact, just last week, Heroes of the Storm Game Director, Dustin Browder, made a misdirecting tweet regarding any sort of Diablo 2 content coming soon to HotS.
With the announcement, the rush of nostalgia hit like a train. Fans of the franchise recalled days of their Enigma-bearing Necromancers ruining the days of unsuspecting hardcore farmers day in and day out. Memories emerged of trying to lowball someone out of their Harlequin Crest Shako for just three SOJs, even though with enough patience a seller could easily net five. Many of us spent years in and out of 'Tele Baal-325' or 'BaalRunzz-061' trying to build up the perfect gear to bring in to those high level dueling games or to just impress people with in cow runs. Who else over the years convinced a core group of friends to reinstall D2 for a weekend or two to relive the glory days? I know I can't be the only one. Finally, our day has come to bring those memories to the Nexus and wreak havoc once again with the power of our skeleton armies!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/yuD8lx6.jpg)
The migration from Caldeum to the Nexus is an interesting one for Li-Ming. Lacking some of the iconic Wizard spells such as Hydra has some in the community disappointed, but the Heroes of the Storm team has put together a kit for the newest ranged Assassin with hopes for high skill play through easy-to-understand abilities.
The core of her abilities lies in her Trait, Critical Mass. It can be used with her Teleport as a sort of reverse-Illusionist passive from Diablo 3 after participating in a takedown. After some discussion with Blizzard Developer Kent-Erik Hagman on @Misscliks' #StormShow, Li-Ming was hinted at being an in-and-out, evasive burst mage, and there have been confirmations for direct crossover talents from Diablo 3, such as Calamity to add damage to your teleport cast and Diamond Skin, which can be activated on teleport usage.
Notes:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/LyauLhO.jpg)
It has been a long time since we adventured from Harrogath in Lord of Destruction, but the wait is nearly over. Xul will break the seal for the future of Diablo 2 content to be introduced into the Nexus. Hopes are high among fans to see other staple characters such as the Trap Assassin or Elemental Druid arise from the past and enter the fight!
Without a method of a speeding himself up or slowing down enemies outside of Skeleton Mages, it can only be speculated that Bone Prison will be the base of Xul's initiate. It will be interesting to learn how his Trait will be utilized in teamfighting, especially with the use of talents, but at the current time it would appear to be strictly targeted for PvE activities. There are many theories being tossed around as to possible talents like a pull associated with Spectral Reaper, a movement increase on Cursed Strike activation, etc., that will only be confirmed or denied with time. The only certainty we can make with Xul is that he will undoubtedly make his mark on the Nexus upon arrival.
Notes:
Follow us @LiquidHeroes to stay in the loop with live tournament coverage and news! We are dedicated to bringing you quality articles and the best Heroes of the Storm news coverage on the web!
Last week Blizzard sent the HotS community into a frenzy of speculation with their initial #HeroReveal tweet on Tuesday followed by another teaser and then an official reveal that the Nexus would be getting some Diablo love in the upcoming patches: Diablo 3's Wizard Li-Ming and the Diablo 2 Necromancer Xul will both be available for play in the coming months.
Diablo fans worldwide joined in a united fist-pump when the news broke. Li-Ming was somewhat expected, with multiple sources having data-mined information regarding her sound files a few months back, but Xul was a complete surprise. In fact, just last week, Heroes of the Storm Game Director, Dustin Browder, made a misdirecting tweet regarding any sort of Diablo 2 content coming soon to HotS.
With the announcement, the rush of nostalgia hit like a train. Fans of the franchise recalled days of their Enigma-bearing Necromancers ruining the days of unsuspecting hardcore farmers day in and day out. Memories emerged of trying to lowball someone out of their Harlequin Crest Shako for just three SOJs, even though with enough patience a seller could easily net five. Many of us spent years in and out of 'Tele Baal-325' or 'BaalRunzz-061' trying to build up the perfect gear to bring in to those high level dueling games or to just impress people with in cow runs. Who else over the years convinced a core group of friends to reinstall D2 for a weekend or two to relive the glory days? I know I can't be the only one. Finally, our day has come to bring those memories to the Nexus and wreak havoc once again with the power of our skeleton armies!
Li-Ming the Wizard, Ranged Assassin
- Trait - Critical Mass: Participating in takedowns lowers cooldowns of all skills (including heroics).
- Magic Missile: Skillshot. Fires three missiles at a target point. Missiles come from the sides of Li-Ming, rather than a straight line, similar to Arcane Torrent in Diablo 3.
- Arcane Orb: Skillshot. Slower projectile with very long range. Damage is increased the longer the projectile is active.
- Teleport: Short ranged blink with a very short cooldown. Teleport will likely define the difference between high and low level play of Li-Ming.
- Heroic - Disintegrate: A staple ability for every Diablo 3 Wizard while leveling. Channel a wave of energy that is aimed with the cursor and deals damage from distance. Lower duration and much more responsive than Diablo's Lightning Breath.
- Heroic - Wave of Force: Select a location and a pulse of energy knocks enemies away from its center. Seems like a reverse of Gazlowe's Grav-O-Bomb 3000.
The migration from Caldeum to the Nexus is an interesting one for Li-Ming. Lacking some of the iconic Wizard spells such as Hydra has some in the community disappointed, but the Heroes of the Storm team has put together a kit for the newest ranged Assassin with hopes for high skill play through easy-to-understand abilities.
The core of her abilities lies in her Trait, Critical Mass. It can be used with her Teleport as a sort of reverse-Illusionist passive from Diablo 3 after participating in a takedown. After some discussion with Blizzard Developer Kent-Erik Hagman on @Misscliks' #StormShow, Li-Ming was hinted at being an in-and-out, evasive burst mage, and there have been confirmations for direct crossover talents from Diablo 3, such as Calamity to add damage to your teleport cast and Diamond Skin, which can be activated on teleport usage.
Notes:
- Magic Missile speed accelerates over time after the projectile has been casted.
- Arcane Orb grows over time after the projectile has been casted.
- Level 20 talent allows Li-Ming to enter Archon mode where she can cast Disintegrate indefinitely but loses access to her other spells.
- Blizzard has repeatedly emphasized they want Li-Ming to be a high skill-cap Hero.
Xul the Necromancer, Melee Specialist
- Trait - Skeleton Raise: Reanimate dead minions as skeletons for 15 seconds. Four skeletons maximum.
- Spectral Reaper: Reverse skillshot. Summon a spectral scythe that returns to Xul. Movement can altar the path of Spectral Reaper, and allow the ability to curve.
- Cursed Strike: Buffs auto attacks to deal area damage and slow enemy attack speed.
- Bone Prison: Inescapable targeted ability (similar to Pyroblast). Roots an enemy Hero after 2 seconds in a Bone Prison. Targeted Hero will be notified upon casting. Nostalgia ability from D2 PvP builds!
- Bone Armor: Default extra ability set as an active ability (number key 1). Creates a brief shield for Xul equal to 25% of his maximum health for 3 seconds. Possibly the most identifiable Diablo 2 Necromancer ability seen in nearly every classic build.
- Heroic - Poison Nova: Poison explosion that deals massive damage over time to enemies hit. Again, another classic D2 poison build core ability!
- Heroic - Skeleton Mages: Summon a line of mages that slow enemy heroes hit. Do not block movement.
It has been a long time since we adventured from Harrogath in Lord of Destruction, but the wait is nearly over. Xul will break the seal for the future of Diablo 2 content to be introduced into the Nexus. Hopes are high among fans to see other staple characters such as the Trap Assassin or Elemental Druid arise from the past and enter the fight!
Without a method of a speeding himself up or slowing down enemies outside of Skeleton Mages, it can only be speculated that Bone Prison will be the base of Xul's initiate. It will be interesting to learn how his Trait will be utilized in teamfighting, especially with the use of talents, but at the current time it would appear to be strictly targeted for PvE activities. There are many theories being tossed around as to possible talents like a pull associated with Spectral Reaper, a movement increase on Cursed Strike activation, etc., that will only be confirmed or denied with time. The only certainty we can make with Xul is that he will undoubtedly make his mark on the Nexus upon arrival.
Notes:
- Highly anticipated teamfight potential compared to other melee Specialists.
- Confirmed Cursed Strike storm talent can reduce healing on an enemy similar to the Mortal Wounds mechanic.
- Hints were dropped by the graphics designers about Bone Spear and Corpse Explosion as potential talents, too.
- Will be able to choose through talents whether to focus more on pushing or teamfighting.
Follow us @LiquidHeroes to stay in the loop with live tournament coverage and news! We are dedicated to bringing you quality articles and the best Heroes of the Storm news coverage on the web!
