Artanis brings pain to 'Heroes of the Storm'

 

 

Warping into “Heroes of the Storm” is Artanis, a High Templar from Blizzard’s science fiction masterpiece, “StarCraft.”

 

Artanis is the Hierarch of the Daelaam – the unified force of the Khalai and the Dark Templar. He is driven by the hope of reclaiming the fallen Protoss home world, Aiur, and restoring his civilization’s former glory.

 

He comes to the Nexus garbed in royal battle armor, his psi-blades sharpened and his shield ready to absorb everything the enemy throws at him. As a medium difficulty melee warrior, he’s capable of taking on tanking and high DPS roles. His rapidly regenerating mana allows him to use his skills with impunity. But he is not without his faults. For one, he lacks viable escape options. Secondly, some of his moves leave him vulnerable to exploitation by the enemy.

 

As with all heroes, he comes with one Hero Trait, three Primary Abilities, and two Heroic Abilities.

 

 

 

Shield Overload

 

This Hero Trait is what makes Artanis difficult to kill. Once Artanis’ health drops below 50%, he automatically gains a formidable shield that lasts 5 seconds. Every Basic Attack Artanis performs lowers the shield’s 20-second cooldown by 4 seconds, so as long as he keeps fighting while he has one foot in the grave, the shield will almost always be up. Talents such as Shield Battery and Phase Bulwark further improve the shield’s sustainability.

 

Despite the robustness of this shield, it still helps to be cautious. Artanis rarely has any trouble facing multiple minions or a single enemy hero by himself. Without a team to support him, however, a crowd of opposing heroes can dismantle that shield within seconds.

 

 

Q – Blade Dash

 

Artanis’ first Primary Ability is a double dash called Blade Dash. He lunges in the direction of your choice, moderately damaging all enemies caught in his path, then boomerangs to his original position, dealing heavier damage to enemies along the way. It costs 65 mana and has a cooldown of 10 seconds.

 

You can augment its power by picking Talents that reduce its cooldown and increase its damage, range, and speed. With the right build, it can be an excellent tool for clearing lanes, and can be effective against knots of stunned heroes. It’s also a solid offensive maneuver against structures.

 

Blade Dash is not invulnerable, however, so you can be harmed during dashes. This makes it extremely risky against clusters of enemy heroes, as they can stun you after your first dash, canceling the second dash and leaving you at their mercy. It would have been nice if Artanis had the option to cancel Blade Dash, so that it could serve as an escape technique, like Valla’s Vault.

 

 

W – Twin Blades

 

Twin Blades will be many an Artanis player’s bread and butter skill. This makes your next Basic Attack strike a target twice for extra damage.

 

As it costs a meager 25 mana and has a cooldown of only 4 seconds, you can really abuse this move. By combining it with Talents that raise Artanis’ damage output (Seasoned Marksman, Titan Killer), and one which has him perform a third strike (Triple Strike), Twin Blades can be one of the deadliest tools in his arsenal.

 

Twin Blades works exceedingly well in combination with Artanis’ Hero Trait, as the more he pummels his opponents, the faster he recharges his shield. Overall, it’s a great skill against structures, minions, and heroes.

 

 

E – Phase Prism

 

This skillshot launches a Phase Prism towards a target Hero. If it hits, it deals moderate damage to said target, then swaps Artanis’ position with theirs. It costs 70 mana and has cooldown that lasts 14 seconds.

 

This is most effective when you’ve got teammates or defensive structures near your original position. This way, you’ll suck your target into a potentially fatal situation. Pair it with a Talent like Warp Sickness, which slows the target down, and you can almost always be assured of an instant kill.

 

The Phase Prism moves slowly and has short reach, though, so it’s tricky to use.

 

 

 

R – Suppression Pulse

 

Artanis’ first Heroic Ability has his flagship, the Spear of Adun, blast an enormous target area, causing considerable damage to enemies, and blinding them for 4 seconds. It costs 40 mana, and its cooldown is 50 seconds.

 

Suppression Pulse has unlimited range, so where you cast it isn’t dependent on Artanis’ position on the map. It is best used against heroes who rely heavily on autoattacks.

 

 

R – Purifier Beam

 

The Spear of Adun locks on to a single hero, then fires an orbital beam at them for massive damage. Should the hero flee, the beam will chase them for 8 seconds, damaging anything caught in its path. It travels more slowly than heroes, though, so unless the target is stunned, it’s possible for them to escape the beam. It costs 80 mana, and its cooldown lasts 80 seconds.

 

Like Artanis’ other Heroic Ability, Purifier Beam also has global range. It can be lethal against heroes low on health, and can wreak havoc on your enemies if they’re clumped closely together.

 

 

 

 

For Aiur!

 

Artanis is at his most dangerous when facing a single hero. Thanks to Twin Blades and Shield Overload, Artanis is capable of simultaneously dishing out brutal amounts of pain and shrugging off incoming attacks. Because of his lack of an escape plan, however, he doesn’t fare too well against hero hordes. Leading the charge against the enemy team is doable but risky; to survive such a rumble, he’ll need the close support of his allies. His Blade Dash is superb against minions and structures, but is generally unsafe against non-disabled heroes. His Phase Prism is currently too slow, and has inadequate reach for it to be of any use unless in the most capable hands. His Purifier Beam is a great assassination tool, while Suppression Pulse will render autoattack-heavy heroes useless long enough to turn the tide of battle to your team’s favor.

 

Overall, Artanis is a hero whose aggressiveness is rewarded with increased survivability, making him a tricky but immensely exciting hero to play. As long as the player knows how to take advantage of his strengths, he can be downright monstrous.

 

Artanis is already available for purchase in “Heroes of the Storm.” He will also appear as the main character in “StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void,” which will be released on November 10, 2015. — TJD, GMA News