Our latest appraisal of the game’s best Heroes by combat category and universe origin.
Most Heroes of the Storm players will likely only have a few of each Hero type to mess around with in the game, with other opportunities for character exploration coming from the weekly free Hero rotation offered by Blizzard.
For that reason, it can be hard to know which of the roster of Heroes are going to best suit the job at hand. If you want to tackle a particular Daily Quest, for example, it can be helpful to know which of the Heroes that most match your playstyle and skill level are the best best ones to get stuck into battle with.
In the table below, you’ll find each of the game’s Heroes ranked according to the current accepted community wisdom, as well as our own personal experience. We’ve listed the Heroes within each tier in alphabetical order, along with some extra information to help you make your selection, such as the game universe the Hero originates from, and the particular role it plays in battle.
We’ll update this article on a monthly basis, so keep us bookmarked if you want to stay on top of the latest shifts in the Heroes of the Storm metagame. If you’re still stuck and aren’t sure which Heroes of the Storm Hero is the best choice for you, take a look at some of our selection tips further down the page.
Many Heroes of the Storm players will likely only have a few of each Hero type to mess around with in the game, with other opportunities for character exploration coming from the weekly free Hero rotation offered by Blizzard.
For that reason, it can be hard to know which of the roster of Heroes are going to best suit the job at hand. If you want to tackle a particular Daily Quest, for example, it can be helpful to know which of the Heroes that most match your playstyle and skill level are the best best ones to get stuck into battle with.
In the table below, you’ll find each of the game’s Heroes ranked according to the currently accepted community wisdom, as well as our own personal experience with the game. We’ve listed the Heroes within each tier in alphabetical order, along with some extra information to help you make your selection, such as the game universe the Hero originates from, and the particular role it plays in battle.
We’ll update this article on a monthly basis, so keep us bookmarked if you want to stay on top of the latest shifts in the Heroes of the Storm metagame. If you’re still stuck and aren’t sure which Heroes of the Storm Hero is the best choice for you, take a look at some of our selection tips further down the page.
Editor’s note – July update: We’ve added an extra level to our tier list so that we can more accurately appraise a rapidly growing roster of heroes in the game. We’ve also, of course, re-evaluated the relative rankings of all the characters too, so you can make the best pick for your chosen category in the current metagame.
Heroes of the Storm Hero tier list – July 2016
| Tier 1 | Guide | Role | Universe | Difficulty |
| Falstad | Falstad Builds | Guide | Ranged Assassin | Warcraft | Medium |
| Johanna | Johanna Builds | Guide | Melee Warrior | Diablo | Medium |
| Kael’thas | Kael’thas Builds | Guide | Ranged Assassin | Warcraft | Hard |
| Li-Ming | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Assassin | Diablo | Hard |
| Rehgar | Rehgar Builds | Guide | Melee Support | Warcraft | Medium |
| Thrall | Thrall Builds | Guide | Melee Assassin | Warcraft | Medium |
| Xul | Guide coming soon! | Melee Specialist | Diablo | Medium |
| Tier 2 | Guide | Role | Universe | Difficulty |
| Anub’arak | Anub’arak Builds | Guide | Melee Warrior | Warcraft | Medium |
| Arthas | Arthas Builds | Guide | Melee Warrior | Warcraft | Medium |
| Dehaka | Guide coming soon! | Melee Warrior | StarCraft | Medium |
| ETC | ETC Builds | Guide | Melee Warrior | Warcraft | Medium |
| Greymane | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Assassin | Warcraft | Hard |
| Illidan | Guide coming soon! | Melee Assassin | Warcraft | Hard |
| Jaina | Jaina Builds | Guide | Ranged Assassin | Warcraft | Medium |
| Lunara | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Assassin | Warcraft | Medium |
| Medivh | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Specialist | Warcraft | Very Hard |
| Muradin | Muradin Builds | Guide | Melee Warrior | Warcraft | Medium |
| Sonya | Sonya Builds | Guide | Melee Warrior | Diablo | Medium |
| Tassadar | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Support | StarCraft | Medium |
| Tyrande | Tyrande Builds | Guide | Ranged Support | Warcraft | Medium |
| Zagara | Zagara Builds | Guide | Ranged Specialist | StarCraft | Medium |
| Zeratul | Guide coming soon! | Melee Assassin | StarCraft | Hard |
| Tier 3 | Guide | Role | Universe | Difficulty |
| Abathur | Guide coming soon! | Melee Specialist | StarCraft | Very Hard |
| Artanis | Artanis Builds | Guide | Melee Warrior | StarCraft | Medium |
| Azmodan | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Specialist | Diablo | Medium |
| Brightwing | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Support | Warcraft | Hard |
| Diablo | Diablo Builds | Guide | Melee Warrior | Diablo | Medium |
| Kharazim | Guide coming soon! | Melee Support | Diablo | Medium |
| Lt. Morales | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Support | StarCraft | Medium |
| Malfurion | Malfurion Builds | Guide | Ranged Support | Warcraft | Easy |
| Nazeebo | Nazeebo Builds | Guide | Ranged Specialist | Diablo | Medium |
| Raynor | Raynor Builds | Guide | Ranged Assassin | StarCraft | Easy |
| Sylvanas | Sylvanas Builds | Guide | Ranged Specialist | Warcraft | Medium |
| The Lost Vikings | Guide coming soon! | Melee Specialist | Blizzard | Very Hard |
| Tracer | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Assassin | Overwatch | Hard |
| Uther | Uther Builds | Guide | Melee Support | Warcraft | Easy |
| Valla | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Assassin | Diablo | Easy |
| Tier 4 | Guide | Role | Universe | Difficulty |
| Chen | Guide coming soon! | Melee Warrior | Warcraft | Hard |
| Cho’gall | Guide coming soon! | Melee Warrior | Warrior | Medium |
| Chromie | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Assasssin | Warcraft | Hard |
| Gazlowe | Guide coming soon! | Melee Specialist | Warcraft | Medium |
| Kerrigan | Guide coming soon! | Melee Assassin | StarCraft | Hard |
| Leoric | Guide coming soon! | Melee Warrior | Diablo | Hard |
| Li Li | Li Li Builds | Guide | Ranged Support | Warcraft | Easy |
| Rexxar | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Warrior | Warcraft | Hard |
| Sgt Hammer | Sgt Hammer Builds | Guide | Ranged Specialist | StarCraft | Hard |
| Stitches | Stitches Builds | Guide | Melee Warrior | Warcraft | Medium |
| The Butcher | The Butcher Builds | Guide | Melee Assassin | Diablo | Medium |
| Tychus | Tychus Builds | Guide | Ranged Assassin | StarCraft | Medium |
| Tyrael | Guide coming soon! | Melee Warrior | Diablo | Medium |
| Tier 5 | Guide | Role | Universe | Difficulty |
| Murky | Guide coming soon! | Melee Specialist | Warcraft | Hard |
| Nova | Guide coming soon! | Ranged Assassin | StarCraft | Medium |
Heroes of the Storm Hero categories
If you’re unsure of which Hero to take into battle, here’s a quick rundown of the different Hero types available in Heroes of the Storm.
Assassin – If you like doing raw damage over just about anything else, choose one of the game’s Assassins. Just keep in mind that you’ll be a good deal squishier than other characters, so be careful not to bite off more than you can chew.
Warrior – These beefy characters typically take the role of the team’s tank in battle. They tend to have lots of health to help them stay alive while blocking damage, but have lower damage output of their own.
Specialist– These fun characters typically pack in a few special tricks and tools of the trade, and are often particularly strong at disabling and destroying an enemy’s structural defences.
Support– A good healer can be the difference between a loss or a victory in Heroes of the Storm, so if you’re not one for chasing glory, grab a Support character and do whatever it takes to keep your teammates alive.
Heroes of the Storm Hero tips and tricks
Whichever character you choose to fight with, try to keep the following in mind in every match.
- Teamwork is critical in Heroes of the Storm, and more-so than in any other MOBA. It’s very hard to carry poorer players in the game, so keep the lines of communication open, check your map constantly, and provide intel whenever you can.
- Completing map objectives is also a crucial part of winning matches in HotS. As a general rule, you should work with your team towards these special objectives whenever they spawn on a map.
- Don’t assume that every player knows how every map works. Use the pre-match time to get your team up to speed, and ensure everyone knows their role and priorities. People are usually happy to take guidance if it’s given in a generous spirit.
