What differentiates HotS sub-roles

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I'm looking at the current Mega Hero Bundles that Blizzard has for the HotS 2.0 release, and I'm seeing a lot of Roles that I'm not familiar with.

HotS is the only MOBA I play, and even then I don't play very often, but I do have a handle on the four main categories that they usually use to group heroes. However, in the bundles they list things like "Mage" and "Bruiser" that aren't standard. I've tried looking them up online, but there doesn't seem to be any HotS focused explanation of them.

Can someone provide a brief rundown on these sub-roles and what differentiates them, along the same lines as the previous answer?

Specifically:

  • Ganker/Mage/Marksman – Three types of Assassins. I would assume Ganker is melee and the other two are ranged, but if so, what differentiates them?
  • Tank/Bruiser – Two types of Warriors. I assume it's the difference between more defense focused vs more offense focused, but if so, how different is a Bruiser from just being a tougher Ganker?
  • Siege – Specialists better at attacking walls and keeps than usual, but how do they (generally) compare to heroes that just do more damage in the first place? (10 damage + 50% would still be less than 21 damage, for example)
  • Utility – Does this mean "I do a little of everything, but I'm can't compare to heroes in their strong areas", "I can fill any role, but only one at a time", or something else alogn those lines?

Best Answer

Although, there is so much specific roles, Heroes of the Storm only have 4 main roles, which this roles have another ones (sub roles):

  1. Assassin: Heroes that deal a lot of damage, specifically for killing enemy heroes.

    Assassin sub-roles:

    • Ganker: Heroes that have skills for start a fight, killing their objective and then escape faster, without being caught. More or less, all the stealth heroes or heroes with enough burst damage to kill you with only a combo.

      Examples: Nova, Zeratul, Valeera, Alarak, Samuro. Illidan is also ganker, but their main role is annoying enemy heroes, absorb the damage with his W skill, and doing camps easily.

    • Mages: Heroes with range skills that do damage with poking enemy heroes. Their primary role is doing damage to all enemy heroes, usually more than 2. In most of the case, mages don't usually auto-attack, they prefer to stay behind the ally lines for getting their skills cooldown.

      Examples: Kaelthas, Li-Ming, Gul'Dan, Jaina, Chromie.

    • Marksman: Heroes which his primary role is killing enemy heroes with their auto-attack. They have a lot of damage also with skills and talents it is enough for killing the enemy team.

      Examples: Raynor, Tychus, Valla, Lunara, Zul'Jin.

  2. Warrior: This role englobes heroes with have a lot of health points and their primary role is to hold on the ally line, support their marksman/mage heroes and fight versus the enemy tanks.

    Warrior sub-roles:

    • Tank: As the sub-roles name, heroes with tank the enemy skills and auto-attack, annoying marksman/mage heroes and have some utility to pick enemy heroes and moving in to the ally lines.

      Examples: Artanis, Stitches, Leoric, Rexxar, Tyrael, Johanna, Muradin, ETC, Varian.

    • Bruiser: Heroes with hold the line together with the tanks. They have some damage to kill enemy heroes with the assassin help. Also, they support ally assassin heroes in the case an enemy assassin hero appears to kill ally heroes. They have utility to do CC skills (Crowd Control: stuns, silence, root).

      Examples: Sonya, Varian, Artanis, Arthas.

  3. Specialist: Heroes with their primary role are destroying enemy keep and forts. They have talents and skill for upgrading ally minions, having control map to move faster for destroying forts or soaking (getting experience by killing minions). In this role, they are heroes that have more utility by helping ally heroes than destroying forts, such as Medivh or specialist heroes that can be perfectly assassin heroes such as Probius or Azmodan.

    Specialist sub-roles:

    • Siege: As I mention before, heroes that their primary role is killing forts and getting experience, also they can helping heroes with their skills.

      Examples: Zagara, Nazeebo, Gazlowe, Xul, Sgt.Hammer, Sylvanas.

    • Utility: Heroes that have unique skills and also an unique play style. These heroes are different of all. They can work as siege or support, depend on the player play style and talents.

      Examples: Murky, Abathur, Lost Vikings, Medivh.

  4. Support: Heroes that help you directly either healing you or shielding you.

    Support sub-roles:

    • Heal: Heroes that heal you. Simple enough. There are variety of heroes by their healing, such as passive healing, sustained healing, burst healing or algo "free healing" (like Lucio that doesn't spend mana to heal, or Auriel that only need energy, and she get energy by auto-attackign or trait).

      Examples: Burst heal: Uther, Rehgar. Sustain heal: Lt. Morales. Passive heal: Brightwing. "Free heal": Lucio, Auriel. Tyrande can perfectly work as a Healer (one of the lowest healing heroes), Support (by her trait) or as a Assassin (by her talents).

    • Support: Heroes that help ally heroes by usually shield or vision.

      Examples: Medivh, Tassadar.

The sub-roles can be different by the amount of damage and how they do the damage instead of type of damage. Such as: Ambusher, Sustained damage or Burst damage. Info of this sub-roles here.

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