Rexxar is the first Ranged Warrior to be added to Heroes of the Storm. By utilizing Misha, you can effectively control two units throughout the match.
Misha’s control is based around two options: follow or attack. By selecting follow, Misha will follow as closely as she can to Rexxar, and avoid taking as much damage as possible. Setting Misha on attack mode will have her fight alongside Rexxar. Although Misha has some small amount of independence because of this and her other abilities, the character is overall lacking the micro managing that we have experienced in The Lost Vikings.
If you want a full run down on how Rexxar plays, you can check out the Heroes of the Storm spotlight video.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SDdVEFgczM]Trying to judge how a character will play when its first introduced is tricky. We have to take into account several variables, including how people will adapt the character, and if Blizzard will make him too powerful or too weak. Through the release of The Butcher, Leoric, and Kharazim, we experienced 3 heroes that needed to be nerfed following their release so its safe to say Rexxar will need to be nerfed.
Although Leoric is still one of the better Warriors, hes been toned down compared to what he once was. We have yet to see if Kharazim will be nerfed at all during the upcoming patch, although I personally believe he does need it. I’ve played Kharazim excessively, and by following a specific build you can easily add 30-40k Hero damage in a average length game, as well as healing anywhere from 10-50% more then the other Supports. Kharazim’s versatility also allows him to solo camps with ease.
Moving back to Rexxar, we are here to talk about what his most probable play style and talent build will be. In the Hero Spotlight video it is noted that a way to beat Rexxar is to get past Misha. An easy counter to getting by Misha is someone with mobility. Kharazim was the first to come to mind, utilizing Radiant Dash you can breeze by your opponents and make your way up to Rexxar. Although you’ll then be fighting Rexxar and, most likely Misha in a few moments, if you could position Seven Sided Strike properly you’d be able to weaken him up and get an easy kill ready for one of your assassins on your team.
Anub’arak is another strong opponent for Rexxar. Having the ability to burrow past opponents, you put yourself at a risk of over extension, but sometimes that pays off and is a fair trade. Some other Heroes that may have tactical advantage for battling Rexxar are The Lost Vikings, Nazeebo, Butcher, Zeratul, Kerrigan, Stitches, ETC, and Diablo.
Rexxar will most likely excel against Heroes who are slow and are there to support the team. Uther, Tyrael, Sonya, and Tychus are heroes that may have problems getting away from Rexxar and Misha. Misha has the ability to slow opponents down, depending on her health and how effective Mend Pet will be, pursuing Tychus might be a bit more risky then the other slow Heroes.
It should be noted that despite Azmodan being a slow character, his survivability will counter the take down.
Rexxar, in a dual tank setting, will probably pair nicely with other warriors who can control the fight, or stun opponents. Johanna, being one of the warriors with the highest survivability, will work nicely for taking the damage and keeping players off of Rexxar with her Condemn ability.
E.T.C and Diablo also have potential for working well with Rexxar, but the average player seems to struggle with both of those warriors so pairing them together would be risky.
Rexxar’s talents haven’t been revealed, but judging by information that has been released at past conventions and his Hero Spotlight video, we can take a guess at the 3 core builds Rexxar will probably see.
Rexxar auto attack. This will involve boosting as much of Rexxar’s damage as possible, making Misha a more squishy tank late game, but Rexxar’s damage will hopefully go up enough to balance that out. Expect people who use this build to upgrade his Spirit Swoop, and any abilities that may upgrade Rexxar’s auto attack or overall well being will be picked.
Misha focused. Building around Misha will build a powerful tank, but Rexxar will lack in damage. I believe that this will be a good build for solo tank Rexxar, who might otherwise be a bit of a challenge to play. I don’t expect Misha to have as much health as other tanks, and if she does, I hope Rexxar’s damage is toned down a bit. Misha’s survivability seems to be on how much the player controls her, as well as proper positioning, and mend pet. Any talents to upgrade Rexxar in the Misha focused build will be mend pet.
We should see the Misha focused build be one of the more popular builds, as people like a good tank. Fortunately this will be balanced out by peoples lack of ability to multi-task. If you’re good at splitting up The Lost Vikings and microing, Rexxar will be the warrior for you to play.
Rexxar/Misha hybrid. Kharazim’s most powerful build (In my opinion) is currently a hybrid, picking the first two talents focused on healing (His second tier pick should be Healing Ward) and the rest focuses on upgrading Radiant Dash and Deadly Reach.
I believe Rexxar’s most powerful build – at least at first – will be a hybrid as well.
Rexxar and Misha are designed to work together, focusing on one will leave either your tanking ability or hero damage lacking. Focusing on Misha’s survivability will be more of a priority in a solo tank group, while Rexxar’s Hero Damage still needs to remain higher then other tanks on average.
Rexxar is expected to be one of the more versatile warriors, and each situation will require different builds. But a Hybrid will be key to utilizing all of Rexxar’s strengths.
Rexxar’s ults appear to have a strong winner, with Bestial Wrath having the ability to “Greatly boost Misha’s fighting capabilities”. Although Unleash the Boars will be situationally good (strong against characters with a good breakaway, or stealth characters) with its abilities “Summons boars that charge towards enemy heroes, greatly slowing them on impact, and revealing them.” Misha is tanking, so increasing her power, if even for a brief amount of time, will help take down the enemy team.
Overall, Rexxar’s playstyle varies greatly from any Warrior we have seen yet. Being the first Ranged Warrior in the game, expect players to take awhile to get the hang of Rexxar. Any drastically new playstyle will take awhile to average out, and with players picking and choosing the best builds, it adds to an already large problem of people ‘build spamming’.
Builds are, in essence, a great starting point. Looking at what Master league players are using can help you decide which talents are better over others. However, depending on the enemy team, what map you are on, and what your team builds, it can be hard to use the same build continuously.
I suspect, for those good at Rexxar, he will be a pain to deal with until hes balanced out a bit more. Although we all know Blizzard has a phobia of small changes, instead cranking characters up and down as they so choose. Hopefully he will find a nice resting place, just as Leoric has.