Introducing our Newest Hero: Qhira
The ornate orbital sculptures and gilded mega-cities of Iresia were famous across the Nexus for their technological advancement and beauty. But power and prosperity breed conflict. When Iresia’s competing factions tore the realm apart, shattering its singularity, the famous warrior known as Qhira had no choice but to flee. Now Qhira roams the Nexus, armed with an Iresian Chainblade, making a reluctant living as a bounty hunter while she searches for survivors.
Today, we’re announcing Qhira, the second original character to join the Heroes of the Storm roster. Qhira is a powerful, acrobatic Assassin who excels at bursting down individual enemies before escaping with her Grappling Hook. Read on to learn more; try out Qhira on the PTR; and make sure to check back the week of August 6, when Qhira goes live in the client!
Gameplay
Melee AssassinCheck out the Hero Spotlight to see Qhira’s powerful abilities in action:
Abilities
Carnage – Unleashes Qhira’s Iresian Chainblade in a targeted direction, continuously dealing damage to enemies caught in its path.
Blood Rage - As a passive, basic attacks and abilities cause enemies to bleed, dealing damage that stacks up to five times. When activated, deals additional damage and heals Qhira per enemy Hero affected. Damage and healing are increased by additional stacks on each Hero.
Revolving Sweep – Attaches Qhira’s sword to the first enemy Hero hit, Stunning them. Once attached, Qhira rotates rapidly around the target, dealing damage to any enemies in between. Reactivate to send Qhira to the target’s location, knocking them back, dealing damage, and Stunning them.
Unrelenting Strikes (Heroic 1) – Unleashes Qhira’s sword in a series of swooping arcs, damaging all nearby enemies throughout the duration. Upon expiring, damages all nearby enemy Heroes and Stuns them.
Final Strike (Heroic 2) – After a brief delay, Qhira strikes the ground with her sword, dealing significant damage to all enemies in the sword’s path. Deals extra damage to enemies with low Health.
Trait: Grappling Hook – Qhira fires a Grappling Hook that pulls her to any terrain it contacts. If an enemy Hero is hit, they take damage and Qhira launches toward them, dealing additional damage on impact. Can be used while Revolving Sweep is active.
Friends and Foes
Works well with:
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Anduin can follow up Qhira’s engagements by rooting an enemy with Chastise, or pull her out of dangerous situations with Leap of Faith. |
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Malfurion’s heal-over-time effects help Qhira stay alive even when separated from her team. Qhira can use Revolving Sweep to knock enemies into Malfurion’s Entangling Roots. |
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Dehaka can dive into enemy lines alongside Qhira and help pull a target out of position. |
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Qhira is greatly strengthened by Abathur’s Symbiote, and can win 1v2 or even 1v3 engagements when timed correctly. |
Prime Targets:
Qhira deals significant burst damage, making her very effective at taking down fragile Heroes. Stacking damage and healing with Blood Rage allows her to trade effectively with most enemy Assassins. As befits a solitary bounty hunter, Qhira excels at winning duels.
Challenging Foes:
Every good hunter knows the importance of choosing a good target. Warriors and other Heroes with high health are difficult for Qhira to take down on her own, as are Heroes with strong Stuns and other disruptive abilities.
Battlegrounds: Location, Location, Location
Qhira’s powerful hunting capabilities make her especially strong on Battlegrounds that encourage roaming and ganking. Try her out on Dragonshire, Volskaya, and Infernal Shrines!
Talents
Qhira’s level 7 Talent tier offers strong survivability options that synergize with her other Talents. Select this Talent tier carefully, as it will be crucial to Qhira’s survival in the later stages of the game.
At level 16, consider the Booming Kick talent, which allows Qhira to Stun all enemy heroes in an area around the primary target of her Revolving Sweep ability.
At level 20, you can choose the Utility Belt talent to gain additional mobility. With this talent, Grappling Hook’s cooldown will be reset if an enemy is hit with Revolving Sweep. Grappling Hook also cools down 900% faster when Qhira is out of combat. You read that right: 900% faster.
Another level 20 talent, No Sanctuary, allows Qhira to see enemy heroes with low health anywhere on the map. While this effect is active, Qhira gains increased movement speed and deals increased damage.
Wrap-Up
We’re incredibly excited for you to get your hands on the second hero born within the Nexus. Check back for more updates on Qhira, and make sure to try her out on the PTR—or when she enters the live client the week of August 6!
