Blizzard unveiled two new Heroes of the Storm character re-works today, Azmodan and Raynor. Below are the details for each with a full breakdown of their new kits players will be able to use.

AZMODAN

The Rework

Azmodan's rework is about two primary goals -- improving his team fighting capabilities and getting him out of the lane.

He will be able to contribute to team fights much easier throughout the early to mid game thanks to All Shall Burn and Demon Warrior rebalancing. Demon Warriors have an AoE immolation effect that can rack up damage to groups of enemies if not accounted. This change also allows for Azmodan to push lanes easier while not having to stay necessarily stay in them.

All Shall Burn used to leave Azmodan a sitting duck and was rarely the correct spell to use in a team fight. Now, with 2.5 second channel time, it functions much more like Leoric's Drain Life. It will deal extra damage to a target if the full channel time is cast meaning any synergies with stuns or slows will help Azmodan secure kills he otherize couldn't have.


The Talents

While the lack of Black Pools may cause Azmodunk fans to worry, the damage loss has been "made up for" in the form of new talents. While Azmodan will likely do less Globe of Annihilation damage,  the consistency in which he contributes to the team should make up for it. For example, the new Total Annihilation makes Globe Of Annihilation deals additional 3% max health damage to Heroes -- solid tech against heroes with high HP pools.

Instead of the "feast or famine" nature of old Azmodan Globe farming has been changed, as some of the best ways to stack up Annihilation stacks is by fighting enemy heroes. For example, the "Master of Destruction" talent grants 2 stacks of annihilation per enemy hero hit with its after-channel AoE effect.

At level 20, Azmodan can select Pride a talent that gives him a huge power spike if 400 stacks of annihilation were achieved. Just like Nazeebo or The Butcher, Azmodan now has a clear late-game option if the situation presents itself.


New Heroic:

Both of Azmodan's Heroics were changed, but they still roughly achieve the same goal. Fans of the old level 20 upgrade to Demonic Invasion will be pleased to learn the exploding demon aspect is now baseline and available at level 10. Demonic grunts only last for 8 seconds though, so old "fire and forget" strategies against forts should be reconsidered for more impactful team fight usage of the heroic.

Tide of Sin takes the hassle out of ALT + Casting Black Pools and is now a single click to empower your next Globe. Although on a 30-second cooldown, it does make the next Globe Azmodan casts free, helping with the mana issues that have plagued the hero since his creation.

Interview with Lead Balance Designer on Azmodan and Raynor Reworks

Check out the full breakdown of Azmodan's rework to see for your self

Stats

o   Health reduced from 2738 -> 2464

o   Health regen reduced from 5.7031 -> 5.1328

Abilities

Globe of Annihilation (Q):

o   New baseline quest

Hitting Heroes and killing minions within 1.5 seconds of being hit by Globe grants 2 stacks of Annihilation.

Each stack of Annihilation increases Globes’ damage by 1, up to 400.

o   Warning splat is now created earlier in the ability cast.

o    Range decreased from 35 to 30

o   Cast time reduced from .75 -> .5625 seconds

Demon Warrior (W):

o   Can now be cast while channeling All Shall Burn.

o   No longer has charges.

o   Demon Warriors now deal a small amount of damage to nearby enemies every second.

Attack damage reduced from 37 -> 28

Health increased from 365 -> 390

Move speed decreased from 4 -> 3.6

Weapon range decreased from 1.5 -> 1

All Shall Burn (E):

New functionality

Channel for up to 2.5 seconds on a target, dealing damage every second. If the channel lasts its full duration, deal additional damage to the target. Azmodan moves at 60% speed while channeling.

o   Cooldown increased from 6 -> 8 seconds.

o   Mana cost changed from 12/sec to 30 flat mana.

o   Range decreased from 7 -> 6


General Of Hell (Trait D):

Renamed to Demon Lieutenant

New Functionality

o   Can now be cast on the mini-map and has a small slop range.

Spawn a Demon Lieutenant at any friendly minion, merc, or Azmodan Summon for 20 seconds. The Lieutenant will cast Demonic Smite at a random nearby minion every 7 seconds, instantly killing them. Lasts 20 seconds. Can be used while channeling All Shall Burn. 60 Second cooldown.

Demonic Invasion (R1):

New Functionality

Calls down 8 Demon Grunts in a circle around the targeted location, dealing damage to enemies in each impact zone. Demon Grunts last for up to 8 seconds and explode when they die, dealing damage to nearby enemies.

Demon health increased from 365 -> 750

Demon health now decays over 8 seconds

Attack damage decreased from 51 -> 42

Cooldown reduced from 100 -> 90 seconds

Mana cost reduced from 100 -> 60

(New) Tide Of Sin (R2):

New functionality

Activate to cause your next Globe of Annihilation to cost no Mana and deal 50% more damage. 30-second cooldown.

Talents

Level 1

o   Taste For Blood (Q):  Removed

o   Sieging Wrath (Q): Removed

o   (New) Greed (Q):
Increases the timeframe that minion kills will grant Annihilation from 1.5 to 3 seconds. After gaining 200 stacks of Annihilation, Globe of Annihilation deals 20% increased damage to minions and mercs.

o   Gluttony (Q): (Moved from Level 4)
New functionality:  The amount of Annihilation granted for hitting Heroes is increased by 1. After gaining 200 stacks of Annihilation, each enemy hit by Globe reduces its cooldown by .25 seconds, doubled against heroes

o   (New) Wrath (Q):
Basic Attacks against Heroes under 75% health grant 1 stack of Annihilation. After gaining 200 stacks of Annihilation, Heroes hit by Globe of Annihilation take additional damage from your next Basic Attack equal to your Annihilation stacks. Lasts 4 seconds.

Level 4

o   Hellish Hirelings (Trait): Removed

o   Army of Hell (W):
New Functionality: Summon Demon Warrior summons an additional Warrior but its cooldown is increased by 10 seconds.

o   Hellforged Armor (W): (Moved from Level 13)
New Functionality: Demon Warriors and Lieutenants gain 35 armor and last 4 seconds longer.

o   Battleborn (Passive): (Moved from Level 16)
New Functionality: Basic Attacks reduce the cooldown of Summon Demon Warrior by .5 seconds and Demon Lieutenant by 1 second.

Level 7

o   Infernal Globe (Q): Removed

o   Bound Minion (Trait):  Removed

o   Gluttonous Ward (Active): Removed

o   (New) Art of Chaos (Q):
If Globe of Annihilation hits 2 or more Heroes, 25 mana cost is refunded. If it hits 3 or more Heroes, you gain 5 Annihilation.

o   Master of Destruction (E): (Moved from Level 1)
New Functionality: All Shall Burn’s final damage hits all enemies in a large area. Each hero hit grants 2 stacks of Annihilation.

o   (New) Bombardment (Q): Casting Globe Of Annihilation increases your Basic Attack Range by 50% and can hit 2 additional targets for 3 seconds. Each hero hit by Basic Attacks empowered by Bombardment generate 1 Annihilation.

Level 13

o   Hedonism (Q):  Removed

o   Infused Power (E):  Removed

o   (New) Brutish Vanguard (W):  Demon Warriors gain 25% increased health and slow the movement speed of nearby enemies by 20%.

o   (New) Cydaea’s Kiss (Q):  Reduces the channel time of All Shall Burn by .5 seconds. If All Shall Burn channels for its full duration on a Hero, Azmodan is healed for 5% of his maximum health.

o   (New) Chain of Command (D): Demon Lieutenants increase the damage of nearby non-heroes by 25%.

Level 16

o   Demonic Smite (Trait):  Removed

o   Sin for Sin (Active):  Removed

o   Forced Recruitment (D):  Removed

o   (New) Total Annihilation (Q):  
Globe Of Annihilation deals additional 3% max health damage to Heroes.

o   Sin’s Grasp (E):  (Moved from Level 4) New Functionality: 
Increases the range of All Shall Burn by 20%. If All Shall Burn channels for its full duration on a Hero, its cooldown is reduced by 4 seconds.

o   (New) Hell Rift (E):  If the channel lasts its full duration, a Demon Warrior is summoned at your target and your Demon Warriors deal 100% increased damage for 4 seconds.

Level 20

o   (New) Siegebreaker (R1):  Azmodan’s summoned units deal 50% increased damage to Structures

o   (New) Black Pool (R2): Tide Of Sin creates a Black Pool at the impact location, dealing light damage and reducing armor over 5 seconds to enemies in the area.

o   (New) Pride (Q):  After reaching 400 stacks of Annihilation, Globe Of Annihilation’s area is increased by 15% and its damage is increased by 100.

o   (New) Trample (Active):  Activate to dash a short distance, dealing damage and slowing enemies in the path. 60-second cooldown.

RAYNOR

The Rework

Raynor suffered from out-dated talents (7 of them were generic!) and talents that needed to be picked together in an "all-or-nothing" fashion. His auto attack builds were rigid and Raynor gameplay was essentially all about positioning and shooting whatever is in front of you.

Raynor could always dish out high damage, but there was little reason to pick him over any other ranged Assassin. The mobility of heroes like Genji and Hanzo left Raynor in the dust.

Now, with a new trait that ramps up Raynor's wave clear, activatable Adrenaline Rush that's cooldown is lowered with every auto attack and Inspire that innately grants Raynor move speed (!), it is clear that Raynor is ready for the modern age of Heroes.


The Talents

Raynor has some seriously powerful level 1 talents, most notably the new Exterminator. Wave clear is a premium ability in the early stages of the game, and this talent allows Raynor to capitalize on battlegrounds that require quick rotations like Dragon Shire or Tomb of the Spider Queen. This coupled with another new talent Sustaining Rounds makes Raynor a powerful solo-laner.

At level 13, Raynor gets access to a new talent called Giddy Up. This increases his mount speed by 10% and increases the movement speed inspire gives to 20%. This talent is deceptively powerful on a solo-laner and can be compared to Malthael's On a Pale Horse talent. Although Raynor gets it later in the game, the buff to Inspire speed will likely make it the best pick. 

All of Raynor's level 20 storm talents are powerful, but Indomitable Will is something special. Granting Raynor unstoppable for 2 seconds whenever he casts Inspire, experienced players will immediately be drawn to this ability -- in the late stages of the game, one good stun against an Assassin can lose the game. This talent can prevent that every 12 seconds.


The Heroics

The Big change to Raynor's Heroic is about his Banshee summons. No longer two Banshees that fly away after a set period of target fixation, Raynor now summons 1 Raider to shoot by his side indefinitely like a sort of "pseudo-pet". Similar to Rexxar and Misha, whenever the Banshee dies, it immediately goes onto cooldown and spawns immediately when the 45-second timer is up.

This will likely make Raynor a fierce duelist who can out-damage and out trade any other assassin who tries to trade blows with him. You can also bet the Banshee will be good at interrupting objectives and picking off stray heroes, as you can still control it in the same manner as the old heroic.

You can see the rest of his changes and talents for your self below:

Stats

o   Health from 1302 to 1450

o   Regen from 2.71 -> 3.02

o   Damage from 122 to 92

o   Base range set to 6.5 (no longer trait driven)

o   Scaling from 4 to 5%

Abilities

(New) Acquire Weak Point (Trait):

o    Every 4th Basic Attack is empowered and deals an additional 125% damage to your target and splashes for 50% in a small area around your target (2.25 Radius)

Penetrating Round (Q):

o    Damage from 240 to 220

o    Mana cost from 60 to 50

o    New functionality:

o   Slows enemies movement speed by 20% for 2 seconds

o    Knockback range is dependent on proximity to Raynor

Inspire (W):

o    Cooldown from 10 to 12 seconds.

o    New functionality: Reset your Basic Attack. You and all nearby Minions and Mercenaries gain 30% Attack Speed and 10% Movement Speed for 4 seconds.

 Adrenaline Rush (E):

o   Cooldown from 30 to 45 seconds, is now activatable.

o   Mana cost from 0 to 75

o    New functionality:  Heal for 25% of your max Health over 1 second. Basic Attacks lower this cooldown by .5 second (double vs. Heroes)

Raynor’s Raider (R2):

o    Health from 766 to 1000

o    Damage from 31 to 24

o    Attacks per Second from 0.8 to 2

o    New functionality:  Raynor gains a Banshee that flies by his side and auto-acquires his Basic Attack target. The Banshee can be killed which will start a 45-second cd before another is called down

o    They gain 75 HPS when out of combat for 4 seconds

Talents

Level 1

o    Seasoned Marksman: Removed

o    Scouting Drone: Removed

o     (New) Veteran Marksman (Trait): Quest: If an enemy Hero is hit with the empowered Acquire Weak Point attack, increase the bonus damage of Acquire Weak Spot by 0.75%

o    (New) Ace In The Hole (Passive):  You deal 35% more damage to enemy Heroes that are slowed or stunned

o  (New) Exterminator (Passive): Increase your Basic Attack damage against Minions, Mercenaries

and Monsters by 50%. Increase this bonus to 100% if Inspire is active

Level 4

o    Focused Attack: Removed

o    Vigorous Assault:  Removed

o    Confident Aim: Removed

o    Relentless Leader:  Removed

o    Fight Or Flight (E): ( Moved from Level 7)
 New functionality: Lower the cooldown of Adrenaline Rush by 10 seconds. Activating it grants 25 Armor for 4 seconds

o    (New) Behemoth Armor (Trait): Quest: Gain 250 Health. Increase this by 5 every time you hit a Hero with Acquire Weak Spot

o    (New) Sustaining Rounds (Trait): Acquire Weak Spot attacks heal for 3% of your max health. This is increased to 6% against Heroes

Level 7

o   Hamstring Shot:  Removed

o   Revolution Overdrive:  Removed

o   Puttin’ On A Clinic: Removed

o    (New) Heavy Slugs (Active):  Activate: Your next Penetrating Round has 30% increased range and increases the slow duration of Penetrating Round by 200% (30 second CD)

o     (New) Fuel The Rush (W/E): While Inspire is active, increase Adrenaline Rush's cooldown bonus from Basic Attacks by 200%

o    (New) Unstable Compound (Trait): Increase the area of effect of Acquire Weak Point by 15%. Enemies hit by it are slowed by 10% for 3 seconds

Level 13

o   Giant Killer: Removed

o    Double-Barreled: Removed

o   Steel Resolve:  Removed

o    (New) Debilitating Rounds (Q/W): Decrease the cooldown of Penetrating Round by 3 seconds. While Inspire is active, the slow amount is increased by 100%

o    (New) Rallying Cry (W): Increase the duration of Inspire by 1 second. All nearby Heroes gain 10% movement and attack speed for the duration.

o    (New) Giddy-Up (W): Gain 10% movement and Mount Speed permanently. Increase Inspire’s Movement Speed bonus to 20%.

Level 16

o    Executioner: Removed 

o    Cluster Round: Removed

o    Bullseye: Removed

o    Give Me More (E): (Moved from Level 1) New functionality: Increase the heal amount from Adrenaline rush by 50% and gain 1 additional attack range while Inspire is active

o    (New) Bounty Hunter (Active): Acquire Weak Spot attacks that hit a Hero deal an additional 3% of a Heroes max health and grant you 10 Armor for 3 seconds. Activate: Your next Basic Attack is empowered with Acquire Weak Spot (40 second CD)

o   (New) Paint Them Red (Q): Increase the damage of Penetrating Round by 50%. Heal for 100% of the damage it deals to Heroes

Level 20

o   Scorched earth: Removed

o   A Card To Play: Removed

o    Nexus Frenzy: Removed

o  (New) Indomitable Resolve (R1):  Acquire Weak Spot attacks against Heroes lower the cooldown of Hyperion by 5 seconds. Casting Inspire grants 2 seconds of Unstoppable.

o    (New) Dusk Wing (R2): Banshee Health, Damage, and leash range are increased by 100%. When killed, Inspire and Adrenaline Rush are activated for free.

o   (New) Weak Spot Acquired (Trait): The primary target of your Acquire Weak Spot loses 25 Armor for 2 seconds

o    (New) Execute (Passive): Increase your attack speed by 20%. Your Basic Attack damage is increased by 25% against targets below 50% Health

Interview with Lead Balance Designer on the Azmodan and Raynor reworks.