Heroes of the Storm news » Malthael Enters the Nexus!

“…whatever their struggles, whatever their triumphs… they die. That is wisdom.”

- Malthael, Aspect of Death

For untold ages, the Archangel Malthael helped guide and architect the efforts of the Heavens as the Aspect of Wisdom. He was the Angiris Council’s eldest member, and it was he who had discovered the Worldstone. An ancient artifact of immense power, the Worldstone was coveted by both Angels and Demons alike, exchanging hands repeatedly over the course of the Eternal Conflict. After its corruption at the hands of Baal, the Demon Lord of Destruction, the Worldstone was shattered by Tyrael on the mortal world of Sanctuary. Upon learning of the Worldstone’s sundering, Malthael later abandoned the Angiris Council. He was lost to the Heavens and began to wander the Halls of Pandemonium, mad from the drought of wisdom that humankind obscured from his vision. Originally, unable to vote with the Council against the obliteration of Sanctuary and its inhabitants, Malthael then began to see wisdom in its destruction.

Sensing a new realm where demonic corruption has spread, the dark spirit of Malthael has materialized here in the Nexus. A melee assassin hero, he marks his targets from afar, able to cull the life from his victims as he moves in to reap their souls.

Talent Highlights:

Death’s Reach – Increases Wraith Strike’s range, extending the reach of Malthael’s ability to instantly teleport through a marked enemy and deal damage to them. This upgrade grants Malthael more strategic options for hunting his prey, and for repositioning himself in battle.

Cold Hand - With this talent, Malthael’s Soul Rip now slows enemies in addition to the ability’s default damage dealing and health extracting properties. Ideal for keeping his targeted prey within range of his abilities and granting Malthael more time to inflict lethal damage.

Soul Siphon – The life Malthael can take with Soul Rip is increased to an even greater percentage of his Hero prey’s maximum health. Already a formidable opponent, Malthael poses an even greater threat as he becomes more difficult to take down.

Friends and Foes:

Works well with:

	Having an ally who can make it easier to get close to enemies and apply Reaper’s Mark is a huge benefit for Malthael, and few do this better than Arthas. In addition to powerful slow and root effects that keep enemies from escaping, Arthas’ ability to self-heal and stay in the fight is a great match for Malthael.
	The bonus Armor and Invulnerability effects provided by Uther can serve to amplify the value of Malthael’s self-healing, allowing him to stay in the fight and continue draining the life from his enemies. Uther’s powerful Stun and Cleanse effects also have great synergy with Malthael: keeping him free to move around, making enemies easier to reach, and making it harder for them to burst Malthael down.
	Malthael is very difficult to kill when enemies aren’t able to focus him, and Varian’s Taunt heroic provides a reliable way to ensure that they can’t. The Armor and amplified Healing bonuses Varian’s Banner can provide also have tremendous synergy with Malthael’s powerful self-healing.

Struggles Against:

	Heroes with powerful burst damage can blow up Malthael before he has the chance to get much healing from Soul Rip. Jaina takes this a step further by also slowing Malthael from range, making it difficult for him to get close enough to apply Reaper’s Mark.
	Ranged auto-attackers can deal consistent damage to Malthael while staying far enough away to avoid Reaper’s Mark. As such, Tracer is exceptionally difficult to pin down, making it tough for Malthael to have much effect against her.
	Stuns and Knockbacks make it much harder for Malthael to apply Reaper’s Mark to enemies and heal himself with Soul Rip, and Auriel brings both with her Detainment Strike ability. She can also use her Crystal Aegis heroic to counter Malthael’s Last Rites.

Malthael, the Nexus’ newest assassin has arisen in the Nexus! Beware, for where this spirit treads death is not far behind. ​