Heroes of the Storm news » Auriel Hero Week

"Hold onto hope. It will not abandon you."

- Auriel, Archangel of Hope

As the eternal embodiment of hope, it should come as no surprise that Auriel’s favored role on the battlefield is one of a backline support, bestowing clarity, hope, and healing to her allies through the use of her Cord of Hope, Al’maiesh. This archangel is no stranger to the chaos of battle however, as countless hell demons could certainly attest to her deadly abilities during the Eternal Conflict. Now descending from the High Heavens and into the Nexus, we will see what comes of those who hope to stand against Auriel!

Auriel is the newest ranged support Hero to join the Nexus, and brings with her a holy host of new abilities and mechanics. Read on to learn more about her gameplay style - including strengths, weaknesses, and talent picks.

Talent Highlights:

Converging Force – Positional manipulation is a powerful asset on the battlefield, and when combined with allied crowd control or area damage abilities, can make for some devastating setups. Converging Force allows for these huge setups and interrupts by pulling all effected targets toward the center of the cone with every cast of Angelic Sweep.

Reservoir of Hope High risk and high reward.. with Reservoir of Hope, Auriel may find herself wanting to hold out just a little longer before laying down the heals for the promise of bigger and better heals later on. It’s a risky maneuver, though, as holding back could lead to the death of an ally – or yourself.

Angelic Flight – Constant map presence is insanely powerful, and even moreso in the hands of a playmaker support Hero like Auriel. Allowing her to fly around the map to aid allies and push waves where needed, Angelic Flight is an excellent Storm Talent that complements any Auriel build.

Friends and Foes:

Works well with:

		Auriel shines when she has an ally that can consistently deal damage, steadily fueling her healing power. The consistent and predictable nature of Lunara’s damage also makes it a lot easier to use Ray of Hope’s healing efficiently, rarely wasting energy.
		Two Heroes, each Bestowing Hope to Auriel? Who could have imagined that a two-headed ogre would offer so much hope (and power) to a team. Both Crystal Aegis and Resurrect also work great with Cho’gall, allowing you to protect or bring back two allies at the price of one cooldown.
		Gul’dan turns Health into damage, and Auriel turns damage into Health. Together, they’re an engine of war. The sheer amount of area of effect and damage over time effects that Gul’dan provides really give Auriel a lot of energy to work with. And as long as she keeps healing Gul’dan, she won’t have to worry about her ally running out of Mana.

Struggles against:

		Auriel wants time for her allies to generate energy for her healing, but Diablo likes to press the issue. If Diablo chooses to concentrate his disabling effects on the character that generates the best energy for Auriel, he effectively cripples Auriel’s healing capabilities.
		Zeratul’s ability to create havoc in the backline forces Auriel into really difficult situations. Zeratul is good at picking off the fragile Auriel, or her Bestow Hope target, without opening himself up to damage that would fuel Auriel’s healing. As an answer to this, Auriel might want her team whole team to group up together - but this can set them up for some nasty Void Prison setups.
		While Auriel does have the potential to output infinite healing, it has the requirement of her team dealing damage to enemies. An enemy Chromie is able to dish out damage from often unreachable distances, making it possible for Auriel’s team to be whittled down without any effective reaction.

Another member of the Angiris Council has made their way out of the High Heavens and into the Nexus. Be sure to let us know what you think of this new addition in the comments below!