Sylvanas Gameplay Update 

"Sylvanas still remains a formidable force in the lane" *Proceeds to show a clip of sylvanas using all her abilities to clear one wave*

"We only have 100 assassins, we need more!" - Blizzard

You forgot to mention her new talent at lvl 20: Morally Gray, which lets her burn the enemy team's tree

Wait she now has increased damage against trees right?

So, we are moving her from Specialist to Assassin right?

The change to her Q seems like a wrong step. The charges worked fine, I liked timing my charge uses. Now it just seems so boring.

Aw man, you can't make people run around in circles with Mind Control anymore. That was the best part about playing Sylvanas.

She will also randomly set fire to her team's structures.

I’m still patiently waiting for a Bloodhoof Chieftain to grace the Nexus... ISH’NU ALOH PORAH!

She was my first main (been playing her since the closed beta), my first mastered hero, the first master skin I bought... so I'll just wait and try this rework even if I'm not really excited for it.

Finally I can justify taking camps instead of contesting the enemy team pushing to my core.

mind control is no more a mind control its the same ult of cassia but more slow... and now u cant use it for steal a boss or camps like before =(

I played Sylva till lvl 103 and the rework just killed her for me.

Another character with a unique playstyle mushed into average pulp.

Better nerf Chen just to be safe. I'm getting tired of seeing him in every game.

What a missed opportunity to give her banshee form as a heroic or a trait. The changes are pretty disappointing in general.

So, they nerfed her...

not only she got nerfed (looks like it to me) as if she was dominating the ranked/pro scene (LMAO) but they also managed to kill the (already vague) uniqueness of her hero concept, with the stitches changes it looks like they want to slowly standardize the entire roster into a large bunch of similar pseudo-well-rounded heroes with no serious hard strenghts/weaknesses to make the game more beginner-friendly but with obvious costs for the game experience of the more skillful player-base... i'm ok with interesting changes but this...

I really don’t like this rework. In fact I hate it. It’s like you took everything that made Sylvanas who she is and made it worse, or removed it entirely. I’m very disappointed.

His voice is so calming :D

Hm no, this rework sucks.

Finally the braindead bots that played her can start actually participating in the events of the game.

Seems like a more dull version :/

so basicly her mind control is a very slow not effective stitches hook

Aaaaand another unique hero concept down the drain!

Before watching the video: OMG OMG OMG OMG pls don't ruin her After: Is this how Mercy mains felt... I do think that this is a necessary change with the removal of the specialist class. Though I dislike the new Black Arrow, I feel that it is a necessary change. But I truly hate the new Shadow Dagger...I mean, really?

Thank god the people in the RU-vid comments don't decide on the balance changes.

What about when you hit towers? Will they still won't attack you if you keep shooting at them?

Gutting specialists has really made me play this game less and less. Of course I won't know if she will be fun to play until I try this rework out but I'm not optimistic.

I'm not liking this one. I liked the Stitches change but I don't like the look of this one. I'm willing to give it a shot and try it first, but I'm worried this might ruin playing Sylvanas for me.

Mind Control had a lot of counter play, be it blunt CLEANSE or knockback (Tycus Grenade or Stiches hook)/stun on Sylvanas herself. As Ming player I have no trouble with flanking and hitting new Mind control, but there are following trouble with value of ult: 1. target will walk in a strait line so no possibility to bring your enemy turning around over corners or walls. Like countering Mephisto E with old MC. 2. you can''t stop your target, so aiming some ults for combo will be more difficult. 3. Enemy team can just body block their ally, because he will try walking in a strait line. 4. bad defense vs hyper mobile divers. Projectile is slow and predictable. 5.Positive thing that you are not rooted and silenced yourself during MC. Kiting squishy target may lead to its elimination this way Possible buffs, increase duration of follow, when effect falls or target reaches Sylvanas it is stunned for 0.5sec. Q while great vs solo target has even more weakness that made Sylvanas obsolete in pro play. Her Q auto aim is terrible vs double warrior teams when she can't focus her small hitting shots. Now she can't even stop wasting Q charge once enemy is protected or under barrier of sort (genji, Zarya). W is getting semi nerfed and I don't belive they are getting AoE part of lvl 16 W -25% armor talent back to compensate for her need to spread it manyally now. She is squishy and it is risk for her doing so. If Sylvanas will not get new improved talents for W build, keep Windrunner talent, thouse changes to basic abilities, MC and trait will send her to abyss, because sitting still trying to stack sustained damage it too risky play for such squishy ranged assassin with no point an click focus fire. lvl 86 Jaina, 75 Li-Ming, 47 Nova, and 38 Sylvanas (acc lvl 1506, less than 100 games vs AI)

I don't like any of the kit changes except for the ult and for the talents. Having a charge system on her Q is fun, having a spreading debuff is fun, and having a passive trait is fun. The new versions don't look satisfying to use at all...

Think there is a typo in the title It should be Neft rather than update Rip slyva! welcome to glaz tier

OMG blizzard promoting using haunting wave (E) to clear minions 1:57 . Shame blizz xD

Sylvanas: I can lock down minions! Mal'ganis: Hold my beer.

these are just straight up nerfs, she's barely the same hero anymore

I can't find original Sylvanas spotlight, just the trailer and the update... Is it blocked in my country for some reason? Can anybody else see it in heroes of the storm youtube channel? If yes, I'd be incredibly grateful if you'd link it.

Sylvanas Windrunner, queen of the nerf

So, they took what made her unique and removed those parts of her kit? So, essentially she isn't worth playing anymore.

Disappointing. Looks she's gonna become another generic hero.

This rework blew. I'm glad HotS isn't ruining anymore heroes

uh, excuse me? Not only she's Queen of the Forsaken, she's also Warchief of the Horde. The audacity has no precedents.

Can someone clarify what "non-elite mercenaries" means at 2:01? Is Elite mercs are bosses or mage unit from brawler camp or what?

Nice nerf.

As a Sylvanas main I'm excited about these changes. I love her current ability to clear waves and push/get camps, but it was always frustrating to me that her teamfight presence had to sacrifice so much utility necessary for pve talents.

What about the banshee? Untouched?

“Sylvanas trait now deals 200% more damage to trees”

I'm not a big fan of the "hit the same target 3 times" things blizzard has been going for recently, otherwise I think this might be a good remake

can someone write list of no mana heroes? i have murky illidan valeera lost vikings and write more please

Dont change Sylvanas Q!!!

I really like how her mindcontrol is a skillshot now, increases her skill ceiling and is overall healthier for the game, as the less TARGET abilities, the better.

RIP Sylvanas, they finally have in to the bronze players complaining about sylv cause they didn't know how to counter her. This is not the way to get people back in your game bliz

I might have missed it but what is the cooldown on the trait

Awww, I wanted to save Ahri's Charm for Eirena... T_T

So is the specialist role being removed? A lot of them seem to have changes away from what made them unique.

So... instead of adding another warcraft assassin, they make one from the existing specialsts?

What are you guys doing to your game?

I played her every time I played. This ruins her. Probably play someone else maybe but I'll probably just play the game less.

Tomorrow: Chen update

silenced slowed and moved towards sylvanas silenced enemies are still able to use auto attacks so are mind controller enemies able to use auto attacks against sylvanas or her allies ?

My least favorite rework in the game. This was when blizzard ruined my favorite hero. Pretty stupid how the devs have decided to focus all of their energy into ruining previously existing heroes rather than creating new, interesting ones

If he cuts the corner of his eyebrows higher this would open his beautiful eyes more. The hair, the beauty mark, everything else is perfect

So... Q no more clear giant waves, black arrows are temporal... Sylvanas died for me. Now my choice is Zagara.

Soooo when can we expect to see a new world of warcraft hero introduced to hots? Maybe Zul´jin or Bwonsamdi?

"Better reward expert play". Removed any kind of skill from the Q. Gave her a passive where she gets reward for attacking the same target like a brainless bronze. Straight up nerf to the dagger and pushing power. Made the mind control a million times more useless.

Isnt mind control counter intuitive now? Why in the world would I want my target to move closer to me?

I am glad to have my Syl in level 105, because THIS IS A HUGE NERF!!!!!!!

how about illidan is there any changes in him ?? thanks..

Updating another hero once again that didn't need changes compared to many of the heroes that's become obsolete today. #SaveTheSpecialists

Wait so the banshee queen lost her banshee ability for a different version of one of her heroics? What is the heroic is going to take up the vacancy?

Level 1000+ sylvanas cries incoming

I left hots because of this nerf... its been a while and I came here again to ask, are you happy now?

Kevin is such a daddy.

I mean fair enough turning mind control into a skill shot but why take away the actual control? I for one used it for escapes mostly

I miss the first Sylvannas. This game died after the Beta

I absolutely love the fact that all these changes are for heroes that haven’t been covered by Pallytime yet :D

Sylvanas rework < stitches rework

When did they patch Kevin's eyebrows? The texture seems updated

This rework messes with the feel of the character I don't really like the direction they took with some of the changes. Having to activate the spread of her dagger with a attack is a unnecessary nerf to said dagger. The activation of the trait to disable minions and structures is more tacked on hassle. This messes with the whole flow of the character, and will only make her not fun to play IMO. I would prefer if her disabling of minions etc activated at interval say the end of the debuff expiring stunning for set a time( while stunned they can not be affected by the ability). The dagger is not OP as is and really shouldn't have a unnecessary added component to make it work like it did before.

I havent played in about a year. What I liked about withering fire was the control you could have with it. So now you blast all the shots and you are left at 0? Ick

"We noticed that Sylvanas was a unique hero that wasn't from Overwatch, and we really couldn't let that stand, so we've changed her fundamentally. She is now correctly a low tier assassin. You're welcome!" -Blizzard.

looks good. I like the fact that you can still choose to do more pve-centered stuff if you want, but on top of that the assassin-y bits of her new kit look fun too.

I hate new Q. Im okay with other changes but not this one

oh, now I can't split push as efficently anymore. What champion will be filling that role in order to discourage the enemy just stacking in mid to late game.

Not sure how I feel about this one.

so, what's the difference?

Hahaha, sorry but take a moment to look at 2:02 They moved possesion to level 4 x'DDDDDD This shows how incredibly useless this "heroic" actually was. I mean, first this was a level 10 talent, so weak that they had to move it to level 7, and still nobody picked it. Now they moved it to level 4, and I'm going to predict, still nobody will pick it. 1st. It gives enemies bonus XP and second, the first talent seems like it provides better waveclear regardless.

Wait, so does her Basic attack no longer disable towers?

These are some interesting changes. Glad she's moving more towards team fighting instead of solo push. Too many games have I gotten a solo pushing sylvanas refusing to join a team fight. When both ultimates greatly benefit team fights. Shame that mind control is a skill shot now, making it less reliable but it does help that you can at least counter it. Instead of a simple click that's almost unavoidable. Will be looking forward to these changes instead of the stitches changes.

Her ultimate has been called "Mind Control" since she was added to the game. Blizzard is about as subtle as a hammer yet people still don't get it

Is this an out of season April fool's joke?? First you ruined Diablo And now you ruined my main.

It's a nerf not a rework

The dev team didnt really want to fix her. They just wanted another assassin in the game so they made her into. Hybrid since Tyranda isnt an assassin anymore.

When or about when will this patch be active?

Lol sounds like they nerfed her

That's a really exciting rework! I can see lot's of new opportunities for skilled players, and I really liked how they solved the issue of her trait being a little too oppressive without completely removing it. I do believe that she'll be overtuned on the first days, but let's wait and see. Also, I'd love to see this kind of rework on more heroes more often. I mean, Tassadar, Chen, Probius, among others, all could use a similar rework, ASAP.

Well this is disappointing

So, how long until all the heros in assassins of the storm are assassins?

And people are still gonna solo lane AFK push with her...

My ideas for changes to this update: - Bring back the stacks of withering fire, and do something else with the bonus damage on the last shot; - Make mind control a skill shot. But when it hits, it stays as it was before (control of enemy movement and standing still as sylvanas). - The rest i'll have to test that before I can say anything about it.