HOTS Tier List: Current Meta Heroes Ranked

Over the years, many characters have been added to Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm, and although they all have their distinct playstyles and abilities, not all of them are created equal. So with this article, we are going to be ranking all of them in the HOTS tier list. However, figuring out which are the finest and which are not can be challenging, so we will try our best to explain our reasoning as we go along.

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Key Points

• There are a total of 13 entries in the article.
• We will rank all heroes according to their strength, versatility, power, usefulness, and the map’s significance.
• In the highest tiers, you will find heroes like Johanna, Muradin, and Maiev.
• Among the lowest tiers, you will observe heroes like Lunara, Valla, and Garrosh.

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Summary

We will rank all the current meta heroes in a short table below.

S Rank	A Rank	B Rank	C Rank	D Rank
Johanna	Maiev	Mephisto	Hanzo	Lunara
Muradin	Rehgar	Diablo	Garrosh	Valla
	Anduin	Zeratul	Blaze

Learn more about each entry by reading on.

S Tier

Typically, characters of this level carry a large armament into battle and quickly become the dominating force. They have the highest level of damage output and synergy in the current meta, so they are put in the S-Tier.

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You’ll see only a few of these heroes since they are versatile and effective in many different comps.

Johanna

The Crusader of Zakarum, Johanna, is a Tank who excels against Physical Attackers and can dispatch squads of minions. Crusaders are unwavering defenders of morality and the law. These living fortresses pierce through hordes of enemies with unbreakable plates and towering shields, leaving demonic remains to smoke in their wake. Johanna is a low-mobility, very tough tank with the ability to blind, slow, stun, and drag foes. As opposed to peeling for her comrades as other Tanks do, she thrives at causing confusion and disruption among the opponent team for prolonged periods. Her disruptions have Area of Effect, making them more potent when employed against several foes. With Johanna’s Shield Glare Build, you may Blind opponent Heroes more often and benefit from self-healing.

When you and your squad are up against opponent Heroes that depend on Basic Attacks, you may use this Build to your advantage. Just be careful to keep Shield Glare Icon Shield Glare charged at least once for peeling. Her basic attacks give you a fairly reasonable amount of extra survivability and the ability to crowd control your opponent’s Heroes. The ability to crowd control or inflict burst damage to opponent heroes. As a result, she will be placed in the S tier. 

Attack Speed	0.91
Attack Range	1.5
Attack Damage	99

Muradin

The Mountain King himself, Muradin Bronzebeard, is a melee Tank Hero. A reliable Tank, it excels in a wide variety of environments. Muradin is a versatile Tank that specializes in causing trouble for the other side. During the planning phase, he may concentrate on the farming stack for the Baseline Quest on Storm Bolt while using Dwarf Toss to escape quickly. Second Wind to negate any damage he got to break up opponent rotations by dismounting and chunking down opposing Heroes. He may play defensively by peeling for his team or counter-engaging with the opponent, or he can play aggressively by attacking or diving on weak enemy Heroes. Muradin’s Dwarf Toss Build is balanced between offense and defense.

Several Talents may be swapped out for others to boost your engagement or raise your survivability, depending on the circumstances. Mages are Muradin’s best allies since they can quickly follow up his Storm Bolt with a devastating burst damage combination. Crowd management through shackles. In a game when chained abilities are so important, having another Hero on your side who can give these benefits from a different Role will make Muradin a formidable foe. Muradin shines in the hands of skilled players on Maps, where his natural resilience and mobility allow him to harass opposing Heroes and set up moves for his whole team early on in the match.

Muradin is a multi-talented Tank that can support his team with vision, engagement, and peeling. While engaging enemy Heroes or peeling for friendly Heroes, Storm Bolt and Thunder Clap are effective crowd control tactics. As a result, he will be placed in the S rank of the HOTS tier list.

Attack Speed	1.11
Attack Range	1
Attack Damage	88

A Tier

Aafter selecting and picking out the elite heroes in the S-Tier, we will move onto the A rank. Heroes in this rank are versatile and work well with those at both the lower and higher tiers.

Most of the current meta consists of these characters, therefore many players will be competent with their abilities.

Maiev

Maiev is a durable Assassin who is excellent at taking the initiative and punishing poorly positioned foes. She excels at taking on several opponents with her Fan of Knives I as her primary damage-dealing weapon. She has a strong chance of winning clashes against opponents with less than three players using her microwell. Talents integral to the Fan of Knives allow you to do continuous, devastating area-of-effect damage, decreasing the efficacy of your opponents by forcing them to spread out and expose more of themselves. Since it dramatically enhances your early game and PvE skills, Naisha’s Memento is the default choice for thesetup.

Maiev’s ability to consistently pull many Heroes to her is an excellent fit for Tanks looking to establish crowd control chains. Umbral Bind is great for assassins that do a lot of area-of-effect damage that is easy to evade. Her favorability increases when she is surrounded by healers who can benefit from her AoE attacks. Maiev is a solid choice on most maps due to her early game strength. Maps with plenty of vents, shrubs, and tight passages are ideal for her since they make it easier for her to use Spirit of Vengeance and Umbral Bind. If there are many mercenaries on the battlefield for Maiev to capture, she becomes an even more attractive selection since she can control the game’s pace.

Spirit of Vengeance is best used while you are out of your opponent’s line of sight since this reduces their reaction time and allows you to pull off combos and engagements more easily. To label all surrounding enemy Heroes, Maiev must use Umbral Bind on the nearest foe once she has blinked. As a result, she will be placed in the S.

Attack Speed	1.11
Attack Range	1.5
Attack Damage	145

Rehgar

If the opposing side cannot stop Artanis, he will cause much damage. He moves his opponents into better striking positions. If the other side cannot stop Artanis’s attacks, he will cause much damage. Despite being at less than 75% of his full Health, he may be surprisingly tough to kill, thanks to Shield Overload and associated Talents. When it comes to staying alive in battle, Rehgar’s Earthbind Totem Build has you covered, with a wide range of resources at his disposal, from increased healing for friendly Heroes to damage reduction effects for foes. Combining the effects of Grounded Totem (Level 7) with Colossal Totem (Level 1) makes Earthbind Totem a potent damage mitigation Ability.

While Rehgar’s Hybrid Build isn’t the strongest in healing output, it provides various tools that may improve your durability, protect friendly Heroes from burst damage, and even crowd control opposing Heroes. Purification at Level 7 makes your fair teammates game, and Feral Heart at Level 1 bolsters your resilience. Your enemies will have a hard time deciding who to focus on killing. Rehgar is an excellent facilitator for Bruisers and Melee Assassins since they get the most out of his whole kit. Lightning Shield on them is fantastic.

On Maps, where the macro is crucial, Rehgar shines since he can easily take control of most Mercenary Camps on his alone. On Maps with frequent action, Rehgar might struggle due to his low amount of sustained healing, particularly when the damage is focused on a single target. His Heroic Ability, either Ancestral Healing or Bloodlust, provides the bulk of his damage when fighting on a squad. So he struggles in early-game clashes with many Objectives.

Attack Speed	1.11
Attack Range	1.5
Attack Damage	115

Anduin

Anduin is an excellent shield user and Healer. Thus he can defend himself and his teammates from harm while also healing them. In contrast to some of the other Healers, Anduin has significant playmaking potential thanks to his vast array of crowd control and utility effects. For example, he may use his “Leap of Faith” skill to rescue helpless teammates by protecting them from crowd control and pulling them towards Anduin. If you can master Anduin’s defensive and offensive abilities, you’ll have a potent Healer in your back line who can contribute significantly to team battles.

To protect allies from unexpected danger or encourage them to be more aggressive, Anduin’s Divine Star Build grants access to a large quantity of burst healing and a large amount of sustained healing. The use of Power Word Shield at Level 1, Desperate Prayer at Level 7, and most of the choices at Level 16 may help you deal with sudden attacks of enemy monsters. Anduin may benefit from the assistance of Heroes skilled in dependable crowd control while attempting to land Chastise. Anduin’s Leap of Faith is useful because it allows Heroes without mobility to escape danger or allows Heroes without escape tools to be more aggressive.

Lightbomb synergizes well with a wide variety of other Abilities, allowing you to perform devastating and rapid engagements that the opposition team will have trouble dealing with. Anduin shines in shorter, more straightforward team battles on maps with stationary Objectives. Divine Star may often reap benefits at choke places. Anduin’s well-rounded kit makes him vulnerable on no more than a few maps, with the possible exception of those where the Objective can’t be achieved before his Mana runs out. Thus, he will be placed in the A tier.

Attack Speed	1.00
Attack Range	5.5
Attack Damage	85

B Tier

These characters often have less of an influence than the ones described above. They have great potential if given the appropriate circumstances, but they are extremely average.

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You should not feel bad about using these as your secondary or even tertiary choices.

Mephisto

Mephisto is very expert at finishing off ability chains started by teammates, making him a good choice for ranged assassin roles. To rephrase, he fits in well with teams who use a “wombo combo” style of play. When Mephisto launches a well-executed assault, he may wreak havoc on the other squad. However, opposing Heroes who have had enough of the Lord of Hatred will gladly punish clumsy placement and premature usage of Shade of Mephisto. Mephisto’s Skull Missile is the primary target of the Skull Missile construct, which aims to strengthen it.

Mephisto becomes a powerful burst Hero when combined with later Talents. At level 16, when the Build’s primary strength becomes apparent, completing the level-1 quest will let you transform Mephisto into a Skull Missile machine gun whenever you successfully dive in and land your abilities. They may be lethal against foes caught by setup heroics like E.T.C.’s Mosh Pit, Zarya’s Graviton Surge, Deckard’s Stay Awhile and Listen, and Diablo’s Apocalypse. Strong crowd management is a boon to Mephisto’s Basic Abilities as well. Mephisto thrives on maps that pit players against one another in close quarters.

Because of the design of these maps, he may easily target opposing Heroes with his Abilities. On terrain with a lot of open space, where foes may easily move about to evade Mephisto’s attacks, he may suffer. When it comes to interacting with Battlegrounds, Mephisto isn’t all that interesting. However, he does have a respectable amount of waveclear. Most of Mephisto’s Abilities are well-suited to wombo-combo team compositions because of the outstanding follow-up damage they do. Without support from his comrades, he may have trouble taking out skilled duelists in a one-on-one match. Therefore, he will be placed in the A tier of the HOTS tier list.

Attack Speed	1
Attack Range	4.5
Attack Damage	66

Diablo

When it comes to Tanks, Diablo is an aggressive player. He is excellent at setting up and peeling for his allies, as well as punishing bad placement, thanks to his arsenal of crowd control Abilities that also displace opponents. Unfortunately, his ability to relocate objects may be exploited to his advantage by his opponents if he isn’t careful. The Diablo Fire Stomp Build increases your resistance to harm and damage done by Fire Stomp on opposing Heroes. We advise doing so when against Heroes, who will counter your moves and drive you into a more defensive stance. Since Diablo offers consistent initiation options, so he pairs well with Heroes.

Using a Hero whose ability Stuns, Roots, or otherwise impedes the movement of targeted targets is highly recommended, and Heroic Abilities that synergize with Apocalypse make for extremely potent combinations. Maps allowing Diablo to Shadow Charge near impenetrable terrain result in a Stun and additional damage. On the other hand, Diablo suffers on vast, open maps with no small corridors or passages to the Objective, making it very simple for opponent Heroes to avoid Shadow Charge. Diablo’s primary advantages lay in his access to powerful zoning Heroic Abilities and his infamous Shadow Charge + Overpower combination.

Diablo’s low damage output prevents him from being a good choice for wave clearing, sieging, or claiming Mercenary Camps. Still, he is commonly selected for his ability to effectively begin and counter team compositions that depend on a single main damage dealer or Healer due to Diablo’s reputation as one of the game’s top initiators. Players that choose him are expected to take a more offensive stance, search for swindling chances, and disrupt crucial channeled Abilities from opposing heroes.

Attack Speed	0.95
Attack Range	1.25
Attack Damage	105

Zeratul

Zeratul may move across the battlefield as a deadly Melee Assassin. Using teleportation, he can do enormous burst damage to important backline Heroes without fear of reprisal, temporarily remove them from the battle, or build up great combinations with Void Prison. Zeratul is always Stealthed, helping him to sneak up on his prey without being seen. His maximum possible one-on-one damage is unlocked with this Build. Aside from being great for finishing weak Heroes, it may also be used to follow up on a Tank’s engagements. The three available Talents at Level 1 each shine in a different category; picking the right one depends on how you like to play. In the early game, Move Unseen increases the pace of each roam.

It works well for making kill rotations. Shadow Hunter further strengthens Zeratul’s already strong late game since he can blink more often during team battles. The benefits of Greater Cleave are spread out over the game, making it a good compromise between the two Talents. By offering an additional blink to engage after level 7. Seeker in the Dark allows for a more aggressive playstyle in combat. At Level 20, using Twilight Falls twice provides enough damage to kill a Healer or Assassin before they can respond. Zeratul prefers partners that can follow his dives because of his mobility and burst damage.

He may take advantage of it by playing on maps with many Objective spawns or reasons to rotate, which divert the other team’s focus. On the other hand, he isn’t very good at maps that put a premium on teamwork or require him to engage in group laning or wave clearing.

Attack Speed	1.11
Attack Range	1.5
Attack Damage	126

C Tier

Using these characters offers little to no value. Unless your team composition requires otherwise, we recommend going for a higher tier when making your first selection.

It’s safe to say that these heroes don’t exactly stand out, but they may be handy in the correct circumstances. At this level, everything boils down to personal taste.

Hanzo

Hanzo is an assassin with a long-range who relies on skillshots landed at just the right angle to do maximum damage. Having tremendous success with his Abilities, he is at his best in locations with complex topography. All of his Abilities enhance his eyesight, making it possible for him to see through the fog of battle and follow the movements of his enemies. One of his many remarkable abilities is that he is one of the few ranged assassins that can initiate fights with Dragon’s Arrow. Talents that enhance Scatter Arrow are prioritized in a Scatter Arrow Build, making it the main ability.

Dragon’s Arrow may be used as an exciting tool, and it combines well with Diablo’s Apocalypse and Blaze’s Jet Propulsion. Like other marksmen, he excels when paired with heroes like Johanna, Mal’Ganis, or Blaze, who can quickly clear a path for him to strike. Hanzo has powerful follow-up Heroics and excellent vision utility. Picking Hanzo late in the draft is optimal since that’s when you’ll know which of his builds may be used to your advantage. Locking him up early in the draft is not recommended since Heroes can follow his movements whenever he uses Natural Agility to reposition or escape.

Attack Speed	0.67
Attack Range	6.5
Attack Damage	198

Blaze

As a heavy Tank, Blaze is renowned for his devastating counter-initiatives. However, his enormous Health pool and reliable self-sustain make up for his lack of single-target damage, making him a viable option. Because he has so many skill shot-like Abilities, he may struggle to do damage against Heroes who are on the move. The primary focus of Blaze’s Basic Attacks Build is to increase your wave’s apparent effectiveness, along with other benefits like increased survivability, utility, and damage. Therefore, if you plan on playing Blaze as a Solo Laner, we advise using the Build. Incinerator Gauntlets at level 4 make it simpler to eliminate Minions and Mercenaries when laning.

Make sure that another player may deal with the Mercenary Camps. Blaze is a specialized Tank whose Ability, Bunker Drop, makes him particularly effective in disrupting and counter-initiating against aggressive melee Heroes. Stationary Objectives that confine players to a small area. As a result of his liberal self-sustain and waveclear, he is also a fantastic solo laner, making him a strong contender on the vast majority of Maps. As a result, he will be placed in the A tier of the HOTS tier list.

Attack Speed	1.00
Attack Range	4.5
Attack Damage	55

Garrosh

Because of how his Trait, Armor Up, works, Garrosh, a Tank, gets more difficult to kill as his health decrease, one of Garrosh’s best mechanics is his Wrecking Ball, which can displace enemy Heroes across quite wide distances. Significantly altering the result of a team battle and putting a lot of pressure on the other team when laning. As a result of the enhancements afforded by his Hybrid Build. Garrosh is better able to excel in a wide variety of scenarios. Do more significant damage, stay alive longer, and provide assistance to his allies. Keep in mind that if you choose to Decimate, you will be left without any means of dealing with Heroes with excellent mobility that attempt to dive. Deadly Calm, an upgrade to Decimate Icon Decimate, adds usefulness while also increasing damage.

He prefers to play alongside Heroes, who can provide him with strong Abilities to close the gap. If you can make up for Garrosh’s slow movement speed (using a Speed Barrier, for example), he becomes much more dangerous to face in battle, as he can stroll toward opposing Heroes and grab them with Wrecking Ball. If your team lacks a reliable source of crowd control yet needs a powerful frontline, Garrosh is the Hero for you. Therefore, he complements those that can respond to his engagement with further crowd control and, most importantly, substantial burst damage.

Attack Speed	0.83
Attack Range	1.2
Attack Damage	137

D Tier

You’ll need a well-coordinated and balanced composition to bring out the most in these heroes. So think twice about picking from this rank unless the situation truly requires it.

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Despite your prowess as a hero player, you will find yourself at a disadvantage when going with these characters.

Lunara

Lunara is a Ranged Assassin that engages her foes from a safe distance. Thanks to her rapid movement speed and damage over time skills. She has excellent Basic Attacks and fantastic agility, particularly as the game progresses, and she can also provide her team vision. Like other ranged assassins, she benefits from careful placement and an understanding of the terrain before unleashing her full might. Lunara may be played with a wide range of Heroes and team compositions. Still, she finds her niche when teamed with heroes that excel at crowd control, such as Arthas, Jaina, or Muradin, since they generate a lot of Slow for Lunara’s Unfair Advantage skill at Level 16. At the same time, Lunara’s performance is often substantial.

However, because of her Level 4 skill Nature’s Culling Icon, Lunara can significantly damage opposing Immortals on Battlefield of Eternity. Making her seem even more substantial than on other battlegrounds. In a nutshell, Lunara is at her best when she has the time and space to build. Disseminate Nature’s Toxin over several targets without interruption. Therefore, she should prioritize maintaining the efficacy of her poison. Noxious Blossom and Crippling Spores, among others, are advantageous abilities in this area. In particular, Crippling Spores may be utilized to quickly restore Nature’s Toxin’s effects and slow down all impacted enemies. 

Attack Speed	1.11
Attack Range	5.5
Attack Damage	90

Valla

Valla can dole out damage from a distance using various strategies. Her primary strengths are her significant single-target and on-demand burst damage to an area of effect. However, her relative weakness makes her a prime target for her enemies. In contrast, Valla’s Standard Build lacks single-target damage. Key Talents like Fire At Will and Arsenal make it easy to reach maximum Hatred swiftly. Deal massive amounts of damage to several foes with Multishot. Valla performs at her peak when there is an obstacle between her and her foes. Tanks that are both large and healthy are highly sought after since they divert attention away from Valla and frequently act as a deterrent to further attacks.

Aside from that, anything that will keep Valla safe is also welcome. Because her health bar’s low, any protective benefits have a more significant impact. Any target within Valla’s Basic Attack range will be under intense strain thanks to her devastating single-target sustained damage. She can consistently deliver damage in each fight thanks to her area-of-effect attacks and pokes. If you choose her early, your opponents could opt for dive-focused Heroes, who can only succeed against her with high aggression and excellent teamwork. If you wait until later in the draft to choose her, she may go fully unopposed and do full damage.

Attack Speed	1.67
Attack Range	5.5
Attack Damage	70

Comparison Table

Heroes	Tier	Attack Speed	Attack Range	Attack Damage
Johanna	S	0.91	1.5	99
Muradin	S	1.11	1	88
Maiev	A	1.11	1.5	145
Rehgar	A	1.11	1.5	115
Anduin	A	1.00	5.5	85
Mephisto	B	1	4.5	66
Diablo	B	0.95	1.25	105
Zeratul	B	1.11	1.5	126
Hanzo	C	0.67	6.5	198
Garrosh	C	1.00	4.5	55
Blaze	C	0.83	1.2	137
Lunara	D	1.11	5.5	90
Valla	D	1.67	5.5	70

Patch Notes – March 29, 2022

In the latest update, a number of changes were made to certain heroes. Visit the official site to read about these changes in detail

• Anub’arak
• Johanna
• Artanis
• Thrall
• Varian
• Alexstrasza
• Rehgar
• Whitemane
• Alarak
• Cassia
• Chromie
• Gul’dan
• Sgt. Hammer

Verdict

So this has been our HOTS Tier List, and we worked hard to ensure that we did each character in the article justice. But the rankings may or may not align with your personal preferences. And that’s okay because different people play games in different ways, and what appeals to me might not necessarily appeal to you. With a game as diverse as HOTS, incredibly few people will have viewpoints that are exactly the same.

But we did try our best to create a list that reflected the current meta, while also taking into account our personal playstyles. And for the most part, I think readers will agree with our choices. But if you disagree, we’re more than welcome to listen to you down in the comments. The writers at TopTierList always take constructive criticism in good faith and attempt to improve our analysis through them.