Heroes of the Storm’s most versatile character is Kharazim, Diablo 3’s Monk

The chief goal of character design in a MOBA or team brawler or lords management game is variety. You want a new character to feel and look different from the other characters in the game first, but you also want the hero to have different builds and playstyle possibilities. Blizzard has been getting better at that with its debutantes in Heroes of the Storm recently — Sylvanas, The Butcher, The Lost Vikings, and Leoric are notable successes — but it may have outdone itself for variety with last week’s addition: Kharazim, Diablo 3’s Monk.

Variety shows up immediately in a game with the Monk. Heroes of the Storm always offers a skill choice at the start of a match, but Kharazim’s is more important than just about any other character’s. Every third basic attack gives you a buff — health to the most needy nearest hero, or mana, or a critical hit. Each of these sets up a very different potential role.