Eye of the Storm

Anna isn’t the only one who’s been hanging out in the Nexus these days.

Sylvanas Windrunner. Ranger-General of Silvermoon, Leader of the Forsaken, Ruler of the Tirisfal, The Dark Lady, Banshee Queen, Warchief. I could write an entire opinion piece on the life, death and rise of the one true ruler of the Horde and Azeroth alike, but I’ll save it.

My very first character in World of Warcraft was a Forsaken Rogue, so it was only natural that my biased inclination would draw me to play the Banshee Queen. I’m notorious in ‘freemium’ games for hording my game currency, so when she was initially released, it was an instant purchase. When I first came back to the Nexus, I was moving around through the new heroes on the free-to-play rotation, and leveling new heroes I found myself in possession of through the loot chest system. It wasn’t until Anna started hitting her stride with Johanna that I really sunk my teeth back into Sylvanas.

Sylvanas is a ‘specialist’ class hero. Adept at pushing towers and forts with her silencing arrows, and her ability to possess everything in her path, she’s a hero that still stands strong, even with the growing hero pool. When playing other characters, and she’s on the opposing team, I groan, and try to avoid the lane she’s in, unless I’m playing a tank class with a heavy handed stun. If she’s on my team, I try to run with her, especially if I’m a healing support.

As fun of a character as she is to play, the more I play with and against people, the more challenging she becomes. Her strength, like most of the hero pool, requires team work, and without a little help from my friends, I very quickly find myself feeding the enemy sweet experience with my death over and over again, as her health pool isn’t large. Here’s a couple things to keep in mind if you find yourself with a Sylvanas, or even playing her yourself.

1. Her strength is silencing towers and forts, but she’s squishy. If you’re in lane with her, defend her. Provided she doesn’t need to kill oncoming minions or heroes, she can keep the environment from killing you.
2. She doesn’t need your help in mercenary camps. One of her strengths is capturing camps solo, as her silence disables all NPCs, merc or minion. I’ve been able to take four man camps at as low a level as three or four on my own. Unless she asks for help, hold the line if she dips out. Help is on the way.
3. If you’re playing her, obviously see above, but really take consideration to the first tip, especially in maps where you can get in things. A lot of damage done to mechs or dragon knights is from the towers and forts, which you can prevent, from safe distance from the hero fray. You can’t silence things from inside whatever suit the map provides (garden terror not included).

Sylvanas is definitely a challenge to master, and I’m certainly no MVP with her. I still banshee into the base or a battle by accident and end up smashed to pieces at least once a round. If I’ve been playing a tank, I tend to dive too deep too fast, again, smashed to pieces. I threaten to report people for taking my last hit on mercenary camps, but still die to them on the regular for getting cocky and hitting them at half health.

If you’re looking for a character to top the charts, Sylvanas might feel a little thankless for you. While MVP status isn’t unobtainable, because she’s a specialist, her role on the field is diverse, and depending on your randomized team, you may find yourself spread thin, unable to really excel in one of your areas, especially if you find yourself alone in a lane. There has been many a game that I flawlessly push and defend my lane, typically bottom and alone, get my surrounding mercenary camps, murder whoever tries to stop me, leave a wide open plain for my team to rush in and through to the base, to only get an honourable mention for merc captures, or death evasion. I have had top scoring stats in siege and hero damage, to still be bumped out of MVP by a healer who ran around in circles during enemy swarm attacks healing themselves and running away.

I guess my thanks lies in knowing I am Sylvanas, Banshee Queen and mother of the Forsaken, Warchief of the Horde, and at the end of the day, and winning team or not, no one can take that away.