1. Varian - Bruiser

Varian Wrynn is the King of Stormwind, a High King of the Grand Alliance, and a man who lives by the sword. A man who saw kingdoms crumble, cities burn, and many brave men die in vain. No matter how much death he witnessed, he did not succumb to corruption. Varian continued to fight bitterly against the upcoming darkness. His battles shaped the destiny of Azeroth and now will shape the destiny of the Nexus.

In HotS, Varian is a particularly interesting hero who can play three different roles, despite his designated role being a melee bruiser. The choice is made by the player when picking level 4 talent. He has a basic kit of abilities that involves a ranged attack, a defensive one, and an engage/dive ability.

Another reason for picking Varian is his dealings with mercenaries. Check this out:

• Decent survivability with good damage output
• A great duelist, so he can win a lane fight and focus on enemy mercs
• Has a self-healing ability via his basic attack
• Can easily take a golem on his own after level-10 talent

Full details: https://heroesofthestorm.com/en-us/heroes/varian/

2. Rexxar - Bruiser

A fearsome warrior, silent and deadly. He roamed through many realms, and not one stood out as a hunter like him. Except for Rexxar, none can tame nature; none are followed and protected by the beasts. Animals venture by Rexxar’s side to any corner of any realm, and even as he steps inside the Nexus, they follow.

Rexxar is a ranged bruiser who is accompanied by his bear friend, Misha. Together, they battle alongside and provide for each other. Misha is a great help in a variety of ways throughout the game. Since you have to manage both Rexxar and Misha simultaneously, playing Rexxar is unlike playing most other heroes. It should be noted that this hero is not easy to master.

Look at these facts:

• He is a strong solo laner on all maps
• Misha can be used to occupy the attention of the mercs while Rexxar deals damage
• Misha can provide a to certain point tank for Rexxar
• Rexxar is the best hero to solo a golem after level 7 talent

Full details: https://heroesofthestorm.com/en-us/heroes/rexxar/ 

3. Maltheal - Bruiser

His hands reach far, taking all; his blades, like a whisper, barely noticed, strike deep. Many worlds, and yet none escaped death and its master. Now the true bringer of peace stands at the gates of Nexus, carrying all of the screams he reaped with him. Maltheal enters.

Maltheal is a melee bruiser that naturally opposes heroes with high health pools. His basic trait, Reaper's Mark, which can afflict multiple targets, is an outstanding weapon. Followed by his basic abilities, massive sustain damage and excellent resilience are assured.

Mercenaries should be privileged by how quickly Maltheal can end them:

• Excellent self-sustain
• Solid non-Structural PvE damage
• Overall good damage output
• Great wave clear

Full details: https://heroesofthestorm.com/en-us/heroes/malthael/ 

4. Sonya - Bruiser

The wanderer in the north, Sonya of Hogerath, is one of the last remnants of her barbarian tribe. Destruction pushed her from the north, and the hope of a better tomorrow carried her far away. She still seeks a place to settle, a place to find solace and call home. Is that location Nexus, or is Nexus just another battleground for her?

Sonya is a highly aggressive bruiser who uses the passive Fury, her alternative to mana. Sonya’s enormous single-target damage output and self-sustainability are her defining characteristics. But it is worth noting that Sonya’s powerful abilities come short in range. This requires players to position themselves in the right manner.

Besides being a powerful hero, Sonya is great against mercs:

• One of the highest single-target damage output potentials in the game
• Great self-sustain through Whirlwind ability
• She can solo most of the camps because of her relatively large HP, self-sustain, and good damage output
• A great wave clear

Full details: https://heroesofthestorm.com/en-us/heroes/sonya/ 

5. Gazlowe - Bruiser

Gazlowe's love of money, explosives, and technology, which his kin shares, makes him very dangerous both to his enemies and himself. On the other hand, the Nexus is not the place for a small and frail humanoid. But if you have a brand new exoskeleton apparatus that operates as a war machine and works from time to time, then I guess you can enter.

Gazlowe is a melee bruiser that excels at space control, sieging forts, and painlessly claiming mercenary camps. With decent survivability provided by the talent sheet, Gazlowe can easily endure dives while also constructing many of his turrets, which is a great bother to the enemy.

In addition here is why Gazlowe is so good against Mercs:

• His turrets can absorb most of the damage and provide some
• He has a stunning ability that protects tougher mercs
• Can solo easy or hard mercs at level 4 because of his abilities
• Can solo Golem after level 10 with a proper talent build

Gazlowe full details: https://heroesofthestorm.com/en-gb/heroes/gazlowe

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