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Franchise-starcraft This is from the StarCraft universe.


It's not easy being queen. So many subjects to keep in line. So many scores to settle. I am the Swarm. And vengeance has never looked this good.

Damage (8/10) Utility (4/10) Survivability (6/10) Complexity (6/10)

Kerrigan is a Melee Assassin Hero from the StarCraft universe. Until January 4, 2017, Kerrigan could be obtained for free via the Nexus Challenge.

Once a Terran ghost with psionic abilities, Sarah Kerrigan was betrayed by her allies and transformed by the ravenous zerg into the indomitable Queen of Blades. Now freed of The Dark God Amon’s corruption, Kerrigan faces a threat that could destroy the galaxy itself.[1]

Background[]

Sarah Louise Kerrigan was a psychic terran female. She began her career as a Confederate ghost and later became the second-in-command of the Sons of Korhal. Following Arcturus Mengsk's betrayal, she was captured and infested by the Zerg Swarm, ultimately becoming the self-proclaimed Queen of Blades and leader of the Swarm.

At the Dominion Ghost Academy, ghosts in training are told the Confederacy allowed Kerrigan to "defect" to the zerg. Non-control zerg strains referred to her as "the Kerrigan."

Gameplay Summary[]

Kerrigan gains shields by attacking and dealing damage, and can use her wings to swoop up multiple enemies.

Strengths[]

  • High burst damage
  • Strong dive with Ravage can be used multiple times quickly if planned correctly
  • Can gain sustainable shield from Assimilation that enables herself starting from level 10
  • Strong against set-up that utilizes summons, as she takes advantage of extra health pool they provide

Weaknesses[]

  • Although laning gains shield, Kerrigan demands too much mana for dealing burst damage to low-damage minions, and shields may be wasted
  • Ravage has high skill ceiling
  • Fragile and vulnerable to crowd control
  • Lacks sustained damage which makes her shield useless in prolonged fights
  • Heavily reliant on backup from allied heroes
  • Escape is difficult if enemy is carefully positioned

Abilities[]

IconRavageKerrigan
Ravage (Q)
Mana: 20
Cooldown: 8 seconds

Leap to a target, dealing 130 (+4% per level) damage. If the enemy dies within 1.5 seconds, this cooldown is instantly reset.

IconImpalingBladesKerrigan
Impaling Blades (W) [Area of Effect]
Mana: 75
Cooldown: 12 seconds

After 1.25 seconds, deal 180 (+4% per level) damage to enemies within the target area, stunning them for 1 second.

IconPrimalGraspKerrigan
Primal Grasp (E) [Cone]
Mana: 60
Cooldown: 10 seconds

Pulls enemies within the target area towards you, dealing 25 (+4% per level) damage. 2.5 seconds after using Primal Grasp, Kerrigan damages all nearby enemies for 180 damage.

Traits[]

IconAssimilationKerrigan
Assimilation [Passive]

Gain 15% of damage dealt from Basic Attacks and Abilities as Shields for 6 seconds. Shield amount gained doubled against Heroes. Current maximum: 1044.16 (+4% per level)

Heroic Abilities[]

IconMaelstrom
Maelstrom [Heroic Ability]
Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 100
Cooldown: 90 seconds

Deals 37 (+4% per level) damage per second to nearby enemies. Lasts for 7 seconds.

IconSummonUltralisk
Summon Ultralisk [Heroic Ability]
Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 100
Cooldown: 80 seconds

Summon an Ultralisk that attacks the target to deal 104 (+4% per level) damage. Attacks splash to nearby enemies for 50% damage. Can reactivate the Ability to retarget the Ultralisk. Lasts for 20 seconds.

Talents[]

Tier 1, Hero Level 1[]

IconRavageKerrigan
Siphoning Impact
Tier 1 (Hero Level 1)

If the targeted enemy dies within 1.5 seconds, Kerrigan heals for 10.15% of her maximum Health.

 

Tier 2, Hero Level 4[]

IconPrimalGraspKerrigan
Psionic Pulse [Passive]
Tier 2 (Hero Level 4)

After casting Primal Grasp, deal 18 (+4% per level) damage per second to nearby enemies. Lasts 5 seconds.

IconRicochet
Fury of the Swarm
Tier 2 (Hero Level 4)

Your Basic Attacks splash for 60% damage around the target.

Tier 3, Hero Level 7[]

IconAssimilationKerrigan
Assimilation Mastery [Passive]
Tier 3 (Hero Level 7)

Increases the duration of Assimilation by 100%. While Assimilation is active, your Health and Mana regeneration is increased by 100%.

IconDiabolicalMomentum
Bladed Momentum
Tier 3 (Hero Level 7)

Basic Attacks reduce your Basic Ability cooldowns by 0.60 seconds.

Tier 4, Hero Level 10[]

IconMaelstrom
Maelstrom [Heroic Ability]
Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 100
Cooldown: 90 seconds

Deals 37 (+4% per level) damage per second to nearby enemies. Lasts for 7 seconds.

IconSummonUltralisk
Summon Ultralisk [Heroic Ability]
Tier 4 (Hero Level 10)
Mana: 100
Cooldown: 80 seconds

Summon an Ultralisk that attacks the target to deal 104 (+4% per level) damage. Attacks splash to nearby enemies for 50% damage. Can reactivate the Ability to retarget the Ultralisk. Lasts for 20 seconds.

Tier 5, Hero Level 13[]

 
 

Tier 6, Hero Level 16[]

 
 

Tier 7, Hero Level 20[]

IconMaelstrom
Omegastorm
Tier 7 (Hero Level 20)

Maelstrom size increased by 25%. Amount of Assimilation Shields generated by Maelstrom increased by 100%.

IconSummonUltralisk
Torrasque
Tier 7 (Hero Level 20)

The Ultralisk morphs into an egg when it dies. If the egg isn't killed within 4 seconds, a new Ultralisk is born.

Bolt of the Storm Icon New
Psionic Shift [Active]
Tier 7 (Hero Level 20)
Cooldown: 70 seconds

Activate to teleport to a nearby location, dealing 50 (+4% per level) damage to nearby enemies. Generates 300% increased Assimilation Shields from the damage dealt.

Talent Builds[]

Tips[]

Matchups[]

Pairings[]

Alarakplate
Hard-engage Assassins like Kerrigan work well with Alarak, as they both have strong initiation tools that can both move and crowd control enemy Heroes caught out of position. Also, if a Kerrigan combo goes awry, Alarak’s Telekinesis is great for shoving enemy Heroes away to help her retreat back to the safety of her team.


Varianplate
Varian and Kerrigan together have strong ganking potential, due to them both having point-click engage tools and decent damage. When combined with Taunt or Colossus Smash at level 10, the combination gets truly terrifying.


Effective against[]

Gul'danplate
Gul'dan struggles against heroes who have strong initiation abilities that can be used to dive past his frontline. Kerrigan can easily get to Gul’dan, which forces him to play a much more conservative game than he would like to. It also doesn’t help that using Drain Life makes him a sitting duck for her devastating combo.


Effective foes[]

Skins[]

Queen of Blades (base)
KerriganDefault KerriganQGreen KerriganQOrange Kerrigan - Shadow
Queen of Blades Toxic Char Shadow IconShard 100
Succubus IconShard 100
Kerrigan, the Queen of Suffering, rules over her brood of succubi with a fel iron fist. Warlocks brash enough to summon her risk facing her terrible vengeance.
This skin is related to the Warcraft themed-skins.
SuccubusPurple SuccubusRed SuccubusGold
Succubus Crimson Cataclysmic
Primal Queen IconShard 100
The primal zerg essences within Kerrigan cannot remain static for too long. With every kill, they incorporate their foe's strengths, becoming increasingly deadly...and spikey.
KerriganMSPurple KerriganMSGreen KerriganMSBlack
Primal Queen Verdant Ash
Mistress IconShard 100
Among all the demons of the Burning Legion, the succubi are the ones who are most delighted by inflicting anguish upon their foes. Mistress Kerrigan is far better at it than most.
This skin is related to the Warcraft themed-skins.
Kerrigan - Legion Mistress Kerrigan - Suffering Mistress Kerrigan - Torment Mistress
Legion Suffering Torment
Cheerleader IconShard 400
Unsurprisingly, cheerleading for the Burning Courts can be extraordinarily demanding. As team captain, Kerrigan has little patience for squad members who can't take the heat.
This skin is related to the Burning Court themed-skins. Features themed animations.
Kerrigan - Cheerleader Kerrigan - Cheerleader - Dorm Kerrigan - Cheerleader - Azure Kerrigan - Cheerleader - Crimson
Cheerleader Dorm Azure Crimson
Kerrigan - CL - Fighting Kerrigan - CL - Heartbreaker
Fighting IconShard 600 Heartbreaker IconShard 600
Queen of Ghosts IconShard 1600
Fully cleansed by the Xel'Naga Artifact, Kerrigan joined forces with Jim Raynor and Prince Valerian. Armed with the latest Umojan tech, they prepare to bring Arcturus to justice once and for all.
Features themed abilities and replaced voice-over.
Kerrigan - Queen of Ghosts Kerrigan - Queen of Ghosts - Vespene Kerrigan - Queen of Ghosts - Cruel Kerrigan - Queen of MEKA
Queen of Ghosts Vespene Cruel Queen of MEKA IconShard 2400
Kerrigan - Queen of Templar Ghost Speeder
Queen of Templar IconShard 2400 Ghost Speeder mount
Countess von Kerrigan, the Queen of Ravens IconShard 400 (Hallow's End skin)
Countess Sarah von Kerrigan's bloodthirst knew no bounds. It was only a matter of time before the Vampire Slayers of Raven Court rose up against her reign of terror.
This skin is related to the Raven Court themed-skins. Features themed animations and themed mount.
KerriganCTPurple KerriganCTGreen KerriganCTBlack Kerrigan - Bat Transformation
Countess Kerrigan Emerald Onyx Bat Transformation "mount"

Development[]

Kerrigan was conceived within the first two years of the game's development.[2]

Blizzard DotA[]

InfestedKerrigan DotA DevRend1

Kerrigan as she appeared in Blizzard DotA

In 2010,[3] Kerrigan was present in the game as early as its "Blizzard DotA" conception. In this version, she was an individual from the Antiverse. In this reality, she was betrayed by Raynor at New Gettysburg. She willingly embraced infestation by the zerg so that she could battle against the Terran Dominion.[4]

In terms of gameplay, Kerrigan was originally a DPS-type hero.[5] She could use her abilities to kill large numbers of enemy units simultaneously and could surprise enemy heroes with huge bursts of damage. She benefited from intelligence items.[4] She was compared to heroes like Krobelus, Darchow, or Lion from the original DotA.[6]

Kerrigan's ghost form was under consideration to be a separate hero in the game.[7] However, it has since been made an optional coloration for Nova.[8]

Kerrigan could originally ride a zergling mount.[9]

Original Stats[]

  • Life: 2+
  • Attack: Almost 3
  • Abilities: 4
  • Speed: 3+[10]

Original Abilities[]

  • Force Shield
  • Force Wave
  • Implosion
  • Maelstrom
  • Soul Siphon
  • Chain Lightning[9]

Heroes of the Storm[]

Kerrigan used to have the Devouring Maw ability instead of the Ultralisk. This ability later went to Zagara.[11]

Trivia[]

  • Kerrigan's trailer quote is an altered form of her monologue delivered in the intro of Heart of the Swarm.
  • A mini-figure of Kerrigan based on her appearance in the game was released in May, 2015.[12]

Patch changes[]

  • Patch (Patch September 5, 2017Note: Fighting Cheerleader and Heartbreaker Cheerleader skins added.
  • Patch (Patch July 11, 2017Note: Queen of MEKA Kerrigan and Queen of Templar Kerrigan skins added.
  • Patch (Patch June 13, 2017Note: Received updated visual effects to coincide with Talent updates.
  • Patch (Patch May 16, 2017Note: Dorm Cheerleader Kerrigan has been added in honor of UTA HOTS, the 2017 Heroes of the Dorm champions!
  • Patch (Patch March 14, 2017Note: The Countess Kerrigan skin now plays animations while Maelstrom is active.
  • Patch (Patch September 13, 2016Note: Queen of Ghosts skin added.
  • Patch (Patch July 27, 2016Note: Base Health decreased from 1848 to 1680; Base Health Regeneration decreased from 3.95 to 3.64 per second.
  • Patch (Patch July 12, 2016Note: Base Health increased from 1680 to 1848; Health Regen increased from 3.5 to 3.8 per second; Base Attack damage increased from 109 to 120.
  • Patch (Patch May 19, 2016Note: Kerrigan’s Abilities will no longer receive cooldown reduction for cleave damage dealt to secondary targets of her Basic Attacks after learning the Fury of the Swarm and Bladed Momentum Talents.
  • Patch (Patch March 29, 2016Note: Kerrigan’s prices have been reduced to $6.49 USD and 4,000 Gold.
  • Patch (Patch July 21, 2015Note: The Countess Kerrigan and Mecha Tassadar Skins will now default to their unique Mounts in regular games after they are purchased.

References[]

  1. Heroes: Kerrigan, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2014-05-08
  2. 2016-11-21, BlizzCon 2016 Heroes of the Storm Deep Dive Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2016-11-21
  3. 2016-07-14, Dustin Browder's Twitter. Accessed on 2016-08-23
  4. 4.0 4.1 2010-10-22, Kerrigan. StarCraft Legacy, accessed on 2010-10-22
  5. 2011-10-31, Blizzcon 2011: Blizzard DOTA FAQ, Photos, & Video. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2011-11-07
  6. StarCraft Legacy staff. 2010-10-22. BlizzCon 2010 StarCraft II Custom Maps and Editor Panel. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2010-10-23.
  7. 2011-10-23, BlizzCon 2011 - Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm and Blizzard DOTA - Art & Technology Panel (Full). YouTube, accessed on 2011-11-07
  8. 2013-11-09, Heroes Skin Showcase - Heroes of the Storm - Blizzcon 2013. YouTube, accessed on 2013-11-19
  9. 9.0 9.1 Mike Fahey. 2011-10-24. The Queen of Blades is No Match for the New and Improved Blizzard DOTA. Kotaku. Accessed 2012-05-13.
  10. SC2 DotA Kerrigan, StarCraft Legacy. Accessed on 2014-04-01
  11. 2015-05-14, We're here for a quick Q&A on the Kael'thas patch. Reddit, accessed on 2015-05-19
  12. 2015-02-19, Pre-Order FUNKO Heroes of the Storm Mystery Minis Mini-Figures. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-02-20

External links[]

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