Sylvanas

Sylvanas
"Victory for the Forsaken!"
Basic Info
Title	The Banshee Queen
Role	Ranged Assassin
Difficulty	Medium
Franchise	Warcraft
Price	625 / 7,000
Release Date	March 24, 2015
Base Stats
Attack Type	Ranged
Health	1650
Health Regen	3.44
Resource	500 Mana
Unit Radius	0.625
Attack Speed	1.67
Attack Range	5.5
Attack Damage	81
Data Page

Sylvanas Windrunner, The Banshee Queen, is a Ranged Assassin hero from the Warcraft universe. She was not always the Dark Lady of the Forsaken. In another life, Sylvanas was the Ranger-General of Silvermoon. But that was before the death knight Arthas slew her and her people and raised her as the first banshee.

Sylvanas is an Assassin who can shut down enemy Forts and Keeps.

Background

This section concerns content exclusive to the Warcraft universe.

As the Queen of the undead Forsaken, Sylvanas Windrunner seeks a higher purpose for a people who have already died once.

Sylvanas was once the ranger-general of Silvermoon, a commander charged with defending the elven kingdom of Quel'Thalas. She perished during the Third War, when her homeland was ravaged by Arthas Menethil and the undead Scourge, but her death was not the end. Cruelly, Arthas ripped her soul from her body, subjugating her as a banshee, a hate-filled agent of the Scourge. When the Lich King was weakened by an assault from Illidan Stormrage, Sylvanas and other willful undead broke free from his control and built a new home beneath the fallen kingdom of Lordaeron. They called themselves the Forsaken, and vowed to exterminate the Lich King at all costs.

After fighting for their right to join the Horde, Sylvanas led her "people" to the continent of Northrend to destroy the Lich King. Before they could succeed, an uprising among the Forsaken killed members of the Horde and Alliance, casting a shadow of mistrust over Sylvanas. She came to dwell on the Forsaken's dim prospects for the future; they were despised and unable to procreate. Ultimately, the Banshee Queen made a pact with the Val'kyr, nightmarish creatures capable of creating more undead, to give the Forsaken a chance to persist on Azeroth.

Gameplay

Sylvanas is a mobile Ranged Assassin with very high sustained damage and waveclear. Her mobility and the long range and instantaneous nature of her Abilities makes her a very safe Hero that is difficult to shut down. Sylvanas also boasts extremely strong utility in her unique ability to stun most Structures, Minions, and Mercenaries (save for Bosses and Cores).

Strengths

• High sustained damage
• Powerful waveclear
• Able to stun most Structures, Minions, and Mercenaries
• Very mobile, with a strong gap-closer

Weaknesses

• Low maximum Health and weak against burst damage
• Vulnerable to Crowd Control
• Rather weak early game

Abilities

Black Arrows

Cooldown: 40 seconds

Activate to cause all Basic Attacks and Abilities to Stun Minions, non-Elite Mercenaries, and Structures for 3 seconds. Lasts for 10 seconds.
Banshee's Curse
Basic Attacks infect enemies with Banshee's Curse for 3 seconds, stacking up to 3 times. Deal 25% more damage to enemies with 3 stacks.

Q

Withering Fire

50 Mana Cooldown: 11 seconds

Shoot the closes enemy up to 5 times over 1.5 seconds for 39 damage, prirotizing Heroes. Cooldown is reset on getting a Takedown.

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Type: Spell damage

Scaling: 4.00%

Affects: Enemies

Range: 8

---

• Can only be used if an enemy is in 8 range.
• Consumes charges every .375 seconds.
• The ability is disabled until you use all charges.

W

Shadow Dagger

50 Mana Cooldown: 11 seconds

Throw a dagger at a target enemy thatl deals 30 damage and an additional 150 damage over 2.5 seconds. Damage dealt by Sylvanas to the initial target spreads Shadow Dagger to all nearby enemies.

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Type: Spell damage

Scaling: 4.00%

Affects: Enemies

Cast time: 0.1875

Range: 8

Tickrate: 2 per second

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• The damage is done on impact and a DoT ticks 5 times during 2.5 seconds.
• On impact, the main target gets to spread the debuff over 2.5 seconds. They are shown with an unique icon on top. The spread is done as a damage response and affects units in a 3.5 radius, extended by the main target unit's radius. It validates if the units are not a wall, invulnerable, cloaked and not revealed, has shadow dagger from the caster Sylvanas. If they fit all that, impact them with the spread one tick later.

E

Haunting Wave

75 Mana Cooldown: 11 seconds

Send forth a wave of banshees dealing 114 damage to all targets. Reactivate to teleport to the banshees' location.

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Type: Spell damage, Mobility: Launch

Scaling: 4.00%

Affects: Enemies, Self

Cast time: 0.1

Range: 14

Tickrate: 2 per second

---

• The cast timer for the second activation is 1.75 seconds. If you press E during that time, you'll teleport to the Banshee.

R

Wailing Arrow

100 Mana Cooldown: 90 seconds

Shoot an arrow that can be reactivated to deal 228 damage and silence enemies in an area making them unable to use Abilities for 2.5 seconds. The arrow detonates automatically when it reaches maximum range.

R

Mind Control

75 Mana Cooldown: 50 seconds

After 0.25 seconds, fire a missile that Mind Controls the first enemy Hero hit. Heroes hit are Silenced, Slowed by 30%, and forced to walk towards Sylvanas for 1.75 seconds.

Talents

1

Might of the Banshee Queen

Hitting an enemy with Withering Fire increases Sylvanas's Attack Speed and Spell Power by 5% for 6 seconds, stacking to 5 times.

Unfurling Shadows

❢ Quest: Each time an enemy with 3 stacks of Banshee's Curse is hit by Shadow Dagger, its damage is permanently increases by 0.5%.

Overwhelming Affliction

Enemy Heroes with 3 stacks of Banshee's Curse are Slowed by 15%. Sylvanas's Basic Attacks against Slowed enemy Heroes deal 1% of their maximum Health as damage.

4

Unstable Poison

Minions that die under the effects of Shadow Dagger or Sylvanas's Traits explode, dealing 130 damage to nearby Minions, Mercenaries, and Summons.

Mercenary Queen

Friendly non-Elite Mercenaries near Sylvanas deal 60% more damage. Sylvanas Stuns and deals 30% additional damage to Mercenaries with 3 stacks of Banshee's Curse.

Possession

Charge Cooldown: 12 seconds
Activate to force an enemy Minion to fight for Sylvanas's team. Catapults require 3 charges. Stores up to 3 charges.

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Affects: Minion, Catapult

Cast time: 0.1

Range: 10

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• Possessing a minion technically counts as killing it and putting a new summon in its place.
• Possession awards the XP from the minion kill.
• The enemy team does not get XP or stacks from killing the possessed minion.
• Possession fully heals the minion and removes the raven curse on Cursed Hollow.
• If the unit is the wizard minion, it spawns a Regeneration Globe.
• An opposing Sylvanas cannot "repossess" the minions you've possessed.

7

Barbed Shot

Hitting the same enemy with 5 shots of Whitering Fire causes the 5th shot to deal 350% bonus damage.

Lost Soul

Basic Attacks against Heroes with 3 stacks of Banshee's Curse reduce the cooldown of Shadow Dagger by 1.75 seconds.

Festering Wounds

Increase Hauting Wave's damage by 25%. Hauting Wave applies 3 stacks of Banshee's Curse.

10

Wailing Arrow

Cooldown: 90 seconds
Shoot an arrow that can be reactivated to deal 228 damage and silence enemies in an area making them unable to use Abilities for 2.5 seconds. The arrow detonates automatically when it reaches maximum range.

Mind Control

Cooldown: 50 seconds
After 0.25 seconds, fire a missile that Mind Controls the first enemy Hero hit. Heroes hit are Silenced, Slowed by 30%, and forced to walk towards Sylvanas for 1.75 seconds.

13

Cold Embrace

Shadow Dagger reduces the Armor of the initial target by 25 for and any enemy it spreads to by 10 for 2.5 seconds.

Windrunner

Hauting Wave can be cast a second time for free within 5 seconds after teleporting. Teleporting with Hauting Wave resets the cooldown of Withering Fire.

Remorseless

Increase Sylvanas's Basic Attack range by 1. Sylvanas's Basic Attacks against enemy Heroes with 3 stacks of Banshee's Curse shoot an untalented shot of Withering Fire. This shot of Withering Fire applies Banshee's Curse.

16

Evasive Fire

Hitting an enemy with Withering Fire grants 6% Movement Speed for 2 seconds, up to 30%. Basic Attacks refresh this duration.

Life Drain

Heal for 15% of damage dealt by Sylvanas to enemies with 3 stacks of Banshee's Curse. Healing is double against Heroes.

Will of the Forsaken

Cooldown: 60 seconds
Activate to become Unstoppable and gain 40% Movement Speed for 3 seconds.

20

Deafening Blast

Enemies at the center of Wailing Arrow's explosion take 50% more damage and are silenced for twice as long.

Dark Lady's Call

Heroes hit by Mind Control have their vision radius greatly reduced for 5 seconds. Mind Control's cooldown is reduced by 30 seconds.

Withering Barrage

Enemy Heroes hit by Withering Fire reduce its cooldown by 0.75 seconds.

Bolt of the Storm

Cooldown: 70 seconds
Activate to teleport to a nearby location.

Skins

Sylvanas Skins
The Banshee Queen
Backstory: Sylvanas Windrunner was not always the Dark Lady of the Forsaken. In another life, she was the Ranger-General of Silvermoon. But that was before the Death Knight Arthas slew her and her people and raised her as the first Banshee.
Notes: Sylvanas is free for players recruited by Recruit a Friend upon reaching player level 10.
625 / 7,000 The Banshee Queen	Free Frost	Free Scarlet
Blood Raven
Backstory: Those who fight against evil are often the most affected by it. The Rogues of Khanduras learned this well when their former sister Sylvanas fell in league with the maiden of Anguish, Andariel.
Notes: This skin theme is part of a shared theme of other universes merging into Diablo skins.
350 / 400	350 / 400 Banshee	350 / 400 Skeletal	350 / 400 Wild	350 / 400 Jungle
Dark Lady
Backstory: The guise of a Dark Ranger strikes fear into the hearts of their enemies. The guise of the Dark Ranger Queen will send them running for reinforcements...
120 / 75	120 / 75 Plagued	120 / 75 San'layn
Ranger-General
Backstory: The Ranger-Generals are the commanders of the Farstriders of Quel'Thalas. It is their solemn duty to ensure the protection of Silvermoon, or give their life in its defense.
Features: Altered voice-over.
Notes: This skin theme is part of a shared theme of character's pre-change skins.
250 / 300	250 / 300 Woodland	250 / 300 Sin'dorei	250 / 300 Ghostlands
Warchief
Backstory: Sylvanas never wanted to be warchief, and was never fond of Vol'jin. Nevertheless, she has sworn to avenge the fallen shadow hunter and lead their people to victory against the Legion.
120 / 75	120 / 75 Cold	120 / 75 Crimson

Sylvanas Event Skins
Lunar
Backstory: Much has changed for Quel'Thalas over the centuries, but the Windrunner family has never stopped honoring their elders during the Lunar Festival.
Features: Altered voice-over, themed animations, themed abilities.
Notes: This skin theme is part of a shared theme of holiday skins.
350 / 400	350 / 400 Soaring	350 / 400 Jade	525 / 600 Azure	525 / 600 Blossom
Sugar Plum
Backstory: Sugar and spice? Maybe. Everything nice? Not by a long shot.
Features: Themed abilities.
Notes: This skin theme is part of a shared theme of holiday skins.
1,600	1,600 Snow	1,600 Sour	1,600 Sweet	2,400 Mint

Portraits

Sylvanas Portraits
Banshee Queen Sylvanas60	Blood Raven Sylvanas75 / 40	Carbot Sylvanas120 / 75	Drac Lady Sylvanas60	Lil' Lunar Sylvanas75 / 40	Nostalgic Sugar Plum Sylvanas40	Sepia Sylvanas40
Sugar Plum Sylvanas40	Sylvanas Hero	Sylvanas Mastery	Toon Lunar Sylvanas75 / 40	Toon Sugar Plum Sylvanas40	WoW Sylvanas75 / 40

Sprays

Sylvanas Sprays
Carbot Sylvanas120 / 75	Cartoon Sylvanas75 / 40	Emoji Sylvanas120 / 75	Feast-ival Sylvanas120 / 75	Lunar Sylvanas Lantern120 / 75	Nostalgic Sugar Plum Sylvanas40	Puppet Sylvanas60

Emojis

Sylvanas Pack 1			Sylvanas Pack 2
Emoji	Name	Shortcut	Emoji	Name	Shortcut
	Sylvanas Happy	:sylvanashappy: :sylvhappy:		Sylvanas Angry	:sylvanasangry: :sylvangry:
	Sylvanas ROFL	:sylvanaslol: :sylvanasrofl: :sylvlol: :sylvrofl:		Sylvanas Cool	:sylvanascool: :sylvcool:
	Sylvanas Sad	:sylvanassad: :sylvsad:		Sylvanas Embarrassed	:sylvanasoops: :sylvanasembarrassed: :sylvoops: :sylvembarrassed:
	Sylvanas Silly	:sylvanassilly: :sylvsilly:		Sylvanas in Love	:sylvanaslove: :sylvanasinlove: :sylvlove: :sylvinlove:
	Sylvanas Speechless	:sylvanasmeh: :sylvanasspeechless: :sylvmeh: :sylvspeechless:		Sylvanas Surprised	:sylvanaswow: :sylvanassurprised: :sylvwow: :sylvsurprised:

Sugar Plum Sylvanas Pack 1			Sugar Plum Sylvanas Pack 2
Emoji	Name	Shortcut	Emoji	Name	Shortcut
	Sugar Plum Sylvanas Happy	:sylvanassugarplumhappy: :sylvsphappy:		Sugar Plum Sylvanas Angry	:sylvanassugarplumangry: :sylvspangry:
	Sugar Plum Sylvanas ROFL	:sylvanassugarplumlol: :sylvanassugarplumrofl: :sylvsplol: :sylvsprofl:		Sugar Plum Sylvanas Cool	:sylvanassugarplumcool: :sylvspcool:
	Sugar Plum Sylvanas Sad	:sylvanassugarplumsad: :sylvspsad:		Sugar Plum Sylvanas Embarrassed	:sylvanassugarplumoops: :sylvanassugarplumembarrassed: :sylvspoops: :sylvspembarrassed:
	Sugar Plum Sylvanas Silly	:sylvanassugarplumsilly: :sylvspsilly:		Sugar Plum Sylvanas in Love	:sylvanassugarplumlove: :sylvanassugarpluminlove: :sylvsplove: :sylvspinlove:
	Sugar Plum Sylvanas Speechless	:sylvanassugarplummeh: :sylvanassugarplumspeechless: :sylvspmeh: :sylvspspeechless:		Sugar Plum Sylvanas Surprised	:sylvanassugarplumwow: :sylvanassugarplumsurprised: :sylvspwow: :sylvspsurprised:

Lunar Sylvanas Pack 1			Lunar Sylvanas Pack 2
Emoji	Name	Shortcut	Emoji	Name	Shortcut
	Lunar Sylvanas Happy	:sylvanaslunarhappy: :sylvlhappy:		Lunar Sylvanas Angry	:sylvanaslunarangry: :sylvlangry:
	Lunar Sylvanas ROFL	:sylvanaslunarlol: :sylvanaslunarrofl: :sylvllol: :sylvlrofl:		Lunar Sylvanas Cool	:sylvanaslunarcool: :sylvlcool:
	Lunar Sylvanas Sad	:sylvanaslunarsad: :sylvlsad:		Lunar Sylvanas Embarrassed	:sylvanaslunaroops: :sylvanaslunarembarrassed: :sylvloops: :sylvlembarrassed:
	Lunar Sylvanas Silly	:sylvanaslunarsilly: :sylvlsilly:		Lunar Sylvanas in Love	:sylvanaslunarlove: :sylvanaslunarinlove: :sylvllove: :sylvlinlove:
	Lunar Sylvanas Speechless	:sylvanaslunarmeh: :sylvanaslunarspeechless: :sylvlmeh: :sylvlspeechless:		Lunar Sylvanas Surprised	:sylvanaslunarwow: :sylvanaslunarsurprised: :sylvlwow: :sylvlsurprised:

Quotes

Main article: Sylvanas/Quotes

Trivia

• Sylvanas first appeared in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (July 2002).
  • Her book debut was five years later, in World of Warcraft: Tides of Darkness (August 2007).
• Piera Coppola voiced Sylvanas in Warcraft III. Patty Mattson voices Sylvanas in World of Warcraft and Heroes of the Storm.
• She was under consideration for inclusion as early as 2011.
• Sylvanas was one of the heroes announced at BlizzCon 2014.
• Woodland Sylvanas may have been inspired by the disguise Oliver Queen wore in the first season of Arrow (October 2012).
• One of Sylvanas' gag quotes references her signature song, the Lament of the Highborne. This music is played when Sylvanas uses her ultimate, "Mind Control".

Gallery

General

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  Sylvanas's artwork

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  Sylvanas with Varian in Azeroth

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  Possession (replaced by Mind Control)

• 

  Sylvanas, Ranger-General of Silvermoon

Concept art

• 

  Blizzard DOTA model from BlizzCon 2010

• 

  The Blizzard DOTA models of Sylvanas and various other heroes

• 

  Heroes of the Storm model from PAX East 2014

• 

  Heroes of the Storm model from BlizzCon 2014

• 

  Sylvanas's portrait from BlizzCon 2014

• 

  Sylvanas, Banshee Queen of the Forsaken

• 

  Lunar Sylvanas concept art

Abilities

• 

  Q: Withering Fire

• 

  W: Shadow Dagger

• 

  E: Haunting Wave

• 

  R1: Wailing Arrow

• 

  R2: Mind Control

External links

• Sylvanas Hero Week
• Sylvanas - Heroes of the Storm
• Sylvanas Windrunner - World of Warcraft
• Sylvanas Windrunner - Wowpedia
• Sylvanas Build Guide on Icy Veins
• Sylvanas Balance Changelog - Heroes Patch Notes
• Sylvanas Sound Files - Sounds of the Storm