Shadow Hunter (Warcraft III)

These reclusive, wily jungle trolls are considered to be the highest authority within their respective warbands. They are masters of voodoo magics who can use their spirit-powers to both heal their allies and place curses upon their hapless enemies. The Shadow Hunters walk the line between darkness and light in hopes of salvaging the future for their savage brethren.

The Shadow Hunter is an extremely popular hero among Orc players because of his massive support capabilities that he provides, especially in team matches. He is a fairly weak hero though, and requires protection to make the most out of him. He is often the second or third Hero due to his lack of offensive capabilities to compliment hero rushing and killing thanks to his Hex spell.

Zul'kis, Zul'abar, Zul'rajas, Zul'maran, Jo Jo Headshrinker, Shaka-zahn, Shakti-lar, Mezil-kree.

• Calls forth a wave of energy that heals a target and bounces to nearby friendlies.
• Each bounce heals 25% less damage.

The spell allows Orc players to quickly heal without having to rely on Healing Salves, a fountain or the Troll Witch Doctor's Healing Wards.

• Transforms an enemy unit into a random critter, disabling special abilities.

Hex also works on Heroes, but at a significantly reduced duration. Despite this, it is just as effective against Heroes as it is against powerful creeps, as the hexed target cannot attack, cast spells and use inventory items. Hexed targets also have their speed reduced to 100. When the unit breaks out of Hex, you can have a Tauren Chieftain use War Stomp to further incapacitate the Hero and kill them.

• Summons an immobile serpentine ward to attack the Shadow Hunter's enemies.
• The ward has 90/165/200 hit points and is immune to magic.

This allows the Shadow Hunter to creep early in the game, especially at level 3 where they can deal considerable damage due to their fast cooldown and high damage. Serpent wards possess low attack priority, meaning that they're unlikely to be killed unless targeted by the enemy in a massive fight. The wards are also immune to spells.

• Turns all friendly units invulnerable in an area around the Shadow Hunter.
• The Shadow Hunter does not turn invulnerable.

During the duration of this spell, all friendly units near the Shadow Hunter are put into a state of invulnerability - the Shadow Hunter himself is still vulnerable to attacks. If the Shadow Hunter is already under the effects of invulnerability when he casts the spell, it is automatically removed for balancing reasons.

As a channeled spell, it can be interrupted by stuns or silence. Before using the ability, make sure there are enough units to protect the Shadow Hunter as he will most likely be targeted by nearby enemies. This spell is extremely powerful in team matches.

• See Warcraft III Shadow Hunter quotes

• Shadow Hunters were first seen during the E3 2001 presentation of Reign of Chaos, but by the time of the 2002 beta, they were cut.