Leoric

Leoric, the Skeleton King, is a melee Bruiser Hero from the Diablo universe. Madness. Betrayal. Death. These are the legacy of the Black King Leoric's reign. Driven to madness by the spirit of Diablo, Leoric brought untold suffering on his kingdom. Even after his death there was no release for the Skeleton King.

Leoric is a Bruiser who deals high damage against teams with many high Health Heroes.

Background
At the behest of the Zakarum church, traveled from Kehjistan to Khanduras and declared himself king. Acting on counsel from his trusted advisor, Archbishop Lazarus, Leoric established his seat of power in the town of Tristram. He eventually won the hearts and minds of his subjects, and ruled as a wise and just king for many years.

Lazarus convinced Leoric to settle in Tristram because he knew Diablo was imprisoned beneath Tristram's cathedral - and after Lazarus released Diablo, the demon tried to possess Leoric. Weakened due to his long imprisonment, Diablo only succeeded in driving Leoric mad. The king grew irrational and paranoid, and declared war against the neighboring kingdom of Westmarch. Lazarus brought the king's youngest son, Albrecht, into the labyrinth so Diablo could use him as a host instead. The loss of his son made Leoric's madness worse, and he began torturing and executing innocent citizens.

Lachdanan, the captain of Leoric's knights, returned from the war in Westmarch with only a few ragged survivors. Finding the kingdom in disarray and its people gripped by terror, Lachdanan confronted Leoric and was ultimately forced to kill him. Lachdanan and his men buried their king in the tombs beneath the cathedral, but Diablo raised Leoric from the dead as the Skeleton King.

Albrecht's older brother, Aidan, eventually vanquished the monster their father had become. Twenty-two years later, the Fallen Star that struck Tristram's cathedral reawakened Leoric's spirit. At Deckard Cain's behest, the Nephalem retrieved Leoric's old crown and used it to bind his spirit to his skeletal remains, allowing them to confront and defeat him.

Abilities

 * See Data Page for a table of scaled values at key levels.

Trivia

 * Leoric first appeared in Diablo (December 1996). His Heroes of the Storm design reflects his appearance in Diablo III (May 2012).
 * Leoric is voiced by Chris Metzen in Diablo, and Joe Thomas in Diablo III and Heroes of the Storm.
 * Leoric was under consideration for inclusion as early as 2011. The idea of having a character that didn't die was one the team looked at - Malthael was considered, but they ultimately settled on Leoric.
 * In the closing seconds of the Feature Trailer from BlizzCon 2014, Leoric can be seen throwing his crown into the air, catching it, then placing it back on his head.
 * Leoric is the fourth undead hero in the game.
 * He is also the second Diablo bruiser hero in the game.
 * Leoric was added to the game on July 21, 2015, as part of the Eternal Conflict event.
 * Space Lord Leoric is based on the Sith Lords of the Star Wars franchise.
 * The idea for Leoric's janitor skin came from an art contest in 2016. The skin was chosen for reveal at BlizzCon 2018 due to its long history of being requested by the fanbase.
 * Toxic Janitor Leoric is a reference to the film Toxic Avenger (May 1984). That tint also features the image of Ghom, a villain from Diablo III, on the back of the Leoric's robe.