Sonya

This is from the Diablo universe.

“

Feel the fury of Arreat!

”

(7/10) (5/10) (6/10) (5/10)

Sonya is a Melee Warrior Hero from the Diablo universe.

From the frozen Dreadlands of the north comes the mighty Barbarian warriors. After surviving the destruction of her home and death of her tribe, Sonya wanders Sanctuary in search of battle and a better life for her people.

Sonya is a direct fighter who uses Fury instead of Mana. Leeches life from enemies by attacking and using Abilities.

Background Edit

Barbarians eschew the use of magic and technology, as they believe the use of such devices will only weaken their resolve. Barbarians have frequently expressed disdain for magic, and those who wield it. Renowned for their combat prowess and arrogant demenour, Barbarians appear to be perpetually girt for battle. Through harsh conditioning, Barbarians excel in physical combat and can perform tremendous feats of strength. Their physical strength is further strengthened by the primal energies of the land, which they have learned to harness. Never shying from a brawl, mighty ground stomps, leaping attacks and crushing blows leave enemies dead in their tracks, and survivors cowering in fear.^[1]

Gameplay Summary Edit

Sonya is a Assassin-like Warrior capable of dealing high damage while maintaing a surprisingly high self-sustain. Because of this, she is essentially labeled as a "Bruiser" due her more offensive nature. She is unique as she fuels her abilities through Fury, which is generated through both dealing and taking damage. Because of this, she shines when paired with a dedicated healer.

Overall, Sonya is at her best when fighting teams with multiple melee Heroes and/or dive compositions, as it forces opponents to come to her. However, due how she is played, Sonya is not suited for solo-tanking, therefore bringing another Warrior dedicated for it is advised.

Strengths Edit

Does not use mana to fuel her Basic Abilities.
- Fury is generated by hitting anything with Basic Attacks (including structures), and by taking damage of any source.
  - Fury generation through Basic Attacks is not affected by damage, therefore Sonya will always generate the same amount of Fury, which is useful against enemies under damage reduction effects.
    - Unlike in Diablo III, Fury does not decay over time.
Relatively flexible talent tree that allows Sonya to adapt to different situations depending on the map and team compositions.
- Has access to two powerful survivability talents in the endgame: Nerves of Steel and Ignore Pain.
Formidable solo-laner.
Very effective at taking Mercenary Camps, and can even solo Boss Camps before level 10 depending on the build.
Outstanding duelist and lane bully.
Very high single target damage.
Ancient Spear is a powerful gapcloser and great initiator
- It can also be talented into an excellent escape tool through the talents Composite Spear and Mystical Spear.
Seismic Slam is potentially the strongest DPS ability in the game, due its extremely low cooldown. Under the right conditions, Sonya can deal an outstanding amount of burst with this ability.
Whirlwind is a versatile ability that provides decent damage and healing, making Sonya very hard to take down if she manages to hit a group of three or more Heroes.
Leap covers very high range and has a large radius, making it a very powerful initiation or follow-up, allowing Sonya to dive into the heat of the battle to unleash her cooldowns (specially when targeting frail backline Heroes).
Wrath of the Berserker gives Sonya a massive damage boost for a long period of time, which can be extended as long she generates Fury. Under the right conditions, Sonya can keep this uptime to the point the cooldown refreshes while she is still maintaining the ability.

Weaknesses Edit

High learning curve due the micromanagement of Fury and other defensive cooldowns.
Relatively low health for a Warrior.
Going to a teamfight with low Fury means Sonya must wait for an opening.
- In addition, Healing Fountains does not replenish Fury.
Lack of mobility outside unless some key talents are taken (Leap and/or Mystical Spear).
The majority of her Abilities have short range.
Very reliant on hitting opponents with Ancient Spear in order to close the gap.
Extremely susceptible to kiting.
Her offensive cooldowns tend to be her defensive cooldowns as well.
Require careful positioning.
Can struggle against other Bruisers/Warriors.

Abilities Edit

Traits Edit

Heroic Abilities Edit

Talents Edit

Tier 1, Hero Level 1 Edit

Tier 2, Hero Level 4 Edit

Tier 3, Hero Level 7 Edit

Tier 4, Hero Level 10 Edit

Tier 5, Hero Level 13 Edit

Tier 6, Hero Level 16 Edit

Tier 7, Hero Level 20 Edit

Talent Builds Edit

Whirlwind Build: focused on maximizing Sonya's effectiveness while using Whirlwind. Key talents include Hurricane and Life Funnel, which allows Sonya to break out of crowd control while further increasing her healing. Wrath of the Berserker greatly boosts her damage, and consequently, her healing through Whirlwind.
- At level 20, Striding Giant can be picked instead of Ignore Pain should the enemy team feature too many stuns.
- This build is mostly recommended when facing multiple melee Heroes, to maximize the healing from Whirlwind and uptime from Wrath of the Berserker.
Seismic Slam Build: focused on maximizing Sonya's burst damage through Seismic Slam, as well powerful sustained damage through Basic Attacks. War Paint gives her excellent sustain, which is further enhanced and affected by the multipliers from passive effect of Shot of Fury, as well Rampage, and even more under the effects of Wrath of the Berserker.
- At level 16, Giant Slammer can be picked instead of Rampage should the enemy team feature multiple Heroes with high health (such as Warriors).
- This build is recommended when paired with a team that has strong crowd-control to allow Sonya to unleash her damage without much retaliation. It also allows Sonya to clean Mercenary camps much easier.

Tips Edit

Try to build Fury before going to map objectives or when expecting a big teamfight to happen.
- Remember that Fury does not decay over time. However, avoid using Ancient Spear when at maximum Fury.
Use Ancient Spear sparringly; it is Sonya most important ability. Diving at the enemy lines with it on cooldown is certain death.
Seismic Slam is powerful for pretty much everything, but it is easy to get carried away and burn all the Fury with it; be careful to save enough Fury for Whirlwind.
Whirlwind can be canceled after casting, which is useful to trigger the movement speed bonus when chasing opponents.
While under the effects of Wrath of the Berserker, try to hit anything at sight with Basic Attacks (including walls) in order to maintain the ability for as long as possible.
Save Leap for the right moment, when the team can follow-up if Sonya initiates, or to combo with other Heroes' powerful cooldowns.

Matchups Edit

Pairings Edit

Sonya is unique as her damage taken converts into fuel for her abilities, therefore Heroes that can enable her through intensive healing and/or shielding allows to stay in the heat of the battle for as long as possible. In addition, she also works greatly with Heroes with great initiating tools and/or crowd control.

Diablo's aggressive style is similar to Sonya's, allowing both to dive deep into the backline and shred opponents with displacements and stuns. Apocalypse is also very powerful when combined with Leap.

Jaina's natural slowing effects and high burst damage are very powerful when combined with Sonya's aggressive gameplay. In addition, Ring of Frost is a great follow-up after a well landed Leap, and vice-versa..

Leoric, much like Sonya, has a remarkable self-sustain during teamfights, as well a surprisingly high damage output if the right conditions are met, which makes their pairing very strong and hard to take down. In addition Leoric's Entomb synergizes perfectly with Sonya's Leap, allowing for a massive crowd control chain.

Lt. Morales is one of the best pairs for Sonya, as a Healing Beam and Safeguard combined with Whirlwind can make Sonya really hard to take down. In addition, Stim Drone and Wrath of the Berserker makes Sonya an even more dangerous threat.

Medivh has the right kit to support Sonya in every aspect. Force of Will makes Sonya extremely durable, specially if the talent Reabsorption is taken Portal provides the very needed mobility that Sonya lacks, both for engage and disengage.

Tassadar's effective utility oriented kit and shielding can keep Sonya in battle for much longer, and his natural ability to slow down opponents with basic attacks gives Sonya more opportunities to stick on her foes.

In a similar fashion to Tassadar, Zarya's shielding is great at enabling Sonya during battle. In fact, she is one of the best pairs for Sonya, as both can deal surprisingly high damage under the right conditions, and neither use Mana, meaning their lane presence is stronger than other Heroes. Graviton Surge also has good synergy with Leap, making it a deadly combination that can wipe an entire team.

Effective against Edit

Effective foes Edit

In order to survive, Sonya relies mostly on Whirlwind, which is a channeled ability. Because of this, she is very vulnerable to Heroes with any form of crowd control that can prevent or interrupt it, such as stuns and silences. In addition, Sonya's limited mobility and melee oriented kit makes kiting extremely effective against her.

Brightwing's Polymorph can make Sonya's life a nightmare. In addition, Emerald Wind can greatly put Sonya out of position and render her engage inneffective.

ETC wide variety of stuns can easily disrupt Sonya's combos and Whirlwinding, capitalizing her poor movement.

Lunara is nimble and can harass Sonya from a safe distance, while her poison damage quickly cripples the barbarian.

Muradin is an effective brawler that not only can interrupt Sonya at key moments, but also slow her attack speed, which is essential for her survivability (if Warpaint is taken) and Fury generation.

Uther's natural ability to bestow armor to his opponents can make difficult for Sonya to dish damage properly. In addition, he has access to two powerful stuns that can incapacitate Sonya during Whirlwind: Hammer of Justice and Divine Storm.

Skins Edit

Sonya


Sonya	Unclean	Dreadlands


Nephalem 100	Angelic 150

Legion's Wrath 100: A barbarian's vigil never ends. Donning the armor and wielding the weapons she wrests from the clutches of her foes, Sonya stands as a bulwark against all demons... no matter where they come from.; _{This skin is related to the Warcraft themed-skins.}


Legion's Wrath	Crimson

Wrath 100: The portal-loving treasure goblins collect their spoils from many worlds. There's no telling which hero this Battlegear of Wrath once belonged to, but it's doubtful they are still alive to miss it.; _{This skin is related to the Warcraft themed-skins.}


Wrath	Fuschia [sic]	Crimson	Scarlet

Valorous 100: The Valor of Harrogath is not opulent armor... It is simple, direct... and a perfect fit for a warrior like Sonya.


Valorous	Iron	Frozen

Super Sonya 400: While traveling through time, the gladiatrix Sonya was exposed to a radioactive robo-virus. Without a way home, she fights tirelessly to keep the streets of New York safe.; _{This skin is related to the "Super-Hero" Earth themed-skins. Features themed abilities.}


Super	Techno	Veridian	Magenta

Death Knight 600: Sonya wandered the outskirts of the Nexus, desperately seeking a way to avenge her fallen people. The power Kel'Thuzad offered was worth any price, even binding her soul to the Scourge for eternity.; _{This skin is related to the Warcraft themed-skins. Features altered voice-over and themed abilities.}


Death Knight	Black Knight	Blighted	Naxxramas

Unholy

Deathbringer 600: As Kel'Thuzad's army marched across the realms, hero after hero fell before his favored death knight's fury. The survivors will only whisper her name in fear: Deathbringer Sonya, the first horseman of Kel'Thuzad.; _{This skin is related to the Warcraft themed-skins. Features altered voice-over and themed abilities.}


Deathbringer	Abyssal	Plagued	Sanguine

Ymirjar

La Pantera 2,400: After losing the heavyweight belt last year, La Pantera has come back to Nexomania seeking revenge. Now only the undefeated La Parca stands in her way. Will she return to glory? Or does her rise end here?


La Pantera	Dorada	Underworld

Development Edit

Trivia Edit

The name "Sonya" is possibly a reference to Red Sonja, a beautiful, redheaded barbarian first introduced in Conan the Barbarian comics.

Her regular armor is based of the Tier 8 (Jazeraint) armor for Barbarians in Diablo III, while her "Wrath" armor is based of the Tier 2 Raid Set (Battlegear of Wrath) for warriors in World of Warcraft.

A male Barbarian, corresponding to the Diablo II portrayal, has been listed as a possible inclusion in the game.^[2]

The "Super Sonya" skin's color scheme is based on X-MEN's X-Force mutants color scheme.
- The default (red) is based on Shatterstar.
- Techno (blue) is based on Cable.
- Magenta is based on Domino.
The "Death Knight" skin has Sonya wielding the Conqueror's Dark Runed Plate , as well the Shadowmourne and the Greataxe of the Ebon Blade, from World of Warcraft.
- Additionally, the "Black Knight" variant is based on the character of the same name that can be found in World of Warcraft.
The "Deathbringer" skin has Sonya wielding the Icy Ebon Warblade and Slayer of the Lifeless.

Patch changesEdit

(Patch April 24, 2018) Note: Nephalem Sonya added.
(Patch March 6, 2018) Note: Angelic Sonya skin added.
(Patch February 21, 2018) Note: Previous patch changes re-implemented.
(Patch January 24, 2018) Note: Basic Attack damage reduced from 88 to 84.
(Patch September 5, 2017) Note: Death Knight and Deathbringer skins added.
(Patch May 17, 2016) Note: Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause Sonya to stutter and fail to issue a Basic Attack.
(Patch August 18, 2015) Note: Ancients rejoice! Sonya has received a dance animation.; Health increased from 930 (+210 per level) to 950 (+220 per level).

References Edit

↑ From the Diablo wiki
↑ 2015-12-28, BlizzCon 2015 Heroes of the Storm Deep Dive Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2016-01-01

External linksEdit

Heroes

Assassins

Alarak • Cassia • Chromie • Falstad • Fenix • Gall • Genji • Greymane • Gul'dan • Hanzo • Illidan • Jaina • Junkrat • Kael'thas • Kel'Thuzad • Kerrigan • Li-Ming • Lunara • Maiev • Malthael • Mephisto • Nova • Orphea • Ragnaros • Raynor • Samuro • The Butcher • Thrall • Tracer • Tychus • Valeera • Valla • Varian • Zeratul • Zul'jin

Specialists

Abathur • Azmodan • Gazlowe • Lost Vikings • Medivh • Murky • Nazeebo • Probius • Sgt. Hammer • Sylvanas • Xul • Zagara

Supports

Alexstrasza • Ana • Auriel • Brightwing • Deckard • Kharazim • Li Li • Lt. Morales • Lúcio • Malfurion • Rehgar • Stukov • Tassadar • Tyrande • Uther • Whitemane

Warriors

Anub'arak • Artanis • Arthas • Blaze • Chen • Cho • Dehaka • Diablo • D.Va • E.T.C. • Garrosh • Imperius • Johanna • Leoric • Mal'Ganis • Muradin • Rexxar • Sonya • Stitches • Tyrael • Varian • Yrel • Zarya

[0] From the Diablo wiki

[1] 2015-12-28, BlizzCon 2015 Heroes of the Storm Deep Dive Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2016-01-01

[1]

[2]

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