A Summon (also called Summoned Unit, Spawn or Pet) is a unit that is summoned into the game by a Hero.
Gameplay[]
Altough they are separate from their Hero, but their damage is still credited to their owner. Summons cannot usually collect Experience Globes, but can still directly collect Experience by dealing a killing blow to a Minion.
Some Summons, like Lunara's "Wisp" or Sgt. Hammer's "Spider Mines", can be only killed by a fixed number of damage instances, regardless of damage dealt.
Summons that are not Heroic targets are in the same target priority group as Minions and Mercenaries.
Structures deal 50% reduced damage and some Mercenaries, such as the Knights, deal 100% additional damage against non-Heroic Pet Summons. These damage bonuses/reductions stack additively with other damage modifiers.
Summon types[]
Summons are split into the following categories:
Active Summons[]
Active Summons are summoned units that are capable of directly attacking and damaging the enemy. Their Abilities and Basic Attacks deal Spell Damage, and the damage output of both their Attacks and Abilities is enhanced by their owner's Spell Power at the moment they impact. Active Summons Basic Attacks are capable of missing due to Blind and Evade, and can receive buffs and debuffs that are able to target them. When an active Summon damages enemy Heroes under their Forts and Keeps, it will trigger A Call For Help, but the Structure's target priority is redirected to the Summon's owner.
Passive Summons[]
Passive Summons are summons that do not attack the enemy directly, instead providing some area buffs to your team, like Healing Ward, or debuffs to the enemy, like Rehgar's "Earthbind Totem". Passive Summons are permanently Unstoppable and cannot be targeted by Minions and Mercenaries. Most Passive Summons are also immune to friendly Abilities and enemy Skillshots.
Heroic Pets[]
Heroic Pets are summons that are considered as Heroic targets for most purposes, such as Ability, Talent and quest interactions and being able to collect Experience Globes. Heroic Pets' Basic Attacks deal Physical Damage, like real Heroes, and are capable of missing. Their Abilities deal Spell Damage as normal, but unlike active Summons, they are unaffected by the Spell Power state of their owner and need to be affected by the buff or debuff themselves. Heroic Pets are treated as Heroes, instead of Summons, when they attack or are being attacked by other units. When a Heroic Pet damages enemy Heroes under their Forts and Keeps, it will trigger A Call For Help, drawing the Structure's target priority to themself.
Summon figments[]
Summon figments are permanently Invulnerable summons. As their attacks cannot miss due to Blind or Evasion and because they mostly cannot be interacted with at all by either enemy or allied effects, they could be very well be considered as Spells for the vast majority of purposes. Some of them, however, have a "body" of some sort and cannot travel through unpathable terrain or Structures.
List of Summons by type[]
Active Summons[]
- Abathur's Locust
- Abathur's Monstrosity
- Abathur's MULE
- Anub'arak's Carrion Beetle
- Arthas' Ghoul
- Azmodan's Demon Lieutenant
- Azmodan's Demon Warrior
- Azmodan's Demonic Grunts
- Gazlowe's Rock-It! Turrets
- Jaina's Water Elemental
- Junkrat's RIP-Tire
- Kerrigan's Ultralisk
- Malfurion's Treant
- Nazeebo's Gargantuan
- Nazeebo's Zombies
- Probius' Photon Cannon
- Raynor's Banshee
- Sergeant Hammer's Spider Mines
- Tychus' Drakken Laser Drill
- Xul's Skeletal Mages
- Xul's Skeletal Warrior
- Zagara's Hunter Killer and Mutalisk
- Zagara's Roachlings
Passive Summons[]
- Abathur's Locust Nest
- Abathur's Toxic Nest
- Anub'arak's Cocoon
- Blaze's Bunker
- Chromie's Time Trap
- Gall's Eye of Kilrogg
- Garden Terror's Overgrowth
- Kerrigan's Torrasque Egg
- Kharazim's Spirit Ally, Earth Ally and Air Ally
- Lt. Morales' Medivac Dropship
- Lúcio's Boombox
- Lunara's Wisp
- Murky's Respawn Egg and fake Eggs
- Murky's Pufferfish
- Probius' Pylon
- Rehgar's Earthbind Totem
- Rehgar's Healing Totem
- Varian's Banner of Stormwind, Banner of Ironforge, Banner of Dalaran
- Zagara's Creep Tumor
- Zagara's Nydus Worm
Heroic Pets[]
- Abathur's Ultimate Evolution Clones
- Chen's Storm, Earth, Fire Spirits
- D.Va's Mech (when activating Self-Destruct)
- Rexxar's bear Misha
- Nova's Holo Decoy
- Samuro's Mirror Images
Summon figments (with a "body")[]
Non-Heroic Summons[]
While technically summoned units, they are for targeting purposes considered the same type as their owner.
- Fallen Shaman's Fallen Hounds (Mercenaries)
- Webweaver's Cryptcrawlers (Monsters)
Removed[]
These summons have been removed from the game.
Mobile[]
Stationary[]
- Azmodan's Gluttonous Ward
- Li Li's Healing Ward
- Generic Talent Scouting Drone
Non-Heroic[]
- Junk Swarm Host's Podlings
Trivia[]
- Earlier many non-Heroic Pet summons were capable of dealing Physical damage. Most of these were summons that were capable of moving, due to which Summons were mainly categorized based on this property to "mobile" and "stationary" by the community.