Ana Abilities and Strategy

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Quick Reference
  • 2. Introduction
  • 3. Strengths
  • 4. Weaknesses
  • 5. Role in the Current Meta
  • 6. Reading Further
  • 7. ChangeLog
• ×Abilities and Strategy
  • 1. Tips on Ability Usage
  • 2. Shrike (Trait)
  • 3. Healing Dart
  • 4. Biotic Grenade
  • 5. Sleep Dart
  • 6. Nano Boost
  • 7. Eye of Horus
• +Talent Build
  • 1. Talent Build
  • 2. Common Talent Paths
    • 2.1. All-round Build
    • 2.2. Grenade Build
  • 3. Level 1 Talents
    • 3.1. Discussion
  • 4. Level 4 Talents
    • 4.1. Discussion
  • 5. Level 7 Talents
    • 5.1. Discussion
  • 6. Level 10 Talents
    • 6.1. Discussion
  • 7. Level 13 Talents
    • 7.1. Discussion
  • 8. Level 16 Talents
    • 8.1. Discussion
  • 9. Level 20 Talents
    • 9.1. Discussion
  • 10. ChangeLog

General Information

Below, we give you an overview of the abilities that Ana has access to. We also explain how to best your these abilities.

The other pages of our Ana guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

About the Author

KendricSwissh is a Master League Warrior and Support player in Hero League. He has been playing Heroes of the Storm since the early stages of the Alpha version and has mastered a large number of Heroes. He is also creating Heroes of the Storm related content on YouTube, most notably his series called Epic Plays of the Week, which focuses on video clips submitted by his viewers. He is also a streamer on Twitch where he will gladly answer all of your questions about the game.

1. Tips on Ability Usage

• Ana's talent tree is very situational. For instance, if the enemy team composition features lots of Slowing effects, choose Purifying Darts, whereas Smelling Salts excels against Stun heavy Heroes.
• Due to her limited self-healing capabilities, Ana needs to pay special attention on where she positions herself during a team fight.
• Nano Boost's duration of 8 seconds is quite long, so do not be too hesitant to cast it at the beginning of a team fight.
• Use Ana's superior Basic Attack range to consistently harass opponents in lane.

2. Shrike (Trait)

Shrike looks unsignificant at first glance, however, the stacking damage over time allows Ana to harass opponents in lane due to her superior Basic Attack range. Since every stack of Shrike refreshes the poison's duration, there is no need to frantically attack at all cost. It is usually more recommended to maintain a healthy distance and strike when it is safe to do so.

3. Healing Dart

Healing Dart is Ana's primary healing ability which requires good aim in order to hit the intended target. Despite being a skillshot it should be used frequently, since it comes with a short 2-second cooldown.

It is crucial for Ana to fire Healing Dart from the right angle in order to hit the desired target. If Ana does not pay close attention to her own position, there may be other allied Heroes intercepting the Healing Dart by accident.

4. Biotic Grenade

Biotic Grenade is an incredibly potent ability during team fights. When using the grenade Ana needs to carefully assess the course of battle and decide whether it should be used to prevent enemy Heroes from healing or to boost her own allies' healing. As a rule of thumb, it is usually better to heal your allies than shutting down enemies. However, preventing 100% of all healing (that includes self-healing) done to enemy Heroes can be incredibly powerful, especially against self-sustaining Warriors like Dehaka or Leoric.

5. Sleep Dart

Sleep Dart is best used against enemy Warriors and melee Assassins, who will likely try to pressure Ana. The fact that it guarantees at least a 0.5 Stun, provides Ana with a bit of time to get some distance between herself and the pursuing target. However, Sleep Dart can also be used offensively when disabling an enemy target in order to allow your teammates to catch up and execute it with combined efforts.

6. Nano Boost

Nano Boost is the ultimate weapon when your team features one or several ability damage heavy Assassins like Alarak, Kael'thas, or Kel'Thuzad in your roster. Since the ability comes with a relatively long duration of 8 seconds, make sure to cast it at the beginning of a team fight rather than keeping it for too long.

7. Eye of Horus

Eye of Horus is an interesting Heroic Ability since it allows Ana to heal allies and damage opponents from anywhere on the map. However, the global range comes with a major drawback: it forces Ana to temporarily take on a stationary position, rendering her vulnerable to any form of crowd control and damage.

While Eye of Horus can be a risky choice, it usually worth investing into it, especially if the enemy team is low on hard engaging Warriors and Assassins or if your team does not have any ability damage dependent Assassins that would benefit from Nano Boost.