Free Hero Rotation
Anub'arak Build Guide “Time is fleeting.”
Welcome to our guide for Anub'arak, a Tank in Heroes of the Storm. Within these pages, you will find everything required to understand how best to play this hero, in both different map styles and team compositions.
Anub'arak's Overview
Anub'arak is an aggressive anti-caster Tank. His strongest points are his long-range disruption and powerful on-demand resistance to Ability-based damage. Although considered an archetypal Tank, Anub'arak's Health pool is considerably lower than that of other Tanks. He relies on opportunism and teamwork to survive, exemplifying the adage "the best defence is a good offence."
Anub'arak's Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
Excellent initiator- Access to
Cocoon, a valuable Heroic Ability - Several long-range interruption Abilities
Weaknesses
Fragile for a Tank- Limited damage output and waveclear
- Main Abilities are skillshots that can be avoided
Anub'arak's Talent Build Cheatsheet
Scarab Host Build
Recommended
Anub'arak's Scarab Host Build increases his sustain damage and survivability during prolonged team fights or when sieging.
The increased damage comes from 
Burning Beetles at Level 13
while the survivability comes from 
Leeching Scarabs at Level 7,
both empowered by Legion of Beetles at Level 1
and optionally Beetle, Juiced at Level 16.
Burrow Charge Build
Advanced
Anub'arak's Burrow Charge Build increases his burst damage and survivability
while engaging aggressively with 
Burrow Charge.
The survivability mostly comes from Subterranean Shield at Level 7
and the damage comes from 
Urticating Spines at Level 13,
which is the best option when it comes to burst damage.
Harden Carapace Build
Situational
Anub'arak's Harden Carapace Build increases his mobility, survivability, and burst damage.
Consider going for this Build when playing against Heroes
who can deal damage over time
because it will trigger 
Chitinous Plating at Level 7
and thus allow you to get more value from Urticating Spines at Level 13
as well as any other Harden Carapace-related Talent.
Anub'arak's Synergies and Counters
Anub'arak synergizes with
Anub'arak's aggressive crowd control-oriented Ability set makes him particularly useful to any Hero who is able to follow up on said crowd control with their own Ability combo.
Anub'arak is countered by
Anub'arak's aggressive game plan is difficult to execute against Heroes that have ways of avoiding his skillshot or becoming immune to crowd control on-demand.
Anub'arak's Maps
Anub'arak can be played without major issues on most Maps because he has access to powerful engage and peeling tools.
His best Map is Alterac Pass because, by using his Trait to keep Guards busy, he can capture the enemy Objective all by himself as long as the enemy Heroes are busy somewhere else.
Maps where aggressive plays are rewarded (notably Dragon Shire) are great for Anub'arak because, when the enemy team is split into small groups, he can make high-risk high-reward plays to gain an advantage.
He does not excel on Maps where the Tank has to posture in vision for long (for example Braxis Holdout) because Anub'arak is not that durable against Basic Attacks or where those Heroes are popular.
Anub'arak's Tips and Tricks
- Exploit
Scarab Host Beetles to soak damage from Structures and Mercenaries, and to intercept skillshots. - Use
Burrow Charge to close up on a target, then follow up with 
Impale for much crowd control. 
Harden Carapace should be used on-Cooldown during fights due to its low Mana cost and ability to summon Beetles.- Use
Locust Swarm with caution; it heals for a large amount, but does not make you invincible, especially versus burst damage. - Hold onto your Cocoon's Cooldown to interrupt and deny strong enemy Heroic Abilities.
Anub'arak's Role in the Current Meta
Anub'arak is a unique Tank that sacrifices raw durability
for powerful on-demand initiations. In general, Anub'arak players are
expected to look for opportunities to lock down isolated targets (through
Impale and Burrow Charge)
to allow their teammates to follow up.
In the early stages of the game, Anub'arak is well-suited for roaming
and protecting teammates in lanes. Burrow Charge lets him effectively scout
with very little danger. This task is just as important as initiating throughout
the entire game. As Heroic Abilities become available, 
Cocoon is the
expected choice to catch and aggressively collapse on rotating opponents
on top of being generally useful.
Changelog
- 30 Mar. 2022 (abilities page): Guide reviewed for the latest Balance Update.
- 30 Mar. 2022 (talents page): Guide reviewed for the latest Balance Update.
- 30 Mar. 2022 (this page): Guide reviewed for the latest Balance Update.
- 28 Jan. 2022 (this page): Builds and Maps updated.
- 28 Jan. 2022 (talents page): Builds updated.
- 18 Nov. 2021 (this page): Builds updated.
- 18 Nov. 2021 (talents page): Builds updated.
- 20 May 2021 (this page): Builds updated.
- 20 May 2021 (talents page): Builds updated.
- 22 Mar. 2021 (this page): Builds updated.
- 22 Mar. 2021 (abilities page): Cocoon's Description updated.
- 22 Mar. 2021 (talents page): Builds updated.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (this page): Builds updated.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (talents page): Builds and Talents updated.
- 25 Feb. 2021 (talents page): New layout.
- 15 Dec. 2020 (talents page): Builds fixed.
- 15 Dec. 2020 (this page): Builds fixed.
- 04 Nov. 2020 (talents page): Guide reviewed for the latest Balance Update.
- 04 Nov. 2020 (this page): Guide reviewed for the latest Balance Update.
- 04 Nov. 2020 (abilities page): Guide reviewed for the latest Balance Update.
- 28 Oct. 2020 (talents page): Builds fixed.
- 28 Oct. 2020 (this page): Builds fixed.
- 10 Oct. 2020 (this page): Guide reviewed for the latest Balance Update.
- 10 Oct. 2020 (talents page): Guide reviewed for the latest Balance Update.
- 10 Oct. 2020 (abilities page): Guide reviewed for the latest Balance Update.
- 30 Aug. 2020 (this page): Role in Current Meta section updated.
- 19 Aug. 2020 (talents page): Burning Beetles added.
- 19 Jul. 2020 (talents page): Talents reviewed and updated.
- 20 Jun. 2020 (talents page): Talents reviewed following June 3 balance patch. No changes to Talent recommendations.
- 05 Apr. 2020 (talents page): Description reviewed for Bed of Barbs.
- 27 Jan. 2020 (talents page): Guide reviewed following January 22 balance patch. No changes to Talent recommendations.
- 15 Dec. 2019 (this page): Added a note about current Anomaly.
- 26 Jun. 2019 (talents page): Guide reviewed and updated.
- 26 Jun. 2019 (this page): Guide reviewed and updated.
- 05 Feb. 2019 (talents page): Talents and recommendations updated following Legion of Beetles rework.
- 20 Jan. 2019 (talents page): Build recommendations updated.
- 30 Jun. 2018 (talents page): Updated for the latest Balance update.
- 14 Jan. 2018 (talents page): Updated Balance build.
- 15 Mar. 2017 (this page): Guide updated.
More Tank Guides
Elitesparkle is a multiple times Master player in Europe who plays Heroes of the Storm since its release. He is an active member of the community who likes to teach new and veteran players all he knows about his favorite game. He also produces more teaching content on his Tips of the Storm page on Ko-fi.
- Free-to-Play Hero Rotation: Week of June 21st
- Free-to-Play Hero Rotation: Week of June 14th
- Free-to-Play Hero Rotation: Week of June 7th
- Free-to-Play Hero Rotation: Week of May 31st
- Free-to-Play Hero Rotation: Week of May 24th
- Free-to-Play Hero Rotation: Week of May 17th
- Heroes of the Storm Hotfix Patch Notes: May 11th
- Free-to-Play Hero Rotation: Week of May 10th