Tyrael Build Guide “I am Justice itself!”

Last updated Yesterday at 11:51 by Elitesparkle 86 comments
General Information

Welcome to our guide for Tyrael, 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.

1.

Tyrael's Overview

Tyrael is a melee Tank, whose great mobility allows him to get in and out of combat very quickly. With his unique kit, he can support allied Heroes in various ways: Shielding them, giving them Movement Speed, and more. On the other hand, compared to his counterparts, Tyrael lacks crowd control and thus cannot easily punish enemy Heroes who are out of position.

2.

Tyrael's Strengths and Weaknesses

V Strengths
X Weaknesses
3.

Tyrael's Talent Build Cheatsheet

Bound by Law Build

Recommended
Level 1 Ardent Restoration Icon Justice for All Icon ?
Level 4 Reciprocate Icon Stalwart Angel Icon ?
Level 7 Burning Halo Icon Swift Retribution Icon ?
Level 10 Judgment Icon Sanctification Icon ?
Level 13 Sword of Justice Icon
Level 16 Bound by Law Icon

Tyrael's Bound by Law Build provides self-sustain, medium damage, waveclear, and mobility. With it, you will be able to poke enemy Heroes and greatly Slow them.

The self-sustain mainly comes from Ardent Restoration Icon Ardent Restoration at Level 1 and is increased by Burning Halo Icon Burning Halo at Level 7 which makes its healing ramp up faster at the beginning of a team fight. Reciprocate Icon Reciprocate at Level 4 also heals you a bit.

The waveclear comes from Burning Halo Icon Burning Halo at Level 7. To kill enemy Minions, use El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might in the middle of a wave and reactivate it. Do not do this when enemy Heroes may be nearby because El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might is your best escape tool.

The mobility comes from Sword of Justice Icon Sword of Justice at Level 13. Once you get it, your playstyle will be drastically different: use El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might, reactivate it to reach enemy Heroes, deal damage to them, and then reactivate it again to teleport back.

Holy Ground Build

Advanced
Level 1 Justice for All Icon
Level 4 Stalwart Angel Icon Reciprocate Icon ?
Level 7 Burning Halo Icon Swift Retribution Icon ?
Level 10 Sanctification Icon Judgment Icon ?
Level 13 Holy Ground Icon
Level 16 Horadric Reforging Icon

Tyrael's Holy Ground Build provides peeling, waveclear, utility, and some peculiar crowd control. With it, you'll be able to protect allied Heroes and block the path of enemy Heroes.

The peeling comes from Justice for All Icon Justice for All at Level 1. Whenever you use Righteousness Icon Righteousness to protect an allied Hero who is danger, they will get a bigger Shield.

The waveclear comes from Burning Halo Icon Burning Halo at Level 7. To kill enemy Minions, use El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might in the middle of a wave and reactivate it. Do not do this when enemy Heroes may be nearby because El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might is your best escape tool.

Once you get Holy Ground Icon Holy Ground at Level 13, you can start blocking the path of enemy Heroes with it. This is particularly effective in narrow corridors or to secure the Capture Point of Boss Camps on some Maps.

Law and Order Build

Situational
Level 1 Justice for All Icon
Level 4 Reciprocate Icon
Level 7 Burning Halo Icon
Level 10 Sanctification Icon Judgment Icon ?
Level 13 Law and Order Icon
Level 16 Smite the Wicked Icon

Tyrael's Law and Order Build provides peeling, waveclear, and high damage. With it, you can out-trade the enemy team by mitigating their damage done to your team and by boosting your damage output at the same time.

The peeling comes from Justice for All Icon Justice for All at Level 1. Whenever you use Righteousness Icon Righteousness to protect an allied Hero who is danger, they will get a bigger Shield.

The waveclear comes from Burning Halo Icon Burning Halo at Level 7. To kill enemy Minions, use El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might in the middle of a wave and reactivate it. Do not do this when enemy Heroes may be nearby because El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might is your best escape tool.

Law and Order Icon Law and Order at Level 13 increases your next Smite Icon Smite's damage whenever you Shield other allied Heroes with Righteousness Icon Righteousness. Smite the Wicked Icon Smite the Wicked at Level 16 greatly increases your damage done to enemy Heroes as it allows you to cast Smite Icon Smite more often.

Smite Build

Situational
Level 1 Ardent Restoration Icon Salvation Icon ?
Level 4 Divine Vigor Icon
Level 7 Purge Evil Icon
Level 10 Judgment Icon Sanctification Icon ?
Level 13 Sword of Justice Icon
Level 16 Smite the Wicked Icon

Tyrael's Smite Build provides self-sustain, high damage, and mobility. With it, you can empower Smite Icon Smite and Basic Attacks to deal a huge amount of damage to enemy Heroes, especially if they tend to group.

The self-sustain mainly comes from Divine Vigor Icon Divine Vigor at Level 4 and is increased by Purge Evil Icon Purge Evil at Level 7 which, by increasing your damage done, makes its healing higher. Salvation Icon Salvation at Level 1 also heals you a bit.

Smite the Wicked Icon Smite the Wicked at Level 16 greatly increases your damage done to enemy Heroes as it allows you to cast Smite Icon Smite more often. Combined with Sword of Justice Icon Sword of Justice at Level 13, you will get even more cooldown reduction.

The mobility comes from Sword of Justice Icon Sword of Justice at Level 13. Once you get it, your playstyle will be drastically different: use El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might, reactivate it to reach enemy Heroes, deal damage to them, and then reactivate it again to teleport back.

ARAM Build

ARAM
Level 1 Ardent Restoration Icon Justice for All Icon ?
Level 4 Reciprocate Icon Stalwart Angel Icon ?
Level 7 Burning Halo Icon Swift Retribution Icon ?
Level 10 Judgment Icon Sanctification Icon ?
Level 13 Sword of Justice Icon
Level 16 Bound by Law Icon

Tyrael's ARAM Build provides self-sustain, medium damage, waveclear, and mobility. With it, you will be able to poke enemy Heroes and greatly Slow them.

The self-sustain mainly comes from Ardent Restoration Icon Ardent Restoration at Level 1 and is increased by Burning Halo Icon Burning Halo at Level 7 which makes its healing ramp up faster at the beginning of a team fight. Reciprocate Icon Reciprocate at Level 4 also heals you a bit.

The waveclear comes from Burning Halo Icon Burning Halo at Level 7. To kill enemy Minions, use El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might in the middle of a wave and reactivate it. Do not do this when enemy Heroes may be nearby because El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might is your best escape tool.

The mobility comes from Sword of Justice Icon Sword of Justice at Level 13. Once you get it, your playstyle will be drastically different: use El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might, reactivate it to reach enemy Heroes, deal damage to them, and then reactivate it again to teleport back.

4.

Tyrael's Synergies and Counters

V Tyrael synergizes with

Tyrael has synergy with allied Heroes who want to dive (such as Kerrigan), lack mobility (like Alarak), or want to constantly hit enemy Heroes with Basic Attacks (for example Valla).

Due to his lack of crowd control outside of Judgment Icon Judgment, we suggest pairing Tyrael with Heroes who have some crowd control for helping to engage and/or peel. You can play without too, however, it is easier with.

Together with Lt. Morales, Tyrael is a fundamental piece of the famous Juice Pirates team composition. This backdoor strategy relies on Medivac Dropships Icon Medivac Dropships to quickly reach enemy Structures as a team and Sanctification Icon Sanctification to push uncontested, unless they have a counter for it.

X Tyrael is countered by

Tyrael with Judgment Icon Judgment is countered by Heroes who can protect the targeted Hero with Shields and similar effects (notably Medivh with Force of Will Icon Force of Will), who can quickly deny the dive with disengage tools (for example Mighty Gust Icon Mighty Gust by Falstad), or who have access to cleanse effects (including Into the Fray Icon Into the Fray by Garrosh).

Tyrael with Sanctification Icon Sanctification is countered by Heroes who can interrupt it, protect Heroes during it (for example Bunker Drop Icon Bunker Drop by Blaze), or nullify it by using Time Stop on the Heroes protected by it (only Medivh, Mei, and Zeratul can do it, with Ley Line Seal Icon Ley Line Seal, Ice Wall Icon Ice Wall, and Void Prison Icon Void Prison respectively).

Tyrael with Holy Ground Icon Holy Ground is countered by displacement effects (notably Mighty Gust Icon Mighty Gust by Falstad) as it will mainly be used to secure Boss Camp by standing on the Capture Point uncontested. For obvious reasons, this part is only relevant on Maps where Boss Camps are a win condition.

5.

Tyrael's Maps

Tyrael's stronger maps
Alterac Pass Cursed Hollow Infernal Shrines Sky Temple Warhead Junction
Tyrael's average maps
Battlefield of Eternity Blackheart's Bay Braxis Holdout Dragon Shire Garden of Terror Tomb of the Spider Queen Towers of Doom
Tyrael's weaker maps
Hanamura Temple Volskaya Foundry

Thanks to Holy Ground Icon Holy Ground at Level 13 being usable to block the path of enemy Heroes, Tyrael excels on Maps where Boss Camps are a win condition and does well on Maps with narrow corridors around the Objective.

Tyrael's Heroic Abilities are extremely powerful in team fights. Considering that both Judgment Icon Judgment and Sanctification Icon Sanctification have a relatively long cooldown, Tyrael does better on Maps where team fights do not happen too often, so that he has time to get them back before fighting again.

6.

Tyrael's Tips and Tricks

  • Use your Abilities wisely while laning. If you are not careful, Tyrael will run out of Mana very quickly.
  • El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might can be used to juke opponents while Tyrael is on the retreat.
  • Righteousness Icon Righteousness should be used right before Tyrael, allied Heroes, Minions, or Mercenaries are being hit.
  • Smite Icon Smite can be used to deal damage and/or to increase the Movement Speed of allied Heroes when needed.
  • Judgment Icon Judgment is great for diving but can also be used to interrupt powerful Heroic Abilities.
  • If you play with Sanctification Icon Sanctification, use it when diving with your team or save it for the enemy team's most dangerous Abilities.
  • Upon dying, you will trigger Archangel's Wrath Icon Archangel's Wrath. Stick on top of enemy Heroes to reduce their damage done and for hitting them with the explosion.
  • After picking Swift Retribution Icon Swift Retribution at Level 7, you should mainly use Smite Icon Smite on allied Heroes to buff them.
  • Holy Ground Icon Holy Ground at Level 13 can help you secure Mercenary Camps (especially Boss Camps) if El'druin's Might Icon El'druin's Might is aimed at the very center of the Capture Point.
7.

Tyrael's Role in the Current Meta

Tyrael is a Tank that excels at enabling allied Heroes who want to dive, lack mobility, or want to constantly hit enemy Heroes with Basic Attacks.

He has access to powerful Heroic Abilities that do completely different things: Judgment Icon Judgment can be used either for diving or as an interrupt when your team is lacking them; Sanctification Icon Sanctification can be used for diving, peeling, pushing, or countering specific Abilities.

Thanks to Holy Ground Icon Holy Ground at Level 13, Tyrael is one of the best Heroes for securing Boss Camps, which is quite strong on Maps where they are a win condition. Sanctification Icon Sanctification also helps with that because it is great when fighting in a static position.

8.

Changelog

  • 31 Aug. 2025 (this page): Maps updated.
  • 08 Aug. 2025 (talents page): Guide updated for the latest Hero Rework.
  • 08 Aug. 2025 (abilities page): Guide updated for the latest Hero Rework.
  • 08 Aug. 2025 (this page): Guide updated for the latest Hero Rework.
  • 12 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talents and builds to ensure meta relevance.
  • 12 Dec. 2022 (this page): Updated Tyrael's Builds and added Basic Attacks Build.
  • 08 Mar. 2021 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talents and builds in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
  • 08 Mar. 2021 (abilities page): Updated Archangel's Wrath's description in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
  • 03 Mar. 2021 (this page): Updated Tyrael's Builds in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
  • 30 Jul. 2020 (this page): Updated Level 4 Talent choice for both builds.
  • 17 Jun. 2020 (this page): Guide reviewed after recent balance patch and no changes are necessary.
  • 22 Apr. 2020 (abilities page): Abilities section updated.
  • 22 Apr. 2020 (this page): Updated Tips, Builds, and Counters sections.
  • 13 Apr. 2020 (talents page): Updated Builds and Talents to reflect current meta.
  • 14 Feb. 2020 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talents and builds in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
  • 14 Feb. 2020 (abilities page): Updated Archangel's Wrath's description in accordance with the latest Balance Update.
  • 16 Dec. 2019 (this page): Added the current Anomaly (Experience Globes) to the guide.
  • 23 Sep. 2019 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talent builds and talent section.
  • 23 Sep. 2019 (abilities page): Updated Tyrael's abilities section.
  • 23 Sep. 2019 (this page): Updated Tyrael's introduction section.
  • 26 Nov. 2018 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talents and builds.
  • 19 Feb. 2018 (talents page): Changed Law and Order from Not Recommended to Recommended, Sword of Justice from Recommended to Not Recommended, and Smite the Wicked from Not Recommended to Situational.
  • 07 Feb. 2018 (talents page): Updated Stalwart Angel's description in accordance with the Maiev update.
  • 17 Jan. 2018 (talents page): Updated Tyrael's talents in accordance with his latest rework.
  • 17 Jan. 2018 (abilities page): Adjusted Tyrael's abilities in accordance with his latest rework.
  • 17 Mar. 2017 (this page): Updated the guide for Probius' patch.
  • 17 Jan. 2017 (this page): Updated Tyrael's introduction in accordance with his latest rework.
  • 21 Dec. 2016 (this page): Moved Tyrael to the new guide format.
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