Anub'arak Build Guide “Time is fleeting.”

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."

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

Scarab Host Build

Recommended

Level 1

Level 4 ? ?

Level 7

Level 10 ?

Level 13

Level 16 ?

Level 20 ?

Copy build to clipboard Build copied! Talent calculator »

Anub'arak's Scarab Host Build increases his sustain damage, survivability during prolonged team fights, and gives a lot of waveclear from the mid game onwards. Beetles can be used to tank the shots of enemy Structures while pushing with your team.

The increased damage comes from Burning Beetles at Level 13 while the survivability comes from Leeching Scarabs at Level 7. Legion of Beetles at Level 1 and Beetle, Juiced at Level 16 spawn additional Beetles and make them harder to kill, allowing you to get more value from the rest of the Build.

Burrow Charge Build

Advanced

Level 1 ? ?

Level 4 ?

Level 7

Level 10 ?

Level 13

Level 16

Level 20 ?

Copy build to clipboard Build copied! Talent calculator »

Anub'arak's Burrow Charge Build increases his burst damage and survivability while using Burrow Charge aggressively (usually immediately after using Impale).

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

Level 1

Level 4

Level 7

Level 10 ?

Level 13

Level 16 ?

Level 20 ?

Copy build to clipboard Build copied! Talent calculator »

Anub'arak's Harden Carapace Build increases his mobility, survivability against Spell Damage, 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.

ARAM Build

ARAM

Level 1

Level 4 ? ?

Level 7

Level 10 ?

Level 13

Level 16 ?

Level 20 ? ?

Copy build to clipboard Build copied! Talent calculator »

Anub'arak's ARAM 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. Legion of Beetles at Level 1 and Beetle, Juiced at Level 16 spawn additional Beetles and make them harder to kill, allowing you to get more value from the rest of the Build.

See our Talents page for further information »

Create your own build and share it with friends!

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 stronger maps

Anub'arak's average maps

Anub'arak's weaker 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.

• Burrow Charge is your only way out, so you should choose wisely when to use it aggressively.
• Impale is your primary engage tool but it can also be used for peeling.
• Try to hold Harden Carapace for when you will be hit by enemy Abilities.
• Exploit Scarab Host Beetles to gain vision, intercept skillshots, or tank Structures and Mercenaries (especially Bosses).
• Use Locust Swarm before your Health becomes too low because the healing it provides is not instant.
• Be creative with Cocoon: use it to setup engages or to isolate powerful enemy Heroes.

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.