Anub'arak

Title
 Role
 Franchise

**Anub'arak**, the Traitor King, is a melee Tank Hero from the *Warcraft* universe. The proud Nerubian king dared to stand against the Lich King's invasion, but despite his bravery, he fell to the unrelenting Scourge. Resurrected into undeath, Anub'arak now serves as a towering weapon of destruction.

Anub'arak is a Tank who specializes against Mages.

## Background

 This section concerns content exclusive to the *Warcraft* universe.

The former king of Azjol-Nerub, Anub'arak was among the Nerubians slaughtered in the War of the Spider. One of his most loyal commanders was Anub'Rekhan. Ner'zhul the Lich King raised the high lords of the Spider Kingdom, Anub'arak among them, as undead to do his bidding. As a malicious crypt lord, he was forced to use his powers to purge the snow-swept landscape of any remaining resistance to the reign of the Lich King.

Anub'arak was sent south to meet Arthas Menethil when he arrived in Northrend. Anub'arak saved the death knight from an attack by blood elves before he introduced himself and told Arthas of Ner'zhul's plans. Anub'arak helped Arthas establish a base, then masterminded the attack on the blue dragon Sapphiron. Anub'arak told Arthas that it would take too long to fight their way through the forces led by Kael'thas and Vashj. He formulated a plan to go through the underground ruins of Azjol-Nerub to reach Icecrown, but warned that it would be a perilous journey.

Anub'arak led Arthas into the ruined kingdom, negating many perilous traps along the way. All the while he fought against his former subjects, the living nerubians, who called him the "traitor king". They encountered survivors of Muradin's expedition, led by Baelgun, who reported that an ancient evil had been released beneath the kingdom. Anub'arak and Arthas defeated the dwarves and broke into the Inner Kingdom. Soon, they came upon the evil the dwarves had spoken of - the Faceless Ones, strange creatures who had been imprisoned beneath the earth long ago. They even fought against a mighty Forgotten One. Upon entering the Upper Kingdom, an earthquake separated Anub'arak from Arthas. After digging through the rubble and finding the death knight unharmed, Anub'arak realized why Ner'zhul had chosen Arthas as his champion.

Anub'arak ushered Arthas out of Azjol-Nerub and to the surface, where they engaged with Illidan Stormrage and his servants in a battle for the Frozen Throne. Anub'arak defended Arthas as he magically activated the four obelisks surrounding Icecrown's pinnacle, then stood by as Arthas climbed the stairs to his destiny.

## Gameplay

Anub'arak is an aggressive Tank who specializes against Mages. His strongest points are his long-range Crowd controls and high resistance to Ability-based damage. Although considered an archetypal tank, his Health pool is significantly lower than that of other tanks; Anub'arak must therefore rely on his summons and Abilities to survive in battle. Finding the right time to initiate, peel, and pressure isolated Heroes while avoiding dangerous situations are the skills that one should develop in order to become a strong Anub'arak player.

### Strengths

* Excellent initiator and diver
* High mitigation against ability based heroes
* Beetles can block skillshots and structure damage
* Several long-range crowd control and interruption Abilities

### Weaknesses

* Relatively fragile to Physical Damage Dealer
* Main Abilities are skillshots that can be avoided
* Limited damage dealing potential

## Abilities

*See **Data page** for a table of scaled values at key levels.*

Scarab Host

Using an Ability spawns a Beetle which lasts for 8 seconds, attacking nearby enemies for 20 damage.

**Type:** Summon**Targeting:** No target**Beetle****Type:** Active**Scaling:** 4.00% (damage & Health)**Targeting:** Automatic**Health:** 285**Basic Attack damage:** 20**Attack speed:** 1.00**Attack range:** 0.75**Movement Speed:** 4.0**Sight radius:** 7.0

* Beetles spawn randomly in one of eight possible locations around Anub'arak.
* If Anub'arak is attacking an enemy when a Beetle is spawned, the Beetle will also attempt to attack that target.
* If Anub'arak is not attacking anything when a Beetle is spawned, the Beetle will attempt to find a nearby target to attack. If an enemy Hero is close enough it will be prioritized.
* Beetles will then attack and pursue a target found this way until that enemy dies, or the Beetles lose track of the target (through teleporting away, for example). Only then will the Beetles return to a lane.

Q
Impale
65 Mana Cooldown: 12 seconds
Deals 90 damage. Stuns for 1 second.

**Type:** Spell Damage**Scaling:** 4.00%**Affects:** Enemies**Targeting:** Point target**Properties:** Clamping, Piercing Skillshot, Stun**Cast time:** 0 + 0.25 seconds**Range:** 12.5**Hitbox:** 1.5 x 2.0**Missile speed:** 10**Initial delay:** 0.25 seconds**Search delay:** 0.125 seconds

W
Harden Carapace
25 Mana Cooldown: 7 seconds
Gain a Shield that grants 40 Spell Armor and absorbs 340 damage over 3 seconds.

**Type:** Shield, Defensive damage modifier**Scaling:** 4.00%**Affects:** Self**Targeting:** No target**Properties:** Spell Armor**Cast time:** Instant

* Damage is dealt to shield after modifications.
* Spell Armor ends immediately if the shield breaks.
* Does not stack with other positive Spell Armor effects. Other defensive damage modifiers may stack.

E
Burrow Charge
65 Mana Cooldown: 14 / 0.5 seconds
Burrow to the target location, dealing 91 damage and briefly Stunning enemies in a small area upon surfacing, Slowing them by 25% for 2.5 seconds.

Burrow Charge can be reactivated to surface early.

**Type:** Spell Damage, Crowd control / Movement: Launch, Status effect**Scaling:** 4.00%**Affects:** Enemies / Self**Targeting:** Point target**Properties:** Area of Effect, Clamping, Slow, Stun, Unstoppable**Cast time:** 0.0625 + 0.15 seconds**Range:** 12.5**Area of Effect:** Circle**Radius:** 1.75**Missile speed:** 12**Stun duration:** 0.5 seconds

* *Burrow Charge* grants Anub'arak Unstoppable for its duration. However, like other Movement Abilities *Burrow Charge* cannot be cast while Rooted.
* *Scarab Host* spawns the Beetle after Anub'arak resurfaces.

R
Locust Swarm
75 Mana Cooldown: 100 seconds
Deal 68 damage per second to nearby enemies. Each enemy damaged restores 24 Health. Lasts 6 seconds.

**Type:** Spell Damage / Healing**Scaling:** 4.00% (both)**Affects:** Enemies / Self**Targeting:** No target**Properties:** Area of Effect**Cast time:** Instant**Area of Effect:** Circle**Radius:** 5.125**Tickrate:** 1.0 per second (x6)

R
Cocoon
70 Mana Cooldown: 70 seconds
Wraps target enemy Hero in a cocoon, rendering them unable to act or be targeted for 7 seconds. Allies of the Hero can attack the cocoon to break it and free them early.

**Type:** Summon, Status effect**Affects:** Enemy Heroes**Targeting:** Unit target**Properties:** Stasis**Cast time:** 0.2 + 0 seconds**Range:** 6.0**Missile speed:** 20

* The cast is interrupted if the target moves farther than 4.5 units beyond the Ability's cast range during the windup.
* *Cocoon* missile can only be disjointed if the target dies, is removed from the plane (certain Stasis effects) or instantly teleports farther than 30 units from its previous location. When disjointed, the missile expires upon reaching the target's location before the event. Otherwise, the missile will keep redirecting to the target unit.
* Enemies inside the Cocoon are put in debuff Stasis, preventing interaction with them until they are freed.
**Cocoon****Type:** Passive**Scaling:** - (health)**Health:** 28 (1**Health regeneration:** -4 per second (1**Basic Attack damage:** -**Movement Speed:** -**Sight radius:** 8.0

* 1) Coccoon degenerates its Health over time, effectively giving it a 7 second duration.
* Cocoon only takes 2 damage for every instance of damage dealt, effectively reducing its remaining duration by 0.5 seconds.
* Minions, Structures and friendly Mercenaries do not attack the cocoon.

## Talents

1

Nerubian Armor
Increase Hardened Carapace's Spell Armor by 25.

Legion of Beetles
Beetles have 30 Spell Armor. Automatically spawn a Beetle every 12 seconds. Can be toggled on and off.

**Type:** Defensive damage modifier**Affects:** Beetles**Properties:** Spell Armor

Beetles do not spawn when Anub'arak is Mounted.

Regeneration Master
❢ Quest: Gathering a Regeneration Globe increases your Health Regeneration by 1 per second, up to 30.

❢ Reward: After gathering 30 Regeneration Globes, you also gain 500 Health.

**Type:** Bonus regeneration / Bonus Health**Scaling:** -**Affects:** Self**Properties:** Regeneration Master

* Bonus Health gained from completing *Regeneration Master* does not benefit effects granting Health based on percentage of maximum Health.

4

Bed of Barbs
Create a bed of spikes along Impale's path that Slows enemies by 25% and deals 21 damage per second. Spikes persist for 3.5 seconds.

**Type:** Spell Damage, Crowd control**Scaling:** 4.00%**Affects:** Enemies**Properties:** Area of Effect, Slow**Tickrate:** 1.0 per second (x4)

Shed Exoskeleton
Hardened Carapace grants 30% increased Movement Speed for 3 seconds.

**Type:** Status effect**Affects:** Self**Properties:** Movement speed

Underking
Increases Burrow Charge range by 20% and damage by 100%.

**Type:** Offensive damage modifier**Affects:** Ability**Bonus range:** 2.0

* Range increase is actually 16%, not 20%.
* Stacks additively with other offensive damage modifiers that can affect *Burrow Charge*'s damage.

7

Chitinous Plating
While Harden Carapace is active, taking damage from enemy Abilities reduces its cooldown by 1 seconds, up to 3 seconds.

Subterranean Shield
Burrow Charge also grants a 400 point Shield for 5 seconds.

**Type:** Shield**Scaling:** 4.00%**Affects:** Self

Leeching Scarabs
Beetles gain 30% bonus attack damage and they heal Anub'arak for 50% of their damage with each attack if he is nearby.

**Type:** Offensive damage modifier / Healing**Scaling:** -**Affects:** Self (Beetles) / Self**Properties:** Attack Modifier, Lifesteal**Radius:** 12

* Actually heals for a fixed amount, 50% of the *Beetle*s' Basic Attack damage, regardless of how much damage is actually done.
* Damage bonus stacks additively with other offensive damage modifiers that can affect Beetles' attack damage.

10

Locust Swarm
Cooldown: 100 seconds
Deal 68 damage per second to nearby enemies. Each enemy damaged restores 24 Health. Lasts 6 seconds.

Cocoon
Cooldown: 70 seconds
Wraps target enemy Hero in a cocoon, rendering them unable to act or be targeted for 7 seconds. Allies of the Hero can attack the cocoon to break it and free them early.

13

Urticating Spines
Casting Harden Carapace will also deal 90 damage to nearby enemies. Deals double damage against Heroes.

**Type:** Spell Damage**Scaling:** 4.00%**Affects:** Enemies**Properties:** Area of Effect**Radius:** 3.5

Burning Beetles
Deal 21 damage per second to nearby enemies. Beetles deal 6 damage per second to nearby enemies.

**Type:** Spell Damage**Scaling:** 4.00%**Affects:** Enemies**Properties:** Area of Effect, Burning Rage**Radius:** 2.5**Tickrate:** 1.0 per second

* *Burning Beetles* is inactive while Mounted.
* *Burning Beetles* does not affect unaggroed neutral Mercenaries.
* Damaging enemy Heroes with *Burning Beetles* does not trigger tower aggro.
* Damage from *Burning Beetles* is affected by offensive damage modifiers, unlike other Heroes' *Burning Rage* effects.
* Damage from multiple auras stacks.

Acid Drenched Mandibles
Attacking a Hero who is Slowed, Rooted, or Stunned increases Anub'arak's Basic Attack damage by 80% for 4 seconds.

**Type:** Offensive damage modifier**Affects:** Self**Properties:** Attack Modifier

* Damage bonus stacks additively with other offensive damage modifiers that can affect Anub'arak's Basic Attack damage.

16

Epicenter
Increases Burrow Charge impact area by 60% and lowers the cooldown by 1 second for each Hero hit.

**Bonus radius:** 1.05

* 60% increase in radius, so actually a 156% increase in impact area.

Debilitation
Enemy Heroes hit by Burrow Charge or Impale have their Spell Power reduced by 50% for 4 seconds.

**Type:** Offensive damage modifier**Affects:** Enemy Heroes**Properties:** Spell Power

* *Debilitation* does not stack with itself. Subsequent applications refresh the duration.
* Spell Power debuff from *Debilitation* stacks additively with other sources of Spell Power and other offensive damage and healing modifiers affecting target Heroes' Spell Damage or healing output.

Beetle, Juiced
Passive: Beetles gain 30% increased Health.

Every 4th Basic Attack spawns a Beetle.

**Type:** Bonus Health**Scaling:** -**Affects:** Self (Beetles)**Properties:** Attack Modifier

* The counter is reset 3 seconds after the last successful Basic Attack.

20

Hive Master
Gain a permanent Vampire Locust that attacks a nearby enemy every 3 seconds. The Vampire Locust deals 165 damage and returns to heal you for 80 health.

**Type:** Spell Damage / Healing**Scaling:** 4.00%**Affects:** Enemies / Self**Targeting:** Automatic**Properties:** Invulnerable summon**Target search radius:** 7.0

* Vampire Locust may aggro neutral Mercenaries while Anub'arak is not Mounted.
* Does not attack when Anub'arak is Mounted.

Cryptweave
Staying near the Cocoon allows Anub'arak to extend the duration by up to 6 seconds per Cocoon. Upon exiting the Cocoon enemies take 60 damage over 4 seconds. This damage is increased by 100% for each second that they were inside.

**Type:** Spell Damage**Scaling:** 4.00%**Properties:** Damage over Time**Radius:** 4.5**Tickrate:** 1.0 per second (x4)**Damage per tick:** 15

* While below 30 Health and within 4.0 range of Anub'arak, the Cocoon is healed at a rate of 2 Health every 0.5 seconds, for up to 24 Health.
* Damage bonus stacks up to 13 times to a maximum of 1300% bonus.
* Damage bonus stacks additively with itself and offensive damage modifiers that can affect *Cryptweave*'s damage.

The Traitor King
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Gain 10% bonus maximum Health and 20 Spell Armor.

Activate to gain 75 Armor for 4 seconds.

**Type:** Bonus Health, Defensive damage modifier**Affects:** Self**Targeting:** No target**Properties:** Armor**Cast time:** Instant

* Does not benefit from the flat Health bonus from completed *Regeneration Master* quest.
* Does not stack with itself or other positive Armor effects. Other defensive damage modifiers may stack.

Rewind
Cooldown: 60 seconds
**Active:**  Activate to reset the cooldowns of your Basic Abilities.

**Affects:** Basic Abilities**Targeting:** No target**Properties:** Rewind**Cast time:** Instant

## Builds and guides

**Icy Veins Anub'arak Guide**

**Anub'arak Community Build Guides @ HeroesFire**

**Anub'arak Community Build Guides @ Heroes Hearth**

## Trivia

* Anub'arak first appeared in *Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne* (July 2003).
	+ His book debut was almost six years later, in Arthas: Rise of the Lich King (May 2009).
* In *Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne*, Anub'arak was voiced by Steve Blum. In *World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King* (November 2008), he was voiced by Frank Welker. In *Heroes of the Storm*, he is voiced by Darin De Paul.
* Anub'arak was one of the three heroes revealed at Gamescom 2014.
* Anub'arak's default skin reflects his appearance in *Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne*.
	+ Desert Anub'arak reflects his appearance in the the Azjol-Nerub dungeon from *World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King*.
	+ Frozen Anub'arak reflects his appearance in the Trial of the Crusader raid from *World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King*.
* Anub'arak's large bulk limits him to mounts he can stand on (such as Blackheart's Doubloon, Champion's Nexagon, Championship Banner, Hearthstone Card, Magic Carpet, Star Chariot, and Void Speeder).
* Anub'arak's 'Burrow Charge' ability is likely inspired by the Ultralisk's mutation ability in Starcraft 2 of the same name.

## Gallery

### Artwork

* Anub'arak's artwork
* Anub'arak, waiting in the Icy Depths
* Anub'arak, covered in ice and webbing
* A close-up of Anub'arak
* Anub'arak fighting minions in the Nexus
* Anub'arak stands triumphant
* Love is in the Air: Anub'arak and Zagara

### Abilities

* Q: Impale
* W: Harden Carapace
* E: Burrow Charge
* R1: Locust Swarm
* R2: Cocoon

### Prerelease

* Anubalisk Concept
* Anubalisk Concept
* Anub'arak, shown at BlizzCon 2013
* Love Bug Anub'arak (old model)

## References

1. ↑ 2013-11-07, Blizzard MOBA Heroes of the Storm First Artwork Released. *IGN*, accessed on 2013-12-01
2. ↑ 2014-08-13, New Heroes Revealed at Gamescom 2014, accessed on 2014-08-13

## External links

* Developer Insights: Burrowing Deep with Anub'arak
* Anub'arak Hero Week
* Anub'arak - Heroes of the Storm
* Anub'arak - Wowpedia
* Anub'arak Balance Changelog - Heroes Patch Notes
* Anub'arak Sound Files - Sounds of the Storm

  **Melee Assassins**
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