Anub'arak, the Nerubian Assassin, is a swift and lethal Agility-based ganker and initiator in DotA 1, widely feared for his unmatched ability to hunt down fragile targets and disrupt spellcasters. With a kit designed to infiltrate enemy lines invisibly and deliver catastrophic burst damage, he excels at picking off lone targets and turning teamfights around. While he operates primarily as a physical and magical assassin, his exceptionally high base health regeneration and highly balanced attribute scaling make him a highly durable pest in any lane.
1. Base Stats & Attributes
Hero Attributes
| Attribute |
Base Value |
Growth (per level) |
| Strength |
18 |
+2.5 |
| Agility |
19 |
+2.5 |
| Intelligence |
21 |
+2.1 |
Statistics & Mechanics
| Statistic |
Value |
Mechanic |
Value |
| Damage |
46-50 |
Base HP Regen |
3.5/s |
| HP |
560 |
HP Regen |
+5.3/s |
| MP |
302 |
MP Regen |
+1.06/s |
| Armor |
3.7 |
Turn Rate |
0.5 |
| Move Speed |
315 |
Base Attack Time (BAT) |
1.7 |
| Attack Range |
150 (melee) |
Attack Animations |
0.46 / 0.54 |
2. Skills
1. Impale
Slams the ground with massive claws, shooting spiked tendrils out in a straight line, dealing magical damage and hurling enemy ground units into the air in their wake.
- Damage Type: Magical
- Targeting Type: Straight line / ground units only
- Crowd Control Type: Airborne knockup followed by a stun
| Level |
Magical Damage |
Stun Duration |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| 1 |
100 |
1.4 seconds |
14 seconds |
95 |
| 2 |
160 |
1.8 seconds |
14 seconds |
115 |
| 3 |
220 |
2.2 seconds |
14 seconds |
135 |
| 4 |
280 |
2.6 seconds |
14 seconds |
155 |
2. Mana Burn
Sends a bolt of negative energy that burns mana equivalent to a factor of the target enemy unit's Intelligence. Burned mana combusts, dealing magical damage to the target equal to the amount of mana burned.
- Damage Type: Magical (damage output matches the absolute value of mana burned)
- Scaling Mechanism: Scales dynamically with the target's Intelligence attribute
| Level |
Intelligence Multiplier |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| 1 |
3.5x |
28 seconds |
100 |
| 2 |
4.0x |
20 seconds |
100 |
| 3 |
4.5x |
12 seconds |
100 |
| 4 |
5.0x |
4 seconds |
100 |
3. Spiked Carapace
Temporarily enhances the Assassin's chitinous armor with organic barbs, causing him to prevent and reflect one damage instance from each unit. Reflects the same damage type as original, as well as stunning the target.
- Buff Duration: 2.0 seconds
- Reflective Limit: Protects against and reflects exactly one instance of damage per unique unit source
- Damage Type Integrity: Reflects the exact damage type of the incoming attack (Physical, Magical, or Pure)
| Level |
Stun Duration |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| 1 |
0.6 seconds |
25 seconds |
40 |
| 2 |
1.2 seconds |
20 seconds |
40 |
| 3 |
1.8 seconds |
15 seconds |
40 |
| 4 |
2.4 seconds |
10 seconds |
40 |
4. Vendetta
The Nerubian Assassin turns invisible for a short period of time, and can break his invisibility with an incredibly damaging attack. Deals physical backstab damage. Moreover, the target also receives a Break debuff.
- Backstab Damage Type: Physical
- Break Debuff Duration: 4 seconds
- Accuracy Modifier: True Strike (the strike cannot miss, bypassing evasion)
- Scepter Upgradeable: Unlocks the Burrow subability. Burrowing allows Anub'arak to submerge underground, rendering him stationary while granting massive damage reduction, continuous health/mana regeneration, and dramatically reducing the cooldowns and increasing the range of his core abilities.
| Level |
Physical Backstab Damage |
Movement Speed Bonus % |
Invisibility Duration |
Cooldown |
Manacost |
| 1 |
300 |
+16% |
40 seconds |
90 seconds |
140 |
| 2 |
450 |
+18% |
50 seconds |
70 seconds |
200 |
| 3 |
600 |
+20% |
60 seconds |
50 seconds |
260 |
3. Talent Tree
Vendetta Unobstructed Pathing
25
+100 Agility
+175 Impale Damage
20
+75% Spiked Carapace Damage
+25 Movement Speed
15
+325 Health
+90 Gold/Min
10
+8% Spell Amplification
4. Item Build
| Item |
Name |
Strategic Purpose |
|
Arcane Boots
|
Provides essential movement speed and much-needed mana replenishment, which is crucial since Anub'arak constantly relies on casting high-cost spells. |
|
Meteor Hammer
|
Synergizes exceptionally well with your maxed Impale (which stuns for 2.6 seconds at level 4), providing the ideal setup time to complete the item's channel while also allowing you to push and damage enemy towers. |
|
Blink Dagger
|
Ensures superior positioning and reliability. While Vendetta allows for stealthy entry, enemy Sentry Wards often counter simple invisibility; a Blink Dagger lets you preemptively initiate on targets and hunt down enemies with precision. |
|
Eul's Scepter
|
Boosts mana regeneration and offers a versatile active ability. Lifting yourself or an ally into the air for 2.5 seconds pairs perfectly with setting up a Meteor Hammer combo, buys valuable cooldown time for your spells, and purges negative debuffs. |
|
Aghanim's Scepter
|
Unlocks the Burrow ability, which dramatically reduces Impale's cooldown by half while active and upgrades Spiked Carapace to reflect incoming spells, making you a defensive powerhouse during high-ground defense or teamfights. |
|
Guinsoo's Scythe
|
An essential late-game luxury item that provides a reliable, instant hex to completely neutralize priority targets and secure crucial pickoffs. |
5. Skill Build
| Level |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
20 |
25 |
1. Impale
|
1 |
|
|
4 |
5 |
|
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2. Mana Burn
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
11 |
|
|
14 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
3. Spiked Carapace
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
13 |
|
|
16 |
|
|
|
|
4. Vendetta
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
18 |
|
|
| Talents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
|
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
20 |
25 |
6. Quick Gameplay Tips
- Vendetta Priority & The Break Debuff: Always strike your target with a physical attack directly out of Vendetta before casting your spell combo. Because the attack inflicts a crucial 4-second Break debuff, it immediately disables powerful enemy passive abilities (such as critical strikes, evasion, or defensive scaling), making high-priority targets highly vulnerable before they can react.
- Spiked Carapace Baiting: Use Spiked Carapace reactively against enemies with highly predictable area-of-effect spells or slow-moving projectiles. Because it blocks the damage completely and reflects a long stun back to the source, you can easily stun a backline caster from across the battlefield, giving you or your allies time to close the gap.
- The Late-Game Burrow Fortress: Once you obtain Aghanim's Scepter, use Burrow defensively when sieging or defending towers. While buried, you gain immense damage reduction, making you incredibly difficult to kill, while your Impale and Mana Burn ranges are massively increased, turning you into a long-range artillery platform.
