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Garrosh · Tank

Garrosh Safe Play Guide

DefensiveData-drivenMediumPatch 2.57.0.98304
11KUpdated

More Garrosh guides

This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.

Overview

This guide is about playing Garrosh safely and consistently. Safe tanking means peeling for your backline, holding your crowd control for enemy divers and letting them come to you. The kit brings crowd control (stun) with Groundbreaker and sustain with Bloodthirst.

Strengths

  • Sustain from Bloodthirst.
  • Strong gank potential around the map.
  • Crowd control: Groundbreaker applies a stun.

Weaknesses

  • Mana-hungry: Blizzard flags its energy as important, so manage it early.
  • Low damage by itself: it needs its team to finish kills.

Build cheat sheet

Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.

Builds

Survival talents

DefensiveRecommended
Open build

When to use it

At each level, the talent with the most healing, shields or armor. Choose it against dive or heavy burst.

Map job

Battlegrounds change every match, so this is its job on any of them.

  • Solo laneHolds a lane alone and wins it.
  • Double soakSoaks experience in two lanes at once.
  • RotateMoves between lanes to gank and help.
  • Mercenary campsTakes mercenary camps when it is safe.
  • With the teamMainStays with the team: it wins fights, not lanes.

Talents by level

  • WarbreakerQuest: Stun Heroes with Groundbreaker. Reward: After Stunning 5 Heroes, Groundbreaker's Stun deals an additional 165 (+4% per level) damage over 3 seconds to Heroes. Reward: After Stunning 15 Heroes, permanently reduce Groundbreaker's cooldown by 2 seconds.QQuest
  • Unrivaled StrengthIncrease Wrecking Ball's throw range by 15% and its damage by 75%.E
  • Body CheckActivate to deal 111 (+4% per level) damage to a target enemy and Slow them by 35% for 3 seconds. Enemy Heroes hit receive 30% reduced healing for 3 seconds.Active
  • 1Adds an active ability for survivability.
  • 4Adds an active ability for survivability.
  • 7Upgrades Into the Fray for more survivability.
  • 10Heroic ability focused on damage.
  • 13Upgrades Bloodthirst for more survivability.
  • 16Upgrades Groundbreaker for more survivability.
  • 20The most survivability-focused option at level 20.

Abilities

  • QGroundbreaker8s40 mpDeal 81 (+4% per level) damage to enemies in an area. Heroes hit on the outer edge are Stunned for 0.5 seconds and then Slowed by 40% for 2 seconds.
  • WBloodthirst12s55 mpDeal 156 (+4% per level) damage to an enemy and heal for 10% of Garrosh's missing Health. Healing is increased by 100% against Heroes.
  • EWrecking Ball16s60 mpThrow a nearby enemy Hero, Minion, or Mercenary to the target location, dealing 91 (+4% per level) damage to enemies near the impact and Slowing them by 30% for 2.5 seconds.
  • RWarlord's ChallengeHeroic50s40 mpSilence nearby Heroes and force them to attack Garrosh for 2 seconds.Heroic — applies a silence. Save it for priority targets or to interrupt a channel.
  • RDecimateHeroic8s25 mpDeal 50 (+4% per level) damage to nearby enemies and Slow them by 40% for 1.5 seconds. Deals 100% more damage to Heroes, and each Hero hit reduces the cooldown by 1 second. Stores up to 3 charges.Heroic — slows and hits an area. Plan your fights around its cooldown.
  • Armor UpTraitGarrosh gains 1 Armor for every 2% of maximum Health missing.
  • 1Into the Fray45sActivate to throw a nearby ally and grant them 20 Armor for 3 seconds. Deals 91 (+4% per level) damage to nearby enemies upon impact and Slows them by 30% for 2.5 seconds. While in flight, allied Heroes are Unstoppable.

Strategy

1Safe laning

Safe tanking means peeling for your backline, holding your crowd control for enemy divers and letting them come to you. Trade only when your healer is close: your health is the team's health bar.

2Surviving fights

Open with Groundbreaker on a priority target, then stand between the enemy divers and your healer. You have no escape in the kit, so your position is your defence: stay behind someone who can protect you.

3Positioning and peel

Stand where the enemy has to go through your team to reach you, and protect whoever the enemy focuses. Hold Groundbreaker for the enemy diver.

4Playing from behind

When the game goes badly, farm what's safe, defend with your team and wait for the enemy to make a mistake: a single won fight can turn it around.

Tips

  • Save Groundbreaker for whoever jumps on your team.
  • Keep Bloodthirst for the enemy's burst, not for chip damage.
  • Go back when your key abilities are down: a reset costs less than a death.
  • Never be the first to show on the map in the late game.
  • If enemies are missing from the map, back off before they appear.

Matchups

Weak against

  • Mei

    Mei fights at range and Garrosh is melee with no dash in the kit to close the gap.

  • Blaze

    Blaze fights at range and Garrosh is melee with no dash in the kit to close the gap.

  • Arthas

    Garrosh has to walk up to start a fight, and Howling Blast (root) stops that engage before it lands.

Changelog

  1. Updated for patch 2.57.0.98304.
  2. Updated for patch 2.57.0.98297.
  3. Updated for patch 2.57.0.98285.
  4. Guide created for patch 2.55.17.98025.

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