Heroes of the Storm: Tyrael Walkthrough [Guide]

Tyrael may look scary, but there’s really no reason to be frightened. In fact, he’s humanity’s greatest defender. One of the best support characters around, this hero from the Diablo franchise is certainly one of the most appealing characters to play – especially for skilled players. The Archangel of Justice can be a team’s strongest ally, or a player’s most hated enemy depending on which side of the battle he stands. With that, here’s our guide on Tyrael and how you can build him up and play him to inflict the most damage and headache to any team.

Introduction
Tyrael is a fallen angel that hailed from the Angiris Council. He has fought for the side of good against Hell for eons, and he was one of the first that saw the potential of good in humans. There will come a time where in Tyrael would break Heaven’s law and interfere in the fate of humanity as he helped save mankind from the Prime Evils. This would not have its consequences, however, as Tyrael not only died, but was brought to life once more only to be stripped of his divinity.

Now mortal, Tyrael continued to help humans in their fight against the Prime Evil, and this time the Archangel of Justice would need to break the rules of his exile once more as the Evil is now targeting Heaven, his former home.

Items
Tyrael wields The Sword of Justice, El-druin, which provides him with powerful melee attacks that also gives off a variety of effects. However, the best among his repertoire of abilities is being able to call upon assistance from the Heavens which would provide his allies with invulnerability and other beneficial effects such as shields that will protect Tyrael and nearby team members from damage while being able to hurt enemies as well.

Build Guide
Tyrael’s trait is called Archangel’s Wrath, and this can only be activated when he dies. Upon death, Tyrael becomes invulnerable for 3.5 seconds and will explode after three seconds, dealing damage to enemies within the area. With this particular trait, it would be best to face off against a large number of enemies once death is imminent in order to inflict more damage against the opposing team.

Tyrael’s starting abilities are El’Druin’s Might, Righteousness, and Hand of Sacrifice. The first one, El’Druin’s Might (55 mana cost, 12 seconds cooldown) allows Tyrael to throw his sword, damaging and slowing enemies around it. Reactivating the ability will teleport Tyrael to the location of the sword – as well as damage and slow enemies around his new location. The second ability, Righteousness (65 mana cost, 12 seconds cooldown), provides you with shields that last for 4 seconds, and hero allies around you will be protected as well, albeit less significantly. Shields will also explode and damage nearby enemies once it expires. Lastly, Hand of Sacrifice (50 mana cost, 7 seconds cooldown) gives Tyrael to absorb damage taken by a nearby ally, and this damage is reduced by 25% with an effect that lasts 10 seconds or until the target moves away from him. These abilities can be further strengthened by applying the proper talents.

Heroic abilities will be able once players reach level 10. Players can choose between either Judgment (100 mana cost, 80 seconds cooldown) or Sanctification (75 mana cost, 50 seconds cooldown). Judgment allows Tyrael to charge at an enemy, damaging and stunning the target for two seconds. Those hit along the way will also take damage as well as get knocked back. On the other hand, Sanctification will make all allies around Tyrael invulnerable to damage and other effects for 3 seconds. However, this does not affect Tyrael himself.

Players can build Tyrael to take advantage of his support functions. This is great if you are a team player and would be working close to your allies. Of course, having high health would also be important so that you would be able to actually survive long enough to be of value to your team. Here’s the recommended builds for being more effective as a support character.

Protection in Death –provides allies with shields worth 50% of their max health for five seconds upon Tyrael’s death. Either Regeneration Master or Path of the Warrior may also be chosen, although the latter would be better if you want to increase your health without any further fuss

Amplified Healing or Regeneration – Amplified healing increases regeneration effects by 30% while Regeneration will allow Tyrael to regain health as enemies attack him while shielded

Battle Momentum – reduces the cooldown of abilities each time you perform basic attacks

Sanctification – provides invulnerability to allies nearby

Zealotry – increases the duration of shields by 100% and also increases damage dealt from explosions by 25%

Angelic Barricade – Once teleported using El’Druin’s Might, the immediate area cannot be entered by enemies

Holy Arena – increases Sanctification effect by 1 second and increases ally damage by 25 percent

This is the type of build that will maximize your ability to support your allies and will be the optimal kit if your team will be working together as a unit. Sanctification will also be your best ability as you can blitz enemies and not worry about your allies dying for a limited time.

If you want to be able to deal more damage, then this is the build recommended for Tyrael.

Horadric Reforging – increases damage dealt by El’Druin’s Might by  25%. Either Path of the Warrior or Regeneration Master may also be chosen

Vampiric Assault – 15% of damage done by basic attacks will return as health

Angel’s Grace – Tyrael can move 25% faster for 3 seconds upon teleporting

Judgment – damages and stuns a target while knocking back nearby enemies and damaging them, too

Burning Rage – deals damage to nearby enemies

Angelic Barricade or Blood for Blood – steals 15 percent of target’s max health and slows their movements down by 30% for 3 seconds

Fury of the Storm or Angel of Justice – Fury of the Storm provides bounce damage from basic attacks while Angel of Justice increases the range of Judgment as well as reduces its cooldown time

While the attack based Tyrael would significantly increase its damage potential, this is not wholly recommended as the character deals mediocre damage as compared to other heroes within its class. At best, his trait can particularly deal some decent damage but this will only be felt once Tyrael dies.

Strategy
Tyrael is a support character, which means that allies must be near him in order for players to maximize his potential. Also, most of his attacks and talents can be used effectively as an offensive tool only when there are multiple targets close by. Engaging in team fights is best when you have Tyrael on your team as he is great in both providing allies with boosts as well as stunning and slowing enemies so that your team can take them apart.

Luckily, Tyrael is blessed with high survivability as well, although players should keep an eye on his health. Once he is in critical health, the best strategy is to run towards the enemy in order to take full advantage of his exploding ability. This will increase your chances of taking down enemies as you fall. Of course, using abilities such as Righteousness or Sanctification will help prolong your life as you would either be shielded or allies close by can protect you with the invulnerability that you grant.

Pros and Cons
Tyrael has high survivability but deals low to middle range damage even with attack statistics boosted by talents. This makes Tyrael more or less insignificant in one on one fights. Thus, Tyrael would have to rely on teammates in order to pick up kills. Also, Tyrael would have to be close to either multiple allies or multiple targets to make him more effective. Coordination must never be less than perfect as Tyrael must be within range so that allies can take advantage of his support abilities.

What’s good about Tyrael, however, is that he can either hang back in the crowd or be front and center in a fight. This will depend on team strategy as the latter will prolong his use while the latter can take advantage of his trait and deal some big damage to enemies once he dies. Tyrael must thus only be used by a team and controlled by a player that can make sound decisions on as to where he would be of most use.

Tips and Tricks
Tyrael’s impact as a fighter will never be truly felt in a fight against skilled players. Thus, use Tyrael only if you foresee being in a team that will work together during battle. You must move forwards and retreat together so that Tyrael’s abilities can be put into full use. His invulnerability and speed boosts will be priceless especially in the heat of battle and if you want to take evasive actions. Always make sure, then, to be near any of your desired targets, whether it be allies or enemies, as you prepare to use any of your abilities to achieve maximum results.

Spam Righteousness and Sanctification when working with a team, while Hand of Sacrifice will be your best bet when working with a powerful ally. El-Druin’s Might can also be used for crowd control purposes and to provide you with a means to escape if the battle becomes too heated.