Akkhan Condemn Crusader

[Deadset 108]

On 9/3/2016 at 3:57 PM, Guest Davez said:

However I just managed to clear GR 65 with 3 minutes left. Toughness is my biggest issue, I died 2 times on GR 65. My health after investing 120 paragon point on Vitality is 700K.

Hey! I must've missed the Condemn setup while it was still there (I'm looking at a FIres of Heaven setup on your character right now), but if the Akkhan pieces are probably the same. They look pretty good across the board (congrats on that!), but as you've probably noticed Akkhan setups are extremely dependent on CDR optimization in the off pieces like jewelry, weapon and shield; as strange as it may sound, the cubed Illusory Boots are actually vital for survival - they prevent you from getting surrounded by your own Condemns. You can try a more defensive setup in the meantime (Endless Walk set + Unity in place of Focus & Restraint + Hellfire), naturally at the cost of damage potential; you can partially make up for the dps loss during more favorable fights, where you can stand still and build the set buff up.

[Guest Condemn -> Unleashed]

I don't get why you wouldn't use unleashed - with a propper combination of resource-cost-reductions I keep tap-spamming the shizzles out of condemn, making nearly every trip a speedrun... am i missing something here?

a giant THX for your guide, has been a huge help!

take care an good hunting everyone!

[Guest Condemn -> Unleashed]

20 hours ago, Guest Condemn -> Unleashed said:

I don't get why you wouldn't use unleashed - with a propper combination of resource-cost-reductions I keep tap-spamming the shizzles out of condemn, making nearly every trip a speedrun... am i missing something here?

a giant THX for your guide, has been a huge help!

take care an good hunting everyone!

... and to compensate for the immense tap-Spamming costs I'm running reaper's wraps and dropped at least a Rakoff's Glass of Life and testing Solanium on follower - do they even work on followers? couldn't find solid info on that...

[Valks 2,375]

On 10/8/2016 at 4:46 PM, Guest Condemn -> Unleashed said:

I don't get why you wouldn't use unleashed - with a propper combination of resource-cost-reductions I keep tap-spamming the shizzles out of condemn, making nearly every trip a speedrun... am i missing something here?

a giant THX for your guide, has been a huge help!

take care an good hunting everyone!

The problem is that you no longer stack mobs. As soon as you get to a point where you need to keep mobs stacked so that you can maintain large packs, you'll find not having Vacuum is very irritating. What GR level are you running through this with?

[Valks 2,375]

On 10/9/2016 at 1:16 PM, Guest Condemn -> Unleashed said:

... and to compensate for the immense tap-Spamming costs I'm running reaper's wraps and dropped at least a Rakoff's Glass of Life and testing Solanium on follower - do they even work on followers? couldn't find solid info on that...

For Solanium on your follower, I would recommend also using Broken Promises. The followers should have a base CHC of 0%.

[Guest Condemn -> Unleashed]

On 13.10.2016 at 4:58 PM, Blainie said:

The problem is that you no longer stack mobs. As soon as you get to a point where you need to keep mobs stacked so that you can maintain large packs, you'll find not having Vacuum is very irritating. What GR level are you running through this with?

I am Plvl 390 atm, just started Grifting, lvl 43 is a quick run, but I need to keep an eye on buffs or even mobs can take my crusader out rather quickly. Still I find unleashed immensly powerful bc in those seconds condemn w/ vaccuum builds up I unleashed another 3-4 condemns already, running around I take out all those mobs just as fast. It feels just much more flexible to me... keep in mind I'm just a rookie at this point.

[Valks 2,375]

On 10/18/2016 at 7:48 PM, Guest Condemn -> Unleashed said:

I am Plvl 390 atm, just started Grifting, lvl 43 is a quick run, but I need to keep an eye on buffs or even mobs can take my crusader out rather quickly. Still I find unleashed immensly powerful bc in those seconds condemn w/ vaccuum builds up I unleashed another 3-4 condemns already, running around I take out all those mobs just as fast. It feels just much more flexible to me... keep in mind I'm just a rookie at this point.

At the Grift level you are clearing, I can 100% see why and it should work absolutely fine for you. If you enjoy it, use it. Once you start pushing higher (60-65+), you'll value that pull a LOT more. For now, go with whatever you like!

[Guest Seeker]

Can someone please post a video of the proper way to play this build? Preferably, with someone explaining what they are doing while playing.

Deadset mentions constantly weaving and moving with this build. That is not how I have been playing it. I have been running pack to pack, standing still, and calling down multiple condems on my location. I've only been doing GR55 while I level my gems.

Right now, I have to have Leoric's Crown in the cube, as I need it to reach the 56% cooldown reduction requirement for the build.

[Guest Confused n00b]

It appears that Condemn no longer costs wrath. There is no spender in this build now.

[Tesel 0]

On 05/04/2017 at 4:21 AM, Guest Confused n00b said:

It appears that Condemn no longer costs wrath. There is no spender in this build now.

Alas, Condemn on it's own never had a wrath cost; it's a heavy hitting cooldown ability. However, using Frydehr's wrath (it's a shield), you make Condemn a wrath spender instead of cooldown ability.

 

That being said, I've a question of my own. Wouldn't using a Akkarat's addendum in Kunai be better then furnace? It gives you two additional runes for Champion, which you would have 100% uptime on anyway (gives you Prophet and Embodiment of Power, which are two great runes and you get to pick the 3rd).

[Guest BadKarma]

It depends on a couple things. How is your damage output on elites compared to how well you survive and your resource management. Really don't see anything worth using as a third perk for AC, which makes the flail seem lackluster compared to furnace... unless attack speed is beneficial to condemn which I don't believe is the case. But if it is, gorgok requires a heavy nod and to be reconsidered.

actually on the gorgok point, if you lack cdr, it has added benefit of increasing your dodge to help survivability. The dodge aspect of its stacking property is something I never see mentioned when it is discussed.

[TheBZA 3]

These build guides are awesome! I have benefited from several.

My condemn crusader build is generally similar to this one, with a couple key differences. Skill-wise, I don't use Iron Skin or Laws of Valor, instead Steed Charge Endurance and Bombardment Annihilate... and Holy Cause passive because Long Arm of the Law doesn't help me. Gear-wise, The Ess of Johan amulet and Belt of the Trove, and cubed weapon The Mortal Drama.

Steed Charge is really valuable to me in Greater Rifts, I like having a mobility tool. The cubed Illusory Boots solves a lot of problems involving monsters being in the way, but not all of them; and it "forces" movement, which is often handy, and it's also nice for moving to the next pack. (I find runspeed etc to be important for progression.) Hopefully that skill is not a crutch, but I don't think so. Bombardment hits really hard, automatically every 6 seconds because of the belt (which inherits the Annihilate rune), and twice as much because of the cubed flail. You don't need a Vigilante Belt or Leoric's Crown to get above 56% CDR, max CDR on rings amulet gloves shoulders weapon shield does it. The Ess procs a lot (my follower is wearing one too), its range is a lot bigger than the Vacuum rune (which I also use of course), and the effect is great for both Condemn and Bombardment. I don't think I need LoV, just Provoke, Slash, and Akarat's Champion seem to generate enough Wrath. I do wonder if Iron Skin might help, but it seems like my biggest obstacle is Rift Guardians that punish melee-range builds, and I don't think it would make a difference there. (For pushing higher GRs I basically have to hope I get one that I can face-tank. It's interesting that some bosses are trivial for one class but nearly impossible for another.)

My highest solo GR with this class/build so far is only 60, but my gear isn't perfected yet, and he's even wearing a couple DEX/INT items from other characters because I haven't had STR versions drop.

I would appreciate community comments about any of that.

edit: switched the rune to Bombardment Impactful Bombardment, and so far so good, it's better for single targets

Edited July 10, 2017 by TheBZA
addition of CDR stuff, and links

[Guest o lawd]

On 7/9/2017 at 11:49 PM, TheBZA said:

Skill-wise, I don't use Iron Skin or Laws of Valor, instead Steed Charge Endurance and Bombardment Annihilate... and Holy Cause passive because Long Arm of the Law doesn't help me.

[...]

My highest solo GR with this class/build so far is only 60

That's why you think dropping Iron Skin and Laws of Valor was a good idea. As you progress you will notice fast that bombardment not backed up by any modifiers from gear will become really low damage skill in higher rifts as with better stat rolls on gear it won't be buffed as much as your primary damage dealing skill- condemn. In higher rifts you will also notice that dropping iron skin greatly reduces your survivability, especially when your cdr is not optimal and you don't have perma akarat's champion.

Steed charge is not needed in this build if you have illusory boots. It can speed you up a little bit, but since you avoid monster collision (and waller's walls) thanks to the boots taking a different skill, which buffs your defense or damage output, would benefit you more.

[Guest confused noob]

i don't understand the change on removing aquila and vigilante belt for the leoric's crown and string of ears, don't we get more damage reduction from the former setup?

 

[Guest hope that helps]

2 hours ago, Guest confused noob said:

i don't understand the change on removing aquila and vigilante belt for the leoric's crown and string of ears, don't we get more damage reduction from the former setup?

 

There is an info on the gearing page with the updates:
 

Quote

26 Nov. 2017 (gear page): Revised gearing and cube recommendations to be more consistent in Rift Guardian fights.

26 Nov. 2017 (this page): Slight revision to the itemization of the build.

Anyways don't look at those builds as must have. Sometimes introducing slight variations can benefit you more than pure meta build and condemn has plenty of room for experimenting. You can switch laws of valor for laws of justice decaying strength. You can switch belt for witching hour if you don't have problems surviving and so on.

You can also read in the guide:

Quote

The ideal belt for the build is the String of Ears, as its massive, unconditional melee damage reduction bonus will provide the greatest overall protection. String of Ears is especially consistent vs. Rift Guardians, where a former favorite utility legendary — Aquila Cuirass — is very prone to falling off.

Previously this build was using vigilante belt, which offers you 5%-8% cdr. Since you switch it for string of ears, liberating armor cube slot in kanai's cube, the Leoric's Crown seems pretty solid choice to substitute the AC. It also allows you to reroll one 8% cdr off your gear, ideally from amulet. Previously you needed cdr on everything to hit the cap of perma akarat's champion.

With current build you need only 50% cdr rolls from stats (weapon, shield, both rings, gloves and shoulders give you exactly that), since it gives you 40,68% cdr. After putting flawless royal diamond in helm and cubbing leoric's crown you hit 55,51% cdr, which is close enough to 55,6% cdr needed for perma akarat's champion.

[Guest enlightened noob]

5 hours ago, Guest hope that helps said:

There is an info on the gearing page with the updates:
 

Anyways don't look at those builds as must have. Sometimes introducing slight variations can benefit you more than pure meta build and condemn has plenty of room for experimenting. You can switch laws of valor for laws of justice decaying strength. You can switch belt for witching hour if you don't have problems surviving and so on.

You can also read in the guide:

Previously this build was using vigilante belt, which offers you 5%-8% cdr. Since you switch it for string of ears, liberating armor cube slot in kanai's cube, the Leoric's Crown seems pretty solid choice to substitute the AC. It also allows you to reroll one 8% cdr off your gear, ideally from amulet. Previously you needed cdr on everything to hit the cap of perma akarat's champion.

With current build you need only 50% cdr rolls from stats (weapon, shield, both rings, gloves and shoulders give you exactly that), since it gives you 40,68% cdr. After putting flawless royal diamond in helm and cubbing leoric's crown you hit 55,51% cdr, which is close enough to 55,6% cdr needed for perma akarat's champion.

thank you for the response, so i guess i need to test it my self then, i see all the benefits but i'm playing hardcore currently at gr 77 now and i noticed during all my runs only ranged attacks can get my hp down to half so i'm afraid without aquilla im toast

[Guest good luck]

1 hour ago, Guest enlightened noob said:

thank you for the response, so i guess i need to test it my self then, i see all the benefits but i'm playing hardcore currently at gr 77 now and i noticed during all my runs only ranged attacks can get my hp down to half so i'm afraid without aquilla im toast

Yes, it is mostly up to your taste. If you feel safer with the variant of the build using AC stick to it. Also in hardcore you might consider switching laws of valor for laws of justice decaying strength, basically gives you stacking toughness and passive all res. Laws of valor only give you wrath cost reduction, because ias is useless in this build, so in the end that passive effect gives you nothing.

Also if ranged units are the ones who give you most problem practice the distance at which they are vacuumed to you and taunt them. Current mob logic is they will try to run away from you before continuing the ranged attacks, so pulling them can often disable ranged attackers completely.

[Valks 2,375]

On 11/30/2017 at 7:33 PM, Guest good luck said:

Yes, it is mostly up to your taste. If you feel safer with the variant of the build using AC stick to it. 

I think the change was also made simply because people reported that they would drop AC due to not properly managing Condemn usage, meaning they were stuck with no reduction at all. String is just an easier to play with option, since the resource problem is eradicated.

[Guest SavageSkull]

i cant hold Ultimate up.

Cooldown Reducement is very important. wouldnt it be easier to use sunkeeper+fervor instead of furnace+heavenly strength?

i usually dont Play alone, what should i take instead of unity? justice lantern? rorg+aquila? rorg+?

[Guest wqerty]

On 12/3/2017 at 8:28 AM, Guest SavageSkull said:

i cant hold Ultimate up.

Cooldown Reducement is very important. wouldnt it be easier to use sunkeeper+fervor instead of furnace+heavenly strength?

i usually dont Play alone, what should i take instead of unity? justice lantern? rorg+aquila? rorg+?

If you have great rolls on sunkeeper and horrible rolls on furnance, making that switch might benefit you, but in the end furnance with comparable rolls will always be better damage-wise.

Builds that use unity usually have no group variant for group pushing because removing unity from the build basically cuts your toughness in half and in case of condemn this is a huge problem as the strategy revolves around pulling monsters to you and let them whack you, in contrary to ranged characters like wizard or dh. Try switching unity for orotz, it might give you the cooldown reduction you lack to have perma akkarat's champion active and it might benefit you more than directly boosting def by rorg and ac (which in itself isn't that bad idea if you lack toughness). This is of course taking in perspective gr group pushing, for txiii rifts your gear won't matter much. But being frank condemn crus is horrible for group pushing.

[Guest Asharian]

I wanted to thank you for all the hard work you put into this build.  I have always loved the Crusader, and considered it a winning season if I got to GR70.  This season I just clear a 93!  Going to push to 100 if I can just to say I did it once. 

I don't quite have the full-build going yet.  My cooldown isn't a 56% because of some tragically rolled set pieces and I've had to sub the Zodiac ring in place of Unity for my cube spot.  While I'm sure it is not optimal, it does have the upside of my Iron Skin having a near 100% uptime.  It might be an option for people to explore as they struggle to the get that last 2-3% CDR.

Thanks again

[Guest Slapchop]

I'm gonna give you guys a pro tip: Replace Illusory Boots for Nems. You're welcome.

[Guest don't ya?]

On 12/9/2017 at 3:16 AM, Guest Slapchop said:

I'm gonna give you guys a pro tip: Replace Illusory Boots for Nems. You're welcome.

You need really high paragon level to make those changes compensate for lost damage.

[DeadOfKnight 0]

On 12/8/2017 at 9:16 PM, Guest Slapchop said:

I'm gonna give you guys a pro tip: Replace Illusory Boots for Nems. You're welcome.

How?  Boots are not cubed in this guide.  I swap Strongarm Bracers for nems when doing lower rifts.  You should really not be worried about elites at the high end, since all your damage is AoE.

[Guest simple as that]

On 12/19/2017 at 9:34 PM, DeadOfKnight said:

How?  Boots are not cubed in this guide.  I swap Strongarm Bracers for nems when doing lower rifts.  You should really not be worried about elites at the high end, since all your damage is AoE.

Obviously you remove them from the build completely and switch strongarm bracers for nems. This frees your boots slot and armor cube slot. To compensate for damage lost by removing strongarm bracers you add hexing pants of mr yan to the mix. Since you put on set boots you can remove one of two set pieces: helmet or pants. You put in its place leorics crown or hexing pants and cube the other one.