Rolands Sweep Attack Crusader

[Metro 2]

Hi Deadset. I just saw that Roland's will be the Crusader set for season 7. I love tanking and supporting my small clan group and have done so with Barbs and Monks and yesterday I was in a public group with a support Crusader with a Roland set up. He did an amazing job but I am wondering with the 2.4.2 support nerfs if that build will still do well in season 7. If you think the Roland support build is still good would you mind detailing it for Icy Veins?

Edited July 6, 2016 by Metro

[Deadset 108]

On 30.06.2016 г. at 3:37 PM, Metro said:

If you think the Roland support build is still good would you mind detailing it for Icy Veins?

I definitely will! I'm testing and keeping a close eye on the PTR group meta and if a support Sader variation gains popularity, there will be a guide! :)

[Guest Vanguard]

Hey Deadset, is the wrath generated range on Golden Flense's unique property 3-4 or 3-6? Mine is showing the former? Thanks!

[Warden 8]

On 7/9/2016 at 2:09 AM, Guest Vanguard said:

Hey Deadset, is the wrath generated range on Golden Flense's unique property 3-4 or 3-6? Mine is showing the former? Thanks!

It looks like it used to be 3-4 and then later got changed to 4-6:

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/item/golden-flense-b2SfV

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/item/golden-flense

Does yours have the damage increase to Sweep Attack?  If not, then it's an old version.  The good news is that you can take it to the cube and use the Reforge Legendary option on it to turn it into the new version.  The bad news is that it resets everything about it, so if it's currently Ancient or has really good rolls, it may come out non-ancient with craptastic rolls.  Or it may turn out even better. :D

[Guest Vanguard]

Thanks for the response. I thought it was the old version, so I reforged it twice, but it still has the same values. I guess it's bugged. I'll just have to try to find a newer version then. 

Thanks.

[Warden 8]

2 hours ago, Guest Vanguard said:

Thanks for the response. I thought it was the old version, so I reforged it twice, but it still has the same values. I guess it's bugged. I'll just have to try to find a newer version then. 

Thanks.

Hmm...  It may have been a patch or two since I did it, but I successfully updated two or three old items that way.  Sorry, not sure what's going on.  Hope they didn't change reforging.

[Deadset 108]

On 7/11/2016 at 0:50 PM, Warden said:

Hmm...  It may have been a patch or two since I did it, but I successfully updated two or three old items that way.  Sorry, not sure what's going on.  Hope they didn't change reforging.

Are you sure? I have the opposite experience, pre-patch items only reforging into their old values/stat ranges.

[Warden 8]

2 hours ago, Deadset said:

Are you sure? I have the opposite experience, pre-patch items only reforging into their old values/stat ranges.

Uh, well, I was sure.  I thought I remembered updating a Dread Iron belt right after patch 2.4.0, when they added the +150% to +200% Avalanche damage.  Also a couple of Justice Lanterns after that same patch when they added "Gain damage reduction equal to 45-55% of your Block chance".  But I just googled it and found posts on the battle.net forums from the day after the Cube hit the game, where players said reforging didn't update legacy items.  And I just tried it on a legacy Justice Lantern I still had, and it's still legacy.  I'm not sure where my brain went on this one... :-/

Sorry!

[Guest Contraus]

Hey, I'm having issues with wrath because the attack speed is like it's on fast forward and I'm not always hitting enough mobbs to get a decent wrath bonus from the Golden Flease.  This also means my cubed Aquila isn't giving me the 50% damage reduction.  If I switch to fire for the cindercoat, I'll lose my stun and thus fail to proc Ancient Parthan Defenders.  Which bracers should I use with fire spec?  Thanks.

[Deadset 108]

On 7/14/2016 at 6:15 AM, Guest Contraus said:

Which bracers should I use with fire spec?  Thanks.

Hey - you might be having Wrath problems because you engage in fights that are too small to be worth your time and resources! Try skipping smaller packs, and drawing their attention towards bigger fights. You should be fighting only big bunches at all times, the moment you fall to a handful of monsters you should move on. In any case, even though I still recommend the Lightning version, for a Fire spec you can consider Strongarms (they still proc off Condemn Vacuum), or Nemesis Bracers (more frequent elites).

[emacspirate 0]

I don't care that this isn't end-game meta, it's my favorite Crusader build!  I played LoN Bombard & Invoker punish in S6 as well, but I still had way more fun with this build.

 

I know it's personal taste, but when I play a Crusader I want to hit stuff in the face with my Big ass Flail.. or whatever weapon. lol I mean.. it's what I want to do. It feels right, and it's fun for me to face tank smashy smash stuff. Seriously I played this build more than any other for fun farming and as far up the GR ladder it would do in good time.

 

I love this build, did I mention that already? God it's fun.

 

If I had 1 wish for this build it would be that it you cubed a Golden Flense it would add the 200% buff to Sweep attack along with restoring 6 wrath per hit. (Currently it only does the 6 wrath per hit). If they did this it wold open up other build possibilities like even swinging a nice Ancient Furnace.

Ok sure I could ask for more, and I would like this build to be able to push higher GR's, but I would love that change so much. I really would enjoy being able to tweak and experiment a bit more with this.

 

Anyway, I think I have posted it before but thank you again Deadset! I'm a new D3 player and really started around season 6 and your guides and write-ups have helped me so much!

 

Cheers,

~e

Edited August 6, 2016 by emacspirate

[Deadset 108]

On 8/6/2016 at 6:38 PM, emacspirate said:

Anyway, I think I have posted it before but thank you again Deadset! I'm a new D3 player and really started around season 6 and your guides and write-ups have helped me so much!

Thank you for the kind words! Have a great Season!

[Crom 0]

I am having extreme trouble with this build with higher GR's. I just can't kill a boss fast enough before I deplete my wrath. I have tried exchanging condemn with slash (guard) with some success, but I was wondering what others are doing? Provoke seems like a viable alternative, but changing to fire has also been mentioned.

 

Edited August 13, 2016 by Crom

[romilly 0]

Hi Deadset,

 

This is my third season relying on your guides! Awesome! 

Questions -

1) did Condemn Vacuum get nerfed or something? It barely seems to suck anything in. Am I doing it wrong?

2) What is the little counter that's happening on Sweep Attack? Is it Denial or the Set Bonus? I think it must be denial, but it's horrible - it hardly ever goes above 2, and never stays for more than a second before disappearing?

3) Did they do away with the APD buff counter or am I just not proccing it? I could have sworn that was around before.

 

 

 

[phobos1984 0]

Hi Deadset,

I took this your build as a base and I'm trying to develop the Shield Bash/Shield Glare build which I like much more as play style comparing to Roland’s Sweep. Here is the link to my Crusader right now. As you can see my gear is still pretty much low rolled, but I would like your opinion/suggestions on this and why nobody is taking it in consideration. I think this build has a potential, maybe it won’t climb the leader boards, but it surely should be able to reach GR75 with proper gear.

And keep up your great work with these guides! Actually you are the only one explaining in details how stuff works and not just throwing abilities and gear there to make us figure it out. Thank you for that!

http://eu.battle.net/d3/it/profile/phobos1984-2474/hero/82244780

Edited August 22, 2016 by phobos1984

[Deadset 108]

On 8/13/2016 at 8:52 PM, Crom said:

I am having extreme trouble with this build with higher GR's. I just can't kill a boss fast enough before I deplete my wrath. I have tried exchanging condemn with slash (guard) with some success, but I was wondering what others are doing? Provoke seems like a viable alternative, but changing to fire has also been mentioned.

Ever since its inception in Patch 2.2, the Sweep Attack build has tragically and invariably struggled with the Rift Guardian in GRs, and no build modifications have ever remedied that completely. The only known recipe for success is to fish for a Rift Guardian that spawns adds non-stop - and that's it. :(

 

On 8/19/2016 at 3:28 AM, romilly said:

1) did Condemn Vacuum get nerfed or something? It barely seems to suck anything in. Am I doing it wrong?

2) What is the little counter that's happening on Sweep Attack? Is it Denial or the Set Bonus? I think it must be denial, but it's horrible - it hardly ever goes above 2, and never stays for more than a second before disappearing?

3) Did they do away with the APD buff counter or am I just not proccing it? I could have sworn that was around before.

Heya!

1) You're not doing it wrong, Vacuum has indeed received a hit to its usefulness, like many other pulling skills. It's still worth including though!

2. This is your Denial effect, yes. Its disappearance shouldn't worry you too much, as this is simply how the legendary effect works: getting X multiplier to your next attack, and then immediately spending it with your next attack. Due to the set bonus, they cycle at incredible speeds and are hard to keep track of, but you don't have to - as long as you attack a good amount of monsters at all times, you are doing it right!

3. APDs never had a buff icon, haha :) But would be great if Blizz included one!

On 8/22/2016 at 5:28 PM, phobos1984 said:

As you can see my gear is still pretty much low rolled, but I would like your opinion/suggestions on this and why nobody is taking it in consideration. I think this build has a potential, maybe it won’t climb the leader boards, but it surely should be able to reach GR75 with proper gear.

Heya, and personal props for trying out the Shield Bash build! I've been meaning to write the guide on it forever. You are indeed correct in thinking it is a viable build that will carry you through the Seasonal Journey; people are ignoring it mostly due to the well-known existence of setups that outshine it in terms of competitive performance, and because most players tend to adhere to the meta.

Again, well done on not doing just that!

You've nailed most of what I'd do with the build so my recommendations will be few. I'd probably try running with Iron Skin - Flash for better mobility, but only if I'm feeling comfortable with the Iron Skin resets from the set coming before the shorter duration of the rune.

Gear wise: CDR instead of Vit on the Shoulders; Elite Dmg Reduction instead of Armor on the Chest; Shield Bash % instead of Armor on the Boots; Vitality instead of Armor on the Pants; Vitality instead of All Resistance on the Bracers; Belt with Str / Vit / All Res / Life % as soon as possible (can be swapped to Witching Hour if you're bold); Damage % instead of Attack Speed on the Weapon; Crit Damage instead of Strength on Unity; CDR instead of Vitality on The Compass Rose; Traveler's Pledge with Socket, Crit Chance, Crit Damage, Physical % as soon as possible.

Standard recommendation to get more Ancients and Paragon levels, of course :P

Oh, and a question, since you're playing the build far more actively than me - have you found the Emblazoned Shield proc reliable enough to use over Divine Verdict?

[phobos1984 0]

17 hours ago, Deadset said:

Oh, and a question, since you're playing the build far more actively than me - have you found the Emblazoned Shield proc reliable enough to use over Divine Verdict?

My general feeling was that with Emblazoned Shield I was dealing more damage, but to be honest I attributed this to the fact that I'm stacking physical damage with Shield Bash - Pound and switching to a Holy skill would void that benefit. Am I correct on this? 

 

UPD: tried to run with Divine Verdict. Game play wise it is a little bit different. With Emblazoned Shield I was very mobile trying to reduce the mobs life and then finish them with 1 wave of 5 stacks of Shield Glare. With Divine Verdict I apply blind even with no or a few stacks of SG and then proceed with SB and final 5 stack SG. Much more static game play. Stil can't decide on which is more effective though... :)

 

Quote

You've nailed most of what I'd do with the build so my recommendations will be few. I'd probably try running with Iron Skin - Flash for better mobility, but only if I'm feeling comfortable with the Iron Skin resets from the set coming before the shorter duration of the rune.

Generally speaking I have survivability issues right now. Even with Unity and Esoteric Alteration, but maybe mainly because of the gear.

 

UPD: Levelling Esoteric Alteration beyond lvl. 30 is a game changer. Survivability getting much better. Also switched some rolls, as you suggested to Vitality. Right now GR 64 with no problem, will push higher in these days. 

 

Confirming my feeling about at least GR 75. Basically I have only one ancient right now.

Edited August 30, 2016 by phobos1984

[Guest Oneknight1984]

just barely got the crusader set from the s 7 haedrig's gift achievements. got a decent weapon and oh i believe. i know there is no wrath generating skills so how does one initially keep wrath up as best as they can in the beginning? because once i lay in on sweep attack it's gone pretty quickly and takes a min to regenerate. here's a link to the character if itll help. thanks :)

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/DooDoobrown-1817/hero/78913266

[phobos1984 0]

On 8/29/2016 at 5:20 PM, Deadset said:

just barely got the crusader set from the s 7 haedrig's gift achievements. got a decent weapon and oh i believe. i know there is no wrath generating skills so how does one initially keep wrath up as best as they can in the beginning? because once i lay in on sweep attack it's gone pretty quickly and takes a min to regenerate. here's a link to the character if itll help. thanks :)

personal experience is that without a Golden Flense it is a no go...

Edited September 3, 2016 by phobos1984

[Guest Janos]

Currently I'm having ambivalent feelings about this build. First, I love melee fighting, especially this type of "in your face". But second... I'm utterly frustrated because Blizzard thinks that this char shouldn't kick any ass over GR75... Even in T13 rifts I watch angrily those wizards, demon hunters and witch doctors who just do some little trick and the guardian dies in 3 seconds. Shouldn't this character be much stronger? I think the answer is yes. I'm having a pretty good damage, and I just suffer with GR76. The character is tanky enough (thanks to the high LPH), but boy, is it boring to wait til the monsters die... I'm trying everything, really... building up great hordes of monsters etc. but I'm still very slow. Any ideas? http://www.diabloprogress.com/hero/janosvitez-2425/BituMan/81336516

[Guest Oneknight1984]

And I'm assuming that Golden Flense (or however you spell it) is a random drop, just like almost everything else in this game lol?

[Guest Janos]

4 hours ago, Guest Oneknight1984 said:

And I'm assuming that Golden Flense (or however you spell it) is a random drop, just like almost everything else in this game lol?

Yep, but you can also get it through Kanai's Cube.

Hope of Cain

• 1 Rare item (level 70)
• 25 Death's Breath
• 50 Reusable Parts (white material)
• 50 Arcane Dust (blue material)
• 50 Veiled Crystal (yellow material)

So, make a few lvl70 2-handed flails at Haedrig, then try your luck at Kulle... Chances are better than playing with Kadala, but it is more expensive.

[Deadset 108]

On 8/29/2016 at 7:54 PM, phobos1984 said:

My general feeling was that with Emblazoned Shield I was dealing more damage, but to be honest I attributed this to the fact that I'm stacking physical damage with Shield Bash - Pound and switching to a Holy skill would void that benefit. Am I correct on this? 

Just a quick note on this - Divine Verdict is marked as a Holy rune but has no effect on its damage buffing properties. You get all its benefits for Pound, no investment in Holy needed.

 

On 9/3/2016 at 0:08 PM, Guest Janos said:

Any ideas? http://www.diabloprogress.com/hero/janosvitez-2425/BituMan/81336516

Heya, if damage is what you struggle for, some possible ideas are:

- Definitely swapping that Justice Lantern for Unity or Convention of Elements

- Improving your Endless Walk set (getting a Lighting/ChC/ChD/Socket Traveler's Pledge and a ChC/ChD/Socket/CDR Compass Rose)

- Trying out glassier choices like Area Damage instead of All Res on Shoulders, and Sweep Attack instead of Vit on Helm

Build is heavily dependent on fishing out a very trash-dense GR though, no going around that.

[phobos1984 0]

8 hours ago, Deadset said:

Just a quick note on this - Divine Verdict is marked as a Holy rune but has no effect on its damage buffing properties. You get all its benefits for Pound, no investment in Holy needed

at the end since it is a very resource hunger build I ended up using the rune that restores 9 wrath per blinded monster. 

[Valks 2,375]

1 hour ago, phobos1984 said:

at the end since it is a very resource hunger build I ended up using the rune that restores 9 wrath per blinded monster. 

Are you using the full recommended set of gear? Your Golden Flense should, in theory, handle most of the resource problems that you have while clearing packs.