Blessed Hammer Crusader

[Guest GuestDeezy]

Does having The Sacred Harness equipped automatically give you Judgement with Debilitate even without having Judgement, or does Judgement need to be equipped to recieve the bonus rune?

[MarkusRamikin 0]

Deezy: Yes, you don't need to equip the skill.

 

Deadset: In addition to the missing Unity, another idea: perhaps Life per Hit should be a high priority somewhere. In this fast-hitting close-ish range build, it's a very powerful source of recovery, especially when you have to facetank something nasty. (I actually have it on weapon + amulet)

Edited January 12, 2017 by MarkusRamikin

[Guest sleepy]

On 1/9/2017 at 5:02 PM, MarkusRamikin said:

2. Also, is it just me, or is the Faithful Memory really crap against fighting single targets like Rift Guardians or Malthael? Is there no way to get more stacks going? It seems self-cancelling to me, would you say that's a design flaw?

I'm not deadset, but I don't think this build ever had a problem with rift guardians before the Faithful Memory change, due to high attack speed and bane of the stricken.

Now, having Faithful Memory in the cube is a straight upgrade to having the Furnace in there like it used to, dealing 60% more damage instead of 50% more to a single target. If you find your damage to be still lacking against rift guardians, reroll better gear and/or upgrade bane of the stricken.

 

On the flip side, how on earth do you guys manage without unity? It's tough to keep 100% Akarat's/Steel skin because now I kill mobs too quickly to get enough OROTZ procs in, and even with having all flawless royal diamonds in all my armor, I feel extremely fragile. All the solo crusaders who've already hit GR 90 this season use the same rings you recommend (OROTZ, compass rose, and COE in the cube), and no unity. I'd sure love to see a video on how the hell they play to not constantly die.

[Huzya 0]

On 1/9/2017 at 5:02 PM, MarkusRamikin said:

Deadset:

1. Love your guide, but where'd the Unity go? You replaced it with the Convention, but doesn't that make the Hammerdin more squishy? Have you actually tried handling a 90 GRift that way?

In my experience, I'm pumping out hammers all the time, not just waiting for a 25% window like with the Fan of Knives builds for the DH. So a 200% increase in damage 25% of the time amounts to a 50% increase - and Unity would mean a 100% increase in effective hitpoints, so not sure why you think this is worth it, especially since Faithful Memory already boosts us to several Grifts above what we used to play at - and thus puts us in more danger.

Still, you clearly know your stuff, so really interested in your reasoning.

2. Also, is it just me, or is the Faithful Memory really crap against fighting single targets like Rift Guardians or Malthael? Is there no way to get more stacks going? It seems self-cancelling to me, would you say that's a design flaw?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Great observations.  After switching to the new suggested spec, I found my Crusader to be way too squishy.  I normally run solo level 60 rifts and can clear them in plenty of time (usually no deaths).

After switching, I found that my damage output overall was GREATLY improved.  Here are a few notes that I came across after a few days of testing:

1.  Overall ability to survive has decreased markedly.  To counter this, I did the following:
     a.  Swapped the Convention of the Elements for Unity (again... I usually just play solo so the extra health is crucial when I leap into a pack of 10+ creatures.
     b.  Swapped Laws of Valor for Laws of Hope (Wings of Angel).  With the new overall increase of damage, I'm able to take the defensive ability and not really notice any decrease in my DPS output.

2.  DPS is crazy when tearing through Elite packs and regular mobs.  The only downside is that it's now taking longer to kill Rift Guardians.  Not really a deal breaker... but the extra time is noticeable.

3.  Utilizing the buff from the Faithful Memory takes some practice.  The reported stacks don't add when using multiple leaps... so if you leap into a group of 6 mobs, you buff will have 6 stacks.  If you then perform a second leap (prior to the first buff expiring) and hit 2 mobs, your buff will only have 2 stacks and not the expected 8.  Not a deal breaker.... but it forces me to limit my leaps in order to maximize the up time of the buff when I get one with a lot of stacks.  

I'm not sure if this suggestion would be considered too OP, but I'd love to see the Faithful Memory buff stack (and also refresh) when using multiple leaps.  With the proper timing, a Crusader could keep the buff running almost constantly at 10 stacks.  This would also help battling rift guardians.

[Guest sleepy]

This is completely unverified, but I heard through the grapevine that the only reason that the people currently on the Crusader board can reach GR90+ is that they use the red soul shard exploit. I've not seen any videos of these clears, which makes it all more suspect to me.

 

Thus we should take current leaderboard builds with a big grain of salt - maybe we should be sticking to unity instead of CoE.

 

 

[Valks 2,375]

On 1/9/2017 at 11:02 PM, MarkusRamikin said:

Still, you clearly know your stuff, so really interested in your reasoning.

The process of thinking that Convention is just a 50% increase is the issue here. If you think of the way that you play in high GRifts, you specifically push based around what your current elemental buff is. You will spend the majority of the time stacking mobs and then completely decimate packs when the necessary proc occurs. Given that you wouldn't have been pushing damage during stacking periods anyway, the dead periods of elements doesn't actually matter. 

On 1/9/2017 at 11:02 PM, MarkusRamikin said:

2. Also, is it just me, or is the Faithful Memory really crap against fighting single targets like Rift Guardians or Malthael? Is there no way to get more stacks going? It seems self-cancelling to me, would you say that's a design flaw?

It is definitely terrible against ST fights, it's just a part of the pushing process. The majority of specs either thrive in AoE or ST, and you basically pick your rift based on that. If you're looking to push 90+ solo, you'll be looking for an AoE/minion boss.

[Valks 2,375]

On 1/11/2017 at 0:16 PM, Guest GuestDeezy said:

Does having The Sacred Harness equipped automatically give you Judgement with Debilitate even without having Judgement, or does Judgement need to be equipped to recieve the bonus rune?

It automatically grants J with D, you don't need to have the skill equipped.

[Valks 2,375]

On 1/13/2017 at 7:56 AM, Guest sleepy said:

It's tough to keep 100% Akarat's/Steel skin because now I kill mobs too quickly to get enough OROTZ procs in, and even with having all flawless royal diamonds in all my armor, I feel extremely fragile. All the solo crusaders who've already hit GR 90 this season use the same rings you recommend (OROTZ, compass rose, and COE in the cube), and no unity. I'd sure love to see a video on how the hell they play to not constantly die.

Are you by any chance pushing low rifts? LIke, below 60? If the mobs die too fast, you won't be able to get enough reduction from OROTZ - as you increase the rift level, the ability to reduce damage actually becomes better due to being able to reset Akarat's faster. 

[Valks 2,375]

Just as a blanket statement on the squishiness topic:

• If you really feel you can't play with CoE, swap back to unity. 
• In order to play with CoE, you need to focus on stacking for elemental burst. You simply stack packs of mobs, stay alive through OROTZ resets and burn the entire pack down. 
• Proper timing for the correct element is key. If you are stuck waiting for the right element, you'll just die.
• OROTZ resets on Akarat and Iron Skin should keep you alive long enough to keep the damage flowing.
• Lower GRift levels will not allow proper use of OROTZ, since the mobs will die too quickly.

Hope this helps somewhat.

[Guest Jackomg]

Hello!

Im trying to get this build just the way it should, but I'm having problems. I can't deal enough damage on lvl 50 GR's and I get deleted every so often if it wasn't for my Akarat's Champion and another item that gives me Prophet AND Embodiment.

 

If there is any way for you to help me, my IGN is Jackomg#1114. I won't bother you, I just need a small help with it. I love it since the beginning and didn't even knew there was a build for it 'til lvl 60 something.

[Valks 2,375]

1 hour ago, Guest Jackomg said:

Hello!

Im trying to get this build just the way it should, but I'm having problems. I can't deal enough damage on lvl 50 GR's and I get deleted every so often if it wasn't for my Akarat's Champion and another item that gives me Prophet AND Embodiment.

Which item is giving you Prophet and Embodiment? I just checked your armory and, from a first glance:

• Wrong rune on Akarat's, especially if you are struggling to stay alive.
• Having Johanna's equipped and in cube does nothing. They don't stack.
• You haven't enchanted your Shoulders or Chest. 
• The rolls on many pieces of gear are wrong, with enchants on rings for some reason aiming for Attack Speed and Resist All?
• You likely have little uptime on your Akarat's because you haven't enchanted correctly - no more sockets on your jewelry means you have no Gogok currently socketed, which means you are missing loads of CDR and survivability from it.

Some things to work on for sure.

[Guest GreenBean59]

Hello, most everyone I'm seeing on the leaderboard is using Part the Clouds for Falling Sword. I understand the value of the CDR on the jump, but a pure stun also appears very strong. Is this more of just a personal preference?

[Guest Jocar]

I tried out Hammerdin for the first time today, switching from the Invoker build on this same site...and I'll tell you, it's so much more squishy...I dont have perfect gear for it, but Im rolling with the majority of what you need...and it's hit or miss...one thing that's interesting to note, it took me about 10 tries to clear GR75 as Thorns, but only 3 tries as Hammerdin...that speaks alot for the build's power.  Im in general a newb to Diablo 3 being this is my first season (damn I miss all the extra stashs I coulda had)...and I'm loving the game, and the class in general...even did the 45 no set item GRift...as a weak version of thorns...I still like thorns playstyle better though, its more durable and able to just stand in stuff if you want...Im lazy so it's more suiting...but the potential of Hammerdin is very great and feel I will learn to play it with more practice.  =)

[Guest inf3rno]

On 1/19/2017 at 9:36 PM, Guest GreenBean59 said:

Hello, most everyone I'm seeing on the leaderboard is using Part the Clouds for Falling Sword. I understand the value of the CDR on the jump, but a pure stun also appears very strong. Is this more of just a personal preference?

I'm also really curious for an answer to this. I find myself using Part the Clouds as well, since OROTZ ring takes care of the cooldown fairly well, plus I don't want to just spam FS anyway because of the cubed Faithful Memory DPS boost.

[Zagrash90 4]

On 1/23/2017 at 6:44 PM, Guest Jocar said:

I tried out Hammerdin for the first time today, switching from the Invoker build on this same site...and I'll tell you, it's so much more squishy...I dont have perfect gear for it, but Im rolling with the majority of what you need...and it's hit or miss...one thing that's interesting to note, it took me about 10 tries to clear GR75 as Thorns, but only 3 tries as Hammerdin...that speaks alot for the build's power.  Im in general a newb to Diablo 3 being this is my first season (damn I miss all the extra stashs I coulda had)...and I'm loving the game, and the class in general...even did the 45 no set item GRift...as a weak version of thorns...I still like thorns playstyle better though, its more durable and able to just stand in stuff if you want...Im lazy so it's more suiting...but the potential of Hammerdin is very great and feel I will learn to play it with more practice.  =)

Same thing with me.. i am used to thorns build and this build feels so squishy..but in my case i can clear GR65 with no problem but i was stuck a bit on GR55 with this build tho only item i am missing is the belt.. I like more the bombardment build but it hurts my eyes after few sesions from moving around constantly... :)

[Guest inf3rno]

On 19. 1. 2017 at 9:36 PM, Guest GreenBean59 said:

Hello, most everyone I'm seeing on the leaderboard is using Part the Clouds for Falling Sword. I understand the value of the CDR on the jump, but a pure stun also appears very strong. Is this more of just a personal preference?

I'm also curious for an answer on this. Rapid Descent seems overkill since OROTZ ring takes care of the cooldown pretty well and also I don't really want to spam FS anyway since I don't always want to reset the Faithful Memory DPS buff for a weaker one. Any opinions?

 

sorry for spamming :/

Edited January 28, 2017 by positiv2
Merged

[Guest inf3rno]

One more question: how mandatory is Sacred Harness belt for the build? I'm using Cord of the Sherma instead. The reason behind this is when I use SH, it only Immobilizes enemies in the area, so they can not move but they can and will attack if they are ranged, which are the main problem for this build anyway. However, CotS Blinds enemies, rendering them unable to attack at all as they are just mindlessly chilling around, for 4 seconds, plus any enemy entering the area becomes instantly Blinded. On top of that, the area CotS provides seems much larger, resulting in much less incoming damage overall. The only downside is CotS does not always proc, but this is more or less negated by the build's extremly fast attacking nature, so it's not really a problem as it kinda feels it "always" procs.

Any opinions on this one?

[Guest kupo]

Has anyone ever used a SOJ on this build? Seems like it could work and be a nice help for higher grifts perhaps?

 

Also I am a horse rider. Which makes a bigger difference Iron skin or Laws of valor if I had to pick?

[Guest inf3rno]

On 1/31/2017 at 8:45 PM, Guest kupo said:

Also I am a horse rider. Which makes a bigger difference Iron skin or Laws of valor if I had to pick?

I would say in higher GRs you have no chance to survive even trash packs without Iron Skin Steel Skin.

[Inso 2]

Hey, 

Ok so coming back to play this season, and not wanting to play invoker thorns again, i switched to this hammerdin build.

Im currently stuck at GR87, could anyone who's gone higher into the 90s confirm that it's only a question for higher gem levels and more paragon points in my case? If not, then what is wrong with my gear (other than it's not all augmented and not all ancient).

Thank you,

Inso

http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/profile/Inso-2827/hero/88842465

(just a note, when i cleared GR86 I was using Indestructible instead of Blunt as a passive).

[Guest Torhm]

Hi,

I'm trying this build (after using Thorns one) but at GR 65 and more I'm so squishy !!
I know that I will play better this new playstyle, but can you tell me what is the priority to upgrade in my stuff ?

I used Faithful Memory instead of Johanna's Argument cause I find it in ancient and not the other. Is it a good idea ?

This is my gear : http://eu.battle.net/d3/fr/profile/Torhm-2299/hero/87850471
 

Thanks.

[Valks 2,375]

On 1/19/2017 at 8:36 PM, Guest GreenBean59 said:

Hello, most everyone I'm seeing on the leaderboard is using Part the Clouds for Falling Sword. I understand the value of the CDR on the jump, but a pure stun also appears very strong. Is this more of just a personal preference?

Depends on what you encounter. The stun can be incredibly strong if you can stack efficiently. The CDR is more forgiving and allows you to retreat. Depends on if you trust your own ability to play.

[Valks 2,375]

On 1/23/2017 at 5:44 PM, Guest Jocar said:

I tried out Hammerdin for the first time today, switching from the Invoker build on this same site...and I'll tell you, it's so much more squishy...

Definitely. Invoker revolves around being hit, so it builds to do so. Hammerdin is all about good positioning and constant damage, basically.

[Valks 2,375]

On 1/27/2017 at 8:44 AM, Guest inf3rno said:

I'm also really curious for an answer to this. I find myself using Part the Clouds as well, since OROTZ ring takes care of the cooldown fairly well, plus I don't want to just spam FS anyway because of the cubed Faithful Memory DPS boost.

Just quoting my response:

Quote

Depends on what you encounter. The stun can be incredibly strong if you can stack efficiently. The CDR is more forgiving and allows you to retreat. Depends on if you trust your own ability to play.

Hope this helps.

[Valks 2,375]

On 1/27/2017 at 10:53 AM, Zagrash90 said:

Same thing with me.. i am used to thorns build and this build feels so squishy..but in my case i can clear GR65 with no problem but i was stuck a bit on GR55 with this build tho only item i am missing is the belt.. I like more the bombardment build but it hurts my eyes after few sesions from moving around constantly... :)

Yep. It's a difficult transition to move through. Same as moving from the DH FoK build to the DH multi build. You go from being able to do anything to dying to anything!