After using a holy build most of the time since launch and getting tired of the boring hammers I wanted to try out a fire build to see how it works, hammers weren't really performing like I wanted them to in t3 and above partly because they only hit the same target once and partly because of the very weak single target damage. After I found Maximus I decided to try my hand at a fire crusader cause the weapon made up for the lack of single target damage that I had with the hammer build. I can currently farm t5 comfortably and also do some t6 althought it is slow and uneffective.
Abilities
Generator: Punish
Im using Punish with the Roar rune for the fire synergy. This gives me some more block and does quite a bit of damage on everything around my when im in the middle of huge packs. You can also use Slash if you prefer that over the extra block.
Main spender: Sweep
This is going to be your main wrath spender and it does high fire damage infront of you, this skill will also get a damage increase with the upcoming patch and should be even more viable then. If you still enjoy the hammers you can switch this out for the fire hammers.
Secondary spender: Falling Sword
Here the only choice for a fire crusader is the Superheated rune, this does high damage in a pretty big area and works really well in combination with the other skills but more on that later.
Utility 1: Judgement
Here i'm using the Resolved rune this helps lock packs in place and gives you some extra damage on the initial attacks. This also works great in group play where you will melt packs extremly quickly with this combo.
Utility 2: Laws of Valor
This is a great damage buff for you or the group if you're playing with friends. I go with the critical rune for the higher crits that work great in combination with Judgement. This can be changed out for a more defensive Law of you are in need of more toughness on t4 or higher difficulties. I usually farm in t3 and t4 so I usually stick with Valor.
Extra dmg/Survivability: Akarat's Champion
I go for Akarat's Champion here since I like to use it as a safety measure when I meet packs with nasty affixes that are hurting me badly. At the moment im using the fire starter rune but I usually use Prophet for the extra toughness since damage isn't really a problem for me.
Passives
Wrathful
This is obviously for the healing, this is very important to stay alive and it heals pretty well with the wrath cost of sweep.
Heavenly Strength
Again obviously for the 2handers.
Long Arm of the Law
This is a great passive for group play as it gives a few extra second of damage to burn down rift bosses quicker. In higher torments and solo play this can be switched out for a more defensive passive like Divine Fortress if you have a shield with high block % or Hold Your Ground if you want the extra block chance.
Finery
This can also be swapped out for a more defensive passive if necesarry but I find this one to be a good mix of defense and offense for this build.
Gameplay
What you want to do with this build is initiate packs with Judgement to lock them in place, then pop Laws of Valor and use Falling Sword. This should guarantee a crit and massive initial damage to the pack. I have critted for 50 mill+ on this skill and it is great for solo and group play. In groups the Judgement + Laws of Valor will make everyone love you for their big numbers and insane burst it gives you. The 4man group I usually run with kills t4 rift bosses in the 10 seconds Laws of Valor last most of the time. When you land from Falling sword just start using Sweep if the demon from Maximus hasn't spawned. If he spawns you should focus on positioning the firechain and then sweeping after getting them in the firechain.
Gear
I currently have most of the gear I want for the fire build but none of my items are perfect and can be improved, I would like to get a good pair of Aeshara gloves so I can replace Andariels and my boots for Akkhan. In the long term I will probably replace all of the Aeshara pieces with Akkhan, but the bonus is to good to drop at the moment.
Links to build and my current gear
Build:http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/crusader#achRfQ!aegV!aaaYba
Character profile:http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/profile/frankthetank-2614/hero/38454881
Final Statement
This is a really fun build to play with and it works very well in groups. If you're tired of using the boring holy or lightning hammers and have some fire gear laying around try it out and see how you like it. I enjoy this build immensly and hopefully someone else out there already does or will do in the future. The build got slightly buffed in the last patch and still works really well. Hopefully they will fix the damage over time effect on sweep in the future to improve this build even more. Feel free to comment with any constructive criticism or suggestions to improve the build. Have fun with the game and enjoy the hunt for the legendaries
- BlackMamba24
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Member for 11 years, 9 months, and 8 days
Last active Thu, Jan, 22 2015 11:59:35
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fuuma posted a message on fuuma's fire crusader for t5 farmingPosted in: Crusader: The Church of Zakarum - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
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