Hammer of the Ancients

Active Skill · Secondary · Barbarian

5 Runes
From level 2

Effect

Cost: 20 Fury

Call forth a massive hammer to smash enemies directly in front of you for 535% weapon damage. Hammer of the Ancients has a 1% increased Critical Hit Chance for every 5 Fury that you have.

Runes

5 Runes

Rolling Thunder

from level 7 · Physical damage · Proc coefficient 0.4

Create a shockwave that deals 505% weapon damage to all enemies within 22 yards in front of you.
Smash

from level 15 · Fire damage · Proc coefficient 0.667

Smash for 640% weapon damage as Fire.
The Devil's Anvil

from level 27 · Cold damage · Proc coefficient 0.667

Each hit creates a tremor at the point of impact for 2 seconds that Chills enemies by 80%.

Hammer of the Ancients's damage turns into Cold.
Thunderstrike

from level 39 · Lightning damage · Proc coefficient 0.667

When you kill an enemy with Hammer of the Ancients, other enemies within 10 yards are Stunned for 2 seconds.

Hammer of the Ancients turns into Lightning damage.
Birthright

from level 53 · Physical damage · Proc coefficient 0.667

Critical Hits heal you for 3% of your maximum Life.

The proc coefficient scales the chance of on-hit effects (e.g. legendary powers, gems, Life per Hit) for each hit of the skill. Game files, version 2.8.0.

Hammer of the Ancients

Hammer of the Ancients is a heavy Fury spender that deals serious damage to enemies right in front of you. Its appeal is the built-in synergy with your Fury pool: the more Fury you currently hold, the higher its critical hit chance, which makes the skill especially reliable at a high reserve.

If you want sheer punch, Smash raises the damage and turns it to Fire. If you want to reach foes farther out, Rolling Thunder unleashes a shockwave that strikes in a long line ahead of you rather than only the immediate target. So you decide whether the hammer serves as a pure single hit or a wide-reaching damage source.

Critical chance from your Fury pool

For every 5 Fury you currently hold, the hammer's critical hit chance rises by 1%, so 50 Fury in the bar means an extra 10%. The 20 Fury cost comes out of the very pool that supplies the chance, so keeping the bar high means more crits. Birthright (level 53) builds on exactly that: every critical hit heals you for 3% of your maximum Life.

Smash, Rolling Thunder and the other runes

The skill is available from level 2. Rolling Thunder (level 7) reaches up to 22 yards for 505% weapon damage, and Smash (level 15) hits for 640% as Fire. The Devil's Anvil (level 27) Chills by 80% for 2 seconds, while Thunderstrike (level 39) stuns enemies within 10 yards for 2 seconds on a kill. In practice Smash is picked ahead of Rolling Thunder.

Bracers, Gavel and Remorseless

Bracers of the First Men: 50% faster attacks and 375–500% more damage. The Gavel of Judgment: 600–800% more damage plus 25 Fury back when it hits 3 or fewer enemies, which is more than a swing costs. Remorseless empowers the hammer while Wrath of the Berserker and Call of the Ancients are both active.

Call of the Ancients and Wrath of the Berserker

That makes Call of the Ancients and Wrath of the Berserker natural choices. Battle Rage adds critical hit chance on top, Ground Stomp stuns, and Rampage and Whirlwind round out the setup.

by eRnstl