How the engine works
This build has no generator. You spam Hammer of the Ancients and Rallying Cry together. The Explosive upgrade turns the slam into a full circle around you. The Relentless Heart adds up to three stacks of bonus damage for hitting the same target again and again. Ring of Red Furor makes your next Hammer a guaranteed Critical Strike after you spend 30 Fury, and that guarantee cancels the downside of Locran's Talisman and the Hellfire Splinter, both of which remove crit chance in exchange for big multipliers. Ramaladni's Magnum Opus then multiplies everything by the size of your Fury pool, and Overpower stacks from Wrath of the Berserker, Earthstriker's and Mighty Throw sit on top.
Who it's for
Players who want to delete bosses and tough elites and push high tiers. Its rating sits in S to A-Tier because it pushes and bosses very well but is slow at farming, so don't pick it for speed.
3.3.0 PTR watch
The 3.3.0 PTR fixes Ring of Red Furor not fully working with resource cost reduction effects. Our advice to skip Resource Cost Reduction is for live play and still stands. It's PTR only and can still change, and live Season 15 play is unchanged.
- Rating
- S to A-Tier
- Difficulty
- Easy — mind your Fury
- Key stat
- Maximum Fury (200 to 300)
- Must have
- Ring of Red Furor
The bar
This is the finished bar. Challenging Shout is on it and you press it yourself. Iron Skin is not on the bar any more. There is no Key Passive.
Rank 15 with Explosive, Size and Damage Bonus and the Overpower node (20% more damage while you have Overpower). It always uses your Two-Handed Bludgeoning weapon. Press it as often as your Fury allows.
Press — constantlyRank 14 with Booming, Fortify and Potency. Spam it alongside Hammer. Booming's boost to Resource Generation is what pays for Ramaladni's drain.
Keep it upRank 15 with Mighty Roar, Ferocity and the Vulnerable upgrade. A damage buff: Berserking, more damage and more attack speed. The Ohm rune casts it for you in the finished build.
Press — on cooldownOne point, on the Two-Handed Slashing weapon. Mightiest removes its Weapon Mastery tag so it does not use up your Red Furor crit. Its Overpower node triggers Banished Lord's Talisman, and the weapon swap feeds Earthstriker's.
Press — on cooldownTake the Bawl upgrade and the Weaken node. It is a defensive buff with some damage on top. Press it straight after War Cry: it triggers the Marshal glyph, which brings Wrath of the Berserker back sooner.
Press on cooldownRank 15 with Full Throttle, Overpower and Berserking. A 30% damage multiplier, long Unstoppable and Berserking, one Overpower stack per second and +50% to all resistances.
Keep it upPassives
There is no Key Passive and no passive nodes. Every point goes into the skills above and their upgrades.
Arsenal and Technique
Hammer of the Ancients is locked to your Two-Handed Bludgeoning weapon, so that mace is the only weapon where Weapon Damage matters. Mighty Throw goes on the Two-Handed Slashing weapon. There are two ways to fill the Technique slot. The Two-Handed Sword turns a share of your direct damage into Bleeding and is the build's only Bleed. The Polearm gives Lucky Hit Chance and, at Expertise rank 10, 15% more damage above 80% Life. Take the Two-Handed Sword: it is the Expertise that applies most reliably from the Technique slot, and this build does not need Lucky Hit.
| Pick | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Technique slot: Two-Handed Sword | A share of your direct damage is also dealt as Bleeding, growing with Expertise level. At rank 10, Bleeding damage is 30% higher. |
| Alternative: Polearm | Lucky Hit Chance, plus 15% more damage above 80% Life at rank 10. Steadier if you stay healthy. |
| Hammer on Two-Handed Bludgeoning | Fixed by the game. Weapon Damage only counts on the weapon your main skill is using. |
| Mighty Throw on Two-Handed Slashing | Forces a weapon swap on every throw, and each swap is an Overpower stack from Earthstriker's. |
What to wear
The starter version is all legendaries, but the big numbers need uniques. Ring of Red Furor and The Relentless Heart are the two that make it a different build.
Uniques
| Item | What it does | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Ring of Red Furor | Ring. After you spend 30 Fury within 5 seconds, your next Hammer is a guaranteed Critical Strike with 50–60% bonus crit damage. It is why this build ignores Critical Strike Chance completely. | Core |
| The Relentless Heart | Chest. Hammer of the Ancients deals 22.5–30% more damage for each consecutive hit on the same target, up to 3 stacks. It also rolls ranks to Hammer. | Core |
| Insight | Crafted polearm. Lots of Fury generation, plus Critical Strike Chance and Critical Strike Damage. Its Fury is what pays for Ramaladni's drain, so get it before Ramaladni's. Enchant the Weapon Damage into Strength. | Core |
| Ramaladni's Magnum Opus | One-handed sword. 0.35–0.5% more damage per point of Fury, so even 100 Fury is a 50% multiplier on a perfect roll. It drains Fury constantly. Do not equip it without Insight. | Core |
| Infinity | Crafted two-handed mace, and the weapon you hit with. Strong damage, extra defence, and it makes enemies near you Vulnerable. Its Lucky Hit chance to land a Crushing Blow gets targets Injured fast. | Core |
| Locran's Talisman | Amulet. Critical Strikes deal 120–150% more damage for 50% less crit chance. Red Furor guarantees the crit, so you pay nothing for it. | Core |
| Banished Lord's Talisman | Amulet, or a unique charm. Spending Fury grants Overpower stacks, and your Critical Strikes deal more damage per stack. Wear one of the two talismans as your amulet and slot the other as a charm. | Charm |
| Leoric's Crown | Helm. It doubles the effect of gems and Soul Splinters, which makes it the best helm this season. For Mythic upgrades, do your talisman first, then Infinity, then this, then Ramaladni's. | Mythic |
| Fists of Fate | Gloves. Your attacks deal between 1% and 200–300% of their normal damage, which averages out at about 150%. The alternative to legendary gloves with Warpath. | Variant |
| Tibault's Will | Pants. Only in the Melted Heart of Selig version now. The standard build wears legendary pants. | Variant |
Before they drop
Play the all-legendary starter: Hammer, Leap, Rallying Cry, War Cry, Challenging Shout and Wrath of the Berserker. Leap is your mobility and your emergency Fury. Wear Anger Management on the helm, Heavenly Strength on the chest, Walloping on the two-handed mace, Crushing on the polearm, Warpath and Edgemaster's on the dual-wield pair and Earthstriker's on the gloves. Aim for 30–40% Cooldown Reduction.
Legendary aspects
| Aspect | What it does for you |
|---|---|
| Aspect of Anger Management | Helm early, then the amulet's extra aspect. Above 50 Fury you gain Berserking and 15–20% damage. It is the first choice for that amulet slot, ahead of Earthstriker's and Battle-Mad. |
| Earthstriker's Aspect | Gloves early, boots in the finished build. One Overpower stack each time you swap weapons, and more damage while you have Overpower. Mighty Throw is what makes you swap. |
| Aspect of the Warpath | Dual-wield early, gloves later. Attacks with bludgeoning weapons deal more damage while you hold Overpower stacks. |
| Crushing Aspect | Polearm. 45–65% more damage while Fortified. Rallying Cry's Fortify upgrade keeps it on. |
| Edgemaster's Aspect | Dual-wield. More damage the fuller your Fury bar is, which suits a build carrying 200 to 300 Fury. |
| Aspect of Walloping | Two-handed mace, before Infinity. Skills using bludgeoning weapons deal 40–60% more damage to Incapacitated or Vulnerable enemies. |
| Aspect of Heavenly Strength | Chest, until The Relentless Heart. Damage reduction while using a two-hander. |
No Resource Cost Reduction, anywhere
Ring of Red Furor only fires after you spend 30 Fury. Anything that makes Hammer cheaper makes the ring harder to trigger. That includes the Resource Cost Reduction affix on gear, the five-piece Berserker's Crucible charm bonus, and the Cooldown Reduction and Resource Cost Reduction shrines, which you should leave alone.
Stats, gems and paragon
Roll and masterwork toward these, in this order.
| # | Stat | Where you roll it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maximum Fury | Helm, chest, Ramaladni's and charms. Aim for 200 to 300. |
| 2 | Cooldown Reduction | Helm (masterwork it there), tempered on amulet and rings. 50 to 60% is the goal. |
| 3 | Resource Generation (your Fury) | Chest, pants and boots. At least 45 Fury per second from affixes and Insight. |
| 4 | Physical Damage multiplier | The first thing to look for when you transfigure. Each one is a separate multiplier. |
| 5 | Strength | Every slot that can roll it. Masterwork it on the chest. |
| 6 | Weapon Damage | The two-handed mace only. It does nothing for Hammer on the other three weapons. |
| 7 | Critical Strike Damage | Gloves, amulet, rings and the mace. |
Hard targets
Cooldown Reduction 50 to 60%. That keeps Wrath of the Berserker up all the time, with a little help from your Shouts and the Marshal glyph. Maximum Fury 200 to 300. At least 45 Fury per second from affixes and Insight. Resource Generation of 50 to 72% comes from Rallying Cry's Booming upgrade, and past rank 19 it adds very little. Resource Cost Reduction: none at all. There is no Critical Strike Chance target, because Ring of Red Furor replaces it.
Tempering & masterworking
Temper Resistance to All Elements on helm, chest and pants, Critical Strike Damage on gloves, Movement Speed on boots and Cooldown Reduction on amulet and rings. Masterwork Cooldown Reduction on the helm, Strength on the chest, Life on the pants, Movement Speed on the boots and Weapon Damage on the two-handed mace. When you transfigure, the order is Physical Damage, then Maximum Fury, then Strength, then All Stats. On Leoric's Crown, go for gem quality first.
Gems, runewords & Splinters
- Skulls in weapons, Rubies in armour. Jewellery holds Soul Splinters, or Diamonds and Skulls until you have them.
- Soul Splinters: Hellfire and Pain. Hellfire doubles your damage and removes your crit chance, and Red Furor's guaranteed crit means you lose nothing. Pain is 40% damage reduction for 30% less movement speed. For pushing, add the Black Soulstone or Anguish, whose higher Fury cost helps trigger the ring.
- Runewords: Mal + Sol and Igni + Ohm in the finished build. Mal + Sol is a long damage reduction buff, and Ohm casts War Cry for you. Start with Mal + Sol and Cir + Gar for early crit, then move to Mal + Sol and Cir + Lac, which helps keep Challenging Shout up.
- Charms: five pieces of Sescheron's Fury on a Legendary seal with +1 Charm Slot. In the finished build the seal is Annihilus, and you keep all five Sescheron's pieces.
- Unique charm: your second talisman. Whichever of Locran's or Banished Lord's is not around your neck goes in as a charm. Crown of Lucion is an option if you want every Hammer to meet the Red Furor threshold.
- Charm affixes: ranks to Core skills first, then Maximum Fury. For defence, single resistances beat Armour.
Paragon
Start board with Might and Warbringer with Wrath. The other three glyphs are Marshal, Challenger and Crusher. Rush the glyph sockets and legendary nodes on all five boards first, which takes about 190 points, then fill in. Glyphs should be level 150 by the time all 346 points are spent. Level them in this order: Wrath, Might, Marshal, Challenger, Crusher.
| Glyph | Where and why |
|---|---|
| Wrath | Warbringer. Fury on every Critical Strike, plus damage. Level it first. |
| Might | Start board. The two-hander damage multiplier. |
| Marshal | Mostly here to bring Wrath of the Berserker back sooner. Challenging Shout triggers it. |
| Challenger | Damage to elites, plus some extra stats. |
| Crusher | Solid extra damage. Last in the levelling order. |
Mercenary
Hire Subo. His Seeker ability reveals the map, which helps a slow build, and Opening Fire raises your Critical Strike Damage whenever his Cover Fire lands. Reinforce with Raheir using Bastion, triggered by Wrath of the Berserker. If you are dying, the other way round works: hire Raheir for Ground Slam, Raheir's Aegis, Bastion and Inspiration, and reinforce with Varyana's Bloodthirst on War Cry.
From fresh 70 to finished
The order matters more here than on any other Barbarian build. One item in the wrong order and you have no Fury.
Bar: Hammer, Leap, Rallying Cry, War Cry, Challenging Shout with Bawl, and Wrath of the Berserker. Runewords Mal + Sol and Cir + Gar for early crit. 30–40% Cooldown Reduction. You still need Critical Strike Chance at this stage.
The chest goes on the moment it drops. Insight is a crafted polearm and easy to make, and its Fury generation is what lets you run Ramaladni's later. Do not touch Ramaladni's yet.
With Insight feeding you, add Ramaladni's. Ring of Red Furor plus Locran's Talisman is the turning point: stop rolling crit chance and socket Hellfire. Swap Leap for Mighty Throw. Challenging Shout stays on the bar.
Leoric's Crown doubles your Splinters. Stone of Jordan is the defensive ring; keep your Physical resistance as your highest. Craft Infinity for the two-handed mace. Move to the Annihilus seal with all five Sescheron's pieces and your second talisman as a unique charm. Runes become Mal + Sol and Igni + Ohm.
Push Maximum Fury toward 300 and transfigure for Physical Damage. There is also a Melted Heart of Selig version with no Life on any item, and that is where Tibault's Will still goes. Treat it as a separate rebuild, not an upgrade.
The rotation
Wrath of the Berserker first, then War Cry and Challenging Shout whenever they are ready. Challenging Shout triggers the Marshal glyph, which brings Wrath back sooner. Once you own the Ohm rune, War Cry casts itself.
Rallying Cry pays for the Hammers. Every 30 Fury spent arms the next guaranteed crit.
It gives Overpower stacks, a Barrier and a weapon swap for Earthstriker's, and it does not eat your Red Furor crit.
That is what the 50 to 60% Cooldown Reduction is for. Your Shouts and Marshal cover the rest of the gap.
The Relentless Heart stacks on consecutive hits to the same enemy. Against a boss or a tough rare, don't wander off.
On bosses
This is what the build is for. Open with Wrath of the Berserker, War Cry and Challenging Shout, then stand on the boss and slam. Consecutive hits take The Relentless Heart to three stacks and keep it there, and every Hammer after the first 30 Fury is a guaranteed crit. With your Cooldown Reduction on target, Wrath and its 30% multiplier stay up for the whole fight.
Strengths, weaknesses, mistakes
What it's good at
- Huge single hits, at their best against bosses and tough rares.
- Good area damage from the Explosive slam, and easy stuns.
- Simple to play: two buttons spammed and a few buffs.
- Ignores Critical Strike Chance entirely, which frees up a lot of affixes.
Where it struggles
- Slow. It stands still to fight and has little mobility, so it is poor at speed farming.
- You cannot click Cooldown Reduction or Resource Cost Reduction shrines, and the Undercity's shrines are a nuisance for the same reason.
- Needs endgame uniques before the numbers arrive.
- Fury and cooldowns both need managing until the gear is complete.
Mistakes that ruin it
- Equipping Ramaladni's without Insight. The drain is too much to handle and you will sit at zero Fury.
- Taking any Resource Cost Reduction. Cheaper Hammers mean Ring of Red Furor triggers less often.
- Dumping a full Fury bar before the big hit. The ring's bonus for extra Fury spent is small. Spend the 30 you need and keep the rest for Ramaladni's.
- Rolling Weapon Damage on the wrong weapons. It only counts on the mace that Hammer uses.
- Expecting it to farm like Whirlwind. If you want speed, play Whirlwind and keep this for bosses and pushing.
Not for you? The other Barbarian builds: Whirlwind · Charge.
Frequently asked questions
What gear does Hammer of the Ancients need to get started?
Ring of Red Furor.
Who is Hammer of the Ancients suited to?
Players who want to delete bosses and tough elites and push high tiers. Rating sits in S to A-Tier because it pushes and bosses well but farms slowly, so skip it if you want speed.
How do I move from levelling into Hammer of the Ancients?
Follow the Barbarian levelling guide to level 70. Play the all-legendary starter: Hammer, Leap, Rallying Cry, War Cry, Challenging Shout and Wrath of the Berserker. Leap is your mobility and your emergency Fury. Wear Anger Management on the helm, Heavenly Strength on the chest, Walloping on the two-handed mace, Crushing on the polearm, Warpath and Edgemaster's on the dual-wield pair and Earthstriker's on the gloves. Aim for 30–40% Cooldown Reduction.