Hammer of the Ancients

Hammer of the Ancients is a Barbarian Tier 3 skill unlocked at level 6, which causes a big 2-handed hammer to appear in the Barbarian's hands, with which he smacks an enemy for increased % of weapon damage.

Background

Diablo III Active Skill [e]
Hammer of the Ancients
Used by:	Barbarian
Enabled at:	Clvl 6
Skill Description
A massive attack that deals X% weapon damage plus an additional Y physical damage, and has a Z% increased chance to critically hit
Type:	Direct Damage
Resource Use:	Costs Fury
Skill Rune Effects
Alabaster rune:	Unknown
Crimson rune:	Unknown
Golden rune:	Unknown
Indigo rune:	Unknown
Obsidian rune:	Unknown

The Barbarian calls for aid from his ancestors, and they respond by lending him this huge hammer.

Skill Design

This is a really fun skill to use, and is very powerful. The increased chance to critically hit is assumed to increase the Hammer of the Ancients critical chance, instead of normal melee hits. It's a huge attack, and hits quickly, but the Barbarian takes a second to recover after the strike, leaving him vulnerable to nearby enemies. This looks like a skill that's best used against single large targets, rather than while swarmed. It's not clear if the strike will hit multiple enemies, or just the targeted enemy.

Skill Rank Table

• Rank 1: A massive attack that deals 175% weapon damage plus an additional 12 physical damage, and has a 25% increased chance to critically hit.
• Rank 2: A massive attack that deals 200% weapon damage plus an additional 18 physical damage, and has a 30% increased chance to critically hit. (A)
• Rank 3: A massive attack that deals 225% weapon damage plus an additional 24 physical damage, and has a 35% increased chance to critically hit. (A)
• Rank 4: A massive attack that deals 250% weapon damage plus an additional 30 physical damage, and has a 40% increased chance to critically hit. (A)
• Rank 5: A massive attack that deals 275% weapon damage plus an additional 36 physical damage, and has a 45% increased chance to critically hit. (A)

(A) = Assumed

Say hello to my little friend...

Trait Synergies

Hammer of the Ancients benefits directly from the following Barbarian traits:

• Intimidation: Increases damage done and reduces vendor costs.
• Cruelty: Increases your chance of dealing critical strikes.
• Weak Spot: Increases critical strike damage.

Hammer of the Ancients may benefit from the following traits:

• Frenzied Attacks: Increases the chance to deal critical strikes and increases critical strike damage when the Barbarian is wielding two weapons.
• Thunderous Blows: Increases damage done when the Barbarian is wielding a two-handed weapon.
• Beast Hunter: Damage bonus against Beasts.
• Demonsbane: Damage bonus against Demons.
• Just...Stay...Dead!: Damage bonus against Undead.
• Massive Blow: You have a chance to hit all nearby targets with a single hit. Requires a two-handed weapon.
• Pig Sticker: Increases damage done when the Barbarian is wielding a polearm, spears or when he throws weapons.
• Die by the Sword: Increases damage done when the Barbarian is wielding swords.
• Axe Murderer: Increases damage done when the Barbarian is wielding axes.
• Brain Basher: Increases damage done when the Barbarian is wielding maces.

Note: The current trait list is very out-of-date and will no doubt be overhauled before game release.

Skill Rune Effects

• No rune effects for Hammer of the Ancients are known.

Development

Hammer of the Ancients was first seen when Diablo III debuted at WWI 2008. At the time, the skill was at Tier II on the Battlemaster Skill Tree; it dealt 100% weapon damage, an additional 2 physical damage and increased the damage of critical hits by 20% at rank one.

By BlizzCon 2009, this skill had gotten a small boost to all of its stats, and had been bumped up to Tier III. Aside from the removal of skill trees, this skill hasn't noticeably changed since then. Flux described using it at BlizzCon 2010 (or maybe BlizzCon 2009) as:[1]

The impact zone seemed very small, like a single monster in radius, which felt weird. Like it should be called Snow Shovel of the Ancients, with a narrow, blade-thin hitting end. As big as the hammer was, it should have had a crushing impact, capable of hitting multiple enemies in the area. Even basic Rank One Cleave did that, and with a much faster, more accurate, and less Fury-costly attack.

Previous Versions

See the Barbarian skill archive for more details on previous versions of Hammer of the Ancients and other Barbarian skills.

Media

Hammer of the Ancients can be seen in action on video here:

• Gameplay: WWI 2008

You can find pictures in the Diablo III screenshot and picture gallery:

• Diablo III screenshots and pictures
• Hammer of the Ancients specific gallery contents

References

• BlizzCon 2009 Full Barbarian Skill Trees and Stats
• BlizzCon 2010 Barbarian Hands-on Report