Hammer of the Ancients

Hammer of the Ancients is a Barbarian Tier 3 skill unlocked at character 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 Skill [e]
Hammer of the Ancients Active, 5 ranks
Used by:	Barbarian
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
Skill Details:
Type:	Direct Damage
Quantity:	Instant
Effect:	Target
School:	Physical
Fury cost:	Unknown
Cast time:	None
Duration:	None
Cooldown:	None
Synergies:	None
Requires:	N/A
Prereq of:	N/A

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...

Synergies

• None known.

Skill Rune Effects

• None known.

Development

Hammer of the Ancients was seen in every Diablo III game demo to date, and was iterated and moved, judging from the latest demo. The old Hammer of the Ancients was in tier II and dealt 100% weapon damage, an additional 2 physical damage and increased the damage of critical hits by 20% at rank one. 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.

Media

You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:

• Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures
• Hammer of the Ancients-specific gallery contents

Related Articles

• Battlemaster Skill Tree

References

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