Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Preview: The Crusader Class
Reminiscent of Diablo II: LoD’s Paladin class, the Crusader is the sixth and only additional class available as part of the Reaper of Souls expansion pack.
In no way an average holy warrior, Crusaders possess a pronounced grit about them, instilled in them during their continued plight against corruption and decay. Wielding flails, shields and other heavy armory Crusaders are designed to fulfill the role of defensive tank, but that hardly means they’re incapable of laying on the pain.
Let’s take a quick look at what you should expect from the upcoming Reaper of Souls’ most stalwart class.
Crusader: Active Abilities
The Crusader is far and away D3’s most defensive class. Sacrificing speed for armor and powerful party buffs, Crusaders are seemingly best suited for group play. However, given their decent selection of mid-range skills and undeniable ability to take a righteous pounding, they should also prove to be a formidable soloing class.
Now does that mean Crusaders will be able to level up quite as quickly as say, Wizards? Likely not, but they’ll certainly spend less time in peril.
Many of a Crusader’s primary and secondary abilities are shield based, with some like Shield Bash and Blessed Shield going so far as to convert the Crusader’s Block Amount to direct damage. The Crusader’s magic abilities are more of the short range AoE variety, either targeting enemies in an arc (Sweep Attack) or full circle. And for crowd control, the Crusader has access to a formidable array of blinds, roots and escape routes.
Those who party up with a Crusader will be treated to a myriad of beneficial buffs. The aptly titled Laws are unique in that they yield both passive and active effects. For instance, the Laws of Hope skill passively heals the party for a set amount each second. But when activated, it heals for a tremendous deal more – upwards of five times that of the passive effect.
We do wish that the Crusader had more Wrath (primary resource) generating abilities, if only because we’d like to use his most devastating offensive (Conviction) abilities with reckless abandon. Mid-range abilities that rain holy fire and bombard enemies with fury, Conviction abilities are arguably some of the most wicked looking and powerful spells at the Crusader’s disposal.
And yes, for all you D2 fans, the Crusader can smite his foes with ephemeral hammers.
Crusader: Passive Abilities
The Crusader’s passives are exceedingly diverse, and should cater to a variety of playing style. Some like Heavenly Strength allow the Crusader to brandish a two-handed weapon in one hand at the expense of speed, while others cause our Holy warrior to generate extra Wrath and life or extend the active duration of Laws.
And of course a select few increase the damage of certain abilities, more notably hammers.
Conclusion
Crusaders are likely to play a significant role in any party makeup. But due to their generous selection of powerful short and mid-ranged offensive abilities, do not dismiss the Crusader as a viable soloing class.
Remember sometimes dying less is better than hitting harder. Fare well, Warrior of Light.
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