Siege Buster ( Updated 1/31/2015) by Caliandra

Siege Buster ( Updated 1/31/2015)

By: Caliandra
Last Updated: Feb 3, 2015
3 Votes
Rating Pending
Build Guides Discussion (4) More Guides
Build 1 of 3

Sgt. Hammer

Build: Heavy Artillery

Level 1
Level 4
Level 7
Level 10
Level 13
Level 16
Level 20

Threats to Sgt. Hammer with this build

Threat
Low
High
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Threat Hero Notes
1
   No Threat
2
 Muradin He is not a threat by himself. You can easily out poke him and watch out for his leap. He is most dangerous when he is with friends.
3
   No Threat
4
 Azmodan Azmodan is a character that has more range than you. He can be fairly rough to go up against if you don't know how to handle him. Do never use siege mode if you're alone, because he will use his AoE and his Death ray thing. You want to be as mobile as you can when fighting him. Dont be to close to him, and you should be easily able to take him out. His ONLY damage is his Death Ray
4
 Malfurion Mostly only a threat when he is with a team mate. Other than that, he is pretty easy pickings if he is alone. Avoid his AoE's and you should be fine with him.
5
 Chen Chen is annoying in the fact that he can nearly stick to you like glue, and has a lot of shielding thanks to that fortification Brew. It is not impossible to get away from him though.
5
 Tassadar This depends on which ulti he takes. If he takes his Archon form, do not approach him, try to keep your distance.
5
 E.T.C. ETC has quite a bit of CC. You will want to stay away from him as much as you can, and if he uses his stun ulti, knock him out of it with your Knockback.
5
 Jaina She has a lot of soft CC's, such as slows. She also has plenty of damage as well. Because of this, she is harder to run away from if you need to get away, but well placed mines and knockbacks can save your life. Other than that, you should be able to out damage her if you find yourself in a 1v1.
5
 Sgt. Hammer This Match-up will depend on who you are with, and who they are with. As well as your ability to synergize with your partner, and your own skill. Good Luck.
5
 Tyrande Mostly easy to deal with if she isn't that great with her skill shots and not much of a threat by herself. She will possibly be a higher Priority target because of how much she can support her team.
5
 Abathur To me, he's not much of a direct threat, and a lot more of a nuisance. A well played Abathur will make anyone's day hell, but once you find him, it's a bit over. Just be careful of mines and Symbiotes that may be on your target.
5
 Murky A lot like Gazlowe in threat, but not the same in play style. Murky is fairly annoying with his 2 second respawn with his egg, and his puffer fish can deal a crap ton of damage once he's a high enough level. Also, he has an invulnerability that can heal him. Caution is advised while facing him. Also, if you find his egg, you have 20 second to kill him.
5
 Rehgar Not a threat by himself, but can still cause a bit of problems. He is capable of healing himself from full HP if he took the Ancestral Healing, and also capable of keeping up with you and hurting you if he took Bloodlust. Do not stay close to him because of lightning shield, and try not to be to predictable with your movements, as EarthBind totem will make it hard for you to escape if you are.
6
 Tychus This is pretty much a match up of skill. If he lands nearly every grenade, and you're not that great, you may end up losing. Be careful
6
 Li Li Not much of a threat as she is annoying! She will make killing people really hard if she is around, even if she's by herself. Try to kill her before she ulti's.
7
 Gazlowe I am still unsure about Gazlowe. I have seen really crappy ones, a lot of them, and only one or two really good ones. He is very dangerous if played correctly. Try not to stay to close to him and do not chase him.
7
 Raynor Raylorn isn't as much as a threat as Nova or other assassins, but he can still be rough to take down with that passive stimpack he has to heal himself and his increased attack speed. Also keep in mind what ulti he takes, and be careful of his skillshot, as it does hurt a lot.
8
 Arthas Arthus can be a pain in the butt if he knows how to use Howling Blast correctly. Other than that, if he doesn't land his CC on you, you can poke him without much trouble. Arthus is more of a threat if he is close and in a team fight in my opinion. Just be careful and do not underestimate him. Watch out for Path of Frost. Depending on the skill of the Arthus, he can be annoying or a real threat.
8
 Uther He can CC lock you when you pop your thrusters and still deal a good bit of damage. He is also a pain in the ass if he is with his team. If there are no priority targets, he goes first.
8
 Brightwing He is possibly just as annoying as Uther if not more annoying. A polymorph and a displacement move to push take advantage of you if you are in siege mode.
8
 Tyrael Tyrael is only higher on the threat meter because he can be a bit of a pain to get away from, also he does quite a bit of damage as well, as well as being a bit tanky. Try to stay far from him and keep your distance as best as you can.
8
 Diablo Diablo is a damage sponge and a great initiator. Be careful with him, as he can charge you, and flip you into his team if you are not careful. If he gets his handso n you, it's probably over. Keep your distance and think quickly if he tries to get in your face.
8
 Stitches I am putting stitches in the other threat levels as the other tanks. He can be annoying to put down, and even more deadly if he can use his skills correctly. Also he can pull you back to him after you thruster if you're not careful. Also, be careful of being eaten and taken back to his team. I always take Giant Killer if he's on the other team.
8
 Anub'arak A tank with Initiation and CC. HE can be annoying to you if he decides to focus you, but other than that, he is fairly easy to get away from. A well played one could catch up with you though.
8
 Nazeebo This guy is actually pretty dangerous to you. Watch out for his zombie wall and both of his ult's. The corpse spiders are also a bit of a problem as well, as they actually run really fast and keep up with you. His toads can also do some damage if you stick around to long. Stay mobile.
8
 Valla Valla can be a problem, because she is faster than you and has a lot of AoE's. You usually want to save your thrusters until she uses her tumbles, and then make your escape if you need to. However, if you believe you can take her on, you just may be able to depending on the traits she took. Just becareful of Rain of Vengeance and Strafe
9
 Nova Nova has enough burst damage to make you hate your life. It has happened to me so many timed before. Her Triple Tap towards end game will probably take about 80% of your HP away. While she does a lot of damage, it is not impossible to get away from her if you need to run, just rather difficult. If you're good at spotting her out in team fights, you can make her life hell with Napalm.
9
 Kerrigan Assassin with a lot of burst and gap closers. Be careful.
9
 Zeratul Cloak, assassin, burst damage... Yea.. Just as dangerous as Nova
9
 Zagara This hero is one of the reasons why I rarely use Siege Mode. If you use it, you're like a sitting duck for her. Her banelings hurt and her meteor roach thing will alwaysh it you if you aren't quick enough with boostering out of Siege Mode. She also has quick Auto Attacks and they do hurt, along with hydralisks. Avoid 1v1 confrontation.
9
 Falstad This character is another reason why I do not use Siege Mode to often. He can destroy you if you stand still for to long and his Ulti -will- hurt you. He is also hard to chase, and a good one is hard to get away from.
10
 Illidan Illidan is the most annoying assassin to Hammer, mostly because you can not run from him, and you can not win against him.. If you're caught alone with him, you're gone.

Sgt. Hammer

Build: Siege Mode

Level 1
Level 4
Level 7
Level 10
Level 13
Level 16
Level 20

Threats to Sgt. Hammer with this build

Threat
Low
High
Show all
Threat Hero Notes
1
   No Threat
2
   No Threat
3
   No Threat
4
 Sgt. Hammer Refer to Heavy Artillery Threat list
5
   No Threat
6
   No Threat
7
   No Threat
8
   No Threat
9
   No Threat
10
   No Threat

Sgt. Hammer

Build: Blaster Mine

Level 1
Level 4
Level 7
Level 10
Level 13
Level 16
Level 20

Threats to Sgt. Hammer with this build

Threat
Low
High
Show all
Threat Hero Notes
1
   No Threat
2
   No Threat
3
   No Threat
4
   No Threat
5
   No Threat
6
 Muradin Anyone with CC is dangerous to you with this build if you decide the risky playstyle. Tread carefully, and refer to the Heavy Artillery threat list for the full threat meter.
7
   No Threat
8
   No Threat
9
   No Threat
10
   No Threat

Introduction Top

Heyo guys, this is Caliandra, and I am bringing you my first guide of Heroes of the Storm, Sgt. Hammer. Sgt Hammer is actually the first character I bought, played, and even my highest level character that is level 10. I have tried multiple builds, and found that there are indeed multiple builds that make Hammer good, but this one is one of my favorite builds to play her with.

Hammer is a Hero that requires good Strategy and quick thinking to play. She is not for the less tactical, and sometimes the difference between one small mistake and one small success, could make a difference in paying a trip to the spawn point.

For those of you who do not know, Hammer is a Ranged Specialist character from the Starcraft Universe. She is a Siege Tank, my favorite unite in the Starcraft Universe. She has the Siege Tanks signature mode setting, Siege Mode. Although, the difference between a good Hammer, and a bad Hammer, is knowing when and how to use it.

Guide Update's / To-do List! Top

12/24/2014: Guide Created

1/5/2015: Threat meter finished. Explained unexplained traits in trait chapter. Explained Artillery a bit more. Put in Base Stat/Stat Increse per level chapter in.

1/28/2015: Early Game Progression updated. Added Chapter: Map Strategies.

1/29/2015: Pro's / Con's list added. About time..

1/30/2015: Added Siege Mode build. Added Blaster Mine build. Took out Resurgence of the Storm, RIP. Updated Siege Mode description to better fit the guide around multiple builds.

1/31/2015: Completed Buster Mine build.



TO DO LIST:

- Finish Map Strategy chapter. (Need to add Sky Temple, have yet to get to play on it as Hammer)
- Tune the Map Strategy Chapter. (It's not good enough to me!)
- Find out where Thrall goes on the Threat Meter
- Video chapter (If I can. It may take a little bit.)

Pro's and Con's! Top

It's time for you to hear the things you want to hear! Aaaand the things you don't want to hear. Pro's and Cons's aren't one sided sadly!

Pro's



- Amazing Siege AND Hero Damage capability
- Sustained, Far range damage
- Has the choice of building survival.
- Siege Mode, if used correctly, increases your presence drastically.
- All of her traits are useful in some way
- Her kit is great
- Ability to set Defensive perimeters if needed.

Con's



- Low mobility aside from Thrusters
- No burst damage
- Easy target for Assassins such as Nova
- Siege Mode, if used incorrectly, makes her a sitting duck.
- Potentially an easy target if caught alone. (Depends who finds you)

Base Stats and Increases per level! Top

Base Stats
Life 770
Life Regen 1.6054
Energy 500
Energy Regen 3
Speed 4.3984
Attack Speed 1
Attack Range 5.5
Attack Damage 44


Stats per level
Max Health 170
Health Regen 0.3554
Ranged Damage 13
Splash Damage 13
Max Energy 10
Energy Regen 0.0976

By level 20, Sgt Hammer will have 4,000 HP flat. This actually is not much health at all, considering Azmodan himself has around 6,000.

She will also be doing about 291 damage at this level as well, if nothing is increasing her damage whatsoever. Her traits will make this boost.

Skills Top

In my opinion, Artillery is a great trait to get used to. It helps Hammer with everything she can do, which includes, but not limited to, building destruction and Team Fighting. It's also great for helping clear out camps with an ally if they are helping out. The trait Heavy Artillery will make this passive even more deadly. It also gives you a reason to be as far away as you can from the enemy while still being able to hit them.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE: Sgt Hammers Artillery does not take effect unless the target is at least 3 range away from her. Her basic attack range outside of Siege Mode (And without Maelstrom Shells) is 5! So they will need to be over half your Auto-Attack distance away from you. After you obtain Maelstrom Shells, your range increases to 6.



I love these things, they have saved my life in more ways than one. Either it be running away and plopping them down behind me while I have thrusters from the slow, or if it's checking a bush with them, they have been there with me every step of the way.

There are multiple uses for spider mines than the two I listed above. Setting a defensive perimeter, you could possibly have fifteen out at once, but not for a very long time until the first five blow up by themselves. Use these wisely, and they may be your favorite Non-Heroic skill, like they are mine.



Concussive blast is a great skill. While it's not long range, it gives you a bit of damage and a reliable cone Knock Back. You can use it for multiple things such as isolating an enemy from their team, or my favorite, drive by Thrusters and push someone into your team. You can also fire it behind you while running away with Thrusters. Do never forget about your concussive blast when it it up.



Alright, I'm going to have to give a little lesson here. For those who don't know! You will see a blue dotted ring around Hammer when you play her. That is the range of your Siege Mode. Use it wisely. Siege Mode is not the best thing to use while in a Team Fight -unless- you are 100% sure you can stay there without being attacked, without moving for a few seconds or if you went the Siege Mode build in the guide. Siege Mode is a skill that you commit to, if you use it, you better stay in it for a little while or else you waste your time.

If you find yourself across the map and it's to late to reach an objective, go ahead and push some towers/forts with it, you can out-range both while in Siege mode. HOWEVER! If you believe you can be of some help with you're team, forget about the siege damage and go help them. Mechanics and your team will help you win the game more than your ability to take out towers and forts, because I guarantee you, that you can -not- out push that Dragon Knight, Cannon, Garden Terror, Golem.. And you can't really push that much at all if your team is cursed. If you are pushing a lane by yourself, you're doing it wrong, Hammer can easily be caught if out of place. In Starcraft, you would never put in siege tanks without backup of some sort. This skill makes you think a lot, and not only that, it's hard to master when to even use it. Be careful when you decide to use it. This makes or breaks you.

Heroic Skills Top

(R) Napalm Strike
Napalm Strike is possibly my favorite skill out of Sgt Hammers set. There are multiple things that are great about this skill, but also some downsides to it that could make BFG a better choice to the other person besides me. Napalm Strike is great for taking out buildings, it can be used to shoot behind you if you are running away, it can be used to fire ahead of your enemies if they are running away (I sniped a Nova with it before and killed her, take that you Ghost bi***.), and it's on a really short Cool down and costs little mana. Also, after the initial damage, a small AoE circle stays there for about four seconds and burns everything inside the AoE. However, it lacks the -far- range that BFG has for sniping people across the map, which is fun. Also, if you trait into it at level 20, the range goes past your siege mode range while not in siege mode. I believe that is crazy!

If you are pushing you can also put napalm on the Caster and archer minions to clear them quickly.
(R) Blunt Force Gun
In my opinion, BFG is a great Ulti, but I just prefer Napalm Strike over it. You do a chunk of damage with one skill, and possibly take out buildings (Quite Slowly) over time when you hit level 20. In my opinion the ulti upgrade is not worth it, because the time it takes to destroy a fort, the game may already be over, although it's good to have constant push and pressure on a straight lane if you want to play pusher. There aren't many straight lanes in this game though.

I'm 100% sure there are many other uses for this skill, and I'm sure they are all great, but in my opinion, Napalm Strike could help you better with presence and sustained small bursts in a Team Fight, and it's even great for taking buildings down when you're there.

Traits for Heavy Artillery Build Top

Advanced Artillery - I believe this is your best trait to get at level one. The reason being, is that it gives you more reason to stay as far away from the enemy as possibly, and dealing more damage as a reward for staying far away. Also, you will be rarely using Siege Mode with this build, so it isn't worth traiting into Resistant or Ambush unless you know what you are doing. Lethal Blast could be a possible pick-up if you think you won't be able to keep your distance.

I believe Regeneration Master is not worth taking because you need to farm and stay close to get the orbs. You do not want to be close.


Maelstrom Shells - This trait is possibly (In my opinion) the better trait to pick up in level four. The reason being is that not only does it increase your attack range, it will also increase the range of your Siege Mode, which means you can siege from a little further away. If you do not like the extra range, then you can go with Vampiric Assault for the extra survivability, or even Focused Attack if you want a bit more reliable damage every so often. Sometimes Excessive Force could be worth taking if your knockback just isn't enough, probably worth taking if you're up against Illidan.



Hyper-Cooling Engines - This trait is possibly my favorite of the three above. It will basically decrease the cool down of your thrusters by 33%. It will make it to where you can get away more often, and even travel a bit more. As well as making repositioning easier. Mobility on Hammer is possibly a blessing, but another trait to look at if you do not go for thrusters, or if you're just being bullied a lot, First Aid may be worth picking up instead.

Slowing Mines are never worth taking in this tier in my opinion, as Hyper-Cooling Engines will always be the better tool to reposition yourself with or escape.



Napalm Strike - I already explained this in the Heroic Ability Section.



First Strike - This trait would have to be my favorite one to pick up. It helps a lot with destroying structures, and very rewarding if you are able to stay away from the enemy and not get hit. However, if you are looking for something more reliable, or you find yourself being targeted or they have a pesky Arthus/Stitches, Giant Killer may be the way to go instead, even Barricade if you need something to help you survive better.

Bullhead Mines in my opinion, are not worth taking if you are no good at mines. They may knock them back the wrong way if you are not that great with the placement of them, but if you are confident in your ability of placing mines. Not as reliable as the other traits, but could be good if used correctly.


Mine Field - In my opinion this is possibly the better trait because of the two additional mines. It makes the lay down larger and more difficult to kill all of them than just three. Also it's pretty devestating if all five hit, and if you have a literal mine field because you're setting up a defensive point (Say a Shrine in Dragon Shire), it could deal a lot of damage if all 10 or 15 of them hit that person. However, if you do not get Minefield, you could always go Stoneskin for the extra survivability or one of the siege mode upgrades if you really wanted one. Hell, even Executioner could be a good trait to pick up if you have quite a bit of CC on the team, or if you traited into Spider Mines a lot before-hand.

Graduating Range could be worth picking up if you find yourself pinned down behind your towers a lot. It's only a trait to consider.

Hover Siege Mode might also be worth taking up if you realized you're not being focused and you find yourself pushing up a lot if you find yourself in siege mode a lot. Or even if you're not being focused in Team Fights.



Advanced Lava Strike - The upgrade to the Napalm Strike is really great in my opinion if you took it. In this build I am telling you to take it, and 50% more damage and 75% more range on your ulti could prove invaluable. However, if you decide not to take Lava Strike.

If you took Blunt Force Gun instead of Napalm Strike, Orbital BFG could be worth taking if you are able to use it's orbital path rotation correctly. If you are not confident in the ability to make a proper path, grab Fury of the Storm.

Heavy Artillery Build break down Top

The heavy artillery build which I present to you is a skill that focuses around auto-attacks and mechanical uses of all of her skills. This is the build I use and enjoy the most on Hammer, as it gives me high potential of having high hero and siege damage, also uses my kit as a whole to be able to survive and siege mode when I need it.

The job of the Heavy artillery build is pretty much staying as far away as you can to proc your passive from that 3 range distance for the extra 30% damage. Artillery makes your damage increase by 20%, Advanced Artillery increases the damage to 30%. Also, if you're able to keep your distance and kill out of harms way, First Strike adds another 25% damage boost to your attacks. I am unsure what is calculated first, or if they all just pile into each other for a pool of 55% total, but it is kind of ridiculous when you smack a character for about 350-450 damage a hit, and even more if you're able to pull off Siege Mode.

This build was designed to hurt with the sustained damage.

Traits for Siege Mode Build Top

Ambush - This is possible the trait you will wish to pick up for your Siege Mode build. It allows you to stealth when you first enter siege mode and an initial burst of damage. Also, once you get Hover Siege Mode it will go hand in hand because you will be able to move while stealthed to better position yourself better in a fight.

I would take Advanced Artillery if you do not choose Ambush and wish for something a bit more promising.

The other traits such as Resistant and Lethal Blast may be worth taking if you do not see the use in the initial burst or stealth, but I wouldn't pick either of them above Advanced Artillery

I believe Regeneration Master is not worth taking because you need to farm and stay close to get the orbs. You do not want to be close.


Maelstrom Shells - This trait is possibly (In my opinion) the better trait to pick up in level four. The reason being is that not only does it increase your attack range, it will also increase the range of your Siege Mode, which means you can siege from a little further away. If you do not like the extra range (which you should for a Siege Mode build}, then you can go with Vampiric Assault for the extra survivability, or even Focused Attack if you want a bit more reliable damage every so often to pair with Ambush. Sometimes Excessive Force could be worth taking if your knockback just isn't enough, probably worth taking if you're up against Illidan.



Hyper-Cooling Engines - This trait is possibly my favorite of the three above. It will basically decrease the cool down of your thrusters by 33%. It will make it to where you can get away more often, and even travel a bit more. As well as making repositioning easier. Mobility on Hammer is possibly a blessing, but another trait to look at if you do not go for thrusters, or if you're just being bullied a lot, First Aid may be worth picking up instead.

Slowing Mines are never worth taking in this tier in my opinion, as Hyper-Cooling Engines will always be the better tool to reposition yourself with or escape.



Napalm Strike - I already explained this in the Heroic Ability Section.



First Strike - This trait would have to be my favorite one to pick up with the Siege Mode build, because your job is to stay back and deal as much damage as you can from the back. However, if you find yourself being targeted or they have a pesky Arthus/Stitches, Giant Killer may be the way to go instead, even Barricade if you need something to help you survive better.

Bullhead Mines in my opinion, are not worth taking if you are no good at mines. They may knock them back the wrong way if you are not that great with the placement of them, but if you are confident in your ability of placing mines. Not as reliable as the other traits, but could be good if used correctly.


Hover Siege Mode - This will probably be your go to pick if you took Ambush. You will be able to move around while in siege mode to be able to reposition yourself inside of it which is invaluable because sometimes they just don't stay in range long enough for you to make Siege mode worth it. Also it's great if your team is pushing up on a land, you don't have to get out of siege mode and wait the 5 second cool down.

Graduating Range may be worth picking up if you do not find yourself being pushed and losing lane advantage. A more defensive trait to protect from behind your gate or even shoot from further away if you stayed in siege mode for a while.

Mine Field is worth picking up if you find yourself in a situation that you need to escape from one to many times. It's always a good trait to consider.

Executioner and Stoneskin may be worth looking into if your team has a lot of CC, or if you find yourself just, dying -way- to early in team fights. These would be at the bottom of -my- priority list though.



Advanced Lava Strike - The upgrade to the Napalm Strike is really great in my opinion if you took it. In this build I am telling you to take it, and 50% more damage and 75% more range on your ulti could prove invaluable.

If you took Blunt Force Gun instead of Napalm Strike, Orbital BFG could be worth taking if you are able to use it's orbital path rotation correctly.If you are not confident in the ability to make a proper path, grab Fury of the Storm.

Siege Mode build break down Top

The Siege Mode build is a build that is focused and centered around the skill of course. Grabbing anything we can to assist our ability to be able to be a deadly, far hitting machine. This build is not only meant to take out buildings, but also trying to stay as far away from the enemy as possible. In a sense, it's kind of like the Advance Artillery build, except you are beefing up Siege Mode for all of your fights and encounters instead.

The build can be a lot of fun if you are good at using the skill Siege Mode, but I would not suggest using this build until you have a better meaning of how to use it.

Traits for Blaster/Mine Build Top

Lethal Blast - Lethal blast will increase the damage of your Concussive Blast by 50%. This build is focused around the usage of concussive blast and nearly being a front liner but with range. It will give you a bit of a reliable skill with a good amount of damage and a cone knock back.

Other traits in level 1 are not worth taking if you plan to go this build because you will not be in the back like usual.


Excessive Force - This skill doubles the knockback of your Concussive Blast. It will be the trait you look forward to getting to be able to blast people you don't want away, or blasting people into your team.

Other traits in level 4 are not worth taking if you plan to go this build because you will not be in the back like usual.


Hyper-Cooling Engines - This trait is possibly my favorite of the three above. It will basically decrease the cool down of your thrusters by 33%. It will make it to where you can get away more often, and even travel a bit more. As well as making repositioning easier. Mobility on Hammer is possibly a blessing, but another trait to look at if you do not go for thrusters, or if you're just being bullied a lot, First Aid may be worth picking up instead.

Slowing Mines may be considered this build, as it will give your enemy a harder time escaping from your team, and you.



Napalm Strike - I already explained this in the Heroic Ability Section.



Barricade - This trait will make it to where the enemy will still have a harder time to get away from your enemy, creating a wall between them, you and possibly their escape route. This also gives you good leverage to use Napalm blast if you know where they are going to end up, or going to go.

Bullhead Mines may be worth taking up if you decide against the wall, knocking enemies back. I believe it is not as valuable as creating a wall though.


Mine Field - In my opinion this is possibly the better trait because of the two additional mines. It makes the lay down larger and more difficult to kill all of them than just three. Also it's pretty devestating if all five hit, and if you have a literal mine field because you're setting up a defensive point (Say a Shrine in Dragon Shire), it could deal a lot of damage if all 10 or 15 of them hit that person. However, if you do not get Minefield, you could always go Stoneskin for the extra survivability or one of the siege mode upgrades if you really wanted one. Hell, even Executioner could be a good trait to pick up if you have quite a bit of CC on the team.

Graduating Range could be worth picking up if you find yourself pinned down behind your towers a lot. It's only a trait to consider.

Hover Siege Mode might also be worth taking up if you realized you're not being focused and you find yourself pushing up a lot if you find yourself in siege mode a lot. Or even if you're not being focused in Team Fights.



Advanced Lava Strike - The upgrade to the Napalm Strike is really great in my opinion if you took it. In this build I am telling you to take it, and 50% more damage and 75% more range on your ulti could prove invaluable. However, if you decide not to take Lava Strike.

If you took Blunt Force Gun instead of Napalm Strike, Orbital BFG could be worth taking if you are able to use it's orbital path rotation correctly. If you are not confident in the ability to make a proper path, grab Fury of the Storm.

Blaster Mine Build break down Top

The Blaster Mine build has two different playstyles that you can switch up in the middle of the game.

The first playstyle I am speaking of is fairly simple, and I suggest it for newer Hammers that are unable to stay away from combat. It is a fairly defensive playstle, in terms of keeping the enemy -away- from you. How these build works is that if they get to close, you blast them back and continue raining fire on them. If you are able to get the range of it correct, you are also able to make use of that wall that Barricade makes with your napalm and Spider mines.

The playstyle, in my opinion, is a good way of keeping people away from you, especially people that could normally kill hammer easily such as Illidan and maybe Nova if you notice her quick enough. This build is a mixture of survival and damage.

______________________________________________________________________________________

WARNING:

 The play style I'm -about- to speak of is for higher skilled Hammers. I highly suggest staying away from this play style if you are not good at playing Sergeant Hammer.

I can barely pull this style off myself, but it may work wonders if you are able to pull it off. The idea of this build is to zoom by the enemy using your thusters and knock them into your team much like a reverse initiator and getting out of line of fire. This build is highly dangerous, and only the skilled are able to actually fully pull it off.


You will trap target enemies into your team by barricading them back, and keeping the enemy at bay with your mines as you get away from the rest of their team with the remaining few seconds of your thusters. Once successful, the battle becomes a 4v5 and you are free to use Siege Mode in team fights/pushing.

Map Strategy Top

Blackheart's Bay



Blackheart's Bay, I can't say it's not my favorite map, but it's also not my most hated. Blackheart's Bay is a bit of a challenge for Hammer, given she can't really do anything to burst the treasure chests open quickly like a lot of other Heroes.

You should not use the Siege Mode build to get siege damage in this map! The mechanics of this map does siege damage for you. you will be focusing around helping your team and making sure the enemy doesn't turn in doubloons.

In Blackheart's Bay, the usual laning is, from top to bottom, 0/4/1. You will not be going solo, unless you are confident in your ability to survive, but even then I wouldn't suggest it because it's the bottoms job to get the chest that spawns down there, and you're slow at killing chests. You will be helping your team get the watch tower and upper chest.

Throughout the game, you will be doing your best as support fire from the back. Do not take on mercenaries alone and help your team. You want to do your best not to take doubloons. Only take them if you -have- to, this includes you being the only one there to take them, or snatching them on the run. Either though you don't want to carry doubloons, help your team obtain them! Blackheart's Cannon out pushes your pushing power by a **** ton more. You are able to interrupt peoples turn ins with your Napalm Strike.


Dragon Shire



Dragon Shire is one of my most favorite maps as Sgt Hammer. Her potential on this map is pretty great, being able to hold a defensive perimeter around a shrine to protect and guard it, but like I said, you still don't want to be alone. You will be guardian your shrine with the help of someone else. While you can protect it alone, it is still not advised to do anything alone in a team game.

Never take Dragon Knight unless you have to. Dragon Knight is better in the hands of someone else so you can cause catastrophic damage -with- them. I usually push a separate lane as Hammer when the Dragon Knight is on the map, because people will be more worried about the Dragon Knight and not interrupt you a lot of the times. Another thing you can do is go in with your Dragon Knight, just make sure you are not alone with the Knight.

Protecting a shrine becomes a bit easier when you get your two extra spider mines, doing a bit more damage with each set of mines. Usually all the mines will hit them if you set them up correctly because the entrance of each shrine is so small. But, the shrine area being small, this puts Hammer at a disadvantage as well. This is why I say have someone with you.

Taking a Shrine is fun as well, being able to take out people from a far distance and raining down hell on them because they are confined in a small area. You usually have enough power to force them out.


Haunted Mines



Haunted Mines is another game mode that Hammer does well in. You will be going with your team to capture the watch tower.

Being able to take out the undead quickly in the mines with her napalm and auto attacks. The same strategy really applies to this map as it does to Dragon Shire except without the protecting of the shrines, either push with your golem -and- allies or go to the other lane to cause damage up there/take out their golem. The only time you really want to push with your golem is when it is stronger than the enemies and your team is there... If the enemies is stronger you will be taking care of that golem. Believe it or not, Hammer with Napalm can actually kill the golem surprisingly quickly if it's not too terribly much stronger than yours (say 60/40).


Cursed Hollow



This map is possibly my second most hated map, possibly because my team never knows how to commit when I get this map.

This map is different than the others. You will always want to go middle lane so that you can be there for every tribute. If your team gets cursed, there is little you can do in terms of pushing, you will be forced to defend. Napalm is important in this, because you will want to interrupt people trying to take the tribute. If they aren't taking it, nuke some people with napalm. Also Napalm is great at clearing minions if you end up being cursed.

The real strategy in this map is getting the enemy team cursed, so that the enemies will have to worry about you pushing a land. Their minions will do nothing to you, and buildings that can't attack make your job easier to take them down along side with the weakened minions.


Garden of Terror



The Garden of Terror is a fun map in my eyes. It allows you to learn napalm placements, also gives you a real test of her power on taking down the Garden Terrors in the gardens. It also tests your reaction time with your thrusters.

You will want to help your team gather seeds that drop from the shamblers which appear at night, support firing and leaving escape routes in case if things get sour. Fighting the Garden Terror if the enemy gets one, you sort of treat it like the Dragon Knight. Keep your distance and fire napalm at it when you can. You want to be careful of the polymorph ability as well, because 9 times out of 10, they will try to hit you with it. When it summons the potted bulb, you will want to take that out ASAP.

When you have the Garden Terror, you will be doing the same thing as if it was a Dragon Knight or a golem. Pushing a separate land, or pushing with it with your team.


Sky Temple



Coming soon to a guide near you.

Game Progression Top

Early Game

In the early game, Hammer is possibly a bit weak. Not really hurting buildings or minions to terribly much and contributing a little bit to fights as you smack people with missiles. It's best to stay back and do as much as you can with what you have. Contribute to your team by helping them with map mechanics and taking camps (Do not take a camp alone). Remember that you can help allies get away as well with your mines and Concussive Blast if you feel nice enough.

With that being said, which lane do you go to? Well, it's not a good idea to be alone with Hammer, and sometimes there is no solo lane. The correct answer is, any land that can either compliment Hammers damage with more damage, or someone who could protect Hammer while she does her thing. In Cursed Hallow you will want to go middle lane though, so you can be there for tributes.



Mid Game

Middle game is when the fun begins. You have traited up and you finally have the heroic ability of your choice. What comes next? A lot of consideration and thinking. Hammer requires quick thinking and Strategy to become successful with. A quick Napalm Strike or a right placed Spider Mines could change a good bit of the fight. When you are 100% sure you're team doesn't need you with a fight, try to take on a fort/tower if you're close enough without leaving your team (This does not apply to Blackheart's Bay, always help your team). If not, continue to help them in anyway you can anyway. Sometimes you will see opportunity to push another lane while your team has everything under control, but remember, your team comes first.



Late Game

Late game in my opinion, is possibly the most fun with Hammer. This is were her damage shines and her ability to take down buildings is amazing. As well as helping your team becomes easier. The basis of the late game is generally the same as middle lane, except you may have a few more options.

Conclusion (Final Thoughts) Top

Sergeant Hammer is a character that takes a bit to master, and to be honest, I haven't even mastered her. The battles always change depending of your team mates and the enemy, as is will never be the same thing you try to think of over every single time.

I hope my guide was enjoyable and I hope it has been very informative of everything that needs to be known. IF you have and questions or concerns.. Or even if you disagree with something in the guide! Please leave a comment and explain. I am always listening to ways of improving my own skills as well as helping you by giving the information that is available to me.

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