Hey there, Diablo 3 fans! Are you ready to smash some demons and become an unstoppable force of righteousness? Then you've come to the right place! This guide is all about crafting the perfect Level 70 Crusader build in Diablo 3. We'll dive deep into skills, gear, and strategies to help you dominate Sanctuary. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a fresh-faced adventurer, this guide will provide you with the knowledge you need to create a truly epic Crusader.

Understanding the Crusader Class

Before we jump into the builds, let's talk about what makes the Crusader so awesome. This class is all about holy power, heavy armor, and devastating attacks. Crusaders are the embodiment of justice, using a combination of blessed weapons and divine magic to smite their foes. Their unique resource is Wrath, which fuels their powerful skills. They can take a beating and dish out even more, making them excellent choices for both solo and group play. What's even better, the Crusader is a versatile class. You can tailor your build for different playstyles. Do you want to be a tank that soaks damage? No problem! Would you rather unleash a torrent of heavenly fire? Absolutely! The Crusader offers a diverse range of builds to suit your preferences. If you like the idea of a character clad in shining armor, wielding a massive weapon, and calling down the wrath of the heavens, then the Crusader is definitely the class for you. The class also has some of the coolest visual effects in the game, from the fiery explosions of Heaven's Fury to the blinding flash of Blessed Shield. Get ready to experience the true power of the light. The Crusader is also a favorite for its ease of use. The skills are pretty straightforward to understand, which allows new players to jump right into the action.

Strengths of the Crusader

• High Survivability: Crusaders are renowned for their incredible defenses. They can take a serious beating thanks to their heavy armor, shields, and passive skills. This makes them ideal for surviving intense combat situations.
• Powerful Damage Output: Despite their tanky nature, Crusaders can also dish out some serious damage. Their skills deal significant damage, allowing them to effectively clear out hordes of enemies and take down bosses.
• Versatility: Crusaders are incredibly versatile, with builds that can excel in various roles, from tanking to damage dealing. You can adapt your build to fit your playstyle and the needs of your group.
• Strong Crowd Control: Many Crusader skills have crowd control effects, allowing them to stun, knock back, or otherwise disable enemies. This is incredibly helpful for managing large groups of monsters and protecting your teammates.

Weaknesses of the Crusader

• Resource Management: Crusaders rely on Wrath to fuel their abilities. Managing your Wrath efficiently is crucial for maintaining a high damage output and avoiding downtime.
• Mobility: Compared to some other classes, Crusaders can be a bit slow on the uptake. They don't have many mobility skills, which can make it challenging to escape from dangerous situations or quickly navigate the battlefield.
• Dependence on Gear: While Crusaders can perform reasonably well with any gear, certain builds rely on specific items to reach their full potential. This can make gearing up a bit more challenging.

Essential Crusader Skills at Level 70

Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty of Crusader skills! At level 70, you'll have access to a wide array of skills. Here are some of the must-have skills that form the core of most Crusader builds, and also some of the best skills to use:

Primary Skills

These skills are your bread and butter, used to generate Wrath and deal consistent damage. They are the skills you will use to build up your resource so that you can cast your big damage skills.

• Punish: A quick melee attack that generates Wrath and has a chance to critically strike. It's a solid choice for resource generation and can also trigger certain legendary item effects.
• Smite: A short-range attack that also generates Wrath and can be used to interrupt enemies. It's a good option for controlling the battlefield. The skill is useful for starting your combo or when you need some quick Wrath.

Secondary Skills

These skills are your damage dealers. Use them to spend your Wrath and unleash your destructive power on your enemies. They are the skills that make the Crusader shine.

• Blessed Hammer: A staple for many builds, this skill summons hammers that spin outwards, dealing holy damage to everything in their path. The rune options can dramatically change the hammers' behavior.
• Sweep Attack: A wide-ranging attack that damages enemies in front of you. It's great for clearing out groups of enemies and can be modified with runes to deal even more damage or provide crowd control.
• Falling Sword: This skill lets you leap into the air and slam down, dealing damage in an area. It's great for mobility and can also deal a massive amount of damage.

Defensive Skills

These skills are essential for keeping you alive and kicking. Crusaders are tough, but even they need a little help sometimes.

• Laws of Valor: A defensive buff that increases your attack speed, reducing the cooldowns of some skills. This is one of the most useful buffs for Crusaders.
• Akarat's Champion: A powerful buff that transforms you into a champion of the light, increasing your damage, armor, and wrath regeneration. This is the ultimate defensive skill for Crusaders.
• Shield Glare: A cone-shaped attack that blinds enemies. It's a great crowd control skill that can help you buy some time and keep your enemies at bay.

Utility Skills

These skills offer various utility effects that can help you control the battlefield or provide additional support.

• Provoke: A taunt that draws enemies to you, making them attack you instead of your allies. This is a very useful skill for tanking.
• Steed Charge: Gives you a speed boost, allowing you to move quickly around the battlefield. Very useful for repositioning or escaping danger.

Passive Skills

These skills provide a passive bonus to your stats or abilities. They are incredibly useful and can significantly improve your overall performance.

• Heavenly Strength: Increases your damage by 15% when wielding a two-handed weapon and a shield. This is a must-have for builds that focus on two-handed weapons.
• Fervor: Reduces the cooldown of your skills by 15%. This is a must-have for almost every build because it lets you cast your skills more often.
• Blunt: Increases your damage with blunt weapons by 20%. This is great for builds that use hammers or maces.
• Iron Skin: Increases your armor by 50% for 3 seconds when you take damage. This is a great skill that helps with survivability.

Best Level 70 Crusader Builds

Now, let's talk about the specific builds. Here are some of the most popular and effective Crusader builds for level 70, along with a brief overview of their strengths and weaknesses. The best build will depend on your desired playstyle and available gear.

1. Blessed Hammer Build

This build revolves around Blessed Hammer, the iconic Crusader skill. You'll want to focus on gear that enhances Blessed Hammer's damage and attack speed. This build is a great choice for both new and experienced players because it's easy to play and incredibly powerful. This build can easily clear out hordes of enemies. You will want to use gear that boosts Blessed Hammer's damage, like the Bracers of Fury.

• Skills: Blessed Hammer, Laws of Valor, Akarat's Champion, Steed Charge, Provoke, and your choice of primary skill.
• Gear Focus: Look for items that increase Holy damage, Blessed Hammer damage, and attack speed.
• Gameplay: Spam Blessed Hammer and watch the enemies melt! Use Laws of Valor and Akarat's Champion for buffs and Steed Charge for mobility.

2. Condemn Build

If you prefer to control the battlefield, the Condemn build is an excellent choice. This build uses the Condemn skill to pull enemies in, then deal massive damage. It is a powerful build that excels at both solo and group play. This build is all about crowd control and area damage.

• Skills: Condemn, Laws of Justice, Akarat's Champion, Steed Charge, Falling Sword, and your choice of primary skill.
• Gear Focus: Prioritize items that increase Holy damage, Condemn damage, and Critical Hit Chance.
• Gameplay: Condemn pulls enemies in, and then you unleash your other skills to deal massive damage. Use the Laws and Akarat's Champion for buffs. Steed Charge is great for repositioning.

3. Roland's Sweep Attack Build

This build focuses on the Sweep Attack skill, enhanced by the Roland's Legacy set. It is a fast-paced and action-packed build. This build is all about dealing a lot of damage very quickly. Roland's is great for high-speed combat. You'll want to focus on gear that boosts Sweep Attack's damage and attack speed.

• Skills: Sweep Attack, Laws of Valor, Akarat's Champion, Steed Charge, Falling Sword, and your choice of primary skill.
• Gear Focus: Focus on items that increase Physical damage, Sweep Attack damage, and attack speed. You need to obtain the Roland's Legacy set to make this build work.
• Gameplay: Sweep Attack to destroy everything. Use the Laws and Akarat's Champion for buffs. Steed Charge is useful for moving around.

4. Heaven's Fury Build

This is a build that focuses on Heaven's Fury, a skill that calls down beams of holy fire from the sky. It is a powerful build that can destroy your enemies from afar. This build is perfect if you enjoy casting skills.

• Skills: Heaven's Fury, Laws of Valor, Akarat's Champion, Steed Charge, Falling Sword, and your choice of primary skill.
• Gear Focus: Focus on items that increase Holy damage, Heaven's Fury damage, and resource cost reduction. The Armor of Akkhan set is great for this build.
• Gameplay: Cast Heaven's Fury and destroy enemies from a distance. Use the Laws and Akarat's Champion for buffs. Steed Charge is great for positioning.

Gear and Stat Priorities for the Crusader

Choosing the right gear is essential to the success of your Crusader build. Here’s a breakdown of what to look for:

Armor and Weapons

• Sets: Aim to acquire a full set of armor, such as Roland's Legacy, Akkhan's, or Invoker's. Set bonuses provide significant buffs that can drastically improve your performance.
• Weapons: Your weapon choice depends on your build, but two-handed weapons are a popular choice for high damage. Look for weapons with high damage rolls and sockets for gems.
• Shields: Shields offer both defensive stats and the potential for bonus skills. Look for shields that synergize with your chosen skills.

Stats to Prioritize

• Strength: This is the primary stat for Crusaders. It increases your damage and armor.
• Vitality: Increases your health pool, making you more durable.
• Critical Hit Chance (CHC): Increases your chances of dealing critical hits, which significantly boosts your damage output.
• Critical Hit Damage (CHD): Increases the damage dealt by your critical hits.
• Attack Speed: Increases how quickly you can cast your skills. This is especially important for skills like Blessed Hammer.
• Cooldown Reduction (CDR): Reduces the cooldown time of your skills, allowing you to use them more frequently.
• Resource Cost Reduction: Reduces the Wrath cost of your skills, allowing you to use them more often.

Legendary Gems

• Bane of the Trapped: Increases damage to enemies under the effect of control-impairing effects. A fantastic choice for most builds.
• Bane of the Powerful: Increases your damage and survivability after killing elites. Useful for general gameplay.
• Gogok of Swiftness: Increases your attack speed and cooldown reduction. A great choice for builds that rely on frequent skill use.
• Esoteric Alteration: Provides damage reduction from elemental attacks. Crucial for surviving elemental damage.

Gameplay Tips and Strategies

To make the most of your Crusader, keep these tips in mind:

• Master Resource Management: Keep an eye on your Wrath and use your primary skills to generate it when needed. Efficient resource management is key to maintaining a high damage output.
• Positioning: Use your mobility skills (Steed Charge, Falling Sword) to position yourself effectively in combat. Avoid getting surrounded or caught in dangerous areas.
• Buff Management: Keep your buffs active. Laws of Valor and Akarat's Champion can significantly boost your damage and survivability. Make sure to refresh your buffs constantly.
• Adapt Your Build: Don't be afraid to experiment with different skills and runes to find the best setup for your playstyle and gear. The most effective build will depend on your available gear.
• Learn Enemy Behavior: Pay attention to enemy attacks and patterns. This will help you anticipate danger and avoid unnecessary damage.
• Group Play: Crusaders are great in groups. Coordinate with your teammates to optimize your build and provide support to your team.

Conclusion: Become the Light of Sanctuary!

There you have it, guys! This guide is designed to get you started with creating powerful Crusader builds in Diablo 3. Remember to experiment with different skills, gear, and strategies to find what works best for you. With practice and the right build, you'll be well on your way to becoming a true champion of Sanctuary, ready to face the forces of evil head-on. Now go out there and bring the light to Diablo 3! Good luck, and happy demon-slaying!