With the amount of build diversity in Last Epoch, picking the right class and build can be tough. If you prefer a spellcasting tank that can blow up enemies, the Hammerdin Paladin might be the build for you.
Last Epoch Smite Hammerdin build
The Hammerdin build is a throwback to the early days of Diablo 2 with the classic Blessed Hammers build. In Last Epoch, however, your main damage source as a Hammerdin is Smite, which you apply using the skill itself, as well as Hammer Throw. With the right specializations, this combination can clear screens of enemies in no time.
This build is inspired by our need to recreate a Hammerdin for a modern audience with concepts from notable content creator Volca. To make this build functional optimally, we recommend leveling your Paladin to at least level 50, if not level 75, with enough skill and passive points to reallocate.
Passives
The key passives for the Sentinel class, regardless of build, revolve around a few stats: Strength, Vitality, Block chance, Armor, and Resistances. There are quite a few interesting off-meta passive choices you can get as you level up, since Last Epoch allows you to respec skills with very few resources. For an optimal endgame build, pick these options.
Sentinel passives
| Sentinel Passive | Stats gained |
| Juggernaut | Strength, Fire Resistance, Void Resistance |
| Fearless | Vitality, Health Regen |
| Relentless | Damage, Stun Avoidance |
| Armor Clad | Armor, Reduced Damage Taken |
| Stalwart | Block Chance, Block Effectiveness |
| Valiant Charge | Health, Cooldown for Movement Skills |
| Aegis of Renewal | Chance to recover Health when Blocking |
Paladin passives
The bulk of your passive points will go into this tree.
| Paladin Passive | Stats gained |
| Conviction | Damage and Penetration: Physical, Fire, Lightning |
| Honor | Block Effectiveness, Stun Avoidance |
| Valor | Health, Healing Effectiveness |
| Holy Symbol | Cast Holy Symbol on Block, Healing |
| Blinding Light | Blind Chance, Endurance |
| Heavenfire | Spell damage (when equipping a Shield) |
| Holy Nova (optional) | Holy Symbol also heals allies |
| Prayer (optional) | Increased damage and healing (self) upon healing an ally |
| Sanctuary Guardian | Armor, Spell damage (when equipping a Shield) |
| Faith Armor | Armor, Critical Strike Avoidance |
| Alignment (optional) | Healing Effectiveness |
| Shield Wall | Block Chance, Health recovery, Cannot Dodge |
| Holy Precision | Lightning damage, Spell Critical Chance, Throwing Critical Chance |
| Divine Essence (optional) | Chance of Divine Essence when healing self/ally |
| Reverence of Duality | Health, Damage, Mana, Healing Effectiveness |
| Light of Rahyeh | Fire damage, Lightning damage, Movement speed |
| Divine Intervention (optional) | Chance to resurrect when at least three Divine Essences are active |
If you are playing multiplayer or Hardcore, the optional passives mentioned above would work better. For a solo player, you can completely skip them and invest more points into the remaining passives.
Forge Guard/Void Knight passives
The final passive points are reallocated into the other two class Masteries.
| Passive | Stats gained |
| Battle Hardened (Forge Guard) | Armor, Physical Resistance |
| Weapons Master (Forge Guard) | Strength, Melee damage, Throwing damage |
| Steel Aegis (Forge Guard) | Block Chance, Block Effectiveness |
| Abyssal Endurance (Void Knight) | Health, Void Resistance, Physical Resistance |
| Void Corruption (Void Knight) | Critical Multiplier (per Void Knight passive point) |
| Patient Doom (Void Knight) | Increased Damage (every three seconds) |
Skill Build
The Hammerdin build deals damage primarily through Smite and its specializations. You proc this skill by using revolving hammers spawned from Hammer Throw‘s modifications. With the right specializations and points to respec, this build destroys enemies from level 50 and beyond.
1) Hammer Throw (Sentinel level three)
Hammer Throw is the primary skill for this build. The main specializations are Iron Spiral and Hammer Vortex.
| Specialization | Effects |
| Winged Hammers | Increased Hammer projectile speed |
| Force of Impact | Increased Hammer damage, Increased Stun chance |
| Rapid Throw | Increased Hammer attack speed |
| Steadfast Path | Chance to deal double damage, Hammers no longer rebound |
| Catapult | Extra Hammer projectiles, Increased mana cost |
| Ballista | Increased Hammer damage, Reduced mana cost |
| Iron Spiral | Hammers spiral around the Paladin, Fewer projectiles, Increased mana cost |
| Hammer Vortex | Iron Spiral orbits the Paladin, Increased mana cost |
| Guardian’s Zeal | Grants Zeal stack on usage (three stacks max) |
| Zealot’s Conviction | Increased chance to deal double damage |
2) Smite (20 Sentinel passive points)
Smite is the big damage dealer. The main specializations are Order of Lagon and Unbalanced Scale.
| Specialization | Effects |
| Blinding Flash | Blind chance, Bonus damage to blinded targets |
| Pillars of Light | Chance to double cast for no extra mana cost |
| Sacrifice | Increased damage, Additional health cost on cast |
| Atonement | Sacrifice consumes less health |
| Deep Impact | Increased Critical multiplier |
| Conviction | Increased Critical strike chance, Reduced cast speed |
| Piety | Chance to Electrify on hit |
| Order of Lagon | Skill damage type changes to Lightning |
| Charged Hand | Increased Electrify duration and Lightning Penetration |
| Unbalanced Scale | Additionally casts three Lightning bolts, Increased mana cost |
3) Holy Aura (Paladin unique skill)
Holy Aura provides movement speed and elemental resistance to you and your allies. The main specializations are Purification, Call to Arms, and Shelter From the Storm.
| Specialization | Effects |
| Vital Boon | Increased Health Regeneration |
| Shelter From the Storm | Increased Elemental resistance, Increased Endurance |
| Call to Arms | Increased Physical damage |
| Purification | Cleanse on activation, Increased Poison resistance |
| Strength From Afar | Increased Throwing attack damage and Stun chance |
| Fanaticism | Increased Attack speed, Increased Cast speed |
| Expedite | Chance to gain Haste, Increased Throwing attack speed |
| True Strike | Increased Critical Strike chance |
| Demoralizing Aura | Slows enemies on activation |
| Swiftness | Increased Dodge rating |
4) Sigils of Hope (15 Paladin passive points)
Sigils of Hope grants bonus damage and health regeneration. The main specialization is Meditation.
| Specialization | Effects |
| Empowering Sigils | Increased damage |
| Iron Sigils | Increased Endurance |
| Word of Alacrity | Increased Cast speed, Increased healing |
| Last Wish | Chance to summon a Sigil on kill |
| Faith | If an attack damages the caster for 25 percent of their maximum health, a Sigil is consumed to heal them |
| Fervor | Faith casts Haste on activation |
| Enduring Hope | Sigils last longer |
| Tetragram | Increases max Sigil count by one |
| Meditation | Doubles healing but Sigils only affect the caster |
| Sign of the Guardian | Increased Block Chance and Block Effectiveness |
5) Volatile Reversal (Five Void Knight passive points)
Volatile Reversal doubles as a survival skill and a traversal skill. The main specializations are Timelost Wisdom and Timelost Vitality.
| Specialization | Effects |
| Time Sap | Chance to recover cooldown on kill and boss hit |
| Incipient Void Rift | Spawns a Void Rift on the cast location |
| Traveler’s Fatigue | Increased cooldown recovery speed, Reduced health regeneration |
| Terminal Void Rift | Spawns a Void Rift on the arrival location |
| Catching Up | Increased Movement speed |
| Warped Time | Increased Attack speed, Increased Cast speed |
| Timelost Vitality | Increased cooldown recovery speed, No longer recovers health on cast |
| Dark Expanse | Increased AOE of Void Rifts |
| Harbinger of Dust | Void Rifts cause affected enemies to take increased damage |
| Timelost Wisdom | Increased cooldown recovery speed, No longer restores mana on cast |
Required Gear
The right gear for a Hammerdin Paladin revolves around a couple of unique items and other Exalted items with specific stats. Complete the early Monolith Echoes in the End of Time to acquire most of what you need. Alternatively, you can also complete Prophecies with specific rewards to get them.
Gear slots
The best-in-slot gear items are as follows.
| Slot | Gear |
| Main Weapon | Wand with: Spell damage, Critical Strike chance, Critical Strike multiplier |
| Off-hand weapon | Face of the Mountain |
| Helm | Helmet with: Resistances, Health, Armor |
| Body Armor | Armor with: Reduced Crit damage taken Health, Mana, Armor |
| Belt | Belt with: Health, Armor, Ward Gain, Resistances |
| Gloves | Gloves with: Lightning damage, Throwing attack speed |
| Boots | Boots with: Movement Speed, Health, Armor |
| Rings | Rings with: Critical Strike chance, Critical Strike multiplier, Lightning damage |
| Amulet | Eviscerating Devotion |
| Relic | Relic with: Spell damage, Health, Resistances/Armor |
Idols
Idols grant passive bonuses to the Hammerdin. These Idols’ stats are quite random, so farm them via Monolith Echoes and Prophecies to get what you need. The essential stats are as follows.
- Chance to cast Smite with Throwing attacks
- Chance to Shred Armor with Throwing attacks
- Increased Health
- Increased Armor
- Increased Resistances
- Increased Lightning Damage
You need to unlock enough space in your Idol Container to equip all of the Idols for this build. To do this, complete all of the side quests in the main campaign.
Blessings
Blessings are the final piece of the endgame puzzle. Depending on the Blessings you equip, you can push the limits of your stats or use other types of Blessings to farm gear. There are 10 Timelines to complete in the Monolith of Fate, each rewarding you with a choice of three Blessings.
| Timeline | Blessing | Effect |
| Fall of the Outcasts | Mark of Agony | Increased Adorned Idol Drop Rate |
| The Stolen Lance | Binds of Sanctuary | Increased Shield Drop Rate |
| The Black Sun | Hunger of the Void | Spell Damage leeched as Health |
| Blood, Frost, and Death | Cruelty of Formosus | Increased Wand Drop Rate |
| Ending the Storm | Bastion of Divinity | Increased Elemental Resistance |
| Fall of the Empire | Shadows of Infinity | Increased Relic Shard Drop Rate |
| Reign of Dragons | Resolve of Humanity | Increased All Resistance |
| The Last Ruin | Knowledge of Skill | Increased Skill Shard Drop Rate |
| The Age of Winter | Bones of Eternity | Increased Block Effectiveness |
| Spirits of Fire | Body of Obsidian | Increased Armor |
After unlocking Empowered Monoliths, you unlock Grand versions of each Blessing, maximizing your endgame Last Epoch stats and farming power.
Published: Mar 7, 2024 04:34 am