Hi all!
i just wanted to share my gameplay insights and give a rundown of how to play Sgt Hammer based on my experience with him. I pretty much leveled from 5-40 exclusively on Sgt Hammer and played him extensively after that too. This is by no means a be all end all post; its just my opinion and how I play him.
INTRODUCTION
Sergeant Bama "the Hammer" Kowalski, the Siege Tank Operator, is a specialist hero from the StarCraft franchise. She has served some of the toughest tours around the Koprulu sector. The thunderous roar of her siege tank's shock cannon strikes fear right into the heart of the toughest of warriors... including some of her allies.
She has a minimum range of fire. She is a siege-type character, but can be developed into an assassin-esque character if the player so chooses.
First up, Sgt Hammer does NOT have a minimum range of fire as of the latest patch. She IS however, a siege-type character that is suited to bombarding towers, walls, forts, keeps, cores and champions from half a screen away. If you enjoy keeping a large gap between yourself and the main conflict, without being totally removed from combat, this is the hero for you.
Pros
- High auto attack damage, especially late game
- Strong disengage
- Powerful zoning potential
- Strong objective control
- Semi-good burst at later levels
- Low health pool
- Relatively weak 1v1 against some heroes
- Team dependent, especially against coordinated opponents
- Vulnerable to burst
- Low Mobility (offset by burst mobility through her Z, Thrusters)
TALENT BREAKDOWN
Level 1
Regeneration Master: Regen is always good, but the benefits of this are not relevant to your role.
Advanced Artillery: Deal even more damage when attacking enemies at a distance. This is what I pick 90% of the time.
Lethal Blast: Concussive Blast has kill potential early game, but you should not be using it much later on except to escape. The bulk your your damage does not come from this skill, and thus I do not spec into it.
Resistant: Again, benefits are not relevant to your role.
Ambush: I VERY occasionally take this. Most useful when your enemy team is full of assassins that completely wreck you, like Zeratul. This prevents such assassins from positioning near you to obliterate you the moment the fight starts.
Level 4
Focused Attack: A good talent that provides you that small extra burst, especially later on when chasing down enemy heroes. I used to take this, but no longer because people have learnt to focus/harass Sgt Hammer.
Vampiric Assault: The lifesteal may seem incremental at first, but it gives you so much passive staying power in laning phase, objective control and prolonged late game sieges. It does not make Sgt Hammer blow people out of the water, but it has a strong positive effect on your overall gameplay.
Maelstrom Shells: Early game upgrade that some people feel is a must-have, especially in a mirror matchup. I personally find that the +1 range pales in comparison to later range upgrades, and that other talents in this tier outclass this.
Excessive Force: Nice in concept, but other talents in this tier outclass this too.
Level 7
Fortify Position: A godsend against heroes such as Stitches, Kerrigan and Tychus because of their displacement. However, with proper teamfight positioning, the need for the talent can be mitigated.
Hover Siege Mode: Many fights tend to be mobile rather than stay in one position, as heroes run in and out of it. This allows you to reposition without a 5 second downtime, and remain relevant to the fight. I go for this.
Hyper-Cooling Engines: Great in concept, but Hover Siege Mode or at the very least, Fortify Position, is invaluable in comparison.
First Aid: You do not have the health pool to make this talent more valuable than the first two.
Level 10
Blunt Force Gun: A strong ultimate, especially good at pushing the lane once you get the level 20 upgrade that makes this repeat itself. However, the potential hero damage on this is significantly lower than Napalm Strike, and at the end of the day, winning teamfights especially late game is significantly more impactful than small ticks of repeatable damage to buildings. It also means you lack an ultimate during teamfights.
Napalm Strike: My go-to ultimate. It provides great pushing power, sieging power, is strong in teamfights that are prolonged due to its low cooldown. You can use this to escape too, as the scorched earth it leaves behind prevents mounted heroes from running over it, and it does not cancel your movement to cast, so you can unmount heroes.
Level 13
Giant Killer: The damage bonus from this is outclassed by other talents in this tier.
Crucio X-2 Cannon: Two range is a LOT. I used to get this talent exclusively. But the addition of another talent in this tree outclasses this in my opinion. I would still get this if I took Fortify Position instead of Hover Siege Mode, but a more significant teamfight presence.
First Strike (Trait): 25% more damage is an incredible amount of damage bonus for a single talent.The downside to this is that it is unlikely any team even slightly coordinated would not deal some damage to you. However, during the time you are taking damage, you tend to be more focused on repositioning. If successful, as they target someone else, you get them on the run with this bonus damage. It also makes your siege potential on structures monstrously strong. This is the power spike that pushes Sgt Hammer into scary territory. You'll noticeably see autoattacks melting squishies at level 13. The downside is, your range is still a problem to damage avoidance at this point.
Barricade: Completely outclassed in this tier.
Bullhead Mines: Completely outclassed in this tier. In addition, the knockback is so tiny it is almost unnoticeable.
Level 16
Executioner: Outclassed, and dependent on your team for the disables. You do not what to be the one laying down disables during fights at level 16.
Mine Field: Outclassed in this tier.
Slowing Mines: Outclassed in this tier.
Graduating Range: A beast of a talent. This combined with First Strike (Trait) is peak performance for Sgt Hammer. I would go so far as to say that in teamfights, no other hero becomes this powerful at level 16, all things considered. Puts you out of range of very many enemies, and allows you to maximize the damage of First Strike (Trait) to lethal efficiency. Note that you will have to move closer in to use your Napalm Strike at this point, as its range is significantly shorter at maximum Graduating Range increase.
Stoneskin: The only situation I would take this, is if my talent build path was significantly different. For example, I took Fortify Position, and therefore Crucio X-2 Cannon afterwards. With sufficient range but now the problem of immobility, assassins like Zeratul become an issue. Stoneskin keeps you alive long enough for your allies to run to your aid.
Level 20
Fury of The Storm: This talent is tied with Advanced Lava Strike in this tier. If your team is finding teamfights difficult, which is rare for Sgt Hammer at this point, this talent significantly improves your teamfight damage, especially combined with First Strike (Trait).
Resurgence of The Storm: Your aim should not be to even be in situations where you are dying. This does not fit into Sgt Hammer's playstyle.
Orbital BFG: A must-pick if you opted to take Blunt Force Gun at level 10.
Advanced Lava Strike: Pick this talent if your teamfights have generally consistently gone your way, and your team just needs a bit more sieging power to close out the game. Allows you to bombard structures with a ton of damage from afar, as well as escaping heroes.
TL;DR: Typical talent path: Advanced Artillery (Trait) > Vampiric Assault > Hover Siege Mode > Napalm Strike > First Strike (Trait) > Graduating Range > Fury of The Storm/Advanced Lava Strike .
Source: heroesofthestorm
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