by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

Sgt. Hammer is the siege tank from the Starcraft universe created for Heroes of the Storm. She is a siege specialist that can really dish out the range damage. With the recent patch shes back in full swing as a strong hero pick choice. She can really be nuisance for the enemies when in the hands of someone who knows how to position her. If you would like to see the basics on Sgt. Hammer check out the BlizzPro hero page that can be found here

Basic Abilities

Siege Thrusters -(Z) Shes a tank so no mount for her. Instead she can use this to get a burst of speed for a short period of time. This is one of her most important tools for survival against dive comps or failed engages.

Artillery -(Passive Trait) This is all about the position game and with the recent changes to siege mode it’s a lot easier to accomplish. The idea is to always be hitting the enemies with basic attacks around max range. I find it easier to hit siege mode once the enemy has committed their positioning around the halfway point of Hammer’s body and the end of her firing range. You don’t always to be in siege mode to take advantage of this trait either so keep that in mind as well.

Spider Mines – A great trap and warning sign for hammer. Try to place these in areas where you think enemies will be moving or try to surprise you with a gank. The extra second of vision on a bush where an enemy is coming from could be all the difference between getting killed or having a chance to ham on your siege thrusters.

Concussive Blast -This is a pretty good tool for pushing enemies who are getting to close or surprising someone into a bad position. Overall this ability has a short range which means its kind of a panic button. The space it creates can be very useful in disengages though so most of the time I keep it off cooldown and ready for use.

Siege Mode – The changes here made this ability a lot easier and safer to use. With such a short cooldown its much easier to adjust your position or commit to an area that is questionable.  Siege mode also provides you with extra building damage and splash damage making it an excellent tool for pushing down a lane and clearing enemy minion waves. Overall try to place yourself in an area that will allow you safe passage from enemy ganks while still being able to get some damage going. NEVER overextend a lane in siege mode with your thrusters on cooldown. It’s almost a sure fire way yo get yourself trapped and killed with no way to escape.

Heroic Abilities

Blunt Force Gun – A decent tool that is a bit lacking overall. I like this if you have squishies on the enemy side with great movement and/or escape. If the enemy has a Valla, Nova, or Zeratul and you’re confident you can read their escape path and secure a kill then this is the spot to take this Heroic in. Otherwise steer clear in my opinion.

Napalm Strike – Spam the hell out of this thing. So much damage for such a short cooldown. It can also be used as a zone control tool because the scorched earth left behind does damage over time. This is just pure damage tool and amazing for team fights or pushing.

The Build

Level 1

Advanced Artillery – The only choice here I feel. The goal of Hammer is to harass the hell out of your opponent from a range they cannot afford to commit to while keeping yourself free of damage. The extra 10% they will now eat at max range makes this even better so do it.

Level 4

Maelstrom Shells – An extra 20% basic attack range makes everything Hammer is trying to do even better. This also affects your siege mode making this choice a no-brainer. Take this talent and enjoy the extra safety you get from great positioning.

Level 7

First Aid – This is a great talent for Hammer allowing her to win close 1v1 engages, heal off some AOE damage taken during team fights, or allow her some extra health to survive long enough to escape sticky situations. If you need the mobility to counter gank happy teams or just extra movement on big maps then Hyper-Cooling Engines is an acceptable choice at this level as well.

Level 10

Napalm Strike – see heroic abilities section.

Level 13

Giant Killer – Giant killer is such a damage spike for attacking people at max range. This will also help you deal with enemies with large health pools much easier. It’s because of these reasons there really is no other choice for Hammer at this level.

Level 16

Graduating Range – For this level there are two schools of thought. I feel Graduating Range is the correct choice because it allows Hammer to stay super safe if your team works with you a bit.The idea is before engaging a final push let Hammer siege up in a position a bit back that allows her to get some damage on buildings from a very safe position while the team protects her. Once the enemies show up to stop her switch off damage onto the enemy team that will have a very hard time escaping your massive range. This takes teamwork and communication so Hover Siege mode may be an easier tool to use with team members you are less familiar with.

Level 20

Nexus Frenzy – Everything I’ve talked about is made so much better by Nexus Frenzy. Really no other choice here as far as I’m concerned. Take this talent and enjoy the extra attack speed and range.

The Strategy

The name of the game with Hammer in all phases of the game is how much damage can I do to the enemies and their buildings while staying safe.  Really just master the position game and be very map aware of whats going on. If you’re in bottom lane and suddenly two people from mid lane go missing its probably a good idea to get behind your towers during the early phases of the game.

Hammer really shines in team fights especially on maps that have objective fights in one place on the map such as Battlefield of Eternity, Cursed Hollow, and Sky Temple. Try to show up to objectives early with your team by keeping track of map timers. Showing up before the team and getting a superior position that doesn’t allow the enemy to get to Hammer or contest the objective without taking massive damage. Don’t forget to let the napalm rain down during all the auto attacks and the enemy will be tearing their hair out trying to deal with a sieged up Hammer.

Safety is the name of the game with Hammer. Try to keep the enemy constantly pushed away from your position with help from your teammates and you will have an advantage on most maps and teams. Hope you were able to learn something today and enjoyed reading. Check back next week for another guide from BlizzPro!