Crusader Shield Bash Build with Roland's Set
Introduction
The Roland's set splits its damage bonuses evenly between a sustain damage and a burst damage skill, boosting Sweep Attack and Shield Bash with equal numbers. This Shield Bash variant is a bursty, single-target-heavy, assassination-oriented build that is geared towards Greater Rift solo progression, but we also have a speed farming variation.
Roland's Sweep Attack Crusader
For the Sweep Attack variant of the build, please refer to the link below.
Quick Reference
Skill Setup
The basic skill setup of the Shield Bash Crusader is displayed below. Read the dedicated Skills page for detailed information on choices, alternatives and build customization.
Active Skills |
---|
Shield Bash Pound Steed Charge Endurance 1 Laws of Valor Unstoppable Force 2 Iron Skin Flash 3 Shield Glare Zealous Glare 4 Akarat's Champion Prophet |
Passive Skills |
Gear Setup
The required gear setup for the Shield Bash Crusader is listed below. Check the Gear page for detailed information on choices, alternatives, gemming, Kanai's Cube and Paragon distribution.
- Helm: Roland's Visage
- Shoulders: Roland's Mantle
- Gloves: Roland's Grasp
- Chest: Roland's Bearing
- Belt: Captain Crimson's Silk Girdle
- Pants: Captain Crimson's Thrust
- Boots: Roland's Stride
- Bracers: Drakon's Lesson
- Amulet: Hellfire Amulet of Strength
- Ring 1: Convention of Elements
- Ring 2: Obsidian Ring of the Zodiac
- Weapon: Flail of the Ascended
- Shield: The Final Witness
Altar of Rites
The former Season 28 theme, the Altar of Rites, has been revised and re-added to Diablo 3 as a permanent character progression mechanic. — For virtually all builds and players of all skill levels — from casual to advanced — we recommend progressing through the Altar tree using the path outlined below. The suggested path is geared towards maximum quality of life first, then amplifying damage, and then mopping up the tree with defensive and edge case utility nodes.
Note that while they require reaching them with a Seal, Legendary Potion Powers are not part of the Seal cost system; Potions unlock with a separate resource called Primordial Ashes, obtained from salvaging Legendary or Set items of Primal (red bordered) quality. Upgrade them as soon as possible, and in the order shown below (courtesy of Caleko's Altar of Rites planner).
You can read more on the Altar of Rites, Seals and Legendary Potion Powers in our dedicated Altar of Rites Mechanics guide.
Legendary Gems
- Legendary Gem 1: Bane of the Trapped
- Legendary Gem 2: Bane of the Stricken
- Legendary Gem 3: Gogok of Swiftness
Kanai's Cube
- Weapon Slot: Piro Marella
- Armor Slot: Stone Gauntlets
- Jewelry Slot: Ring of Royal Grandeur
Unbound Kanai's Cube Slots (Season 31 Specific)
The seasonal theme for Season 31 will be completely flexible slots for Kanai's Cube, which means you can use any piece of gear in any slot of the Cube.
- Weapon Slot: Flail of the Ascended
- Armor Slot: Piro Marella
- Jewelry Slot: The Final Witness
Gear-wise, this Season's power necessitates that you make the following changes:
- In your weapon and off-hand slots, use the Norvald's Fervor set — Flail of the Charge and Shield of the Steed.
- Wear Ring of Royal Grandeur over Obsidian Ring of the Zodiac in order to keep the Cpt. Crimson set bonus active.
Changelog
- 10 Apr. 2024 (gear page): Added Season 31 advice for the unbound Kanai's Cube slots.
- 10 Apr. 2024 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 31.
- 10 Apr. 2024 (this page): Added Season 31 advice for the unbound Kanai's Cube slots.
- 08 Jan. 2024 (gear page): Revised guide for the permanent addition of the Altar of Rites, and added Season-specific Soul Shard recommendations.
- 08 Jan. 2024 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 30.
- 08 Jan. 2024 (this page): Revised guide for the permanent addition of the Altar of Rites, and added Season-specific Soul Shard recommendations.
- 13 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Added Season 29 Paragon Cap and Gearing recommendations.
- 13 Sep. 2023 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 29.
- 13 Sep. 2023 (this page): Added Season 29 Paragon Cap and Gearing recommendations.
- 22 Feb. 2023 (gear page): Added Season 28 Altar of Rites recommendations.
- 22 Feb. 2023 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 28.
- 22 Feb. 2023 (this page): Added Season 28 Altar of Rites recommendations.
- 26 Aug. 2022 (gear page): Added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
- 26 Aug. 2022 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 27.
- 26 Aug. 2022 (this page): Added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
- 13 Apr. 2022 (gear page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
- 13 Apr. 2022 (skills page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
- 13 Apr. 2022 (this page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
- 09 Dec. 2021 (gear page): Added Season 25 Soul Shard recommendations.
- 09 Dec. 2021 (skills page): Reviewed for Season 25.
- 09 Dec. 2021 (this page): Added Season 25 Soul Shard recommendations.
- 23 Jul. 2021 (gear page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
- 23 Jul. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 24.
- 23 Jul. 2021 (this page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
- 31 Mar. 2021 (gear page): Added follower recommendation.
- 31 Mar. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 23.
- 31 Mar. 2021 (this page): Added follower recommendation.
- 18 Nov. 2020 (gear page): Added S22 Cube recommendation.
- 18 Nov. 2020 (skills page): Reviewed for Season 22. No changes required.
- 18 Nov. 2020 (this page): Added S22 Cube recommendation.
- 30 Jun. 2020 (gear page): No changes required for Season 21.
- 30 Jun. 2020 (skills page): No changes required for Season 21.
- 30 Jun. 2020 (this page): No changes required for Season 21.
- 12 Mar. 2020 (gear page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
- 12 Mar. 2020 (skills page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
- 12 Mar. 2020 (this page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
- 19 Nov. 2019 (gear page): Guide revised and updated for Season 19.
- 19 Nov. 2019 (skills page): Guide revised and updated for Season 19.
- 19 Nov. 2019 (this page): Guide revised and updated for Season 19.
- 22 Aug. 2019 (gear page): Item recommendations revised for Season 18.
- 22 Aug. 2019 (skills page): Reviewed for Season 18.
- 22 Aug. 2019 (this page): Item recommendations revised for Season 18.
- 15 May 2019 (gear page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
- 15 May 2019 (skills page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
- 15 May 2019 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
- 17 Jan. 2019 (gear page): Added suggestions for the baseline Ring of Royal Grandeur for Seasonal characters.
- 17 Jan. 2019 (skills page): Information was reviewed and approved for Season 16 with no changes required.
- 17 Jan. 2019 (this page): Guide was revised with additional recommendations for Season 16.
- 20 Sep. 2018 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 15.
- 14 Jun. 2018 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 14.
- 22 Mar. 2018 (gear page): Added the guide.
- 22 Mar. 2018 (skills page): Added the guide.
- 22 Mar. 2018 (this page): Added the guide.
More Crusader Guides
Builds from Other Classes
Farming Guides
This build is presented to you by Deadset, one of the very few professional Diablo 3 players. Deadset regularly publishes video guides on Youtube and streams on Twitch, where you can see how this and other builds play out in practice.
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