by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

Books have often been society’s only bastion of light for passing along knowledge that would otherwise be lost to time or convoluted by the oral tradition. In order to provide new and old adventurers with as much knowledge of what to expect on their journey in Sanctuary, we created this tome of knowledge – Ars Arcanum. We will regularly feature a Legendary weapon or armor piece, discussing its stand-alone powers and capabilities, as well as how it may synergize with new builds or other items.

With the Patch 2.1.2 Test Realm rolling Season One into Season Two, anyone that hopped in has had the chance to test some of the new seasonal items that were previewed at BlizzCon. I wanted to use this week’s Ars Arcanum to discuss the Crusader-specific Belt of the Trove. This is the only new item the class is exclusively receiving in the next patch as far as we know right now.

Why is it good?

The belt slot is one that has a lot of potential. You can truly tailor it to the needs of your current build. For Crusaders in particular, the most enticing options range from the T6-crushing Harrington Waistguard to the CDR-supporting Vigilante Belt. There are also considerations for the set belts, both crafted and otherwise, and even more defensive setups. So, with all these options, where does Belt of the Trove factor in?

Consider two of the most popular Crusader builds currently – the Condemn Crusader and the Stampede Crusader. Both of these builds have their belt slot essentially open, yet both of them stand to gain much from Belt of the Trove. Where Condemn often falls down is in its single target damage. Belt of the Trove, when used without Bombardment on your bar, will drop five or six singular strikes from the sky down on any enemies in your vicinity. When you’re down to one enemy, all of those strikes concentrate on that singular foe. Therefore, this adds some considerable DPS to your build and can possibly make a difference in clearing some of those higher Greater Rifts when the Guardian is holding you back. However, where it might truly shine is in Stampede. That build will be able to buff the Bombardment call down from the Lord Commander passive and also due to stacked + Physical% elemental damage on gear. The Bombardment strikes should do devastating damage right along with the horses.

If you can manage to fit Bombardment on your skill bar, then the attack issued from the belt will mirror the rune you have equipped for your Crusader’s Bombardment. It will be interesting to see if anyone will find a way to finagle using the skill into the current meta or perhaps develop a brand new CDR build to “spam” the screen with Bombardments. Otherwise, this belt may just be regulated to welcome supplementary damage for the ever-popular specs noted above.

Who is it good for?

This should be a Crusader-only belt, since it’s being introduced as their specific Season Two item added to the game. Sorry, Barbs.

Where can I find it?

As noted above, this item will initially only be available in Season Two. Once that season completes, this belt will drop for all character designations. I noticed that this belt was not rare at all, at least on the PTR, as I found it almost above all other belts. It could very well be, though, that its rate was increased solely for the PTR just so it would see more testing.

The Fluff

Rumors have persisted for centuries that the crusaders maintain a secret bunker in Kehjistan, filled with ancient relics of unbelievable power. When the need is great, Crusaders are allowed to borrow one of these relics. The existence of this crusader belt would seem to confirm the existence of this bunker.

So, wait. You mean to tell me there’s this awesome place that’s just holding ridiculous weapons of Crusader destruction, but we can only get at them when we need them? Who else is rolling Need with me right now? Haha, this bit of lore is interesting if not for the simple fact that it makes way for other items to possibly come from this bunker. There is much to look forward to!