Best Crusader Build For Warhammer 40k: Inquisitor – Martyr

War still exists in the 41st Millennium, with Warhammer 40K Inquisitor-Martyr showing the Imperium of Mankind protecting humanity’s future from the threats of Xenos and Chaos Worshippers. Whereas other Warhammer 40K games usually feature Space Marines bashing the heads of enemies with their powerful weapons, the gameplay of Warhammer 40K Inquisitor-Martyr as an ARPG forces players to be more adaptable in their approach to the action-oriented title.


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As the Crusader, the player is armed with a wide variety of heavy weaponry ranging from Power Swords to Bolt Guns that they can use to overpower enemies to oblivion. Serving as the game’s primary tanking class, the Crusader is expected to be able to withstand even the toughest of the game’s worst offerings. However, just how can players create a powerful Crusader for their Inquisitor – Martyr experience?


Basics Of The Crusader: Tanking Heresy

Unlike other classes in the Warhammer game, the gameplay of Crusader in Inquisitor-Martyr specializes in being able to tank threats up close or from afar based on a wide variety of weapons. Compared to the Construct-reliant Tech-Adept and the fierce Psyker, the Crusader specializes in giving players just enough adaptability to accommodate various combat situations.

Attributes: Defense With A Dash Of Aggression

  • Warfare: 25 (Rank 5)
  • Toughness 15 (Rank 3)
  • Virtue 20 (Rank 4)

Key to the Crusader’s build in this Warhammer 40K is his ability not just to withstand enemy attacks but also hit back with just the same amount of force. In terms of hard stats, this is reflected with a hard focus on Warfare and Virtue to ensure the Crusader enjoyed as much damage mitigation as possible while at the same time boosting their overall output. Toughness takes a step back here, as a more aggressive Crusader needs less defense and more focus on killing foes before they even get to hit him.

With that in mind, maintaining Warfare Rank 5 is crucial to get access to the 50-percent damage buff against Elite and Boss Enemies benefit. Likewise, Virtue Rank 4 allows the Crusader to enjoy major damage mitigations and Suppression damage reduction that allows them to enjoy a further 35-percent damage buff for Suppression Green. At Toughness Rank 3, the Crusader may also enjoy boosted Inoculator effectiveness and passive HP regeneration, which is always a nice touch.

Perks: Focus On Survivability

  • Blessing of Saint Victorious: Players can’t lose more than 30-percent HP in a single hit.
  • Augmented Body: Suppression levels never drop from “Suppressed,” while they also enjoy 10-percent increased movement speed
  • Cull the Weak: 50-percent damage bonus against enemies with debuffs
  • Artificer Rounds: 25-percent additional ammo capacity, 20-percent damage boosts to solid projectile weapons
  • Close Quarters Gunnery: 25-percent ranged damage bonus to medium-range targets, with up to an additional 75-percent ranged damage bonus to close-range targets

Adding to the combat efficiency of the Crusader are Perks that enable them to enjoy further damage mitigation and damage boosts. In this regard, Blessing of Saint Victorious is an easy way to enjoy boosted survivability with its anti-lethal hit benefit. Moreover, Augmented Body ensures the Crusader can enjoy buffs that are based on high Suppression.

The Crusader is also capable of dishing out more melee damage with Cull the Weak, as a majority of the class’s high-damage numbers are dealt via debuffs. Punishing affected enemies further with damage boosts can ensure the Crusader always has a shot of dealing high damage. Alternatively, Artificer Magazines can give players more room for projectiles, with Close Quarters Gunnery incentivizing dishing out ranged damage up close.

Arming The Crusader

A Crusader armed for battle

When giving the Crusader of Warhammer: Inquisitor-Martyr gameplay their ideal gear, it helps to remember that high-enough attack and decent defenses should enable them to withstand enemy assaults most of the time. Instead of focusing on attack alone, gear should instead focus on giving the Crusader access to more Enraged Tokens as well as higher Crit Hit Chances and Crit Hit Strength. When not raising Crit and overall damage, the Crusader should also rely on survivability options such as HP on hit and other shields.

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Equipment: Secure Emergency Survival, Enrages

  • Armor: Demolition Armor, where there should be a chance to trigger Rosarius Force Field on Hit, in addition to gaining Ethereal and Inoculator charges. It also has a built-in Cyclone Missile Launcher.
  • Inoculator: Redemption Inoculator, which can trigger Inoculations for free upon getting killstreaks
  • Main Implant: Main Implant of Wrath, which adds to the maximum of Enranged Token, recommended sockets focus on Single Target damage and Vulnerability to damage boosts

The Redemption Inoculator remains a decent addition to the Crusader’s self-sustaining arsenal. Its Inoculations can grant additional HP per second (Blood Balm), add Supreme Critical Hit Chance and Critical Hit Strength (Frenzon), and massive damage bonuses (Psychon). The Demolition Armor itself has some defensive measures in the form of the Cyclone Missile Launcher, which is an AOE that can Knockdown on Overwhelmed Suppression and Knock Back targets with Suppressed Suppression.

In the case of the procc’d effects, the Rosarius Force Field gives players 15 HP on Hit for every Enraged Token while having immunity to all damage and negative effects for 5 seconds. This is a great pair for the Ethereal effect, which allows players to move through enemies and not receive damage but can’t also deal damage for 5 seconds.

Addons: Prioritize Enraged, Debuffs

  • Neural Implant: +1 Enrage Token on Crits, chance to Slow, and Shock on Vulnerability
  • Eye Implant: Adds damage per Enraged Token, in addition to AOE
  • Purity Seal: Damage taken to Energy Shield will be gained as Suppression
  • Purity Seal: When Enraged, all enemies within 5 meters are Feared
  • Signum: Damage bonus per Enraged token; attacks remove an additional Enraged token
  • Signum: Signum of Oppression, which should give bonuses to damage and adds chances to Stun against Shocked or Slowed enemies, as well as an inherent damage bonus against Slowed, Stunned, and Shocked foes
  • Signum: Chance to add general Vulnerability whenever the target gets a Debuff

Whereas much of the Equipment of the Crusader prioritizes defense and survivability, Addons should focus on enhancing the damage output of the class. Players of the Warhammer story can do this to their gameplay by ensuring they get access to more Enrage Tokens to do more in combat as well as inflicting debuffs such as Slow, Shock, and Stun. Being able to pummel opponents who can’t fight back is a surefire way of ensuring the Crusader can take care of threats more efficiently.

Crusader Passives: Build Weapon Specialty, Single Target Supremacy

Crusader Passive Tree

Players creating their Crusader in their Warhammer game playthrough should focus on securing their damage numbers in single-target encounters with the weapons of their choice. Whereas the builds below will likely determine the player’s overall range style, the Passives chosen should remain relatively consistent. In this case, defense takes a backseat, and versatility in offense is prioritized to ensure the Crusader has something to take advantage of regardless of the situation.

Weapon Specialization

  • (Melee Combat) Overwhelm: Additional 50-percent melee damage on melee skill for 2 seconds
  • (Melee Combat) Riposte: Additional 50-percent melee damage to the next attack upon Deflect
  • (Melee Combat) Hasten: Boost to movement speed after a melee kill for 5 seconds
  • (Melee Combat) Expose Weakness: Apply Vulnerability to the target based on the damage type of the melee source
  • (Ranged Combat, General): Bonus to ranged damage
  • (Ranged Combat, General): Bonuses to foes who are Slowed and Shocked
  • (Ranged Combat) Ammo Mastery: Boosts reload speed
  • (Ranged Combat) Heavy Load: Boosts movements peed when carrying Heavy Weapons

Depending on the weapons chosen by this Warhammer 40K Class, players should always prioritize maximizing their weapon’s damage output. However, more points should be allocated to what weapon strikes inflict on opponents instead of just base damage.

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General Damage Modifiers

  • (Physical Attacks) Concussive Trauma: Provide Concussive Trauma debuff on the enemy whenever physical skills are used, which deals more damage to them
  • (Physical Attacks) Incensed Weapons: Boosts all skills dealing physical damage
  • (Single DPS, General): Bonus for single-target kills
  • (Single DPS) Ocular Implant: Add ranged damage for single-target kills
  • (Single DPS) Focusing Monocle: Add damage bonus with single-target skills against Slowed, Shocked, and Stunned enemies
  • (Single DPS) Purgative Protocols: Add damage bonuses and Suppression damage bonuses to single-target skills to opponents at 30-percent HP
  • (Single DPS) Repulsive Bionics: Add Suppression damage bonuses when using a single-target skill continuously
  • (Area Effects) Eradicative Protocols: Reduce remaining cooldown on hit, with bonuses on kill, for the used AOE skill
  • (Area Effects) Enhanced Radius: Boosts the radius of Aura and AOE Skills
  • (Area Effects) Master Grenadier: Boosts damage of Grenades
  • (Area Effects) Area Denial: Adds 100 Suppression per AOE kills
  • (Area Effects) Optimal Dispersion: Damage bonus on AOE per each enemy hit

Instead of just hitting hard against foes in the Warhammer game, players of the Crusader should focus on how their attacks affect opponents. It’s ideal that there is added Suppression damage and even boosts to skill DPS in both single target and AOE setups. While single target takes priority for maximum DPS, it doesn’t mean players should forget about the stacking impact of continuous AOE attacks.

Offensive Punishments

  • (Critical Hits) Red Thirst: Boosts damage when criticals hit, can be stacked up to 10 times
  • (Critical Hits) Torment: Add Suppression damage to critical hits
  • (Critical Hits) Cold Blood: Criticals grant Class Resources
  • (Critical Hits) Berserker: Criticals now heal HP
  • (Debuffs) Dirty Fighting: Bonus damage for each debuff affecting the target
  • (Debuffs) Domination: Suppression is gained when Stunning or Knocking Down foes
  • (Debuffs) Strikedown: Reduces damage dealt by enemies affected by Knockdown and Knockback statuses
  • (Debuffs) Crowd Control: Boosts to effectiveness of Shock and Slow debuffs

Aside from capitalizing on attacks, players can maximize the DPS of this Warhammer 40K Class by boosting their Criticals. That way, Crusaders can deal as much damage as possible per strike with high Crit Chance numbers, which they can then supplement with their kit’s inherent Debuff potential. On top of that, focusing on dealing more damage via Debuffs can ensure Crusaders are constantly punishing foes who try to stay alive in the thick of battle.

Reduce Damage, Boost Cooldowns

  • (Movement, General): Boost to movement speed
  • (Movement) Quickening: Boost in movement speed for 5 seconds on one-shot kills
  • (Movement) Blessed Ruination: Cooldown recovery rate is the same as missing HP
  • (Movement) Cerebral Feedback: Crits now add to the remaining cooldown of skills
  • (Movement) Cardial Overdrive: Player is now immune to Stuns and Slows
  • (Defense, General): Adds Physical Resistance
  • (Defense, General): Adds Heat Resistance
  • (Defense, General): Adds Warp Resistance
  • (Defense) Reanimator Glands: Reduces any incoming damage that would be lethal if survived and adds a huge boost to HP regeneration per second and to damage for 10 seconds
  • (Defense) Defensive Stance: Damage reduction is added to defenses offered by Deflect
  • (Suppression) Grim Resolve: Boosts to damage and supreme damage reduction per hit when Suppression is Protected
  • (Suppression) Resilience: Reduction against damage over time when Suppression is Protected
  • (Suppression) Defiance: Reduction to Suppression damage

In terms of Passives, the Crusader of Warhammer 40K: Inquisitor-Martyr gameplay doesn’t necessarily need to rely a lot on Defense and Movement. However, it wouldn’t hurt to allocate points that boost Resistances and movement speed, as well as Cardial Overdrive for the immunity to Stuns and Slows.

Crusader Build Option 1: Strike The Heretic

Short Ranged Crusader

  • Main Weapon: Power Sword, with chance that hits become Guaranteed Crits that deal 300% combo damage, as well as Suppression Shield that has a chance for attacks to become Armour Piercing equal to Deflect Value as well as massive damage bonuses for combo skills.
  • Secondary Weapon: Grav Gun, where there should be damage bonuses for every Debuff on the target as well as bonuses to Physical Damage, with the bonus of halving Physical Damage Resistances of enemies

This build prioritizes the sheer melee capabilities of the Power Sword Warhammer 40K weapon, particularly its Blade Flurry, which can provide a whopping 500-percent damage on its fifth attack alongside 25-percent critical damage and 200-percent Suppression damage. The Sword is best paired with the Suppression Shield, which has Discharge that can provide a nifty AOE attack that gives space between players and enemies via Knockdowns on Overwhelmed Suppression and Knock Backs on Suppressed Suppression.

A decent alternative for this Main Weapon scheme would be the Grav Gun which capitalizes on building damage based on the number of Debuffs on opponents. It also has Gravity Implosion that reduces the movement speed of targets. Its capacity to stay active despite switching back to the Power Sword makes this ability a nifty starter for devastating combos.

Crusader Build Option 2: Shoot The Xenos

Long Ranged Crusader

  • Main Weapon: Heavy Bolter, where there’s a chance that all hits are Guaranteed Criticals for a while, with each projectile that deals Physical Damage will spawn two (2) more projectiles with reduced Crit Chance
  • Secondary Weapon: Bolter, where there’s also a chance for hits to become Guaranteed Criticals, but offering an alternate set of firing skills

This build prioritizes on using the Heavy Bolter that capitalizes on building damage via Critical Hits. Its slate of skills includes a continuous burst that deals additional damage to enemies in close proximity with additional rooting effects (Full Auto). It also has an armor-ignoring attack (Concentrated Salvo), as well as bullets that slow down enemies (Disengage). The gun also has a devastating AOE that Knocks Down on Overwhelmed and Knocks Back on Suppressed (Hellstorm).

Meanwhile, its alternate weapon would be the Bolter which is a lighter iteration of the Main Weapon. Its slate of skills is more natural, where there’s a damage-over-time Physical Damage (Single Shot), a rooting continuous attack (Full Auto), as well as another version of a Knockdown/Knockback attack (Aimed Shot). This gun’s particular ace in the hole is its high-Suppression AOE which is one of the more powerful versions of AOE bursts in this Weapon Class.

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr is playalbe on the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S

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