Kripp's Boulder Vanessa Build

The Boulder exists primarily as a pivot build due to its Large Gold-tier status, so there isn't really a clear early game line to follow. That said, there are some strong items to look out for that can make for an easier transition. Ultimately, it comes down to finding sources of Haste, Charge, and/or Cooldown Reduction.

Potential Pickups

• Captain's Wheel
• Rowboat
• Seashadow
• Star Chart
• Suppressor

Core Synergies

• The Boulder is a powerful late game contender since it scales directly to your opponent's Health. However, it needs a few things to really ensure success.
• • Most importantly, you need to have reliable sources of Haste, Charge, and/or Cooldown Reduction. Speed is everything, so find ways to improve startup time.
  • After that, Crit Chance is the next big priority. If you lack additional Damage, it's easy for the opponent to survive with even a small amount of Shielding.
  • Alternatively, if you can't solve Crit, find some Gunpowder to allow the build to strike more than once.
  • Just know that Crit is ideal, as having to activate The Boulder more than once (per fight) isn't always reliable.
• Seashadow, Star Chart, and Suppressor all provide great sources of Cooldown Reduction.
• • Don't worry about the Suppressor's Damage buff, it's mostly irrelevant. It's very likely you'll have other items that need to be adjacent to The Boulder.
• Captain's Wheel offers reliable Haste with a fast startup time, as does Rowboat with Charge.
• • Note: Rowboat is only really worth it at Diamond-tier, as the five second Cooldown at Gold-tier is just too slow.
• Port can enable some fast Ammo combos by spawning the right off-Hero support items.
• • If you pick this up early, you'll have more chances at items like Battery, Ni-Kola, and Flare.
• Juggler is absolutely nuts with The Boulder if you're lucky enough to get it. If you do, scrap the usual support package in favor of fast Small items.
• • Burnacuda and Nesting Doll are common examples, but feel free to pick up and utilize off-Hero items as well.
  • Mixed Message and Shield Bash are also excellent and both function to a similar degree.
• Clamera, Icicle, Lag-bolt, and/or Spark Plug are solid filler inclusions to help with speed control.

Tips & Tricks

• Every support item needs to be upgraded to be of use, as Silver-tier won't cut it for the CDR/Haste etc.
• • If your run is going poorly, consider picking up and Stashing these, even at Silver. This way, you can upgrade them all to Gold once you hit zero prestige.
• Not all of the support package pairs well together, particularly due to positioning requirements.
• • The adjacent slots are very competitive, so keep that in mind before investing too much into your current setup.