Kripp's Crook Atlatl Pygmalien Build

The Kingpin of Consistency

Crook is one of the most reliable items in the game. While many builds require a lot of specific pieces in order to function, Crook is the heart of its entire build. Crook doesn't rely on other items, other items rely on Crook.

Finding it during the early game is almost always an immediate power spike, assuming you have or can find at least 1-2 Medium sized Weapons to go with it. Unless you already have a cohesive build assembled (or specifically want to try something different), Crook is so strong and consistent that you can often drop your entire board in favor of the pivot.

The flat Damage buff from Crook makes it particularly effective in the early and mid game. It's a build that can often snowball and win faster and earlier than most others. Take advantage of this lead and you'll avoid a lot of the RNG involved with late day PvP fights.

When it comes to the late game, Crook has a ton of flexibility in its form. It's not unusual to swap out strong Weapons for even stronger Weapons, or even other non-Weapon utility items.

Part of what makes Crook insane is its synergy with many off-Hero items. There are a ton of PvE Encounters that drop amazing Medium items. You can also search specialty shops like Pearl's Dig Site or any other Hero vendors. Often the best Crook builds don't actually include that many Pyg items. So long as you've got Atlatl, you're free to explore whatever you like!

Atlatl

Atlatl is the fastest Weapon in the game with its one second Cooldown (with enough Damage scaling). It applies pressure almost immediately and can hit for a ton of Damage. On its own, it's incredibly slow and clunky, but Crook turns it into a mosnter.

Atlatl is also an incredible target for enchants as nothing short of an infinite Charging item can outpace it. Turbo is an excellent choice since Pygmalien inherently lacks Haste options, though enchants such as Heavy or Icy can be devastating for the opponent.

Kripp happened to get the Radiant enchant for his Atlatl which is another solid choice to ensure it can't be disrupted.

Starting the Snowball

The most challenging part about playing a Crook build is actually finding Crook. A lot of Pyg's items tend to be on the passive side, so it can also be tricky to have a strong start out of the gate.

There are two starting items in particular that outperform most others and also fit nicely into your Crook build when you find it. By far the two optimal choices are Regal Blade and Jaballian Longbow.

Regal Blade

Regal Blade is one of the best scaling Weapons in the game and a phenomenal starting item. Get this at the beginning and it will survive all the way through and into your final Crook build.

Be sure to take as many affordable opportunities as you can to scale it during the early game. Small Bronze Weapons are the dream, as they can be bought and sold for the lowest price. Oftentimes selling a low grade Weapon will add more Damage to Regal Blade than what the Weapon itself could deal on the board. It's just that good.

Jaballian Longbow

Jaballian Longbow is one of the strongest Day 1 items, especially because Pyg starts with 50 more Max Health than the others. Since the average Damage output tends to be pretty low in the first PvP fight, you'll often have enough Health to get the additional +1 Multicast.

One triple-hit from Jaballian Longbow is 180 Damage on its own at Silver, and starting HP is usually 250. As you can probably imagine, you won't need much else to lock up the fight, which is a great way to get an early lead in the run.

Honorable Mentions

As mentioned above, Crook builds often go in various directions and include many off-Hero items. This particular build by Kripp showcases exactly that, but that's not to say Pyg doesn't have good alternatives within his own pool.

I'll spare you the full details, but items such as Flail or Belt are great options to play with during the early and mid parts of the run. In fact, they're reasonable enough to keep until the end in some cases, but the nature of the build is you'll often find better replacements. Lion Cane pairs perfectly with Belt if you decide to go that route. As for my personal favorite, you can never say no to Caltrops if you're lucky enough to find it!

Flamethrower

Flamethrower becomes absolutely busted with enough Damage scaling. While it's normally a Dooley item, it fits so much better into a Crook build. Outside of specialty shops, the best odds of finding it are from the Burninator PvE Encounter.

Kripp enchanted his Flamethrower with Fiery, giving it a ridiculous amount of Burn. While this isn't a necessity for the build, it's a huge power spike if you manage to find it.

Pendulum

Pendulum is a fantastic utility item that provides both Crit and Haste, two things that just about every build wants. Haste in particular is important for Pyg, since he lacks easy support compared to the other Heroes.

While Kripp was unable to acquire full 100% Crit Chance via skills, the Pendulum did help patch up that weakness for his two most important threats; Flamethrower and Atlatl. 40% Crit Chance is no joke, and with the skills he did have, managed to get to pretty dependable levels.

Chronobarrier

Chronobarrier doesn't actually offer any synergy with Crook aside from the obvious "Medium" tag. However, it's pretty hard to argue against it. Chronobarrier can feel like an extremely unfair item, and well it kinda is.

A two second increase to enemy Cooldowns is enough to stop most infinite loop shenanigans, and most importantly stall enough time for the Flamethrower. The only real downside to Flamethrower is its speed, but alongside Chronobarrier it's no issue at all. It's no wonder Kripp claimed this as one of his best Crook builds. What an absurd combination of off-Hero items.

Shield Bash

Shield Bash almost feels like icing on the cake for this crazy build, or perhaps it's even more fitting than ever. While there are multiple targets for the Shield Bash to Charge, despite the minor inconsistency, it's still stupidly strong.

It's definitely a one-Weapon staple, but alongside two utility items, the chance to hit @Flamethrower is actually quite reasonable, further accelerating the clock and ticking down the opponent to their doom.

Right-Handed

Right-Handed is a very solid skill in the early to mid game, and that's important. The difference between a Silver/Gold/Diamond Crook is night and day, and so sometimes you need a little bit extra Damage to help early on.

It can help lower Atlatl's Cooldown if you happen to be using it early, or simply add a nice buff to Multicast Weapons like Flail or Jaballian Longbow. Either way it'll be beneficial and you may find yourself repositioning items regularly to take full benefit.

Building Crescendo

Deadly Eye and Honed Arsenal together made up Kripp's Crit Chance (alongside Pendulum), but there's no doubt Building Crescendo would be a better option if available.

Despite not having a wider range of low Cooldown items, Atlatl alone is often enough to justify Building Crescendo over anything else. Although at the end of the day, having some reliable form of Crit is better than no Crit at all. Sometimes you just have to work with what you're given.