Kripp's Nitrogen Hammer Dooley Build

Nitrogen Hammer

Freeze builds are rarely something you can build right from the beginning. In most cases, it's about collecting the components as you go until you reach a critical mass. Once enough parts are aligned, then you can make the pivot.

Thankfully for Dooley, the Nitrogen Hammer build has a reasonably easy pathway to follow. Since many of Dooley's Small items are interchangeable between builds, you can often accumulate important pieces as you go, while also making good use of them in your active build.

Most Core setups consist primarily of Small items, so this is a very good place to begin. Then if you happen to find a Nitrogen Hammer, pick it up and Stash it for a while. Once you've acquired enough synergy, you can add it to the board.

Nitrogen Hammer scales based on individual Freeze triggers, meaning you're looking for quantity over quality. While a longer Freeze duration is always welcome, the most important thing is having as separate triggers as possible.

Freeze Package

The Freeze items you'll be looking to pick up are Coolant, BLU-B33TL3, and Isochoric Freezer. The former two are the most important as they create three Freeze triggers once upgraded to Diamond, but Isochoric Freezer is still a solid inclusion to help lockdown the enemy board.

One challenge when assembling a Nitrogen Hammer build is making sure your items are well upgraded. Nitrogen Hammer, Coolant, and BLU-B33TL3 all demand upgrades to be at their best. Having additional scaling and triggers is a big deal, compared to many other items which are fine at low tiers.

Pro Tip: Hold onto all of those Small Silver-tier Freeze items, do NOT sell them. If you die, for your cheat-death bonus, select the option that upgrades all of your items to Gold-tier. This is a massive power spike, as it makes items like Coolant and BLU-B33TL3 twice as effective (even more when you factor in Nitrogen Hammer charging itself more often).

It's always worth picking up Schematics and Sat-Comm whenever they are available. At worst, they're an extra source of Income. At best, you can find some lucky duplicates to further expand your Freeze potential.

Charge Support

Freeze items certainly aren't the fastest of the bunch, so just like many other builds, look for Small fast items that can accelerate the board. You can't go wrong with items like Battery and Nitro. Lightbulb is another reasonable addition that can also generate a useful Tech item.

Once again, upgrades matter a lot here, so if you end up stuck with Bronze/Silver versions you'll likely want to swap them out. However, if you can spare the Stash space, feel free to hold onto them until you die as they'll be great once set to Gold!

Cryosphere

Cryosphere is an incredible supporting win condition for Nitrogen Hammer builds. While it's certainly not required, it alone represents and insane amount of Charges, which can be really useful if you're lacking Freeze quantity across the board.

It's essentially Dooley's version of Stopwatch (which is even better if you find it), and works best alongside as many Small items as possible (for more triggers). Place a Battery next to it and watch the magic happen.

Unlike everything else that demands upgrades, Cryosphere is actually the opposite. If you obtain it at Gold, keep it that way. The extra duration is more of a hinderance than a benefit, as the Freeze triggers are what matter.

Icicle + GRN-W4SP

Icicle is a great flex item for its powerful on-start Freeze. Kripp's Fiery Icicle got even more value as it also immediately triggered Frostfire for even more lockdown potential. While not mandatory, it's a good example of how you can take advantage of on-start enchant/skill combos.

GRN-W4SP fills the gap by helping Charge BLU-B33TL3 faster. Since it's the quantity of Freezes that matters most, it's a reasonable slot between Coolant and BLU-B33TL3 to help get more out of your best items.

Dino Saddle + Thrusters

Dino Saddle + Thrusters has become a popular combo to effectively build-your-own Multicast item. When setup alongside BLU-B33TL3 it creates six separate Freeze triggers per activation, greatly Charging and scaling the Nitrogen Hammer.

You do trade a lot of board space and utility for this pair, so make sure you have an item that's worth supporting if you use it. If you don't have a Diamond-tier BLU-B33TL3 or Coolant, it may not be worth it.

Soldering Gun + Power Sander

Soldering Gun + Power Sander was specifically used as a way to turbo Charge the Multicasting BLU-B33TL3. Kripp had a Toxic Soldering Gun which enabled this combo, but otherwise this would not be a useful pair. However, it is a good reminder that a Toxic enchant can enable a more potent BLU-B33TL3.

Sapphire

Sapphire has always been one of the best Freeze items in the game, and even post-nerfs it's still very good. This obviously isn't a common find for Dooley, but definitely be on the lookout in case you come across it. It's definitely a priority pickup at Pearl's.

Healthy Heart

Healthy Heart is a very helpful defense mechanism, particularly during full Cryosphere lockdown states. While Coolant definitely helps against Burn, both Burn and Poison can still become an issue when frozen for 2-3 seconds. Having a built-in Cleanse and Heal is really handy.

Defense Grid

Defense Grid is useful for similar reasons as Healthy Heart, but ultimately just acts as an extra buffer before the scaling and Freeze takes over. It's not fun getting one-shot before your build comes online.

Freeze Skills

Any Freeze skills that your build can support are always a welcome addition. Freeze as an ability works wonders in multiples, so being able to lock out an item near the start then stack more Freeze on top of it can be game breaking.

If you're lucky enough to get Petrifying Gaze, it'll act as a pseudo one-sided Cryosphere effect, scaling and Charging Nitrogen Hammer the moment your Health drops low enough.