Crushing Blow

August 30, 2026

Crushing Blow is a chance to remove a percentage of the current life of the target instead of dealing weapon damage. It scales with the health pool of the monster rather than with the weapon, which makes it the standard way for a physical build to bring down bosses.

How much life it removes

Bows, crossbows and throwing weapons count as missile attacks and remove half of the melee amount.

percentage of current life removed by one Crushing Blow
Weapon	Normal monsters	Champions, Uniques, Bosses	Players and Hirelings
Melee	25%	12.5%	10%
Missile	12.5%	6.25%	5%

It is rolled and applied before the normal damage of the attack, so both land on the same swing. Because the amount is a share of a pool rather than a fixed number, it also scales with the inflated monster life of a /players setting or a full game.

The last column is not theoretical: Blunderbores are the only ordinary monsters that deal Crushing Blow themselves, at 15% on Nightmare and 25% on Hell.

Diminishing returns

Each Crushing Blow takes a share of what is left, not of the original total. Four melee Crushing Blows against a normal monster leave it at roughly 32% life, and eight leave it at roughly 10%. It brings a target down quickly and then hands the kill over to the regular damage of the attack, which is why it is paired with attack speed and a weapon that still hits hard.

Limitations

It only fires on a weapon attack that lands. It is checked after the chance to hit roll, and spells and elemental skills never carry it.
It is physical damage, so physical resistance reduces it and a physical immune monster takes none of it.

It is often confused with Deadly Strike: Crushing Blow scales with the life of the target, Deadly Strike scales with the damage of the weapon.

Sources

Chance from multiple items is added together and 100% is reachable. Only unique, set and crafted items and runewords carry it. Magic and rare items can never roll Crushing Blow. A socketed Ber Rune adds 20% to any weapon, which is the one source that fits on a base of your choosing.