Can you buff movement while wielding a (Golden) Hammer

super-smash-bros-ultimate

I’m making Spirit presets for smashing with my friends, and the Mini Mario w/Hammers spirit’s trait of Increased Hammer Duration seemed like a fun build-around.

I have Item Gravitation and Battering Items ↑, but what it really needs is faster movement or further jump height.

Are all fighters locked into the same movement and jump when wielding a Hammer or Golden Hammer? Skills like Lightweight and Movement ↑ seem to have no effect. Also, each character seems to have the same movement capabilities when swinging a hammer, so is it just hardcoded to always be the same?

Best Answer

After some experimentation:

Movement

  • Jump ↑ does nothing for height while wielding a hammer. It probably does nothing for jump speed either, but even if it does it’s very subtle.

  • Lightweight also doesn’t help hammer jump height, but it seems to improve horizontal movement. Perhaps more importantly, it helps you grab hammers before others do. Probably better to prefer it over Item Gravitation.

  • I have yet to test Movement ↑, Dash Attack ↑ (slightly increases movement speed), Landing Lag ↓, Floaty Jumps, Slow Super Armor/Armor Knight, Braking Ability ↑, the jump/movement/fall speed-related Dojo Styles, or the the Rocket Belt or Super Leaf items.

    • I haven’t tested Instadrop or Impact Run either but I highly doubt they work while swinging.

Improved Hammer damage

Didn’t test this yet, which might come from any of the following:

  • Battering Items ↑
  • Weapon Attack ↑
  • Trade-off Attack/Ability
  • Critical-Health Attack/Stats
  • Armor Knight
  • General spirit ATK stats
  • Toss & Meteor might buff the knockback of the regular Hammer.
  • Equipment Style from Dyntos’s dojo — maybe Ninja Style from Kat & Ana’s

That said — do you really need to buff Hammer offense?

Other options

  • Item Gravitation can help grab hammers first, but Lightweight also does, and then helps after getting the hammer. (Movement Speed ↑ may also.)

  • Unsure about Shield Damage ↑, but might also be moot with the hammer, just like damage buffs.

  • You can’t get Lifesteal and Increased Hammer Duration.

  • Savvy opponents may still hit you while you’re swingin’. Improved Escape can help if grabbed, and Franklin Badge Equipped helps against the projectiles that make it past the hammerhead.

  • Falling Immunity stops tripping from banana peels, down tilts that outrange the hammer, etc. Bury Immunity is too situational.

  • Super Armor is good, but you didn’t need me to tell you that.

  • Nothing prevents counter specials from absolutely destroying the hammer wielder.

  • Strong Wind Resist/Immunity don’t protect against windboxes — not even the Gust Bellows. :(

  • Giant would be effective if you could guarantee a Hammer spawns early. But you can’t.

  • Back Shield Equipped will not help very much, if at all.