Predecessor Crucible Guide: Objectives and 3v3 Tips

How Crucible’s 3v3 Mode Works

Predecessor Crucible puts two teams of three on a single-lane map with a jungle. Destroy the enemy Core to win, using jungle objectives to strengthen your team and create opportunities to push. Coordinate your rotations: sending everyone into the jungle also means leaving the lane unattended.

Crucible launched with Update 1.17: Bloodtide on September 22, 2026. This guide covers that update’s ruleset, including its permanent Raptor bonuses, Shaper rewards, and movement mechanics.

You begin at level 1 with 350 gold, receive an additional 3 mana regeneration per second, and have a 150-second Blink cooldown. Passive gold income begins at 9.5 gold per second and scales over time, eventually reaching 15 gold per second. Jungle XP sharing is set to 100%.

Keep Blink’s cooldown in mind before committing to a jungle fight. Use the map’s movement tools for routine rotations, and save your escape when an enemy engagement could cut off your retreat.

Official page: Predecessor (predecessorgame.com)

Raptor Fangteeth: Build Permanent Trouble Stacks

The usual Fangtooth is replaced by a pack of three Raptor Fangteeth, with a pack spawning every 3 minutes. Each Raptor your team kills awards one stack of Trouble.

Image: Steam / Omeda Studios

Every Trouble stack grants a permanent +2% increase to all stats for every ally, with no stack limit. Each Raptor therefore contributes to your whole team’s strength, even when you cannot secure the entire pack.

Raptors have 3000 health, gaining 1500 per level. Their physical armor starts at 30 and increases by 8 per level, while magical armor starts at 25 and increases by 1 per level.

Plan your contest around the lane and your teammates’ positions:

• Push the wave before rotating. Give the enemy a lane to defend while you move toward the objective.
• Group before starting the fight. Avoid committing to a Raptor while a teammate is too far away to help.
• Track individual kills. Trouble is awarded per Raptor, so securing part of the pack still earns permanent bonuses.
• Respect the remaining enemies. Avoid chasing a retreating Hero so far that the opposing team can take the Raptors behind you.

Treat these monsters as recurring objectives throughout the match. Their rewards keep stacking rather than expiring after a temporary power window.

Shaper: Turn an Objective Win Into Lane Pressure

Image: Steam / Omeda Studios

Shaper spawns at 10:00. Killing him sends a seedling down the enemy team’s lane and grants the Orb Prime buff. Orb Prime itself is absent from this mode; its buff has moved to Shaper.

Shaper has 4800 health, gaining 1000 per level, along with 90 physical armor and 75 magical armor.

His rewards connect the jungle directly to the win condition. The seedling adds lane pressure, while the Orb Prime buff gives your team another reason to regroup and push.

Before starting Shaper, check the enemy team’s positions and clear nearby vision. Use an enemy retreat or a favorable fight to create room for the attempt. Once you secure the kill, regroup around the lane pressure instead of immediately scattering for smaller camps.

The center’s Bounce Pads provide vertical routes toward the Shaper pit. Watch those approaches when defending the objective, and use them to join your teammates when contesting it.

Jungle Buffs and Plants to Track

Crucible removes Gold Buff and Cyan Buff, but Gold Plants remain part of the map. Distinguish between the removed jungle objective and the plants you can still collect.

Image: Steam / Omeda Studios

Red and Blue Buffs

There is one Red Buff in the center of the map, and it drops its buff from the start of the game. Red has 2550 health, gaining 110 per level.

There are two Blue Buffs, one in each jungle, and they also drop their buffs from game start. Blue has 950 health, gaining 200 per level.

Prepare your opening movement before leaving spawn. These buffs are available early, so avoid wandering through the jungle while your teammates commit elsewhere. Communicate before contesting the central Red Buff, and keep an escape route in mind when approaching it.

Gold and Speed Plants

Gold Plants first spawn at 40 seconds and respawn every 80 seconds. Speed Plants first spawn at 5 seconds and also respawn every 80 seconds.

Remember when plants are collected so you can plan a return visit. Work them into movement between the lane and jungle rather than abandoning an immediate defense to collect one.

Use Vertical Routes, Healing Zones, and Bushes

The map offers several ways to reposition, recover, and hide your approach. Learn what each feature actually does before relying on it during a fight.

Geysers give you full air control. Use that control to adjust your movement during a rotation or an escape. Check where your teammates are heading before taking a route that leaves you separated.

Bounce Pads launch you upward when you walk over them. The central pads support fast vertical movement toward Shaper. Familiarize yourself with their landing routes before committing to an objective contest.

Health Packs require a short channel. Walking over a pack triggers the channel, and all Heroes who remain in the zone are healed when it completes. Stay inside until the heal resolves, and watch the surrounding approaches while waiting.

Stealth Bushes hide you from enemies outside them. An enemy sharing the bush or an enemy Ward placed inside it reveals you. Place a Ward inside a bush you need to monitor, and avoid assuming that entering vegetation guarantees a safe retreat.

Use these features to keep your team connected. When a teammate takes a fast vertical route toward Shaper, follow a compatible path or signal that you cannot join before the fight starts.