Hi, i started a frenzy barbarian (^^) a while back and he's coming to the point where he needs those items to push him further. I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice as to what runewords or equipment have desirable auras or curses that compliment the frenzy barb and his merc.
Cheers
Shakey|||Quote:
Hi, i started a frenzy barbarian (^^) a while back and he's coming to the point where he needs those items to push him further. I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice as to what runewords or equipment have desirable auras or curses that compliment the frenzy barb and his merc.
Cheers
Shakey
Wel here is what I suggest. Get a beastz for main side. for offhand choose a powerful zerk weapon such as greifz, edeathz (most powerful for PVM), e death cleaver zod. Or you could use doomz on main side and beastz on off hand if you wanted also.
For the curse, go with lifetap so get dracs. Its ow and lifetap cast is pretty much a must for frenzy.|||Thanks for the reply
So use a 6 socket axe, spair socket for zod? I'll give it a shot. Are there any good armours for stacking?
Shakey|||for max damage its decrep might merc and dual grief. brand a1 merc is also a possibility but hard to keep alive. remember to use enigma to get decrep procced easily and keep merc dps up|||my frenzy barb stackith the auras.
doom/Blessed aim merc
beastz/lwz. run anywhere, do anything(but pvp)
stashed azurewrath.|||Quote:
Thanks for the reply
So use a 6 socket axe, spair socket for zod? I'll give it a shot. Are there any good armours for stacking?
Shakey
WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
runewords have to be exact; for example enigma runeword requires exactly 3 sockets in the armor for the 3 runes, no more or less. If you have a spare socket, it's wrong.
oh, don't use my armor example for pvm, that was socketing example, try fortitude or something else|||Quote:
runewords have to be exact; for example enigma runeword requires exactly 3 sockets in the armor for the 3 runes, no more or less. If you have a spare socket, it's wrong.
oh, don't use my armor example for pvm, that was socketing example, try fortitude or something else
Have you tried it yourself? Enigma is awesome with a reaper's merc, getting high dps both from the decrep cast and mercs weapon too, which the forti would be missing. And of course the much faster movement|||Could i just get a definite on this zod subject? How can you put a zod in after the runword has been made?
Shakey
Ed:This whole issue revolves around the ability to make the weapon indestructible, and whether you can do so with beast, etc.|||You cant any more legitimately. the only way people do it is the atma hack to make items indestructible in single player..|||Quote:
e death cleaver zod. Or you could use doomz on main side and beastz on off hand if you wanted also.
For the curse, go with lifetap so get dracs. Its ow and lifetap cast is pretty much a must for frenzy.
Quote:
Thanks for the reply
So use a 6 socket axe, spair socket for zod? I'll give it a shot. Are there any good armours for stacking?
Shakey
that is not a runeword... if you dont have the right amount of sockets exactly for the rw you are making, enjoy a nice wep with some rune bonuses.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Need help building a Barb
Hey guys, this is my first post in the forum as im trying to get back into D2 after a 7 year break from the game. I'm trying to build myself a really good barb, something all around. When I say "all around", by that I mean something that can take down monsters and other players alike (if that is even possible anymore). Maybe a really cool WW barb? I have been reading a lot of guids and posts on this forum and some of the terminology seems to confuse me since im basically a noob all over again and a lot has changed. On top of that, the minute I read a strategy, people often come with the typical "oh this sucks, mine will own you" talk without much info as to why. I was wondering if someone out there can help me with a good barb build. Im trying to build a really cool sword oriented barb. Can someone tell me what a good barb build would consist of? What items should I have? What skills should I master?
I greatly appreciate the help and I thank all of you for taking the time out to read this and help me out if you can.|||I'm prejudice toward frenzy barbs. Some cheap ways to get one started are:
Lawbringer runeword in off hand (right slot) built in a 3 socket phase blade: (Amn+Lem+Ko)
The biggest fastest hitting sword you can get in you main hand (left slot)
Treachery armor runeword (Shael+Thul+Lem)
Immortal Kings Boots + Belt + Gauntlets.
Some crafted life leech rings.
Resist all amulet of some kind
Health Charms
Skills based on standard frenzy + synergies. The rest is up to you. You could pump natural resists if you are low on +skills gears. You might want to think about getting what merc and merc weapon you will be after next. Early game I would encourage you to get a holy freeze merc with an Obedience runeword polearm for him. If you can pull this stuff together you will have a build that will keep up in pretty much any game and its not that expensive. Not compared to WW barbs anyhow.|||this was long, but i was REALLY bored at work! hope you enjoy.
barb's aren't too hard to set up for success with plenty of flexibility, It's what I love about them. Here's a few places to get started:
Pick a main damage approach. the popular ones are WW, Frenzy, Concentrate builds, as well as beserk builds, double swing (slight variation of frenzy), but WW/frenzy/Conc are the 3 most common. there's guides for all of them in the stickies, read up on them and pay attention to the synergies and pick the best ones to max. weaposn mastry is a subset of this...pick based on what you plan on using (or hold off on masteries till you get higher and find your weapon). with respecs it isn't as critical, i often will put a single point in each mastery I think ill use and respec later.
The key with Barb survivability is the battlecries. Just about every build I've seen (aside from singers and eccentric ones) max Battle Orders and Shout, with everything else one pointers (or more pending your desire). The key is that those 1 pointers are still used a ton. You get far more out of them then the single point you put in. here's a few tips on those:
Warcry - crowd control skill #1. stuns mobs for a BRIEF time, but usually long enough to get off something else. like a leap. or a howl. or run screaming like a little girl (I do this allot in hell).
Howl - CC#2 - make em run! I use this far more then warcry, especially on large boss packs in hell. all the mobs BUT the boss run away, and i can take down the boss, eliminating those pesky fenaticism and might auras that they give their packs (thats usually what gets ya, not the boss but the pack of 10 mobs that he has buffed up with his auras). After that the pack is usually easy. this is a popular spot for me to sink extra skill points for the added time/distance.
Grim Totem - Howl not enough control? use GT on a downed mob and they will constantly run away (again except for the boss). You can pick them off 1 @ a time pulling them in with taunt, or if your a WW barb you can just whirl in a tight radius around the totem, they get hit as they come back in (and run back out again hehehehe....)
Taunt - this is great for those irritating ghosts that hang out over the river of flame (where you can't reach them) and drain your mana. taunt pulls them to melee range, and reduces their offensive stats. also good for pulling back individual mobs that are howled. Or puling in ranged archers that wont come in on their own. or pulling a mob off of your merc that is hitting him too hard for your comfort. very flexible tool.
Find Item - Often overlooked, I've gotten a ton of decent stuff off of those extra horks. I make it a point to hork every boss pack i kill, and i hork the non boss mobs in the pack as well, since im already there. best find so far this ladder horking is a Vex off of a little demon thingy in hell act 1. thats just to show that its worth it. hork everything. kill hork kill hork. with this shout barbs essentially have 50% or more loot rolls then any other class.
other things to consider:
1) Beserk - this 1 pt wonder is your Physical immune tool. I never have a need for anything else but this. It helps to have a shield if you're zerking nasty amped packs in hell tho, as it strips your defense, but you still can block. I keep a shield in my inventory, you may want one on switch if you need the speedy access. the ghost packs in hell can hit nasty hard if the boss has auras, the shield can help.
2) keep Concentrate on left click and your other combat skills on right (be it WW, frenzy, whatever). Conc is cheap enough and beneficial enough to use as the default swing if you aren't doing anything else. +defense and no interruption are golden.
3) keep your cries on quick hotkeys! as an example if you have to use howl, its usually because you just WW'ed into a pack of nasties, and the boss has a super mana-burn and your right in the middle when it sucks your mana! that's not the time to fumble for that out of reach hotkey to get a howl off. keep em close and personal.
4) best way to acquire gear as a barb is PGEMS! kill all kinds of stuff, and hork them, and save all your gems, and cube them up. real good end game gear can be had usually for pgems. the uber gear is expensive, but it's not necessary, just makes things quicker. cheap examples are : the IK's set (whole thing is cheap cept the armor, but its a great set), string of ears, goreriders, goblin toes, weapon examples that are cheap but good are: Windhammer (conc and WW builds), schaefers hammer (franzy builds), stormlash (frenzy), etc. all uniques, all end game stuff, all go for pgems (or reasonable runes).
Runewords can come in cheap form too. I highly suggest going to the arreat summit (just google it, i never can remember the actual link hehe), and browse the runewords there. You'd be amazed at the mileage you can get out of mid level runewords.
...yeah I was real bored at work hehe|||Obilic welcome to the forum
Here we are welcome to help each other on the post on this forum. Feel free to post on any of the post or make your own post.
Anyways I would say whirlwind barb is a great barb to start out with but consider mana a big problem. A good starter will be the immortal king set if you are poor but be aware the armor is expensive but the rest the gear is very cheap. I remember making my first ik barb and he is hell viable. But there are other great options too. Good luck with the barb that you are planning on making.|||Heyz also welcome to the forum.
I am also starting sort of a barb. although i have a sorc of 90+ who is getting the gear for him. I would like to add that Oath is always an option with high CB and dirt cheap to make. (since countess is dropping mal / pul regularly. I agree with the merc and the obdience beastly weapon!
I was just wondering, how are you in the gear are you really starting? I am not sure what the best barb is for starters. I have had a ww barb that was extreme geared. (botd / grief / beast / and Last wish. DO you have access to those items.
Lastly it is easier for a Frenzy barb to do Uuber trist so that says something about the PVM capabilities. In addition to that Law bringer in a phase blade is awsome and again really cheap! Good luck building yerself a barb!
I greatly appreciate the help and I thank all of you for taking the time out to read this and help me out if you can.|||I'm prejudice toward frenzy barbs. Some cheap ways to get one started are:
Lawbringer runeword in off hand (right slot) built in a 3 socket phase blade: (Amn+Lem+Ko)
The biggest fastest hitting sword you can get in you main hand (left slot)
Treachery armor runeword (Shael+Thul+Lem)
Immortal Kings Boots + Belt + Gauntlets.
Some crafted life leech rings.
Resist all amulet of some kind
Health Charms
Skills based on standard frenzy + synergies. The rest is up to you. You could pump natural resists if you are low on +skills gears. You might want to think about getting what merc and merc weapon you will be after next. Early game I would encourage you to get a holy freeze merc with an Obedience runeword polearm for him. If you can pull this stuff together you will have a build that will keep up in pretty much any game and its not that expensive. Not compared to WW barbs anyhow.|||this was long, but i was REALLY bored at work! hope you enjoy.
barb's aren't too hard to set up for success with plenty of flexibility, It's what I love about them. Here's a few places to get started:
Pick a main damage approach. the popular ones are WW, Frenzy, Concentrate builds, as well as beserk builds, double swing (slight variation of frenzy), but WW/frenzy/Conc are the 3 most common. there's guides for all of them in the stickies, read up on them and pay attention to the synergies and pick the best ones to max. weaposn mastry is a subset of this...pick based on what you plan on using (or hold off on masteries till you get higher and find your weapon). with respecs it isn't as critical, i often will put a single point in each mastery I think ill use and respec later.
The key with Barb survivability is the battlecries. Just about every build I've seen (aside from singers and eccentric ones) max Battle Orders and Shout, with everything else one pointers (or more pending your desire). The key is that those 1 pointers are still used a ton. You get far more out of them then the single point you put in. here's a few tips on those:
Warcry - crowd control skill #1. stuns mobs for a BRIEF time, but usually long enough to get off something else. like a leap. or a howl. or run screaming like a little girl (I do this allot in hell).
Howl - CC#2 - make em run! I use this far more then warcry, especially on large boss packs in hell. all the mobs BUT the boss run away, and i can take down the boss, eliminating those pesky fenaticism and might auras that they give their packs (thats usually what gets ya, not the boss but the pack of 10 mobs that he has buffed up with his auras). After that the pack is usually easy. this is a popular spot for me to sink extra skill points for the added time/distance.
Grim Totem - Howl not enough control? use GT on a downed mob and they will constantly run away (again except for the boss). You can pick them off 1 @ a time pulling them in with taunt, or if your a WW barb you can just whirl in a tight radius around the totem, they get hit as they come back in (and run back out again hehehehe....)
Taunt - this is great for those irritating ghosts that hang out over the river of flame (where you can't reach them) and drain your mana. taunt pulls them to melee range, and reduces their offensive stats. also good for pulling back individual mobs that are howled. Or puling in ranged archers that wont come in on their own. or pulling a mob off of your merc that is hitting him too hard for your comfort. very flexible tool.
Find Item - Often overlooked, I've gotten a ton of decent stuff off of those extra horks. I make it a point to hork every boss pack i kill, and i hork the non boss mobs in the pack as well, since im already there. best find so far this ladder horking is a Vex off of a little demon thingy in hell act 1. thats just to show that its worth it. hork everything. kill hork kill hork. with this shout barbs essentially have 50% or more loot rolls then any other class.
other things to consider:
1) Beserk - this 1 pt wonder is your Physical immune tool. I never have a need for anything else but this. It helps to have a shield if you're zerking nasty amped packs in hell tho, as it strips your defense, but you still can block. I keep a shield in my inventory, you may want one on switch if you need the speedy access. the ghost packs in hell can hit nasty hard if the boss has auras, the shield can help.
2) keep Concentrate on left click and your other combat skills on right (be it WW, frenzy, whatever). Conc is cheap enough and beneficial enough to use as the default swing if you aren't doing anything else. +defense and no interruption are golden.
3) keep your cries on quick hotkeys! as an example if you have to use howl, its usually because you just WW'ed into a pack of nasties, and the boss has a super mana-burn and your right in the middle when it sucks your mana! that's not the time to fumble for that out of reach hotkey to get a howl off. keep em close and personal.
4) best way to acquire gear as a barb is PGEMS! kill all kinds of stuff, and hork them, and save all your gems, and cube them up. real good end game gear can be had usually for pgems. the uber gear is expensive, but it's not necessary, just makes things quicker. cheap examples are : the IK's set (whole thing is cheap cept the armor, but its a great set), string of ears, goreriders, goblin toes, weapon examples that are cheap but good are: Windhammer (conc and WW builds), schaefers hammer (franzy builds), stormlash (frenzy), etc. all uniques, all end game stuff, all go for pgems (or reasonable runes).
Runewords can come in cheap form too. I highly suggest going to the arreat summit (just google it, i never can remember the actual link hehe), and browse the runewords there. You'd be amazed at the mileage you can get out of mid level runewords.
...yeah I was real bored at work hehe|||Obilic welcome to the forum
Here we are welcome to help each other on the post on this forum. Feel free to post on any of the post or make your own post.Anyways I would say whirlwind barb is a great barb to start out with but consider mana a big problem. A good starter will be the immortal king set if you are poor but be aware the armor is expensive but the rest the gear is very cheap. I remember making my first ik barb and he is hell viable. But there are other great options too. Good luck with the barb that you are planning on making.|||Heyz also welcome to the forum.
I am also starting sort of a barb. although i have a sorc of 90+ who is getting the gear for him. I would like to add that Oath is always an option with high CB and dirt cheap to make. (since countess is dropping mal / pul regularly. I agree with the merc and the obdience beastly weapon!
I was just wondering, how are you in the gear are you really starting? I am not sure what the best barb is for starters. I have had a ww barb that was extreme geared. (botd / grief / beast / and Last wish. DO you have access to those items.
Lastly it is easier for a Frenzy barb to do Uuber trist so that says something about the PVM capabilities. In addition to that Law bringer in a phase blade is awsome and again really cheap! Good luck building yerself a barb!
Best 1 Handed Weapon for WW
I'm making a weapon/shield WW barbarian. I'm thinking of using Arreats + Cham (Can't be frozen), Fort Archon Plate, Verdungos, Stormshield (Not Sure What to Socket This With Yet), Gorerider Boots, 2x Angelic Rings + Ammy (Big AR Boost), Verdungos Belt & Dracul Gloves (Good LL). However, what should I use as a weapon? Beast Zerk, Grief, Ebotdz Col/Zerk?
I know WW can't enact Life Tap, so are there better gloves to use that outweight the Draculs Strength, Life Steal & Open Wounds?|||For WW, its all about weapon speed, so find something you like that balances damage to speed. Good choices include:
Grief
Breath of the Dying
Beast
or a REALLY good rare, but the runewords kinda dominate weapon slots.|||OK, so it would be better to go with a 1 handed axe than 1 handed collosus sword?|||grief in PB(berserker axe if u are rich and like to repair), then the rest.|||I see the topic is a bit old, but anywys it fits my question so I'd rather post here instead of making a new one.
For 1-h WW I guess Grief is better. But for WW with 2 axes, woudln't Grief+Beast be better than dual Grief?
Also since Oath is Eth and Grief is non-eth, wouldn't Oath be comparable and a lot easier to make?|||I'm not 100% sure but I think dual Griefs beats the Grief+Beast combo. A perfect eOath small crescent will do 323 average damage which is less than the worst grief roll. More importantly though, grief has ITD and 20% DS. You'll still own hell but it's not Grief :>
Those Oath rolls can be a ***** though. I was pretty lucky with my two small crescents for my whirler (327 and 309 with 3 mals used), but I've done 9 rolls in balrog blades for my zerker, and have yet to get a roll above 250 -_-|||I did some number crunching and with a decked out Titan WW build with enigma the numbers would be following(it ignores OW and chance to hit though, which makes grief a bit stronger than the numbers here show):
Quote:
usage ratio right hand 1:0.7 left hand on average, approximated from durability usage
ED with grief&grief 1 + 7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh) + 0.5 (grief demon ed or beast str)=16.22
ED with botd 1 + 7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh) + 0.9 (botd ed and 30 str)=16.62
ED with grief&beast 1 + 7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh) + 0.5 (grief demon ed or beast str)+1.86=18.08
ED with etomb 1 + 7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh) + 0.77 (undead ed/3)=16.49
ED with rare weapon 1 + 7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh) =15.72
ED with rare mace 1 + 7.7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh)+0.17(undead damage) =16.59
20% CB to 12k life monster at half life:6000*0.2*0.25=300
raw damage with ds & cs and 55 damage from charms(assuming non sup ba on grief and beast to avoid big repair bill, and 37 32020-s)
rare legendary mallet 554*1.89
grief ba 503*1.89
beast ba 231*1.77
rare ba(450 ed, 20 max damage, 2 ohms) 527*1.77
botd gpa 724*1.77
rare CS(450 ed, 20 max damage, ohm and 15/40) 939*1.77
etomb with 4015 and ohm 701*1.77
total damage per 4 frames:
1H weapons
rare lm&rare lm: (1 + 0.7)*554*1.89*16.59=29530
grief&grief: (1 + 0.7)*503*1.89*16.22=26213
rare ba&rare ba: (1+0.7)527*1.77*15.72=24928
grief&beast: 1*503*1.89*18.08 + 0.7*231*1.77*18.08 + 0.7*300=22572
2H weapons
rare CS: 1*939*1.77*15.72=26127
botd gpa: 1*724*1.77*16.62=21298
etomb: 1*701*1.77*16.49=20460
As far as oath, an oath bb as 2h weapon actually does more damage than 2 oath small crescents(ignoring cb and charm damage), as 86.5>49.5*1.7|||Are you summing the ed to demons and undead along with other off-skill ed? That and the ridiculous amount of strength will skew the odds heavily in favour of grief over beast.
As for the oath thing, that's kinda trivial. I won't say anything about your dubious 1.7 coefficient, but any amount of cb will make dual wielding the better choice.|||Quote:
Are you summing the ed to demons and undead along with other off-skill ed? That and the ridiculous amount of strength will skew the odds heavily in favour of grief over beast.
As for the oath thing, that's kinda trivial. I won't say anything about your dubious 1.7 coefficient, but any amount of cb will make dual wielding the better choice.
Try calculating the coefficent yourself, im sure you will find it to be similar(ww until right weapon breaks, compare its dura to left one).
And The demon and undead EDs are both divided by 3. And ridiculous amount of strength: it is damage optimal in pvm, and can get 2.5k life with it which is decent|||Grief berserker axe is best 1h weapon for ww barb. I also go with ss for shield since I want to make a bvb in the future.
I know WW can't enact Life Tap, so are there better gloves to use that outweight the Draculs Strength, Life Steal & Open Wounds?|||For WW, its all about weapon speed, so find something you like that balances damage to speed. Good choices include:
Grief
Breath of the Dying
Beast
or a REALLY good rare, but the runewords kinda dominate weapon slots.|||OK, so it would be better to go with a 1 handed axe than 1 handed collosus sword?|||grief in PB(berserker axe if u are rich and like to repair), then the rest.|||I see the topic is a bit old, but anywys it fits my question so I'd rather post here instead of making a new one.
For 1-h WW I guess Grief is better. But for WW with 2 axes, woudln't Grief+Beast be better than dual Grief?
Also since Oath is Eth and Grief is non-eth, wouldn't Oath be comparable and a lot easier to make?|||I'm not 100% sure but I think dual Griefs beats the Grief+Beast combo. A perfect eOath small crescent will do 323 average damage which is less than the worst grief roll. More importantly though, grief has ITD and 20% DS. You'll still own hell but it's not Grief :>
Those Oath rolls can be a ***** though. I was pretty lucky with my two small crescents for my whirler (327 and 309 with 3 mals used), but I've done 9 rolls in balrog blades for my zerker, and have yet to get a roll above 250 -_-|||I did some number crunching and with a decked out Titan WW build with enigma the numbers would be following(it ignores OW and chance to hit though, which makes grief a bit stronger than the numbers here show):
Quote:
usage ratio right hand 1:0.7 left hand on average, approximated from durability usage
ED with grief&grief 1 + 7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh) + 0.5 (grief demon ed or beast str)=16.22
ED with botd 1 + 7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh) + 0.9 (botd ed and 30 str)=16.62
ED with grief&beast 1 + 7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh) + 0.5 (grief demon ed or beast str)+1.86=18.08
ED with etomb 1 + 7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh) + 0.77 (undead ed/3)=16.49
ED with rare weapon 1 + 7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh) =15.72
ED with rare mace 1 + 7.7(strength) + 1.68(29 mast) + 1.74(29 ww) + 2.7(24 might) + 0.4(gui socket) + 1.2(loh)+0.17(undead damage) =16.59
20% CB to 12k life monster at half life:6000*0.2*0.25=300
raw damage with ds & cs and 55 damage from charms(assuming non sup ba on grief and beast to avoid big repair bill, and 37 32020-s)
rare legendary mallet 554*1.89
grief ba 503*1.89
beast ba 231*1.77
rare ba(450 ed, 20 max damage, 2 ohms) 527*1.77
botd gpa 724*1.77
rare CS(450 ed, 20 max damage, ohm and 15/40) 939*1.77
etomb with 4015 and ohm 701*1.77
total damage per 4 frames:
1H weapons
rare lm&rare lm: (1 + 0.7)*554*1.89*16.59=29530
grief&grief: (1 + 0.7)*503*1.89*16.22=26213
rare ba&rare ba: (1+0.7)527*1.77*15.72=24928
grief&beast: 1*503*1.89*18.08 + 0.7*231*1.77*18.08 + 0.7*300=22572
2H weapons
rare CS: 1*939*1.77*15.72=26127
botd gpa: 1*724*1.77*16.62=21298
etomb: 1*701*1.77*16.49=20460
As far as oath, an oath bb as 2h weapon actually does more damage than 2 oath small crescents(ignoring cb and charm damage), as 86.5>49.5*1.7|||Are you summing the ed to demons and undead along with other off-skill ed? That and the ridiculous amount of strength will skew the odds heavily in favour of grief over beast.
As for the oath thing, that's kinda trivial. I won't say anything about your dubious 1.7 coefficient, but any amount of cb will make dual wielding the better choice.|||Quote:
Are you summing the ed to demons and undead along with other off-skill ed? That and the ridiculous amount of strength will skew the odds heavily in favour of grief over beast.
As for the oath thing, that's kinda trivial. I won't say anything about your dubious 1.7 coefficient, but any amount of cb will make dual wielding the better choice.
Try calculating the coefficent yourself, im sure you will find it to be similar(ww until right weapon breaks, compare its dura to left one).
And The demon and undead EDs are both divided by 3. And ridiculous amount of strength: it is damage optimal in pvm, and can get 2.5k life with it which is decent|||Grief berserker axe is best 1h weapon for ww barb. I also go with ss for shield since I want to make a bvb in the future.
frenzy IAS
how does ias work with frenzy? i dont like how slow my barb swings when he starts frenzying. do i need to sheal both weapons or can i just do one and keep the other offhand? i seem to remember reading that you really only need the ias on one weapon for it to work on both. i tried searching but couldnt find it again|||ias helps on glove side weapon and base weapon speed helps on both sides|||Just to be clear: The weapon base speed of both weapons as listed on the arreat summit is averaged to give you your effective base speed. Then ias on the main (glove side) is added along with any other ias except that on the offhand weapon (which doesn't count at all).
Use this weapon speed calc * to see what your breakpoints are.|||The primary weapon is the weapon that equipped first. If you switch weapons out then back your primary weapon will always be the one on the left hand side of your inventory screen (above the glove as hubb said). Either way, the [moving running jumping] barb always show the primary weapon in his right hand, so you can always tell.
Use this weapon speed calc * to see what your breakpoints are.|||The primary weapon is the weapon that equipped first. If you switch weapons out then back your primary weapon will always be the one on the left hand side of your inventory screen (above the glove as hubb said). Either way, the [moving running jumping] barb always show the primary weapon in his right hand, so you can always tell.
PVM WW weps?
Have been searching for quite a while and found many different threads suggesting what is the best with varying results. Just wondering what combinations for 1 handers would be considered the best for a WW barb interested in PvMing.|||Grief/Grief or Grief/Beast will be your top two.|||Grief/Grief or Grief/shield would be better for pvm/mf ?|||i disagree mostly cause you will constantly need to repair weapons. i will use 2 ebotd zerkers. nice damage and insane leech.|||PvM SC, you don't need a shield. Makes Grief in PB and you don't need to repair either.|||why ppl prefer grief as botd berserk axe? i play ladder and want to know best weap for ww barb, i think with shield will be better for solo runs?|||Best is loosely found. Both BotD and Grief are strong enough to kill pretty much anything in pvm. Grief does better, but lacks the auto-leech and indestructibility (solved by Grief PB).|||Im currently toting a BotD in a colossus blade and swinging 2h (no dual wield). In all honesty, the mobs aren't going down much faster then when I used it in combo with a grief. either choice will simply kill things insanely fast. I like BotD for the life/mana leech and extra stats. It frees up allot more options in my other gear (the -reqs helps out alot as well when socketing it in a high end weapon)
speaking of pure numbers, Grief/Grief both in PB's put out the most damage, but you wont' honestly feel a huge difference in solo work between that and Botd Or beast. they all are sick killers. and shield is not really needed at all. Most stuff dies too fast with me Cb BotD for a shield to matter. the times i wished i had a shield, Howl and Grim totem are almost better, and faster to use then swapping for a shield.
that given, I still keep a shield around for OS moments, but it's not necessary to build around it.
speaking of pure numbers, Grief/Grief both in PB's put out the most damage, but you wont' honestly feel a huge difference in solo work between that and Botd Or beast. they all are sick killers. and shield is not really needed at all. Most stuff dies too fast with me Cb BotD for a shield to matter. the times i wished i had a shield, Howl and Grim totem are almost better, and faster to use then swapping for a shield.
that given, I still keep a shield around for OS moments, but it's not necessary to build around it.
Singer Barb?
Whats the most damage any1 ever been able to pull out of this 1?
Im hearing lows 1000's|||That's about right. You can play around with it on the skill calc.|||2023 - 2070 personally could probably pump that up for the expense of alot of mana|||+3 Warcries/+3 War Cry Magic Barb Pelt
Any +2 Armor
'Heart of the Oak' x2
Arachnid Mesh
Sounding Amulet
Any +1 Ring x2
Annihilus, Torch, 9x Sounding
Battle Command
War Cry: 2208 - 2254, 63 Mana Cost
It's not ideal, the mana cost is way too high. 1000-1500 is a comfortable level for PvM.|||Quote:
...
War Cry: 2208 - 2254, 63 Mana Cost
It's not ideal, the mana cost is way too high. 1000-1500 is a comfortable level for PvM.
Don't quite argee here. This is one of those "don't put a single point in energy, energy is the devil" reasonings
. If you get a good mana regen rate, and invest some in mana, you can get a barb to regen that much. I'll give the numbers a spin when I get home and can access the arreat summit for the damn formula (I'm at work behind a firewall that blocks half the net - the juicy part 
). I've done the math for infinicasting teleport, fireball, charge, CE,... and all of those have infinicast possibilities. And with the high lvl BO you'll get with this char I think it's fairly easily acchievable.|||Quote:
+3 Warcries/+3 War Cry Magic Barb Pelt
Any +2 Armor
'Heart of the Oak' x2
Arachnid Mesh
Sounding Amulet
Any +1 Ring x2
Annihilus, Torch, 9x Sounding
Battle Command
War Cry: 2208 - 2254, 63 Mana Cost
forgot the shrine
Quote:
It's not ideal, the mana cost is way too high. 1000-1500 is a comfortable level for PvM.
i agree with this completely.
Quote:
Don't quite argee here. This is one of those "don't put a single point in energy, energy is the devil" reasonings . If you get a good mana regen rate, and invest some in mana, you can get a barb to regen that much. I'll give the numbers a spin when I get home and can access the arreat summit for the damn formula (I'm at work behind a firewall that blocks half the net - the juicy part ). I've done the math for infinicasting teleport, fireball, charge, CE,... and all of those have infinicast possibilities. And with the high lvl BO you'll get with this char I think it's fairly easily acchievable.
i'll be interested in seeing this. will you be going for the 105% bp?|||Quote:
Don't quite argee here. This is one of those "don't put a single point in energy, energy is the devil" reasonings . If you get a good mana regen rate, and invest some in mana, you can get a barb to regen that much. I'll give the numbers a spin when I get home and can access the arreat summit for the damn formula (I'm at work behind a firewall that blocks half the net - the juicy part ). I've done the math for infinicasting teleport, fireball, charge, CE,... and all of those have infinicast possibilities. And with the high lvl BO you'll get with this char I think it's fairly easily acchievable.
Yeah, I'll be interested in seeing a good set-up that centralizes around max damage too. Just how much energy are we talking about here though? 1 point of energy gives 1 point of mana to a Barbarian, with BO at 180%, 50% from SoJ, and 5% from Arachnid, that's a 235% boost to mana, so 200 points in energy would give you ~700 mana (would have been ~2400 life), which is around only 11 casts of War Cry.|||Quote:
Yeah, I'll be interested in seeing a good set-up that centralizes around max damage too. Just how much energy are we talking about here though? 1 point of energy gives 1 point of mana to a Barbarian, with BO at 180%, 50% from SoJ, and 5% from Arachnid, that's a 235% boost to mana, so 200 points in energy would give you ~700 mana (would have been ~2400 life), which is around only 11 casts of War Cry.
hmm i solved my short mana prob by throwing few Serpent's SC but if you stuff your inventory full of charms like that your total dmg would suffer|||My current ladder Singer uses a different set up and finishes at level 94.
Skills
20 Warcry plus synergies
20 Battle orders
1 Battle Command
1 Iron skin
1 Natural Resists
1 Leap
Gear
2 20 barb (cost me lem) no other stats to note socketed perfect sapphire
Enigma Mage Plate
Arachnid mesh
3 warcrys 10 FCR amulet
2x soj
Frostburns
Silkweaves
Now I have In my possession 2x Hotos for bo switch and occasional use but these proved the worst possible weapons for PvP and PvM. Now Wizardspike seems like the only option but to be honest. Wizardspike still doesnt cut it because Mana based on character level isn't effected by bo which is a waste.
The best possible set up in my opinion is 1x spirit and 1x wizardspike with the richer people moving onto the dual spirits for the mass mana 2 all skills and huge FHR. Spirits only weakness is the resists and if you can make that up elsewhere Spirit is the better choice.
Now in top end gear 1 point in natural resists can provide 60+ all resistance with 1 point in it.
Quick basic calculation
60 Natural resists
75 wizardspike
30 anya(temp)
20 Torch+anni
185
My current singer stats are
110 FCR
86 FHR
6.5k Health
1.7k mana
50 all resists in hell
1931 - 1977 Warcry damage.
I need a much better circlet to safely lose the second wizard spike its kinda risky running around with 2x spirit.
Reason for leap is for mostly for PvP to stun sorcs a little to make the initial warcry easier to land.
With my Ideal Circlet/Tiara and some more mana charms I think I could creep into the 2.6k mark without a sacrifice in damage.|||i did testrun the build with almost(no barb helm) perfect gear.
Realistically though, it would be better to have one of the weapons as beast, and reaper/botd merc weapon(or use brand bow on a low defense setup) as merc is the main damage source, lol.
Im hearing lows 1000's|||That's about right. You can play around with it on the skill calc.|||2023 - 2070 personally could probably pump that up for the expense of alot of mana|||+3 Warcries/+3 War Cry Magic Barb Pelt
Any +2 Armor
'Heart of the Oak' x2
Arachnid Mesh
Sounding Amulet
Any +1 Ring x2
Annihilus, Torch, 9x Sounding
Battle Command
War Cry: 2208 - 2254, 63 Mana Cost
It's not ideal, the mana cost is way too high. 1000-1500 is a comfortable level for PvM.|||Quote:
...
War Cry: 2208 - 2254, 63 Mana Cost
It's not ideal, the mana cost is way too high. 1000-1500 is a comfortable level for PvM.
Don't quite argee here. This is one of those "don't put a single point in energy, energy is the devil" reasonings
. If you get a good mana regen rate, and invest some in mana, you can get a barb to regen that much. I'll give the numbers a spin when I get home and can access the arreat summit for the damn formula (I'm at work behind a firewall that blocks half the net - the juicy part ). I've done the math for infinicasting teleport, fireball, charge, CE,... and all of those have infinicast possibilities. And with the high lvl BO you'll get with this char I think it's fairly easily acchievable.|||Quote:+3 Warcries/+3 War Cry Magic Barb Pelt
Any +2 Armor
'Heart of the Oak' x2
Arachnid Mesh
Sounding Amulet
Any +1 Ring x2
Annihilus, Torch, 9x Sounding
Battle Command
War Cry: 2208 - 2254, 63 Mana Cost
forgot the shrine
Quote:
It's not ideal, the mana cost is way too high. 1000-1500 is a comfortable level for PvM.
i agree with this completely.
Quote:
Don't quite argee here. This is one of those "don't put a single point in energy, energy is the devil" reasonings
. If you get a good mana regen rate, and invest some in mana, you can get a barb to regen that much. I'll give the numbers a spin when I get home and can access the arreat summit for the damn formula (I'm at work behind a firewall that blocks half the net - the juicy part ). I've done the math for infinicasting teleport, fireball, charge, CE,... and all of those have infinicast possibilities. And with the high lvl BO you'll get with this char I think it's fairly easily acchievable.i'll be interested in seeing this. will you be going for the 105% bp?|||Quote:
Don't quite argee here. This is one of those "don't put a single point in energy, energy is the devil" reasonings
. If you get a good mana regen rate, and invest some in mana, you can get a barb to regen that much. I'll give the numbers a spin when I get home and can access the arreat summit for the damn formula (I'm at work behind a firewall that blocks half the net - the juicy part ). I've done the math for infinicasting teleport, fireball, charge, CE,... and all of those have infinicast possibilities. And with the high lvl BO you'll get with this char I think it's fairly easily acchievable.Yeah, I'll be interested in seeing a good set-up that centralizes around max damage too. Just how much energy are we talking about here though? 1 point of energy gives 1 point of mana to a Barbarian, with BO at 180%, 50% from SoJ, and 5% from Arachnid, that's a 235% boost to mana, so 200 points in energy would give you ~700 mana (would have been ~2400 life), which is around only 11 casts of War Cry.
|||Quote:Yeah, I'll be interested in seeing a good set-up that centralizes around max damage too. Just how much energy are we talking about here though? 1 point of energy gives 1 point of mana to a Barbarian, with BO at 180%, 50% from SoJ, and 5% from Arachnid, that's a 235% boost to mana, so 200 points in energy would give you ~700 mana (would have been ~2400 life), which is around only 11 casts of War Cry.
hmm i solved my short mana prob by throwing few Serpent's SC but if you stuff your inventory full of charms like that your total dmg would suffer
|||My current ladder Singer uses a different set up and finishes at level 94.Skills
20 Warcry plus synergies
20 Battle orders
1 Battle Command
1 Iron skin
1 Natural Resists
1 Leap
Gear
2 20 barb (cost me lem) no other stats to note socketed perfect sapphire
Enigma Mage Plate
Arachnid mesh
3 warcrys 10 FCR amulet
2x soj
Frostburns
Silkweaves
Now I have In my possession 2x Hotos for bo switch and occasional use but these proved the worst possible weapons for PvP and PvM. Now Wizardspike seems like the only option but to be honest. Wizardspike still doesnt cut it because Mana based on character level isn't effected by bo which is a waste.
The best possible set up in my opinion is 1x spirit and 1x wizardspike with the richer people moving onto the dual spirits for the mass mana 2 all skills and huge FHR. Spirits only weakness is the resists and if you can make that up elsewhere Spirit is the better choice.
Now in top end gear 1 point in natural resists can provide 60+ all resistance with 1 point in it.
Quick basic calculation
60 Natural resists
75 wizardspike
30 anya(temp)
20 Torch+anni
185
My current singer stats are
110 FCR
86 FHR
6.5k Health
1.7k mana
50 all resists in hell
1931 - 1977 Warcry damage.
I need a much better circlet to safely lose the second wizard spike its kinda risky running around with 2x spirit.
Reason for leap is for mostly for PvP to stun sorcs a little to make the initial warcry easier to land.
With my Ideal Circlet/Tiara and some more mana charms I think I could creep into the 2.6k mark without a sacrifice in damage.|||i did testrun the build with almost(no barb helm) perfect gear.
Realistically though, it would be better to have one of the weapons as beast, and reaper/botd merc weapon(or use brand bow on a low defense setup) as merc is the main damage source, lol.
Diablo Newbie, need some help with my barb!
Hi, running a barb, my first d2 character (my RL friends persuaded me to play it before D3, which we'll all be playing, comes out), through hopefully all three difficulties. Even though I'm playing on ladder, I plan on playing solo all the way through; I figured that might play a part in any advice you guys can give. This is where I'm at currently:
Progression: Level 33, second quest in NM Act I
Build: 20 sword mastery, 1 inc stam, 1 inc walk/run, 1 iron skin, 1 natural resist, 1 bash, 1 double swing, 1 double throw, 10 frenzy
Gear:
Weapon 1: Coldsteel Eye Cutlass (amn) 27-72dmg 6%/7% dual leech, 50% deadly strike
Weapon 2: rare 11-20dmg falchion with 1-7 lightning damage and 5% LL
Armor: Sparking Mail (133def, +1-20 lightning dmg, 30% lightning resist, 11lightning dmg return)
Helm: Sigon's Visor (56def, 30 mana)
Gloves: rare 12def, 9stam, 1str, 9 poison resist, 15 AR
Boots: 13def, half freeze duration
Belt: 6def, 17 fhr, 17 poison resist, 1dmg return
Amulet: 13 life, 6 all resists
Ring 1: 58ar, 4% LL
Ring 2: 5% ar bonus, 69ar, 19mana, 12cold resist, MDR 2
GC: 7% faster run/walk
GC: 1-31 lightning dmg
sc: 4 ar (not percent lol), 1-2 cold damage
Some thoughts:
I think obviously a lot of people's first recommendation would be to get shout/battle orders/battle command and start putting points into battle orders. But yeah, I'm too lazy for that; it really ruins my hold right click and fly across the screen with frenzy mojo when I have to stop and cast three abilities. Life is rough right? That being said, please help me with the knowledge that I will be using this suicidal and ill-advised build.
1) My gear is awful. Aside from the overall crappy-ness of it, the helm, gloves, and boots are barely better than a white item haha. If you have suggestions for some really cheap yet effective uniques, I'd greatly appreciate it.
2) I have a magic ring (6% lifeleech, DR 2), is that better than the attack rating one I'm wearing right now?
3) I've been keeping that cold damage SC in my inventory since the beginning of the game under the impression that the cold damage slows the movement and attack speed of monsters I attack, did I assume correctly and is it worth keeping?
4) Does leech on a weapon apply to both weapons, and similarly, does the 1-31 lightning GC apply to both weapons?
5) How important is the 17% fhr on my belt? I tried to do some research and saw that the second breakpoint is at 15%, but frankly I have no idea what that means and how it impacts my gameplay.
6) If I've learned anything so far, it's that I underestimated two things. First, running while frenzied is far more fun than I had anticipated. Second, I can't believe how owned I get whenever I become cold-slowed. I think I'm too poor to afford a Ravenfrost; are there any cheaper alternatives to become "cannot be frozen"?
7)Even though I passed on battle orders and shout, I'm not disinclined to spend points to live longer, I'm just too lazy to cast spells. So, should I put more points into Iron Skin and/or Natural Resist? If so, how many more?
Any input will be appreciated
|||Firstly I'd definatly say put points into BO and Shout, they are great skills and if you get them high enough you very rarely have to recast them. I set mine to f1 f2 f3 Battle command, BO, Shout and f5 is howl (Since i play a berserk, but yours can be anything you want) and switch through them. They greatly affect your ability to survive and I can't see you going solo through hell without them. And if your frenzy i'd suggest maybe a 1point in berserk to deal with physical immunes, but these dont come around until hell.
Collect PGems or flawless and cube them, it will be able to buy most lower end uniques that will help you get going. Check out the unique sword section on blizzards page for a good list, since there all different it all depends on where you want to go.
the elemental damage charms affect both of your weapons, leech on rings / other armor affects everything but im unclear as to whether or not leech on one weapon will transfer over to another, so no answer from me there.
FHR comes into play if your getting hit alot and are trying to cast/attack/get away. its hard to notice the first BP but it helps, but not alot is needed unless your planning on running through alot of crap(Hordes of things) or PVPing.
as far as frozen comes, not offhand can i remember something other then deaths belt thats low level that has cannot be frozen, but its kinda a twink item and people would like some currency for it, but JJ's (junk jewels) Pgems and crafting runes would be the way to start.
Hope this helps some|||Thanks for the tips Rofle.
I got my hands on a Ripsaw Flamberge and a Ginther's Rift dimensional blade. The Ginther's seems to do more damage, but I can't really tell. Anyone have input on which is better?|||Hey to answer a few of your questions:
the life leech or magic / elemental damage is for one sword / mace or what ever weapon only!
Second i cannot stress enough how important BO is. I usually max bo first as because i live by the rule: You cant deal damage when you are dead. In addition the bigger mana pool AND the ability to buff your merc (act 2 nightmare offensive merc has a + damage aura OR the defensive has frost aura) Both are very nice, i use to stick with the might aura because barb usually has more probems dishing out damage then with staying alife (haha IF you skill bo)
I also encourage to have a look at the Law bringer runeword, extremely cheap and very affective, one of the best frenzy pvm rune words. (the curse it casts is damn good, also makes the monsters slower so you dont really need the frost aura anymore which means you can take the might (damage) aura. Obdience is a good rune word, as rune should not be the biggest problem with hell forge and the new rune drop chance increase.
About buying items, yes pgems is the way to go, aswell as low runes, some "packages" can be sold for pul or other nice runes.
a lot of luck in diablo, you did not pick the easiest class to start with +)|||I just finish writing a guide on frenzy barbs with a newcomer focus. Its got a sum of odd bits of info that's accumulated over the years. It might help.|||The mods of one weapon do not apply to the other. The mods of everything else, including charms, apply to both.
Hawkmail has Cannot Be Frozen.
BO, at least, should be maxed.
You should make a Necro, or a Sorc, and harvest items with that. Caster classes are less dependent on good gear than melee classes.
If an item has a gold or green name, you don't need to tell us anything other than the name and what you socketed it with. We already know what it does.
This website will be helpful to you: http://classic.battle.net/diablo2exp.../uniques.shtml|||welcome to D2 and barbs!
Yes, max BO. BOBOBOBOBO. sounds snarky, but you'll understand what we mean the second you hit late NM or enter Hell. second the thought of trading (unless your also going naked/natural/whatever). a few pgems can get you nice stuff on the forums.
Spirit shroud also has cannot be frozen
Voice of reason RW has it as well (relatively cheap RW to boot) with some nice elemental damage
some excellent mid level weapons that can be traded for:
Coldsteel eye is good
aldurs rhytm mace (has life/mana leech and sockets! sorta slow tho)
headstriker sword (sick damage, not much else)
Butchers pupil (great overall weapon, very nice damage)
most the mid level RW's already mentioned...lawbringer works great in an exceptional sword (use a fast one since it's base IAS is slow, put it in offhand for best results). msot of LB's damage is elemental/magic, so a faster weapon is better then a slower one,
take the points you have in sword mastery, put 10 in frenzy, and 10 in BO, finish maxing BO as you level, then start working on frenxy synergys, don't worry as much about mastries until you start to accumulated your end game gear. maxing a mastery early on can be very limiting, especially if this is your first toon and you are collecting gear as you go.
kudos on the guide Zod! very nice. fills an important gap too....far too many of the guides are based on end game play and gear, and don't' mention as much the leveling process (i've even seen a few that recommend getting rushed to hell, I guess that's why they don't bring up the leveling process).rushing isn't a bad thing, just makes it difficult for those who want to play the game through and need tips.|||A couple more suggestions:
Since you're still in your 30's and near the start of nightmare, I would go back to normal and go kill baal 10-15 times to see what you get. He drops good items and at your level you'll still get a lot of experience from fighting him and his minions. After killing him several times, you should have some nicer gear to go into nightmare with.
Then, once you get to the end of act 3 nightmare and kill mephisto, go back and kill him ~20 times more before you move on to act 4. He drops very very well compared to how easy he is to kill, and you should get some good things from him that can last you well into hell.
People above have given you great suggestions for armor and for weapons. I agree with spirit shroud, lawbringer and butcher's pupil especially. Another good and really cheap option is "honor" runeword in a good base, like a zweihander. Only problem is it is SLOW, so you'll need to carry it in your off hand.
As for other useful items, i'd look for the IK set gloves, boots and belt. They can drop from NM Mephisto, are easy to trade for (only a pgem or two each usually), and have great partial set bonuses if you can equip all 3. They will last you all the way through hell mode. As for helms, a fantastic cheap option is Tal Rasha's mask. It can also drop from NM Mephisto, and with 10% dual leech and tons of other great stats, is the best low-value helm you can get that will last you through hell.
Best of luck with your new barb!
-f
P.S. ginther's is better than ripsaw.
Progression: Level 33, second quest in NM Act I
Build: 20 sword mastery, 1 inc stam, 1 inc walk/run, 1 iron skin, 1 natural resist, 1 bash, 1 double swing, 1 double throw, 10 frenzy
Gear:
Weapon 1: Coldsteel Eye Cutlass (amn) 27-72dmg 6%/7% dual leech, 50% deadly strike
Weapon 2: rare 11-20dmg falchion with 1-7 lightning damage and 5% LL
Armor: Sparking Mail (133def, +1-20 lightning dmg, 30% lightning resist, 11lightning dmg return)
Helm: Sigon's Visor (56def, 30 mana)
Gloves: rare 12def, 9stam, 1str, 9 poison resist, 15 AR
Boots: 13def, half freeze duration
Belt: 6def, 17 fhr, 17 poison resist, 1dmg return
Amulet: 13 life, 6 all resists
Ring 1: 58ar, 4% LL
Ring 2: 5% ar bonus, 69ar, 19mana, 12cold resist, MDR 2
GC: 7% faster run/walk
GC: 1-31 lightning dmg
sc: 4 ar (not percent lol), 1-2 cold damage
Some thoughts:
I think obviously a lot of people's first recommendation would be to get shout/battle orders/battle command and start putting points into battle orders. But yeah, I'm too lazy for that; it really ruins my hold right click and fly across the screen with frenzy mojo when I have to stop and cast three abilities. Life is rough right? That being said, please help me with the knowledge that I will be using this suicidal and ill-advised build.
1) My gear is awful. Aside from the overall crappy-ness of it, the helm, gloves, and boots are barely better than a white item haha. If you have suggestions for some really cheap yet effective uniques, I'd greatly appreciate it.
2) I have a magic ring (6% lifeleech, DR 2), is that better than the attack rating one I'm wearing right now?
3) I've been keeping that cold damage SC in my inventory since the beginning of the game under the impression that the cold damage slows the movement and attack speed of monsters I attack, did I assume correctly and is it worth keeping?
4) Does leech on a weapon apply to both weapons, and similarly, does the 1-31 lightning GC apply to both weapons?
5) How important is the 17% fhr on my belt? I tried to do some research and saw that the second breakpoint is at 15%, but frankly I have no idea what that means and how it impacts my gameplay.
6) If I've learned anything so far, it's that I underestimated two things. First, running while frenzied is far more fun than I had anticipated. Second, I can't believe how owned I get whenever I become cold-slowed. I think I'm too poor to afford a Ravenfrost; are there any cheaper alternatives to become "cannot be frozen"?
7)Even though I passed on battle orders and shout, I'm not disinclined to spend points to live longer, I'm just too lazy to cast spells. So, should I put more points into Iron Skin and/or Natural Resist? If so, how many more?
Any input will be appreciated
|||Firstly I'd definatly say put points into BO and Shout, they are great skills and if you get them high enough you very rarely have to recast them. I set mine to f1 f2 f3 Battle command, BO, Shout and f5 is howl (Since i play a berserk, but yours can be anything you want) and switch through them. They greatly affect your ability to survive and I can't see you going solo through hell without them. And if your frenzy i'd suggest maybe a 1point in berserk to deal with physical immunes, but these dont come around until hell.Collect PGems or flawless and cube them, it will be able to buy most lower end uniques that will help you get going. Check out the unique sword section on blizzards page for a good list, since there all different it all depends on where you want to go.
the elemental damage charms affect both of your weapons, leech on rings / other armor affects everything but im unclear as to whether or not leech on one weapon will transfer over to another, so no answer from me there.
FHR comes into play if your getting hit alot and are trying to cast/attack/get away. its hard to notice the first BP but it helps, but not alot is needed unless your planning on running through alot of crap(Hordes of things) or PVPing.
as far as frozen comes, not offhand can i remember something other then deaths belt thats low level that has cannot be frozen, but its kinda a twink item and people would like some currency for it, but JJ's (junk jewels) Pgems and crafting runes would be the way to start.
Hope this helps some|||Thanks for the tips Rofle.
I got my hands on a Ripsaw Flamberge and a Ginther's Rift dimensional blade. The Ginther's seems to do more damage, but I can't really tell. Anyone have input on which is better?|||Hey to answer a few of your questions:
the life leech or magic / elemental damage is for one sword / mace or what ever weapon only!
Second i cannot stress enough how important BO is. I usually max bo first as because i live by the rule: You cant deal damage when you are dead. In addition the bigger mana pool AND the ability to buff your merc (act 2 nightmare offensive merc has a + damage aura OR the defensive has frost aura) Both are very nice, i use to stick with the might aura because barb usually has more probems dishing out damage then with staying alife (haha IF you skill bo)
I also encourage to have a look at the Law bringer runeword, extremely cheap and very affective, one of the best frenzy pvm rune words. (the curse it casts is damn good, also makes the monsters slower so you dont really need the frost aura anymore which means you can take the might (damage) aura. Obdience is a good rune word, as rune should not be the biggest problem with hell forge and the new rune drop chance increase.
About buying items, yes pgems is the way to go, aswell as low runes, some "packages" can be sold for pul or other nice runes.
a lot of luck in diablo, you did not pick the easiest class to start with +)|||I just finish writing a guide on frenzy barbs with a newcomer focus. Its got a sum of odd bits of info that's accumulated over the years. It might help.|||The mods of one weapon do not apply to the other. The mods of everything else, including charms, apply to both.
Hawkmail has Cannot Be Frozen.
BO, at least, should be maxed.
You should make a Necro, or a Sorc, and harvest items with that. Caster classes are less dependent on good gear than melee classes.
If an item has a gold or green name, you don't need to tell us anything other than the name and what you socketed it with. We already know what it does.
This website will be helpful to you: http://classic.battle.net/diablo2exp.../uniques.shtml|||welcome to D2 and barbs!
Yes, max BO. BOBOBOBOBO. sounds snarky, but you'll understand what we mean the second you hit late NM or enter Hell. second the thought of trading (unless your also going naked/natural/whatever). a few pgems can get you nice stuff on the forums.
Spirit shroud also has cannot be frozen
Voice of reason RW has it as well (relatively cheap RW to boot) with some nice elemental damage
some excellent mid level weapons that can be traded for:
Coldsteel eye is good
aldurs rhytm mace (has life/mana leech and sockets! sorta slow tho)
headstriker sword (sick damage, not much else)
Butchers pupil (great overall weapon, very nice damage)
most the mid level RW's already mentioned...lawbringer works great in an exceptional sword (use a fast one since it's base IAS is slow, put it in offhand for best results). msot of LB's damage is elemental/magic, so a faster weapon is better then a slower one,
take the points you have in sword mastery, put 10 in frenzy, and 10 in BO, finish maxing BO as you level, then start working on frenxy synergys, don't worry as much about mastries until you start to accumulated your end game gear. maxing a mastery early on can be very limiting, especially if this is your first toon and you are collecting gear as you go.
kudos on the guide Zod! very nice. fills an important gap too....far too many of the guides are based on end game play and gear, and don't' mention as much the leveling process (i've even seen a few that recommend getting rushed to hell, I guess that's why they don't bring up the leveling process).rushing isn't a bad thing, just makes it difficult for those who want to play the game through and need tips.|||A couple more suggestions:
Since you're still in your 30's and near the start of nightmare, I would go back to normal and go kill baal 10-15 times to see what you get. He drops good items and at your level you'll still get a lot of experience from fighting him and his minions. After killing him several times, you should have some nicer gear to go into nightmare with.
Then, once you get to the end of act 3 nightmare and kill mephisto, go back and kill him ~20 times more before you move on to act 4. He drops very very well compared to how easy he is to kill, and you should get some good things from him that can last you well into hell.
People above have given you great suggestions for armor and for weapons. I agree with spirit shroud, lawbringer and butcher's pupil especially. Another good and really cheap option is "honor" runeword in a good base, like a zweihander. Only problem is it is SLOW, so you'll need to carry it in your off hand.
As for other useful items, i'd look for the IK set gloves, boots and belt. They can drop from NM Mephisto, are easy to trade for (only a pgem or two each usually), and have great partial set bonuses if you can equip all 3. They will last you all the way through hell mode. As for helms, a fantastic cheap option is Tal Rasha's mask. It can also drop from NM Mephisto, and with 10% dual leech and tons of other great stats, is the best low-value helm you can get that will last you through hell.
Best of luck with your new barb!
-f
P.S. ginther's is better than ripsaw.
Best barb for solo runs (chaos etc)
I came back to play days ago so i want to know what kind of barb can do runs alone like chaos, some parts of act5, os even baal run.
It's possible? of course with some MF. If yes, what kind of spec should i follow? wow? frenzy ? berserck ?
If u all could say me exactly the build would help me alot. and help with gear ( more important weap, weap and shield ?) Brief or Botd ? ppl says Grief is better.. so 1 or 2x ? grief/shield? I know its depends os build so just help me, i want to kill fast with some MF itens on me.
Its important to get 75% block for pvm? i read somewhere thats not, but who knows.. i need help hehe.|||The 2 best options would be either a frenzy build or WW (Whirlwind Barb) build. They both carry the key elements that make barbs so survivable, it's more a matter of taste. WW barbs have the reputation of being the highest damage output, But they don't' survive the ubers as easily as a frenzy barb. But they are king damage dealers everywhere else in the game. Keep in mind that with respecs, it's not a necessity to choose 1 playstyle permanently. I leveled my barb WW, and gathered most his gear as WW, and respecced to frenzy for the ubers.
Whichever one you choose will work, read the sticky at the top of this forum for build guides, there are some excellent guides for both WW and frenzy builds. Remember that the gear lists they put out are High level end game wish lists, not survival necessities. Both playstyles can survive fine through end gamewithout super elite runewords and uniques. But the basic elements (such as high defense, life leech, mana leech, high physical damage, etc.) are requirements. But there's plenty of gear options to obtain those mods.everything from cheap runewords, to lower level uniqes to rares, etc.
Given that though, Bars are a gear dependent class, no matter which way you go. So gathering gear as you go is a necessity. If your playing Bnet, one of the easiest ways to get gear is to collect gems along the way and cube them to perfects. Pgems are teh standard currency on the trade forums here, and you'd be amazed at the decent gear you can get for a few Pgems. My barbs first end game WW weapon was a Windhammer. Excellent end game weapon, and I got it for 4 pgems iirc. socket it with a shael rune for extra speed and you really don't need much else in the way of weapons.
It's stuff like that that makes a difference. You can MF on your own, but I found at first that it's simply easier to get gems and trade for gear. If you playing single player instead, it's a bit tougher, but doable. it just takes time to MF gear. There is some trading done on the single player forums, but they have strict rules, so i suggest you read up on the first before engaging in trade single player. But its again your best option for gear early on.
And no, max block (or even a shield) is not required for PvM. I lvel most my barbs without a shield, and they do fine. the rare case where you need higher block is uncommon, but you can carry a shield just in case (like when you need to use beserk on physical immune mobs). But overall it's not needed.|||Thanks for info.
Im playing on Bnet ladder, and planing to make a WW barb, witch are the best weapon for this kind of build ?|||I think there's no best weapon. There are best weapons
BOTD, Grief, Beast, Doom and Oath are the best. Sorry if I forgot someone...
And you can kill pretty good in all acts on hell with 2 butchers pupil. At least I do it
|||Vic hit it the nail on the head. BP rocks, especially if you can upgrade them
It's possible? of course with some MF. If yes, what kind of spec should i follow? wow? frenzy ? berserck ?
If u all could say me exactly the build would help me alot. and help with gear ( more important weap, weap and shield ?) Brief or Botd ? ppl says Grief is better.. so 1 or 2x ? grief/shield? I know its depends os build so just help me, i want to kill fast with some MF itens on me.
Its important to get 75% block for pvm? i read somewhere thats not, but who knows.. i need help hehe.|||The 2 best options would be either a frenzy build or WW (Whirlwind Barb) build. They both carry the key elements that make barbs so survivable, it's more a matter of taste. WW barbs have the reputation of being the highest damage output, But they don't' survive the ubers as easily as a frenzy barb. But they are king damage dealers everywhere else in the game. Keep in mind that with respecs, it's not a necessity to choose 1 playstyle permanently. I leveled my barb WW, and gathered most his gear as WW, and respecced to frenzy for the ubers.
Whichever one you choose will work, read the sticky at the top of this forum for build guides, there are some excellent guides for both WW and frenzy builds. Remember that the gear lists they put out are High level end game wish lists, not survival necessities. Both playstyles can survive fine through end gamewithout super elite runewords and uniques. But the basic elements (such as high defense, life leech, mana leech, high physical damage, etc.) are requirements. But there's plenty of gear options to obtain those mods.everything from cheap runewords, to lower level uniqes to rares, etc.
Given that though, Bars are a gear dependent class, no matter which way you go. So gathering gear as you go is a necessity. If your playing Bnet, one of the easiest ways to get gear is to collect gems along the way and cube them to perfects. Pgems are teh standard currency on the trade forums here, and you'd be amazed at the decent gear you can get for a few Pgems. My barbs first end game WW weapon was a Windhammer. Excellent end game weapon, and I got it for 4 pgems iirc. socket it with a shael rune for extra speed and you really don't need much else in the way of weapons.
It's stuff like that that makes a difference. You can MF on your own, but I found at first that it's simply easier to get gems and trade for gear. If you playing single player instead, it's a bit tougher, but doable. it just takes time to MF gear. There is some trading done on the single player forums, but they have strict rules, so i suggest you read up on the first before engaging in trade single player. But its again your best option for gear early on.
And no, max block (or even a shield) is not required for PvM. I lvel most my barbs without a shield, and they do fine. the rare case where you need higher block is uncommon, but you can carry a shield just in case (like when you need to use beserk on physical immune mobs). But overall it's not needed.|||Thanks for info.
Im playing on Bnet ladder, and planing to make a WW barb, witch are the best weapon for this kind of build ?|||I think there's no best weapon. There are best weapons
BOTD, Grief, Beast, Doom and Oath are the best. Sorry if I forgot someone...
And you can kill pretty good in all acts on hell with 2 butchers pupil. At least I do it
|||Vic hit it the nail on the head. BP rocks, especially if you can upgrade them
Arreat Socket Questions
Hello there everyone, got my barb up to 89 (Close to 90)
I'll give a breakdown of his gear / skills
Since I don't have immediate access to my character I'll guestimate stats
Str: 0 points base, at ~190 with gear
Dex: Max block, with gear its at 203~ or so. whatever the lowest needed at 89
Vit: Everything else, over 410 or so now (Almost 5k life with BO)
Gear:
Helm: 200ed open socket Arreats (No idea what to put in it)
Ammy : Highlords
Body: Mage Plate Enigma 1090~ def
Belt: Arachnid Mesh
Gloves : LoH
Boots: 47 War Travs
Ring1: 20 dex raven
ring2 : 18 str 2 dex 10%fcr +~60AR few resists ring
Main weapon: 40/360 Grief PB
Shield: Stormshield (Socketed with a Shael)
Switch weapons = 2x 32 Hotos
Charms:
3x Warcry Charms (12% fhr, 40 life, 36 life)
Gheeds (105,36,15)
19/13 BTorch
19/14/10 Anni
10/64/12 Grand Charm
4@res 5% FHR sc
+2dex 5@Res sc
3/12/3%r/w
2/19/5%fhr
Resists :
Fire/Light/Cold = 75
Poison = 53
Alright, so my questions are pretty simple I think but I'm not sure what to go about doing.
1) What should I put in my arreats? I've thought of alot of different options. I've got nearly anything rune wise at my disposal but I'm not sure if I should go for some form of an ED or Max jewel? No idea which one I should get. Resists, +Life or ? Or is poison worth adressing? no issues with it really besides vipers down in halls|||Why no goreriders?|||I like the +damage and MF better for my play style. This barb is my rusher/key runner and boss runner so I enjoy the added drops. I dont really need anymore DS between the highlords and sword mastery and the 15% CB really isn't needed in my opinion when most things go down in a few swings anyways.
Just never really been a fan of gores for the most part, not sure why.|||Personally I like ED%/Dex jewels. ED% for multiplier of grief damage, and extra dex for block as you lvl.|||i use cham. frees up ring slot.|||Quote:
i use cham. frees up ring slot.
I thought about this, but I would have to find a +20 dex ring with over 200 AR + other stats to come out ahead in the deal. Since I'm using the 20 dex for max block and the added 200AR is very nice.
The ring would probably be just as hard to find as the 40ed / dex jewel|||Here's a few other options, based on what you think your biggest weaknesses are in your build:
Um rune for resists
Sol rune for DR (helps on Nili key runs against those pesky vipers)
Ith rune for Damage to mana
topaz or ist for MF
...if none of those really help you out, then just wait for a decent ED jewel and socket it. save a few hel runes in-case you change your mind.|||the upside is you can always remove what you put in.|||No one said ber rune yet, so ber.|||Thanks for all the feedback
Mana isn't really and issues since the merc has an eth insight.
Neither is DR since im at 43% or so already, don't really need to cap out for PVM
Some ideas i've been thinking about were either going with an ED jewel when i could find one or a jah for the 5% increased life. Seems like all choices are down the middle with no one single one standing out as a need
)I'll give a breakdown of his gear / skills
Since I don't have immediate access to my character I'll guestimate stats
Str: 0 points base, at ~190 with gear
Dex: Max block, with gear its at 203~ or so. whatever the lowest needed at 89
Vit: Everything else, over 410 or so now (Almost 5k life with BO)
Gear:
Helm: 200ed open socket Arreats (No idea what to put in it)
Ammy : Highlords
Body: Mage Plate Enigma 1090~ def
Belt: Arachnid Mesh
Gloves : LoH
Boots: 47 War Travs
Ring1: 20 dex raven
ring2 : 18 str 2 dex 10%fcr +~60AR few resists ring
Main weapon: 40/360 Grief PB
Shield: Stormshield (Socketed with a Shael)
Switch weapons = 2x 32 Hotos
Charms:
3x Warcry Charms (12% fhr, 40 life, 36 life)
Gheeds (105,36,15)
19/13 BTorch
19/14/10 Anni
10/64/12 Grand Charm
4@res 5% FHR sc
+2dex 5@Res sc
3/12/3%r/w
2/19/5%fhr
Resists :
Fire/Light/Cold = 75
Poison = 53
Alright, so my questions are pretty simple I think but I'm not sure what to go about doing.
1) What should I put in my arreats? I've thought of alot of different options. I've got nearly anything rune wise at my disposal but I'm not sure if I should go for some form of an ED or Max jewel? No idea which one I should get. Resists, +Life or ? Or is poison worth adressing? no issues with it really besides vipers down in halls|||Why no goreriders?|||I like the +damage and MF better for my play style. This barb is my rusher/key runner and boss runner so I enjoy the added drops. I dont really need anymore DS between the highlords and sword mastery and the 15% CB really isn't needed in my opinion when most things go down in a few swings anyways.
Just never really been a fan of gores for the most part, not sure why.|||Personally I like ED%/Dex jewels. ED% for multiplier of grief damage, and extra dex for block as you lvl.|||i use cham. frees up ring slot.|||Quote:
i use cham. frees up ring slot.
I thought about this, but I would have to find a +20 dex ring with over 200 AR + other stats to come out ahead in the deal. Since I'm using the 20 dex for max block and the added 200AR is very nice.
The ring would probably be just as hard to find as the 40ed / dex jewel|||Here's a few other options, based on what you think your biggest weaknesses are in your build:
Um rune for resists
Sol rune for DR (helps on Nili key runs against those pesky vipers)
Ith rune for Damage to mana
topaz or ist for MF
...if none of those really help you out, then just wait for a decent ED jewel and socket it. save a few hel runes in-case you change your mind.|||the upside is you can always remove what you put in.|||No one said ber rune yet, so ber.|||Thanks for all the feedback
Mana isn't really and issues since the merc has an eth insight.
Neither is DR since im at 43% or so already, don't really need to cap out for PVM
Some ideas i've been thinking about were either going with an ED jewel when i could find one or a jah for the 5% increased life. Seems like all choices are down the middle with no one single one standing out as a need
best base weapon for ebotd polearm
i have a 6 socket eth giant thresher and was thinking of making botd with it. but all i ever here about is botd warpikes. should i hold out until i get one of those instead? giant thresher is faster but the warpike does more damage... im planning on making a concentrate barb with it.
with the GT i can hit the last breakpoint possible with the weapon alone. and with the warpike i'd need an extra 90 ias. which makes my gear selection more limited. something i dont like the idea of.|||Great Poleaxe
Ghost spear
These are good weapons..... Basically any Elite pole/Spear that hits the 4 Frame whirlwind breakpoint unless you want listed damage then go with Warpike but the other weapons are likely to have higher undisplayed damage.
Personally Id go with Ghost spear.|||Why would you use anything but a zerker for a botd? unless its for a merc|||Because he might be making it for pvm and a shield isnt needed? More damage and a larger range not to mention a much higher style point for not following the crowd.
Then the most obvious question.
Why not?|||Quote:
Because he might be making it for pvm and a shield isnt needed? More damage and a larger range not to mention a much higher style point for not following the crowd.
Then the most obvious question.
Why not?
because its worthless.. if he wants to make another character and trade his botd away no one will want it. just put it on a merc dont use it yourself
and to get more damage just go ebotz and beast = style points for bear form and more dmg|||I had no problem trading mine away granted a lower price than the usual EBOTD but it was traded in and out within 10 mins in pubbys. Ive used both the set ups and see very little difference.
I say hurray for not following the crowd....
One mans trash is another mans gold........
Oh and - Style points for being just like everyone else...
He can mule it over as its a very effective merc weapon so it wont be wasted if he gets bored with the guy.
To end with,
Its a that thresher would be good candidate for BOTD if you want to spend it.|||dont listen to whyhack. aim for great pole axe, which is usefull also for werewolves (cheaper alternative for eth 3 sox tomb).
i sold mine 39x ed for value of around 12-13 hrs|||well... i went with the giant thresher.... i got almost the lowest roll possible (357 ed) at least it swings fast
|||For a barb using a ebotd polearm go for great poleaxe as vknez was just saying.|||Quote:
well... i went with the giant thresher.... i got almost the lowest roll possible (357 ed) at least it swings fast
Damn shame you are on the wrong side of the roll. Haha i know the feeling about have a good item to make a rw in, but then get adviced to do something else =/. However i am going to not make my Oath (ok not comparable with zod / vex but ) in a small cresent and walk around with cool axes but make it in a eth cryptic + phase LB. whooo +)
Ow one thing about polearm, no Frenzy =? haha
with the GT i can hit the last breakpoint possible with the weapon alone. and with the warpike i'd need an extra 90 ias. which makes my gear selection more limited. something i dont like the idea of.|||Great Poleaxe
Ghost spear
These are good weapons..... Basically any Elite pole/Spear that hits the 4 Frame whirlwind breakpoint unless you want listed damage then go with Warpike but the other weapons are likely to have higher undisplayed damage.
Personally Id go with Ghost spear.|||Why would you use anything but a zerker for a botd? unless its for a merc|||Because he might be making it for pvm and a shield isnt needed? More damage and a larger range not to mention a much higher style point for not following the crowd.
Then the most obvious question.
Why not?|||Quote:
Because he might be making it for pvm and a shield isnt needed? More damage and a larger range not to mention a much higher style point for not following the crowd.
Then the most obvious question.
Why not?
because its worthless.. if he wants to make another character and trade his botd away no one will want it. just put it on a merc dont use it yourself
and to get more damage just go ebotz and beast = style points for bear form and more dmg|||I had no problem trading mine away granted a lower price than the usual EBOTD but it was traded in and out within 10 mins in pubbys. Ive used both the set ups and see very little difference.
I say hurray for not following the crowd....
One mans trash is another mans gold........
Oh and - Style points for being just like everyone else...
He can mule it over as its a very effective merc weapon so it wont be wasted if he gets bored with the guy.
To end with,
Its a that thresher would be good candidate for BOTD if you want to spend it.|||dont listen to whyhack. aim for great pole axe, which is usefull also for werewolves (cheaper alternative for eth 3 sox tomb).
i sold mine 39x ed for value of around 12-13 hrs|||well... i went with the giant thresher.... i got almost the lowest roll possible (357 ed) at least it swings fast
|||For a barb using a ebotd polearm go for great poleaxe as vknez was just saying.|||Quote:well... i went with the giant thresher.... i got almost the lowest roll possible (357 ed) at least it swings fast
Damn shame you are on the wrong side of the roll. Haha i know the feeling about have a good item to make a rw in, but then get adviced to do something else =/. However i am going to not make my Oath (ok not comparable with zod / vex but ) in a small cresent and walk around with cool axes but make it in a eth cryptic + phase LB. whooo +)
Ow one thing about polearm, no Frenzy =? haha
arreats or guillaumes for a solo barb?
I'm trying to solo hell on my first time through Diablo 2, wondering whether Arreats or Guillaumes is better for soloing, and the same for LoH/Draculs.
Thanks.|||Both helms work well but if you find a way to get mass resist guillaume's is a very good choice. Loh if you are ww and dracs if you are frenzy.|||I'd say it really depends on the build, but I believe i remember you having a WW barb?
Arreats is the king barb helm unless your a singer looking for something amazing. Has alot of good stats for every build.
If you really need the CB ( for running bosses with lack of damage) i'd say guil, but I doubt you'd need this. I'd go for arreats.
LoH if you need the ias to hit a breakpoint or the % damage to demons/fire resits works well with you place style.
Dracs if you could use the STR and the life-tap. Again dracs are normally for ubers that you cant leech off of any other way to keep you from dieing.
Solo pvm Arreats/LoH would be a good combo, for running ubers you see more Dracs/Guil combos|||Okay, thanks. Frenzy by the way, should have mentioned that.|||i like Dracs but Loh is totaly useable. i like Gface um'ed over arreats, especially if your using grief or other CB lacking weapons.|||Quote:
i like Dracs but Loh is totaly useable. i like Gface um'ed over arreats, especially if your using grief or other CB lacking weapons.
Ya for me its all about balancing stats. If you low on CB, throw on Guilliams. If your good with CB (from weapon or boots or whatever), then arreats. Or do both, have arreats on for general use, and throw on Guil if you find killing the boss a little slow.
My WW barb uses arreats and gets his Cb for general use from goblin toes. If I need more then 25% (say i want to do baal runs and speed it up), i have a guil in the stash. don't really need more then 25% though, hes a high damage build, most things aside from baal die fast enough for me to not worry.|||oh and dracs on a ww barb are totally fine also, its a little off topic but lots or babas in pvp use them, and if it works in pvp it will be just as affective in pvm. if yer ww and want to exploit the Lifetap, toss on a fury ba, proc the lt and whirl away.|||As said above: dracs on frenzy, loh on WW. I always use um'd guills as the extra CB is awesome, especially at players 1. Depending on your other gear it can be tough to get your res to max and the other mods on arreat's is nothing to scoff at.|||Hum.. I dont like lifetap in pvm... I prefer Loh/Gface and a exciting fight against a pack of dead lords
This is the strategy of my new frenzy barb with eoath smallcresent, upped butchers, coh, gore and string.
Ok. I pot sometimes
Thanks.|||Both helms work well but if you find a way to get mass resist guillaume's is a very good choice. Loh if you are ww and dracs if you are frenzy.|||I'd say it really depends on the build, but I believe i remember you having a WW barb?
Arreats is the king barb helm unless your a singer looking for something amazing. Has alot of good stats for every build.
If you really need the CB ( for running bosses with lack of damage) i'd say guil, but I doubt you'd need this. I'd go for arreats.
LoH if you need the ias to hit a breakpoint or the % damage to demons/fire resits works well with you place style.
Dracs if you could use the STR and the life-tap. Again dracs are normally for ubers that you cant leech off of any other way to keep you from dieing.
Solo pvm Arreats/LoH would be a good combo, for running ubers you see more Dracs/Guil combos|||Okay, thanks. Frenzy by the way, should have mentioned that.|||i like Dracs but Loh is totaly useable. i like Gface um'ed over arreats, especially if your using grief or other CB lacking weapons.|||Quote:
i like Dracs but Loh is totaly useable. i like Gface um'ed over arreats, especially if your using grief or other CB lacking weapons.
Ya for me its all about balancing stats. If you low on CB, throw on Guilliams. If your good with CB (from weapon or boots or whatever), then arreats. Or do both, have arreats on for general use, and throw on Guil if you find killing the boss a little slow.
My WW barb uses arreats and gets his Cb for general use from goblin toes. If I need more then 25% (say i want to do baal runs and speed it up), i have a guil in the stash. don't really need more then 25% though, hes a high damage build, most things aside from baal die fast enough for me to not worry.|||oh and dracs on a ww barb are totally fine also, its a little off topic but lots or babas in pvp use them, and if it works in pvp it will be just as affective in pvm. if yer ww and want to exploit the Lifetap, toss on a fury ba, proc the lt and whirl away.|||As said above: dracs on frenzy, loh on WW. I always use um'd guills as the extra CB is awesome, especially at players 1. Depending on your other gear it can be tough to get your res to max and the other mods on arreat's is nothing to scoff at.|||Hum.. I dont like lifetap in pvm... I prefer Loh/Gface and a exciting fight against a pack of dead lords
This is the strategy of my new frenzy barb with eoath smallcresent, upped butchers, coh, gore and string.
Ok. I pot sometimes
Respec help: min requirements
Hi all. So after a long time of saving up I have managed to get what I was after for my end game barb gear. Previously, I had a lot of points in dex to enable me to equip phase blades before I got an anni (16 stats) and Btorch (17 stats) and my second ravenfrost (19dex).
My question is: when I respec how low can I go with strength and dex stats? Do I go for the minimum hard points to equip gear using the points from the gear. Is there any danger in using the gear points in this way? I have heard of people losing items if they die. Also, is there a particular order to put gear on.
I was told in game yesterday that others can't see my helmet because I use strength from items to equip arreats.
Thanks for any help or advice!|||Afaik there's no danger in the way you're doing it. The problem comes when you use other items (like a strength ring or on your bo swap) to put on your main gear, then take them off. When you pick up your body you'll not have enough strength to equip everything so some items will remain in your body. Die again and you'll create a new body with your other items. If you then quit you lose everything that was in the body when you died first time round. Or something like that.
Just to be sure you can ask someone to kill you before spending anything in vit, then pick up your body to see if it works. If so, shift-click vit :>|||That's great advice. Thanks a lot!
My question is: when I respec how low can I go with strength and dex stats? Do I go for the minimum hard points to equip gear using the points from the gear. Is there any danger in using the gear points in this way? I have heard of people losing items if they die. Also, is there a particular order to put gear on.
I was told in game yesterday that others can't see my helmet because I use strength from items to equip arreats.
Thanks for any help or advice!|||Afaik there's no danger in the way you're doing it. The problem comes when you use other items (like a strength ring or on your bo swap) to put on your main gear, then take them off. When you pick up your body you'll not have enough strength to equip everything so some items will remain in your body. Die again and you'll create a new body with your other items. If you then quit you lose everything that was in the body when you died first time round. Or something like that.
Just to be sure you can ask someone to kill you before spending anything in vit, then pick up your body to see if it works. If so, shift-click vit :>|||That's great advice. Thanks a lot!
Best Barb for PvM
Hey all I am wondering what kind of barb will be best for pvm. I am thinking a griefz and ss barb is best because of 50% dr and 75% block. Here would be what I am thinking of:
griefz 34%+ ias (I think that hits the break point for ww)
fort
ss 40% ed/15 max damage jewel
6% ll arreats 40% ed/15 max damage jewel
maras
5% ll bk
40/15 dungo
20 dex raven
gores
rends
Stats:
str- enough for gear
dex- enough for max block
vita- rest
energy- none
This is just my opinion for this being the best barb for pvm. I know this sounds too cc for many of you. I want to hear other opinions of what is the best barb in pvm and back up your reason.|||Quote:
pvm. I am thinking a griefz and ss barb is best because of 50% dr and 75% block
First 1) One does not need 50%dr or 75%block in pvm.
Quote:
ss 40% ed/15 max damage jewel
-> a 40 ed and 15 max damage = bugged anyways...
Quote:
maras
why?
Quote:
griefz 34%+ ias (I think that hits the break point for ww)
That BP is for paladins. You actually only need 4% ias in order to hit the BP (34%) with a PB. And a second add to that. A zerker is useless for a PvM barb because of the repairs which will annoy you do death.
Quote:
5% ll bk
God...why?
Second) The best is relative. And I don't want to explained why because I am tired of it.
Quote:
dual wielding has more hits than 2h or single wielding
And you DO not need the block nor the DR%.|||I personally would choose Frenzy Barb or WW barb.
Frenzy: Easy/fun to use, Fast paced, Good weps, Very Very fast attack rate, high speed ( so no 1 point wonders in Increased Stam or Increased Speed ), also very high dmg if your twinked (based upon gear you decided up there I assuming your twinking)
WW: Fun to use, Alot of hits in small amount of time, Helps with leech, Line 'em up and Take 'em out is really easy/super fun.
Honestly I use "PVP" or "PVB" chars for PVM like Smiters. I personally like a Basher (barb with bash as main skill duh) but I am not sure if it truly is PVM. I'm also if a Basher is even an actual build here... I'll check it out later...|||Max block on a non titan barb in pvm.... aside from the gear, i'd say it's all overkill.
While I'm not a fan of barbs aside from goldfind (and not that much even in that case), pvm wise I dual wield weapons. Basically, short of a bvb I would dual wield really as I find the block unnecessary.|||Quote:
That BP is for paladins. You actually only need 4% ias in order to hit the BP (34%) with a PB. And a second add to that. A zerker is useless for a PvM barb because of the repairs which will annoy you do death.
a set of griefzs lasts a hell cs run and can repair on regular town trip.. cheap too 15k if not superior|||As said above DR and block isn't necessary for pvm and you double your dps by dual wielding. WW is better for general pvm than frenzy but obviously some will disagree. I'll never use an end-game weapons with durability again as the repairing drives me mad so griefz is out imo, but it might bother you less.
grief pb x 2 or eBOTDz/Beastz
highlords
fort/enigma/coh
In pvm coh comes close to fort regarding damage output and the res means you can easily hit max res while using guill's face.
dungo/soe
guill's face/arreats with +ed/max/res/ber/whatever
laying of hands
gores
raven + dual leech/AR/res or 2xravens if you go for BOTD
Might merc with andy's or 15ias guill's face, treachery (for laying down decrip faster) and eth shaeled reapers.|||Rawness here is my answer to your questions:
1. To be sturdy as possible. Why do all good fanat zealots have 50% dr and 75% block in pvm?
2. More damage=better and ed jewels are cc for ww barb.
3. Maras>hlords for resist. You want to max out resist anyways.
4. 34% ias is the breakpoint for a barb using zerk. An extra rangeadder=more hits. Never say repair cost is a problem because thats not true. You get enough gold from travs anyways.
5. Bk is very cc for melee builds and even caster builds.
6. Block and dr way to go for best results.
Do you think I am more for pvp or am I too cc for you?
zrk- Thanks for backing me up with post #5.|||1. Apples and oranges. Fanat zealots are stationary while attacking, have a lot less hp and need less dex to reach max block. You'd also be silly not to make use of a pali shield. Except if you plan on playing solo on players 8 without a merc going max block on a WW barb is just going to limit your killing speed.
2. No one questioned this. He was just reminding you not to use a jewel with both +max and ED in your helm.
3. Hlords>Maras for damage. Resists can be found elsewhere.
4. Not true for you maybe. Range isn't really an issue in pvm imo. It comes down to preference.
5. If you're on a budget maybe but it's hardly the "best". You can get more leech, mana leech, AR and resists on a rare.
6. Dual wield for double damage way to go for best results.|||Repairing axes sucks and I'm not the only one who thinks it... Beastz with a Doomz or Griefz offhand is a novelty that gets old very quickly... What's the point of Goldfinding if most of your loot is spent on repairing?
I'm on Team Rawness/ Hubb... Ind or self repair weps... I run Ubers with Grief/ LW PB on my Frenzy barb... No need for life leach with all the life tap... Fade is an added bonus from the LW...|||the usual laying + highlord adds solid fire and light resist already, so maxing out isnt hard
Quote:
Repairing axes sucks and I'm not the only one who thinks it... Beastz with a Doomz or Griefz offhand is a novelty that gets old very quickly... What's the point of Goldfinding if most of your loot is spent on repairing?
what are you talking about its cheap.. and dura: you try using ww with a low dura weapon in classic, THERE it runs out fast(1 fpa ww speed
) expansion is very mellow compared to that lol
griefz 34%+ ias (I think that hits the break point for ww)
fort
ss 40% ed/15 max damage jewel
6% ll arreats 40% ed/15 max damage jewel
maras
5% ll bk
40/15 dungo
20 dex raven
gores
rends
Stats:
str- enough for gear
dex- enough for max block
vita- rest
energy- none
This is just my opinion for this being the best barb for pvm. I know this sounds too cc for many of you. I want to hear other opinions of what is the best barb in pvm and back up your reason.|||Quote:
pvm. I am thinking a griefz and ss barb is best because of 50% dr and 75% block
First 1) One does not need 50%dr or 75%block in pvm.
Quote:
ss 40% ed/15 max damage jewel
-> a 40 ed and 15 max damage = bugged anyways...
Quote:
maras
why?
Quote:
griefz 34%+ ias (I think that hits the break point for ww)
That BP is for paladins. You actually only need 4% ias in order to hit the BP (34%) with a PB. And a second add to that. A zerker is useless for a PvM barb because of the repairs which will annoy you do death.
Quote:
5% ll bk
God...why?
Second) The best is relative. And I don't want to explained why because I am tired of it.
Quote:
dual wielding has more hits than 2h or single wielding
And you DO not need the block nor the DR%.|||I personally would choose Frenzy Barb or WW barb.
Frenzy: Easy/fun to use, Fast paced, Good weps, Very Very fast attack rate, high speed ( so no 1 point wonders in Increased Stam or Increased Speed ), also very high dmg if your twinked (based upon gear you decided up there I assuming your twinking)
WW: Fun to use, Alot of hits in small amount of time, Helps with leech, Line 'em up and Take 'em out is really easy/super fun.
Honestly I use "PVP" or "PVB" chars for PVM like Smiters. I personally like a Basher (barb with bash as main skill duh) but I am not sure if it truly is PVM. I'm also if a Basher is even an actual build here... I'll check it out later...|||Max block on a non titan barb in pvm.... aside from the gear, i'd say it's all overkill.
While I'm not a fan of barbs aside from goldfind (and not that much even in that case), pvm wise I dual wield weapons. Basically, short of a bvb I would dual wield really as I find the block unnecessary.|||Quote:
That BP is for paladins. You actually only need 4% ias in order to hit the BP (34%) with a PB. And a second add to that. A zerker is useless for a PvM barb because of the repairs which will annoy you do death.
a set of griefzs lasts a hell cs run and can repair on regular town trip.. cheap too 15k if not superior|||As said above DR and block isn't necessary for pvm and you double your dps by dual wielding. WW is better for general pvm than frenzy but obviously some will disagree. I'll never use an end-game weapons with durability again as the repairing drives me mad so griefz is out imo, but it might bother you less.
grief pb x 2 or eBOTDz/Beastz
highlords
fort/enigma/coh
In pvm coh comes close to fort regarding damage output and the res means you can easily hit max res while using guill's face.
dungo/soe
guill's face/arreats with +ed/max/res/ber/whatever
laying of hands
gores
raven + dual leech/AR/res or 2xravens if you go for BOTD
Might merc with andy's or 15ias guill's face, treachery (for laying down decrip faster) and eth shaeled reapers.|||Rawness here is my answer to your questions:
1. To be sturdy as possible. Why do all good fanat zealots have 50% dr and 75% block in pvm?
2. More damage=better and ed jewels are cc for ww barb.
3. Maras>hlords for resist. You want to max out resist anyways.
4. 34% ias is the breakpoint for a barb using zerk. An extra rangeadder=more hits. Never say repair cost is a problem because thats not true. You get enough gold from travs anyways.
5. Bk is very cc for melee builds and even caster builds.
6. Block and dr way to go for best results.
Do you think I am more for pvp or am I too cc for you?
zrk- Thanks for backing me up with post #5.|||1. Apples and oranges. Fanat zealots are stationary while attacking, have a lot less hp and need less dex to reach max block. You'd also be silly not to make use of a pali shield. Except if you plan on playing solo on players 8 without a merc going max block on a WW barb is just going to limit your killing speed.
2. No one questioned this. He was just reminding you not to use a jewel with both +max and ED in your helm.
3. Hlords>Maras for damage. Resists can be found elsewhere.
4. Not true for you maybe. Range isn't really an issue in pvm imo. It comes down to preference.
5. If you're on a budget maybe but it's hardly the "best". You can get more leech, mana leech, AR and resists on a rare.
6. Dual wield for double damage way to go for best results.|||Repairing axes sucks and I'm not the only one who thinks it... Beastz with a Doomz or Griefz offhand is a novelty that gets old very quickly... What's the point of Goldfinding if most of your loot is spent on repairing?
I'm on Team Rawness/ Hubb... Ind or self repair weps... I run Ubers with Grief/ LW PB on my Frenzy barb... No need for life leach with all the life tap... Fade is an added bonus from the LW...|||the usual laying + highlord adds solid fire and light resist already, so maxing out isnt hard
Quote:
Repairing axes sucks and I'm not the only one who thinks it... Beastz with a Doomz or Griefz offhand is a novelty that gets old very quickly... What's the point of Goldfinding if most of your loot is spent on repairing?
what are you talking about its cheap.. and dura: you try using ww with a low dura weapon in classic, THERE it runs out fast(1 fpa ww speed
) expansion is very mellow compared to that lol
Hardcore WW Barbarian Help
I am building a WW Barb for my group that plays on Hardcore. There is usually three of us, and we only play LAN so my gear is all luck of the draw, no outside trading. My biggest question is what weapon mastery to go for, I went with mauls for Normal, since they are easy to obtain and you can't really go wrong on Normal. Later on however what should I respec for? Should I tailor my character differently because it's hardcore? If so, how?
All help is appreciated, again my main problem is what weapon type, but any help is useful.|||build around a different skill, concentrate would be my suggestion (though i honestly prefer zerk). what are your teammate's builds? are you going to need to be doing tons of damage or just be able to take it. you also dont really need more than one point into whatever mastery for a good chunk of norm/nightmare so i'd pick 2 or 3 so that if you find a good weapon you can easily swap. after you get some better idea as to what gear you're going to have (late NM, early hell) respec around that.|||Quote:
build around a different skill, concentrate would be my suggestion (though i honestly prefer zerk). what are your teammate's builds? are you going to need to be doing tons of damage or just be able to take it. you also dont really need more than one point into whatever mastery for a good chunk of norm/nightmare so i'd pick 2 or 3 so that if you find a good weapon you can easily swap. after you get some better idea as to what gear you're going to have (late NM, early hell) respec around that.
That is what I was wondering, what weapons should I use as I level up, just whatever comes by? Or should I try to use the same weapons I'll be using later on, like poleaxes or spears. I'm doing WW because it's fun, so I'd rather not switch.
All help is appreciated, again my main problem is what weapon type, but any help is useful.|||build around a different skill, concentrate would be my suggestion (though i honestly prefer zerk). what are your teammate's builds? are you going to need to be doing tons of damage or just be able to take it. you also dont really need more than one point into whatever mastery for a good chunk of norm/nightmare so i'd pick 2 or 3 so that if you find a good weapon you can easily swap. after you get some better idea as to what gear you're going to have (late NM, early hell) respec around that.|||Quote:
build around a different skill, concentrate would be my suggestion (though i honestly prefer zerk). what are your teammate's builds? are you going to need to be doing tons of damage or just be able to take it. you also dont really need more than one point into whatever mastery for a good chunk of norm/nightmare so i'd pick 2 or 3 so that if you find a good weapon you can easily swap. after you get some better idea as to what gear you're going to have (late NM, early hell) respec around that.
That is what I was wondering, what weapons should I use as I level up, just whatever comes by? Or should I try to use the same weapons I'll be using later on, like poleaxes or spears. I'm doing WW because it's fun, so I'd rather not switch.
Hello! Erik (Barbarian) needs a respec
Hi!
I've been questing my way thru Nightmare diff with my trusty barbarian, Erik. However, the Monastery is just too difficult, in Hell. I have no idea whether it is skills, stats, gear or just my noobish tactics =(.
Ok, raw statistics now:
Level: 77.
lets use GoMule format:
Strength (N/G)= 165/210
Dexterity = 125/183
Vitality = 150/170
Energy = 30/48
I have no idea why there are points in energy. I don't remember putting them there.
Skillz:
(These are weird.)
Bash: 5
Leap: 1
DSwing: 5
Stun: 6
DThrow: 1
Leap Attack: 1
Concentrate: 13
Frenzy: 1
WW: 1
Berserk:1
(masteries)
Sword: 4
Axe: 6
Mace: 10
Iron Skin: 3
Nat Resist: 9
(warcries)
1 in: well... all of them bar battle command (0)
Find Item (Hork): 3
Battle Orders: 8
For some reason, I started out being a conc barb, changed my mind... around late lvl 50's/60's, realized BO did something... oh yes, built very oddly indeed.
Right... Part 2, Gear.
Helm: 3socketed avenger guard with +2 to concentrate. My only +skill item.
Socketed with a Ptopaz, a Ptopaz and another Ptopaz.
Armour: [Yes, that is how it is spelt in the UK] 3socketed Sharktooth Armour, socketed with a Lem, Ko and a Tir rune (Wealth runeword).
Weapon 1: "Oath" zweihander.
Weapon 2: "Voice of Reason" rune sword.
Gloves: The Immortal King's Forge War Gauntlets.
Belt: Thundergod's Vigor War Belt.
Boots: The Immortal King's Pillar.
Jewellery: odd combination here...
Amulet: (For Magic Finding) Amulet of Luck (+32% MF)
(for killing things) Entropy Scarab Amulet. Which would be
+1 Necro skills
+8 to Energy
+56 to Life
+16 to all resistances
Half freeze duration.
The only two mods of any use are the +life and resists, as I found a:
Raven Frost Ring.
And the other shiny thing on Erik's fingers is a "Rune Turn" ring, providing:
+lightning damage,
+str,
+resist to Cold, Lightning and Fire,
and an additional 10% MF.
On the weapon switch is Earthshaker and Gerke's Sanctuary.
Part 3, LCS
according to it:
Damage (DSwing, after Might from Ilzan and the aura from the wolverine spirit, whatever it does)
between 600 and 1000 from the Oath, and less from the VoR.
Life: 1490 after BO.
That's all that matters really. Ilzan, the mercenary (might aura) has Tal Rasha's helm, Skin of the Flayed One, and Pierre Tombale Couant.
As you have probably guessed, I use the RWM, and I have a little stash in GoMule.
I have most excep set items, and quite a few uniques. My best item find was in Act1 Hell, a Wizardspike from the Blood Moor and an Ohm from the Den of Evil. Oh, runes-wise I have everything from El thru Fal plus an Um, Gul and that Ohm. I have many, many socketed excep items for runewords.
So, what are your suggestions and advice for Erik the Barbarian.
Thanks in advice
Ailelya
*collapses in front of text wall*|||Hi Ailelya, I'm not a barb expert but it seems as if you have spread your points too thinly. I would advise you read a little bit about different builds (concentrate, ww, frenzy etc) and find a good guide for what you think will be the most fun. After you have chosen a build there should be some guides how to spend your points. I would especially advise picking a weapon mastery and don't put points in others. Pick your main combat skill and max it etc, but the guides can direct you further.
I personally have a frenzy barb that is a lot of fun and does well in Hell. Good, detailed guides for this character have been written by Spankeh, Dabeas and Ash, Have a read of them and see if you fancy that. They also have a lot of useful information about what gear is good for barbarians in general.
Regarding equipment, I suggest you invest in better killing/safety equipment. You can trade decent stuff like arreats face, highlords amulet, etc for perfect gems or mid runes like pul-um. Your Ohm rune is worth a lot, if you don't want to use it you should be able to get a lot of good gear for that. Look on the trade forums.|||Your skills happen to be your issue, I would respec the following.
Max Frenzy. Battle Order til about five for now.
Natural Resistance 1 point (1 point in prereq)
Then dump points in frenzy synergies double swing & taunt to boost your damage.
Masteries I would leave about 5-10 points for til you figure out what weapon your going to be using end game + the bonus skill points you will have enough to max it.
Myself personally @ level 85.
I maxed frenzy, double swing, masteries, put one point into natural resist, put about 10 in battle order and started putting the final mastery for frenzy which is Taunt. 10 in B/O is enough for my health bonus so I started adding damage with the final synergy. Berserk IS technically a synergy for frenzy but it is a complete waste of points.
Now take it I got about +8-9 skills off gears & inventory items. You wanna do something along the lines I said above and you will see a HUGE improvement.|||Hi!
Thanks for your input. Frenzy seems to be the one to go for.
I have signed up for the trade forum and intend to trade away that Um rune for a spangly new IK's armour. I found the belt yesterday.
What about my stats? I find I die way too often, and I was wondering if this has anything to do with my quite low (by comparison) vitality, and high dex for greater attack rating.
Thanks
Ailelya|||You should only have enough strength and Dex to use your equipment (Including what your equipment gives you). Rest goes in Vitality. If I wanted to do blocking I'd make a Zealot Paladin.
Since you seem to have almost completed the IK set, why not get the weapon and Helm from that set as well? The bonuses are pretty good. 2 handed weapon means you'll have to make a Whirlwind barb though (nothing wrong with that!). A really good thing about the weapon from this set is it has NO dex requirement, so you get extra points for Strength/Vitality. Also it's the longest range Mace in the game.
Do you have much Life Leech? That's really important to have.
Are you thinking before you rush into that pack of extra strong, mana burn, cursed monsters? Remembering you can't leech from skeletons? Barbarian is surprisingly strategic, more so than a lot of characters.
You should have BO on at all times, I find it's a pain to remember to recast, but when I forget, I die. There's obviously a connection there!|||IK set is solid to roll without however like said in the previous post, to complete the set requires use of the 2 hand weapon which converts you from frenzy to ww. Using the set and staying frenzy just not using the IK weapon is still a good idea vs what you currently have. As frenzy you should be looking for some life steal items.
You should only have enough str and dex to match your gear requirements. Everything else goes to vit, you should try to pick up some ar charms via trade section to solve your ar issue. Try to grab a metalgrid if you can, serious ar increase. The price tag on them are kinda sticky but you might be able to swing a deal.|||I used to have loads of life leech, from dual Aldur's Rhythms - using double swing back then. Probably why I die so much nowadays.
I know Frenzy takes up quite some mana when used (3-ish) but when using dswing I never cared at all about those mana burn bosses. With my points in Concentrate, i could use that with the IK's SC, and i loved the idea that you could smack something and nothing could hit you back. Would Concentrate be the best choice for 2h weapons? Before the Aldur's I was using a tabar which was fine, but didn't hit often. I'll do my best to pick up all the charms that drop now.
I have applied for the IK's hat and armour from a giveaway but haven't had anything back to me yet. My Um will buy me the armour and if I don't get the rest of the set for free I have millions upon millions of pgems.
Two skills I have considered:
What about Berserk? It's good for PIs. though the elemental damage on the IK maul should solve that
On a mad note: What about DThrow? I have the Scalper.|||Berserk is a 1 point wonder, it can't deal with groups efficiently but it's good for the odd PI.
Concentrate also can't deal with groups well.
Frenzy is alright but needs 2 weapons.
Just go whirlwind, it's popular because it's good.|||Berserk is an epic skill to use with a two-handed sword and imo out-damages whirlwind in party play (i.e. when not soloing) but requires good gear. And a party to back you up. So just one point into that for you.
Using the IK set with whirlwind is a good option for a beginner. If I were you though I'd use the gul to trade for 3 or 4 mals and make myself 2 Oaths and a Gloom (armor). A small crescent (axe) is a nice base for Oath and will out-damage the IK set by quite a bit. Gloom (fal-um-pal) in a good base (like archon plate or wire fleece) has over 1500 defense and 45 all resist. Smoke and Treachery are other (cheaper) armor options but they lack in defense. A step up from these is 2 Grief swords and a Fortitude but for that you need 3 Lo and 2 Mal runes.
Thundergod's is a great belt and you can keep the raven. On the second ring you should look for mana and life leech and +attack rating, and resists are a nice bonus. You be able to get Laying of Hands (gloves) for pgems. As mentioned above the other things you should be looking for are Arreat's Face, Highlord's (amulet) and Gore Rider's (boots).|||Ok.
Thanks for all input but in the end, I got the IK set for free!
I have respecced.
The first time I did it I put 94 in dex, for the highest thing I had on, then thought... hmmm... shift-click adds five each click, right? Shift-clicked vit. I then had 415 in vit. ARRGGH. That required a minimize-to-desktop and an "end task" to put right. Glad I didn't press esc.
Went back into the game and all was fine. pheww. re-respecced and now have:
Clvl 79 (gone up a bit!)
Str - 237 after gear
Dex - 94
Vit -197 from memory
Energy -zilch.
I have maxed Concentrate and Mace Mastery
Have 1point wonders in sword mastery, berserk, whirlwind and prereqs.
8 or so in BOrders brings it up to 15 with gear. thank you IK
Got a few in Iron Skin and Nat Resist [enuff to have 75 to all resists]
Damage - 3100 to 5600 after Ilzan's Might aura
AR - 10001
Def Rating - much
Killing speed is infinitely faster now. Have 1 in berserk but it isn't really needed thanks to masses of elemental damage. Concentrate works well on group as while hitting one thing immense defense rating means nothing else hits me. Andariel was easy as hell! Going into the Arcane Sanctuary tonight or tomorrow.
I never liked the idea of whirlwind - I've tested it and I just don't like it. Feels unsafe or something.
@hubb if you didn't read the top bit I have an oath already. And I have never heard of a pal rune. Did you mean pul?
Thanks to all
-[F]Ailelya
I've been questing my way thru Nightmare diff with my trusty barbarian, Erik. However, the Monastery is just too difficult, in Hell. I have no idea whether it is skills, stats, gear or just my noobish tactics =(.
Ok, raw statistics now:
Level: 77.
lets use GoMule format:
Strength (N/G)= 165/210
Dexterity = 125/183
Vitality = 150/170
Energy = 30/48
I have no idea why there are points in energy. I don't remember putting them there.
Skillz:
(These are weird.)
Bash: 5
Leap: 1
DSwing: 5
Stun: 6
DThrow: 1
Leap Attack: 1
Concentrate: 13
Frenzy: 1
WW: 1
Berserk:1
(masteries)
Sword: 4
Axe: 6
Mace: 10
Iron Skin: 3
Nat Resist: 9
(warcries)
1 in: well... all of them bar battle command (0)
Find Item (Hork): 3
Battle Orders: 8
For some reason, I started out being a conc barb, changed my mind... around late lvl 50's/60's, realized BO did something... oh yes, built very oddly indeed.
Right... Part 2, Gear.
Helm: 3socketed avenger guard with +2 to concentrate. My only +skill item.
Socketed with a Ptopaz, a Ptopaz and another Ptopaz.
Armour: [Yes, that is how it is spelt in the UK] 3socketed Sharktooth Armour, socketed with a Lem, Ko and a Tir rune (Wealth runeword).
Weapon 1: "Oath" zweihander.
Weapon 2: "Voice of Reason" rune sword.
Gloves: The Immortal King's Forge War Gauntlets.
Belt: Thundergod's Vigor War Belt.
Boots: The Immortal King's Pillar.
Jewellery: odd combination here...
Amulet: (For Magic Finding) Amulet of Luck (+32% MF)
(for killing things) Entropy Scarab Amulet. Which would be
+1 Necro skills
+8 to Energy
+56 to Life
+16 to all resistances
Half freeze duration.
The only two mods of any use are the +life and resists, as I found a:
Raven Frost Ring.
And the other shiny thing on Erik's fingers is a "Rune Turn" ring, providing:
+lightning damage,
+str,
+resist to Cold, Lightning and Fire,
and an additional 10% MF.
On the weapon switch is Earthshaker and Gerke's Sanctuary.
Part 3, LCS
according to it:
Damage (DSwing, after Might from Ilzan and the aura from the wolverine spirit, whatever it does)
between 600 and 1000 from the Oath, and less from the VoR.
Life: 1490 after BO.
That's all that matters really. Ilzan, the mercenary (might aura) has Tal Rasha's helm, Skin of the Flayed One, and Pierre Tombale Couant.
As you have probably guessed, I use the RWM, and I have a little stash in GoMule.
I have most excep set items, and quite a few uniques. My best item find was in Act1 Hell, a Wizardspike from the Blood Moor and an Ohm from the Den of Evil. Oh, runes-wise I have everything from El thru Fal plus an Um, Gul and that Ohm. I have many, many socketed excep items for runewords.
So, what are your suggestions and advice for Erik the Barbarian.
Thanks in advice
Ailelya
*collapses in front of text wall*|||Hi Ailelya, I'm not a barb expert but it seems as if you have spread your points too thinly. I would advise you read a little bit about different builds (concentrate, ww, frenzy etc) and find a good guide for what you think will be the most fun. After you have chosen a build there should be some guides how to spend your points. I would especially advise picking a weapon mastery and don't put points in others. Pick your main combat skill and max it etc, but the guides can direct you further.
I personally have a frenzy barb that is a lot of fun and does well in Hell. Good, detailed guides for this character have been written by Spankeh, Dabeas and Ash, Have a read of them and see if you fancy that. They also have a lot of useful information about what gear is good for barbarians in general.
Regarding equipment, I suggest you invest in better killing/safety equipment. You can trade decent stuff like arreats face, highlords amulet, etc for perfect gems or mid runes like pul-um. Your Ohm rune is worth a lot, if you don't want to use it you should be able to get a lot of good gear for that. Look on the trade forums.|||Your skills happen to be your issue, I would respec the following.
Max Frenzy. Battle Order til about five for now.
Natural Resistance 1 point (1 point in prereq)
Then dump points in frenzy synergies double swing & taunt to boost your damage.
Masteries I would leave about 5-10 points for til you figure out what weapon your going to be using end game + the bonus skill points you will have enough to max it.
Myself personally @ level 85.
I maxed frenzy, double swing, masteries, put one point into natural resist, put about 10 in battle order and started putting the final mastery for frenzy which is Taunt. 10 in B/O is enough for my health bonus so I started adding damage with the final synergy. Berserk IS technically a synergy for frenzy but it is a complete waste of points.
Now take it I got about +8-9 skills off gears & inventory items. You wanna do something along the lines I said above and you will see a HUGE improvement.|||Hi!
Thanks for your input. Frenzy seems to be the one to go for.
I have signed up for the trade forum and intend to trade away that Um rune for a spangly new IK's armour. I found the belt yesterday.
What about my stats? I find I die way too often, and I was wondering if this has anything to do with my quite low (by comparison) vitality, and high dex for greater attack rating.
Thanks
Ailelya|||You should only have enough strength and Dex to use your equipment (Including what your equipment gives you). Rest goes in Vitality. If I wanted to do blocking I'd make a Zealot Paladin.
Since you seem to have almost completed the IK set, why not get the weapon and Helm from that set as well? The bonuses are pretty good. 2 handed weapon means you'll have to make a Whirlwind barb though (nothing wrong with that!). A really good thing about the weapon from this set is it has NO dex requirement, so you get extra points for Strength/Vitality. Also it's the longest range Mace in the game.
Do you have much Life Leech? That's really important to have.
Are you thinking before you rush into that pack of extra strong, mana burn, cursed monsters? Remembering you can't leech from skeletons? Barbarian is surprisingly strategic, more so than a lot of characters.
You should have BO on at all times, I find it's a pain to remember to recast, but when I forget, I die. There's obviously a connection there!|||IK set is solid to roll without however like said in the previous post, to complete the set requires use of the 2 hand weapon which converts you from frenzy to ww. Using the set and staying frenzy just not using the IK weapon is still a good idea vs what you currently have. As frenzy you should be looking for some life steal items.
You should only have enough str and dex to match your gear requirements. Everything else goes to vit, you should try to pick up some ar charms via trade section to solve your ar issue. Try to grab a metalgrid if you can, serious ar increase. The price tag on them are kinda sticky but you might be able to swing a deal.|||I used to have loads of life leech, from dual Aldur's Rhythms - using double swing back then. Probably why I die so much nowadays.
I know Frenzy takes up quite some mana when used (3-ish) but when using dswing I never cared at all about those mana burn bosses. With my points in Concentrate, i could use that with the IK's SC, and i loved the idea that you could smack something and nothing could hit you back. Would Concentrate be the best choice for 2h weapons? Before the Aldur's I was using a tabar which was fine, but didn't hit often. I'll do my best to pick up all the charms that drop now.
I have applied for the IK's hat and armour from a giveaway but haven't had anything back to me yet. My Um will buy me the armour and if I don't get the rest of the set for free I have millions upon millions of pgems.
Two skills I have considered:
What about Berserk? It's good for PIs. though the elemental damage on the IK maul should solve that
On a mad note: What about DThrow? I have the Scalper.|||Berserk is a 1 point wonder, it can't deal with groups efficiently but it's good for the odd PI.
Concentrate also can't deal with groups well.
Frenzy is alright but needs 2 weapons.
Just go whirlwind, it's popular because it's good.|||Berserk is an epic skill to use with a two-handed sword and imo out-damages whirlwind in party play (i.e. when not soloing) but requires good gear. And a party to back you up. So just one point into that for you.
Using the IK set with whirlwind is a good option for a beginner. If I were you though I'd use the gul to trade for 3 or 4 mals and make myself 2 Oaths and a Gloom (armor). A small crescent (axe) is a nice base for Oath and will out-damage the IK set by quite a bit. Gloom (fal-um-pal) in a good base (like archon plate or wire fleece) has over 1500 defense and 45 all resist. Smoke and Treachery are other (cheaper) armor options but they lack in defense. A step up from these is 2 Grief swords and a Fortitude but for that you need 3 Lo and 2 Mal runes.
Thundergod's is a great belt and you can keep the raven. On the second ring you should look for mana and life leech and +attack rating, and resists are a nice bonus. You be able to get Laying of Hands (gloves) for pgems. As mentioned above the other things you should be looking for are Arreat's Face, Highlord's (amulet) and Gore Rider's (boots).|||Ok.
Thanks for all input but in the end, I got the IK set for free!
I have respecced.
The first time I did it I put 94 in dex, for the highest thing I had on, then thought... hmmm... shift-click adds five each click, right? Shift-clicked vit. I then had 415 in vit. ARRGGH. That required a minimize-to-desktop and an "end task" to put right. Glad I didn't press esc.
Went back into the game and all was fine. pheww. re-respecced and now have:
Clvl 79 (gone up a bit!)
Str - 237 after gear
Dex - 94
Vit -197 from memory
Energy -zilch.
I have maxed Concentrate and Mace Mastery
Have 1point wonders in sword mastery, berserk, whirlwind and prereqs.
8 or so in BOrders brings it up to 15 with gear. thank you IK
Got a few in Iron Skin and Nat Resist [enuff to have 75 to all resists]
Damage - 3100 to 5600 after Ilzan's Might aura
AR - 10001
Def Rating - much
Killing speed is infinitely faster now. Have 1 in berserk but it isn't really needed thanks to masses of elemental damage. Concentrate works well on group as while hitting one thing immense defense rating means nothing else hits me. Andariel was easy as hell! Going into the Arcane Sanctuary tonight or tomorrow.
I never liked the idea of whirlwind - I've tested it and I just don't like it. Feels unsafe or something.
@hubb if you didn't read the top bit I have an oath already. And I have never heard of a pal rune. Did you mean pul?
Thanks to all
-[F]Ailelya
Any Old-Timers Lurking over Here?
Hi All--
No luck in the pvp forum so I thought I'd try over here. Somehow I found myself bored enough to reinstall. Just wondering if anyone from back in the day still plays. I'm back at *jeb90 on West if anyone wants to waste some time with me.
JEB90|||do you play on ladder, and do you play barbarian specific? cuz if not take yerself to general chat lol.|||Quote:
do you play on ladder, and do you play barbarian specific? cuz if not take yerself to general chat lol.
Yes and yes...lol. And the reason I posted here is that, (apparently) well before you started posting here, I used to be a regular on this forum...lol.
JEB90|||good for you gray bush. would you like a prune cookie?
so what kinda babrs do you have?
No luck in the pvp forum so I thought I'd try over here. Somehow I found myself bored enough to reinstall. Just wondering if anyone from back in the day still plays. I'm back at *jeb90 on West if anyone wants to waste some time with me.
JEB90|||do you play on ladder, and do you play barbarian specific? cuz if not take yerself to general chat lol.|||Quote:
do you play on ladder, and do you play barbarian specific? cuz if not take yerself to general chat lol.
Yes and yes...lol. And the reason I posted here is that, (apparently) well before you started posting here, I used to be a regular on this forum...lol.
JEB90|||good for you gray bush. would you like a prune cookie?
so what kinda babrs do you have?
N00b Frenzy Question
I suppose it's actually a dual wield question.
I appologize if this is covered elsewhere, but I have been unable to find it.
I was wondering if effects from one weapon apply to both when attacking?
For instance, if I wield lightsabre in one hand and crushflange in the other. With no other sources of crushing blow, does the lightsabre have 33% chance of CB?
Thanks in advance|||Nope it does not. Only applies to the weapon that has the CB or OW or what ever =). Hope this helps|||Greetings CaimbeullX
I appologize if this is covered elsewhere, but I have been unable to find it.
I was wondering if effects from one weapon apply to both when attacking?
For instance, if I wield lightsabre in one hand and crushflange in the other. With no other sources of crushing blow, does the lightsabre have 33% chance of CB?
Thanks in advance|||Nope it does not
. Only applies to the weapon that has the CB or OW or what ever =). Hope this helps|||Greetings CaimbeullX
Need help increasing damage
Okay so, I've jsut made a WW baba, like level 77, and for some reason I only hit 1.7k-6k with my mainhand, which people say is low, here is my build
Stats (base):
Str - 200
Dex - enough for gear, 69
Vit - Rest
Skills -
Max BO
Max WW
Max axe mastery
Rest in shout
Gear-
Arreats
Highlords
Enigma AP
eth BoTD BA (medium)
Beast BA (Medium)
Gore Riders
IK Belt (need to change)
IK Gloves (Need to change)
10/10 BabaT
Just wondering why I don't hit as hard as most say baba do, people talk about Babas hitting 10k+ I don't seem to be scratching that|||Forty might give you 1.5k max, provided you havee medium roll on ebotd ba.
Are you using might merc? It's possible to give him pride as well (another 1.5k max on ebotd ba from concentration), but looks like an overkill imo.|||Quote:
Okay so, I've jsut made a WW baba, like level 77, and for some reason I only hit 1.7k-6k with my mainhand, which people say is low, here is my build
.....
Just wondering why I don't hit as hard as most say baba do, people talk about Babas hitting 10k+ I don't seem to be scratching that
Here is why your not "hitting harder":
1) Get rid of ebotdz and use Griefz with Beastz
=Best possible PvP combo. botd has terrible damage rolls.
2) Pump your Attack Rating. You most likely do not have good AR charms or Angelics. Given that WW hits approximately 6 times every second, you could be missing the mark due to substandard AR. Sometimes what appears as 1 big hit can actually be 2 hits at once. If you miss alot, this would make it look like your not hitting harder.
3) Level up. Your lvl is quite low from a PvP perspective. There are bonuses like Open Wounds, which you don't get full benefit of until you hit LvL 90+. Also, same reasoning in #2 for leveling.
As a PvM Barb, there is nothing really wrong with your damage. As a matter of fact, it isn't low at all based on what you use. If I look at your Barb as a PvP player, then you have to consider that the only thing you can do is fill up on max damage charms and improve your weapons. Given that, you still aren't going to hit 10k ww. (unless your adding the damage of both weapons)
10k+ 1 handed damage numbers are usually overstated, and are typically hit with Berzerk using the items that you have. The addition of fort + Auras + max damage charms will change that, but that's not realistic unless you are in a PvM situation. (however you should save up max/ar/life charms)
Stats (base):
Str - 200
Dex - enough for gear, 69
Vit - Rest
Skills -
Max BO
Max WW
Max axe mastery
Rest in shout
Gear-
Arreats
Highlords
Enigma AP
eth BoTD BA (medium)
Beast BA (Medium)
Gore Riders
IK Belt (need to change)
IK Gloves (Need to change)
10/10 BabaT
Just wondering why I don't hit as hard as most say baba do, people talk about Babas hitting 10k+ I don't seem to be scratching that
|||Forty might give you 1.5k max, provided you havee medium roll on ebotd ba.Are you using might merc? It's possible to give him pride as well (another 1.5k max on ebotd ba from concentration), but looks like an overkill imo.|||Quote:
Okay so, I've jsut made a WW baba, like level 77, and for some reason I only hit 1.7k-6k with my mainhand, which people say is low, here is my build
.....
Just wondering why I don't hit as hard as most say baba do, people talk about Babas hitting 10k+ I don't seem to be scratching that
Here is why your not "hitting harder":
1) Get rid of ebotdz and use Griefz with Beastz
=Best possible PvP combo. botd has terrible damage rolls.
2) Pump your Attack Rating. You most likely do not have good AR charms or Angelics. Given that WW hits approximately 6 times every second, you could be missing the mark due to substandard AR. Sometimes what appears as 1 big hit can actually be 2 hits at once. If you miss alot, this would make it look like your not hitting harder.
3) Level up. Your lvl is quite low from a PvP perspective. There are bonuses like Open Wounds, which you don't get full benefit of until you hit LvL 90+. Also, same reasoning in #2 for leveling.
As a PvM Barb, there is nothing really wrong with your damage. As a matter of fact, it isn't low at all based on what you use. If I look at your Barb as a PvP player, then you have to consider that the only thing you can do is fill up on max damage charms and improve your weapons. Given that, you still aren't going to hit 10k ww. (unless your adding the damage of both weapons)
10k+ 1 handed damage numbers are usually overstated, and are typically hit with Berzerk using the items that you have. The addition of fort + Auras + max damage charms will change that, but that's not realistic unless you are in a PvM situation. (however you should save up max/ar/life charms)
Stupid Whirlwind Question
I know this is a really stupid question, but does WW attack ALL targets in range every 4 frames (assuming a 4 FPS attack), or ONE target which is in range every 4 frames?|||One target which is in range every 4 frames.
Also, I've heard that if you dual wield only one weapon is used at the first check, then both are checked at frame 8, 12, etc. Probably not on the same target but tbh I have no idea.|||I have another stupid question, so I'll re-use this thread :P
Does FR/W effect the speed at which you move when whirling? Should I try and make sure I have as little FR/W as possible so as to maximise the amount of time (and therefore amount of hits) I get for each whirl?|||An extreme example is in baal's throne when/if you get frozen AND decrepified. You ww, hang in range, and score xxx more hits since you leave the range of the monsters very slowly.
This is more of a novelty to me personally. Slow mobility makes moving through the game painfully boring and slower to move though areas. 1pt in inc speed is fine even with frw booties. imho.|||Some pvp barbs put no points into increase speed precisely to keep whirls longer in time.
But that's really a pvp thing. In all pvm situations, not having that 1 pt speed is a total bore. A game is about having fun, not behaving like a lawn-mower
Also, I've heard that if you dual wield only one weapon is used at the first check, then both are checked at frame 8, 12, etc. Probably not on the same target but tbh I have no idea.|||I have another stupid question, so I'll re-use this thread :P
Does FR/W effect the speed at which you move when whirling? Should I try and make sure I have as little FR/W as possible so as to maximise the amount of time (and therefore amount of hits) I get for each whirl?|||An extreme example is in baal's throne when/if you get frozen AND decrepified. You ww, hang in range, and score xxx more hits since you leave the range of the monsters very slowly.
This is more of a novelty to me personally. Slow mobility makes moving through the game painfully boring and slower to move though areas. 1pt in inc speed is fine even with frw booties. imho.|||Some pvp barbs put no points into increase speed precisely to keep whirls longer in time.
But that's really a pvp thing. In all pvm situations, not having that 1 pt speed is a total bore. A game is about having fun, not behaving like a lawn-mower
Need help building a WW baba
Okay, I'm probably gunna spec him frenzy after some time, cause WW will get boring, but first let's focus on WW, it's mainly the weapons I can't decide on, here's my dilema:
Okay, I've been looking around, and I have no idea what to side with, should I go with a 2hander, if so what 2hander, or should I go with two 1handers, if so what 1handers, my current thoughts are:
Eth BoTD Col
Eth BoTD BA + Beast BA
Eth BoTD BA + Death BA
I'm probably wrong tho, I'm going for damage, gunna get some CB and DS too.
Equip:
Helm: Arreats
Neck: Highlord
Chest:Enigma
Weapon: ?
Belt: ?
Feet: Gore Riders
Hands: Draculs
Rings: 2x BK
Stats:
?
Skills:
Max WW
Max BO
?
?
?
Need help building this thing main thing I want from it is to hit like a truck, and survive.|||If you want a two hander go for an eBOTD great poleaxe. Dual wielding gives superior dps though.
Equip:
Helm: Arreats. Um'd Guill's face for a more offensive build. If you have a good torch and anni to cover your res I'd go Guill's face for sure.
Neck: Highlord's
Chest: Enigma. Else fort/coh
Weapon...
Budget: Oath small crescents
Best damage: Grief phaseblades
Other: eBOTDx2 or eBOTD+Beast, all in berserker axes. The mods on these increase your survivability quite a bit but doesn't quite compare to grief's damage. You can still own players 1 hell with these but in bigger games you really notice the difference.
Belt: Verdungo's or String of Ears or Thundergod's
Feet: Gore Riders
Hands: Laying of Hands
Rings: Ravenfrost + rare ring with dual leech, AR and optional resists. 2x Raven if you use 2xBOTD because BOTD has dual leech. Without good charms your AR will struggle to hit 5K, and the AR from ravens is unbeatable.
Stats:
Enough str and dex for equipment, rest vita
You can go partial titan by getting your strength up to 250 or whatnot. Every point in strength is worth 1% ed so it makes a difference on a build with enigma because you're lacking in the off-skill ed that coh/fort brings.
Skills:
Max WW
Max BO
Max weapon mastery
Max shout
1 point in: 4 remaining masteries (excluding weapon masteries), berserk and find item. I put the rest in find item, but you can also do stone skin or berserk. Or a couple of points more into natural resists if your charms are lacking.
Might merc with reaper's toll. Fort and andy's is probably the best option. My ideal would be ebugged treachery + eth shaeled reapers + eth andy's or 15 ias jeweled guill's face. The point is to get him to proc decrip as quick as possible.
*For frenzy it's much the same except that off-weapon ias counts, and ias on the boot-side weapon doesn't. So an off-hand Death is an option. As with WW, griefs are the best option dps-wise but you could also use BOTD BAs, eBOTD/BEAST BAs or eBOTD/Death in BAs or swords.|||Quote:
If you want a two hander go for an eBOTD great poleaxe. Dual wielding gives superior dps though.
u sure about this? dont most two handers have longer reach, thereby hitting more monsters? i would think it would be about the same...
also regarding Oath, WW won't trigger chance to cast stuff right? so the bone spirit wont trigger when using WW?|||Range has little bearing on damage in pvm imo. Most of the time the baddies are running towards you so there's usually something in range. Maybe against dispersed and weak monsters where it takes one hit to take them down it'll go a bit quicker with a GPA. Then again, when you dual wield there are almost twice as many hit checks so it's tough to say.
415%ed eth GPA has an average damage of 668. Accoring to zerk (iirc) durability loss shows that you hit about 70% of the time with the off-hand weapon when you dual wield. So grief would give 437*1.7 (or 437 + 437*0.7, same thing) = 742 average damage. 2xeBOTDz gives 366*1.7 = 622. It's not as simple as they have different mods but here Grief's 20% DS and ITD puts it on top.
WW won't trigger the bone spirits but that's hardly what makes Oath the best budget weapons :P|||It's a bummer ww doesn't work with ctc stuff. Reapers toll or something with ctc glacial spike would be a lot off fun.
My only point with 2h weapons is that since it has better reach, in theory u would be hitting more monsters due to the better reach. The same is true of using a 2nd weapon so I was just wondering if it was about the same since I'm also making a wwbarb.|||For weapons I was planning on going: eBOTD BA (For the leach and damage) and Beast BA (For the Ias and ED from fant) what is it that's so special about Grief?|||Quote:
For weapons I was planning on going: eBOTD BA (For the leach and damage) and Beast BA (For the Ias and ED from fant) what is it that's so special about Grief?
Nothing all that special, it was probably suggested because its much cheaper to make. For myself, I'm thinking about going with am eth balrog blade oath and cryptic sword kingslayer. Not sure how the mods work tho...for example does the -25 to enemy defense from kingslayer work only when that sword is striking a monster?|||Grief was suggested because it has the best damage, simple as that. Like I said, the thing that makes Grief "special" is the damage, 20% deadly strike and ignore target's defense. Leech can be found elsewhere. I've tested (i.e. played the actual game) and calculated these things multiple times but you can choose whether to believe me or not.
If you're not obsessed with damage output then BOTD and Beast is fine and you probably won't notice the difference. Beast's aura also works well for zerking physical immunes.|||Quote:
Grief was suggested because it has the best damage, simple as that. Like I said, the thing that makes Grief "special" is the damage, 20% deadly strike and ignore target's defense. Leech can be found elsewhere. I've tested (i.e. played the actual game) and calculated these things multiple times but you can choose whether to believe me or not.
If you're not obsessed with damage output then BOTD and Beast is fine and you probably won't notice the difference. Beast's aura also works well for zerking physical immunes.
Won't notice the difference between BoTD+Beast and Grief+Grief? another reason for me going with these two weapons too is that they would probably be good for uber running frenzy build.|||Quote:
Grief was suggested because it has the best damage, simple as that. Like I said, the thing that makes Grief "special" is the damage, 20% deadly strike and ignore target's defense. Leech can be found elsewhere. I've tested (i.e. played the actual game) and calculated these things multiple times but you can choose whether to believe me or not.
If you're not obsessed with damage output then BOTD and Beast is fine and you probably won't notice the difference. Beast's aura also works well for zerking physical immunes.
For those of us who don't have the wealth to get ahold of a Lo rune, what would you recommend? Gul is the highest I have and I was thinking of going cryptic sword: Kingslayer (20% AR bonus and -25% target defense seems like it would be pretty helpful) and eth balrog blade: Oath. With these weapons according to this http://diablo3.ingame.de/tips/calcs/...p?lang=english if I can get 34% IAS from other equipment I would hit a 2 fps whirlwind. i imagine that would be pretty darn good, plus i get heart of wolverine from oath. although now that i think about it, if the sword was ethereal, i dont think id be able to repair the charges, so maybe i shouldnt use an ethereal weapon after all. i have some 38% mf war travs around and the ik belt and helm, maybe even gloves. so with the helm and a couple ptopaz i could have around 100% mf. marginally useful but better than nothing, and i imagine with the right gear this kind of setup could be a boss killer. i dont think i'll ever have the wealth to get the gear to run ubers but mfing or rune hunting with something other than a sorc will be a reward in itself hehe.
edit: i guess i shouldnt go ethreal, from what i have read you cannot repair the charges on an ethereal item. since ethereal adds 50% damage and HoW at lvl 16 adds 125%, i'm gonna have to go with a regular balrog blade
Okay, I've been looking around, and I have no idea what to side with, should I go with a 2hander, if so what 2hander, or should I go with two 1handers, if so what 1handers, my current thoughts are:
Eth BoTD Col
Eth BoTD BA + Beast BA
Eth BoTD BA + Death BA
I'm probably wrong tho, I'm going for damage, gunna get some CB and DS too.
Equip:
Helm: Arreats
Neck: Highlord
Chest:Enigma
Weapon: ?
Belt: ?
Feet: Gore Riders
Hands: Draculs
Rings: 2x BK
Stats:
?
Skills:
Max WW
Max BO
?
?
?
Need help building this thing
main thing I want from it is to hit like a truck, and survive.|||If you want a two hander go for an eBOTD great poleaxe. Dual wielding gives superior dps though.Equip:
Helm: Arreats. Um'd Guill's face for a more offensive build. If you have a good torch and anni to cover your res I'd go Guill's face for sure.
Neck: Highlord's
Chest: Enigma. Else fort/coh
Weapon...
Budget: Oath small crescents
Best damage: Grief phaseblades
Other: eBOTDx2 or eBOTD+Beast, all in berserker axes. The mods on these increase your survivability quite a bit but doesn't quite compare to grief's damage. You can still own players 1 hell with these but in bigger games you really notice the difference.
Belt: Verdungo's or String of Ears or Thundergod's
Feet: Gore Riders
Hands: Laying of Hands
Rings: Ravenfrost + rare ring with dual leech, AR and optional resists. 2x Raven if you use 2xBOTD because BOTD has dual leech. Without good charms your AR will struggle to hit 5K, and the AR from ravens is unbeatable.
Stats:
Enough str and dex for equipment, rest vita
You can go partial titan by getting your strength up to 250 or whatnot. Every point in strength is worth 1% ed so it makes a difference on a build with enigma because you're lacking in the off-skill ed that coh/fort brings.
Skills:
Max WW
Max BO
Max weapon mastery
Max shout
1 point in: 4 remaining masteries (excluding weapon masteries), berserk and find item. I put the rest in find item, but you can also do stone skin or berserk. Or a couple of points more into natural resists if your charms are lacking.
Might merc with reaper's toll. Fort and andy's is probably the best option. My ideal would be ebugged treachery + eth shaeled reapers + eth andy's or 15 ias jeweled guill's face. The point is to get him to proc decrip as quick as possible.
*For frenzy it's much the same except that off-weapon ias counts, and ias on the boot-side weapon doesn't. So an off-hand Death is an option. As with WW, griefs are the best option dps-wise but you could also use BOTD BAs, eBOTD/BEAST BAs or eBOTD/Death in BAs or swords.|||Quote:
If you want a two hander go for an eBOTD great poleaxe. Dual wielding gives superior dps though.
u sure about this? dont most two handers have longer reach, thereby hitting more monsters? i would think it would be about the same...
also regarding Oath, WW won't trigger chance to cast stuff right? so the bone spirit wont trigger when using WW?|||Range has little bearing on damage in pvm imo. Most of the time the baddies are running towards you so there's usually something in range. Maybe against dispersed and weak monsters where it takes one hit to take them down it'll go a bit quicker with a GPA. Then again, when you dual wield there are almost twice as many hit checks so it's tough to say.
415%ed eth GPA has an average damage of 668. Accoring to zerk (iirc) durability loss shows that you hit about 70% of the time with the off-hand weapon when you dual wield. So grief would give 437*1.7 (or 437 + 437*0.7, same thing) = 742 average damage. 2xeBOTDz gives 366*1.7 = 622. It's not as simple as they have different mods but here Grief's 20% DS and ITD puts it on top.
WW won't trigger the bone spirits but that's hardly what makes Oath the best budget weapons :P|||It's a bummer ww doesn't work with ctc stuff. Reapers toll or something with ctc glacial spike would be a lot off fun.
My only point with 2h weapons is that since it has better reach, in theory u would be hitting more monsters due to the better reach. The same is true of using a 2nd weapon so I was just wondering if it was about the same since I'm also making a wwbarb.|||For weapons I was planning on going: eBOTD BA (For the leach and damage) and Beast BA (For the Ias and ED from fant) what is it that's so special about Grief?|||Quote:
For weapons I was planning on going: eBOTD BA (For the leach and damage) and Beast BA (For the Ias and ED from fant) what is it that's so special about Grief?
Nothing all that special, it was probably suggested because its much cheaper to make. For myself, I'm thinking about going with am eth balrog blade oath and cryptic sword kingslayer. Not sure how the mods work tho...for example does the -25 to enemy defense from kingslayer work only when that sword is striking a monster?|||Grief was suggested because it has the best damage, simple as that. Like I said, the thing that makes Grief "special" is the damage, 20% deadly strike and ignore target's defense. Leech can be found elsewhere. I've tested (i.e. played the actual game) and calculated these things multiple times but you can choose whether to believe me or not.
If you're not obsessed with damage output then BOTD and Beast is fine and you probably won't notice the difference. Beast's aura also works well for zerking physical immunes.|||Quote:
Grief was suggested because it has the best damage, simple as that. Like I said, the thing that makes Grief "special" is the damage, 20% deadly strike and ignore target's defense. Leech can be found elsewhere. I've tested (i.e. played the actual game) and calculated these things multiple times but you can choose whether to believe me or not.
If you're not obsessed with damage output then BOTD and Beast is fine and you probably won't notice the difference. Beast's aura also works well for zerking physical immunes.
Won't notice the difference between BoTD+Beast and Grief+Grief? another reason for me going with these two weapons too is that they would probably be good for uber running frenzy build.|||Quote:
Grief was suggested because it has the best damage, simple as that. Like I said, the thing that makes Grief "special" is the damage, 20% deadly strike and ignore target's defense. Leech can be found elsewhere. I've tested (i.e. played the actual game) and calculated these things multiple times but you can choose whether to believe me or not.
If you're not obsessed with damage output then BOTD and Beast is fine and you probably won't notice the difference. Beast's aura also works well for zerking physical immunes.
For those of us who don't have the wealth to get ahold of a Lo rune, what would you recommend? Gul is the highest I have and I was thinking of going cryptic sword: Kingslayer (20% AR bonus and -25% target defense seems like it would be pretty helpful) and eth balrog blade: Oath. With these weapons according to this http://diablo3.ingame.de/tips/calcs/...p?lang=english if I can get 34% IAS from other equipment I would hit a 2 fps whirlwind. i imagine that would be pretty darn good, plus i get heart of wolverine from oath. although now that i think about it, if the sword was ethereal, i dont think id be able to repair the charges, so maybe i shouldnt use an ethereal weapon after all. i have some 38% mf war travs around and the ik belt and helm, maybe even gloves. so with the helm and a couple ptopaz i could have around 100% mf. marginally useful but better than nothing, and i imagine with the right gear this kind of setup could be a boss killer. i dont think i'll ever have the wealth to get the gear to run ubers but mfing or rune hunting with something other than a sorc will be a reward in itself hehe.
edit: i guess i shouldnt go ethreal, from what i have read you cannot repair the charges on an ethereal item. since ethereal adds 50% damage and HoW at lvl 16 adds 125%, i'm gonna have to go with a regular balrog blade
Help with Barb?
Decided to retype this.... mainly because it wasn't descriptive and i'm bored.
I'm getting ready to make a Frenzy Barb, and have looked over various guides and kind of took stuff from all over.
Here's what I am planning on doing stat/skill wise:
20-Frenzy
20-Battle Orders
20-Shout
20-Axe Mastery
10- Taunt
10+ Double Swing
Stats: 232
Dexterity: 4gear
Vit: Rest
Energy: None
Is there any particular order I should do my skills in?
If there is something that needs tweaked, please tell me what D: I don't want to booger my skills up.
----------------------------------------------------------
I've taken the liberty of already obtaining the gear that I am planning to use but i'm not sure if I can still get a nice high dmg output with it and not worry about bosses/monsters anywhere in Hell.
Helmet: Arreat's Face 353 Def 192% ED, Socketted w/ Ber Rune
Armor: Chains of Honor Sacred Armor- 1018 Def
Hand 1: Beast Zerker Axe 270% ED/38 Strength
Hand 2: Famine Zerker Axe 385% ED
Gloves: Dracul's Grasp 10% LL, 115% ED/12 Strength
Belt: Verdungo's 40/13/13
Boots: Gorerider's 198% ED
Amulet: Highlord's Wrath
Rings: 245/20 Ravenfrost+ 5% LL Bul Katho's
Wep Switch: Two 3+ Warcry Poles (Are these or 2 HoTos better for switch? Which will give me the most boost when BOing? I've heard alot of controversy and mixed arguments)
Inventory:
20/19 Barb Torch
17/16/10 Annihilus
1x 17 Life/5 Res All SC
1x 18 Life/5 Res All SC
130 AR/8 Life GC
12% FhR/29 Light Res. GC
36 AR/17 Life SC
6x 20 Life SCs
3x 3/20/20 SCs
I didn't know if GCs were a neccessity or not? I tried to fill my inventory with as many decent charms as I could muster, but I still have some room left, should I snag a Masteries or Combat skills GC or two? Warcries GC? Any insight is greatly appreciated.
Basically I want to know peoples' opinions of my setup and what not, and whether it could use some minor tweaking?|||Edited+Updated! Please shed some insight or post comments, I really want to start this guy today|||Here's my take: it's a workable and intriguing/unique set-up you have going there, I'd give the thumbs up.
Before I begin my comments, you are going for a more avant-garde build, yes?
Re: Skills.
Since you're going for a defence route, I don't see the loss of 80% ED as something significant. It's fine the way you have it. Frenzy, BO, synergies, Axe Mastery, Shout, and then work on Double Swing/Taunt.
Re: Weapons.
Interesting choice. It doesn't give you optimal damage output, but I think you are aware of that. Still workable, and it should net you above average damage, even on higher player settings.
Re: Armor.
Why not switch to 'Fortitude' Sacred Armor? More defence once CA procs, more damage.
Re: Wep Switch.
+3 Warcries Poles are the same as +3 'Heart of the Oak'. They give you the same amount of BO, which is +6, when paired. The controversy you hear about is 2x +3 Warcries Poles (or 'HotO') vs 1x +3 Warcries Pole (or 'HotO') and 1x 'Call to Arms'. The first set up gives +6 BO, +6 Shout, +6 Battle Command. The second set up (assuming you roll +3 BO/+3 BC) gives +7 BO, +7 BC, +4 Shout. Since you are going a defence route, your Wep Switch is fine.
Re: Charms.
What's your AR like? Is it 10k+? What's your fire and lightning resistance in Hell? GCs aren't essential to a Barb, most would rather have Fine/Vita or Steel/Vita. If you do go the GC route, here's a quick breakdown:
Each Warcries GC gives 10% Defence, 3% Life, 3% Mana.
Each Masteries GC gives 5% ED, 5% AR, perhaps 1% Crit, 10% Defence, perhaps some resistance.
Each Combat GC gives 5% ED, 7% AR to Frenzy.
The preferred GCs are Masteries/Warcries. Don't bother going for Combat GCs. Otherwise, you can consider going for more AR, more damage, more life, and you can always try to hit the 86 FHR breakpoint, although that is not necessary.|||Hello, omgwtfbbqpwned! I appreciate you shedding some insight,.
For starters, it didn't take me long to actually switch my current weapon setup ;/... I changed Beast Zerk to a 404% EbotdZ, and Famine to a EDeathZ, BeastZ+FamineZ just wasn't killing stuff fast enough, even for me.
I didn't go with fort because i'm not sure what my resists would be like with it.
At the moment, in hell, at lvl 76 with no Resist quests in any difficulty I have 40/40/75/40... so with quests that would be 70/70/75/70? Now, if I switched to using my Perf AP Fort, i'd be out of 35 resists... so I don't know how I can make up for that unless I go hunting for more res/lifer scs ;/
Are two CTA's better than 2x Warcry Poles? I just dug out two of my 6BO Ctas and was planning on using them because I thought i'd benefit more from +2 Skills, +12 BO rather than +6 to Warcries? o.O
Currently with EbotdZ+EDeathZ, my stats are:
Frenzy Dmg: 1696-4716
1452-4046
That's with warcries, yet I have only maxed Frenzy, BO, Shout, Axe Mastery, DS and Taunt have no hard points in them (Except for the prereq) and this is at lvl 76... so is it looking good dmg wise or no? I've never built a barb so... xD yeah..
My AR: 8736 for EbotdZ
8981 for EDeathZ
Not sure what to do about that, guess I need some more AR scs... does DS or Taunt give me more AR when points are allocated?
Defense: 10k
Life: 3.9k
I'm somewhat going at this blindly... I had to respec 3 times today because even though I had enough strength with charms/anni/torch/other gear to use CoH, when I switch to Warcry sticks I was low on strength for CoH, and had to add an extra 30 pts just to get that +2 skills when I BO ;/|||Re: Weapons.
Ah, so you realized. It's a shame, 'Famine' and 'Beast' was quite cool and unique.
Re: Armor.
In that case, stick with the 'Chains of Honor'. If if you have the resources, and would like to try a 'Fortitude' route (no guarantees that it'll be better, game experience varies from person to person), here's what you do: Drop the 'Chains of Honor', buy a perfect 'Fortitude'. Drop the Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band, buy a ring with 10 All Resistance/100 AR/Stats. Unsocket the Ber rune from Arreat's Face, insert an Um rune or a 15 Resistance/15 Max Damage jewel. That will help maintain your resistances.
Re: Weapon Switches.
With regards to OSkills (that is, +[Insert Skill Here] that are not followed by (Class Only), such as Teleport on 'Enigma', Inferno on Flamebellow, Fire Ball from 2 piece Trang-Oul's, etc.), there's a cap of +3 on the main class.
If you equip 2x 'Call to Arms', this is what happens:
'Call to Arms' #1: +1 All Skills, +3 BO (regardless if you rolled +6 because of the +3 cap).
'Call to Arms' #2: +1 All Skills, +0 BO (+3 cap covers all gear, not just an individual piece).
Total: +2 All Skills, +3 BO, +3 BC. This is much worse than 'CtA'/Echoing or Echoing/Echoing.
Re: Damage.
Considering the fact that you're using 'Chains of Honor', and that you have 0 points in DS and Taunt other than their pre-req 1 (that's 308% Enhanced Damage you're missing out on), your damage is obviously where it should be. If you would like to try and re-spec, I'd recommend you put more in Taunt/DS before moving on to Shout. Taunt/DS do not give you more AR. If I were you, I'd just obtain one to two Steel GCs, or three to six Steel SCs. Sharp GCs and Fine SCs variants work well too. That should bring your AR to 10k. If you can't, 9k is already very good for PvM.
Re: Reliance on 'Breath Of The Dying' runeword's +30 STR.
Use 'Grief' isntead if that bothers you.|||U don't have to max out shout on frenzy barb. Well work your skills like this:
20 frenzy
20 ds
20 mastery
20 bo
rest taunt
1 berserk
This should be a cc way of making a frenzy barb. No do not use ebotdz. Stick with your beastz and your off hand weap will be the damage killer while beastz offering ow to bring down monster health. Very effective combo imo.|||Hmm... good points from all over... now i'm torn on what to do...
Here are the changes I think i'm going to make?
Helmet: Arreat's Face 353 Def 192% ED, Socketted w/ Um Rune
Armor: Archon Plate Fortitude, 1668 Def., 30 All Res.
Hand 1: Beast Zerker Axe (Perfect)
Hand 2: Famine Zerker Axe (Perfect)
Gloves: Dracul's Grasp 10% LL, 115% ED/12 Strength
Belt: Verdungo's 40/13/13
Boots: Gorerider's 198% ED
Amulet: Highlord's Wrath
Rings: 245/20 Ravenfrost+ Rare Ring w/ AR/stats/allres
Wep Switch: Two 3+ Warcry Poles
And I like the skill suggestion minuses suggested, even with 1 hard point in shout it should be 10+, is that sufficient enough to reach a decent defense?|||No stick with edeathz off hand. Also remove your hlords and stat ring and use angelics instead along with that raven you got for cbf. Only way you will stand a chance vs uber baal because his defense is too high for your 8k ar. Trust me ar and vita>crit mod that people think is good. Double damage will not help you much vs ubers trust me.|||THis isn't an Uber Barb.... I have a Zealer for Ubers. This Barb is strictly for farming for nice white or socketted items, and runes. The only thing I plan on taking down is the Hell Bosses and Uber D. Uber Trist isn't in this guy's agenda.
So my main issue is choosing a Weapon setup and what armor goes well with it? Anyone got any suggestions? Should I use BeastZ+FamineZ+ CoH, or Fort instead? Or different weapons? What armor goes with them?|||Woops im sorry about that. But yes angelics is to way to go for ubering frenzy barb but you could use your setup too but angelics does help vs bosses which requires ar to hit.
I'm getting ready to make a Frenzy Barb, and have looked over various guides and kind of took stuff from all over.
Here's what I am planning on doing stat/skill wise:
20-Frenzy
20-Battle Orders
20-Shout
20-Axe Mastery
10- Taunt
10+ Double Swing
Stats: 232
Dexterity: 4gear
Vit: Rest
Energy: None
Is there any particular order I should do my skills in?
If there is something that needs tweaked, please tell me what D: I don't want to booger my skills up.
----------------------------------------------------------
I've taken the liberty of already obtaining the gear that I am planning to use but i'm not sure if I can still get a nice high dmg output with it and not worry about bosses/monsters anywhere in Hell.
Helmet: Arreat's Face 353 Def 192% ED, Socketted w/ Ber Rune
Armor: Chains of Honor Sacred Armor- 1018 Def
Hand 1: Beast Zerker Axe 270% ED/38 Strength
Hand 2: Famine Zerker Axe 385% ED
Gloves: Dracul's Grasp 10% LL, 115% ED/12 Strength
Belt: Verdungo's 40/13/13
Boots: Gorerider's 198% ED
Amulet: Highlord's Wrath
Rings: 245/20 Ravenfrost+ 5% LL Bul Katho's
Wep Switch: Two 3+ Warcry Poles (Are these or 2 HoTos better for switch? Which will give me the most boost when BOing? I've heard alot of controversy and mixed arguments)
Inventory:
20/19 Barb Torch
17/16/10 Annihilus
1x 17 Life/5 Res All SC
1x 18 Life/5 Res All SC
130 AR/8 Life GC
12% FhR/29 Light Res. GC
36 AR/17 Life SC
6x 20 Life SCs
3x 3/20/20 SCs
I didn't know if GCs were a neccessity or not? I tried to fill my inventory with as many decent charms as I could muster, but I still have some room left, should I snag a Masteries or Combat skills GC or two? Warcries GC? Any insight is greatly appreciated.
Basically I want to know peoples' opinions of my setup and what not, and whether it could use some minor tweaking?|||Edited+Updated! Please shed some insight or post comments, I really want to start this guy today
|||Here's my take: it's a workable and intriguing/unique set-up you have going there, I'd give the thumbs up.Before I begin my comments, you are going for a more avant-garde build, yes?
Re: Skills.
Since you're going for a defence route, I don't see the loss of 80% ED as something significant. It's fine the way you have it. Frenzy, BO, synergies, Axe Mastery, Shout, and then work on Double Swing/Taunt.
Re: Weapons.
Interesting choice. It doesn't give you optimal damage output, but I think you are aware of that. Still workable, and it should net you above average damage, even on higher player settings.
Re: Armor.
Why not switch to 'Fortitude' Sacred Armor? More defence once CA procs, more damage.
Re: Wep Switch.
+3 Warcries Poles are the same as +3 'Heart of the Oak'. They give you the same amount of BO, which is +6, when paired. The controversy you hear about is 2x +3 Warcries Poles (or 'HotO') vs 1x +3 Warcries Pole (or 'HotO') and 1x 'Call to Arms'. The first set up gives +6 BO, +6 Shout, +6 Battle Command. The second set up (assuming you roll +3 BO/+3 BC) gives +7 BO, +7 BC, +4 Shout. Since you are going a defence route, your Wep Switch is fine.
Re: Charms.
What's your AR like? Is it 10k+? What's your fire and lightning resistance in Hell? GCs aren't essential to a Barb, most would rather have Fine/Vita or Steel/Vita. If you do go the GC route, here's a quick breakdown:
Each Warcries GC gives 10% Defence, 3% Life, 3% Mana.
Each Masteries GC gives 5% ED, 5% AR, perhaps 1% Crit, 10% Defence, perhaps some resistance.
Each Combat GC gives 5% ED, 7% AR to Frenzy.
The preferred GCs are Masteries/Warcries. Don't bother going for Combat GCs. Otherwise, you can consider going for more AR, more damage, more life, and you can always try to hit the 86 FHR breakpoint, although that is not necessary.|||Hello, omgwtfbbqpwned! I appreciate you shedding some insight,
.For starters, it didn't take me long to actually switch my current weapon setup ;/... I changed Beast Zerk to a 404% EbotdZ, and Famine to a EDeathZ, BeastZ+FamineZ just wasn't killing stuff fast enough, even for me.
I didn't go with fort because i'm not sure what my resists would be like with it.
At the moment, in hell, at lvl 76 with no Resist quests in any difficulty I have 40/40/75/40... so with quests that would be 70/70/75/70? Now, if I switched to using my Perf AP Fort, i'd be out of 35 resists... so I don't know how I can make up for that unless I go hunting for more res/lifer scs ;/
Are two CTA's better than 2x Warcry Poles? I just dug out two of my 6BO Ctas and was planning on using them because I thought i'd benefit more from +2 Skills, +12 BO rather than +6 to Warcries? o.O
Currently with EbotdZ+EDeathZ, my stats are:
Frenzy Dmg: 1696-4716
1452-4046
That's with warcries, yet I have only maxed Frenzy, BO, Shout, Axe Mastery, DS and Taunt have no hard points in them (Except for the prereq) and this is at lvl 76... so is it looking good dmg wise or no? I've never built a barb so... xD yeah..
My AR: 8736 for EbotdZ
8981 for EDeathZ
Not sure what to do about that, guess I need some more AR scs... does DS or Taunt give me more AR when points are allocated?
Defense: 10k
Life: 3.9k
I'm somewhat going at this blindly... I had to respec 3 times today because even though I had enough strength with charms/anni/torch/other gear to use CoH, when I switch to Warcry sticks I was low on strength for CoH, and had to add an extra 30 pts just to get that +2 skills when I BO ;/|||Re: Weapons.
Ah, so you realized.
It's a shame, 'Famine' and 'Beast' was quite cool and unique. Re: Armor.
In that case, stick with the 'Chains of Honor'. If if you have the resources, and would like to try a 'Fortitude' route (no guarantees that it'll be better, game experience varies from person to person), here's what you do: Drop the 'Chains of Honor', buy a perfect 'Fortitude'. Drop the Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band, buy a ring with 10 All Resistance/100 AR/Stats. Unsocket the Ber rune from Arreat's Face, insert an Um rune or a 15 Resistance/15 Max Damage jewel. That will help maintain your resistances.
Re: Weapon Switches.
With regards to OSkills (that is, +[Insert Skill Here] that are not followed by (Class Only), such as Teleport on 'Enigma', Inferno on Flamebellow, Fire Ball from 2 piece Trang-Oul's, etc.), there's a cap of +3 on the main class.
If you equip 2x 'Call to Arms', this is what happens:
'Call to Arms' #1: +1 All Skills, +3 BO (regardless if you rolled +6 because of the +3 cap).
'Call to Arms' #2: +1 All Skills, +0 BO (+3 cap covers all gear, not just an individual piece).
Total: +2 All Skills, +3 BO, +3 BC. This is much worse than 'CtA'/Echoing or Echoing/Echoing.
Re: Damage.
Considering the fact that you're using 'Chains of Honor', and that you have 0 points in DS and Taunt other than their pre-req 1 (that's 308% Enhanced Damage you're missing out on), your damage is obviously where it should be. If you would like to try and re-spec, I'd recommend you put more in Taunt/DS before moving on to Shout. Taunt/DS do not give you more AR. If I were you, I'd just obtain one to two Steel GCs, or three to six Steel SCs. Sharp GCs and Fine SCs variants work well too. That should bring your AR to 10k. If you can't, 9k is already very good for PvM.
Re: Reliance on 'Breath Of The Dying' runeword's +30 STR.
Use 'Grief' isntead if that bothers you.|||U don't have to max out shout on frenzy barb. Well work your skills like this:
20 frenzy
20 ds
20 mastery
20 bo
rest taunt
1 berserk
This should be a cc way of making a frenzy barb. No do not use ebotdz. Stick with your beastz and your off hand weap will be the damage killer while beastz offering ow to bring down monster health. Very effective combo imo.|||Hmm... good points from all over... now i'm torn on what to do...
Here are the changes I think i'm going to make?
Helmet: Arreat's Face 353 Def 192% ED, Socketted w/ Um Rune
Armor: Archon Plate Fortitude, 1668 Def., 30 All Res.
Hand 1: Beast Zerker Axe (Perfect)
Hand 2: Famine Zerker Axe (Perfect)
Gloves: Dracul's Grasp 10% LL, 115% ED/12 Strength
Belt: Verdungo's 40/13/13
Boots: Gorerider's 198% ED
Amulet: Highlord's Wrath
Rings: 245/20 Ravenfrost+ Rare Ring w/ AR/stats/allres
Wep Switch: Two 3+ Warcry Poles
And I like the skill suggestion minuses suggested, even with 1 hard point in shout it should be 10+, is that sufficient enough to reach a decent defense?|||No stick with edeathz off hand. Also remove your hlords and stat ring and use angelics instead along with that raven you got for cbf. Only way you will stand a chance vs uber baal because his defense is too high for your 8k ar. Trust me ar and vita>crit mod that people think is good. Double damage will not help you much vs ubers trust me.|||THis isn't an Uber Barb.... I have a Zealer for Ubers. This Barb is strictly for farming for nice white or socketted items, and runes. The only thing I plan on taking down is the Hell Bosses and Uber D. Uber Trist isn't in this guy's agenda.
So my main issue is choosing a Weapon setup and what armor goes well with it? Anyone got any suggestions? Should I use BeastZ+FamineZ+ CoH, or Fort instead? Or different weapons? What armor goes with them?|||Woops im sorry about that. But yes angelics is to way to go for ubering frenzy barb but you could use your setup too but angelics does help vs bosses which requires ar to hit.
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