A Few questions about a Wolfbarb

Hi everyone,

Just a few questions about a Wolfbarb. Not only will this be the first Wolfbarb I've built, it will also be the first barb I've built, period! I have a few ideas that I would like to run by all you barbologists out there...

(Also please keep in mind this will be purely a PvM char.)

1. I was thinking of wielding dual "Beast" berzerker axes to maximize the lycanthropic abilities of the Wolfbarb. Surely this is a viable option, yes?

2. How will wielding dual weapons instead of weapon/shield affect my damage? I mean, will my Wolfbarb do more damage or will the game only count the weapon in the primary hand, completly ignoring the weapon in the off-hand?



3. Will the fanaticism auras from the two "beast" runewords stack, thus giving me a level 18 aura?

4. Where would this put me as far as my current IAS and how much more would I need to add to hit the final IAS bp? I've tried using the Wereform calculator but I can't get the same end result twice. Maybe I'm doing it wrong? Maybe it's simply beyond me? Not sure which one it is, but, please, HELP!!

5. Are berzerker axes the ideal weapon base for "Beast" or is there another 1-handed axe that would better suite what I'm attempting to accomplish?

6. Would investing skill points in the skill "Double swing" since I'm using dual axes increase my damage output, or would it be a total waste of skill points?

That should do it for now. I may have more questions at a future time, so please be patient with me, for I have no doubt that the answers to these questions will have me asking many, many more.

Thank you all in advance for your time, patience, and sharing of knowledge |||1. I don't really think Beast is a viable solution on a wolfbarb, at least not dual wielding it. Seeing as you are going to be pvm only, you should find a pretty fast, damaging two hander.

2. I'm pretty sure the off hand weapon will be ignored. I think the aura will work though. Again, I don't really think you need a shield for pvm.

3. Not sure about this one, but I think they will stack. But then again, I don't think dual Beasts is a good solution.

4. Beast in a berskerker axe would give you a 9 frame attack, which is terribly slow for a wolfbarb. Only on-weapon IAS is counted.

5. If you are really determined to use Beast, I think berserker axe would be best, yes.

6. Total waste.

Hope this was a little helpful at least. :smiley:|||the fanaticism aura'll stack, just like auradins'.. apart from boosting AR and some damage, i don't think it'll do much good for a wolfbarb.

relatively low damage (only one of the weapons will be used for hitting). eth oath is faster/more dmg & other fast 2-handers are also available.

in terms of boosting lycantrophy, 2x hoto'll do the same thing from switch/pre-buff.

it'll be relatively slow for a wolf and the ias from fanaticism won't factor in much after a certain lvl werewolf.|||Ok, how about this then...

Eth "Oath", (as suggested), in the dominate hand, along with a beast in the off-hand. Which will give me all the goodness of the "Oath", and still give me some bonuses to lycanthropy and the Fant aura. I know what everyone says about a shield, but I feel like this: If barbs were meant to use a shield, they would'nt be able to equip two weapons. Others might suggest an A1 merc with a "Faith" bow, which is indeed another way to have the Fant aura, but I would rather have an A2 normal offensive merc, (Blessed Aim, for added AR), combined with a "Pride" polearm, (Concentration, for added damage).

Which brings to my mind one more question: "Beast" gives a level 9 Fant aura. If my barb has equiped, for instance, "Chains of Honor", +2 all skills, and a Mara's ammy, also +2 all skills,for a total of +4 all skills, would that make the Fant aura actually level 13? Or if not, is there any other way to raise the Fant aura's level without equiping 2 "Beasts", thereby stacking the auras?

Thank you both for the insight and information. The two of you have already saved me from a rather costly and hard to fix mistake. |||Heya,

I think a nice Tombreaver is cheaper than dual beasts and deals out more damage and is faster overall. 3 sockets gives you customization for extra speed, or reduced requirements (2x Hel = so easy to use now, more vita!). An eth Zod'd one with a Hel rune and Shael would be pretty ridiculously good and probably cost the same as Beastx2 in terms of HR value.

Cheers, :sunny:|||Quote:








Which brings to my mind one more question: "Beast" gives a level 9 Fant aura. If my barb has equiped, for instance, "Chains of Honor", +2 all skills, and a Mara's ammy, also +2 all skills,for a total of +4 all skills, would that make the Fant aura actually level 13? Or if not, is there any other way to raise the Fant aura's level without equiping 2 "Beasts", thereby stacking the auras?




auras upon equipping can only increase by equipping another piece of gear that grants the same aura. +all skills will not boost the forementioned auras, in this case fanaticism=)

and, auras from mercs (innate or by equipment) will not stack with yours except prayer or something (not so sure..)|||Recommendations:

Weapon: Grief pb, Gris Caddy (4xsheal or 4xed ias), Azure Shealed

Wear a shield!! Stormshield will be perfect.

On switch as zarirazz said use 2x Hoto's.

If you really want to use a 2hander I'd suggest ebotd gp, Tombreaver (30's eth or non) 2x sheal'd Lo for non-eth or 2x ed/ias Lo. And of course for eth 2x Ed/Ias Zod.|||Yeah, Grief or Azurewrath is probably your best bet. I don't think I would use Griswold's if i was pvm only.|||Grief Phase Blade as your main weapon is generally the best you can do 1-handed. From there you can either:

Wear a shield. Something like Stormshield as the others suggested.

OR

Use a Beast runeword off-hand, merely for the Fanaticism aura and +str bonus. It'll result in approx. +220% skill-based enhanced damage, but more importantly, +85% AR. The IAS does not affect you. It's the best choice if you want to do even more damage with the Grief PB and don't want to use a shield.

You could also use a Phoenix shield, but I do not recommend it because:

1) It's got a much higher str req than a Beast (which can be as low as 43)

2) The CTC Fire Storm will trigger often and interrupt your attacks. This is not a good thing. This will result in less damage over time than if you weren't using Phoenix.

I'd probably just use a shield. Grief does enough damage on it's own.|||Quote:








You could also use a Phoenix shield, but I do not recommend it because:

1) It's got a much higher str req than a Beast (which can be as low as 43)

2) The CTC Fire Storm will trigger often and interrupt your attacks. This is not a good thing. This will result in less damage over time than if you weren't using Phoenix.




voice of reason weapon looks like a nice off-hand alternative to phoenix in terms of enhanced damage.. it's got ~300+ed to both demons/undead (which probably make up most of the monsters in the game), at a fraction of what phoenix'll cost. cbf would mean you can wear rings other than ravenfrost as well=)