The path of the Barbarian

Sooo

With the recent achievement system ive taken it upon myself to level every class, just so happens Barbarian is the one im currently on & its heaps of fun..however..

Struggling to find a build for beserker tree, only lvl 40 at the moment but the first few branches dont seem that enticing so was wondering if anyone had any advice/rotas etc
Also is weapon swapping going to be a prereq for raiding, I hear some say yes & others not so much as the dps gain is marginal, so should I be going hybrid?

Any advice/tips/tricks would be really appreciated

Cheers:)

I would use something like this: http://joharaoc.eu/feat?link=v20_112...e3341e6bb1df4c

Use blood fury when u hit 15 blood rage stacks to heal yourself and use swarm fighter when surrounded by alot of enemies ( also for the heal)

Here is what I used around that level on my Barb as I remember. Provides a decent mix of DPS and survival via self-heals and CC's.

http://joharaoc.eu/feat?link=v20_112...e6b81df4c1d4c4

Your main combos are going to be Butcher and Staggering Blow. I usually start off with a Staggering Blow for the debuff and triggering Reverse Swing, then alternate two ranks of Butcher until you need to refresh Staggering Blow. Not sure if you get Whirlwind at that level but its handy for multi-mob fights used at the beginning and as it comes off cd. Use your CC's and buffs like Blood Fury as applicable/needed. Definitely keep a good supply of health/stam pots and use liberally. Should allow you to take on 3-4 at level or lower NPC mobs easily.

Stance dancing doesn't come until later and then mainly for the CC's of 2H combos. For most encounters in instances and groups, a DW Reaver build will be better utility/DPS.

Of course try to have the best gear you can for your level especially your 2H'er.

The above is all for a PvE perspective of course.

Cool many thanks for the builds & advice:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RusticOne

Stance dancing doesn't come until later and then mainly for the CC's of 2H combos. For most encounters in instances and groups, a DW Reaver build will be better utility/DPS.

The above is all for a PvE perspective of course.

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Stance dancing? For 2H combos? If I get it right you mean you have to switch stance to be able to perform e.g. a 2H CC if you usually play in reaver stance and 2W? No. Stance has nothing to do with weapons or even the trees you skill into (well, a little). A 2H barb can do quite good damage while in reaver stance. A 2 W barb can do well soloing in blood rage stance. (Both depending on build) To perform a CC you simply switch weapons. To use e.g. wreck armor for the debuff you switch weapons (if you mainly play 2H).

Just because the icons of reaver and berserker trees are the same as the ones the stances have it doesn't mean they belong to each other.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Feadara

Stance dancing? For 2H combos? If I get it right you mean you have to switch stance to be able to perform e.g. a 2H CC if you usually play in reaver stance and 2W? No. Stance has nothing to do with weapons or even the trees you skill into (well, a little). A 2H barb can do quite good damage while in reaver stance. A 2 W barb can do well soloing in blood rage stance. (Both depending on build) To perform a CC you simply switch weapons. To use e.g. wreck armor for the debuff you switch weapons (if you mainly play 2H).

Just because the icons of reaver and berserker trees are the same as the ones the stances have it doesn't mean they belong to each other.

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Yep bad choice of wording on my part as I did mean weapon swapping and not stance dancing. Comes from playing too many other MMO's where you actually have to change stance/builds to use different weapon types to advantage. ;-)

Here's the spec i used to get my Barb to 80, i've more than content using it all the time.

Lvl 40

http://joharaoc.eu/feat?link=v20_112...e6b81d4c41d524

Lvl 80

http://joharaoc.eu/feat?link=v20_112...e58c1d4c41d524

Why Reave and Blitz?

Reave gives you 25% more weapon dmg and NO not only while in Reaverstance
Blitz, well i love to get into the fray quick, thats all about it.

Why no Devastation?

You can rise your crtit rating thru your gear quite easily, while on the other hand you
CAN'T lower the recharge time of clobber & stun. punch thru anything but feats. Both skills
a rather handy and since i used 'em quite often with my rather agressive style of playing a
faster recharge was the way to go for me.

Why no eye of Madness?

Imho, why should i waste points here? I used to switch into DW and placed a wreck armor
on the enemy which will linger for 30 secs and not just 5 like EoM.

Why Grisly Wounds?

Because the Butcher combos are your bread and butter combos, end of story.

Why "No Escape"?

'cus it can be your lifesaver once you're kneedeep in the sh*t against a (one) toughie!
Also quite handy when trying to stop a Npc from doing something. Btw, you can also use
it with a bow equiped - which looks rather comical thought.

Why no Finishing Blow?

Imho, this skill does not keep what it promises, besides if you are not carefull that
follow up step/jump can bring you in a real sorry position in no time. Better follow
your kick with a solid Butcher combo and you're on the save side.

Why no Blood Fury?

Well i simply never felt the need to feat it. Besides, more often then not this skill
isn't ready when you in need of it, since it consumes 5 Blood rage stacks which you
have to build up before.
And last but not least, i hate my precious BR stacks being consumed by some crappy 12 sec duration skill!

As i said earlier, i used this build to get my Barby ready for Khitai, Raids and such. Leveling has been a brezze
as far as i can tell. I've had no "special" equipment, just the blue stuff (corybantic, ravager etc) you get at
the trader for more or less a few pieces of silver.

Cu, Dawn

P.S.
Keep in mind, that most builds are all about a persons likes & dislikes ;).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dawnone

Why no Blood Fury?

Well i simply never felt the need to feat it. Besides, more often then not this skill
isn't ready when you in need of it, since it consumes 5 Blood rage stacks which you
have to build up before.
And last but not least, i hate my precious BR stacks being consumed by some crappy 12 sec duration skill!

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actually, the best use of the blood fury skill is just to lower your blood rage stacks when you need some healing. the damage buff is just to compensate what you lose burning 5 stacks... ;)

ya br stance only heals you decently while you are fighting (to gain stacks) and are not at 15 stacks - since its just normal regen then - so blood fury is very viable mechanic thats lets you for example lower stack to 10 - and next bump in stacks while those self heal mechanics are very powerfull at that point, other point for this is determination but thats another story and its at lvl 80 cos its AA

http://joharaoc.eu/feat?link=v20_112...e3341e6b81df4c

^^ this is what i would recommend
next points go in more swarm fighter - cos passive weapon damage, you can take also no escape if you fancy it - its just another trick in your repertuar but imo its useless - only viable in pvp sometimes
i didnt take arcane marauder - cos you said you want leveling build - and that wont have much use at it, cos few magic dealing mobs (it changes at 80 & khitai)
i took eyes cos its pretty much best barb dps tool at this point - it lets you deal about 30% more damage for the duration of it - mind that other buffs like weapon damage multiplies in % - only enchance your damage by % of weapon your holding in your hands - and there is also combo starter/finisher mathematic in it = full damage
only 4 in devastation cos i checked it on my own and its pretty much enough to maintain stack throughout whole fight
atrocity is at 4/5 too cos lacks some feat points in other but i also was playing at 3/5 and it was quite well - not like 0 in it which is sometimes impossible to gain stacks at even medicore speed
more cc - its always better, so imo when i always go hybrid or zerker shock and awe is must 3/3 - its basic choice for me

and one thing about reave (1st feats in reaver tree) - it doesnt do what description says - it only gives you marginall dps buff like 1/3rd of what it says - also it dpeneds of stance you are using - since it also gives more % damage at each reaver stance stack - but a lot less static bonus in blood rage then mentioned 25%

Thanks for all the responses guys n gals, getting a lot of advice from people in game as well & seems barb is more complex than I thought:)

Not in a bad way but im sure it often gets mistaken for something else, lots to learn so thanks again!