Conc-Barb again:weapon-config help

[DocS]

Conc-Barb again:weapon-config help

Hi all,

sry to bother you with this maybe easy question but i asked it a hundred times on D2-chat room but it seems no one was interested in helping (that refers to server europe).

Im building my first Conc-Barb and though im not very happy with sticking to one weapon-type it seems its time to do it anyway.

So - in practice - how do you play the conc-barb ?
Weapon-choice: maces preferred ?
Weapon-config:
- 1H+shield ?
- 2H
- both
- one of the first two choices + 2 BO-weapons on 2nd slot ?
I wonder if 1H/shield will have enough dmg in hell...

Additional info:
- playing SC/ladder
- currently lvl 32 / act 2 nm
- maxing BO/conc
- some WC i think
- shout or bash - not decided, maybe split 10/10 (what did you choose ?)
- Weapon mastery: which one ? 10+items enough or max ?
Equipment: I may use full IK-set, no shaefers yet

Any comments or info is greatly appreciated

Many thanks

-DocS-

(Side note: Sometimes i wonder if ppl actually play D2 - i see them all just MFing, trading or rushing other ppl - a little sad story in my opinion)

 

[xaresiusx]

Well, for a conc barb I'm going to reccomend sword/shield. Right now on my level 77 conc barb..he has the following.

Weapon: Doombringer (Upgrading to GF at 81)
Shield: Stormshield
Helm: Arreat's Face
Armor: Duriel's Shell (Go cannot be frozen )
Boots: IK Pillar or Gore Riders
Gloves: Soul Drainers
Amulet: Metalgrid
Ring1: Bul Katho's Wedding Band
Ring2: Dwarf Star

Until I can find a Tyrael's Might, this is the equipment I'm using. With shout and concentrate, my defense ends up somewhere around 16000.

 

[drownman]

I'm currently dabbling with a PVM zerk/conc barb. He's at lvl 79 now, using a shael/amn bonehew. At lvl 84 it's tombreaver time. He's not purely conc, but perhaps every input is valuable?
I choose to max the zerk to get the 20% Magic dmg on conc (from the start i figured him purely zerk, but the no def and no leech kinda sucked, so now i use both attacks perhaps 50/50, all depending on what monsters i meet.
I find myself going through potions alot. Partially planned though, since my leech will be bigger with the tomb reaver. I've put in 2 39%ED jewels, one socket left, havent decided yet. More leech from an amn (it's current ll is 11%), shael/IAS jewel, eth for -def. Any thoughts on this is most appreciated.
Using howl/taunt is crucial. Haven't tried the grim ward tactic... The howl/taunt is quite fun, i don't want it to be too easy
The zerk dmg is around 2000-8000, the conc 1000-5000. I'm at work and don't have diablo here (gosh how stupid of me ) His def while not attacking is perhaps 6000...
Um what did I forget? Oh yeah, he has one +3 shouting spear on switch, looking for a 2nd.

 

[Halciet]

For conc barbs, your best bet is definately a 1h weapon and a shield, as that gives you a lot more defense to capitalize on, another slot for mods, a quciker attack in general, and the almighty ability to block. Axes have the best one-hander in the berserker axe, and so I usually suggest going with them, though swords have a few choice weapons as well, and are a bit more common; you can try two-handing with swords too, if you like. If you're going for the all-out best though, the berserker axe is the king of the 1h domain. And of course, always have two echoing weapons on the switch for warcrying. Depending on your gear set-up and weapon choice, you can scratch anywhere from 4-9k max damage with a one-hander, which, along with crushing blow, critical strike, and deadly strike, and a fast swing, is plenty.

As for your skills: you can see my suggestions in the sticky at the top of the forum, but i'd advise maxing conc, shout, bo, and mastery for sure. After that it doesn't really matter what you put points in to, but those 4 skills are fairly important. I wouldn't worry much about warcry, as it's kinda the anti-thesis of your build; what good is all that defense/blocking if they're not attacking anyways? It's cool for crowd control, sure, but howl and taunt will function just as well, if not better.

Don't invest in bash until you know what your end-game weapon is looking like; if your end game weapon doesn't have a lot of damage on it (i.e. it's only in the 200-300 max range or so), don't spend the points there, as Bash only really takes off with a high damage weapon.

-Hal

 

[miles]

I just found a nords and was wondering how that would fare for a 1h conc weapon

 

[TheCarGuy]

I was thinking of starting up a conc barb as well and i was just wondering how good a shaeffers would fare in this build.

 

[djmilhaus]

I just found a nords and was wondering how that would fare for a 1h conc weapon

I used Nord's for the tail end of NM and A1 hell... after that, it got really tough. I didnt have any great gear, though, either, so it may work better for you than it did me.

 

[gods_pawn]

how does full IK work on a concentrate barb?

bad because of the no shield? hal seems to be stressing over and over that a shield is needed.

 

[Herald of Doom]

Maybe, if you have questions about a conc barb, ask about in the *drummrolls*.... CONC barb thread on top :clap: Like I did. It answers all your questions, trust me.

 

[Halciet]

The ik set works fine, though you'll never be as stable and secure as a parry-barb would be. Two handers are nice for the damage and all, but I don't think anything makes up for the bonuses of a shield, especially for a conc barb. More defense for shout/conc/is to capitalize on, extra slot for mods/socketing, and of course the godly ability to block 75% of all physical attacks...

-Hal

 

[Dewey115]

Also remember that one of the main (if not THE main) point for the conc barb is to have alot of defense and be a tank. If damage is the most important thing for you then a conc barb probably isn't for you. The shield gives you alot more defense and adds blocking, two huge parts of the build. Also when you need to zerk then your defense is 0 and you really need that shield to block since you are usually relying on that huge defense to keep from taking hits. Also with resists being so important it is very difficult to pull off a true conc barb without using the shield. Technically you can do it without a shield, but it sort of defeats the purpose of having a conc barb. There are also a few exceptions to this, but as a general rule a shield is very strongly urged for conc barbs.

Dewey

 

[FundinBluecloak]

Can a conc barb do anything a defensive tree paladin can't beside having more life which still doesn't help me with exploding dolls help me i'm confused.

 

[Dewey115]

Yeah... everything a barb can do that a pally cant. Not sure what you really are asking. Having a high defense hardly makes all character types equal. Yes both have a high defense but thats the only way they are similar really... If you have more specific questions I will do my best to help, I just dont really know what you are asking here...

Dewey