Help me with my Leap Attack Barb

[Athelstan]

Help me with my Leap Attack Barb

Ok, so, a few days ago I came across an ethereal Glorious Axe, which I proceeded to Lazuk and get six sockets. This of course means I will be making a Botd. Now, I've decided to try to build a Barbarian around that weapon. Furthmore, because an Ethereal Breath of the Dieing Glorious Axe is not the most common weapon in the world, I also want to create a build that is also rather unique, but will still be able to best utilize this weapon.

Obviously, Whirlwind is out, because a glorious axe will not reach the last breakpoint for ww. The axe will also be a bit too slow for a concentrate or berserk barb. So, I think I've decided to go with a Leap Attack barb. Leap Attack has always been one of my favorite barb skills, and I think it would be great to build a barb around the skill. I know that this will be a challenging build, both in pvm and pvp, but thats all part of the fun. Anyways, I'm looking for any insight into a Leap Attack Barb, either in skills, strategy, or gear.

So far, this is the gear I'll be using (I stripped my old Concentrate barb)

Helm: Arreats
Weapon: Duh
Armor: I dunno; I have a Dusk Shroud Enigma, Chains of Honor, and a Fortitude; I was leaning towards the Enigma, for the + 2 skills and the ability to stay at base strength
Belt: Verdungos
Boots: Uped Gores
Gloves: Dracs
Amulet: Either Highlords or Maras
Rings: Raven and BK, or Angelic combo

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[GreyGhost]

IMO Leap attack barbs should use 2-handed maces.

I know I'm going totally off-topic: I have been desperately seeking a 6-socket eth glorious axe!

Interested in trading for it? I'll over-pay: items, runes, rushes, whatever you need. I've been searching for that axe for at least 6 months now.

Anyone else have that axe? Help me! Believe me I've looked everywhere...

 

[Hemaka]

Leaper barb build.. hooh that takes me back

angelic combo would require the amulet slot too (or at least thats the case for my potentially unglitchy *** -misses marrow nec glitch-), but if you'd be fine getting by with a smaller AR you could always use one angelic on the side with another ring.. probably ravenfrost so you don't become an icecube too easily :\ and the AR bonus/dex on those babies aren't exactly crap in themselves

plus steelrends might not be a bad idea on the side if you can support the initial str to wear 'em but I myself never like to base an entire build off smaller items like gloves, just saying play around with it if you can

mebbe look into a btourch charm too

 

[MrGoth]

IMO Leap attack barbs should use 2-handed maces.

Leap attack barbs in pvm tend to suffer from extra fast crowded areas that cannot be kept under control from leap & proper measuers, so why would using a weapon with horrible range be the best?

The idea behind mauls on leap attack barbs came from here, which is by the way now a dead link. :undecided:

Ebotd glorious axe is imo the best idea here. Not only does it have range 4, that makes it the only weapon mastery you can max that allows you to use both a one hand axe + shield for small range and a two hand axe for longer range.

On the other hand, for raw damage, ebotd great pole axe is always superior, and the range 5 on it rocks.

If you really want to be unique, try finding a {really nice} etheral perrie count and upgrade it. Just look at the modes on that sucker. Its perfect for leap attack!

 

[jag]

I had alot of fun with a leap attack barb.

went 20 leap, 20 leap attack, 20 mastery, 20 bo, rest concentrate and natural res, stone skin, etc... Tried to use leap as much as possible, but at times it was just easier to use concentrate to hack away at them

used a eBotD great pole axe == ton of fun. With might/pride merc, fortitude armor i was over 20k damage on leap.

Where this character became really handy was on baal runs or uber runs -- with the maxed out leap, I have 100% stun/knockback. I just hop about in a small circle and i can push everthing (except the bosses) against the wall). Seems silly doing a little tribal dance and not hitting anything, but sure makes dangerous places safe for everone.

Imagine a uber run where no minions ever attack you and are being pushed away leaving the uber all by himself....

 

[sirwhere]

Leap attack is horrible to aim and does not multitarget. I doubt you'll have much fun with it...

 

[BildBenny]

Newsflash! When you're using Leap Attack NEVER click on monsters, but rather SHIFT-click on the spot on the ground where you anticipate the monster to be when you land. And as mentioned earlier a high SLVL Leap alongside offers some pretty serious crowd control.

 

[sirwhere]

Ok. But do you have fun doing it?

 

[Athelstan]

Leap attack is horrible to aim and does not multitarget. I doubt you'll have much fun with it...

If your idea of fun is mindlessly pointing and clicking or spamming hammers, then sure, this probably isn't the build for you. However, one of the funniest characters I've played is my smiter, who has horrible crowd control. If I want to multitarget, I'll just load up my zon.

The whole point of making this leap attack barb was creating an entire character around a certain item, in this case my ebotdga. I've never done that before, so I thought it would be fun. I was just asking whether a leap attack barb would be a good build for such an item, and I think it would.

Edit: this build has always been a party-oriented character. I know I wont be able to kill everything, or kill fast. But, I think the raw power, the ability to stun, and the war crys will make this a perfect party player. I'll be able to kill any one individual monster, and the rest I'll just stun away, and let the other party members kill.

 

[BildBenny]

Ok. But do you have fun doing it?

Yeppers. =)

 

[royalhu]

Ok. But do you have fun doing it?

I didn't have fun when I was playing with leap attack, but I was having fun with throwing barb

 

[sirwhere]

If your idea of fun is mindlessly pointing and clicking or spamming hammers, then sure, this probably isn't the build for you.

Spamming hammers...? Who do you take me for? I have a sense of style.

Leap attack might be fun in the beginning, but when you get to hell flayer jungle, killing 1 flayer at a time and losing half health in the process, it doesn't look like you'll be having much fun. Hope I'm wrong, though...

Oh.. by the way, I had a smiter in 1.09, way before grief and other overpowered toys. He was fun to play despite having no multi targetting. But there's a difference between a. pushing monsters to a corner and bashing them and b. leaping and bouncing and hoping to hit stuff in the process.

 

[Athelstan]

Spamming hammers...? Who do you take me for? I have a sense of style.

Leap attack might be fun in the beginning, but when you get to hell flayer jungle, killing 1 flayer at a time and losing half health in the process, it doesn't look like you'll be having much fun. Hope I'm wrong, though...

Oh.. by the way, I had a smiter in 1.09, way before grief and other overpowered toys. He was fun to play despite having no multi targetting. But there's a difference between a. pushing monsters to a corner and bashing them and b. leaping and bouncing and hoping to hit stuff in the process.

I guess you didn't see the "party" part. This character was never, and probably won't ever, be a single player character. I don't like the idea of killing every creature in the game one at a time any more than you do. However, I see this character as more of a general, leading an army. (This was the original intent for barbarians anyway; just read the descriptions for Battle Orders and Battle Commands.) While the other party members are doing the bulk of the killing, I can leap over the horde of monsters and attack the boss or the leader, and slowly pick off those monsters that might give other party members a hard time.

I understand your concerns, but I think the problem is that you equate killing speed or immediate results (smite always hits) with "fun." I think creating a challenging build, built around a specific item, who has to rely on others for killing speed, to be fun.

 

[sirwhere]

Well, I just want people to have fun And leap attack per se doesn't seem to be that interesting. Certainly not solo and probably also not in the middle of a pack of hammer-spammers

 

[jag]

Kinda fun with hammer spammers -- jump about and push the monsters out of their hammer field then they have to *gasp* move to go kill a monster :grin: