This was the first build I made based on my notes. I finished normal difficulty at level 50 cause that was when the experience rate began to decline, even when fighting monsters in the Worldstone Keep. He has the Strength weapon for the crushing blow chance and life leech, the Lore helmet for the increased skill level, and the Rhyme shield for the inability to be frozen, the magic find, increased blocking, and the resistances. I have maxed both Concentrate and Battle Orders by level 50. In the beginning, I pumped Bash until Concentrate became available. Later, when I realized I wasn't dealing enough damage, I reset my skills (with a hack whose name just got removed by a moderator) and transferred those points into Battle Orders due to the fact that Battle Orders gives a larger damage synergy than Bash. I had to carry a 2 handed weapon in my alternate swap slots to deal reasonable damage against tougher foes. For much of the game, I relied on making Steel runewords in my weapons for the increased damage, mana per kill, open wounds, and increased attack speed. Since I planned to specialize this Concentrator in axes, I put a point in axe mastery early on. However, I found that one handed axes don't deal as much damage as either swords or even maces. Spears, polearms, and mauls do even more damage. Since he still plans to specialize endgame in axes, I will raise his strength and dexterity to meet the requirements of his equipment before I start investing into and finally maxing my chosen weapon mastery. Here will be his endgame stats: Strength: 156 (to use stormshield which has the highest strength requirement of all equipment) Dexterity: 152 (the minimum value to get max block chance with bonuses from equipment) Vitality: 272 (all leftover points go here) Energy: 10 (base value) Here will be his endgame skills: Combat Skills Bash-20 (damage synergy) Stun-1 (prerequisite) Concentrate-20 (main attack) Berserk-1 (physical immune killer) Masteries Axe Mastery-20 (increased damage, attack rating, and critical chance hit) Increased Stamina-1 Iron Skin-1 Increased Speed-1 Natural Resistances-1 Warcry Howl-1 (prerequisite, but also good for when I get surrounded) Taunt-1 (good for forcing long ranged attackers and those who hang back and revive their fallen allies into melee range, making it easier to dispatch them) Shout-20 (increases duration of BO, and BC, also damage synergy to Berserk. I plan to max this skill next when I start nightmare) Battle Cry-1 (great for tougher fights as it weakens the damage and defense of the enemy) Battle Orders-20 (damage synergy, also increases duration of Shout and BC, but most of all it increases life, mana, and stamina. Battle Command-1 (increased skill levels, cast twice before BO and shout) Here is his endgame equipment: Weapon: Breath of the Dying (Berserker Axe) (Best Damage, dual leech, IAS, 30+ all stats) Shield: Stormshield (massive physical damage resistance) Helmet: Arreat's Face (skill levels, strength, dexterity) Armor: Fortitude (Archon Plate) (increased damage) Belt: Verdungo's Hearty Coil (increased vitality and physical damage resistance) Gloves: Dracul's Grasp (increased strength and life leech, lip tap curse) Boots: Gore Rider (deadly strike, open wounds, and crushing blow) Amulet: Highlord's Wrath (IAS, skill level) Ring 1: Raven Frost (cannot be frozen) Ring 2: Bul-Katho's Wedding Band (skill level) Hireling Act 2 Nightmare (Might) Weapon: Pride (Concentration Aura to increase damage) Armor: Fortitude (Increased Damage) Helmet: Guillaume's Face (crushing blow) For other concentrators using other weapon types, the equipment and stats may change. Users of spears, mauls, and polearms won't be able to use Stormshield. Since Breath of the Dying can't be made in 1H Maces, you'll need another weapon choice. According to one Barbarian build page on the diablo wikia, the best choice for Barbarians using 1 handed maces is Eternity. This indestructible weapon can be made into an ethereal Scourge for higher damage. With it, you get increased damage, crushing blow, slows your target, life leech, and other useful bonuses. Due to the lack of mana leech, replace Dracul's grasp with Soul Drainer for dual leech. Here are the endgame stats for other weapon types. Strength is the base value to use all equipment. Dexterity is the minimum value to get max block together with bonuses from equipment if using shield, or to meet requirements if using a 2H weapon. 1H Sword: S-189 D-152 V-239 E-10 (Colossus Blade, highest damage of any 1H sword) 2H Sword: S-189 D-110 V-281 E-10 (Colossus Blade, highest damage of any 2H sword) 1H Axe: S-156 D-152 V-272 E-10 (Berserker Axe, highest damage of any 1H axe) 2H Axe: S-164 D-55 V-361 E-10 (Glorious Axe, highest damage of any 2H axe) 1H Mace: S-156 D-182 V-242 E-10 (Scourge, only 1H mace that has five slots) Maul: S-253 D-20 V-307 E-10 (Highest Damage) Spear: S-165 D-106 V-316 E-10 (Highest Damage) Polearm: S-179 D-99 V-295 E-10 (Highest Damage, lower requirements, more points into Vitality) For me, the concentrator is more a defensive build than an offensive one due to the fact that the damage isn't as high as most other barbarian combat skills. The boost to defense can make you nearly untouchable, even more so if using a shield. The lack of crowd control or ability to strike multiple targets in one attack or multiple strikes in one attack on a single enemy are a major weakness. The next build I'm working on is a Frenzy Dualist. I'm playing another barbarian rather than choosing another class due to the fact that I want to try a different playstyle. I'm sure I'll enjoy the next build more than this one.
Do you have the gear for all of this? You are using a non-allowed mod, read the rules https://www.diabloii.net/forums/threads/spf-rules-read-this-first-before-posting.961214/ How will the resistances be and what will you use as sockets? Have you checked block speed breakpoints? I'd skip dracs for Laying of hands instead, Guilliams face with Um and have String of ears over Verdungo Merc: I'd use reapers toll because it will make you do double damage against monsters that has 50% physical resistance (setting that stat to 0% instead) For better crowd controll, ditch some points from Shout to Howl for longer radius and duration
These forums do not allow the mod you posted, please don’t mention it here. https://www.diabloii.net/forums/threads/spf-rules-read-this-first-before-posting.961214/ The rules on unsupported mods apply site wide.
Sorry, I didn't realize that there were other details that needed to be told. Well I guess the only socketable items would be the Stormshield and Arreat's Face. Like I said up above, I've only finished normal difficulty. What I have written here is what I have planned endgame.
since I reinstalled the game after deleting the old installation in order to use mods supported by this forum, I'll have to redo this character. However this time I am better prepared as to how to build him from the start. Maybe I'll save up points, and later pump up both concentrate and battle orders until I run out of skill points in reserve.
I have come up with the following calculations for each weapon type where I make an ethereal Breath of the Dying. These are the minimum strength and dexterity requirements for me to equip the weapon base on the equipment that is equipped in the order they are put in should he die and I have to recover his corpse. This way, I avoid the risk of losing items. The concentrator wearing Arreat's Face is taken into consideration for these calculations since it adds 20 points to both Strength and Dexterity. The minimum dexterity value for using shields takes into consideration the 20 points from Arreat's Face, 30 points from Botd, and the maximum 20 points from wearing Raven Frost. Colossus Blade: min Strength 122 and min Dexterity 58 without shield and 152 with shield Berserker Axe: min Strength 118 and min Dexterity 152 Glorious Axe: min Strength 118 and keep Dexterity at base Thunder Maul: min Strength 193 and keep Dexterity at base Great Poleaxe: min Strength 118 and min Dexterity 50 War Pike: min Strength 118 and min Dexterity 55
The question of whether to use BotD at all depends a lot on what you are intending to do with your barb in the long term. There are scenarios in which a sword+shield character would be more useful. So what is he going to do at a later time, like when he's through with hell mode? BotD requires a Zod rune which is very hard to obtain. I think I've found 10-15 Lo runes since I play the game and just a single Zod. Therefore I would put a lot of thought into the question what to do with the BotD weapon. That weapon will have to last longer than whatever character wearing it. It's inevitable that you will become fed up with your barb at some time and put him into retirement. If you definitely want BotD for him, then for two-handed use, else Grief would deal more damage. As you won't wear a shield then, dex investments aren't worth it. When I found my Zod rune, I chose a great poleaxe. It's also awesome for a WW barb and it looks fantastic. If you are sure that it's for your conc barb exclusively and he's going to be buried with it, I would choose a glorious axe. Huge damage, long reach, looks cool... and its name says GLORIUOS. Regarding the helm, I think that Guillaume's is more useful than Arreat's, despite its bonuses, just because of 35% for crushing blows. Another 15% from Goreriders and you have enough CB.
I just beat the game with my second concentrator barbarian using the mods that this forum approves of. Now, I've made some changes to his endgame equipment and endgame hireling. Instead of Pride, the hireling will now use The Reaper's Toll for the chance to cast decrepify and life leeching. Instead of using Dracul's Grasp or Soul Drainer, he'll use Laying of Hands due to not wanting to override the decrepify curse and for the increase bonus damage to demons. For mace and shield barbarians, since Eternity has a cannot be frozen mod on it, I can replace my Raven Frost ring with Manald Heal for mana leech purposes. Of course, because of this, I'll need to invest more in dexterity.
