[Guide] Barbarian builds & tips

Kelthanos - Dreamweaver

Thank you so much for this. It helps a load.

Rofocal - Heavens Tear

Like your post here. My only tip pointer is for str barbarians out there As i am:

Your guide shows a str barbarian should go with possible Sage to offset the low hp, My suggestion however if you have the time is to seek out vit+10 belts the 5% hp increase tt90 necklace and full mountain gear

each piece gives +7-8 vit, combined with immaculate or beautiful hp gems and the 5% hp necklace, u should still be able to go demon as a str barbarian and have the best of both worlds. ill be trying it here soon in 3 lvls and tell everyone how it goes.

atm as a str barb i still have 10,200 hp in tank form and do very very well in pvp/duels/tw/dragon temple etc.

ishan

I don't think I want to make a barbarian character. After reading this guide and other posts on this forum, I have concluded that usually, for all their bulk Barbarians are nothing but big, soft pillows for monsters to distractedly pound on while everyone else has fun darting around killing stuff.

behinder

tyvm!! great guide^^
it heklped me really a lot, nice job and its very good to understand, thx!^^

Batseba - Heavens Tear

Hi

I like the guide and I decided to follow the tank build with my first Barb.

However, I had to redo the calculations when I noticed that you're missing out a few levels on your stats list. No biggie mind, nothing anyone with an MS Excel couldn't cope with.

It just struck me that the most in one level my Barb will ever get into VIT is two points, which confused me because I thought as a tanker I'd need lots of VIT.

I calculated the points I had to allocate by spending about half an hour running backwards and forwards between Tailor and Blacksmith working out when I would need more STR or DEX. It's quite a tough regime and really doesn't leave that many points for VIT. Am I doing it wrong?

Also, according to my calculations I end up with 151STR, 29DEX, 75VIT at level 49 (that's how far I calculated), which means that I've allocated about 8 points more than you in your list of stat points. Did I make a mistake? Do I have to start again?

I'm confused

Hazardus - Heavens Tear

Batseba - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Hi

Also, according to my calculations I end up with 151STR, 29DEX, 75VIT at level 49 (that's how far I calculated), which means that I've allocated about 8 points more than you in your list of stat points. Did I make a mistake? Do I have to start again?

I'm confused

What weapon type are you using. The guide assumes dual axes. If you using dual hammers you might need the extra str.

You build sounds about right. Don't worry too much about following the stat points level by level. WHat I do is calculate stats over 10 levels, usually best at the level you get your new wep.

For e.g. assuming dual axes, you get a new wep every 7th level i.e. 27,37,47,57 etc. and then if you using TT stuff 60,70,80 etc.

Determing how much more str and dex you will need 10 levels later (for the next wep). Calculate how you gonna add them for.e.g. 3str 1vit 1dex for 8 levels and then 2str 3vit 0dex for the last 2 levels? Upto you how you allocate the points I usually add as much vit I can first. So if I am gonna have 8 spare points left over 10 levels later I will 5 the first level and 3 the next.

The guides not written in stone, you can go a little above/below it in the "in-between" levels.

Batseba - Heavens Tear

Thanks Hazardus

I appreciate what you're saying. Unfortunately I find that if I don't write things down, i.e. what I'm gonna do in 10 or 15 levels, I forget. Especially with so many numbers about. Calculating in Excel is the easiest way for me to keep track of what I'm doing and what I decided to do like three weeks ago.

I calculated the necessary STR from the Axes/Hammers as they become available from the Blacksmith. That's including Pole-axes/hammers. Do they not fall under the same skill tree? I thought that weapons that fall into the same category would be sold in the same way. [edit] Don't answer that. I just spotted the relevant [thread=228341]thread[/thread] [/edit]


And, yes, as I go along I will be using Dual Hammers when they become available.

I might do as you suggested after level 50-60 with calculating stats as I go a long. For now I got my guide b:pleased

b:thanks

Phantomhive - Lost City

This a extremely helpful guide. I have a question about Frighten when tanking bosses though. If a boss uses a physical AOE, will Frighten affect that as well?

brentbest

question can i cancel out true form -40wep damage?

Devarsi - Sanctuary

not until demon true form .. if you go demon at 89

brentbest

oh so it will take a while im only lv 43should i focus on tiger skills

Devarsi - Sanctuary

if you wanna tank then yes

brentbest

wats the best cuz thats not answer

Erado - Heavens Tear

"the best" doesnt exist.

you cannot tank much in human form, and tiger form deals less damage then normal.

so its a matter of speed, cash and personal preference.

Sozowned - Heavens Tear

my build is 64 vit 175 str 34 dex 7 mag are im tanker then?

Jakob - Harshlands

Great guide. The minimum reqs for the heavy armer and dual axes I found VERY helpful, and i'm still using them. Thanks again!

Shinobi_ - Lost City

thanx for the info

Tahathegreat - Dreamweaver

wow nice helped alot

Shinobi_ - Lost City

thanx for info again

Coppy - Lost City

Hi im starting a barbarian and i saw the armor and weapon stat requirements in this guide.So i want to ask if a 6 str 3 vit 1 dex build would be good for a barbarian?That means 3 str 2 vit and 3 str 1 vit 1 dex every lvl's.Just wanna hear ur opinions about this.And a very good guide helps a lot for newbies

Tearex - Heavens Tear

thx again for this wonderful guide my cat is developing quite nicely

umshalla

Awesome guide, using it since the very start!

electrichelga

thank you! very helpful.

Fudgecicle - Heavens Tear

Thanks Dai, this guide is great
Been using it since i started.

Rabid_dogg - Heavens Tear

Dai - Heavens Tear wrote: »

VI. Additional Tips - Read if you dare!

A. In-depth guide to Tanking - a Barbarian's #1 role in PVE parties
--The tips above are a little too brief, so I'll go more into detail here.

Spamming Flesh Ream definitely is the #1 rule for tanking. Just remember that your Chi will run out if you keep spamming Flesh Ream continuously without also adding in extra attacks/skills (Frighten, Alacrity of the Beast, and Surf Impact for example) that do not consume Chi. This becomes more important later on (lv 60+), when you need to build up your Chi to use highly useful skills such as Invoke the Spirit and Sunder (requires 2 Spark each). Keep Beastial Rage activated while tanking to help build up Chi.

And whenever you need to aggro multiple mobs quickly, use Roar (aka Talk is cheap), then spam Flesh Ream on each. You will lose aggro more easily if you do not spam Flesh Ream after every few attacks. Max Flesh Ream and Roar to make your job easier.

I hardly ever use Devour because it requires a lot of Chi (nearly twice as much as Flesh Ream), and Flesh Ream is better at keeping aggro. Plus, the physical defense reduction from Devour only lasts 10 seconds on regular mobs and even less on bosses. If you really like using Devour, just use it once in awhile - whenever the mob's physical defense needs to be reduced. If there are no physical attack dealers in your party, then there's no point using Devour.

The main focuses while tanking are: Gaining Chi, Maintaining Aggro, and Staying Alive. Let your party members handle the damage dealing/killing. If there's no need for a tank, change back to humanoid form and join in on the mass destruction.

B. Tanking Magic Bosses - Use Alacrity of the Beast To Cancel Their Ultimate Attack

Using Alacrity of the Beast is an important part of tanking. If you are able to cancel the boss's skills, especially the AoEs, then you can save your party from certain death .

Timing Alacrity of the Beast to cancel the boss's skills does take a bit of practice. The general idea is to use it immediately when you see that the boss stops attacking and a casting aura appears underneath the boss. Some bosses, such as the Myriadial Wyvern in FB 51, do not have a casting aura, yet you can cancel the skill. All bosses have a set attack pattern they follow every time. A boss's casting time varies, so you may have to time Alacrity of the Beast before you notice the boss casting.

Figure that out, as well as how the boss moves before/during/after it's casting skill, to time your attacks. And remember, using Alacrity of the Beast too early or too late will not cancel the boss's skill. You've only got a couple seconds or even 1 second to cancel it successfully. A common mistake is when you're in the middle of another skill animation when the boss starts casting. You'll be too late to cancel with Alacrity of the Beast. So you need to be prepared to use Alacrity of the Beast before the boss begins casting, while also making sure that you don't use it too soon.

Anyways, here's an example:
The 3rd boss of FB51, Myriadial Wyvern - it attacks 5 times before it uses it's AoE/cursing skill. So use Alacrity of the Beast after it does 5 normal attacks. The normal attacks look like headbutts and slaps, while the AoE/cursing skill looks like a stomp. So your goal is to prevent the boss from stomping :P .

Usually, the boss uses its casting spell after the cooldown time of Alacrity of the Beast. So this makes it possible to cancel every casting skill that the boss uses. There are some exceptions though, like the bosses that cast continuously (such as that Herc Trioc boss in FB39) or re-casts very quickly (like the HH 1-1 squad drum boss when it's at 5-10% HP). Those are either impossible or very difficult to cancel..

Also, mobs like to use their casting spell continuously if you have some distance between you and the mob. So a nice way to set up your timing for Alacrity of the Beast is to stop a few meters away from the mob, then see if it begins casting. If it does, immediately run up to it and cast Alacrity of the Beast. Now you'll know that the mob will cast again when the cooldown time of Alacrity of the Beast is over, so get ready for the next cancel when the cooldown is almost up!

Guide is helpful thank you very much

Mr_Anderson - Lost City

hey Dai,
Ive been following your guide, particularly the minimum requirements for strength and dex (i throw the rest in vit). But is it accurate? Because I notice that I have an excess of dex and strength for my current level armor and weapons. I'm currently level 18 so it's no big deal to fix, just wanted to know if your calculations were accurate. THanks

Peacefulelf - Dreamweaver

Wonderful guide

WolfOfFlames - Heavens Tear

i looked at stats for dex and str would
odd:3 vit-2 str
even:2 vit-2str-1dex

work for mostly tank build?

DishyWiggles - Harshlands

u need 5 str every 2 levels to hold axes ( or is it 6?)

AvengerWolf - Sanctuary

Thanks! very helpfull!