Question

BarbsTank - Raging Tide

So I decided to roll a barb and was wondering... Which works better; axe/hammer or dex build? Then sage/demon?

Man - Raging Tide

Axe hammer is better for general pvp

dext build claws would increase your dps vs stationary bosses by 5 x


If you are poor i'd use an axe build for sure untill end game, you can always restat.

Sage is better at catapulling, delta, tanking, running fast

Demon is better at instance farming, is the more economical choice and is better overall than everything except catapulling, delta, tanking, and running fast. W/ demon you have better skills for pvp, and can keep aggro better with more dmg, and demon flesh ream.

Rawrgh - Raging Tide

Don't worry about dex and claws until level 100 or at the earliest, level 99. It is and endgame build and should not be attempted until you are already level 100, up until that point just stick with vit build.

fuzzywuzz

Fuzzy going to place this thread into the barb sub-forum. Odds are you will get more responses from there. b:victory



-moved-

Sereneai - Dreamweaver

A Dex/claw build will provide higher DPS, making you an excellent DD.

however, it will also greatly reduce your HP and defense, making you less able to tank.

Personally, i like just enough Str and Dex to wield my axe.hammer, and pretty much all else in Vit. Darn hard to kill, which means squads will love you, but low DPS makes you slower at solo PVE/grinding.

I seem to see less and less tank builds, sadly, as many seem to be going to fist build on my server. Any real tanks are guaranteed a squad, pretty much whenever they want it. YMMV

Korsov - Heavens Tear

There is an excellent stickied thread right here on the barb forum that details the stat allocation for the pure tank build. In my opinion, this is the best way to go until at least level 90. At 89, I went Demon for the increased versatility (can still tank, but more fearsome in pk) and started to put a little in dex (I got mine to 80) for some extra accuracy and crit.

Before 99/100, a claw build is just about the worst thing you can do as a barb (except maybe a pure mag barb b:laugh) so don't do it. If you get to 99/100 and you went demon and have no intention of ever being a cata-barb in TW, then the claw route is a lot of fun (if you have the resources to get most/all of the -int equip.)

Sakubatou - Sanctuary

Personally, sage barbs and vit barbs scare me and I'd rather avoid having one in my squad. As a cleric I never know who is gonna tank when I have one in the squad, and as a DDer I feel crippled to actually damage deal around them.

But, untill late game (90+) barbs should be able to hold aggro with 3 str, .5 dex, 1.5 vit per level. This is the vit build and is a good place to start until you learn the class and feel comfortable making your own stat decisions.

Dex builds (80-120 dex) I think are very decent. Missing one attack takes a long time to make up the damage with a strength build and dex will prevent attack misses but you still will have plenty of vitality if you know how to play your class.

Fist builds really are only 99+ because thats when you will have refined your gear enough to not totally nerf your hp. I wouldn't switch until you have at a minimum of 2.86 aps. The idea with fist barbs is you can still pull and tank with axes in tiger form, but you can switch and dd with fists. If someone can take aggro from you when you have stacked -int (2.86 aps or greater) than they should also have high enough gear to tank themselves.

krittycat

I personally am building a pure vit sage barb...i have over 11k standing buffed, and over 14k in TF buffed at 85. My damage might not be that high, but with two Misty Forest Rings, my accuracy is not bad. In duels, I'm pretty hard to kill because of the high HP, making almost every single duel a close one.

However, it really depends on what you intend to do end-game.

If...

1)Your intention is to be a tanker/cata-puller end-game, your best choice is to go sage/pure vit. You would also want to put a lot of money into getting as much vitality on your equipment as possible. You will kill things slower, but you will also die much, much slower. However, this will add up in repairs.

2)Your intention is to be a PvE master DD'er, your best choice is to go for a claw build (past 99). You would also want to put out lots of money for the -int gears, otherwise your choice to go this direction is pretty much pointless. You will kill things really fast, but be extremely weak in PvP (you will have no ability to use skills if you go this direction).

3)Your intention is to be a master PvP'er, your best choice is a hybrid build of dex, str, and vit. This will give you higher damage, higher accuracy, but lower HP. You will kill things and people faster, but be slightly more squishy than the vit build.

Hope this helps!

Blood_Panda - Raging Tide

Go 2.5 str .5 dex 2 vit per level

Wield watever axe you can use/ wear up to date armor.

Keep this up to level
Get Flesh ream
Alacrity of the beast
Beastial rage - only 1 level
Shapeshift
True form

And there is nothing you cant tank as long as its is @ your level.
Except maybe jewel,Crimson and of cuz Omnipotent Drake - sac version

AlbireoTwo - Lost City

Magic build.