Frenzy / Berserker Idea

[Dimmu Borgir]

I was wondering if this would be a good build for a Barbarian.

See, I keep finding this unique Ancient Axe, "The Minotaur". It has this awesome mod on it, "Slows Target by 50%". Now, it's a pretty slow weapon, but that is an AWESOME mod against bosses.

So I was wondering if it was possible to work up some Frenzy, and then Berserk the hell out of something with this weapon on switch while you have Frenzy active. Does Frenzy still carry bonuses when you switch to a two-hander?

Note this weapon also has some other nice mods like Crushing Blow and Open Wounds... not to mention it looks awesome on a Barb.

If this build is viable, I'm wondering if it's a good idea to upgrade this weapon for extra Berserk damage?

[RibGriller]

The Minotaur does look ultra-cool, but it's so damn slow. If you want to slow bosses down, throw an eth Kelpie Snare (Upped if you can), and/or a Blackhorn's Face on an Act II merc. I like using that on Baal, btw, it keeps him from cloning and tp'ing all over the freakin place.

And, Frenzy is only active for 6 seconds, IIRC. You'd have to keep switching back and forth between Berserk and Frenzy. The Frenzy bonuses only count when you're clicking with the Frenzy button. OW, only the speed transfers (it's the same as with double swing). GL!

[SSoG]

Hmmm... I could have sworn I'd posted in here already... Oh well, I'll just post it again.

Theoretically you *COULD* Frenzy up and then switch to Berserk, but this is impractical for several reasons. First off, Frenzy only lasts for 6 seconds, and you'll lose a lot of that switching weapons. Second off, for weaker monsters, by the time you're frenzied up they'll be dead anyway. Third off, that would lose one of the biggest strengths of Berserk- since it's magic damage, you're IM proof. You'd probably be better off just going straight Berserk.

However, I *AM* a huge fan of The Minotaur. In my opinion, it is one of the uberl33test weapons on the block for two builds.

The first is the Blade Fury Assassin, who gets any Eth Minotaur I find. 50% slows target, Hit Blinds Target, Crushing Blow, Great damage (even though 2-handers suffer a damage penalty with BF, it's still on par with the great 1-handers when upgraded). Really, really, really great BFury mods. Add on some Knockback (especially Cleglaw's Gloves, which will take your Slows Target to 75%), and enemies will never be able to reach you. They'll be slowed way down, blinded, and constantly pushed back. Fantastic.

The second great build for The Minotaur is a Charger. Charge attacks at a FIXED 7 fpa, meaning slow weapons don't make a bit of difference. Also, I'm a big fan of Hit Blinds Target on long-range weapons, because after a Charge Chain, the monster will be blinded and you'll be a good distance away, well outside of its radius of awareness. Between the blind and the slows target, you can charge something and then wheel around and run circles around it as you set up the second charge. Lots of fun. :smiley: