Super-powered barbarian.

[Senshiki]

Okay, I want to make a WW barb with pure massive damage.
I am not focusing on max CB or DS, although he has a good bit, and critical strike too. Here is what I think his best setup would be:

Arreat's Face - Skills = damage
Fortitude - 300% ED
Breath of the Dying - Classic. Plenty of leech, since WW won't cast life tap.
Phoenix - +400% ED, rest gravy. The redmeption aura will be perfect too for mass killing.
Thundergod's Vigor - The +20 strength translates to +20% ED with the weapon strength bonus.
Highlord's Wrath - Speed and double damage chance.
Gore Rider's - Obvious, damage mods.
Laying of Hands - +350% ED vs demons, plus swing speed.
Bul Kathos/Ravenfrost - Cannot be frozen, BK for skill point and life.

With a lvl 26 WW, fort and phoenix, that alone is +1050% ED on the weapon, not counting the ED on the weapon itself. BOTD will have some awesome damage, I am thinking in a berserker axe, although a colossus blade sounds pretty sweet. The +60% IAS is also choice for WW.

Any ideas?

[MYK]

Make sure you go all strength, too!

If you really want to go insane I'd recommend Leap Attack or Berserk fully synergized.

[Cast_Raider]

Sounds a lot like this (http://www.unc.edu/~jpurvis/whirl/) actually. Except he substitutes goblin toe boots for more cb (and to deliberately slow his barb down for more ww hits), string of ears for DR, and steelrend gaunts for general-purose ed% and cb. I think I would be more inclined to use laying of hands though, seeing as how many demons are in the game. And besides, they're dirt cheap.

Don't forget a might merc with a Pride polearm and andy's visage. I think that guide recommends "damage to mana" gear, but if I were fighting unleechables I think I'd be more inclined to just throw an insight on my merc. I can't imagine that you'd miss the extra damage if you're in act 2 or whatever, it's not like undead are particularly tough.

[Cast_Raider]

I have to wonder though, with phoenix you've got a big damage boost, but you have to use a sword 1-handed. Would that make up for the damage and range deficiency, compared to a great poleaxe?

(btw, what's the deal with the edit feature on this site??)

[JuniorHigh]

I think the Phoenix would be underwhelming... I'd go with a big, fat, EBotD Spear to live up to the Crane Tribe ideals.

[Summerfun]

Or simply use 2 Beserker axes for the most dmg!
Grief + Grief for ww

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

I wouldn't go the single hand route if you want big damage. 400% ED from your shield doesn't amount to much if the weapon you're using is only a EBOTDZ. Look at how much that adds to your total damage. Now take and make a near 1k damage two hand weapon (or higher than 1k if you want to go that rout with a spear/maul) and see what that damage is without the shield but with the rest and your STR. Those %'s work off larger numbers real nice.

EbotdGreatPoleaxe would get my vote because its the highest damage weapon with the longest range that is base [0] that will hit the fastest break point for WW (-60). Plus it looks awesome.

Be sure to make him a Titan. Go all STR. Let items and charms do your DEX/LIFE. All that STR adds up to more damage when you're using those big weapons too. 400 STR for example with a 1k weapon is adding 4k more damage. If you can manage a 500 STR build, by all means, do it (requires you basically get the highest level possible in the game heh, so maybe shoot for 400).

-- Your big damage won't matter if a lighting bolt from an LE slays you in one zap. Going pure damage has big consequences because you'll be fragile against a lot of things in hell without resistances and with a much lower life pool (AMP, no res and FE and you kill it? You're dead). You surely don't want to be in a game saying "Har har, 10k~50k damage!" *slain* and the `lol's' that follow.

Cheers,

[Senshiki]

With a Torch, Anni, Fort, Um'd Arreat's, and Natural Resist, I am sure the resistances won't be a problem. Any lacking I will make up in charms.

I am digging on the idea of a Titan though. I won't drop all of my points into strength though; I think I will shoot for 200 though. Yes, he will be lower-than-normal life, but the idea is to kill/leech faster than they touch me.

And I am leaning on the idea of a big two-handed weapon. A ghost spear does more damage, and also has the same swing speed.

On the other hand (and this idea would sacrifice a good bit of damage, but make him more versatile) I could use axe mastery, then wield a glorious axe two-handed botd, then have a switch to a Last Wish and a Beast berserker axe with a few points into frenzy, This gives me a Fanaticism and Might aura, as well as crushing blow and life tap. I could wail on the ubers.

[Romasm]

Ebotd Thundermaul if u want to have the highest possible damage that is showing on the charac itself. Thundermaul is sexy imo.

The Ebotd Warpike is also a accepted option. This is obviously a fun build, so u dont want the fastest weapon, but the one with the biggest, fatest pure and raw damage, just how barbarians like it

Perhaps u want to ditch the thundergods and get some 24%fhr/5xlife and 30 strenght belt.

[BoooBooo]

Maybe start crafting some nice belts with OW and massive str as well as some other nifty mods.

[Netsua]

Definitely leap attack for the max damage. Not only is it technically the most beastly, it's also really fun to play. Also, I'm not sure how the calculations would turn out, but wielding a mace class weapon would get a 1.1 multiplier from your strength as opposed to 1 from all other weapons. It's worth looking into.

[Piece]

From my experience, Beastz + Griefz eats anything dmg wise. My BvA blew away my friends pole barb. Just destroyed it. Same gear, different weapons, I won every time.

And I have tried Griefz + Griefz and like Beastz FTW.

[Eilo Rytyj]

wielding a mace class weapon would get a 1.1 multiplier from your strength as opposed to 1 from all other weapons.

That's wrong, it only applies to Hammer class weapons. That means War Hammer, Maul, Great Maul and their exceptional/elite counterparts. Other Maces have only the 1% str/ed% multiplier.

You can definately go with a Titan build easily. Barbarians have a couple of often-overlooked skills which can make them hard to take down; namely Howl, Taunt, Battle Cry and War Cry, and to a lesser extent, Grim Ward (although that can essentially be replicated/replaced by Howl). Battle Orders will ensure you have a similar life pool to the other classes at a similar level (those without Battle Orders). And you don't even need a shield either, with the aforementioned skills you can mitigate most/all of the incoming damage.

And going a Titan build with a huge ****-off beatstick is challenging and fun too. PvM is easy enough as is, you may as well try and make it a challenge.

Personally, my idea of a super-powered Barb is a Titan Berserker with an EBotD Thunder Maul, and probably Fort, Rends, Gores, Tgods, Arreats, Highlords and Ravens, with an inv full of dmg charms. gogo unresistable magic dmg, and 1-hit KOs ftw!

[Barloc]

Personally, my idea of a super-powered Barb is a Titan Berserker with an EBotD Thunder Maul, and probably Fort, Rends, Gores, Tgods, Arreats, Highlords and Ravens, with an inv full of dmg charms. gogo unresistable magic dmg, and 1-hit KOs ftw!

Now THAT's what I would call super powered. Now add merc damage:thumbsup:

ActII Merc w/ might + reapers toll?

[Eilo Rytyj]

ActII Merc w/ might + reapers toll?

Why reapers toll? Berserk is magic-type damage, Decrepify lowers physical resist.

[Barloc]

that's why I edited with a (?). What would best merc wise/ weapon In your opinion?

[jesterlolz]

I would say to go with pride, conc ftw.