Character

[fistofyah]

Well, this is my first time back to diablo2 in over 2 years and I was just wondering whether to play as a summoning necro or some type of Barb for pvm/ubers. Back when I did play I had a Zealot Paladin and a Concentrator Barb, both of which sorely disappointed me compared to my friends Smiter. Didn't know if 1.11 buffed barbs at all or if there are better builds out there for barbs or if i should just stick with the necro. Thanks!

[NASE]

Barb certainly aren't weak characters. They have a combination of very high life, good defence and decent fast damage. Problem is that you need good equipment - very good equipment - to have an easy time in hell. Without good equipment, hell is going to be hell.

If you are starting out fresh, without good items. it is a smart idea to not start with a mele character as they are close to always items depending.
Popular starting builds are the summon necro, dual element sorcerer, hammerdin... Just don't expect to run ubers any time soon.


btw, let me welcome you to the forums - WELCOME. Don't forget to have a look at the forums for every class mentioned. A lot of them will have guides for the starting character.

P.S. zealot and concentrator barbarian can still hold their own, though they aren't vastly popular. Whirlwind and frenzy attack much faster, as fast that you often don't need the defence from concentrate. As for paladins, most paladins for pvm are hammerdins, smiter for uberrunning or perhaps even auradins.
Check out the forums and look for recent posts about these, should give you an idea about the popularity.

[fistofyah]

Thanks for the feedback, its much appreciated!