whirlwind suitable for ubers?

[assimilateur]

I'll be starting a barb in a couple of days, my first one in several years.

I recall ww being quite entertaining and effective as a main attack. The numbers seem to support this. Assuming you meet the highest WIAS breakpoint, you'll have 6 attacks per second times 2 (when dual-wielding) delivered in a way that's easy and convenient to aim. What's not to like?


The only thing keeping me from rolling this char ASAP is the fact that I don't know how it will hold up in UT. Intuitively frenzy appears to be the better choice when fighting the ubers, but I'm hoping that ww will also be viable.

Has anyone actually tried ubering with ww? If so, how did it go?

[stephan]

Not really suitable. It doesn't trigger CtCs. Of all barbararian melee skills WW is the hardest to aim, not the easiest.

[assimilateur]

Of all barbararian melee skills WW is the hardest to aim, not the easiest.


I think I know what you mean. When I said "easy and convenient" I meant that it kind of worked like an AoE spell, without having to click on specific monsters all the time.

Not really suitable. It doesn't trigger CtCs.


I've heard about the CtC thing. Couldn't I kinda work around this by triggering my life taps and whatnots via berserk or concentrate and still be able to kick *** with ww after switching?


If I were only making this char for ubers I wouldn't have a problem with just going all-out frenzy and leaving ww alone, but I was going to use this char as an allrounder as well. And frenzy just isn't as fun as ww.

[Barloc]

I have a nice ww barb with ++ gear. Sux vs Ubers since you can't really leach them and ww requires a ton of mana. So I use conc at Base and solo that way no problem- slow goin tho.

You could try but I don't think you'll like it. Maybe a Merc with Insight (meditation) could help to regenerate Mana, but Merc's don't survive well.

[drake]

i think a lifetap wand would (maybe) make it viable. i've never tried but i know from experience with a frenzier that barbs - due to howl, their huge life and good fcr breakpoints - have the time to switch to a lifetap wand, cast it, switch back and start smacking again... without dying a quick and horrible death like most smiters probably would. it is possible to do them with only that as a source of lifetap.

now would ww be fast and effective? i have no clue someone needs to try :)

[assimilateur]

I have a nice ww barb with ++ gear. Sux vs Ubers since you can't really leach them and ww requires a ton of mana. So I use conc at Base and solo that way no problem- slow goin tho.

You could try but I don't think you'll like it. Maybe a Merc with Insight (meditation) could help to regenerate Mana, but Merc's don't survive well.

Isn't concentrate way slow? I mean, I haven't played a barb in years so I don't remember first-hand, but I vaguely recall having read somewhere that conc only hits like twice per second. How can you even leech enough to stay alive? Or is your defense bad-*** enough that they barely even hit you?

Could you describe your build in some more detail and maybe give an account of how you beat the ubers?


i think a lifetap wand would (maybe) make it viable. i've never tried but i know from experience with a frenzier that barbs - due to howl, their huge life and good fcr breakpoints - have the time to switch to a lifetap wand, cast it, switch back and start smacking again... without dying a quick and horrible death like most smiters probably would. it is possible to do them with only that as a source of lifetap.

now would ww be fast and effective? i have no clue someone needs to try :)

I thought about using LT charges as well. Another option would be switching to another skill - one that doesn't override CtC - and smacking them with it until LT triggers and switching back to WW.

About going fast: I'm not even aiming that high. That's not much of a priority seeing how you don't exactly uber as much as you do keyruns or MF. As long as I don't die a lot during ubers I'll be happy.

[drake]

I thought about using LT charges as well. Another option would be switching to another skill - one that doesn't override CtC - and smacking them with it until LT triggers and switching back to WW.

yea that would be concentrate, which is kinda slow/needs a lot of ias. it would probably take a lot of time to cast lifetap unless u have a high % to do so, which implies huge sacrifices for ww cuz lastwish has no ias and i dont see exile being so good for a ww barb. having good ias for concentrate probably implies ww sacrifices too.

maybe frenzy... but thats 3 skill points and the ar would probably suck anyway. it requires quite a bit of ias too.

on my frenzy i prefer using the charges on gavel of pain than swing lacerators to cast amp dmg, despite frenzy swinging very fast. i cant imagine waiting for lifetap to cast with concentrate and dracs only... that would take forever lol.

good ol shopped wand ftw

[Barloc]

Isn't concentrate way slow? I mean, I haven't played a barb in years so I don't remember first-hand, but I vaguely recall having read somewhere that conc only hits like twice per second. How can you even leech enough to stay alive? Or is your defense bad-*** enough that they barely even hit you?

Could you describe your build in some more detail and maybe give an account of how you beat the ubers?.

Yeah, like I said it's slow going. My build is BvB WW and I use Conc which I have one point in. I could probably use some different swaps, but I already am overloaded with gear, and to lazy to make another Barb.

Setup I use for Uber:

Beastz
CoH
Arreat (ed/str/dex jewel)
SS (ed/str/dex jewel)
Highlord
2x Raven
Demon limb (prebuff)
Drac's
Gores
& Mass lifer++ small charms.
TGod

(used treachery b4 for prebuff when paranoid in the past)

Reason I went with Beastz was for the speed and CB. Ebotdz sucked so bad I couldn't even do enough damage to keep up with the life regeneration. I have greif too, but Beast worked so I decided to stick with it.

I can tank this well if I don't get in the middle of 2 ubers, especially meph + any other. It's the elemental damage that can screw you, but 6k Life and a nice res stack helps alot. Tap does not fire all the time, which can be annoying, so sometimes I can just smack a few minions, Pots for back-up.

So yeah It's hella slow, but it does work. As far as trying to ww them, It's been quite awhile. But I do remember running out of mana real quick and not being able to leach any back-not good.

I know I could dig up an LT wand, but that wouldn't help with mana issues. If I wanted the best possible for Ubers , I'd just go Frenzy anyway. Unless I'm missing something.

[assimilateur]

Thanks for all the tips.

That frenzy would be best for ubers is more or less what I thought as well, but I guess I can live with my prospective ww build not being too good at said ubers. I consider ww to be more fun than frenzy, so I'll stick with the former.

A mate of mine has got a smiter anyway, and my current main char is a summoner, so I guess I don't really need a char that would specialize in UT.

[Kordova]

I did ww ubers...once...and will never do it again. cost to me? 1,000,000,000 freaking gold, i drained 3 full gold chars reviving merc/buying pots/repairing (lol the last i did once at like 23k hahah) ontop of me dying 12 times my set-up was:
Areats With a rare 35%/15%/30lightrez
CoH ONLY ARMOR 4 THE JOB
LoH ONLY GLOVES FOR JOB (IMO its a tie for 1st with dracs OW% IS a factor but no tap from it so LoH has better mods)
T-Gods-if yer ball-z you would go with a crafted 10ow% belt
Gores
MetalGrid
250/20 Raven (lol gotta love NM fallen)
BotdZ/GriefZ
Baim merc:
Pride
Efort
IDR Helm i know it wasnt ralandys tho
Killin was slooow goin i thinned the mob w Howl and lowerd uber stats with Battle cry untill i reallized tap was more important than BC, so i had to town(Bringing more summons) to put on my tapped wand, howl summons tapp Uber...just mephy
acctually killd him quick so i charged in. Bad idea the summons were wayy to many coming from d&b and my merc died 20000 times...towning all the while...bc I neeeded the b-aim merc after all we did better...ish instead of lossing life we lived, and they did to. soo i attributed it to lack of CB switched to beastZ after all cb would be better than bigger dmg and ITD wich dont work on ubers. same stale mate.
this point its been 40 minutes and i notice them lossing life more frequently then they atarted freaking out and didnt stop summoning for 30-45 seconds, regaining life all the while... i left game geared my frenzyer(same merc same gear but no ar/dmg charms and Dembotd/Lwpb. we were done in 3 minutes, so i unberd again we were done in 11 minutes Both times getting a 12/15,19/20 Ptorch...the only difference was time and deaths..ww i died abunch frenzy never..attributed to tap, time attrubuted for MUCHO CB
The fade was nice to meph died in seconds bc he couldnt dmg me very well, his mercs are tougher to howl away

[Ed from Russia]

I didn't read all the responses, but I'd choose Frenzy over WW anytime when doing ubers.

[assimilateur]

Yeah, the other posters more or less shared your opinion.

I don't really care anymore. If I make a barb in the foreseeable future, it's gonna be a WW one nonetheless, even though he'll suck at ubering, at least he'll be entertaining to play otherwise.

[Kordova]

well just an fyi ww is not entertaining to uber with, pvm sure ubers is more of a speciallized enemy kinda..ww attacks alot of enemies unless u howl away...wich i suggest the best way to uber

[assimilateur]

Sure, I'm already aware of the need of howling. I mean, it's kinda obvious: if you have a means of crowd control, you HAVE to use it in UT. The same goes for my summoner with who I use dim vision or confuse there (although I can't solo them for ****, maybe my gear isn't high-end enough yet, or I'm too weak of a player; a mate has to help me out with his smiter).

[Kordova]

maybe terror the minions and LT the uber?

[crawlingdeadman]

...i dont see exile being so good for a ww barb...

exile is pally only so, yes, it's a terrible idea :D