Barbarian - How does it deal damage?

[Adino]

Aside from Carnage, which looks like decent AoE dmg and basically requires a 2-hander to be effective against high DR enemies, what does a Barbarian get for damage that you can't get from just about any class? I understand AoE dmg is helpful, but I've found I'm not generally hitting more than 1-2 targets at a time anyway, Maybe it's my lack of experience in the game.

 

I see Heart of Fury, Carnage, One Stands Alone, Vengeful Defeat, Frenzy, Blooded, and Barbaric Blow.

 

Heart of Fury - AoE attack

Frenzy - a nice stat buff for might/att speed

Carnage - small area AoE at lower Acc and dmg

One Stands Alone - Bonus when being attacked by multiple enemies

Vengeful Defeat - Other classes have an ability similar to this

Barbaric Blow - Similar single buffed attack and subsequent carnage dmg bonuses after (If they would ever apply)

Blooded - requires gettign to 50% Endurance and staying there.

 

Is the combo of Carnage and One Stands Alone that good? Like, how much dmg does it add? Has anyone ever tested it? And, who would want to use Blooded? This seems like a class that doesn't produce enough damage for the trouble it gets into.

 

What am I missing about this class? Why do people use it/like it?

[Nobear]

I'm not a fan of Barbarian in part because Frenzy conceals Health and Endurance, and I like to always keep an eye on those to plan heals and other tactical decisions. I've read that they can be decent as a second row melee character with a reach weapon (in particular, http://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Tall_Grass is popular). But some people like classes for reasons unrelated to min-maxing or power gaming, like RP flavor, e.g. if they want to play a character who is wild and uncontrolled in combat. If you don't like that concept, maybe it isn't for you. Thankfully there's a lot of choice in this game.

 

If you don't like classes who rely on getting into trouble to maximize their combat effectiveness, you probably won't like Monk either. His abilities depend on wounds, so he actually wants high Con but low deflection and little to no DR from armor so he gets hurt more.

 

People often play classes like this because they find it fun, or even because they like the challenge of "living on the edge." If that's not your thing, pick other classes.

 

Edit: I recommend a rogue if you want a melee DPS class that doesn't benefit from getting hit. If you don't think there are a lot of enemies, you are probably not playing on PoTD anyway (num of enemies scales with difficulty), and you can think of this play through as "training wheels" for PoTD. Rogues and other crit-based builds work really well below PoTD, where enemy defenses are low enough that their crit rate is really high. Your rogue will get hit now and then even though you don't want him to, but he has the best single-target DPS in the game, so he can usually kill an enemy before it kills him.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Nobear

[manageri]

You're not "missing" anything, it's pretty much what you see is what you get. Nice single target wreckage with good splash damage. I don't know exactly why that seems to be not enough for you.

 

While we're on the subject, I would like to express that the hp concealment of frenzy is ****ing retarded. You can still comb the combat log to check if the barbarian is getting rekt, so all this mechanic does is impose tedium. Please remove this nonsense immediately.

[Adino]

You're not "missing" anything.. I don't know exactly why that seems to be not enough for you.

 

Your comment seems to have a bit of animosity. I'm really trying to understand how people are making effective use of this class. I don't know if it's a class you use and you feel I'm badmouthing it or if I said something in another thread that irritated you, but I'll just focus on the reason for the thread.

 

You said it is nice single-target. I don't see how. Because, near as I can tell, the single target damage is no better than a Paladin or Fighter with the same stats and gear, unless you're half-dead. (Might, Dex, 2-hander, etc.) Paladins can use 2-Handers, get Flames of Devotion, and can get the 2-Handed Style Talent. People dog Paladin DPS, but the only thing this class has over Paladin is Carnage and a dmg boost while the character is below 50% endurance, which I hope to not use often. Outside of Frenzy, which has its own drawbacks and limitations, I don't see any real bonuses to damage on all attacks and no real crit advantage... I only see Carnage and One Stands Alone as potential DPS advantages.

 

So, I'm asking what I think is a reasonable question of someone who uses the class: what is it about these that makes them good DPS? Is it just the combo of Carnage and One Stands Alone? (ie weaker extra attacks directed at only very close targets, other than the primary target.) Are those abilities really good enough to make Barbarian a DPS class?

 

I mean, Rogues would seem to be clearly superior for melee damage and many people use them with ranged weapons. So, other than RP as a Barbarian, (Which I'm sure is rewarding in a video game...) why would anyone use this class when Rogues, Ciphers, Wizards, and even Druids exist?

 

 

And, I'm not just flaming the game, I'm asking what role this class is supposed to fill. it doesn't seem like good DPS. It's not a Tank. And, it certainly doesn't heal the party. I don't see much Mezz/CC, except fear, which a number of other classes have anyway. So, if it's not a Tank, DPS, Healer, or CC - what is its role? (I'm genuinely asking.)

 

It looks like it's just a moderate damage, glass-cannon Melee character with very-short-range-AoE that really only does anything special if it's about to die or is surrounded by a ton of enemies. (And, the second thing probably contributes more than you'd like to the first.) If you make it too tanky, it's low damage. If you make it with low defense to deal damage, it'll die too easy if you don't constantly micromanage it's health - just don't heal it too much or it'll lose the bonus dmg. And, what's the payout? When it takes damage instead of your tank, it can (as long as it's below 50% Endurance) do +25% damage and AoE the few enemies close enough to it to be effected by Carnage?

 

Can anyone that actually uses this class verify what kind of damage potential it has and what mechanics you're relying on when you use it? I'm really tryign to understand how people are using the class. Does carnage reach further with a reach weapon? Anyone that can and has the time, please explain what mechanics you're relying on.

[Adino]

I'm not a fan of Barbarian in part because Frenzy conceals Health and Endurance, and I like to always keep an eye on those to plan heals and other tactical decisions. I've read that they can be decent as a second row melee character with a reach weapon (in particular, http://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Tall_Grass is popular).

 

If you had stopped there, it would have been a really great reply. Seems like the rest is an series of insults directed at me.

 

But, ignoring most of the rest of that, can you attest to the damage output of a Barbarian? Do you use one extensively? I know your edit basically said Rogues are better, and I think you're 100% right. From a gameplay standpoint, not RP, what role does the Barb fill? Is that carnage AoE actually enough to make it good damage, compared to a Rogue, Wizard, or Cipher, if it's played correctly? That's what I'm really asking.

[KDubya]

 

You're not "missing" anything.. I don't know exactly why that seems to be not enough for you.

 

Your comment seems to have a bit of animosity. I'm really trying to understand how people are making effective use of this class. I don't know if it's a class you use and you feel I'm badmouthing it or if I said something in another thread that irritated you, but I'll just focus on the reason for the thread.

 

You said it is nice single-target. I don't see how. Because, near as I can tell, the single target damage is no better than a Paladin or Fighter with the same stats and gear, unless you're half-dead. (Might, Dex, 2-hander, etc.) Paladins can use 2-Handers, get Flames of Devotion, and can get the 2-Handed Style Talent. People dog Paladin DPS, but the only thing this class has over Paladin is Carnage and a dmg boost while the character is below 50% endurance, which I hope to not use often. Outside of Frenzy, which has its own drawbacks and limitations, I don't see any real bonuses to damage on all attacks and no real crit advantage... I only see Carnage and One Stands Alone as potential DPS advantages.

 

So, I'm asking what I think is a reasonable question of someone who uses the class: what is it about these that makes them good DPS? Is it just the combo of Carnage and One Stands Alone? (ie weaker extra attacks directed at only very close targets, other than the primary target.) Are those abilities really good enough to make Barbarian a DPS class?

 

I mean, Rogues would seem to be clearly superior for melee damage and many people use them with ranged weapons. So, other than RP as a Barbarian, (Which I'm sure is rewarding in a video game...) why would anyone use this class when Rogues, Ciphers, Wizards, and even Druids exist?

 

 

And, I'm not just flaming the game, I'm asking what role this class is supposed to fill. it doesn't seem like good DPS. It's not a Tank. And, it certainly doesn't heal the party. I don't see much Mezz/CC, except fear, which a number of other classes have anyway. So, if it's not a Tank, DPS, Healer, or CC - what is its role? (I'm genuinely asking.)

 

It looks like it's just a moderate damage, glass-cannon Melee character with very-short-range-AoE that really only does anything special if it's about to die or is surrounded by a ton of enemies. (And, the second thing probably contributes more than you'd like to the first.) If you make it too tanky, it's low damage. If you make it with low defense to deal damage, it'll die too easy if you don't constantly micromanage it's health - just don't heal it too much or it'll lose the bonus dmg. And, what's the payout? When it takes damage instead of your tank, it can (as long as it's below 50% Endurance) do +25% damage and AoE the few enemies close enough to it to be effected by Carnage?

 

Can anyone that actually uses this class verify what kind of damage potential it has and what mechanics you're relying on when you use it? I'm really tryign to understand how people are using the class. Does carnage reach further with a reach weapon? Anyone that can and has the time, please explain what mechanics you're relying on.

 

 

I am with you in that I just don't get barbarians.

 

In a hard playthrough I added a barbarian merc at like level ten or eleven, named "Dirt Nap". My main was a fighter spec'd for damage and I tried to use the barbarian in a similar manner, namely on the frontline with the fighter main and Eder. With typical trash type mobs the two fighters either avoided damage via deflection and also regened during combat. The barbarian had a slower attack rate in the same armor and due to wanting a high might, dex, int, he had low deflection which got worse when he frenzied. He caused damage to a crowd but the crowd in turn hit him back and just beat him down quite frequently.

 

Perhaps I am supposed to have the barbarian cower behind the fighters and poke things with a pike. I found the class to be entirely too fragile for my playstyle. A balanced fighter will do better single target damage while having better defense and a self regen. A melee rogue requires babysitting but really rewards you with awesome single target damage. A monk has better single target damage as well as a spammable AoE cone.

 

In the early days bug abuse made barbarians godly but now I just don't see their purpose other than for RP reasons.

[Gromnir]

reach weapons do not extend the aoe o' the carnage, but the carnage point of origin is at the target and not the barbarian, so in that sense the "reach" of carnage is extended with a reach weapon.  however, your intelligence will extend the aoe size o' your carnage, thus making intelligence your most important attribute.

 

*shrug*

 

if you do not understand the damage potential o' carnage from reading the ability descriptions, then an explanation here is unlikely to help.  create an npc barbarian and level it up with the console.  against single targets, the barbarian is mundane.  however, particularly in hard mode with large mobs of foes, carnage is a potent ability.

 

rogues have sneak attack.  efforts to make a rogue more effective are about maximizing sneak attack damage and opportunities.

 

barbarians are carnage in the same way rogues are defined by sneak attack.

 

"If you don't like classes who rely on getting into trouble to maximize their combat effectiveness, you probably won't like Monk either. His abilities depend on wounds, so he actually wants high Con but low deflection and little to no DR from armor so he gets hurt more"

 

this is a myth.  if you wish to maximize wounds and the dps potential of a monk, you will need to watch your health carefully.  even so, a heavily armoured monk who takes only moderate wounds can still dish out ridiculous amounts of hurt-- they make ideal off-tanks.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps  am thinking you underestimate dps fighters as well.  dps fighters are not glass cannons as are rogues and barbarians, so a dps fighter will be able to wade into the the thick of battle w/o as much concern that death is always imminent.  a well-built dps fighter is an extremely reliable damage dealer, so over the course o' an entire game, it will seemingly improve.

[manageri]

 

You're not "missing" anything.. I don't know exactly why that seems to be not enough for you.

 

Your comment seems to have a bit of animosity.

 

 

I honestly did not mean any offense or animosity, though I can see how my comment might have been interpreted that way, so I apologize. I really just meant that barbarians are exactly what they seem to be at first glance - a blunt object. They deal damage and that's it. As long as you have other party members taking care of the more nuanced tasks, that's all they need to be.

 

You said it is nice single-target. I don't see how. Because, near as I can tell, the single target damage is no better than a Paladin or Fighter with the same stats and gear, unless you're half-dead.

 

 

The single target dps isn't spectacular, no. Rogues are the single target dps kings by design. I didn't mean to imply barbarian single target dps is anything incredible, just good. What makes them stand apart from other classes is the good consistent splash damage.

 

 

So, I'm asking what I think is a reasonable question of someone who uses the class: what is it about these that makes them good DPS? Is it just the combo of Carnage and One Stands Alone? (ie weaker extra attacks directed at only very close targets, other than the primary target.) Are those abilities really good enough to make Barbarian a DPS class?

 

 

In my experience carnage alone (without having to rely on one stands alone or anything else) makes them a very good dpser. Just make sure you use your casters to aoe debuff the enemy deflection.

 

And, I'm not just flaming the game, I'm asking what role this class is supposed to fill. it doesn't seem like good DPS. It's not a Tank. And, it certainly doesn't heal the party. I don't see much Mezz/CC, except fear, which a number of other classes have anyway. So, if it's not a Tank, DPS, Healer, or CC - what is its role? (I'm genuinely asking.)

 

 

AoE dps, that's it. And they're pretty good at it based on my playthrough with one as well. I don't know exactly why you seem to think they're not good at that, but it certainly doesn't mirror my experiences.

 

It looks like it's just a moderate damage, glass-cannon Melee character with very-short-range-AoE that really only does anything special if it's about to die or is surrounded by a ton of enemies.

 

 

As long as you use Savage Defiance the barbarian should easily be able to handle a few enemies spanking it. If you didn't pick that ability then I can definitely see why you might be disappointed with your barbarian's performance, as I considered it pretty vital even though my barbarian was serving a purely dps and not a tank role.

 

Anyone that can and has the time, please explain what mechanics you're relying on.

 

 

Honestly I just equipped the guy with the most badass twohander I could find and let him go mangle some faces, and I was pleased with the dps output. Use Savage Defiance when enemies target you and you should easily be able to murder them before they can return the favor. Perhaps the vital part of the puzzle you're missing is what I mentioned earlier, which is debuffing the enemy deflection to enable better carnage dps.

[Nobear]

Adino, I decided not to take it personally that you put down my build in another thread that you asked for help in, but now it seems ironic that you are reading animosity in others. I don't see animosity in what manageri said, and yes I do think rogue would be a better choice for a melee DPS for you based on the thoughts and preferences you've expressed.

 

If you had stopped there, it would have been a really great reply. Seems like the rest is an series of insults directed at me.

 

Edit: Now I've read your reply to me as well, and it seems you are reading ill intent toward you in others when it's not there. This is not a good start, and it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you are giving people a reason to dislike you if they had nothing against you at first.

 

The one thing you may be accurately reading in me is that I find your responses to help to be somewhat narrow-minded. You ask for help, you do thank people for the help (which I appreciate), but then you criticize the help and show how you can do better. This is not a particularly hard game as games go, and there's lots of leeway for people to play how they want.

 

I have a similar issue to you in that I spend a lot of time thinking about build that I could be spending playing the game on Normal or Hard without worrying so much, then replaying it more optimally on PoTD. As I've said, I've remade my character tons of times trying to optimize. You have barely started playing this game. It's good that you are seeking knowledge. However, sometimes it comes across like you are saying "Ok thanks, now I understand the game, and I've come up with this build that I know is better than any of yours, even though I haven't tested it yet." That's your thought today. Tomorrow you may learn something new about the game that changes your thinking, or you may have a new thought based on your actual experience or seemingly out of nowhere, and you will decide this other build is now the best. It happens to me too, and I have this urge to restart that's hard to resist, even though I know I'd rather experience more of the story than keep replaying Act 1. However, in my case, I take care to realize this, and so I try to present my current thinking of "the best" for me in a humble way that recognizes viable alternatives, both from other players and almost certainly from my future self. Thus, people don't get the impression that I'm attacking their build, and they don't attack me either.

 

Granted, this impression that I'm getting may not be what you mean to convey, just like manageri and I weren't meaning animosity where you read it. That's why I'm taking the time to write this. Like my Shieldbearer paladin, I'm trying to juggle that seemingly contradictory line between honest and diplomatic here, but I'll admit I tend to prioritize honesty. Even in game, I got 3 Honesty in Act 1, but I'm in Defiance Bay and still only at 1 Diplomatic .

Edited June 23, 2015 by Nobear

[Fabs]

I'm playing a barbarian on hard difficulty. He's level 8 at the moment and has done about 34k damage with Aloth 2nd at 20k. Though to be fair Aloth spends a lot of time in fights casting debuffs and crowd control spells. Anyway I have him using a pike primarily, but switching to great sword for pierce resistant enemies. Accuracy is everything to a barbarian especially with carnage having a -10 penalty. So WF: Soldier and the accurate carnage ability go a long way to making those carnage attacks hit and when they do it tends to be for 10-20 damage.

 

Now his defense sucks true, but between Eder and Pallegina tanking the enemy it's not often that he gets into trouble and when he does savage defiance can just about always heal him through it. As far as one stands alone goes most people seemed to use it when it was bugged and doing +20 damage rather than the +20% it does now having been fixed. I don't and won't take it as I would hate to put my barbarian in a position where he's tanking. Don't use blooded either as I don't want him below 50% endurance ever and that rarely happens anyway.

 

I don't know if this helps you much any. Can say I very much enjoy playing him and he does great dps. A fighter or paladin spec'd for damage might out do him on a single target, but add in carnage and it's no contest.

[Blades of Vanatar]

Playing on hard, my Barby supports my Fig & Pally sufficiently. Duel-wielding Sabres or using a Two-Hander depending on the foes. He is a Moon Godlike. High Might, Dex and Int. Supported by Druid(PC), Cleric and Ranger with Bear. he is always the 4th combatant to enter melee, the 2nd Wave. He is truly my most potent damage dealer.

[MadDemiurg]

Barb is a melee aoe dps class with some CC capability, although CC is not that obvious. He's not good at anything else. Some builds can be somewhat tanky, but he won't be a proper tank, an offtank at best.

 

Main ability that makes him good is Carnage. One Stands Alone used to be OP when it was bugged, but this is no longer the case. Most of the other barb abilities vary from decent to slightly underpowered and you can't really go wrong picking them as there are no "must haves".

 

I don't know why Carnage seems not enough for you, it's probably the strongest starting ability of any class. Secondary hits are at -10 accuracy (-5 with a talent) and -34% damage. Since damage modifiers are additive, if you have say +75% damage bonus from might and weapon, you'll be doing 175% damage to the main target and 141% to secondary targets, so damage penalty matters less the more damage bonuses you have. Provided you're hitting at least 3 targets you'll be doing 175 + 141*2 = 457% total damage with modifiers like above (but DT is obviously subtracted from each hit). On PotD you'll often be hitting 5+ enemies at the same time

 

CC comes not from the limited war cries repertoire, but rather from the fact that carnage hits apply weapon on hit effects. So if you have a weapon that knockdowns on crit you'll be able to knockdown groups of enemies with it (provided that you crit). Or if you have disorienting weapon, you'll debuff enemy defenses in AOE.

 

All in all, barbarian is a very limited class in terms of playstyle, but he's really good at what he does.

Edited June 23, 2015 by MadDemiurg

[Nobear]

Thanks Gromnir and MadDemiurg for explanations and justifications for Monk and Barbarian. These classes make a bit more sense to me now from a perspective that's not just RP. I don't know if I'll ever play one, but I'd say I'm more likely to now.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Nobear

[HoopleDoople]

I've been using a Barbarian in my party on my current PoTD run. While the Barbarian has by no means been bad, I've noticed that the Barbarian is not very useful in high leverage situations. Once you have enemies contained the Barbarian can dish out a ton of damage and provide periodic CC on top of that. But should enemies spill past your tanks, a back row character be in extreme danger, or an enemy spell caster ready something nasty, the Barbarian is not going to be a great choice. In the toughest battles I usually have to hold my Barbarian back until things calm down or he's pressed into off-tanking duty.

 

I will say that the Barbarian has been quite good for efficient cleanup. Once I've won the positioning battle and have disabled the nastiest enemies my Barbarian can help me drop the numerous weak enemies before their hits start to add up (or the 20 accuracy buff I've used on my Cipher wears off :D). I've also found Barbaric Yell to be a surprisingly useful debuff, though that may be largely due to my party lacking a Priest or Chanter.

Edited June 24, 2015 by HoopleDoople

[AshenPlanet]

For single target DPS (like bosses/dragons), no non-spellcaster can beat a rogue, but they are only single-target.

For general DPS, no non-spellcaster can match a barbarian.

 

Intelligence is a barbarian's most important stat - max it and use +int equipment.

All your attacks being area of effect gets pretty sick.

 

It really is that simple, max Intelligence, max dex, and max strength (in that order of importance), and go to town on everyone.

 

[Frond]

Question here,

 

With a high interrupt rating will the barbarian be interrupting foe with Carnage? Is a High attack speed, high interrupt rating, and high intelligence a viable build for mass interrupts?

[MalVeauX]

Heya,

 

I've seen the barbarian fondly enjoyed by role players and by min/maxers alike. The role players enjoy the savageness, the idea of it, whether the game translates that as well for some or not. The min/maxers like turning the barbarian into an effect 2nd row AOE DPS engine (naked, maxed out int/dex/might, Tall Grass, etc). It really just comes down to what you want to do.

 

I really like barbarians in idea. Not really my play style. But I like them. I like the idea of a savage brute that wades into combat and beats up everything and gets more powerful as they get hurt. Sure, it doesn't work like that in this game necessarily. But if you want AOE DPS from second row without it being a spell, Barbarians do it. The only other class to get AOE damage naturally are Wizards with implements and taking the blast and improved blast talents (wasting two talents on that...) for low AOE damage. Barbarians do much more damage with a weapon and have better AOE damage.

 

It does seem odd to me though. You would think a frenzied barbarian would be the first in a fight, charging right in. But that will get him killed quick in this game. "Oh look at those shades, I'll murder them all! Charge! *Knocked out*" It's weird that your crazy DPS barbarian is reserved.. hangs out a minute, then strikes at foes from behind a tank wall. Just weird. And if you load up your barbarian on deflection attributes and plate armors, he doesn't do damage anymore, and he has no tank-like abilities, so he's not really useful that way. So second row damage dealer it is.

 

Very best,

[MadDemiurg]

You can make a frontline barb if you max CON, wear the heaviest armor and pick talents like thick skinned. Barb is a bad deflection tank no matter how hard you try. Max CON Fire/Moon godlike barb with retal items is pretty good though. Girdle of mortal protection (-crit damage belt) is a good item to offset potential high damage from crits that gets through your DT.

[Fardragon]

They should give Barbarians this talent:

 

It's Only A Flesh Wound!: (100-armour penalty)% chance to convert crits to hits, (100-armour penalty)% chance to convert hits to grazes.

[Psychevore]

You can make a frontline barb if you max CON, wear the heaviest armor and pick talents like thick skinned. Barb is a bad deflection tank no matter how hard you try. Max CON Fire/Moon godlike barb with retal items is pretty good though. Girdle of mortal protection (-crit damage belt) is a good item to offset potential high damage from crits that gets through your DT.

I played a Barbarian with 3 con on PotD and he was beastly. You WANT that endurance to drop below 50% for the Blooded ability, pick Nature Godlike or Human for extra glory. Give him Eder's Armor or a Ring of Wonder to abuse his below 50% endurance bonuses even more. Max Might, Dex and Int, dual wield. And One Stands Alone... it was extremely good when it was still bugged, but it's still good now.

 

On higher levels, when your Barbarian gets knocked down and you have Vengeful Defeat, you'll jump of joy as you'll watch everything in a large radius take massive damage... and then he gets up again cause he has that armor or that ring to do it again.

 

It was easily the most fun character I played. I regret not making him the main character.

 

I picked these abilities:

1: Frenzy

3: Blooded

5: One Stands Alone

7: Threatening Presence

9: Vengeful Defeat

11: Heart of Fury

 

 

 

 

I don't think I've ever played a character in an an RPG that I really wanted to get hit so badly.

 

Except the Jew class in South Park

Edited July 7, 2015 by Psychevore

[MalVeauX]

Aside from Carnage, which looks like decent AoE dmg and basically requires a 2-hander to be effective against high DR enemies, what does a Barbarian get for damage that you can't get from just about any class? I understand AoE dmg is helpful, but I've found I'm not generally hitting more than 1-2 targets at a time anyway, Maybe it's my lack of experience in the game.

 

I see Heart of Fury, Carnage, One Stands Alone, Vengeful Defeat, Frenzy, Blooded, and Barbaric Blow.

 

Heart of Fury - AoE attack

Frenzy - a nice stat buff for might/att speed

Carnage - small area AoE at lower Acc and dmg

One Stands Alone - Bonus when being attacked by multiple enemies

Vengeful Defeat - Other classes have an ability similar to this

Barbaric Blow - Similar single buffed attack and subsequent carnage dmg bonuses after (If they would ever apply)

Blooded - requires gettign to 50% Endurance and staying there.

 

Is the combo of Carnage and One Stands Alone that good? Like, how much dmg does it add? Has anyone ever tested it? And, who would want to use Blooded? This seems like a class that doesn't produce enough damage for the trouble it gets into.

 

What am I missing about this class? Why do people use it/like it?

 

Heya,

 

So you're basically seeing the issue. Barbarians are a "fun" class, I guess that's a good way to put it. If you try to squeeze the most potential out of a character, some just come out on top due to mechanics and abilities, like a Rogue for example. Barbarians only have one really interesting unique ability and that's really the ability to have Carnage on a reach weapon, attacking pretty fast, and being pretty accurate and pretty hard hitting with a very high Might value potential, and you can maximize critical hit probability with it to help increase average damage. Apply that over time, and a Barbarian is an excellent melee crowd thinner. Is it ideal in the game? Maybe not. It's more probably that a caster can do the job with less limitations and with less potential to be engaged and caught in a melee brawl with no way out.

 

A lot of Barbarian fun, is about the class's concept and less about the pure mechanics in terms of making them the most efficient at something.

 

I'm enjoying my Barbarian right now in a group with a Paladin tank with Zealous Focus, making the Barbarian even more accurate. I use my Barbarian as a 2nd row melee DPS.

 

Carnage (free AOE DPS)

Frenzy (attack speed is the biggest factor I think here)

Blooded (big damage buff)

One Stands Alone (damage buff, flanking reduction)

Threatening Presence (enemy debuff, very good)

Heart of Fury (DPS)

 

With a two hand weapon and two hand weapon style for more damage, and the weapon specialization pack for the accuracy when using lances (pikes?). I like to keep two nice reach weapons on him. A piercing weapon like Tall Grass, or a crushing weapon like a Quarterstaff so that you can output ideal damage depending on the target's armor types.

 

I'm currently enjoying a play through with a Barbarian as the PC, and choosing all the Cruel/Aggressive options in the game. Pretty fun.

 

I have a Rogue in the party too. And he does sick amounts of damage, very fast. But he doesn't do it with AOE splashing crits that send trash mobs flying from behind a row of two tanks.

 

Very best,

[aartamen]

May be I am doing something wrong but  I have a PotD barbarian main and have found no reasons to not like it. I am also running without a priest b/c Durance is just too annoying to keep around.

Edited July 11, 2015 by aartamen

[Nobear]

May be I am doing something wrong but  I have a PotD barbarian main and have found no reasons to not like it. I am also running without a priest b/c Durance is just too annoying to keep around.

 

lol I find Durance funny, but that's because I'm laughing at the expense of my other companions and how uncomfortable he makes them feel.

[Fardragon]

Threatening Presence is an awesome ability, that is worth sticking with a Barbarian to get.

[lonelornfr]

I'm currently running a no tank, 3 barbarians frontline group. Sure the early game was tough, i had to use a lot of CC and rest often, but after a while it's a slaughter. If you thought carnage was good, think about carnage x3 (with weapons which inflicts CC). It's pretty fun, ill try something similar in POTD next playthrough, i'm on hard atm.