Effective Barbarian DPS build (preferably 2H)

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

 

 

Ugh, thanks, guys. I guess... Not that I am ungrateful, but as Arch-Mage said,I don't understand pretty much all of this.

But nevertheless, I thank all of you for your tips and bits of wisdom (especially Arch-Mage), which will presumably start to sink in, albeit after some time.

 

 

Hah, ok, let me try to break this down into simpler terms for you.

 

First thing is that PoE doesn't really have any "dump stats" on a class basis, but it does on a build basis. i.e., you can make a High-int, Low-strength barbarian character and make it effective, but you have to pick the right skills and weapons for that kind of build. 

 

Might gives a damage bonus on every swing / spell / action. Good for everyone who deals damage.

 

Con just gives 5% more health per point. This is generally a good stat for barbarians but extra points can be a bit of a waste -- as long as you have enough to not die, you have all you need.

 

Per is a bonus on your to-hit roll. Very useful on PotD, good for everyone, but not as necessary.

 

Dex is action speed. HIgher dex you'll do everything faster.

 

Int is duration of buffs and area of AoE's. Good for longer Frenzy, higher Carnage area, etc. 

 

Resolve is deflection -- i.e., chance the enemy hits you in combat. Higher your resolve, less often you'll be hit.

 

So all of those are good for some kinds of barbarians, depending on what kind you want to play. You can play one that's slow but hard-hitting, or fast and hard hitting but dumb, or fast and hard hitting and smart but fragile, etc. etc. etc. 

 

One popular build drops Resolve low but makes it up in Con -- you get hit a lot but you can take the hits because of how tough you are. I've got a barbarian in my party right now that has high Int, Dex, and Per, but low Might and Res, and it performs very well (but she's geared out in a very specific way). 

 

 

What I want is a barbarian that fits hard and fast, but he's not the smartest.

That's what, I think, my sirst biuld is: Death Godlike with stats: Might19, Con9, Dex10, Per18, Int13, Res9.

 

19 might to hit hard

9 con, because he's not a tank, rather 2nd line DD

10 Dex, average hit rate

18 Per for accuracy (especially with 2h)

13 Int, because Int is important also (but for this build not very)

9 Res, because it will only lower deflection a little (see con)

 

My question is: is it legit? Is it viable? Will it take me through the entire game at hard difficulty without MUCH trouble? Given right perks, talents and equipment. of course?

Or should I better reconsider it before it is too late (I've just recently recruited what's-his-face fighter near the hangman tree in Gilded Vale).

I know, that I can lower difficulty, but I want to play at hard.

That is question, I want to address to you.

 

 

 

You can make anything work and that build would probably be able to finish the game just fine. 

 

Personally, though,  if you are not playing on PotD (and I wouldn't advise PotD for a first playthrough -- it's genuinely extremely difficult if you don't know what you're doing yet), I wouldn't take Per that high (you're going to get enough buffs and gear to raise your accuracy as much as you need it raised), and I'd put those points into Int and Con. Barbarians have a very high base Endurance and Health, so the Con bonus really helps them and the con penalty really hurts them; you don't want it negative, and it's a really good idea to have a couple extra points there.

 

Int I wouldn't take below 15 or so.  

 

If you don't mind slight item/gear spoilers there are some interesting builds here : http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=416939844

They aren't perfect I don't think but they have good ideas worth thinking about. 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy

[DreamWayfarer]

If you don't mind slight item/gear spoilers there are some interesting builds here : http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=416939844

They aren't perfect I don't think but they have good ideas worth thinking about.

I wouldn't recomend that guide, many new players who read it end up thinking you need to minmax and use each class in a specific role to be effective.

 

The builds in this particular sub-forum are better alternatives for someone trying to see what is possible and learn how make one's own builds.

Edited January 26, 2016 by DreamWayfarer

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

 

If you don't mind slight item/gear spoilers there are some interesting builds here : http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=416939844

They aren't perfect I don't think but they have good ideas worth thinking about.

I wouldn't recomend that guide, many new players who read it end up thinking you need to minmax and use each class in a specific role to be effective.

 

The builds in this particular sub-forum are better alternatives for someone trying to see what is possible and learn how make one's own builds.

 

 

The problem with the guides in this forum, though, is that most of them are significantly outdated. My blunderbuss cipher build is still one of the top google results for "pillars of eternity character builds" -- someone "liked" it as recently as this morning -- but the original post was largely based on the Backer Beta and I can't go back and edit it . There are newer guides and advice in here but everything's chaotically organized at best and there are relatively few detailed, coherent, up-to-date, easily found builds for each class

 

That particular Steam guide DOES have a lot of issues but it's (relatively) up to date and I think as a source of ideas it's still worth looking at. 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy

[Mercbeast]

Can anyone explain to me why a fighter is inherently superior single target DPS to a barbarian? I didn't realize they had single target dps abilities. I haven't used a fighter since march, just too vanilla for my taste.

[Raven Darkholme]

Can anyone explain to me why a fighter is inherently superior single target DPS to a barbarian? I didn't realize they had single target dps abilities. I haven't used a fighter since march, just too vanilla for my taste.

More accuracy and a bunch of damage talents.

[DreamWayfarer]

Can anyone explain to me why a fighter is inherently superior single target DPS to a barbarian? I didn't realize they had single target dps abilities. I haven't used a fighter since march, just too vanilla for my taste.

Disciplined barrage for +20 accuracy and passives for further weapon specialization and for -16% armor recovery penalty. And they already start with more accuracy.

 

And they have more starting deflection than barbarians and constant recovery, allowing you to worry less about their survival and focus more on damage.

 

It does not sound like much, but in the end Fighters are much better at being fire and forget single target bruisers.

Edited January 26, 2016 by DreamWayfarer

[AndreaColombo]

More like -20% armor recovery penalty since 2.03 (and I think Disciplined Barrage is +15 Accuracy)

 

On top of the already mentioned features, Knock Down and Sundering Blow are definitely single-target DPS abilities, alongside Confident Aim.

Edited January 26, 2016 by AndreaColombo

[DreamWayfarer]

More like -20% armor recovery penalty since 2.03 (and I think Disciplined Barrage is +15 Accuracy)

I just recruited Edér and an adventurer, and in 3.0 it is +20 accuracy. Which is good, since I like to give INT to my martial characters.

[AndreaColombo]

I just recruited Edér and an adventurer, and in 3.0 it is +20 accuracy.

 

Oh, yeah.

[foma_mgppu]

Why do you make me think about abandoning barbarian for fighter??? J\J

[AndreaColombo]

Because it might be a better fit for the kind of play style you're after (Monk would also be good fit if single-target DPS is your thing and you want cooler-looking moves.)

[Raven Darkholme]

Why do you make me think about abandoning barbarian for fighter??? J\J

Fighters are not that good, just use the barb as AoE damager as intended and he is definitely contributing more.

I had a fighter in my 3 chicks party (with pala and cipher) and really regretted not to have taken a chanter.

[AndreaColombo]

Fighters are not that good

 

I had a fighter in my 3 chicks party (with pala and cipher) and really regretted not to have taken a chanter.

 

Blasphemy!

[Boeroer]

I think one of the best things a dps fighter can have (and others cannot) is Armored Grace. With durgan steel and all the +x% damage things you can be a fast hitting single target monsterturtle that doesn't go down easily - even if you don't use a shield. In some tough fights (like WM bounties) the high level fighters (and monks) are giving me the hardest times.

[foma_mgppu]

Because it might be a better fit for the kind of play style you're after (Monk would also be good fit if single-target DPS is your thing and you want cooler-looking moves.)

So, yeah, I am trying all of the classes and now I am playing monk. Obviously, you all, who suggested single-target DPS (like monk) indtead of multi-targed DPS (like barbarian) were right =)

I am having SO MUCH fun!!!