LLD101

[ThatGuy]

Barb build: Equipment

Hmm...I haven't quite tried an azurewrath level 18 barb, should be fun, BUT......

Azurewrath is slow. Too slow. You don't want that on your barb. Sorry to burst your bubble if that's what you planned to use. You can try it out if you want though.

Cow king boots, dual angelic rings//amulet are the "musts" for your build. No melee 13-19 setup can go without them.

Death's gloves and sash are your friends. Use them. Very good bonuses.

60 max armor is fine.

Shield, this is where it gets tricky. Personally, I use a 30 max 7% DTM (damage to mana) 30/20 deflect mods vulpine bone shield of deflecting. Bone shields give highest block. Basically, your only viable choice is a 2 socket bone shield of deflecting. Anything lower quality will not suffise.

Helm, for lower budget you can use a +45 max damage 3 sock mask/great helm/crown. Preferrably crown since great helm is 63 str required and your (I assume your armor is a gothic plate) armor is 60 str required. Mask is low str required, great but crown is 55 and has higher defence, so no need to worry.

Of course, you could always aim for that godly 3 socket barb helm with +concentrate...which I have

And of course your weapon...a 6 socket military pick filled with +15 max damage jewels is your best friend. If you really don't want to go through the hassle of getting those jewels, then use the crystal sword. Be warned, though, that crystal sword attacks slower and you won't be getting as much effectiveness.

OR...you can use ceglaws sword for a big AR bonus and the same 50% deadly strike, same speed as a military pick, the only trade-off is lower damage. It's your choice.

Yes, this build is jewel demanding for sure.

Fill your inventory with +6 damage/AR/some mod grand charms, and the lower spaces with +15 life small charms. If you want to go for the more life route, swap as many grand charms with +15 life small charms until you like what you see. Don't be a fool and put a horadric cube in your inventory like I used to do

Barb build: Stats and Skills

Stats

Strength: Just the right amount to use each of your gear, with charms. Don't bother worrying about the str glitch, it gives better "hacker" accusations from noob idiots

Dexterity: Just the right amount to achieve 75% blocking with your shield. Remember, you won't have to add too much since cow kings boots add +20 dexterity.

Vitality: Everything you would have left over.

Energy: Do I really need to say anything about this? Pretend this doesn't even exist.

Dont add any stats until you hit level 18, then start distributing your stats in conjuction with wearing your charms, just to avoid any errors.

Skills

1 Bash
1 Stun
1 Concentrate
1 Howl
1 Shout
Rest into mastery of whatever weapon you're using.

Now, you have some alternatives...You can abandon the shout if you think you don't need the extra defence boost, and you could put those 2 points from Howl/Shout into your mastery. You could also try and get a point into Battle Cry For those sweet handicaps to your opponents. Although it doesn't last too long, it's an awesome tool to cripple enemies. Unfortuneately, if you decide to go for Battle Cry, you'll have to sacrifice a couple points from your mastery into those other skills.

If, however, you find a 3 sock barb helm with +Shout and/or +Battle cry already on them, my hat's off to you. It'll save you some skill points. If you find a 3 sock +3 concentrate +3 Battle cry +3 shout barb helm, holy shit. I'd have to kill you.

Remember if you choose to invest points into warcries, put two +1 warcries weapons on switch (weapons that you can weild without adding more stats for str/dex to weild, i.e. throwing spear is a no no, but a javelin/war jevelin is good).

That should cover the Stats/skills section.

Barb build: Dueling Tactics

Alright, here's your final step. Time to learn HOW to use the barb.

Rule #1: Don't run with sharp objects.

Remember, at the start of ANY melee duel, press 'R' and make sure your character is walking.

Q: Why should I walk? Running is faster and easier!
A: Your blocking gets cut down by 2/3, therefore allowing your opponents to crush you. Always walk.

Rule #2: Don't be a sitting duck.

This applies for both melee and ranged. When fighting melee, if you seem to have a hard time hitting an opponent, or you're just getting your ass handed to you in a long rally, walk away a bit, and re-engage. Believe me, it might sound stupid, but breaking off a battle to slow down momentum can save your life quite a bit. When you fight ranged, dont just sit there and tank their shots unless they are TRULY pathetic (i.e any public person you meet).

Rule #3: Dodge!

I cannot stress the fact about how high level duelers simply run straight towards a sorc trying to swipe at them. All the sorc has to do is shoot, boom boom dead. Aim is barely involved.

Remember, when you chase down a ranged person, move a bit. Never run in a straight line, because that will leave you open to fire. Zig-zag a bit, anticipate shots, cut them off instead of name-locking onto them. It's usually best to run past a ranged char, stop, let them run next to you, and clothesline them.

Rule #4: Duel with honor.

Don't be BM (Nking, TGing, Cussing out, whatever). Don't give llding a bad name. When in a duel, die, don't run to town due to lag or some other reason. Don't carry too much gold, since people will always steal it after. If you need to make repairs, find the nearest complete jackass or a gold stealer, kill them, and use that gold. They deserve it.

That should cover everything you need to know. Any other things you might want to discuss with me, just PM me back.

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Here it is folks, in all its originality!

[Saytun]

When I asked if you could give my friend some tips on an 18 conc barb I was expecting a quick item/skill placement list

This is great, thankyou buddy

Saytun

[weaponry_mace]

Few clarifications. I have a lvl 18 conc barb.

Equipment: Similar except for the armour. I have chosen the twitchthroe for the good mods. Are those good mods worth the lower def?

Skills allocation: Since I am using a twitchthroe, which options would be more appropriate:

Option 1:
Axe mastery = 18
Bash = 9
Stun = 1
Concentrate = 1

Option 2:
Axe mastery = 18
Bash = 1
Stun = 1
Concentrate = 1
Howl = 1
Shout = 7

Btw, I have completed nm and hell quests too. Is that legitimate for lld?

[weaponry_mace]

Hmm ... since I am not a member, the edit function is not available to me.

Charms: U have suggested to use strength charms. But from my calculations, best strength charm = LC with 5 str which translates to 20 hp which is less than 2 x 15 sc = 30. Well, unless u r suggesting 6/ar/6 str gcs.

One more thing, atm Im using death touch - planning to rebuild the conc barb based on military pick.

[weaponry_mace]

Anyone has any comments?

[VoicesLLD]

[zolas2]

I have read for a barb, the war axe is the same speed as the pick, where the war axe has more dmg. thats what i used, but im not too sure. anyone know?

[ATOMICMAN]

a war axe is not the same speed its 0 where a pick is -10

[ThatGuy]

A pick is faster and has easier handling reqs, whereas a war axe is slower and heavier but hits harder and has a longer range. You have to decide the trade-off on your own.

If, however, you go for the war axe and you decide to stay relatively slow, I would highly suggest getting an ancient armor as your 60 max armor.

Amazing, my guide was bumped at least 2 pages

[Chathsolen]

how well did this barb do in duels ?

just curious cause i was looking at making a lvl 18 duler other then a druid and this seems pretty easy to make.

do you have any mana problems ? or is the dtm from the shield and angelics enough to solve that ?

[VoicesLLD]

you can get up to 12% DTM for your vulpine bone shield, coupled with the 20% from angelics, that is more than enough to keep you sustained.

[ThatGuy]

Won vs everyone but I lost twice vs rancid's zon, twice vs (something)-Alucard, 50-50 with Atom ( ) and lost all but 2-3 fights with Saytun

[hero-lld]

old old post,
with weapon speed (mili pick)..... deaths plus twitch = 50 ias
bp is at 52 and the one below that is 30 so the 30 ias from deaths is a waste.
bloodfists plus twitch = 30 ias ( exact bp)
i would much rather tiwtch plus bloodfists ( life, fhr, 5 min, str, dex)
not to mention u get the fhr break point at 48
please some 1 tell me if im wrong


i guess poeple might wanna use 60 max armor but twitch works much better for me

[just shdw]

what r the fhr bp's?
have a spare 80 max 15% superior gothic in stash just incase joel, and try diff things

[B[x]]