BvC guide by ReactioN's

[In[F]ec[T]eD]

Reaction’s PvP WW Barb

Well I was looking around for WW Barb guides and I noticed that there weren’t very many or updated guides and I have seen several people ask for them so I’ve decided to share my build with everyone .

This barb is mainly used for team duels but if used correctly it can clear out some pub games pretty quickly. I know some people don’t like going unperm so I will post MY build AND some alternatives.

Index

I.My Barb
II.Gear
III.Barb Info
IV.Different Builds
V.Strategy
VI.Conclusion


I. My Barb
Character Name: nS-ReactioN
Life: 7.4K (8.2K w/ Prebuff Mana: 731



II. Gear
399/39 Grief Zerker
265/31 Beast Zerker (Lost my sexy one =[ )
38/15 Verdungos
2x Perm Order Spirals (FCR rings with Life, Mana, and Res)
Perm 08 Highlords (Same stats as a Normal one but with 30 FRW)
Perfect 30/31 ‘BerBer’ Coa
Wiz Spike Gloves
Perm Order Spurs (Boots with FRW, FHR, STR, High Res Boots)
2x Hotos on Switch
Wyrmhide Enigma
36x3/20/20’s (3 Max 20 AR 20 Life Scs) If you can’t afford these you can just use a combination of any scs, lcs, gcs with max/ar/life mods on them or AR/Life Gcs,gcs, and lcs.
1x 290 SC
20/20/10 Perm Anni
20/18 Barb Torch

Stash
194% ED Eth ‘Zod’ Arreats
5 Bo ‘LoLo’ 34 Life Magic Helm
Spider
2x Sojs for Prebuff
+3 Warcries Ammy for Prebuff
Demon Limb (Enchant Charges)
Angelic Set
Gores
1x 5 FHR Sc (To reach FHR BP)
Gale Strap (10 FCR 24 FHR 60 Life 10 STR Res Belt) To reach 86 FHR BP

III. Barb Info
Stats and Skills (My Barb)
Max:
Whirlwind
Battle Orders
Axe Mastery
16 Leap (18 yd Leap is necessary to stun opponents from a screen away)
15 Shout
1 Battle Command
1 Berserk
1 Increased Speed
1 Iron Skin
1 Natural Resistance

Requisites:
1 Howl
1 Bash
1 Stun
1 Concentrate
1 Increased Stamina

Hotkeys (My Hotkeys)
Right Click:
F1- Tele
F2- WW
F3- Berserk
F5- BO
F6- Shout
F7- BC

Left Click:
F4- Leap

Recommended Skills
20 Whirlwind
20 Battle Orders
20 Axe Mastery
15 Leap
15 Shout
Rest goes into Shout

Stats
Strength- None (Most barbs are able to use COA with base STR but if you can’t just put enough to use it)
Dex- None
Vita- All (You will want to cram every single stat into here in order to pump up your life (4 Life Per Stat Point)
Energy- None (You will get enough mana from your gear)

FCR and FHR
The best FCR that can be used for a barb is 63% but if you dislike being unperm you can just use 37%. As for FHR, you will need a 24 FHR Belt and a 5 FHR sc in stash in order to reach the 86 FHR BP when dueling sins (Helps a lot when getting mb’ed).

IV. Different Builds (Gear Wise)

1)Enigma
COA
2x Angelic Ring
Angelic Ammy
Wiz Gloves
Gore Riders
Spider
Grief + Beastz

2)Arreats (Perm)
Enigma
Highlords
Spider
2x Fcr Rings
Trang Gloves
Imps
Grief + Beastz

3)Arreats
Wiz Gloves
Verdungos
Imps
2x Fcr Rings
Highlords
Enigma
Grief + Beastz

4) 08 Valk
Wiz Gloves
2x Angelic Rings
Angelic Ammy
Verdungos
Imps
Enigma
Grief + Beastz

5)CoA
Wiz Gloves
2x Fcr Rings
Verdungos
Imps
Enigma
Highlords
Grief + Beastz



V. Strategy
Im not really used to pubbing but I know a lot of people are so ill just point out when to use sorb :p in my opinion sorb is not needed to beat any character except a FC zon (it pisses me off that they use a program so I just slap my tgods,wisps on and I prebuff fade ) but I know a lot of people are used to doing it. These are all the characters that I remember but if I miss any let me know.

Bowzon- These can be somewhat hard for some people but it should be pretty easy after you get the hang of a barb. Make sure to pack max DR and to tele around for a while and not charge them (It works sometimes but it will get you killed most of the time if the zon is good). Tele around for a while and let her spam (teleing around the zon works pretty well) until you find an opening. If you are quick enough the zon will not swap to ss and will die in 1-2 WW’s but if she does switch just keep on teleing on her and don’t back down until she’s dead (try teleing in front of her so you can catch her running).

FC Zon- Like I said, these are pretty much the only characters I sorb so you don’t really need any strategy against them. If you decide NOT to sorb them, you have to be very careful and quick. You CANNOT give them time to nail you with FC so when charging them you have to judge the distance between you and the zon and tele without namelocking. One WW will send them into a FHR lock and they will start blocking and dodging your ww but don’t give up or you’ll be dead in a heartbeat. Keep WW’ing until they are dead or until they start running (makes them really easy to hit and they can’t attack you).

Zealers/Smiters- I tend to have a lot of trouble with these but with a bit of practice and patience they can be killed. First, put on your angelics, gores, and enchant yourself. The smart thing to do is to stay back and wait for them to come to you. NEVER and I mean NEVER WW into them, this is a sure way to get owned. Always WW away from them and clip them from the sides until they die.

Chargers- These guys are pretty easy (You don’t even need to use angelics,gores, etc). Just wait for them to get close and start running the opposite way of where the charger is. As he is about to hit, charge back into him and this should hurt him pretty bad. Repeat this process over and over again until he is dead.

Hammerdin- Ahhh the good ol’ Hammerdin >.< This is the character that I struggle with the most and its made it kind of annoying now that every pub is filled with at least one. First, equip your angelics, gores, and enchant yourself. If he teleports on you, start making short ww’s AWAY from the Hdin, NEVER try ww’ing through hdin or you will
Get owned even if they are low on life (this is the mistake that I often make, I get anxious L ). However, if he is a desyncher it’s a bit more different. When you duel a desyncher, the outcome will be decided by your distance judgment. Wait for him to get close and start observing the direction that he’s charging in. Most of the time they will be ahead by quite a bit (because of desynch) and some barbs will make the mistake of trying to namelock which only causes them to tele right into the hammer field that they just behind them. What I tend to do is point my mouse 2-3 Inches in front of the pally and then ww towards where he is headed. Don’t get anxious and charge them because you’ll often find yourself teleing through a hammer field.

BvC’s & Shield Barbs- These duels annoy me a lot. For SS barbs, just put your angelics, gores, enchant and make sure to have max DR and then ww around until he tele’s on you. Shield barbs are VERY hard to kill but it’s possible to kill to own some of them . For BvC’s put on angelics, gores, and enchant yourself. This duel is pretty much luck (First one to hit wins the majority of the time).

Light Sentry Trapper- I find these to be quite easy but some good sins will give you a hard time. If it’s a camping sin tele around them and do not be predictable. Wait for an opening and go in fast, most of the time you will hit them and they should go down pretty fast (except if it’s a claw sin) but if they move out of the way they will mb you while you’re in ww. I prefer to just ww out of mb and repeat the process but some people just enjoy tanking and they try to bowling ball the sin (works sometimes but I find it kind of stupid ).

Wake of Fire Trapper- Same strategy as light trappers but these can be a bit more annoying. Even though they are not as strong as light trappers, they will stun the shit out of you. Just make sure to not be predictable and strike them when least expected.

Whirlwind/Kicker Sins- Whirlwind sins are extremely easy. If you get beat by one something is wrong. Same goes for a kicker. All you need to do is equip your angelics, gores, and enchant and then ww away

Blizzers/Orb Sorcs- Some of these are pretty tough but with patience and practice they aren’t as tough. Max Block blizzers will give you some trouble and you have to be extremely quick. Most max block sorcs will tank the first ww and blizz right ontop or corner blizz you as you are trying to escape. Good barbs will tank 3 to 4 blizzes at the most so you have to make quick work out of these. What I like to do is triangle ww and clip them from the sides. This will make it harder for the sorc to get a solid hit on you. If you are getting hit tele away and wait for her to chase you and then start leaping. As she is being knocked back quickly tele on top and ww (they will tele away a lot of the times before you hit them but it if you are quick enough you can nail her with a solid ww).

Light Sorcs/ES- I don’t really consider these a threat even with ES. They will spam lightning at you and try to run but most of them get inpatient and try charging you. Leap until you start knocking them back and quickly tele and ww them. A normal light sorc will die in 1 or 2 hits max. However, an ES sorc will tank 2-3 at the most but its not as hard if you triangle ww them.

Fireball Sorc- I find Fbers kind of difficult to duel at times. Do not let yourself become victim of their spam, find some cover and wait for her to get close. Leap until she starts being knocked back and quickly tele and ww. Max block fbers will be a bit tough to hit but a barb that has mastered the triangle ww will make short work out of them (try to avoid long ww’s, she will spam directly at you and you will be dead by the time that you are out of the ww.

Elemental Druid- I consider this to be a pretty even match. The most useful skill in this duel is leap. If you tele on them without leaping you will find yourself in the middle of tornado spam. What you have to do is keep leaping until the druid is pushed away from his summons. If he is not being pushed away enough just keep repeating the same process until you have a nice opportunity. Without his summons and and sage they will tank 2-3 wws at the most (Some can tank a bit more). A technique that I use is called tele zerk but it is kind of difficult to master it. What I do when dueling druids is change my hotkeys and then get a namelock on HIM not the summons with left click berserk and he will start walking towards the druid. While you have him with a namelock, tap the tele hotkey on right click and your barb will automatically tele on the druid and start chopping away with berserk. This is very useful if the leap technique isn’t working for you.

Bone Necros- These are one of the toughest opponents for a barb (High FHR and bone armor lets them tank). Find some cover and do not let yourself be hit by spirits. After he gets close start leaping until you have him in a FHR lock and then quickly tele and ww on him. If you miss try to get out as fast as possible because the necro will take advantage of this and spam spirit at you while you’re in ww. It all depends on the dueling style of the necro..if he is aggressive this should be a pretty quick duel.

Summon Necros- These are kind of annoying at times but can be dealt with the same way as Ele Druids. I believe that using tele zerk is way easier than leaping them away from their summons but it really comes down to the person using the barb.

VI. Conclusion
Barb has been one of my favorite chars during my Diablo 2 experience and can be one of the most well balanced characters after a bit of practice. Mastering the Barb takes a lot of patience but it pays off in the end. If you don’t do well at the beginning, don’t give up and keep at it even if you’re not doing very well and it will eventually pay off.

I am open to all suggestions but no flaming I will be adding more things in the future to this guide. If you need help with your Barb (or any character, I have pretty much all of them ;D) just pm me here or whisper me on:
*nS(ReactioN)
*FeaR[ReactioN]



Additional Comment:
Mods, please move this guide to wherever you want I wasn't sure where to put it o.o

[Bartender]

Finally, a bvc guide, but..

1. Barb vs caster, meaning DR is not needed (verdungos)
2. Wiz Spike gloves? You gotta be kidding me. Draculs ALWAYS for the OW and str.
3. For pubbing you should use 2x ravens, arach, and draculs ( more OW, AR, 40 or 70 fcr is not needed, 20 is enough)

OW - If you start using draculs, your OW will be pretty high, so wait 6-10 seconds between attacks, and vs hammerdins a widowmaker is very useful.

And about that 290 sc, don't use it, it disables DS and CB, one of the two or both, I forget. It's just a teeny bit of damage that it adds, and you're using that teeny bit of damage over doing 2x damage on occasion?

Just some tips, don't find them offensive, you play nl right? When ladder re rolls I would like to duel you.

[In[F]ec[T]eD]

Finally, a bvc guide, but..

1. Barb vs caster, meaning DR is not needed (verdungos)
2. Wiz Spike gloves? You gotta be kidding me. Draculs ALWAYS for the OW and str.
3. For pubbing you should use 2x ravens, arach, and draculs ( more OW, AR, 40 or 70 fcr is not needed, 20 is enough)

OW - If you start using draculs, your OW will be pretty high, so wait 6-10 seconds between attacks, and vs hammerdins a widowmaker is very useful.

And about that 290 sc, don't use it, it disables DS and CB, one of the two or both, I forget. It's just a teeny bit of damage that it adds, and you're using that teeny bit of damage over doing 2x damage on occasion?

Just some tips, don't find them offensive, you play nl right? When ladder re rolls I would like to duel you.

like i said this is MY build and I only use it for GM pk so dracs are not an option + OW isn't very useful..and believe me 20 FCR is not enough for a BvC so i dont know where you got that from o.o..as for the dungos, you're telling me you dont need DR for druids, other BvC's, etc? A good druid will kill your barb without much effort without DR. And about the 290, could someone please verify that psn dmg disables ds or cb? The poison cap in GM pk is 300 psn dmg but you can always replace the 290 with another max ar life sc. From my understanding DS only counts towards the physical damage, not the psn dmg...well anyways yes i am on non ladder and I'd be glad to duel you just let me know when

[Bartender]

Well, 20 fcr is enough but you have to be very good at leaping and being patient. I don't like the idea of the dungos setup because you can get 40 from enigma + coa.
Draculs doesn't cast while wwing, only GA, and GA doesn't do much damage, meaning you barely get ANY life from life tap, the OW does the damage but that doesn't give you life.
On that #2 setup, you should switch trangs gloves with Draculs, the breakpoint is 63, not 60. And trangs gloves doesn't add anything useful other than cold res. Draculs adds str and ow.

[PoTatoes]

nice sexy guide....bookmarked it

[snoboy]

haha hector u got owned but wizzy glvoes= resis for casters OMG GO FIGURE FOR A BARB VS CASTERS! YAY! druid= caster, tornado = physical, dmage reduction = reducing physical dmg, dr= less tornado dmg from druid (caster) for bvc YAY!

[Loits]

Forti>hammer, you have to allow for a eq set where you can equip it with base strength.

[In[F]ec[T]eD]

you can easily use it with base str =/

[FraterPerdurabo]

Pretty good. Stickied + moved.

[Design]

very nice gude