Frenzy: Max Damage and Uber Guide 1.11

[Volvagia]

Just to add to the Last Wish vs. Death argument..

Last Wish provides Lifetap, thus making dracs virtually useless provided you have another form of open wounds equipped. This however, allows you to switch them out for say...Laying of Hands. A huge fire resist boost, some extra ias, and most importantly +350% Damage to Demons. That should be enough to put LW over Death in terms of damage, at least against bosses.

 

[canudig]

exactly why I like LW over Death.....If you really really need life tap, go LW with Dracs

 

[Tetrodome]

I just did Uber Tristram on my frenzy barb last night. I accidentally pulled Meph and Baal at the same time, so I couldn't hold myself up with just pots using amp dmg. I put my dracul's on and swung away at ubermeph while howling minions away. It took a really long time to kill meph since my swings were being shared by baal and his clone, baal kept manaburning me, and meph kept regenning from me not hitting as often as I'd like. After about 4 minutes of repositioning and howling, I finally killed Meph (note, my fade and BO ran out, so I essentially killed Meph with 2500hp). Once Meph was down, I took my drac's off and easily cleared Baal and Diablo using the amp damage method. If I can pull Meph out on his own, I'm pretty sure I can kill him without lifetap.

My main dilemma now is to decide between crafting 10ias/3ll/10cb/12str blood gloves (10 attempts, not one pair of gloves with IAS) to replace dracul's stat-for-stat with ias improvements or to just spend 12 stat points on strength and get a pair of laying of hands for the bonus damage to demons.

 

[MaStAViC]

Hi, I am building a Barbarian according to this guide, but would like to know which exact weapons (and setup to compliment those weapons) would be the best for Uber Tristram. I have not used any of the weapons listed (not a single one) and have no idea which would be the best one. The Barbarian will be fighting alongside a Paladin most of the time, and the Paladin has the following auras, if that helps: level 13 Defiance, level 25 Conviction, level 15 Holy Shock, and level 17 Might.

If your Barb has,

4500+ Life, 10-25% Phys Res, 45%+ Ele Res*, 00-25% LL : use LifeTap.
5500+ Life, 25-35% Phys Res, 60%+ Ele Res*, 25-35% LL : use Decrepify.
6500+ Life, 35-50% Phys Res, 75%+ Ele Res*, 35-50% LL : use Amp Damage.

There's no point using Amp if you're weak as piss, because your just going to get ownd. Badly.
There's no point using Tap if you're buff as an ox, since you'd be limiting your damage potential.

I am a bit confused about this part, because I do not know how I would be able to figure out which of the three (Life Tap, Decrepify, and Amplify Damage) builds I should be going for until I actually have the Barbarian almost done.

Thank you,
Victor Ly

 

[Spankeh]

Your life, phys/element resists, and life leech are dictated by the quality of your items and charms.
to get 30x 20 life sc's with resists for eg.. dont drop from the sky, so everyones totals vary once all their items are equipped. Obviously, as you aquire better items, these stats go up, but some ppl will never get their barb to over 6500 life.

"6500+ Life, 35-50% Phys Res, 75%+ Ele Res*, 35-50% LL : use Amp Damage"

To get these stats, your going to need the following:

6500+ life: 37x 20life sc's
35-50% Phys Res: Ber'd Arreats Face CoH Armor String of Ears
75%+ Elemental Res: 10x 5%all Resist sc's Ber'd Arreats Face CoH Armor
35-50% Life Leech: Ber'd Arreats Face CoH Armor String of Ears Ebotd

Finding 37x 20 life sc's isnt that easy, especially with 10 of them also need 5% all resists.
The physical resist is a little short, but the benefits outway the loss of Arreats helm to a CoA ber ber's helm, to make over 35%.
Most (about 75%) damage in ubertrist is elemental, so 31% Physical resist is good enough.
The Fade skill would REALLY suit with its +12% phys resists and +50% elemental resists, but changing/prebuffing I try to minimise.

Equipping dual eth lacerators on switch are four fold.

1st, they do more damage than non eth (which in turn gives more leech)
2nd, etheral are easier to equip (10 less strength spenditure.
3rd, Open wounds paramout to have (and get started quickly) in UTrist.
4th, the almighty Amp Damage curse.
Amp damage curse completely blows lifetap out of the water, and is the most powerful (damage wise) curse in the game for a mellee char.
Not only does it kill enemies much faster, it increases your leech by 2/3rds. since leech is dictated by damage taken, not dealt.

Obviously to make a successful ubertrist barb using Amp Damage is very expensive, but is as fast as a smiter when killing the 3 uber prime evils.

 

[MaStAViC]

Thank you for the reply and the thorough explanation. If I were to build the character you just explained above, what would the main weapons be? Would they be two ethereal Breath of the Dying weapons (Berserker Axe or Colossus Blade?)? You initially pointed out that you used two EDeathEttins, but then later stated "the dual edeathettins or edeathz's with a Faith Merc aint such a good idea, in Ubertrist." You did not, however, make a better suggestion.

For the items (other than the weapon), this is what I am aiming to get:
Arreat's Face Slayer Guard (almost perfect/perfect)
Chain of Honor Archon Plate (almost perfect)
String of Ears Demonhide Sash (perfect and upgraded)
Raven Frost Ring (almost perfect/perfect)
Rare Ring with Decent/Good Mods similar to what you stated: 8% LL 20 Str 15 Dex 120 AR 11% All Resist Ring
Laying of Hands Bramble Mitts
Gore Rider War Boots
Highlord's Wrath Amulet

Thank you,
Victor Ly

 

[Spankeh]

First up, the 2x edeathettins kick massive butt, but once your act 1 faith merc dies, attack speed drops dramatically, that its best to get a good fpa without relying on your merc living.
So best to go ebotdz and edeathz for the deadly strike and crushing blow.

Axes swords decrepify amp damage... Seriously.... how rich are you. Can u afford items/charms that buff a barb so heavily that you can go the amp damage route?

Are you actually going the amp damage build?

Can you afford 37x 20 life sc's, of which 10 also have 5% all resist as second mod? Thats equivelant to over 500Hrs in trade value alone just there.
The remaining 27x 20 life sc's need 3Max/20 AR as second mod.
Add another 800+ HR's.
"Rare Ring with Decent/Good Mods similar to what you stated: 8% LL 20 Str 15 Dex 120 AR 11% All Resist Ring"
Do realize this ring would be worth over 100HRs in trade value, if not a lot more. VERY difficult to acquire one even with half the stats.
The Amp Damage casting Frenzier needs perfect items, to buff him so highly, so that he can receive massive damage without dying, whilst dealing massive damage via Amp.

Going Zerker axes would be the best choice here, because:

1st: Higher damage than colossal blades, but not much.
2nd: Lower requirements than colossal blades.
3rd: Faster swing rate than colossal blades, but not enough for max fpa.
4th: Axe Mastery increases damage/attack rating for both Zerkers and Winged Axe (for mellee)

If we Ber an arreats, we miss out on a xx%ed/15%ias jewel, which means we miss out on a 5fpa, and instead get a 5.5fpa (at lvl 32 Frenzy) by a measly 2%ias.
Yes, 2%
This is unfortunate, but, damage reduction just cant be neglected, you will get hammered in there without it.
If this was to be a Decrepify build, then you wouldn't worry about Ber'ing your arreats, because you dont need as much Damage Reduction.
You would put a xx%ed/15%ias jewel in it instead for added damage and speed hitting 5fpa.

But anyway, for Amp casting use:

EbotdZ on main hand (above you glove slot)
EdeathZ on off hand (above boot slot)
ELacerator x2 on switch


Merc
Act 2 Nightmare Offensive (Might Aura) for higher damage or Act 2 Nightmare Defensive (Holy Freeze Aura) for additional safety.
Guillemae Face Ber'd
CoH Archon Plate
Obedience Thresher or Infinity Cryptic Axe

Add in all your uber leet charms that I know you have mounting up on your countless accounts of mules, (barb torch and anni would be prudent), howl away all them damn minions, cast amp and open wounds, switch to ebotdz and edeathz and watch chunks of ubers life drop quickly, whilst you are receiving small but worthwhile leech, plus absorbing considerable physical and elemental damage.

Have fun, and let me know how leet you can get his stats to... :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :wave: :wave:

 

[MaStAViC]

Axes swords decrepify amp damage... Seriously.... how rich are you. Can u afford items/charms that buff a barb so heavily that you can go the amp damage route?

Are you actually going the amp damage build?

Can you afford 37x 20 life sc's, of which 10 also have 5% all resist as second mod? Thats equivelant to over 500Hrs in trade value alone just there.
The remaining 27x 20 life sc's need 3Max/20 AR as second mod.
Add another 800+ HR's.
"Rare Ring with Decent/Good Mods similar to what you stated: 8% LL 20 Str 15 Dex 120 AR 11% All Resist Ring"
Do realize this ring would be worth over 100HRs in trade value, if not a lot more. VERY difficult to acquire one even with half the stats.
The Amp Damage casting Frenzier needs perfect items, to buff him so highly, so that he can receive massive damage without dying, whilst dealing massive damage via Amp.

When you stated 27 "20life sc's" in your other reply, I thought you meant just plain 20 life small charms (darn, I already spent several hours trading for over a dozen of them). With some time, I am able to get each of those with a PUL rune, and eight PUL runes equal a high rune, so that would only cost about four high runes. I did not know that you meant they would need 3 Maximum Damage and 20 AR on them as well.

So no, I will not be able to afford that build, so I apologize for wasting your time. What items under this build would be able to be made with roughly a dozen to two dozen high runes? Would the "5500+ Life, 25-35% Phys Res, 60%+ Ele Res*, 25-35% LL : use Decrepify" be possible, or should I be going the "4500+ Life, 10-25% Phys Res, 45%+ Ele Res*, 00-25% LL : use LifeTap" route? And for the route that would work, should I still be using an ethereal Breath of the Dying Berserker Axe and an ethereal Death Berserker Axe?

These are the items that I will be able to get:
Arreat's Face Slayer Guard (almost perfect/perfect)
Chain of Honor Archon Plate (almost perfect)
String of Ears Demonhide Sash (perfect and upgraded)
Raven Frost Ring (almost perfect/perfect)
Rare Ring with Decent/Good Mods as similar as possible to what you stated: 8% LL 20 Str 15 Dex 120 AR 11% All Resist Ring
Laying of Hands Bramble Mitts
Gore Rider War Boots
Highlord's Wrath Amulet
Decent Annihilus Charm
19/19 Barbarian Hellfire Torch

This is actually my girlfriend's Barbarian who I am help building. Her and I are planning to run Uber Tristram for fun after she's done with this Barbarian (I'm hoping as soon as possible). She's already leveled the character up and am just standing idly by, waiting for me to find out more from you (I am going to feel so bad if this build doesn't work out after she put so many days into the character with such high hopes). Thanks for the help so far!

Thank you,
Victor Ly

 

[Spankeh]

90% of frenziers go the lifetap build because:

1. Its cheap
2. Its safe
3. Its quick (to make the build)

Dump BotD and Death, and go Beast and LW Zerkers, add in Dracs instead of LoH, and everyone is happy. Quick easy build and gets you ubering.

Amp Damage build just kills faster
Decrepify slower
Lifetap slowest

If you have never ubered with a frenzier before, I would never recommend going a Amp Damage build, omg just go lifetap dude, or youll get ownd.

 

[MaStAViC]

90% of frenziers go the lifetap build because:

1. Its cheap
2. Its safe
3. Its quick (to make the build)

Dump BotD and Death, and go Beast and LW Zerkers, add in Dracs instead of LoH, and everyone is happy. Quick easy build and gets you ubering.

Amp Damage build just kills faster
Decrepify slower
Lifetap slowest

If you have never ubered with a frenzier before, I would never recommend going a Amp Damage build, omg just go lifetap dude, or youll get ownd.

Thank you very much for this reply! With this, I know exactly what gear the Barbarian needs now (and I can afford it!). I really appreciate your quick replies and all of your help =)

I'm thinking the Barbarian won't need a Rogue mercenary wielding a Faith bow anymore, but I could be wrong. What hireling would work best for this Barbarian?

Thanks!
Victor Ly

 

[Spankeh]

For your Merc:

Want lots of aura's going? OK, ahahaa this will be a fun build.

Go
Act 2 Normal Defence Merc. Gives you Defiance Aura
Helm: Ebugged Dream Demonhead. Gives you Holy Shock Aura
Armor: Ebugged Dragon Archon Plate. Gives you Holy Fire Aura
Weapon: EDoom Cryptic Axe. Gives you Holy Freeze Aura

You will have:
LW Zerk Gives you Might Aura
Beast Zerl Gives you Fanata Aura.

Hehe, he probably survive as well (your merc)

Or... Doing it properly:

Act 2 Normal Defence Merc Gives Defiance Aura
Helm: Guillaume's Face with a ber in it
Armor: Ebugged Chains of Honor Archon Plate
Weapon: eObedience Cryptic Axe or eInfinity Cyrptic Axe

GG and have heaps of fun :thumbsup: :wave: :grin:


PS Dont forget to hot tab howl to fear off all the minions... Very important.
PPS Dont forget 2x 3+ warcry knifes for buffing on switch.

 

[deathcharge]

my Frenzier

Hey guys, i just made that barb like 2 days ago and got it up to lvl 83. i followed the quide as close as i could and took all the advice of previous replies. I ended up useing

ELastWishZ
EBOTDZ
199% arreats
Highlords
2x +20 dex ravens
15% verdungos
Laying of hands
197% gore riders
AP COH
Switch
2x +3warcry knife
20/18 torch
18/18 anni
charms
10x 20 slc
2x 5 all res
stats
i got 5200 life
dmg is:
2004-5929
1335-3979

Took me awhile to kill baal, but D and meph where easy to me. didnt have much trouble at all really. never used a pod....except mana here and there. Used howl alot and merc survived the whole time! well i went to town after each and prebuffed over.

Merc
ACT 2 nm Holy Freeze
guillaume's face Ber'd
Obedience
E AP COH


Thanks for the quide!!! Looked around and this is the best one i could find. worked perfect in more then one way. Keep up the good work!

 

[MaStAViC]

My girlfriend and I have been running Uber Tristram, as well as the three red portals before Uber Tristram, for the last few days. I am using a Paladin that followed niner's Whateverdin guide, and she is using a Barbarian that follows this great guide.

I must say, we are both impressed with our builds. Our average time to run Uber Tristram and the Mini Ubers is about seven minutes, with a record time of four to five minutes. Yup, that's including finding and killing Izual, Lilith, and Duriel (though I do use a Sorceress just to teleport to them).

If anyone wants to know the gear of the Barbarian, feel free to ask. Know this though: The Barbarian only uses approximately 15 slots worth of charms in the inventory, and the Barbarian has VERY, VERY low resistances after Mephisto's Conviction aura (by low, I mean resistances in negatives and single digits), but Uber Tristram does not serve any problems whatsoever. No potions used, no getting nervous, nothing at all. Coupled with my Paladin, this Barbarian is, in my girlfriend's word, "invincible."

Spankeh, thank you so much for writing this guide. Furthermore, thanks for answering so many of my newbie questions. I know that you got a bit annoyed at some points (or it seems like you did), and I apologize for being such an annoyance, but gosh, you were very helpful.

Thank you very, very much,
Victor Ly
*mastavicx and *mastavic (USWEST Softcore Ladder)

 

[studmuffinkelv]

****************************

1 in Bash
1 in Double Swing
1 in Double Throw
Max Frenzy
1 in Natural Resist
1 in Iron Skin
1 in Howl
1 in Shout
Max Battle Orders
1 in Battle Command
Max Weapon Mastery
Max Taunt
Max Double Swing last

****************************

​

I know this might sound crazy, but what if I maxed Battle Orders last? How important is it to have that extra ~10-20% life/mana from BO vs extra damage from the Double Swing synergy? Also, if I'm playing with another barb, chances are that he has a higher BO than I do, so I can still reap the rewards. I'm just coming back from a 3 year hiatus from D2 and I've never done Uber Tristram, so maybe someone can set me straight.

 

[CNCaudata]

Is there a particular reason that 2 masteries charms are recommended? Does this allow gaining a particular breakpoint? That is, why not just have more max/ar/life charms?

 

[sunflowersmooth]

u mentioned the 2 best uber tristing weaps on ur front page (ebotd and edeath), but whats the best 2 weap set up for general pvm play?

 

[sunflowersmooth]

Can you afford 37x 20 life sc's, of which 10 also have 5% all resist as second mod? Thats equivelant to over 500Hrs in trade value alone just there.
The remaining 27x 20 life sc's need 3Max/20 AR as second mod.
Add another 800+ HR's.

and ...what? i didnt know 20/5res charms were 50+ hr each

 

[Spankeh]

Is there a particular reason that 2 masteries charms are recommended? Does this allow gaining a particular breakpoint? That is, why not just have more max/ar/life charms?

At the time, i had 2x Masteries 32/36 life GC's and no 5 Res/20 Life scs, even now, I only have 3 of these sc's.
Masteries GC help somewhat for a frenzier by giving small bonuses to a variety or stats, defence included. when defence gets a little to low, you get hit just a little too often.
Attack rating, damage, resists, all help a little, when buffing your frenzier, specialy when i had no other charms.
Ultimately, best would be:
Max|AR|Life SC's
Res|Life SC's
AR|Life SC's

u mentioned the 2 best uber tristing weaps on ur front page (ebotd and edeath), but whats the best 2 weap set up for general pvm play?

General running around in hell, Grief Phaseblade and Lawbringer Phaseblade are the pair to beat.

and ...what? i didnt know 20/5res charms were 50+ hr each

By the end of Season 3 Ladder, HR's were in abundance, after massive duping on a grand scale, (where talking in the hundreds of thousands) made their value almost worthless.
Even so, 50HRs was an over estimate on my part, more likely 20HRs at the end of season 3.

 

[Ragefist]

I really can't see the point in playing a frenzy barb with UBER duped crap. It just makes it way too EASY! Seriously, what's the point if you do that? I can say for a fact that virtually none of the guide gear selection would be available to a nondupe hardcore player.... ever. In the past I've had at least 30 hardcore hell characters and could not come up with the runes for these words (without trading for dupes).

I've come back to Diablo but have a no-trade/hardcore policy... and in my opinion thats the only way to play this game to make it fun.

I finished uber Tristam with my hardcore Paly hammerdin/smiter using a shaeled wiz spike as his main weapon... no rune word gear at all. Now I'll make a frenzy barb with subpar gear who can do the job.

Give yourseleves a bit of a challenge and come up with a guide that doesn't rely primarily on hacks

 

[studmuffinkelv]

^First post! Welcome to the forums! Please let us know how your HC Frenzy Barb does!