Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

[kyluth]

Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

I just got into hell mode with my barbarian(lvl 63) and his resists are pretty crappy. He's a frenzy barb

My resistances right now are
Cold:-16
Fire:24
Poison:-26
Lightning:16

I'm just curious about what gear i should get to help my resistances. My gear right now is decent for my level, but pretty much none of it gives me any+resistances, most of my resist comes from the natural resist skill. Here is my gear right now

-Guillahelms face
-Mahim oak curio amulet (which i plan on switching out for highlords in 2 levels, but the problem is it gives 10 to all resists and my resists will suck even more than they do now when i do...)
-Honor runeword phase blade
-Lightsabre
-raven frost ring
- IK belt/gloves
-gore rider boots
-spirit forge link mail


What's some gear that has good resist boost that would be worth replacing one of these items for? Is it worth it to put more points in natural resistance? Next point i put into it will give me +4 to all res (that's with my +skills) which is pretty crappy. Man i just dont know what to do. Funny i never had this problem with my necro or my paladin.

 

[mysticc]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Honestly, a better strategy is to get your gear before you make melee characters as they are really gear dependent. It's best to have it all planned out and acquired before leveling. D2 is not really a game where you just pick any class and go with it - a sorc is pretty much necessary when you start.

Anyway, you are due for a torch/anni. This should solve a lot of your resist problems.

Chains of honor or fortitude will give you some more. Fortitude is probably best.

Arreat's face is a fine choice for helm.

Stormshield can help as well as provide a lot of other defense bonuses.

Bk ring gives +1 skills, which in turn gives more resists.

And of course, Metalgrid/Maras if you need more (doubtful). Highlords gives some lightning res. +2 barb rare amulet with 15-20 to all resistances would help too.

My guess though is that a lot of this stuff might be totally out of your price range, but this is what people generally use. Like I said, it's not wise to make melee characters in D2 if you don't have the gear to support it in advance.

 

[hubb]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

@Mysticc: He's using Frenzy, so SS is not possible. Bk is a terribly overrated ring for melee chars, he'd be much better off with a dual leech/AR rare or another Raven.

Willowisps, Hydras, Inferno and fire or lightning enchanted uniques are really the only elemental monsters/attacks you have to worry about, so the only resists that need to be maxed are fire and lightning. Spectral hit or cold-echanted packs can hurt and poison is annoying but with your HP they aren't a big problem.

Highlord's will be a step in the right direction. The AR from IK boots will definitely help you more than Gores at this stage, otherwise the fire resist and HP on Aldur's is great. Get rid of that terrible armour and make yourself Smoke, Treachery or Gloom depending on what you can afford and you should be close to maxed out The Fade on Treachery (60 all res, 15% physical resist) is also something to look at.

*Also, Hell is going to be tough at that level, so go back to NM Baal for a bit.

 

[mysticc]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Okay, no stormshield then (was thinking ww). Bk would still give resist. I don't think it's the best ring, but if he got a 3% for really cheap, it would give him some resists. Frankly, a good rare ring is totally out of this guy's price range I think. I feel bad for even suggesting a fort.

I think a lot of my other recommendations though are valid and aren't a waste. He can equip a fortitude almost immediately. Same with maras if he should decide that highlords isn't worth it right now.

I think you're right though about baal - get to 70 and get an anni in play. These are so important to get. The +1 skills on it will also bump your resists on top of the natural resists you get from this charm.

 

[Scoobydoo]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

I just got into hell mode with my barbarian(lvl 63) and his resists are pretty crappy. He's a frenzy barb

My resistances right now are
Cold:-16
Fire:24
Poison:-26
Lightning:16

This is likely to get you killed often in hell games; even for a barb.

Here is my gear right now

-Guillahelms face
-Mahim oak curio amulet (which i plan on switching out for highlords in 2 levels, but the problem is it gives 10 to all resists and my resists will suck even more than they do now when i do...)
-Honor runeword phase blade
-Lightsabre
-raven frost ring
- IK belt/gloves
-gore rider boots
-spirit forge link mail

I will simply offer some advise on your non-weapon gear.

Helm: Arreat's face is pretty much an all time favorite barb helm for its skills, lifeleech, stats, and resists; plus it useful right out of lvl42, which is when most characters kill normal baal and move onto nightmare games. Try trading for one, and if you aren't picky on the def, it shouldn't cost you too much. A low ed arreats might even sell for pgems, or if you're lucky maybe even free.

Should you prefer to stick with Guil Face set helm, you can consider socketing it with an Um rune for an additional 15resist, or a 10-15resist jewel if that is cheaper or you having one laying around somewhere.

Amulet: Any +skill amulet or Barb specific ones will help increase your resist by boost the skill levels of Natural Resistance. Maras or Metal grid are popular choices for those who have access to them.

Armor: IMO, Spirit Forge simply wont cut it in Hell games. The following are three runeword type armors that I think might suit your needs. #3 should work nicely with a Frenzier.

1. Smoke (Nef + Lum) - 50resist & 20FHR.
2. LionHeart (Hel + Lum + Fal) - 30resist, stats & life.
3. Treachery (Shael + Thul + Lem) - offers Fade proc, 45IAS, 20FHR, 30cold resist.

Additionally, you can consider picking up some resist charms if you have space in your inventory to accommodate them. A low barb torch shouldn't cost you too much, and has resist & +3barb skill (which in turn enhances your Natural Resistance skill to give additional resist too).

 

[Spankeh]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Number one thing to get before you do anything else is get Arreats Face.
Barb Torch wont go astray either.
Treachery not bad on the cheap (rune wise) for the time being, eventually moving to Fort (for non ubers) or Chains Of Honor (for ubers)
Get Laying of Hands gloves for 4 or so pgms

 

[hubb]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

If you want to look like a clown and do less damage the number one thing to get before you do anything else is get Arreats Face

I fixed that for you :badteeth:

 

[minuses]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Im assuming you want cheap gear and not expensive gear am I correct? If so I would go with lionheart, credendum, hlords, loh, and arreats if you can but they should be easy to get. Also put 1 point into natural resist for more resist. A low barb torch should be very cheap too. If I found a low barb torch I would just give it a way free in game since it wont get you anything anyways.

 

[jamesL]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

do Baal's minions in NM till level 70
its actually quite fast
if you're online there's no shame in joining a bot game
he'll open a town portal to WSK 3 then you can join him fighting minions and killing Baal

you probably won't get much loot (bots grab everything instantly) but you'll level up quickly and safely

 

[Spankeh]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Hubb,

If he's fully built with max resists|damage reduction|Hi level (like 90)|Hi Damage weapons|Hi life| lots of +skills from items|Hits final 5fpa breakpoint|Hi life leech, then fine, dump Arreats for Guillaume's.
But he is none of those things, so Arreats is the go.

 

[kyluth]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Thanks for the advice guys...I'm not as broke as you guys seem to think i am. I got lucky early on and had a ladder player unload his expired mules on me, so i have 4 or so BK's lying around, LOH, maras, a grief phase blade and etherel breath of the dying waiting for me to be high enough to use them, draculs grasp, just a bunch of pretty decent items. I have another raven frost, but right now I'm using a rare ring i found that gives 100 to attackrating, 4% life leech, 5 to dex, and 33 to mana. The raven frost would probably be better but i like the life leech.

I'm not really that broke. I don't have a whole lot of runes, making it difficult for me to make COH of fortitude. Since I'm relatively new to the game, I dont know crap about what things are worth. I'm sure I've been ripped off many times over already...

I could switch to using a maras. I have 1 extra that gives 26 to all resists. Are assassin torches worth about as much as a barb torch? I have a pretty low one on one of my mules, it's pretty bad though. Something like 12/16. Finding a good chestplate seems to be my biggest problem here.

What does an arreats face go for? I want to find someone willing to trade one, but I don't want to get ripped off this time. I have an extra HOZ, is that worth about as much as arreats?

I think part of my problem is all the guides i've read online dont seem to have the greatest gear recomendations, at least not for resistances. they all say to use highlords/draculs, guillahelms, string of ears, just a bunch of gear that doesnt do squat for my resistances. Some +all resistance charms would be perfect if i could find them...

 

[mysticc]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Thanks for the advice guys...I'm not as broke as you guys seem to think i am. I got lucky early on and had a ladder player unload his expired mules on me, so i have 4 or so BK's lying around, LOH, maras, a grief phase blade and etherel breath of the dying waiting for me to be high enough to use them, draculs grasp, just a bunch of pretty decent items. I have another raven frost, but right now I'm using a rare ring i found that gives 100 to attackrating, 4% life leech, 5 to dex, and 33 to mana. The raven frost would probably be better but i like the life leech.

If you get arreat's you won't need the life-leech as it has 6% on it. Besides, you can use something like dracs to get life tap and even more leech.

I'm not really that broke. I don't have a whole lot of runes, making it difficult for me to make COH of fortitude. Since I'm relatively new to the game, I dont know crap about what things are worth. I'm sure I've been ripped off many times over already...

A fort is really not *that* hard. It's certainly easier to get than Chains, and I think it's ultimately what you want for your end-game gear anyway. Chains is nice, but the life and 300% damage on fort is better than the 35% extra resists.

I could switch to using a maras. I have 1 extra that gives 26 to all resists.

Do that.

Are assassin torches worth about as much as a barb torch? I have a pretty low one on one of my mules, it's pretty bad though. Something like 12/16.

I'm sure you can trade it for a barb one... but barb torches really aren't that expensive. A single HR could probably get you a 20/19 one... so just imagine how cheap a 12/10 would be. CHEAP.

Finding a good chestplate seems to be my biggest problem here.

Ancient Tunnels/Pit in hell difficulty. Not hard areas, and you'll find a 4os elite armor eventually. Or a white one you can use the socket quest on.

What does an arreats face go for? I want to find someone willing to trade one, but I don't want to get ripped off this time.

A 6% life keech with random enhanced defense won't cost you very much - perhaps Um or Mal at the very most. Of course, the more perfect it gets, and it will cost a ton of high runes... but that's only when it's perfect. Just get a random one with 6%.

I have an extra HOZ, is that worth about as much as arreats?

That's probably worth a lot more than most arreat's.

I think part of my problem is all the guides i've read online dont seem to have the greatest gear recomendations, at least not for resistances. they all say to use highlords/draculs, guillahelms, string of ears, just a bunch of gear that doesnt do squat for my resistances. Some +all resistance charms would be perfect if i could find them...

Don't listen to that. Use my gear recommendations. They are far better. BK Ring is something that will hold you over, but ultimately you want one killer rare ring and ravenfrost.

 

[kyluth]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

If you get arreat's you won't need the life-leech as it has 6% on it. Besides, you can use something like dracs to get life tap and even more leech.

I traded an ist for a 5% LL arreats, so i switched over to using a 215 AR 20 dex raven frost...I will probably switch over to using dracs once I'm 76. I'm 72 now so it shouldnt be too long.

A fort is really not *that* hard. It's certainly easier to get than Chains, and I think it's ultimately what you want for your end-game gear anyway. Chains is nice, but the life and 300% damage on fort is better than the 35% extra resists.

I'd agree with you but i play on non ladder, so it may be more difficult for me to acquire a fortitude, since i can't make it if I do acquire the runes to make it. I'm pretty sure that you can make chains of honor on NL though. I just don't know how many fortitudes are floating around NL for trade. Though i agree that its probably a better choice for end game. Looking at them i would say i'd rather use fortitude..

That's probably worth a lot more than most arreat's.

Good thing I didn't trade it for one lol. I really don't know what things are worth, but an ist rune seemed reasonable for the helm, plus i have a few lying around so i didn't mind parting with it.


Anyway, my resistances are decent now.

Fire:75
Cold:72
Lightning:69
Poison:52

That's with the maras on. I may just throw on the highlords because with it on I still have decent resists, except for cold, which would only be 23. I'm high enough to use my breath of the dying and grief now, so with the 10 life after each kill, and the life leech i have from BOTD and arreats i should be able to stay alive pretty well with my resistances. I got new armor, just a corpsemourn i had on one of my mules. It doesnt have great bonuses, pretty mediocre, but it has decent defense, and a boost to cold resists. Plus corpse explosion might come in handy. I'm sure it will hold me over until i can get my hands on COH or fortitude.

 

[hubb]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Corpsemourn is arguably worse than the one you had before

Why not make something cheap like Smoke, Treachery or Gloom which gets you like 50 all res? Again, cold and lightning resists are the only ones that really need to be maxed.

 

[mysticc]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Corpsemourn is arguably worse than the one you had before

Why not make something cheap like Smoke, Treachery or Gloom which gets you like 50 all res? Again, cold and lightning resists are the only ones that really need to be maxed.

I'd have to agree. Treachery and/or Duress would both make decent armors. Treachery doesn't really seem so good until the fade proc's - then you get damage reduction and stellar resists. Duress also destroys Corpsemourn in every way too.

 

[kyluth]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Corpsemourn is arguably worse than the one you had before

Why not make something cheap like Smoke, Treachery or Gloom which gets you like 50 all res? Again, cold and lightning resists are the only ones that really need to be maxed.

lol it's not good but definitely isn't worse than what i had before. The armor i was using before had 392 defense. While the bonuses on it were decent, the defense being that low made it horrible for hell mode. With shout, my defense is literally 3X what it was before. Corpsemourn has 1100+ defense. It has pretty crappy bonuses, as i said, but the defense kind of makes up for it. Plus this isn't really supposed to be something i'm using permanently...just until i get something better.

I'd make duress, or gloom, but i don't have an um rune. In fact i haven't found 1 um rune since i started playing. Ridiculous...I have horrible luck when it comes to rune drops. Treachery seems kind of like a bad idea just because I would have the same problem as i had before, armor with crappy defense. Just doesn't seem worth the effort.

 

[mysticc]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

lol it's not good but definitely isn't worse than what i had before. The armor i was using before had 392 defense.

Defense is overrated in pvm. It honestly doesn't make make much difference if you had 300 or 3000.

While the bonuses on it were decent, the defense being that low made it horrible for hell mode.

I doubt that. It was due to other problems. I have mercs which have 250 defense mage plate treacheries that never die.

With shout, my defense is literally 3X what it was before. Corpsemourn has 1100+ defense. It has pretty crappy bonuses, as i said, but the defense kind of makes up for it.

Nope, it doesn't. It's a placebo. You might think it does, but it doesn't

Plus this isn't really supposed to be something i'm using permanently...just until i get something better.

Use my recommendations until you get a Fort.

I'd make duress, or gloom, but i don't have an um rune. In fact i haven't found 1 um rune since i started playing. Ridiculous...I have horrible luck when it comes to rune drops. Treachery seems kind of like a bad idea just because I would have the same problem as i had before, armor with crappy defense. Just doesn't seem worth the effort.

No, treachery is perfectly fine. The fade effect gives you damage reduction and resists on top of the resists the natural armor already gives. Defense is totally overrated and you should do fine in a AP Treachery.

Duress is also very good too. All of the mods are superior to what you have. Either of those will hold you over.

Gloom isn't that great... don't bother with it. Both treachery and duress are far better.

 

[zrk]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

Honesty, the best armor is peace if you cant get fort. Look at that Crit skill. Its insane when you get it going with the +skills. And its dirt cheap and makes your barb melt faces

 

[kyluth]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

I finally got an um rune and made duress. IDK about peace, i already have pretty high deadly strike and critical strike from sword mastery....the crit skill seems to be the only thing that makes having that armor on worth it, compare that to what you get from duress, a boost to all resists, CB and OW, cold damage, 20% ED and way more defense than you would get with peace.

I don't know about the whole defense is useless thing. I mean, your going to die a lot more if your enemies have and 85% chance of hitting you instead of a 25% chance. Doesn't make sense to me.

 

[mysticc]

Re: Need more resists on my barb, what to do?

I don't know about the whole defense is useless thing. I mean, your going to die a lot more if your enemies have and 85% chance of hitting you instead of a 25% chance. Doesn't make sense to me.

It's called experience. I have 6 accounts and tons of characters. I've tested this so many times. Defense is really that overrated for pvm. It doesn't matter.