The Barbarian Horde MP Group

maxicek

Moderator
Moderator
Guide Author
Aug 5, 2005
8,074
2,586
113
On this day, we reach back to hallowed antiquity, to bring you a recreation of the second fall of the mighty Carthage!... On the barren plain of Zama, there stood the invincible armies of the barbarian Hannibal. Ferocious mercenaires and warriors from all brute nations, bent on merciless destruction, conquest. Your emperor is pleased to give you...

The Barbarian Horde!​


The theme for the next MP group is "The Barbarian Horde"
  • Barbarians with Act 5 Mercenaries only
  • All different builds if possible, but it doesn't really matter that much
  • No other restrictions.

Date is now set: Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th October.

General Rules as before:
  • It is a slow questing playthrough, not a rush.
  • Host will be 1.14d SC
  • Starting point will be Hell A1, no quests done, so you need to get your character to Champion solo.
  • This will be all quests and waypoints, not a rush. Yes, even A2 Halls of the Dead. We will kill Nihlathak, but taking the WP is up to you. HF we do solo.
  • I plan on hosting games at about 14.00 EST / 19.00 GMT / 20.00 CET, Saturdays & Sundays. Each session lasting about 2-3 hours, depending on people's availability. Last time we did A1-3 on Saturday, A4 & 5 on Sunday in a shorter session.
 
Last edited:
I will be driving a chariot!
Screenshot152.jpg

Code:
Name              Char              Build              Area/lvl               Aura/Curse
__________        __________        ___________        _______________        ____________
D2DC              Beutegreifer      Frenzy             A1 N (1)               Fana (lvl 9), CtC Static
 
Last edited:
I'm in between jobs right now, so I can't say for sure that I'll be able to participate, but I most likely will still have weekends available. I may go with some kind of 2H Berserker as I've already got 2 WW barbs chilling right now.
 
Get in that table @Vildecor - We will need you for the PIs!

Code:
Name              Char              Build              Area/lvl               Aura/Curse.                  Merc Weapon
__________        __________        ___________        _______________        ___________                  ___________
D2DC              Beutegreifer      Frenzy             A1 N (1)               Fana (lvl 9), CtC Static     ?
maxicek           Messremb          Bearbarian         A5 N (42)              None, just Tankiness         Lawbringer?
 
  • Like
Reactions: D2DC
Nice @D2DC, I missed those strange German terms you come up with... it's funny how they somehow make sense, yet they are so weird, even as a native speaker I always find myself googling whether these words actually exist. In this particular case it does exist and is described as "an artificial word to describe carnivores", which "however never became widely established general current language". :D

Code:
Name              Char              Build              Area/lvl               Aura/Curse.                  Merc Weapon
__________        __________        ___________        _______________        ___________                  ___________
D2DC              Beutegreifer      Frenzy             A1 N (1)               Fana (lvl 9), CtC Static     ?
maxicek           Messremb          Bearbarian         A5 N (42)              None, just Tankiness         Lawbringer?
ffs               BuffMachine       WC/Throw/support   A1 N (1)               Might (34), Amp, WCs         Death or Destruction?

War cries I'll use and Merc weapon depending on what others go with. Asumming we'll have multiple Lawbringers, I'd go Death for even more CC via CtC Glacial, or Destruction just for the fireworks and to use it at least once.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maxicek and D2DC
@ffs Being that I speak very little of most of these languages, I am always worried that I'm using some words by mistake.. especially this one because I only found it in one dictionary. They had it translated as something like "beast of prey". And it's got "greif" right in the name.. Beast/Grief combo! :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: ffs
Code:
Name              Char              Build              Area/lvl               Aura/Curse.                  Merc Weapon
__________        __________        ___________        _______________        ___________                  ___________
D2DC              Beutegreifer      Frenzy             A1 N (1)               Fana (lvl 9), CtC Static     ?
maxicek           Messremb          Bearbarian         A5 N (42)              None, just Tankiness         Lawbringer?
ffs               BuffMachine       WC/Throw/support   A1 N (1)               Might (34), Amp, WCs         Death or Destruction?
Vildecor          Valborg           Berserk            A1 N (1)               Holy Freeze                  Crescent Moon

I'll make a Doom axe for some Holy Freeze action. Any ideas on a start date yet?
 
  • Like
Reactions: D2DC
Code:
Name              Char              Build              Area/lvl               Aura/Curse.                  Merc Weapon
__________        __________        ___________        _______________        ___________                  ___________
D2DC              Beutegreifer      Frenzy             A1 N (1)               Fana (lvl 9), CtC Static     ?
maxicek           Messremb          Bearbarian         A5 N (42)              None, just Tankiness         Lawbringer?
ffs               BuffMachine       WC/Throw/support   A1 N (1)               Might (34), Amp, WCs         Death or Destruction?
Vildecor          Valborg           Berserk            A1 N (1)               Holy Freeze                  Crescent Moon
d2lover           Chef              DaggerFrenzy       A1 N (1)               None                         Headstriker?
 
  • Like
Reactions: D2DC and maxicek
Any ideas on a start date yet?
This upcoming weekend would work for me but it's probably a bit too short notice? The next weekend (9/10 Oct) is fine, too. I might be traveling either 16/17 or 23/24 October, but not 100% certain yet (and the respective other dates should work). I'll hopefully know later this week or early next week.
 
9/10 Oct is the earliest I can do. AFter that is OK too, there is no rush for me.

Any idea what the best Merc setup is for Lawbringer?
Lawbringer (What base?) + Arreat's + Fortitude?

Not sure I have ever used a Barb Merc outside of 1.07
 
Does 9/10 October work for everyone else as well?

I intend to go dual Lacerator for double throw on switch to have Amp readily available, maybe add Razortail too, so Lawbringers are by no means necessary btw. Don't think I've used an A5 Merc since when I first played through the game some 20 years ago. The fact that they can use Barb-specific items was news to me, so clearly I'm not qualified to weigh in as to proper gearing. :)

Received a Last Wish on loan from @PhineasB (thanks again!) to save me some runes. FYI yes, aura stacking works just as expected so I'll provide lvl 34 Might (370 ED).

Now who will play a 2nd support/singer type Barb and self-wield Pride? :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: maxicek
I have been doing a bit of Merc research & I had a look at the weapon bases, taking ito account the A5 Merc does double damage with a one handed weapon.

Sword
Barb Merc Damage
Level Requirement
Min Strength
Min Dexterity
Rangeadder
Durability
Sockets
Speed
Phase Blade
62 to 70 (66 Avg)​
54​
25​
136​
1​
Indestructible​
6​
[-30]​
Conquest Sword
74 to 106 (90 Avg)​
58​
142​
112​
0​
32​
4​
[0]​
Cryptic Sword
10 to 154 (82 Avg)​
61​
99​
109​
1​
44​
4​
[-10]​
Mythical Sword
80 to 100 (90 Avg)​
66​
147​
124​
1​
44​
3​
[0]​
Legend Sword
50 to 94 (72 Avg)​
44​
175​
100​
2​
44​
3​
[-15]​
Highland Blade
67 to 96 (81.5 Avg)​
49​
171​
104​
2​
50​
4​
[-5]​
Balrog Blade
55 to 118 (86.5 Avg)​
53​
185​
87​
2​
50​
4​
[0]​
Champion Sword
71 to 83 (77 Avg)​
57​
163​
103​
2​
40​
4​
[-10]​
Colossus Sword
61 to 121 (91 Avg)​
60​
182​
95​
2​
50​
5​
[10]​
Colossus Blade
58 to 115 (86.5 Avg)​
63​
189​
110​
2​
50​
6​
[5]​

According to the Complete 1.10 Hireling Stats by RTB that means most swords are equippable by an A5 Merc at level 75, without needing extra Strength & Dext from gear, especially if you use an Ethereal base. Phase Blade is a bit more tricky and will need extra Dext.

Other things:
  • You can wear full Sazabi's set on the A5 merc.
  • They don't benefit from +Class or +Tree skills, only +All. This makes Arreat's less interesting.
  • They do benefit from +to specific skills though if they use them
 
It's not like you have empty sceens and chase monster all over the place if that's what you're worried about. :) It's just used for a few hits to break PIs, the occasional fleeing doesn't impact gameplay really. I've used Lacerators in the past for the same purpose and it does the job quite well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: d2lover
Oct 9/10 should work for me, and I think allow time to level to 79 for a Wolfbarb.

Code:
Name              Char              Build              Area/lvl               Aura/Curse.                  Merc Weapon
__________        __________        ___________        _______________        ___________                  ___________
D2DC              Beutegreifer      Frenzy             A1 N (1)               Fana (lvl 9), CtC Static     ?
maxicek           Messremb          Bearbarian         A5 N (42)              None, just Tankiness         Lawbringer?
ffs               BuffMachine       WC/Throw/support   A1 N (1)               Might (34), Amp, WCs         Death or Destruction?
Vildecor          Valborg           Berserk            A1 N (1)               Holy Freeze                  Crescent Moon
d2lover           Chef              DaggerFrenzy       A1 N (1)               None                         Headstriker?
PhineasB          ???               Wolfbarb           A1 N                   ??                           Grief/Oath/Death?
 
  • Like
Reactions: maxicek and D2DC
Diablo 4 Interactive Map
PurePremium
Estimated market value
Low
High