The Berserker Build

[Radu]

It`s very good. Try switching SoJ with BK. I`m having big problems with whirlers in duels, I just can`t stand against them with Berserk. I half their life but no more... My duel gear is:

190/5 Arreat socketed with ias
SS socketed with Shael
40/11 Verdungo
Angelic ammy/1 Angelic ring
Raven
Gore
60 ias/63 life Jeweler`s Ornate Plate

 

[nalchik]

One Suggestion

Very nice guide. I'll try to make such baba (All my barbs are suck till now).

I have only one thing to say : this build should get as much "Physical Dmg Reduced" as possible (not % reduced!!!), because once u get to more than 150 Dmg Reduced , u don't need even chance to block ! dmg u will take will be tiny :thumbsup:

What do u think abou this ?

tnx for advance.

Nal.

 

[Radu]

Yeah, it will be 150x25/second = 3750 physical damage reduced per second. This allows you to wield two-handed weapons. :lol:

 

[nalchik]

Sorry for my noobiness , but... how u get 3750 dmg reduced ??? i was talking about 150 only :scratch: . I've read on one Russian Blizzard Community site that avg dmg of monsters on hell is about 150-200 HP. And if i can gat that amount reduced , i become Imune to Physical dmg. How do u think ? Is it possible ?

And also what gear i should search for ? I was thinking about Gladiators Bane (it gives 20 dmg reduce) and making some sockets with Sol runes.

Any other suggestions ?

Tnx alot.

 

[Radu]

Let`s take items with mods like "damage reduced by 3". If this is 3 per hit or second, it is simply hilarious. It's damage reduced by 3 per frame, and there are 25 frames a second, if no lag occurs. I don't know of any cap about damage reduced...

 

[nalchik]

Let`s take items with mods like "damage reduced by 3". If this is 3 per hit or second, it is simply hilarious. It's damage reduced by 3 per frame, and there are 25 frames a second, if no lag occurs. I don't know of any cap about damage reduced...

I've found some info : the dmg reduced per HIT. In some cases it mean per second or per frame(firewall dmg)

Also i've finally found the recommended gear for max dmg reduction :

Gladiator's Bane Armor; Gerke's Sanctuary Shield ; String of Ears Belt ; Helm and amu with "Life Everlasting" suffix and socketing the items with sol or mal runes ( for phys or magic dmg reduce) this will bring about 100-120 dmg reduce. :thumbsup:

I think that with such gear Berserker will no suffer from lack defences.

What is your oppinion?

Nal.

 

[Radu]

Well, try it with a character editor in single player or directly on bnet . I`d really like to see the results.

 

[Chinesef00d]

Since Berserk cant leech how do i regain the mana i use while zerking? Using Angelic ammy wouldnt work well since im blocking all the time.

 

[djpika]

He he, what about a Jeweler`s Armor of the Whale, Squid or Colossus? You`ve got a 4 socket armor with lot of life, wich you can socket with ias jewels. It's pretty hard to get, though, from vendors on Hell games, with your char. being over 85...

>>> Being 85 or higher reduces the chance to get jeweler's/of the whale? What's the optimal level then? Is there a level correlation to what exceptional/elite armor is used as the base at vendors? The plus side, though, is that you can get away with a normal jeweler's/of the whale since you don't really care about defense.

 

[Radu]

Chinese: you leech with concentrate or whirlwind as backup skills, or with life tap.

Dj: being 85 is the minimum required level in order for vendors to offer you such armors for trade; the higher the level, more chances to find one (tip: check the vendors in multiplayer games, higher chances).

 

[AdunaCCDanimoth]

What about Grim Ward? Thats actually a halfway decent skill if things get really hairy. AS in Hal's guide, Howl is good unless a monster hits a wall, and then it comes right back at you. Grim Ward sets up a 40-second "No-Zone" for regular monsters and makes life easier for dealing with some Boss Packs.

 

[Radu]

Yes, it`s not bad, but I preffer to save the points . I mean, my character can stand long enough with good equipment and stats, it can and should be a tank. Grim Ward should be used, anyway, on hardcore, especially if the player is new to Barbarian or Diablo 2 at all.

 

[AdunaCCDanimoth]

Another quick Question: Whats your feelings on Ribcracker for a Zerker weapon? Would it work or is it more of a Concbarb weapon?

 

[Radu]

Not bad, but there is no mastery for it.

 

[AdunaCCDanimoth]

Mace Mastery does work on Staves last time I knew.

 

[Radu]

Interesting; it`s Staff class, not Mace class, for any staff, listed at "Weapon Class".

 

[AdunaCCDanimoth]

Mace Mastery works on anything thats a blunt weapon: Staves, Hammers, Clubs, Maces, and even Wands.

 

[lextalionis]

Are the IAS animations the same in FPS for normal barb attacks as Berserk attacks.

What are the quicker types of weapons to use with a barb?

 

[Legacy_QuEsT]

Ok, I really really want to play with a long weapon barb like a spear or a poleaxe but I don't want a barb build that will suck with this weapon. Now, i've just read the WW guide and the Wolf guide and the Concentration guide and I've this guide and every post on it. This seems like the most viable guide for a long 2handed weapon player, but... In everything I have read it seems very important to have IAS on everything and I would really like to go with the spear over the polaxe for increased damage. Is this a viable alternative or would I be losing huge speed becuase of it.

 

[Radu]

lextalionis: yes, ias frames are the same for berserk as for normal attack.

Legacy_QuEsT: Spears are better (faster) weapons than Polearms, for two-handed build. I too want to make such a build, so I did some research, and the best weapon I've found is Arioc's Needle (Unique Hyperion Spear), socketed with Shael (to reach 6.2 attacks/second or 4 fps/attack in Whirlwind). Skills? Berserk/Whirlwind; if you`re affraid of Berserk, simply allocate just one point into it (for Physically Immunes), max Whirlwind, Battle Orders and Shout.