Build: Concentrate BarbLevel: 18
note: Defense-based
GEARHELM+3 concentrate 3os barbarian helm. Socket with three maximum damage jewels. Having the +concentration on the helm saves the two points you would put into the prerequisites (bash and stun)
ARMORA rare ethereal/repair Ancient Armor. There is no other choice. Desireable mods include up to 65% enhanced defense, 1-2 sockets, up to +5 strength, up to 40 life, -Requirements, etc. Another option would be an eth glitched ancient armor.
GLOVESSigon's with perfect defense (15)
BELTSigon's with perfect defense (11)
SIELDSigon's with perfect defense (25)
BOOTSCow King's boots with perfect defense (41)
WEAPONWar Axe with 15% enhanced damage and 6 sockets. Best filled with +maximum damage jewels or +ed/+max jewels.
AMULETAngelic Amulet
RINGSAngelic Rings. Alternatively, you could use 1 rare ring with HIGH attack rating, stats, mana, and 1/2 freeze duration.
SWITCH WEAPON+1 Warcry throwing weapon (for prebuff)
SWITCH SHIELDSigon's Shield (for prebuff)
CHARMS1. 15life / 8 defense small charms (this would be the perfect stats. lesser stats are ok too) quantity is personal choice
2. 6dmg / ar / 6strength grand charms (this would be perfect stats. lesser stats are ok too) quantity is personal choice
There are certainly other options, such as an eth/repair high defense 2os barb helm which could be used in lieu of the "plain" 3os conc helm, but those are far more rare than the +3conc helms (which are rare enough already). The ethereal ancient armor is a must for this build. This is where you will get a TON of defense from. Without it, you won't be much of a defense-based barbarian. The Sigon's set combo is really the biggest bang for your buck. With the bonuses from those three pieces and the set bonuses, you get these useful mods: +1 to all skills (which raises your iron skin, mastery, and concentrate), +20% increased block, +20 life, +136 defense (belt + set bonus), +20 attack rating, +10 strength (which translates to 40 more life), and +30% ias.
Other options: A "poor man's" option for the armor would be Milebrega's Robe (set Ancient armor). With one other piece, which would be either the helm or shield), the armor gets a 100% defense increase which brings it to 468 defense. It certainly provivdes very respectable defense, and was actually something I used on my lvl 18 non-expansion concentrate barb. Keep in mind the higher strength requirement of the Milebrega armor vs an eth Ancient
Additional gear notes: With the setup listed above, you don't have anything that provides "cannot be frozen". I haven't found that to be a problem with my barbarian. While frozen, I have found the duels to last longer but they still end with a win. In the rare case where you feel you musn't be frozen, consider swapping an Angelics ring out for a rare ring with AR and half-freeze mod. Charm notes: The mixture of charms is really personal preference. I am currently using four 6dmg/ar/6str grand charms and the rest are 14-15 life / 5-8 defense small charms. This has proven to be a good balance for my purposes. Ultimately, that's what these gear choices are all about: BALANCE. Sure I could get more damange. Sure I could get more defense. But this is about balance.
Prebuff: If you're the kind of person who believes in prebuffing, then keep the following items in stash: +3 shout helm (or +1warcries/+3shout), Eye of Etlitch, and Berserker's armor. This will give you another +5-6 in shout. This translates to another 50-60% increase in defense and an additional 50-60 second increased duration.
STATSBASE STATSStrength: 30 (add enough to use gear. see below)
Dexterity: 20 (add enough for max block. see below)
Vitality: 25 (everything else)
Energy: 10 (what is energy?
)
Total spendable points: 100 from leveling 17 times and 3 stat quests (if hell rushed)
You will want enough strength to be able to equip your heaviest item, which will be your Ancient Armor. Keep in mind that you will get a +10 strength bonus from the Sigon's set gloves. Then it's all a matter of what kind of ancient armor you are wearing. Milebrega = 100 str req. Ethereal Ancient armor = 90 str req. Rares with -requirement mods will require even less strength. +dmg/-req jewels are always an option as well. Dexterity should be enough for maximum block with Sigon's shield (or Milebregas if you go that route). Keep in mind that you will be getting +10 dexterity from the Angelic ring/amulet combo and an additional +20 from the Cow King's set boots.
SKILLSWARCRIESHowl: 1 (prerequisite)
Shout: 13 (maximum for level 18 character)
MASTERIESAxe mastery: 14 (everything that's left)
Iron Skin: 1 (maximum for level 18 character)
COMBATnone. concetrate should be a +skill from the helmet
Total spendable points: 29 from leveling 17 times and 12 from quests (if hell rushed)
option: An alternative would be to spend one point in taunt in order to get Battle Cry. It is a nice thing to have versus other defense-based characters, but they aren't popular enough to warrant the loss of two points in Axe mastery. Your mileage may vary. You will also get an additional +1 point to each skill from the use of Sigon's set shield
OTHER NOTES, TIPS, ETC1. Concentrate is uninterruptible so fhr is not necessary, at least from my experiences.
2. You will be extremely competitive versus all melee characters at this level. Most zealots will lose unless they have been around long enough to acquire a complete "perfect" set of gear. Remember melee often boils down to just a "crap-shoot" anyways due to the HUGE range in min-max damage.
3. Smiters will give you fits. If worse comes to worse, throw on a +dmg jeweled duskdeep with a +dmg jeweled twitchthroe. Essentially, you will become an offensive barb in order to deal with this threat.
4. As I stated before, this build has been the most balanced for me. You could, feasibly, go all out on defense or all out on damage, but you wouldn't be as balanced and your results might not be as great.
5. All constructive comments are welcomed. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have and update with additional information if I recall something that I have forgotten to list above. I hope I haven't overlooked something that's glaringly obvious.
6. When I get the opportunity to take screenshots, I'll be happy to post what I use.
Thanks!