The Szacko Eg Whirler - Topic

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Posts: 50,001

Joined: Apr 22 2008

Gold: 5,000.77

Jan 1 2010 11:07am

Synonym's Extra Gold Whirl Wind Barbarian

Revised and written by: Synonym

Table of contents

1.Introduction
2.Build Overview
3.Compare & Contrast
4.Stats Distribution
5.Skill Distribution
6.Gear Setup
7.Szacko's Stats
8.Gameplay
9.Facts Learned
10.Conclusion

Introduction

Hello, my name is Lee and I would like to share my experiences with EG barbs generally, more specifically the EG whirler. I have experimented with plenty of builds before, making over 5 versions of EG barbs, creating hybrids of EG/MF, pure EG and more. I've tested many skill setups which focused on Leaping , War cry stunning, and overall supportive. This last build I've made, which proved to be the most efficient, takes the barbarian from the defensive/dependant role to the offensive stance, providing with a faster ,more versatile, funner, more aggressive, and overall better type of EG barb.
Why even make an EG barb, you ask? There are a few methods of amassing wealth/profit inside the game (leaving D2jsp methods such as Ladder Slasher, Graphics Art etc..), such as:
-Crafting
-MF'ing
-Gambling

While running MF runs, I find myself bored too quickly and too tired of identifying 1000 crap items just to find that 1 decent one within.
While crafting can provide with gz items, it's almost identical to MF'ing. You have to craft 1000 crap items just to have lady luck shine upon you once for a decent item. Plus you will need to buy massive craft-material packs, which just drains your time & effort.
Gambling is the whole purpose of the EG barb, however you can also offer gold for FG. Normal ratio is 1FG : 1000000 ingame gold. Instead of MFing for the rare rings / amulets or just finding a possibly decent magic coronet/circlet, Anya provides me with all of those in a few gamble-window-resets. I end up having a full gold pile of 3.27mil in just 3 runs or so, giving me a chance at finding great items at short expense and at easy accessibility. I'm not saying MF / Crafting are not good ways to make profit. I'm simply explaining my favorite method based on my experience with all of the method aforementioned.

Abbreviations:

Baba/Barb = Barbarian
Merc = Mercenary
EG = Extra Gold / GF = Gold Find <--

Same thing
MF = Magic Find
Hork = Usage of the Find Item skill
WW = Whirl Wind
WC = War Cry
Res = Resist/Resistance
IAS = Increased Attack Speed
FRW = Faster Walk/Run
FCR = Faster Cast Rate
CB = Crushing Blow
Phy = Physical
LAEK = Life After Each Kill
MAEK = Mana After Each Kill
Zerk = Berserk
PB = Phase Blade
BA = Berserker Axe

Overview

The EG whirler is a unique EG barb type that kills the council members located in Travincal all by himself, thus making him non-merc-dependant. The EG barb is the offensive / main killer and uses Whirl Wind and Zerk as his main skills of attack. This build excels in fast dual-wield killing speed, massive gold drops and an all-around EG item setup, except the main weapons. The EG barb is self sustaining, life leeching (mana too if your rare items can have the stats), hard hitting and simply the supporter & offensive characters merged into 1.
This is a PvM build and should not be considered PvP-wise by any means. In this guide I will try to variate as much as I know about the selection of items to make your setup out of, for your convenience.

Compare & Contrast

Why did I choose the EG-WW over the well known WC stunner/leaper support EG barb?
Let us reflect both sides, and see pros and cons:

EG WC Stunner/Leaper
Pros:
-Cheap gear
-Continuous stun/kb effect from constant leaping / wc'ing.
-Able to use the GF swords / alibaba swords at all times, gaining from the kill gold drops as well as from the horking.
-Able to use Cta 3 + Hoto / 2x3wc spears on switch, giving him +6-7 BO on switch, which adds up to barb's / merc's overall HP.

Cons:
-Merc dependant. If the merc dies, it's a complete annoyance if he dies and you have to return to town just to ressuect him. This can happen alot due to inability to control the merc specifically (unless you're strapping on an Enigma), which can cause the merc to die due to massive amounts of Hydras fire-bolting him, and if there's a Conviction mod on a super-boss in the midst of them, your merc is a few fire bolts away from obliteration. Another annoying factor would be the phy immune mod that can also spawn on a council super-boss, which will slow your entire EG time run rate if the merc chooses to be hooked on hitting him relentlessly and without actual damage output.
-Pot drainer. The EG supporter uses a lot of the WC skill to keep the council immobilized, thus making him drink mana pots like crazy. HP-wise, he also drinks a respectable amount of red pots as well, making your entire focus be distracted, because if you do not tend to your merc, it might die due to low HP.
-Slower killing rate. The merc's jab attack is powerful, but it's single targeting and can be useless against phy immunes, as we've seen above. No versatility, there is a dependence on phy damage only.

EG WW/Zerk
Pros:
-Self control. You are the killer, not the merc. You don't have to hassle with him to hit the right target or draw him away from the conviction aura boss, surrounded by hydras, or force him to hit other council mobs other than the phy immune he seems to get attached to every single time there's one.
-Faster killing speed. The Whirl Wind is an AoE attack, going through many, if not all, the mobs at once, delivering the same damage output to each and every one of them in the same speed it takes the merc to do so on 1 council member. Thus making your overall run time rate faster, allowing you to do more runs in your valuable time. However, you cannot cross the 20game/Hour threshold, so be patient when rejoining a new game.
-Versatile damage sources. The EG-WW doesn't need to be frustrated by phy immune mod, or even stone skin which can prove very annoying to kill with phy damage. Simply start bashing away with Zerk skill and after 2-4 hits the phy immune is splashed on the ground.
-No merc needed. Indeed, solo is the Szacko. My merc is only for show. Sure it helps here and there but completely unnecessary in matters of doing the EG Travincal run. Completely dependent.
-Self sustaining. I will detail on the items that I'm using further on, having life leech and LAEK to support me at all times. I simply don't drink red pots. Although I occasionally drink a mana pot due to 0% mana leech on my gear setup. Hopefully your gear will provide with at least 5% for self-sustaining yourselves.

Cons:
-More costly. You will be using either dual Grief or high ed dual Breath of the Dying Ethereal Berserker Axes. Those are the only "pricey items" in the gear setup.
-Has to kill with main weapons. No option for kill-gold-drops with the 450gf swords or alibabas. Not a big loss though, I still do between 700-900k per run. Sometimes even 1mil.

Coming to a conclusion, we see that the Szacko EG-WW is faster, more aggressive, self-controlling and better overall in EG-running than the EG-Supporter/WC stunner-leaper build.

Stats Distribution

Strength: Enough to use gear.
Dexterity: Enough to use gear.
Vitality: The rest of the points.
Energy: None.

Skills Distribution

Combat Skills Tree

Whirlwind - 20 hard points.
Berserk - 1 hard point.
+1 hard point to every pre-requisite skill.

Combat Masteries Tree

Sword Mastery - 20 hard points. Since I took upon myself to use dual Grief PB's, I was forced to max this mastery. If you choose to have them in BA's, max the appropriate mastery, in this case - Axe Mastery.
Increased Stamina - 1 hard point. Pre-requisite to Increased Speed.
Increased Speed - 1 hard point. 1 point wonder, makes a total of 7 skill points passive skill, adding up to 30-32frw. That helps on non-Enigma/FCR builds such as EG barbs.
Iron Skin - 1 hard point. Pre-requisite to Natural Resist.
Natural Resist - 1 hard point. After all the other necessary skills have been maxed, try to max this skill last. At level 92, I have level 15 Natural resist. +skill +BC = Level 21 Natural Resist, providing me with +68% all resistances. This is very crucial.

Warcries Tree

War Cry - 1 hard point. This is up to you. Only if you feel a good 2 second stun can help you out here and there, since sometimes the council members have the mana burn mod, which negates your ability to WW, even though you drink a mana pot they still keep hitting, burning off the mana pot's rejuvenation. If you see no point to this, since I found I rarely use this skill, save up this hard point +3 other pre-requisite skill points and add up to your Natural Resist. However, I like to keep all options open, hence I have myself the WC skill just in case..
Shout - 1 hard point. Prebuff (though quite a meaningless one) + Pre-requisite for Battle Orders and Battle Command.
Battle Orders - 20 hard points. This is your biggest buff skill.
Battle Command - 1 hard point. +1 all skill. Preferred to be used before Battle Orders to further increase the benefit of the skill.
Find Potion - 1 hard point. Pre-requisite to Find Item.
Find Item - Enough hard skill points to reach a total of 18 skill points = 50% chance. Main horking skill. To be used after all the council members have been destroyed. No need to max it, only get it to a 50% chance. My gear setup allowed me to invest only 12 hard points into this skill, +6 from BC/+sk items, ending up in a level 18 Find Item.

Gear Setup

I will list several options for every item slot, starting from the best possible choice, IMO, and ending up in the least efficient, yet viable option.
Helm
#1- Crown of Thieves. This helm has it all: Life Leech for the WW, +25 dexterity to help out reaching the Grief PB high dexterity requirement (136), +50 life, +35 mana, +33% fire resistance and up to 100% possible EG. I recommend socketing it with a Cham rune to avoid being frozen, which reduces your overall walk/run speed, as well as berserking ability (you will often see PI's with HF aura or at least Cold Enhanced attacks).
#2- Immortal King Helm. This is the supporter's favorite item, and a pretty decent overall helm. +2 warcries, +87% fixed EG, up to 40mf and 2 open sockets. I recommend socketing it with Cham and Lem runes. CNBF mod is vital.
#3- Tarnhelm. Yes, this little cheap item still has a viability here. +1 to all skills, 25-50% MF and 75% EG. Socket it with Cham.
#4- Szacko. Even though not to be used in any EG build, Szacko >>

Armor
#1- Wealth rune word. Make the runeword in any armor you'd like. Lowest req = the better. Best EG stacking armor in the game. +10 dexterity to further help out reaching 136 dex, +2 MAEK (not really a wow factor, but cute), +300% EG, +100% MF. Simply the best.
#2- Enigma. I wouldn't recommend this unless you don't like walking a few meters from the way point. However, it's a great FRW armor, adding up to 45% FRW, +2 all skills, teleport skill, %MF bcl, +14 LAEK, 5% HP increment and 8% DR. Still, nothing like Wealth.

Weapons (Make sure when choosing your base weapon, to know what it is, and max the appropriate mastery in the in the Combat Masteries Tree)
#1- Dual Grief made in PB's. The best possible weapons to have on the EG whirler. Get at least 34 ias on them and the highest +damage you can afford. I chose PB over BA because of no durability which needs to be repaired. Anyone who played smiters / ww barbs with Grief Ba will say how much a pain it is to repair them at low durability.
#2- Eth Tomb Reaver 3 sox. 200-280% Enhanced Damage, 150-230% Damage To Undead (council), 60% Increased Attack Speed, 250-350 To Attack Rating Against Undead, All Resistances +30-50, +10-14 Life After Each Kill, and even some mf add. Even has a cute 10% reanimated mod. With very good stats, having 3 sox and being eth, this could match up to dual Grief PB's. Should be socketed with Lem runes.
#3- Dual Edeath made in Zweihanders. 300-385% Enhanced Damage each, 40% Bonus To Attack Rating total, 14% Mana Stolen Per Hit total, 100% CB total, 85-100% DS total!
#4- Dual BoTD made in ethereal Ba's. Great LL/ML, granting you all the life/mana you'll need. +60 total attributes is very nice too.
#5- Dual Oath made in Zweihanders. 50% IAS each, 210-340% Enhanced Damage each, Prevent Monster Heal.

Gloves
#1- Chance Guards. No point posting other gloves, since none match these. 200% EG + up to 40% MF.
Rings
#1- Dual Dwarf Star rings. No point posting other rings, since none match these. 100% EG, +40 life, and up to 15% fire absorb.
Boots
#1- Doom Blazers. 119% EG boots with some resistance and FRW. Permed ones cost a lot. Yet had to post the best first. This really isn't necessary to have.
#2- Rare FRW/FHR/Resist/EG boots. Mine, for example, are: 30% FRW, +14 mana, 16% LR, 32% FR, Half Freeze Duration, +73% EG.
#3- Infernostride. Old goodies. +20% Faster Run/Walk, +10% to Maximum Fire Resist, Fire Resist +30%, up to 70% EG.

Belt
#1- Rare FHR/Str/Life/Res/EG belt. Mine, for example, are: 24% FHR, 41% Def, +60 life, 16% LR, 27% FR, +71% EG. You can even find a crafted belt with open wounds / LL if you wish.
#2- Goldwrap. Old goody. 10% Increased Attack Speed, 30% Better Chance Of Getting Magic Items, 50-80% Extra Gold From Monsters.

Amulet
#1- Rare amulet with all baba or wc skills (1-2)/Stats/LL/ML/Res/EG. Mine, for example, are: 1 to all Baba skills, +2 minimum damage, +12 Dexterity, +13 stamina, +26% FR, +70% EG.
Switch Hands
#1- 6 sockets dual crystal swords or war axes. Lowest req = the better. Socket both of them with 12 Lems. Both swords/axes will yield 900% EG all together, making them the highest EG contributing items in your setup. Use when horking.
#2- Dual Alibaba swords.(2.5 Per Character Level) 2-247 % Extra Gold From Monsters (Based On Character Level), + (1 Per Character Level) 1-99 % Better Chance of Getting Magic Items (Based On Character Level), +15 To Mana, +5-15 To Dexterity. Socket them with 2xLem runes each.

Inventory
-20 Stats Barb Torch
-20 Stats Annihilus
-Highest EG Gheeds you can get your hands on.
-7x 40% EG Grand Charms. You can find or buy some with +wc skills, but those are simply overpriced and unnecessary. I use rand / clean ones.
-7x 10% EG Small Charms. You can find or buy some with +11% fire resistance, but those are simply overpriced and unnecessary. I use rand / clean ones.
-Tp Tome
-Cube

Mercenary
Really not necessary, I just built one for fun. Should hire a Nighmare Offensive-oriented type for the might aura.

Helm - Eth/Non Eth Crown of Thieves (I actually put 40/15 inside mine to help him reach the next IAS break-point), Andy's Face, Guillaume's. Either socketed with a Lem rune.
Weapon - Eth BoTD Great Poleaxe, WP, CA or even Thresher, Eth Tomb Reaver 3x Lemmed, Eth Bonehew Dual Lemmed, Eth Lemmed +4 sk Arioc's Needle.
Armor - Eth/Non eth Fortitude, Treachery, Wealth, CoH.

Szacko's Stats (Hell Difficulty)

Overall Stats - Szacko has:

-993-1055 Berserk damage (Envenomed)
-956-1016 WW damage (Envenomed)
-952-1012 WW damage (Envenomed)
-4600 HP
-470 Mana
-Max fire res in Hell difficulty. Cold - 61% , Light - 58%, Poison- 26%.
-178% total MF
-2400% total EG
-3,270,000 Gold holding capability at level 92.

Here is a picture to demonstrate

Gameplay

The entire run does not have to constitute of simply killing/horking council. Don't forget you will have at least 150% MF, a respectable amount to consider other areas such as Pindle, Shenk, Eldritch.
Do not forget you're only allowed 20games/1Hour and that if you rejoin games too fast due to fast council runs (30-45 seconds per run), you will eventually D/C.
Hence, either wait a few minutes ingame and wait for a proper amount of time to pass before your next run or you can try the areas listed above.
I will detail on my specific runs, in a chain order of events:

1. Starting at Act 5, go through the town's way point to Frigid Highlands. Cast BC/BO/Shout. Travel north to Eldritch, leap or WW your way to him, Zerk him (I recommend Zerk on left click side, for convience). If you hadn't been envenomed yet, keep Zerking his minions, you'll eventually be envenomed. WW the rest, switch to EG swords and hork Eldritch, at least. Hork him at least. After doing so, travel south to Shenk, leap / WW your way to him, Zerk him. Shenk cannot be horked, unfortunately.
2. Travel back to Act 5, go through Anya's portal (keep it open by never completing Nihlathak's quest), travel all the way straight to Pindleskin, WW through him and his minions until they're all down. If he happens to be phy immune, Zerk him. Hork him at least. Travel back to Act5 through the red portal or through your town portal tome.
3. Travel through the waypoint to Act3 Travincal. Recast BC/BO/Shout if you feel necessary. Travel to the Council's harboring place. WW all of them to death. Zerk first priority for conviction/phy immune/stoneskin/mana burn mod-enhanced super-bosses. Cast WC if you want every now and then for a quick stun. Hork all the councils after every mob has died and all hydras have been extinguished. Cannot afford to be interrupted while horking, because if it does get interrupted, the horking will succeed work 90% of the time.
All of this should take 2-3 minutes. Enough for a run. Total output - 700-900k gold. Sometimes 1mil+, and yet sometimes 600-650k. It's all about luck.

Facts Learned

Throughout experimenting and overall gameplay experience, I've found out some known/basic facts about EG barbs and their overall interaction in the game, and some unknown ones as well..

1) While horking a corpse and being kb'd in the process, hork is applied to the corpse but never truly works. Body never throws out items. This has been tested over 100 runs.

2) Wc stun - cannot be applied to stone skin + extra strong feat super bosses (such as council) - hasn't been tested fully.

3) Curses cannot apply to "Possessed" champions. Haven't checked "Ghostly" mod thoroughly enough yet.

4) Hork cancels resurrection - TRUE. However it does not hold the "Slain Monsters Rest In Peace" Mod! Ex: Hork cancels defiled warrior's revivification - WRONG. After numerous attempts I was able to watch a horked defiled warrior to be return from the dead. This is a ratio of 1 to every 20 full pindle runs. However, 1 is enough to disprove the "Slain Monster Rest In Peace" Mod which is claimed to hold true for horking.

5) As a result of #4 - Double revived monsters cannot be horked. After a defiled warrior has fallen / revived / fallen again - Had it been horked in the process it cannot be horked more than once. This is basic stuff but it applies to pre-horked revived Defiled Warriors.

6) Another basic caution - Hydra Council fire does not unleash %ctc. From experience I've discovered the fade %ctc from treachery is crucial to be unleashed before dealing with Travi (this is in case you really want a merc to be with you, and he has a Treachery setup), especially if Ismail hones conviction. Biggest problem was that he sometimes honed phy immunity + conviction. Killing that takes a good 60 seconds, which your merc does not have. The firey hydras will consume him within 1-2 seconds, Bo'ed or not. I've found out the firebolts from hydras do not count as actual strikes when regarding %ctc unleash, because they are counted for as "Minions", much like %light damage does not apply to traps since they are also considered "Minions"..

Special Thanks to Faelwen and to JayPee for providing some answers / opinions while I was experimenting

Any further evidence you have for me and for this guide would be appreciated.

Conclusion

To conclude things, I recommend all EG barb planners to get the EG whirler setup and prefer the WW/Zerk over the boring, less efficient, slightly cheaper though WC stunner / supporter. For a small price to pay (Dual Grief's, namely), you will gain less frustration and more fun.

Merry X-Mas to everyone I do not celebrate X-mas, though. So, happy Hanukkah to me