Quote (Anilator(A) @ 3 Mar 2026 12:20)

I don’t think FCR beyond 20 really matters on a whirl wind barb. It’s not a caster. Once you hit that 20 to 40 range, anything beyond that starts costing you real damage and utility. In your setup, for example, you’re giving up Crushing Blow and other stats from something like Gface just to push FCR higher.

At some point you have to decide what you’re prioritizing. Faster Cast Rate, Crushing Blow, or Magic Find.

On ladder I’ve chosen lower FCR, more Crushing Blow with Gface, and Highlords instead of chasing rare FCR ammys. The FCR circlets and amulets right now are extremely limited and overpriced anyway. If I could get a perfect 2 barb 20 FCR 2 socket circlet with attack rating per level, I’d absolutely consider running it over Gface. But that’s a massive loss of Crushing Blow.

If I did go that route, I’d Cham and Protector Stone it, then swap off my Cannot Be Frozen boots and run War Travelers instead. But again, that’s a tradeoff. I’m just not convinced 105 FCR on a barb is worth giving up that much kill power and utility.

Going from 20–40 FCR to 105 FCR saves you seconds at most in TZ farming, especially when you actually have to control your teleports and scan packs for uniques. It’s not like you’re a runner going straight to Baal every game. I’d rather sacrifice a few seconds of teleport speed for more DPS and more Magic Find.

Quote (Exokek @ Mar 3 2026 12:26pm)

I don't see myself going below 37FCR on a Barb ever, but it's not hard to do. You can always justify using GFace/Gore/Highlord's with a lower Find Item level (27 instead of 33), etc. I just enjoy the 105FCR setup as a matter of gameplay, but that's not much the point here.

The bigger, overarching point is that Dreadfang swap is a complete non-issue. It doesn't sacrifice shit. It takes 0 effort. You don't need to spend your entire Merc setup on it.

Quote (Anilator(A) @ 3 Mar 2026 12:30)

I swap to dual ist/lem ali baba on switch when I hork. It boost gf and mf.

Quote (Exokek @ Mar 3 2026 12:32pm)

Well that's even easier, then. Dreadfang MH Isted Ali or 6os CS offhand. You'll be well above 450MF with that alone. Definitely don't need dual-wield Isted Ali Babas. There is so much goddamn MF from inventory alone.

Quote (Anilator(A) @ 3 Mar 2026 12:42)

I guess it’s all preference at this point. Mf/gf vs fcr vs aura stack vs ds/cb

Yeah I get what you’re saying, but I’d be losing a ton of Magic Find and Gold Find doing that.

I know there are diminishing returns past 250 to 300 MF, but I still prefer stacking it higher. Right now on ladder I’m sitting around 500 MF and 1000 GF, and my entire goal is high end uniques and rares while maximizing hork value. Dropping dual Isted Alis for Dreadfang on swap just isn’t worth that hit for me.

If I’m going to improve the setup, the move in my eyes is eventually dropping one Grief on the kill side and adding Last Wish. That way I’m getting Might from my own weapon, Amp from the merc, plus Crushing Blow, MF, and Life Tap utility. That’s basically the upside of an Act 2 Might setup without the cold damage issue from Reaper’s or Pride.

For a pure hork focused ladder barb, that balance makes more sense to me than trimming MF just to streamline the swap.

Quote (Exokek @ Mar 3 2026 12:44pm)

Please use Beast instead of Last Wish? Please? And use a Might Merc?

WHAT ARE YOU DOING MAN

Dual-wield Last Wish on an A5 Frenzy Merc because those item auras stack, sure. But single off-hand Last Wish over Beast is just unhinged levels of awful.

Quote (Anilator(A) @ 3 Mar 2026 12:49)

Yeah, I use Beast Zerker on my gold find barb and I swap between a Lem’d eth Rune Master or a Grief depending on what I’m doing. Beast is solid, I’m not knocking it at all.

But have you actually tried Last Wish in PVM? It’s honestly kind of insane. The Crushing Blow, Life Tap, Fade, and utility all together feel really good in actual gameplay. It’s not just about aura stacking on paper.

Beast is great for the Fanaticism boost, no doubt. I just think people underrate how strong Last Wish actually feels when you’re farming and fighting beefy targets. It also boosts Mf. I care about having high mf.

Have you actually tried using Last Wish against a level five Thorns Harold? Or against the new Uber Ancient?

It’s honestly insane in those scenarios. The Crushing Blow chunks them, Life Tap keeps you stable through reflect, and Fade just adds another layer of safety, in actual PVM situations, especially versus thorn variants, Last Wish feels ridiculously strong.

Quote (Exokek @ Mar 3 2026 01:01pm)

https://maxroll.gg/d2/d2planner/t8g7w0l5

So here's a setup that's basically what you're aiming for. Roughly.

37FCR at all times
WW/Frenzy DPS with Zerk for Phys Immunes as backup if needed.

472MF with DPS setup.
652MF on swap setup, which includes Ist Dreadfang.

Merc is using:
- Infinity (reduces defenses without needing Battle Cry, overrides enemy Conviction so you don't get fucked in the face).
- Cure (because it's nice, but feel free to put whatever the f- you want there)
- Chains of Honor (no freezing from Fortitude + has built-in life leech)

The targeted enemy for this is a Terror Zone Toorc Icefist with Stone Skin, so the DPS displayed is MUCH lower than what you get in practice vs. most enemies. I also didn't toggle Amplify Damage ON, which you can do in the Calcs section.

If you absolutely DO NOT want to get 37FCR, feel free to swap out the +2 Barb amulet for Highlord's and add a Warcries GC in order to hit 29 Find Item for the 75% breakpoint.

Quote (Anilator(A) @ 3 Mar 2026 13:11)

What do you see as the real benefit of a barb running Infinity? I’ve brought it up before and never really got much solid input on it.

I’m going to mess around with Dreadfang on swap tonight and see how it feels in practice.

Honestly though, I think our ideal setups are pretty close overall. We’re just approaching the same end result from slightly different angles, each with its own pros and cons. You clearly know what you’re doing, and I appreciate the feedback.