you have to upgrade your gear throughout your climb.
when you level up, monsters get stronger, too and they e.g. have a better defence.
so your damage is reduced.
you are still using tier I gear. this is probably the worst choice.
it has no level requirements, but tier II and III items do not have any requirements either and have a much higher basic damage.
as you are level 5 now, you should go for a tier iv weapon ( level req 5 ) and also look for an upgrade of the other gear.
usually, you should upgrade your weapon every 5-10 levels.
go for EE on the weapon, this is most important.
the armor may have stats like str/dex, adds like max life, experience, life per kill ( low levels ) or life steal ( higher levels ) are welcome, too.
you can go for a tanker armor with mass ee to increase the defence and reduce enemies physical attacks, but always go for a heavy armor as a barb.
the charm can be about the same, str/dex or max life are very welcome. same goes for the lpk ore life steal. you dont need ee here, since you rely on physical attacks, not casting.
you can find a barbarian guide with more information e.g. here:
http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=18377324&f=272possible builts with dex or strength are introduced here.
This post was edited by NaRa on Oct 17 2008 05:49am