Introduction:This build is purely Player vs Monsters(PvM). It is the most effective barb build that I have personally created for PvM and can clear the whole game (bosses) in very good time and ease.
Hopefully this guide can answer all your questions, I have tried to cover all areas.
AbbreviationsFaster Hit Recovery = FHR ------ Increased Attack Speed = IAS ------ Faster Cast Rate = FCR ------ Frames Per Second = FPS ------ Player vs Monster = PvM
Section 1:Covers the Berserk Skill Pro's & Cons, Pheonix Shield Pro's & Con's, Faster Hit Recovery (FHR), Increased Attack Speed (IAS) & Faster Cast Rate (FCR)
Section 2:Items, Switch Weapons, Inventory and Resistences.
Section 3:Skills and Attributes.
Section 4:Mercenary Options, Belt and Hotkeys.
Section 5:General strategies for some areas.
Other Links to Berserker Guides & Polls-------------------------------------------------------------Section 1-----------------------------------------------------------Berserker Skill: Converts Physical Damage into Magic Damage.
Pro's:Physical Immunes are easily killed as your damage is Magic not Physical
Iron Maiden Curse does not affect you when you hit them.
Thorns do not cause you any damage.
Con's: Zero Defense & Possible Blocklock.
Link to ?The Arreat Summit? for more info:
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/skills/barbarian-combatskills.shtml#berserkLevel35 Berserk Skill: (With 4x Barbarian Combat Grand Charms)
Attack Rating: 610 Percent
Magic Damage: 1060 Percent (Synergies Maxed)
Pheonix Shield:Pro's:10-15 lvl Redemption Aura = Heals & Restores Mana from corpses
+350-400 Defense Vs. Missile
+350-400% Enhanced Damage
+50 To Life
+5% To Maximum Lightning Resist
+10% To Maximum Fire Resist
+15-21 Fire Absorb.
Con's: Firestorm interrupts your attack and blocking is low for Monarch.
Faster Hit Recovery (FHR) TotalArreats (Clean) = 30% + Treks 20% =
5fps Breakpoint (Will need eight +5%fhr small charms to reach 4fps Breakpoint)
Arreats (Shael'd) = 50% + Treks 20% + 4x 5%fhr sc's =
4fps Breakpoint.
Arreats (Clean) = 30% + 4x 5%fhr sc's =
5fps (Added Option for using Gore Riders instead of Treks)Arreats (Shael'd) = 50% + 8x 5%fhr sc's =
4fps (Added Option for using Gore Riders instead of Treks)Increased Attack Speed (IAS) TotalGrief Phase Blade = 33% + Highlords 20% + Laying of Hands 20% =
8fps Breakpoint (Maximum bp for Phase Blade)
Grief Berserker Axe = will depend on ias on the Grief to reach maximum IAS
Faster Cast Rate (FCR) TotalHeart of the Oak (Hoto)x1 = 40% =
10fps Breakpoint
Heart of the Oak (Hoto)x2 = 80% =
9fps Breakpoint
-------------------------------------------------------------Section 2-----------------------------------------------------------Items:Grief: (Phase Blade or Berserker Axe)
Arreats: (Shael?d 50%fhr ?5frame bp?! Optional)
Enigma: (Bp = Breast Plate then upgrade to Mp = Mage Plate when you have enough str from anni &/or torch)
Treks: (for 20%fhr, str and vita)
Tgods: (vita/str, light resis & absorb)
Highlords: (skill, deadly strike, resis and important ias)
Ravenfrosts x2: (240+ar 20dex)
Laying of Hands: (20 IAS, 350% enhanced damage vs Demons & fire resis")
Pheonix: (Refer to Section 1)
Switch: (note that you could use 2xHoto, 2x +3spears, Hoto & +3spear or cta & +3spear)
CTA +3 Battle Orders (or Hoto, I use cta for Bo)
HOTO (+3skill, resis, fcr which is good for speed in tele?ing)
Inventory:Anni (currently using 13/19/7)
Torch (currently using 18/17)
4x Combat Gc (optional;)
4x 5%fhr sc's (optional)
3/x/x sc's (optional amount; using 2atm)
4x 5% All Resis sc?s (check Resitences)
Resistences:With my current anni, torch and the 4x 5% all resis sc?s, my resistences are:
Fire: 85
Cold: 70
Lightning: 90
Poison: 75
-------------------------------------------------------------Section 3-----------------------------------------------------------Skills: (You will Max All Synergies when you reach level 95)
20 Battle Orders
20 Berserk
20 Wpn Mastery (axe or sword)
20 Shout (defence and Berserk synergy)
20 Howl (Max out last: Induces Fear & Berserk synergy)
1 Battle Command
1 Natural Resistences
1 Pre Requisites
Optional Skill for Walk Speed: (if you add these in, you will max synergies at level 97)
1 Increase Stamina (Pre requisite)
1 Increased Speed
Optional Skill for Find Item: (if you add these in and replace Pheonix with SS or Beast, you will max synergies at lvl97 ?if no Increased Speed? or lvl99 ?with Increased Speed")
1 Find Potion (Pre requisite)
1 Find Item = 42-43% chance (main items), 45-46% chance (switch items)
Attributes:Strength: NONE = Base 30
Dexterity: See Note* = Base 20
Energy: NONE = Base 10
Vitality: ALL = Base 25 (Barbarian gets 4life per 1pt Vitality giving him 25%-50% more than any other character), so the more Vitality the better.
Note*If using Grief Berserker Axe, you will not need any added dexterity.
If you are using a Grief Phase Blade you will need enough dexterity (136) to wield.
Base=20, Arreats=20, Ravenfrostsx2=40, Anni=20?, Torch=20? ? 120 dex you will have to add 16 to weild.
If your Anni, Torch and/or Ravens are less than 20, you will have to add more to get to 136 dexterity.
-------------------------------------------------------------Section 4-----------------------------------------------------------Merc Option A: Act1 Rogue
Faith Bow: (Fanatic Aura)
Ebugged Fortitude: (enhanced damage & resis)
Shako/Andy?s Visage: (use shako until lvl83, then use a Ral?d Andy?s Visage)
Pro?s: Weakens monsters def & attack, Fanatic Aura helps your damage & IAS, this merc will also live longer doing chaos runs.
Con?s: Has a tendency of roaming around without attacking monsters.
Merc Option B: Act2 Offensive/Combat = Aim/Might Aura (attack rating/added dmg)
Pride: (Concentration Aura)
Ebugged Fortitude: (enhanced damage & resis)
Shako/Andy?s Visage: (use shako until lvl83, then use a Ral?d Andy?s Visage)
Pro?s: Aim Aura increases your Attack Rating, the Might Aura increases Damage, this merc is an effective killer.
Con?s: Is very vulnerable to Iron Maiden curse when doing chaos runs.
Utilising Belt (With Redemption Aura, you do not Use too many Potions)
1) Super Healing 2) Super Mana 3) Full Juvs 4) Full Juvs
My hot keys: (Right-hand setup)
Left Mouse button berserk (No hot keys to this button)
F1 Battle Cry (if using Call to Arms)
F2 Teleport (right mouse)
F3 Howl (right mouse)
F4 Concentration (right mouse)
F5 Battle Command (right mouse)
F6 Shout (right mouse)
F7 Battle Orders (right mouse)
F8 Town Portals (right mouse)
-------------------------------------------------------------Section 5-----------------------------------------------------------Solo Running Tips:You can do the whole game using the techniques for Chaos, which is below.
Note for Council members (Travincal), you should not need to howl them at all, and will take them out very fast;
also remember to teleport to the one that may have "Conviction Aura" first.
Note for Baal Runs The second wave of minions are immune to Magic, so use your Concentration Skill, they will not take long to kill.
Chaos: Fast Cast the usual Battle Command, Shout & Battle Orders (2x) at waypoint, teleport into chaos (if you teleport into mass monsters, cast Howl & teleport away), walk and howl to the seals (killing casters or bosses that are in the way, teleport over anything obstructing your path), open seals, howl and kill boss from the pack, repeat this until Diablo is released, teleport into him and you will kill him quickly with Berserk Skill.
Chaos: Kill All Cast the usual Battle Command, Shout & Battle Orders (2x) at waypoint, teleport into chaos, walk and howl lesser minions and take out the casters and bosses using berserk skill (beware mana burn if cursed with iron maiden), now take out the lesser minions with Concentration skill if you are safe from iron maiden curse, continue this all the way through to getting Diablo to rise, teleport into him and you will kill him quickly with Berserk Skill.
Public Running Tips:Basically you will not need to howl unless you are running by yourself and if no one is helping you kill, what is also good is that you can get life and mana back from your Pheonix Shield to sustain you from the corpses of the team killing.
Q: Why use Pheonix?A: For the enhance damage %, +5% to max lightning resis, Redemption Aura (which gives me mana and life from corpses)
Q: Why use Tgods?A: Added 20str/20Vita and light absorb with light resis
-------------------------------------------------------------Other Berserker Barb Guides-----------------------------------------------------------Bigsipo's Zerker Barb Guide (Crushing Blow and Different Items):http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=3467695MfBerserker AxeBarb Guide:http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=4414879&f=87With the MfBerserker you can also convert to be a good Goldfind Barb as well, you just need to swap the rings for Dwarfstars, the isted Runemaster can be swapped with lem?d Runemaster, magic find small charms with extra gold charms. Or you can make him a Hybrid Mf/Gold Barb by only exchanging the nagels to dwarf stars and add some extra gold charms.
-------------------------------------------------------------Polls-----------------------------------------------------------Poll: Who will Kill Diablo/Baal the Fastest This is all round chars, which the Beserker barb is not a real contender.
http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=4223276&f=21Poll: Which Melee Character will Kill Diablo/Baal the FastestDue to the cookie cutters like Smiter/Jav zon, Berserker Barb rates third equal, but through my own research the cookie cutters are actually no good without cb items.
http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=4312486&f=21Poll: Strongest Damaging Barb 1HitWell he is Rated Number 1 in this category.
http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=4221618&f=21Poll: Researching Pheonix: Useful Or Not?People actually notice the potential of this item. Rated Average to Great Item
http://forums.d2jsp.org/index.php?showtopic=4312289&f=21BEFORE YOU KNOCK THIS BARB, BUILD ONE, TRY HIM OUT,
he is pretty cheap to make, and he is
THE ULTIMATE MONSTER BASHER