Hello all,

I’m piecing together my PvM throw barb. My main question is what is the best GG throwing spear (Ghost Glaive vs Winged Harpoon) for a throw barb while still hitting the 7 fpa while running LoH, Highlords, dual IAS jewels in helm, Faith merc, and an ethereal Lacerator

If I utilize the gear above, which base is better to retain this fpa ( currently have Warshrike on main hand)?

For either base, what IAS is required on each base to maintain the 7 fpa?

And is cruel better vs fools mod for PvM?


FG donation to someone who clearly assists with this!!!

Cruel > fools for pvm, unless we’re talking about some low ed% roll

To reach 7 FPA, you need 102 EIAS

Necessary EIAS = Gear converted EIAS - Skill EIAS + avg WSM

You didn’t mention your merc’s fana lvl, but I’ll assume it’s lvl 14 or 15, for 33 EIAS.

102 - 33 = 69 EIAS missing

Lacerator = -10 WSM
Winged Harpoon = -10 WSM
Ghost Glaive = 20 WSM

Lacerator + WH = -10 avg WSM (10 EIAS)
Lacerator + GG = 5 avg WSM (-5 EIAS)

Using WH you need 69-10=59 EIAS from gear.
Using GG you need 69+5=74 EIAS from gear.

The IAS from gear needs to be converted to EIAS, on both weapons side + off-weapon IAS, then averaging the converted EIAS value from both sides.

Now… I don’t know what will be the IAS on your rare weapon.
I’ll assume that you’ll get 40 IAS.

You’ll have a total of
20+20+30=70 off-weapon IAS
100 total on Lacerator side
110 total on rare side

EIAS from gear = floor((120 * IAS) / (120 + IAS))

Lacerator side = 54 EIAS
Rare side = 57 EIAS
Average (rounded down) = 55 EIAS

Now… to reach 7 FPA…

102-33-10-55=4 missing EIAS
102-33+5-55=19 missing EIAS

In both cases you will not reach 7 FPA.
You would need a 3os 45ias circ to reach that, using 40ias WH.

But you would have better dps by staying at 8 FPA and using a higher base dmg GG instead. And having only 20 IAS on that GG would still be enough to reach the 80 EIAS bp for 8 FPA.

Conclusion?
Get a high ed% Ghost Glaive with 20+ IAS
OR
Get a 3os circ with 3x ias jewels, and a 40 IAS WH (less dps overall, but 7 FPA)

This post was edited by SinsOfTheSun on Dec 6 2025 09:30pm

Right now, with 70 IAS on off-weapon, you have the typical gear for a standard warshrike+lacerator build.

Their avg WSM is -15

Both having 30ias, 100 total with off-weapon ias, you have 54 EIAS from items on both sides.

102-33-15-54=0

This is letting you reach precisely 7 FPA
99 ias instead of 100 would give the same number after EIAS conversions.

So yeah… either follow 1 of the 2 recommendations I gave you at the end of previous post, or just keep using warshrike.
Warshrike ain’t bad, even if it has lower dmg, the pierce on main hand is also applied to off-hand.

If I run a Warshrike and Lacerator with the gear loadout, doesnt that hit 7fpa? (Or have I assumed incorrectly)

Throwing fast as possible is my goal/niche to play him, so 3os/45IAS jewels is the only way to achieve this with a Winged Harpoon (the fastest throwing javelin) or Warshrike?

Responded to the first post from you, didn’t see the 2nd post

Read post #3
You are currently reaching 7 fpa with warshrike, due to its -20 WSM

You gain 5 extra EIAS as the average of -20 and -10 is -15

But using WH you would have 2 -10 weapons
That’s where you now lack 4 EIAS
So yeah… you’d need an extra ias jewels to maintain 7 fpa.

IMO, go with either your current warshrike setup, or use a high ed% GG with 20+ ias (more dps even if you drop 1 FPA).
The downside of this approach is losing some pierce.

In your experience (if you’ve ran a throw barb before in PvM), is the throwing range of a javelin even worth it for PvM? Or is it more of a flex in your opinion?

The response from your first post is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you sir

I keep responding after you post

The extra range is crucial for pvp. Not for pvm.
Just a minor detail.

Ty for your donation

Hey, ever heard about my hybrid throw/ww barb using metamorphosis?
It’s reaching more throw dps than a pure throw barb, and more WW dps (against high life targets) than a pure ww barb.
Best of both worlds, with access to both density destroying and single target dps.

With MotB activated, you get 25 EIAS and 20% DR.
This is allowing you to swap faith merc for a might+pride merc.
Beast + eDeath on swap, used to quickly trigger MotB with a single attack in bear form, also reaching max speed on WW for ultra high CB dmg against high life targets.

Edit:
Example of the meta build here
https://maxroll.gg/d2/d2planner/6yaft0le

Best pvm barb build for p8, also the most fun one with its diversified arsenal. Hell you can even play in bear form if you get bored haha

This post was edited by SinsOfTheSun on Dec 6 2025 10:02pm

Thank you so much for the help, you made my night sir

I’ve “heard” and seen hybrid builds… for the metamorphosis, I’m not a huge fan of buffing

My Barb is 98.9 and I’ve been running him with enchant + infinity while leveling. As I play with him after 99, I may very well try him out with a WW swap .. I’ve attached this post to my notes in my profile as a reference to come back to

You the man!!!!!

This post was edited by Tonsil on Dec 6 2025 10:07pm