Pure Barb vs Barb 18/Rogue2?

[George40]

I am getting ready to start a Barbarian character and have been trying to decide betweeen a Barb18/Rogue2 and going pure Barbarian.

I understand that pure I will get acces to +2 Str for THF and +2 Str for mighty rage at 20 versus
For the 2 rogue levels you get access to haste, evasion, reasonable shot at UMD, and a bunch of skill points.

I am still pretty new to the game (highest character a lvl 5 ranger), but have experience playing an MMO (COH).

I was wondering what vets would think of the trade offs between the pure vs. the rogue splash builds for both end game and as a leveling up character for a frist character to 20.

Thanks for any insights you can offer.

[gavagai]

Barb crush thing good. :D

Evasion is one of those constantly debated subjects, something that you either OMGZ I NEEDS on every character, or that you couldn't care less about. I'll let other folks tell you about Barb18/2 vs. Barb 20. I just wanna mention something that sometimes gets overlooked in forum posts and esp. on the advice channels in-game:

Evasion is only worthwhile with a good reflex save. Barbs don't have a naturally high reflex save, so you will have to work for effective evasion. TWF builds that expect a 17 Dex already can usually, with other good gear, pull themselves into the safe zone. But if you want to go THF (Max STR, Max CON, dump Dex killing machine) you might not even notice the evasion until you level up enough to acquire the right gear.

So that's one consideration for a starting player. I've seen too many melee 18/2 splits with a reflex saves <20. :(

[lolwatboomer]

Barb crush thing good. :D

:D

I just noticed this and thought it was so right

[AylinIsAwesome]

For a new player I think that going pure at first would be easier and make more since. All you have to worry about is crushing stuff. :)


Now, Evasion is a nice ability. HOWEVER, it's not one that you need to have on every character. Most of my characters that I play often don't have it. (My Monk has it, my Bard will have it, but my FvS, Paladin, Fighter and Barbarian do not).

In terms of DPS, from the Rogue splash you get:

1d6+3 Sneak Attack, or +6.5 damage per swing where the mob isn't looking at you, plus it's affected by Fortification.

Going pure gives you:

+4 STR, so +2 to hit and damage. If you want to go into Epic quests later, that +2 to hit is important. Also this damage isn't affected by Fortification, and if you critical, this will be multiplied (whereas the Sneak Attack damage won't be).


So in the end, it depends on whether or not Evasion is worth the loss in DPS to you.

[Hellmoob]

For a new player I think that going pure at first would be easier and make more since. All you have to worry about is crushing stuff. :)


Now, Evasion is a nice ability. HOWEVER, it's not one that you need to have on every character. Most of my characters that I play often don't have it. (My Monk has it, my Bard will have it, but my FvS, Paladin, Fighter and Barbarian do not).

In terms of DPS, from the Rogue splash you get:

1d6+3 Sneak Attack, or +6.5 damage per swing where the mob isn't looking at you, plus it's affected by Fortification.

Going pure gives you:

+4 STR, so +2 to hit and damage. If you want to go into Epic quests later, that +2 to hit is important. Also this damage isn't affected by Fortification, and if you critical, this will be multiplied (whereas the Sneak Attack damage won't be).


So in the end, it depends on whether or not Evasion is worth the loss in DPS to you.

Have a 20BAB instead of an 18/19 also increases your attack speed.

[Gunga]

18/2 is more survivable and what I recommend for you to level up. You can hit a 41 UMD easily which means no fail heal and reconstruct and anything else you'd like to scroll.

20 is more fitting for a player with more than just one capped toon or for someone who doesn't mind immediately grinding max silver flame favor.

[tihocan]

18/2 is more versatile and survivable, but less powerful. You pick whichever sounds most fun to you :)

[Gunga]

18/2 is more versatile and survivable, but less powerful. You pick whichever sounds most fun to you :)

It's hardly less powerful. As a new player levelling your first toon to 20, you will appreciate the benefits of a barb with max umd and evasion far more than 3 pts of damage per hit, which you don't even get until level 20.

[akiraproject24]

I have 1 of each. the evasion being and old crit rage version and the 20 barb a frenzied berzerker. Saves weren't an issue for me i believe reflex is in 30's just as high as fort save. Anyhow he doesnt hit as hard as the berserker but with dual min 2 picks and 17-20 he still hits pretty **** good.

Maister of Thelanis
Wrexx of Thelanis

If you want to look at em at myddo.com u can get a feel.

[Goldeneye]

2 Rogue is tempting, but IMO: go Pure Barbarian. Sure rogue gives many benefits, but there isn't much more intimidation then a 20th level Barbarian.

[THAC0]

Hello there!

Well... I am having fun with the WF 18/2 Barb/Rog I play with. This is a snapshot of me if you want to look at where I stand at lvl 20. http://my.ddo.com/character/ghallanda/thaco/ Looks like I have mixed gear at the time of the photo... pesky server snapshots!

I will be GR'ing to fix some early skill point allocations...my UMD self buffed is 26 (if I recall correctly, maybe 28). Race restrictions are no longer an issue with weapons. I am able to read scrolls to raise dead clerics (which surprises them most of the time...), I also find it quicker to read Teleport scrolls to get around (I'm still trying to farm one of those Royal Guard Masks... never seem to find one! argh!!! )

I am a pretty solid tank 525 hp...and I think I get up to 685-700ish when I rage and get buffed. I have to look again cuz I don't quite remember. I also have some gear which helps too, but that all comes with leveling. :)

I went the TWF style with heavy picks...and have a blast with that.

This was the template I based most of my decisions from...though I did deviate in some areas. http://takzu.com/dnd/wf-barb-rog.html

As far as my stats, I'll likely adjust that a bit too...for tweaking. Over all, I am very happy with my guy. The only real reason to GR this guy...is for the 28pt upgrade to 32pt.

T.