Suggestions for Best Race/Class for Melee in High Level Raids/Epic VON?

[praetor]

I want to know what Race + Class MELEE combo will contribute the most to high level raids and Epic VON. I also don't want to wait too long before fully outfitting him (i.e., no more than 2~3 Cleansing Essence required). I'm not exactly sure what is important in raids as a melee char, i.e. don't know if survivability or DPS is more important, or whether versatility between the two is ideal. I just want to be as useful as possible (as a melee char) to my raid party. I've seen a lot of WF + dwarf and barb + fighter. I've also read up on the Barb and Fighter forums but a lot of the builds don't address newer content and are not up to date, as they were written a while ago. Multi-class is also welcome, but I'd prefer single-class as this is my first serious melee build. Any tips or build links would be much appreciated.

[Freeman]

A WF or dwarf pure THF barbarian is the easiest route to a well-built character for any end-game activities. It requires the least amount of equipment to be viable, in terms of end-game gear. Max Str, Con, and put the excess points anywhere you want, and you should be good to go.

Edit: You don't see much discussion about end-game content recently because it hasn't changed that much. DPS is still king in most raids and in epic content.

[praetor]

how about differences between WF and dwarf? I have WF and 32-point build unlocked -- is one race superior to the other in raids? Also, I've done some more reading and I have a few additional questions:

I know Jump and Balance are important early, but where should I put other skill points? Does putting more than 1 point into tumble help in any way? Otherwise I was thinking spot... or haggle. I'd rather not put into haggle, since cash is not a big concern to me.

Also, should I go TWF or THF, what are the pros and cons of each, and which is more important in raids/epic?

Thanks~

[Freeman]

how about differences between WF and dwarf? I have WF and 32-point build unlocked -- is one race superior to the other in raids? Also, I've done some more reading and I have a few additional questions:

I know Jump and Balance are important early, but where should I put other skill points? Does putting more than 1 point into tumble help in any way? Otherwise I was thinking spot... or haggle. I'd rather not put into haggle, since cash is not a big concern to me.

Also, should I go TWF or THF, what are the pros and cons of each, and which is more important in raids/epic?

Thanks~

You won't have any trouble with either a WF or a dwarf in raids. Rather or not one is superior is a much bigger argument that you really shouldn't worry about at this point.

On my barbs, I like to keep Intimidate maxed. While it won't reach intimitank levels, it can be very useful for rounding up devils and other creatures with irritating aggro mechanics.(Or for pulling things off a squishy sorc before they one-shot him) I tend to put more points in Tumble, since higher helps avoid more falling damage, but that's just a personal preference. Haggle isn't a big deal, since you can roll another character that will easily achieve better Haggle scores.

Both TWF and THF are very viable end-game, but the biggest point for a new player is that a TWF character needs TWO of each weapon to be effective, while a THF only needs one. The costs can be a significant factor for a new player, and even some of us vets ;) I'd stick with THF for a barb, at least until you can get more resources.

Overall, don't over-think it. Research is nice, but there is no one "Perfect" build that is required. Any decently built, geared, and played barbarian will be more than welcome in any raid or epic quest.