GS HP Cloak for Barbarian

[Noobian]

Playing my first barbarian, got him to 16 and looking to build a HP GS item for him. Built a GS Cloak and am pondering what to do.

One thing I find annoying about a barb is that you can't access clickies while raged (or mad stoned for that matter), so I'm thinking something with a passive effect (guard) rather than a clicky.

Having said that I've found the Air III Haste/HP cloak to be very useful (have on my rogue/ranger). +6 to Dex Skills/3 minute+ hastes and haste guard, not to mention +45HPs and relatively easy on the large ingredient costs. That and Earth III seems a good choice, but Earth III gives +6 to CON skills which is a fairly useless thing on a barb, although Earth Grab and summoning a Dense Earth Ele 2x/day is certainly nice.

But...

I'm looking at the Water III option as well +6 to STR skills, Crushing Wave Guard, Panacea and +45 HPs seems like a strong contender.

Have also eye balled something much more expensive Smoke or Radiance Guard. I really like the Radiance Guard HP cloak as it's a guard the benefits the party in general and lets face it, as a barb I'm gonna get hit. Biggest downside is that it's arguably one of the most expensive ingredient items out there...and it will take a while to complete. Either the Air III or Water III cloak I could finish fairly quickly though.

So...thoughts?

[Choopak]

Well if you go for guard, there's 2 cheap options: earthgard, or airguard.
Now if you want to go all in: lighting strike is awesome, or crushing wave. Some also like the smoke one for perma Blur and displacement clicky (got it on my Blitz build, love it! save a lot of damage)

[sheepface]

I would said triple earth, but triple air could be good too.

[BlackSteel]

con op will double as a wisdom +6 item to help your will save, and it will give you temporary 15 HP quite often.

[Habreno]

I'd go with triple Air. If you're going to play end game a lot, you'll end up remaking it in a different slot to slot the Epic Enevemoned Cloak (probably misspelled that...) from Chronoscope to get the +3 Profane STR bonus from the set bonus. This means you'll remake it in a different slot-and thus shouldn't bother making an expensive dual shard. Triple Air is fine, you'll occasionally be Hasted by the guard and swing faster. Alternative is any other single-shard HP guard.

[Kmnh]

Do you tank raid bosses?

Put your HP item on the goggles slot. You don't need Tharne's Goggles when you are tanking. Save the cloak slot for the Epic Envenomed Cloak, Epic Cape of the Roc or Cloak of Ice


As for the guard effect, Lightning Strike is the best damage effect, Sundering Ooze is the best utility one. Dropping the boss' ac is a major help to the party.

[Sydril]

triple negative

poison immunity
disease immunity
blindness immunity
fear immunity
death block
and slay living guard.

fairly inexpensive to make and all around solid fleshy barb cloak.

[Shade]

triple earth is best general gs hp item. Excellent in most every quest, tho not the best for tanking red/purple named.

Concordant op is ideal for tanking.

Personally I have both and swap as needed. Tho I use goggles, and recommend those as the ideal slot. (Cloak = epic envenomed is unmatched, +5 resist, +8 con slotted)

[Shade]

triple negative

poison immunity
disease immunity
blindness immunity
fear immunity
death block
and slay living guard.

fairly inexpensive to make and all around solid fleshy barb cloak.

While immunities are nice, id recommend them on 2ndary GS items mainly... As most are replicated in other slots or by party buffs.. And far as soloing goes,, yea immunities are nice as youll have far less buffs.. However barbs soloing at endgame really need the most ideal equip they can get to do much.

[Noobian]

Lots of nice info to chew on folks thank you. I've built the green steal blank as a cloak so that's that in terms of slot. If I'm fortunate enough to build an epic envenomed I don't think I'll sweat swapping my GS Cloak for it ;-). As to using my Eyes slot for it, I was expecting to build a triple pos immunity goggles for that slot. I'm not a huge epics guy but I may give it a shot.

I'm pretty much torn over Air III (Haste 3x/day, Air Guard, +6 Dex Skills), Earth III (Earth Grab Guard, Summon Dense Earth Ele 2x/day, +6 CON skills) and Smoke (+6 to DEX skills, Displacement 2x/rest, Permanent Blur). I have Air III and Earth III on other toons and find them both very worth while. Smoke is a pretty big investment but on a Barb with 0 AC seems to make a lot of sense...but of course biggest investment, same with Con/Opp :(

Thanks for all the ideas, they all make sense lol, thats the prob I suppose...kid in a candy shop and all that.

Still working on getting that elusive 1st shard...

[Noobian]

As to using my Eyes slot for it, I was expecting to build a triple pos immunity goggles for that slot. I'm not a huge epics guy but I may give it a shot

Meant triple neg immunity...argh.

[Kmnh]

Post on your trade forums and see if you can trade your cloak for a pair of goggles. Green steel blank items are not bound.