barb build advice

[tdf]

I am a new player to DDO and went straight to barb, due to my past gaming experience, and so far I am very happy.
There is a lot to learn with this game and I am trying to read as much as possible but seem to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and I find a lot of it to be several years old.

So for this build, I really just want a hack and slash barb, I don't want to have to worry about clicking on the action bar to activate skills, I would prefer as many passive skills as possible while I learn my way around.

I originally just wanted pure barb, but recently saw a discussion about adding in a couple levels of fighter but never the exact reasons.

Anyway my point is, I would love a few pointers, just some simple advice if that is possible.

As I learn this game I am sure I will get more into the deeper parts of the game.

Thank you so much.

[unbongwah]

Caveat: Turbine is planning some significant balance changes (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/466433-The-Balance-Change-post) which will rejigger the best DPS options. They're also planning to nerf Blood Strength, which is the primary source of barbs' self-healing right now. So the best barb build today might not be the best barb build next update, particularly in epic levels.

For now, though, Zoda (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/453857-Zoda-Pure-Zergbarian) is your best option for a first-life pure barb. Don't let the tomes and gear throw you off; all you really need is max STR, at least 10 pts of CON, with the remaining stat pts spread where you like. [Zoda puts it into DEX for higher Reflex saves.] Human works best for the extra feat and racial Damage Boost, but any race is fine. I might suggest using slashing weapons (greataxes & falchions) for heroic leveling, then switch to mauls in epics; what makes mauls desirable in epic lvls is that Crit Rage and Pulverizer stack, but without that bonus, other weapons are as good or better.

[UurlockYgmeov]

Caveat: Turbine is planning some significant balance changes (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/466433-The-Balance-Change-post) which will rejigger the best DPS options. They're also planning to nerf Blood Strength, which is the primary source of barbs' self-healing right now. So the best barb build today might not be the best barb build next update, particularly in epic levels.

For now, though, Zoda (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/453857-Zoda-Pure-Zergbarian) is your best option for a first-life pure barb. Don't let the tomes and gear throw you off; all you really need is max STR, at least 10 pts of CON, with the remaining stat pts spread where you like. [Zoda puts it into DEX for higher Reflex saves.] Human works best for the extra feat and racial Damage Boost, but any race is fine. I might suggest using slashing weapons (greataxes & falchions) for heroic leveling, then switch to mauls in epics; what makes mauls desirable in epic lvls is that Crit Rage and Pulverizer stack, but without that bonus, other weapons are as good or better.

^^^ yep this.

[tdf]

Thank you. Very straightforward sound advice.

It appears I was not far off of the Zoda build on my enhancements.

You mentioned using a maul, would being a dwarf and taking dwarven weapon training be helpful or not enough to stray from the path set out by Zoda.

Thanks again, extremely helpful and much appreciated.

[unbongwah]

You mentioned using a maul, would being a dwarf and taking dwarven weapon training be helpful or not enough to stray from the path set out by Zoda.
No: Zoda spends almost all of his APs on Ravager and Frenzied Berserker, which provides the best combination of DPS and self-healing. Unfortunately, this leaves only 1 or 2 APs to spend in your racial PrE (or Occult Slayer); which means you want the race with the most free perks and that's human.

For dwarf fans who don't mind a bit of gimpiness for flavor, there are a couple of CON-based dwarf barb builds out there, designed to take advantage of Throw Your Weight Around (TYWA) which subs CON for STR to dmg with dwarven weapons; plus OS capstone which provides Spell Resistance (SR) equal to your CON score. They're lower DPS than Zoda (or Redsonja (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/458525-Redsonja-3-0-U25-TWF-Pure-Barb)), but the OS capstone is perhaps the only way to hit endgame-worthy SR; and if Blood Strength gets nerfed, One Spirit becomes a more attractive alternative.

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/436179-Dwarven-Occult-Slayer-Pure-Barbarian-Build
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/461645-Thorix-a-first-life-EE-capable-Dwarven-Barbarian