A few newbie barbarian questions

[MithrilSoul]

Hi all,

I played DDO for just a few months back several years ago (before the first expansion), dropped the game, never touched it again until right around Christmas. I'm a very casual player who fiddles around mostly for fun. My highest level character is a lvl 22 handwrap monk, and I just started a barbarian as an alt to do something different when I wasn't in a monkish mood. :)

So I have a level 4 dwarf barbarian. Planning on playing him as a greataxe-based character (at least up to level 20, as I've read that switching to maul-based past 20 is the better option). I've been reading up on the class, and have a few questions about things that aren't quite clear to me. Any help or guidance is appreciated.

1. When we get the 10 PRR in medium armor at level 11, is that ONLY while we are raging? Or is it a baseline 10 PRR all the time as long as we have the medium armor on?

2. Is there a value in taking heavy armor feat early on, even to swap it out for something else once the PRR with medium kicks in at lvl 11? Or is that a waste of a feat slot (especially on a non-human) that gives not a lot of benefit?

3. A number of the enhancements that give healing say they give healing that scales with melee power. Does that mean healing scales with melee power INSTEAD of healing amplification? Or do both melee power and hamp scale up those heals?

4. All three of the enhancement trees seem very attractive to me. I'll be mostly if not entirely soloing on this character, and am a more cautious type by nature, so I am happy to sacrifice a little DPS in order to increase survivability/soloability. With that preference in mind, is there any one particular tree or build that would be superior to the others in that regard? (I'm thinking more of the process of leveling up to level 20 than I am in the epic levels beyond 20). This is a first-life character, no tomes, with a little bit of twink gear from my 22 monk but not a ton.

5. It's been a LONG time...forever...since I have quested in the level 1-10 or so level range. Any particular quests or quest chains that are "can't miss" because of specific loot they give? I'm currently VIP so I think that means I would have access to anything out there.


Thanks!

[Qhualor]

1. only while raged.

2. I never bothered with heavy armor on my barb. wasn't even a thought in low levels. if you really need that kind of survivability in low levels, than you might as well be using a shield too.

3..im not sure how the math works out, but its not instead of. they do work together.

4. well FB heals you while raging, Ravager heals only while hitting mobs and OS has a mini heal clicky that uses Weapon Bonds. Ravager is probably the more popular one, but mine is a FB.

5. hard to say for me. I use mostly random loot until level 11/12. I stopped using Red Fens, Chronoscope and a bunch of other sets that were good years ago. Carnifex from Deleras is really good, but I replaced it with a random Vorpal weapon last life.

[Enoach]

I have not played a barbarian in a long time so I'll leave the answers on specific barbarian stuff to others.

As for #5

Quest Areas I think a player should visit while leveling up from 1 to 10

1. The Catacombs Series Level 3 Quests: The end rewards in hear are useful for characters that don't have tweak gear. Such as weapons with ghost touch or gear to raise caster levels etc.
2. Tangleroot: This is an other place where it has some nice gear when you don't have a tweak gear pool, but even outside of that it has a pair of goggles with a Deathward clickie (you can collect several of these and they are bound to account) Its about 7 minutes
3. House Denieth Chain: Another source of gear for those that don't have. You will need to collect the bound stones to unlock the gears potential.
4. Deleria's Graveyard in House J. Another place with some nice end rewards that can be useful for many levels. The Voice of the Master being one that you can use from levels 5 to 29 thanks to its XP bonus.

[unbongwah]

Planning on playing him as a greataxe-based character (at least up to level 20, as I've read that switching to maul-based past 20 is the better option).
This info is slightly outdated. Prior to Update 28, mauls were preferred over greataxes for barbs in Legendary Dreadnought (LD) due to the way the crit bonuses stacked (assumes T5 Ravager + FB Death Frenzy):

maul: 20/x3 base -> 19-20/x3 Pulverizer -> 17-20/x3 Improved Crit -> 15-20/x3 Crit Rage -> 15-18/x3 19-20/x6 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit + Death Frenzy) = 37 effective hits
greataxe: 20/x3 base -> 19-20/x3 Improved Crit -> 17-20/x3 Crit Rage -> 17-18/x3 19-20/x7 (OC+DC+DF+Headmans Chop) = 35 effective hits


However, the U28 balance changes have slightly nerfed mauls putting the weapons more on par:


maul: 20/x3 base -> 19-20/x3 Pulverizer -> 18-20/x3 Improved Crit -> 16-20/x3 Crit Rage -> 16-18/x3 19-20/x6 (OC+DC+DF) = 35 effective hits


Greataxes were unchanged, at least for barbs. Mauls still crit +5% more often - better for proc-on-crit effects with fixed dmg bonus like Dragon's Edge - but greataxes crit harder 10% of the time (nice for those of us who like seeing bigger numbers). So the DPS difference between the two is smaller than it was. If you're planning to craft a Thunderforged weapon, I'd say maul w/Dragon's Edge is slightly better than TF greataxe. But if you're looking at named 2H weapons, it's hard to beat eRiftmaker (http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Epic_Riftmaker); with the added benefit you can solo-farm for it.

Really, though, it's hard to go wrong with either, so study the item lists looking for good weapons and plan accordingly.

http://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Great_Axes
http://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Mauls

EDIT: this presumes you want to stick with dwarven racial weapons; if not, don't forget about falchions and Sword of Shadow. There's only two greatclubs worth considering, IMO: Shining Devastation (http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Shining_Devastation) and Mizzen-Mast (http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Mizzen-Mast_Splinter).

1. When we get the 10 PRR in medium armor at level 11, is that ONLY while we are raging? Or is it a baseline 10 PRR all the time as long as we have the medium armor on?
EDIT: the +10 PRR and +10 Melee Power only apply while Raging. Of course, if you're a barb in combat and you're not Raging, you're probably doing it wrong. ;)

2. Is there a value in taking heavy armor feat early on, even to swap it out for something else once the PRR with medium kicks in at lvl 11? Or is that a waste of a feat slot (especially on a non-human) that gives not a lot of benefit?
Since Turbine eliminated armor MRR, there's only a minor defensive advantage to heavy over med armor on a barb (esp. after lvl 11); and some would argue the higher MDB / Dodge cap of medium outweighs the extra PRR of hvy. So you take heavy armor prof if & when you want to switch to named heavy armor (http://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Heavy_armor). It could be as early as lvl 1 or as late as lvl 30; or it could be never. It's all a question of what gear you're planning to use.

3. A number of the enhancements that give healing say they give healing that scales with melee power. Does that mean healing scales with melee power INSTEAD of healing amplification? Or do both melee power and hamp scale up those heals?
It scales with both.

4. All three of the enhancement trees seem very attractive to me. I'll be mostly if not entirely soloing on this character, and am a more cautious type by nature, so I am happy to sacrifice a little DPS in order to increase survivability/soloability. With that preference in mind, is there any one particular tree or build that would be superior to the others in that regard?
For epics, the general consensus is T5 Ravager (Blood Strength + Crit Rage) and FB capstone (Storm's Eye) provides the best overall combination of DPS and self-heals. See Zoda's thread (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/453857-Zoda-Pure-Zergbarian).

For heroic leveling, feel free to experiment with your APs. Usually my first priority is to pick up Supreme Cleave + Frenzy from FB; I also like the temp HPs from I Like Pain (T2 Ravager), since you won't have any self-heals until lvl 12. Heal amp is important too, ofc.

[FranOhmsford]

I have not played a barbarian in a long time so I'll leave the answers on specific barbarian stuff to others.

As for #5

Quest Areas I think a player should visit while leveling up from 1 to 10

1. The Catacombs Series Level 3 Quests: The end rewards in hear are useful for characters that don't have tweak gear. Such as weapons with ghost touch or gear to raise caster levels etc.

I love Cata but if it's loot you're after it really doesn't have much for a Barbarian {Great twink gear for alts though}.


2. Tangleroot: This is an other place where it has some nice gear when you don't have a tweak gear pool, but even outside of that it has a pair of goggles with a Deathward clickie (you can collect several of these and they are bound to account) Its about 7 minutes

Unfortunately not a guaranteed drop and can be painful to farm considering how many quests you have to re-run if you don't get it first go - I wouldn't worry about getting multiples on a 1st life, you'll have another chance on 2nd life and on 3rd and on 4th.

The rest of the named loot is pretty meh unless you're an Arti {The Rune-Arm is great!}.


3. House Denieth Chain: Another source of gear for those that don't have. You will need to collect the bound stones to unlock the gears potential.

Uh?

What exactly would a Barb want from Sentinels?

The Heavy Chain is really nice but is Heavy Armour NOT Medium and there are other much easier to get options now.


4. Deleria's Graveyard in House J. Another place with some nice end rewards that can be useful for many levels. The Voice of the Master being one that you can use from levels 5 to 29 thanks to its XP bonus.

OK So there's literally 3 things you might want from Deleras:

1) Voice of the Master - Guaranteed Drop - +5% XP so long as you're wearing it {Trinket can be swapped in at end of quests}.

2) Carnifex - Greataxe that is rare as Hen's Teeth - If this drops 1st run TAKE IT! Leave the Voice for the next run! - Chances are however you'll never get it without doing a 3x farm and Delera's is a really boring Quest Chain.

3) Golden Cartouche - UMD item.


Meanwhile you forgot:

3 Barrel Cove - Orcish Privateers Plate, Greatbow of the Scrag - Both easy to farm because they're dropped by Rares in the Slayer. Possibly the Bugbear's Banjo too. {The other stuff in the slayer is nice too but maybe not for a Barb}.

[adrian69]

1. When we get the 10 PRR in medium armor at level 11, is that ONLY while we are raging? Or is it a baseline 10 PRR all the time as long as we have the medium armor on?

Going Heavy Armor on a Barb is not preferred unless you have Thunderforged Plate for the 30/60 DR or however much it is. Even then, it is preference and it is debatable. It's only while raged, but, currently, after level 14ish, while you are ranged, another player in heavy armor will only have 5 more PRR than you. That's it. However, you'll have end up having, if built for it, 10-12% more dodge, which I feel is a considerable advantange.

2. Is there a value in taking heavy armor feat early on, even to swap it out for something else once the PRR with medium kicks in at lvl 11? Or is that a waste of a feat slot (especially on a non-human) that gives not a lot of benefit?

Stated my feelings above. I feel it is a waste, but it is solely a personal preference after level 28.

3. A number of the enhancements that give healing say they give healing that scales with melee power. Does that mean healing scales with melee power INSTEAD of healing amplification? Or do both melee power and hamp scale up those heals?

It scales with both.

4. All three of the enhancement trees seem very attractive to me. I'll be mostly if not entirely soloing on this character, and am a more cautious type by nature, so I am happy to sacrifice a little DPS in order to increase survivability/soloability. With that preference in mind, is there any one particular tree or build that would be superior to the others in that regard? (I'm thinking more of the process of leveling up to level 20 than I am in the epic levels beyond 20). This is a first-life character, no tomes, with a little bit of twink gear from my 22 monk but not a ton.

Ravagers Blood Strength is the most player friendly and it is probably the better of the options. Check the barbarian threads for Zoda and Red Sonia's builds and look at their AP spreads. I, as they, prefer to go 38 pts in ravage for +2 crit range/blood strength and go for core 6 and 41 pts in FB taking the crackling attack line and sprint boost, etc. Don't forget that both FB core stances stack for +6 str and 4d6 dmg+ Melee power

5. It's been a LONG time...forever...since I have quested in the level 1-10 or so level range. Any particular quests or quest chains that are "can't miss" because of specific loot they give? I'm currently VIP so I think that means I would have access to anything out there.

You just always want to have the highest items for Strength/Constitution, saves (for enhancements and reflex), HPs, doublestrike, healing amp that you can find while leveling. You probably want to run Devil's Details for the axe there starting at 13. It'll be good enough until you get a better epic axe. I prefer it in the Vale mainly and other quests full of outsiders, but it's got a very nice crit profile. GS Min II is always nice if you have a way of getting mats to make one on your main

A first life barb with no tomes can hit str in the 60s with no problem. So you'll be able to contribute to group DPS or solo if you'd like. My first completionist has sat as a barbarian for years because that's just what I loved back in the 1980s, and I like them a lot. In Epics, LD is great, but DC is also a great destiny to keep you alive, fyi-imo



Answers above are in red.

[MithrilSoul]

I just want to say that I appreciate all the responses so far!

[Vellrad]

1. When we get the 10 PRR in medium armor at level 11, is that ONLY while we are raging? Or is it a baseline 10 PRR all the time as long as we have the medium armor on?Only when you use barbarian rage.


2. Is there a value in taking heavy armor feat early on, even to swap it out for something else once the PRR with medium kicks in at lvl 11? Or is that a waste of a feat slot (especially on a non-human) that gives not a lot of benefit? It increases damage taken by few % (like 2 or 3) while decreasing dodge cap by 5 or 8 or something like that. Not worth it IMO.


3. A number of the enhancements that give healing say they give healing that scales with melee power. Does that mean healing scales with melee power INSTEAD of healing amplification? Or do both melee power and hamp scale up those heals?
Number_in_enhancement * melee_power * healing amp.

4. All three of the enhancement trees seem very attractive to me. I'll be mostly if not entirely soloing on this character, and am a more cautious type by nature, so I am happy to sacrifice a little DPS in order to increase survivability/soloability. With that preference in mind, is there any one particular tree or build that would be superior to the others in that regard? (I'm thinking more of the process of leveling up to level 20 than I am in the epic levels beyond 20). This is a first-life character, no tomes, with a little bit of twink gear from my 22 monk but not a ton. Ravager gives you chance to gain HP while attacking, and gives 20*MP*amp whenever you land a killing blow (1 second cd on kills, but not on hits), FB gives you constant regen each 4seconds (3d6*MP*amp), and OC gives you clicky healing you for 400*MP*hamp that uses a lot of weapon bond and 20*double_MP temp HP each 6 seconds. I feel OC is weakest, as temp HP don't stack, and have long cd, and you need 100 weapon bond to activate heal, which tends to take long to build. FB can be used while you stand away from mobs to regen, but it feels slow in combat, compared to ravager. Take a loot at other t5 enhancements and pick one you like most, don't just judge them by healing.


5. It's been a LONG time...forever...since I have quested in the level 1-10 or so level range. Any particular quests or quest chains that are "can't miss" because of specific loot they give? I'm currently VIP so I think that means I would have access to anything out there.


I just use cannith crafted holy of PG and swap to GS at lvl12, unless I find something random that's better.
Right now, named items are not worthy of farming for, as it will take you more time to get them than actually to wear them, and randoms can be better anyway.

[muppette]

Hi all, quick noob question I thought I would add to the thread. With the changes to crit profiles, what would a twf fighter similar to redsonja's build want to use for weapons? Would they still stick with warhammers? Or maybe picks or khopeshes? Thanks for any advice.

[unbongwah]

With the changes to crit profiles, what would a twf fighter similar to redsonja's build want to use for weapons? Would they still stick with warhammers? Or maybe picks or khopeshes?
Other than "don't play a fighter until Turbine buffs them?" :rolleyes:

Keen Edge and Crit Rage are both competence bonuses to crit range, so a TWF Kensei would have the same options as a TWF barb; unfortunately, Keen Edge is only +1 while Crit Rage is +2. :(

So let's run thru the options in LD assuming a 95% hit chance (not a given, but it provides best-case numbers). I'm going to ignore named weapons with larger-than-average crit ranges (like Mornh or Deathnip) or higher crit multipliers (like Balizarde or Axe of Adaxus), since those require separate analysis; consider running thru their crit numbers homework. ;)

Khopesh:


Kensei: 19-20/x3 base -> 17-20/x3 IC:Slash -> 16-20/x3 Keen Edge -> 16-18/x3 19-20/x5 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit) = 33 effective hits
Ravager: 19-20/x3 base -> 17-20/x3 IC:Slash -> 15-20/x3 Crit Rage -> 15-18/x3 19-20/x6 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit + Death Frenzy) = 37 effective hits


Heavy pick:

Kensei: 20/x4 base -> 19-20/x4 IC:Pierce -> 18-20/x4 Keen Edge -> 18/x4 19-20/x6 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit) = 32 effective hits
Ravager: 20/x4 base -> 19-20/x4 IC:Pierce -> 17-20/x4 Crit Rage -> 17-18/x4 19-20/x7 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit + Death Frenzy) = 37 effective hits


Warhammer:

Kensei: 20/x3 base -> 19-20/x3 IC:Blunt -> 18-20/x3 Keen Edge -> 17-20/x3 Pulverizer -> 17-18/x3 19-20/x5 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit) = 31 effective hits
Ravager: 20/x3 base -> 19-20/x3 IC:Blunt -> 17-20/x3 Crit Rage -> 16-20/x3 Pulverizer -> 16-18/x3 19-20/x6 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit + Death Frenzy) = 35 effective hits


Axes:


Kensei: 20/x3 base -> 19-20/x3 IC:Slash -> 18-20/x3 Keen Edge -> 18/x3 19-20/x6 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit + Headmans Chop) = 31 effective hits
Ravager: 20/x3 base -> 19-20/x3 IC:Slash -> 17-20/x3 Crit Rage -> 17-18/x3 19-20/x7 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit + Death Frenzy + Headmans Chop) = 35 effective hits


Rapiers / scimitars:


Kensei: 18-20/x2 base -> 15-20/x2 Improved Crit -> 14-20/x2 Keen Edge -> 14-18/x2 19-20/x4 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit) = 30 effective hits
Ravager: 18-20/x2 base -> 15-20/x2 Improved Crit -> 13-20/x2 Crit Rage -> 13-18/x2 19-20/x5 (Overwhelming Crit + Devastating Crit + Death Frenzy) = 33 effective hits


You can see that for Ravagers, khopesh and heavy picks are tied in terms of effective hits; but what helps khopesh pull ahead is higher base dmg - 5[1d8] vs 5[1d6] is effectively +5 base dmg per hit - and a 50% higher crit rate which is better for proc-on-crit effects like Dragon's Edge. Likewise, warhammers and axes are tied in terms of effective hits; but the higher crit rate on hammers makes it better for proc-on-crit effects.