Ideal Endgame Loadout for a HO Barb

[Lux-Aeterna]

What is the optimal loadout for a HO FB Barb?
I am just about to TR my Dwarf Barb into a Half Orc Barb.
This will be my third life as a Barbarian

This is what I have come up with. Any thoughts?

My main question involves where to put my GS item with Exceptional Hit points. I think I have it narrowed down to the cloak or the helm slot.

Feel free to critique or suggest changes.

Goggles: GS - Deathblock, Blindness immunity, Fear immunity, Disease immunity, Poison immunity
Helmet: Red Dragon Helm/GS Hit Point Item??
Necklace: Shintao Cord
Trinket: Greater Bold Trinket from Crystal Cove
Cloak: Envenomed Cloak/GS Hit Point Item??
Belt: FB TOD Belt
Gloves: Claw
Boots: Madstone
Bracers: Claw
Armor: Maralith Chain
Weapon: ESOS/GS MIN2/GS L2
Ring: TOD Shintao
Ring: TOD Barb

[dingal]

Goggles for hp item. Deathblock....unless you roll a 1 no bother.

Envenomed cloak, boots of corr, helm of frost is nice for abishai bonus.

trinket should be litany.
Helm should be intim 15 as a swap item if you made one or can get it. Even with all your threat sorcs can still take aggro when they want and intim works wonders.

I wear your gearset with the followiny diffs

Tharnes and gs hp goggles for swap when tanking

Envenomed cloak and mabar cloak for swap

[Bodic]

Armor: Maralith Chain

is so last Tuesday Go Starter Rags

Assumption: they are Epic'd right?

[kernal42]

trinket should be litany.

With eSoS, the bold trinket adds far more damage than the litany.
Against 50% fort, the litany barely wins, and even then only if the str bonus moves you to an even str modifier and there is no bard in the party.

Also, the Ravager set tends to add more dps than the Encrusted set.

Cheers,
Kernal

[Quikster]

With eSoS, the bold trinket adds far more damage than the litany.
Against 50% fort, the litany barely wins, and even then only if the str bonus moves you to an even str modifier and there is no bard in the party.

Also, the Ravager set tends to add more dps than the Encrusted set.

Cheers,
Kernal

Ideally you use ravager and encrusted set swapping the encrusted set on when needed.

[kernal42]

Ideally you use ravager and encrusted set swapping the encrusted set on when needed.

Yes.

[Tobril]

Don't forget the Litany with a +2 tome will make your wisdom 11 and help a lot for getting the other stats above 10 for silver flame potions usage.
(two build points into INT isn't the end of the world, the frost hat then does the remaining CHA stat)

Silver flame necklace does deathblock and nasty-ray absorption nicely.

I have a triple negative immunity cloak on my barb as a placeholder for the envenomed, it was pretty nice while TRing. CON is on a bunch of other items so you don't get hurt too bad when switching out this slot. (same for mantle, cloak of ice, etc)

I also second the vote for GS goggles. Tharne's is just nifty for non-tanking DPS and TS, when tanking you don't get sneak attack and don't need TS...this makes for an easy choice.

[Lux-Aeterna]

I was looking at a three part abishai set for a long time but in the end I didn't think it was worth it. With the exception of the disintegrate guard on the boots and the shocking blow on the gloves, I think that with the exception of the cloak, the base items themselves are very very poor compared to other items. The only saving grace is the set bonus, which I don't even think is that good.

The AC and evocation boosts do not matter to a low AC barb and the strength is only +3
This is, at best, +3 two handed damage and +2 attack, which is redundant on a raging barb.

If I use the boots slot, I don't get madstone which is a near permanent +2 str/+4 con and two minutes of +4/+8.

If I use the Bracers or Gloves slot, I don't get to use the claw set which is +4 damage, 30% healing amp and +2 exceptional con.

Even looked at individually, both the boots and the claw set would almost be equal to the +3 str for the chrono set. When you combine this with the fact that you are very nearly wasting two slots on this combo (cloak doesn't count as wasted) it looks very bad to me.

[Lux-Aeterna]

Don't forget the Litany with a +2 tome will make your wisdom 11 and help a lot for getting the other stats above 10 for silver flame potions usage.
(two build points into INT isn't the end of the world, the frost hat then does the remaining CHA stat)

I had kind of lost interest in trying to get the LOTD (almost no one puts it up for roll), and with the bold trinket as a viable alternative I have given up almost entirely.

I think the silver flame pots are nifty, but if I want to solo, I will probably use my WF wizard or just grab a hireling to heal me. I really wouldn't want to spend build points based around this especially since 6 base +4 house P +2 guild gets me past 10 without even a tome or +6 item.

[Dark-Star]

Tharnes goggles with a swap to GS hp goggles when tanking ToD elite
Epic Chrono helm, cloak, bracers
Epic Gem of Many Facets
Epic Claw gloves
Madstone Boots, Boots of Anchoring
Epic Marilith chain (even non-epic can work)
Shintao set
Encrusted/Ravager set
Epic SoS with Devils Ruin slotted

Alternately, go Lenses of Opportunity and Epic Red Scale Armor

After the loot changes (/poke Genasi), swap to Epic Chrono gloves and Epic claw bracers.

[Cam_Neely]

Ideally you use ravager and encrusted set swapping the encrusted set on when needed.

in what situations would the encrusted be better (besides undead, which dont bleed)?

Thanks

[Quikster]

in what situations would the encrusted be better (besides undead, which dont bleed)?

Thanks

On a pure barb, pretty much that, mobs that are immune to bleed. But the title of the thread did say ideal, so i figured Id point out the ideal situations

On splash barbs the extra rage is useful, but not usually on a pure barb.

Of course if it was an ac barb, he might need it to hit the str levers in von 5

[killerzee25]

in what situations would the encrusted be better (besides undead, which dont bleed)?

Thanks

Im assuming hes talking about the extra +2 to con from the fb3 set bonus

[Quikster]

Im assuming hes talking about the extra +2 to con from the fb3 set bonus

I guess. But with the amount of hp a barb should have (at least one capable of outfitting with an ideal set of gear) 20 hp is pretty negligible. I was referring to mobs that were immune to bleeding.

same thing with epic marilith chain. I know some who swap to redscale for mobs immune to crits.

[Cam_Neely]

cool thats what I figured, but with some of the hidden effects/incorrect tool tips it was worth checking

[Lux-Aeterna]

I am really curious why people think that a three piece chrono set is good for a barb.

Like I said before, you either have to give up the madstone boots or the claw set. You could use the gem of many facets to keep the claw but then you have to give up LOTD or the Bold trinket.

I was looking at a three part abishai set for a long time but in the end I didn't think it was worth it. With the exception of the disintegrate guard on the boots and the shocking blow on the gloves, I think that with the exception of the cloak, the base items themselves are very very poor compared to other items. The only saving grace is the set bonus, which I don't even think is that good.

The AC and evocation boosts do not matter to a low AC barb and the strength is only +3
This is, at best, +3 two handed damage and +2 attack. The attack is redundant on a raging barb.

If I use the boots slot, I don't get madstone which is a near permanent +2 str/+4 con and two minutes of +4/+8.

If I use the Bracers or Gloves slot, I don't get to use the claw set which is +4 damage, 30% healing amp and +2 exceptional con.

Even looked at individually, both the boots and the claw set would almost be equal to the +3 str for the chrono set. When you combine this with the fact that you are very nearly wasting two slots on this combo (cloak doesn't count as wasted) it looks very bad to me.

[Blank_Zero]

Don't forget the Litany with a +2 tome will make your wisdom 11 and help a lot for getting the other stats above 10 for silver flame potions usage.
(two build points into INT isn't the end of the world, the frost hat then does the remaining CHA stat)

Silver flame necklace does deathblock and nasty-ray absorption nicely.

I have a triple negative immunity cloak on my barb as a placeholder for the envenomed, it was pretty nice while TRing. CON is on a bunch of other items so you don't get hurt too bad when switching out this slot. (same for mantle, cloak of ice, etc)

I also second the vote for GS goggles. Tharne's is just nifty for non-tanking DPS and TS, when tanking you don't get sneak attack and don't need TS...this makes for an easy choice.

If he is wearing the Shintao set, he gets +6 wisdom already.

[Tobril]

If he is wearing the Shintao set, he gets +6 wisdom already.

Excellent point, but it's good to be ready to handle a swap.