TRing and wondering if barbarian is a viable class right now?

[Jastarn]

I'm feeling a life of smacking people with axes, but I haven't seen a ton of melee's around recently. I don't have inquisitive so obviously I'm missing out on the highest possible dps, but is barbarian a reasonable class to run 1-20? Or should I do a multiclass with ranger so I can just use a bow.

I've got +3 tomes everywhere but dex (+2), and I'd been looking mainly at things like the Zoda build.

If barbarian is a terrible idea, how's swashbuckler these days?

[Discpsycho]

It depends on your expectations. Are you trying to have fun bopping things in E / low R? If so, you should be fine as a Barbarian or a Bard

Neither Barbarians nor Bards have been nerfed and both have benefited from the ED changes, so 20-30 should be easier. Barbarians still spam Blood Tribute and cart around hirelings until 12, Bards are still good jacks of all trades. Zoda build is still the meta (or close to it) for THF Barbarians in heroics. I see some folks running Bardbarians for Swash + Ravager handaxe crit profile, but that tends to be in epics. As far as splashing Ranger goes, I wouldn't do it for bow purposes, as those trees haven't been updated any more recently and (mostly) weren't stellar for heroics anyway

As a somewhat casual HTR hamsterwheeler, I complete a life every 3ish months and play a variety of melee builds - my last four have been pure EK, pure assassin, 18/2 Inquisitive EK/PM, and my current level 7 Bard. Inquisitives dominate heroics and frankly make playing melee less enjoyable, as you're constantly playing catch-up and trying to whack mooks before somebody machine-guns them to death. When not grouped with an inquisitive, very little seems to have changed in the past couple of years, except for a resurgence of Wizards (often EK) and Sorcerers

[Kinerd]

every class is viable

inquisitive is the best because it's inquisitive, not because it's ranged. i don't think a class-based ranged splash makes sense, but if you're set on it i think a rogue one makes more sense than ranger. you're going to have to get Improved Precise Shot manually either way since ranger doesn't grant it until level 11, rogue gives trap and umd skills (and umd will be waaaaay better than the Cure Light Wounds you're limited to with 10- ranger), goodies like double vorpal are t5 as opposed to deep levels.

swashbuckler does tune up the handaxe but i think you should stick with your guy and give pure barb a whirl.