barb staff, a 100% doublestrike build

[WarDestroyer]

Since U50 it's been much harder to hit the doublestrike cap, specially if you're a barbarian since they notoriously get 0 doublestrike from their trees. There are two universal options to help with this: Rapid Slash (+20%) from VKF and Quick Strike (+25%) from TA or Henshin. However there restrict you to daggers and staves; the letter is best for barbarians and their THF synergies, and Sword to Plowshares got buffed in U51.

Pros:
- doublestrike cap
- 15% attack speed while standing
- 17-20/x5 threat range
- evasion

Cons:
- lower BDR
- light armor
- no class trance or capstone

Staff Barbarian
Barbarian 18 / Rogue 2

Stats: STR -> CON -> INT

Skills: UMD, trapping skills and intimidate.

Race: any works, I used shifter for Magic Fang and raging bonuses.

Feats: PA, THF line, Improved Critical: Bludgeoning, Overwhelming Critical, Doublestrike, Scion of Arborea. The rest is up to you, I took defensive feats eg toughness, epic toughness and the new improved barbarian defense.

Enhancements: core 34 FB / 11 TA / 4 Ravager.




ED: core 25 FotW/14 LD.

Items: I am using the following setup, there are better solutions using slotted sets and Windlasher's Ferocity but this was ready at my bank.

- Charune (artifact, piercing, STR, raging STR) [slot: ins STR and extra rages]
- Wildcard (PotF, false life, hamp, fortification)
- The Family's Blessing (PotF, enh DS, ins piercing)
- Legendary Hammerfist (PotF, Seeker, ins DS, ins deadly, Cannith Combat Infusion)
- Titania's Glory (MRR set, Crown of Summer) [slot: Litany]
- Legendary Belt of the Ram (MRR set, qual STR, CON, speed)
- Legendary Deepsnow Boots (PRR set, ins CON, qual CON)
- Legendary Cold Iron Bracers (PRR set, HP, ghostly)
- Legendary Ring of Prowess (MP, accuracy, deadly) [slot: dodge]
- Legendary Band of Insightful Commands (qual deadly, ins accuracy)
- Legendary Tharne's Goggles (Deception, TS, ghostly)
- Bloodrage Chrism (profane DS, profane PRR/MRR/DR)
- The Staff of Shadows

Doublestrike breakdown: 25 (quick strike) + 15 (artifact) + 15 (enhancement) + 6 (insightful) + 3 (profane) + 9 (EPL) + 9 (FotW) + 6 (LD) + 5 (epic feat) + 1 (rounding) = 94% doublestrike

This is usually enough to hit cap due to Cannith Combat Infusion, bard buffs or reaper boost. Permanent options are Scourge IPL, Bloodrage Barkers, 11 ap VKF dip.

[Dragbon]

What is your goal with this build? It leaves a lot of dps and tankiness on the table. I have been using a similar build that is 18 barb 1 rogue and 1 fvs but is more dps focused.

A clear negative of this build is putting 21 points in ravager. 4 points is the ideal amount and then you can put the rest into occult if you want more tankiness or put them into harper for a trance or grab the 5% doublestrike from vistani. Also the deflect arrows from vistani is a great defensive benefit. Not grabbing the + to hit and damage enhancements from thief acrobat is also very loose. There can also be an argument about going down in shifter to grab things from falconry.

100% doublestrike is very cool and all but its only part of your damage and some other parts of your build are a little lacking.

[WarDestroyer]

What is your goal with this build?

The main intent is DPS with enough survivability. I honestly believe that the package of higher doublestrike, attack speed and multiplier makes this the best multiclass available for barbarians, although there is some argument for bears.

Perhabs what was misleading in OP was my current AP split. I chose to spend a lot of AP in ravager and shifter because I wanted to feel tankier for once, but all the AP not in the core is flexible. In fact for more DPS I intend to swap to 7 shifter / 34 FB / 11 TA / 26 falconry / 4 ravager.

[magaiti]

Doublestrike is only one factor in your DPS. It's pointless to max it without paying attention to the opportunity costs.

Currently, a Barb 20 build can achieve 70+% sustained doublrestrike, meaning 100% with Reaper strike.
Assuming past lives and reaper points for enough Reaper Boost charges of course.

Breakdown:
9 EPLs
6 IPLs (Scourge)
15 item (enhancement bonus)
6 item (insightful bonus)
15 item set (artifact bonus)
5 epic feat
9-15 ED (assuming 3+6 in Fury and possibly up to 6 in LD)
0-5 Vistani (depends if you can spare 11 AP for core 3. Keep in mind that 8 AP is pretty much required for Haste Boost anyway)
0-3 Filigrees (Shattered Device 3 pieces)

[tpbtoc]

I am always interested to know if staff builds are improved. What kind of content do you run on this build? What weapons you using?

[Tilomere]

Consider dropping 12 of your barb levels for ranger, and grabbing +1 crit range from DWS instead of ravager, and then swapping some racial AP to harper for a trance since ranger gives magic fang.

Can also go pure dex, with to hit from acrobat, to damage from DWS, and trance from HW for an easily working evasion.

[Erekose]

Consider dropping 12 of your barb levels for ranger, and grabbing +1 crit range from DWS instead of ravager, and then swapping some racial AP to harper for a trance since ranger gives magic fang.

Can also go pure dex, with to hit from acrobat, to damage from DWS, and trance from HW for an easily working evasion.

This is a barb staff build using 18 levels of barb, subbing 12 lvls for ranger would make it more ranger than barb. I think you have misclicked the wrong class in the forum menu.

[Arkat]

This is a barb staff build using 18 levels of barb, subbing 12 lvls for ranger would make it more ranger than barb. I think you have misclicked the wrong class in the forum menu.

Considering the last response (beside yours) in this thread is almost 5 months old, I'm guessing you misclicked it as well.