One of the first things I noticed among the changes of patch 2.0 was the barbarian’s loss in move speed. In the days of permaWrath, barbarians could zoom around the map and clear entire zones in no time at all. So I set about creating a build that, while not being so blatantly overpowered, could approximate the feel and excitement of clearing zones at breakneck speed. As with most builds, the difficulty level you choose to play on will be dictated by the gear your barbarian wears. Those of you with a solid amount of DPS and lifesteal will probably see the most benefit (for now!), but it is not required and I, personally, prefer life on hit. For the curious, here is a link to my profile:http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/cannae-1189/hero/2274201
The Skill Runes-
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/barbarian#WhdUPR!gYZ!bYYZbc Frenzy – Vanguard This build is designed to clear zones as quickly as possible. It stacks with your other movement speed buffs (Sprint, Wrath, +Move Items) which allows you to move from one pack of mobs to another before it expires. Vanguard also servers as good defense since you are able to move out of ground affects more swiftly.
Whirlwind – Wind Shear This rune serves two purposes, it allows you to aoe while continuing to move and it allows you to generate enough fury to keep moving. You only stop to loot and how often you loot is up to you.
Overpower – Momentum Unlike the more popular Rend, Overpower’s animation does not pause your character. Never. Stop. Moving. Using it in the middle of a group will give you more than enough fury to continue the attack. With a high enough crit chance and attack speed, it almost becomes spammable. At my current gear level (average to above average), I have no trouble using it every single mob pack.
Sprint – Run Like the Wind What more needs to be said about this rune? Volumes have already been written about its synergy and mechanics. All you need to know for this build is that it provides speed, aoe, life on hit, and can trigger item abilities such as Thunderfury or Andariel’s Visage from each tornado tic.
Battle Rage – Bloodshed Taken alone, it doesn’t seem quite essential, but throw in item triggers, fast attack speed, and high crit chance, you have a massive amount of aoe damage even from single target attacks like Frenzy.
Wrath of the Berserker – Slaughter Similar to Bloodshed, Slaughter grows more powerful the higher your crit chance and attack speed. But the real benefit is your immunity to all forms of crowd control while under the effects of Wrath. Never frozen, never still.
Passive Skills: I currently use Brawler, Weapon Master, and Ruthless for maximum damage. However, you can switch any of them for whatever suits your playstyle. If you are having trouble timing Momentum to keep your fury up, switch one (or more) to fury generators. Or, you can switch to toughness passives to try out a higher difficulty level.
Paragon:
You should spend your paragon points on Move Speed (to 25%) since this stacks with Vanguard and Run Like the Wind. Your offensive stat is up to you. If you’re not a math nazi, simply open your character sheet and see which option gives you the highest sheet damage. Keep in mind that this doesn’t allow for special procs from items like Thunderfury and it doesn’t calculate area damage at all. Your defensive points also go wherever you need them most. I prefer life regeneration since I seem to find enough All Resistance and Armor from gear. Finally, utility points should go into Area Damage. Area Damage is very strong initially and becomes exponentially stronger as you gain higher attack speeds. 20% may not sound like a good chance, but when you are attacking dozens of mobs 2 times per second, the damage gets crazy. The area damage can also proc life on hit and other item triggers.
Conclusion:
So there you have it, a fast-moving and high-fury build that will allow you to speed-clear whole zones. If you are the sort who has to stop to loot every item, this probably isn’t for you, but I hoped you enjoyed reading about it anyway.
Never stop moving.
One of the first things I noticed among the changes of patch 2.0 was the barbarian’s loss in move speed. In the days of permaWrath, barbarians could zoom around the map and clear entire zones in no time at all. So I set about creating a build that, while not being so blatantly overpowered, could approximate the feel and excitement of clearing zones at breakneck speed. As with most builds, the difficulty level you choose to play on will be dictated by the gear your barbarian wears. Those of you with a solid amount of DPS and lifesteal will probably see the most benefit (for now!), but it is not required and I, personally, prefer life on hit. For the curious, here is a link to my profile:http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/cannae-1189/hero/2274201
The Skill Runes-
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/barbarian#WhdUPR!gYZ!bYYZbc
Frenzy – Vanguard This build is designed to clear zones as quickly as possible. It stacks with your other movement speed buffs (Sprint, Wrath, +Move Items) which allows you to move from one pack of mobs to another before it expires. Vanguard also servers as good defense since you are able to move out of ground affects more swiftly.
Whirlwind – Wind Shear This rune serves two purposes, it allows you to aoe while continuing to move and it allows you to generate enough fury to keep moving. You only stop to loot and how often you loot is up to you.
Overpower – Momentum Unlike the more popular Rend, Overpower’s animation does not pause your character. Never. Stop. Moving. Using it in the middle of a group will give you more than enough fury to continue the attack. With a high enough crit chance and attack speed, it almost becomes spammable. At my current gear level (average to above average), I have no trouble using it every single mob pack.
Sprint – Run Like the Wind What more needs to be said about this rune? Volumes have already been written about its synergy and mechanics. All you need to know for this build is that it provides speed, aoe, life on hit, and can trigger item abilities such as Thunderfury or Andariel’s Visage from each tornado tic.
Battle Rage – Bloodshed Taken alone, it doesn’t seem quite essential, but throw in item triggers, fast attack speed, and high crit chance, you have a massive amount of aoe damage even from single target attacks like Frenzy.
Wrath of the Berserker – Slaughter Similar to Bloodshed, Slaughter grows more powerful the higher your crit chance and attack speed. But the real benefit is your immunity to all forms of crowd control while under the effects of Wrath. Never frozen, never still.
Passive Skills: I currently use Brawler, Weapon Master, and Ruthless for maximum damage. However, you can switch any of them for whatever suits your playstyle. If you are having trouble timing Momentum to keep your fury up, switch one (or more) to fury generators. Or, you can switch to toughness passives to try out a higher difficulty level.
Paragon:
You should spend your paragon points on Move Speed (to 25%) since this stacks with Vanguard and Run Like the Wind. Your offensive stat is up to you. If you’re not a math nazi, simply open your character sheet and see which option gives you the highest sheet damage. Keep in mind that this doesn’t allow for special procs from items like Thunderfury and it doesn’t calculate area damage at all. Your defensive points also go wherever you need them most. I prefer life regeneration since I seem to find enough All Resistance and Armor from gear. Finally, utility points should go into Area Damage. Area Damage is very strong initially and becomes exponentially stronger as you gain higher attack speeds. 20% may not sound like a good chance, but when you are attacking dozens of mobs 2 times per second, the damage gets crazy. The area damage can also proc life on hit and other item triggers.
Conclusion:
So there you have it, a fast-moving and high-fury build that will allow you to speed-clear whole zones. If you are the sort who has to stop to loot every item, this probably isn’t for you, but I hoped you enjoyed reading about it anyway.