Iron Spiral Barbarian Guide (Skill plan & Gearing section updated)

I'm really starting to struggle with this build. I'm in destruction and I've completed most of the early challenges and have around 10 charms. My survivability feels really low however. I have maxed resists, about 7k life, 50%+DR, 60% block, 250k defense and am walking, about 50%ls, with some Life on hit. I am basically always using bear stance to survive. Even against Mephy/diablo when I switch to wolf stance my health would immediately plummet. I have everything mo'd to level 120 (nasrudin, zeraes, featherclaw, deadfall, invictu, seal of neph kings, rare ring/ammy, zealots) and am using a sacred kriegsmesser with the ath/skarn runeword. Ultimately, I think my main issue is my weapon damage. The weapon only has like 120-135 listed damage, and my c-screen damage is <2k. I don't understand why it is so low though-- it seems to be better to use the t6 unique kreigmeisser. I'm guessing my survivability is low because I don't have enough pdmg to effectively leech, but I don't really know what to switch to or how to improve my damage substantially. I'm not even close to being able to do duncraig/TA/K3000 in terror difficulty the way your videos show destruction.

Snickers wrote:I'm really starting to struggle with this build. I'm in destruction and I've completed most of the early challenges and have around 10 charms. My survivability feels really low however. I have maxed resists, about 7k life, 50%+DR, 60% block, 250k defense and am walking, about 50%ls, with some Life on hit. I am basically always using bear stance to survive. Even against Mephy/diablo when I switch to wolf stance my health would immediately plummet. I have everything mo'd to level 120 (nasrudin, zeraes, featherclaw, deadfall, invictu, seal of neph kings, rare ring/ammy, zealots) and am using a sacred kriegsmesser with the ath/skarn runeword. Ultimately, I think my main issue is my weapon damage. The weapon only has like 120-135 listed damage, and my c-screen damage is <2k. I don't understand why it is so low though-- it seems to be better to use the t6 unique kreigmeisser. I'm guessing my survivability is low because I don't have enough pdmg to effectively leech, but I don't really know what to switch to or how to improve my damage substantially. I'm not even close to being able to do duncraig/TA/K3000 in terror difficulty the way your videos show destruction.

try to get better weapon. not only barbarian weapons are good. you can use 2h melee weapon in 1h as barbarian so you could use that. make some good damaged runeword for it. or you could even try T6 (

The Dao of Xiansai

The Dao of Xiansai
Great Sword (4)
One-Hand Damage: (10 - 12) to (27 - 39)
Two-Hand Damage: (17 - 20) to (33 - 46)
Required Level: 11
Required Strength: 105
Item Level: 29
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.16 per Strength)%
+1 to All Skills
15% Attack Speed
15% Hit Recovery
+(15 to 25) to Maximum Damage
(51 to 75)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(18 to 35)% Enhanced Damage
+(101 to 150) Defense
+1% to Experience Gained
Socketed (2)
One-Hand Damage: (28 - 32) to (65 - 78)
Two-Hand Damage: (50 - 55) to (84 - 99)
Required Level: 29
Required Strength: 151
Item Level: 40
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.16 per Strength)%
+2 to All Skills
25% Attack Speed
25% Hit Recovery
+(31 to 40) to Maximum Damage
(101 to 125)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(52 to 69)% Enhanced Damage
+(201 to 250) Defense
+2% to Experience Gained
Socketed (4)
One-Hand Damage: (59 - 64) to (123 - 149)
Two-Hand Damage: (114 - 123) to (172 - 201)
Required Level: 49
Required Strength: 291
Item Level: 67
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.16 per Strength)%
+3 to All Skills
35% Attack Speed
35% Hit Recovery
+(51 to 70) to Maximum Damage
(151 to 175)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(87 to 103)% Enhanced Damage
+(301 to 350) Defense
+2% to Experience Gained
Socketed (5)
One-Hand Damage: (77 - 83) to (166 - 193)
Two-Hand Damage: (148 - 160) to (228 - 259)
Required Level: 57
Required Strength: 570
Item Level: 85
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.16 per Strength)%
+4 to All Skills
40% Attack Speed
40% Hit Recovery
+(71 to 90) to Maximum Damage
(176 to 200)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(104 to 120)% Enhanced Damage
+(351 to 400) Defense
+3% to Experience Gained
Socketed (6)

to get the job done.

also even when you have perfect end game gear you sometimes need to switch to bear stance for survaivability in some places. you cant just faceroll everything

Mo's: Fhr, Defense, Deadly strike.

Any preference towards ED or TCD? Also, is Deadly Strike > Crushing Blow?

Roenan wrote:
Mo's: Fhr, Defense, Deadly strike.

Any preference towards ED or TCD? Also, is Deadly Strike > Crushing Blow?

i prefer more CB than deadly strike but some with Carsomyr / other good physical damage weapon the deadly strike comes more efficient.

ED or TCD only if you need it. i rly just rely on bear stance more.

The deadly strike versus crushing blow debate isn't particularly simple, because of how crushing blow works. Crushing blow removes a set percentage of life based on the hit target's current life. Because iron spiral (like practically all of the barb's melee skills) is missile based those percentages are 12.5 for normal monsters and 6.25 for everything else. Except of course the monster you actually swing on which gets the melee direct hit numbers of 25 and 12.5. Plus the monster takes whatever damage your weapon actually does. Because this is all based on the monster's current life you fairly quickly reach a point where deadly strike out performs crushing blow (since it is going to do the same damage regardless of the monster's current life).

I've basically bailed on wolf stance for now due to low def. I'm going to try for a bunch of 2%LL/dex/defense jewels as I continue the char, but 99% of the time I'm in wolf only for mobility. Bear I'm around 250k, wolf <50k. I have no intent on grinding to 121 for the good xis runeword shield that boosts motw, so for now I have a 22/24 motw combo on switch that gets me up to about 6500 spiral dmg with about 34% block (51 sigs eaten). Just trying to sort out my MO's as it's the easiest thing to max out the current equipment.

Roenan wrote:I've basically bailed on wolf stance for now due to low def. I'm going to try for a bunch of 2%LL/dex/defense jewels as I continue the char, but 99% of the time I'm in wolf only for mobility. Bear I'm around 250k, wolf <50k. I have no intent on grinding to 121 for the good xis runeword shield that boosts motw, so for now I have a 22/24 motw combo on switch that gets me up to about 6500 spiral dmg with about 34% block (51 sigs eaten). Just trying to sort out my MO's as it's the easiest thing to max out the current equipment.

yep. also you should be using bear stance before you hit max block.

Roenan wrote:I've basically bailed on wolf stance for now due to low def. I'm going to try for a bunch of 2%LL/dex/defense jewels as I continue the char, but 99% of the time I'm in wolf only for mobility. Bear I'm around 250k, wolf <50k. I have no intent on grinding to 121 for the good xis runeword shield that boosts motw, so for now I have a 22/24 motw combo on switch that gets me up to about 6500 spiral dmg with about 34% block (51 sigs eaten). Just trying to sort out my MO's as it's the easiest thing to max out the current equipment.

You don't need a Xis runeword to boost mark of the wild. Just put an Ohm rune in a tier 1 axe and boom. Large MotW boost.

where to get sword xiansai? im a newbie here

busting123 wrote:where to get sword xiansai? im a newbie here

tristram box that you get from griswold or then you can make xiansai by finding normal quality great sword and using 2 x arcane crystals + oil of enchatment on horadric Cube