The TLDR 2H Barb

vektson wrote:Which Merc would support this build the most?

guide says A3 necrolyte.

Time to update the gearing options with lategame variants.
Let's break down every slot and figure out best options, I'm open to suggestions. Start with weapon slot:

Weapon:

Gotterdammerung

Gotterdammerung
Great Axe (Sacred)
Two-Hand Damage: 496 to 673
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 5400
Item Level: 120
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.16 per Strength)%
Mega Impact
Thunderfury
Area Effect Attack
50% Attack Speed
Adds 250-400 Damage
+200% Enhanced Damage
Requirements +800%
Ragh nar Rook
Socketed (6)

average damage with 6 jahs = 662
Area Effect Attack (100% chance to cast 50%wdm aoe 5 yards)
Mega Impact 25% chance to cast -7% enemy phys res debuff

Crafted Labrys with 200ed +300 max damage roll
average admage with 6 jahs = 571
can have deadly strike (intimidating shrines), max rolls + Bless = 6%

Grief

Grief
Barbarian Two-Handed Axes
'BerLemGulBur'
Runeword Level: 115
Earthshaker Skills Have Their Cooldowns Reduced by 20%
+(3 to 4) to Barbarian Skill Levels
80% Attack Speed
+140 Damage
+200% Enhanced Damage
Slow Target 20%
4% to Vitality
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
5% Chance to Avoid Damage

runeword (berlemgulbur) in sacred labrys superior 60% ed base
average damage = 611
slows target 20%, max all res 1%, 5% dodge
for SOR if we count 20% more damage (to reduced cooldown), then total damage goes up by 20% (for weapon alone that would be 730)

Crafted Great Sword +

Snowstorm

Snowstorm
Bull Shield (Sacred)
Defense: (3466 - 3837) to (4194 - 4593)
Chance to Block: 1%
(Barbarian Only)
Required Level: 90
Required Strength: 500
Required Dexterity: 374
Item Level: 1
+2 to Barbarian Skill Levels
Adds 50-100 Damage
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+(500 to 1000) Defense
Maximum Cold Resist +1%
Cold Resist +(31 to 50)%
Socketed (4)

Mount Arreat
(Barbarian Earthshaker Set)

set shield, 200ed +300 max
average damage with 6 jahs = 537
can have 6% deadly strike, more sockets (shield)
Can reach 6fpa (vs 7 2h)? for earthquake spam thats 16% more damage, irrelevant for sor.

Yaggai's Sagaris

Yaggai's Sagaris
Labrys (Sacred)
Two-Hand Damage: (441 - 471) to (496 - 527)
(Barbarian Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 796
Item Level: 105
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.16 per Strength)%
Thunderfury
50% Chance to cast level 16 Stormblast on Melee Attack
50% Attack Speed
Adds 150-200 Damage
-35% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Damage
+100 to Strength
+100 to Vitality
Elemental Resists +(10 to 20)%
+250 Life on Melee Attack
Socketed (6)

average damage with 6 jahs - 596
stormblast will deal no damage with heart of stone

aerial wrote:For mana leech it isn't really needed, but in the later game with very fast attack, you technically can drain mana. It is low priority though.

As for leap and wolves, I'd say it is rather downside of leap, since you don't teleport, which would move wolves with you.

Thanks, understood. I just looked over the MOs again and I don't see any mention of life leech or life on attack. Would LoA be a good option for this build (5 x 30 = 150 life each attack sounds pretty good to me)?

For clear life leech is better by miles, we output very high physical damage, skills don't convert to elemental, which means entirety of their damage can leech. One juicy earthquake in lategame ubers, heals you to full.
Only point to get life on attack would be sustain against bosses (where leech doesn't do much), but then having about 10k life pool, and healing 150 per swing is very low.

aerial wrote:For clear life leech is better by miles, we output very high physical damage, skills don't convert to elemental, which means entirety of their damage can leech. One juicy earthquake in lategame ubers, heals you to full.
Only point to get life on attack would be sustain against bosses (where leech doesn't do much), but then having about 10k life pool, and healing 150 per swing is very low.

Ok, understood - sorry to labour the point - but how are you getting life leech?...

The guide only seems to mention Lum crafted jewels for life leech, but the idea is to socket runes for Runemaster, so is it better (or ok) to MO some life leech on weapon and use runes in all sockets? Especially vbefore we're ready to craft... or maybe use

Wormtongue

Wormtongue
Light Belt (4)
Defense: (53 - 58) to (71 - 78)
Required Level: 3
Required Strength: 26
Item Level: 1
(31 to 50)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 5-13 Poison Damage over 2 seconds
(2 to 4)% Life stolen per Hit
+(18 to 29)% Enhanced Defense
+(11 to 15) to Dexterity
Socketed (1)
Defense: (214 - 231) to (259 - 279)
Required Level: 21
Required Strength: 55
Item Level: 31
(71 to 90)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 19-50 Poison Damage over 2 seconds
(8 to 10)% Life stolen per Hit
+(41 to 52)% Enhanced Defense
+(21 to 25) to Dexterity
Socketed (2)
Defense: (544 - 581) to (649 - 693)
Required Level: 38
Required Strength: 192
Item Level: 51
(111 to 130)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 75-150 Poison Damage over 2 seconds
(14 to 16)% Life stolen per Hit
+(64 to 75)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 35) to Dexterity
Socketed (2)
Defense: (801 - 851) to (946 - 1006)
Required Level: 46
Required Strength: 384
Item Level: 77
(131 to 150)% Bonus to Attack Rating
Adds 100-250 Poison Damage over 2 seconds
(17 to 19)% Life stolen per Hit
+(75 to 86)% Enhanced Defense
+(36 to 40) to Dexterity
Socketed (2)

You still gonna use some jewels, because you have runewords, and they fill few slots with jewels.
Another source is MO on weapon.
3rd is charms.

aerial wrote:
Yaggai's Sagaris
Yaggai's Sagaris
Labrys (Sacred)
Two-Hand Damage: (441 - 471) to (496 - 527)
(Barbarian Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 796
Item Level: 105
Strength Damage Bonus: (0.16 per Strength)%
Thunderfury
50% Chance to cast level 16 Stormblast on Melee Attack
50% Attack Speed
Adds 150-200 Damage
-35% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Damage
+100 to Strength
+100 to Vitality
Elemental Resists +(10 to 20)%
+250 Life on Melee Attack
Socketed (6)

average damage with 6 jahs - 596
50% stormblast on attack, high damage mulithitting proc, converts all its damage to lightning (we don't have any pierce besides what is on this unique axe)

Before anyone posts complaining they aren't dealing as much damage as they expected it might be worth noting that Yaggai's proc, and thunderfury on labrys will deal 0 damage when skilled into heart of stone (gives you ~-250% f/c/l pierce). Need to find other sources of AR% if you want to take advantage of these procs, and I'm not sure if they are worth it especially when you are severely limiting the amount of attacks you make using SoR.

Thats nice to know, I though this passive only locks flat ele damages from all sources, but procs/oskills that convert physical to elemental would still work. So that option is out, it wasn't the best even if it worked.

Moving on to next slot:

Body armor

Khazra Plate

Khazra Plate
Ancient Armor (Sacred)
Defense: (8603 - 9489) to (10651 - 11748)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 2310
Item Level: 120
Demon Blood Aura
You and Undead Minions: Maximum Life +6%
26.6 Yard Radius
+60% Damage to Demons
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
10% Deadly Strike
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
(20 to 25)% to Strength
(20 to 25)% to Vitality
Physical Resist 10%
Requirements +200%
Socketed (6)

This is pretty hard to beat, better stats than erawan, 10% deadly strike (straight up 10% more damage in our case), and demon blood aura has 6% increased max life (after global life nerfs).
Not counting here

Tyrael's Might

Tyrael's Might
Ancient Armor (Sacred)
Defense: 11859 to 14685
Required Level: 130
Item Level: 130
Ethereal
50% Movement Speed
+100% Damage to Demons
+100% Damage to Undead
+200% Enhanced Defense
Maximum Elemental Resists +15%
Physical Resist 50%
Cannot Be Frozen
Requirements -100%
Celeri Caelesti Iustitia
Socketed (6)

because this item is super rare.

Wondering why the skill tree in the OP has Tenacity taken with only 1 point in it (so 1% physical resistance). Should it be 1+ rather than 1?

Ye good catch, updated to 5 ofc. Also leap is solid 1, too good to not take. Ancient blood is definitely 1+, can invest more.

Next gear slot: rings.

Giant's Knuckle

Giant's Knuckle
Ring
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
20% Attack Speed
Adds 10-15 Damage
(5 to 10)% Life stolen per Hit
5% Deadly Strike
+25 Life Regenerated per Second
Physical Resist 5%

vs

Ripstar

Ripstar
Ring
Required Level: 60
Item Level: 60
+0.5625 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
+20 Life on Melee Attack

ripstar is can be made out of crystals, 79 max damage @ clvl 140, seems to be easily losing to giant's knuckle, because of 5% deadly strike on it.

Another contender would be

Seal of the Nephalem Kings

Seal of the Nephalem Kings
Ring
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
(10 to 15)% to Strength
(10 to 15)% to Vitality
(10 to 15)% Bonus to Defense
(10 to 20)% Gold Find

or

Ouroboros

Ouroboros
Ring
Required Level: 110
Item Level: 120
+1 to All Skills
(-15 to 25)% to Strength
(-15 to 25)% to Dexterity
(-15 to 25)% to Vitality
(-15 to 25)% to Energy

provided it has good rolls.
Still deadly strike seems to be pulling ahead.