The game has so many great looking uniques, but instead we are all running around with kite shields and crystal swords. Here is a Guide to a Frenzy Barb that uses Doombringer Swords.
As we can see at first glance, the damage doesn’t seem to be up there. But we must factor in adds damage 30-100. This brings a good Doombringer close to 400 max damage, which is on par with a decent Oath roll. We can add a 40 ED jewel to surpass 400 max damage. A decent BotD zerker axe will do 500 damage, so we are not so far behind, and the price of the 2 weapons are very different. Um or Mal for Doombringer, Vex+Zod+Base for BotD. Champion Swords also have a high Minimum Damage, which there is added 30 damage to. A Balrog Blade, and thus an Oath in a Balrog Blade, have very low minimum damage.
We cannot compete with Grief of course, nothing can. Grief is broken.
Then we get some good stuff from the weapon, and from dual wielding them. Weakness is a pretty good curse, lowering enemy damage by 33%. It will be overriden by mercs decripify and that is just fine, Decripify is better. But if you’re max tanking, one or the other curse is a great help.
What’s better is Increase Maximum Life 20%, it will add +300 health to your build x2. 40% to attack rating, need some actual numbers to add to. But A Ravenfrost becomes better and gives more attack rating. instead of getting 100 attack rating points when you add in an item, you get substantially more. Frenzy gives good attack rating and you will have that sorted.
Lifesteal and no repairs indestructable are welcome boons. So in all I’d say that it is a better or more fun weapon than an Oath Runeword. And you have good looking graphics, the uniques look great in Diablo 2 Ressurected.
Now the main point of this guide, is to tell when you hit max FPS with the swords. And here you need 75% IAS, and 27 in Frenzy.
So we want: Highlords Amu, we want 20 IAS gloves, we want Andys with a 15 IAS jewel in it, and then you must be able to hit level 27 Frenzy. Not difficult, with a torch, especially if you are running Arcaines Valour for a great Red Look. You can also factor in Battle Command, but remember to keep it up then.
I max out Frenzy, but then I also Max Beserk and have it on right mouse button. It’s bigger damage and higher attack rating, but at a slower attack speed than maxed out frenzy. Regardless, you work up attack speed with Frenzy, then you shift to beserk for max speed beserk attacks and it is very effective. It’s more about learning what monsters beserk is good on. Mummies for example, seem to have physical resistance, but get whooped by Beserk. Ghosts and wraiths and so on also go down fast to Berserk. It is also easier to target bosses in a mob and bringing them down with Beserk. Also bosses with Stoneskin for example drop like a rock with Beserk. Essentially if it is resistant to one attack, is is vulnerable to the other. Except for cows.
In other words, how you play around with your last skill points, synergies in frenzy or berserk, is up to you. But you must reach 27 level Frenzy. I have maxed out Frenzy and Beserk, and have put the rest into Doubleswing. You can of course, have Beserk as 1 point wonder, only use it when you need, and max an extra Frenzy synergy.
For Armor I advise Arcaines Valour, with a 40 ED Jewel in, or the Runeword Duress. You can slot in an Upgraded Skullders Armor for MF, without losing much in killing speed, remember to keep Frenzy at 27 or above with Battle Command. An upgrade from our inexpensive build, is of course Fortitude Runeword. We don’t really need or want, any other very expensive runeword. So the build is inexpensive, and if you like it you can consider getting a Fortitude.
Boots would be Wartravs in regular play, but if you are in 8 player cow games or the like, Crushing Blows help alot on full health mobs, and Gore Travellers are nice to have in stash.
You need Manaleech somewhere, and crafted Blood Gloves with 20 IAS and Manaleech are preferred, also adding 5-10% crushing blow, or you can run a dual leech ring. It is possible to play without mana leech, you will have to use pots when beserking ghosts and running into mana burns. It is not optimal but can be done, as you mana pool doesn’t really get spend using Frenzy.
You belt you are free to choose, Verdungo or String of Ears, a Thundergods Vigor is good to have in stash if you farm WSK, the Black Souls are now not pests, but mobs that drop higher than avergae amount of runes.
Merc Should be Might and run Reapers Toll for decripify. Makes easy targets out of what he is tanking, but I am most often taking down archers and ranged and such and return to his mob when they are down.
Get above average Doombringers, and put a 40 ED Jewel in each.
A 10 Max damage charm, is better for a Barb than a skiller charm. So run resistance charms and max damage charms, better if they have another useful stat, like life, strength or FHR. You want your resistances in the high, so we can go with lower healthpool.
With stats I advise, Dex for swords. Vit either 300 base, or stop when you have 4000 life after BO. This happens quickly with the swords bonus to life, around 250-275 Vit Base, and allows you to add the rest into strength for highest possible damage. You need max resistence and you have good life leech, and you should be able to play very safely with 4000 life. Remember that 2 life is 1 damage more or less, and if you don’t need 5000 life, but can do with 4000 life, you add 500 damage to your Frenzy swing.
You can of course also have fun maxing out Vit to get extremely high health, but for farming purposes I advise to transfer the redundant health to damage.
With Frenzy Barbs, I find it useful to have stand still attack on Q, then the shouts on WER, Frenzy left mouse and Beserk Right. Put Leap where you want it, it’s a simple playstyle. But often hold down Q while youre fighting to stay in place, and target other monsters and not overshoot with your high speed.
tldr: 27 Level Frenzy, with 75% IAS, will hit Max swing rate with Doombringer Swords.
