Its really impossible to say without seeing example items. Hota and pro slam could be interesting. Savage also. The least interesting build is rend I think. It would be cool if the ethereals can push like 10 grs in lesser builds. Spice things up…
PTR is live, I’m at work, first one to post a pic of an ethereal gets a heart from me!
Ok, not a screenshot, but on Rob’s Twitch he is running around with a level 22 ethereal sword.
Name: Doombringer
Color: Teal
209.8 dps
+9% damage
+76 Strength
+4% life
Crit chance increased by
+431 Life per Hit
+100% damage to all Barbarian skills (additive?)
Ignores durability loss
Reduce the damage of enemies hit by 25% for 5 seconds
Legendary power: reduce the remaining cooldown of one of your skills by 1 second when you slay an enemy (Messerschmidt… so it’s not only class-specific weapons, I guess it’s any weapon your class can use)
Passive: Sword + Board
Edit: here’s a video clip with more…
So, we got:
Another Doombringer, level 70, 1H Ancient Ethereal Champion Sword
1.4 aps
2468 dps
+79% damage
+10% life
Crit chance increased by 10%
23723 life per hit
+100% damage to all Barb skills
Ignores durability loss
Reduce the damage of enemies hit by 25% for 5 seconds
Juggernaut passive
Oathkeeper power
Grimmershred, level 70, 1H Ancient Ethereal Flying Axe
1.47 aps
2690 dps (and has its added damage range split into Cold, Fire, and Lightning portions)
+94% damage
- 13% IAS
- 13% elite damage
+100% damage to all Barb skills - 10% CDR
Ignores durability loss
Killing an elite pack increases move speed by 30% for 7 seconds
Pound of Flesh passive
Standoff power
The Grandfather, level 70, 2H Ancient Ethereal Colossus Blade
1.37 aps
3696 dps
- 19% IAS
+11% life
+10% CHC
+200% damage to all Barb skills
+7% CDR
Ignores durability loss - 826 all stats
- 1 to maximum damage per paragon level up to 800
No Escape passive
Ambo power
Another The Grandfather
1.37 aps
3829 dps (so, obviously the stats are not all consistent, they roll within a range)
+85% damage
+19% IAS
+10% life
+10% CHC
+200% damage to all Barb skills
+10% CDR
Ignores durability loss
+851 all stats
- 1 to maximum damage per paragon level up to 800
Tough as Nails passive
Gavel power
Another Doombringer
2710 dps
+83% damage
+10% life
+10% CHC
+22442 life per hit
+100% damage to all Barb skills
Ignores durability loss
Reduce the damage of enemies hit by 25% for 5 seconds
No Escape passive
Furnace power
That implies the items have potential. I would never normally expect something like +100% skill damage as a non-legendary affix.
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Was it really 200% to all barbarian skills or 100%?
Also, I saw in another post that someone saw a 300% all skill bonus but it did not have picture to support claim.
So:
Looks like the 3 items for Barb are Doombringer (1H sword), Grimmershred (1H axe), and The Grandfather (2H sword)
Doombringer:
Always has +100% damage to Barb skills
Always has Reduce the damage of enemies hit by 25% for 5 seconds
Always has Ignores durability loss
Probably always has +CHC, in a range (possibly 6-10%)
Always has LpH, in a range (ancient legendary caps at 23950, this may too)
Always has +Life%, possibly in a range (we’ve only seen 10% for lvl 70 items)
Grimmershred:
Probably always has +100% damage to Barb skills
Probably always has Killing an elite pack increases move speed by 30% for 7 seconds
Probably always has +elite damage, in a range (possibly 10-15%)
Probably always has +CDR, in a range (possibly 6-10%)
Always has Ignores durability loss
Always has IAS , probably in a range (maybe 10-15%?)
The Grandfather
Always has +200% damage to Barb skills
Always has +1 to maximum damage per paragon level up to 800
Always has +X to all stats, in a range (possibly 800-1000)
Always has +IAS, in a range (possibly 15-20%)
Always has +CHC, in a range (possibly 8-10%)
Always has has +CDR, in a range (possibly 6-10%)
Always has Ignores durability loss
We also now know that 2H powers can definitely go on 1H weapons (1H Doombringer with Furnace power), and vice versa (2H Grandfather with Ambo power).
I’ll have to think a little bit about how these impact our various builds. The only one I’m 100% on is Leapquake: that will definitely use Grandfather with either Blade of the Tribes or Furnace power, with the other in the cube.
We still need to find out whether those damage bonuses are additive or multiplicative, that may make a significant difference in whether builds like Rend and Frenzy, which have significant additive bonuses already, use a 1H or 2H weapon.
Another note: looks like the damage ranges of these weapons are comparable to ancient weapons.
Edit:
So, if the damage bonuses are multiplicative, then 2H has a 50% advantage over 1H (3/2 = 1.5). In this case, I think basically all of our builds would be better off with a 2H weapon, especially since Grandfather automatically rolls with a bunch of attack speed, which is good for Rend, Frenzy, HOTA, and Slam. 50% extra damage is just too much to give up.
If, on the other hand, the bonuses are additive, then there’s a bit more parity.
Rend, for instance, would go from +165% dibs to either +265% or +365%. So that would be (4.65 / 3.65 = 1.27), only a 27% advantage to the 2H weapon.
Very similar picture for Frenzy, which generally runs with 150 - 170% dibs normally.
Then again, Grandfather has that big +max damage from paragon bonus, which looks to me like it’ll roughly add another +13% damage on top.
Gut reaction: we’re headed for a season of Barbs carrying The Grandfather.
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So, a classic Barbarian weapon that the community has asked to be buffed for ages will suddenly be good?
That’s a plus in my book (aside from the implication that this one weapon will be BIS for most of our builds).
On the other hand, the timing . . . 
4 Likes
Oh, this gets stranger.
Link removed
Look at Grandfather’s attack speed. Also, using it with frenzy is very nice looking.
Edit:
Google Drive is still not letting me change the permissions on the picture. See the post below:
Can you repost this as a pic upload from imgur? The current link cannot be accessed.
Hmmm, google drive is being weird and not letting me change permissions.
Oh well, your wish is my command:
https://imgur.com/a/SAUXPSU
2 Likes
so far two thumbs up on the ethererals
Is it gonna be an escalation of RNG?
Yes, significantly. Because you’ll need to find Grandfather, which has a probability of dropping “somewhere between ancient and primal” (i.e. not very likely). Then, you need it to get good rolls. And of course it also needs to at least get the legendary power for the build you’re playing, and hopefully one of the 5 or so passives you need, too.
And, you can’t get it from Kadala or reforge for it.
Gonna be kind of like trying to get a good Primal FoT, but harder.
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Primal FoT, haha. Well that’s not even a thing any more since it’s on the follower.
The mad RNG element to the ephemerals is a bit daunting, but I guess it’ll be fun. I’m actually glad it’s not carrying over to NS. Who needs the added grind there; keep it contained to the season where if you don’t get a good one so be it. It’s a pain enough already trying to get a good hellfire every season with a useful passive.
P.S. thanks Rage for the excellent analysis/speculation.
2 Likes
The Grandfather is broken. I think you can put this on a Frenzy or HOTA barb for some 2H flavor and it’s going to rip some high GRs
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Unless it rolls with a S&B passive 
As Apache points out in PTR feedback threads, some items are badly broked.
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I mean, imagine what the other classes are thinking of too.
Long shot on making these available for non season but if things stay as they are then I guess I’m seeing myself farming endlessly til the wee hours again.
Here’s the level 70 one-hander I went with last night…
https://i.imgur.com/VlYXKYe.jpg
You’ll notice that it rolled with the legendary power of Bastion’s Revered, which confirms that it’s possible for one-handed ethereals to have two-handed powers. So, I went with the ethereal and oathkeeper equipped and cubed The Furnace, with the H90/Frenzy setup. My very first GR was a GR75 and I absolutely abolished the time.
Whilst levelling, finding an ethereal with a useful power is a massive boost to your levelling. I found a one-hander with a Seismic Slam power on it, and a Fjordcutter. I went from levelling in Expert with mobs taking 2-3 hits each, to levelling at T1 and screen-clearing with each SS. I’d also note that whilst the ethereal was 9 levels lower than my Fjordcutter, it had almost double the weapon damage.
No idea on actual drop chances though due to them being classed as legendaries (for the purposes of Caldesann’s and LoN / LoD) and the PTR having a 2000% legendary drop rate.
I also confirmed, from General Chat, that players had received off-class drops of ethereals but, again, no idea if these are obeying Smart Loot or not from limited testing.
One last thing, when they’re salvaged they don’t always give the same materials. I’ve had forgotten souls (as you’d probably expect) but I’ve seen 40+ DBs, 2-3 GR keys, and other stuff. So, even if you get one whilst levelling, when you replace it, salvaging it could give you stuff that’ll be useful for when you hit max level.
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Posted in another thread as well, but turns out it’s not even skill damage, it’s sheet damage.
Source:
https://youtu.be/DFQeJLCLgGE
Also interesting is that off-hand class powers (such as orbs and quivers) can roll on weapons. Not so interesting as barbs, but useful if you’re playing other classes to get the transmogs.
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Ethereals seem cool and all, but I’ll pass on the next season.
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