Facing a bit of dilemma right now because I have a Obsidian Ring of the Zodiac that is Ancient but for the life of me I can’t roll a socket. Have another one that’s not ancient but I managed to get a socket on my 3rd or 4th roll! In that socket I have a BoT which is lvl 46 right now (plan to upgrade it).
So the question is - should I wear the ancient but with no socket or should I wear the non-ancient but has a socket and put BoT in it?
Side-by-side comparison of the 2 ORZ in screenshot below:
https://www.screencast.com/t/PlnshAFqIVH
(And when can I post screenshots garrhhh!!)
Let’s fix that first for you…
https://www.screencast.com/t/PlnshAFqIVH
However, the answer’s trivial. You absolutely want Bane of the Trapped, which means you must have a socket. You could re-roll the AD on the Ancient into a socket and put the BotT into it. However, usually you want ORotZ in the Cube, precisely because it’s not possible to get three really useful stats on it (Attack Speed isn’t much use to WW/Rend) and you equip Band of Might and Convention of Elements as they can have STR/CHC/CHD or AD/CHC/CHD, e.g. like this
Also, you could apply a Caldessan’s Despair augment to the ancient for some more STR.
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Got it, I’ll keep rolling then. I swear I must have spent like 30 imperial rubies on it…sigh…
The reason why I didn’t use ORotZ was because I was using the RoRG (based on @Rage’s recommendations here: https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/d3/en/d3/t/not-a-bug-ww-rend-barb-nothing-can-be-repaired/55307/7), basically I am using 5/6 items in WW set and 2/3 items in Guardian’s set, so have to use RoRG to get the full set benefits of both. From what I know RoRG is the least likely one to get perfect stats (or reasonably good stats even) which is why I cubed it. I don’t have CoE in my set actually (not sure if I am missing out a lot there). My issue with CoE is each skill rotated very quickly and I am just a bit too slow to be able to hit the elites at the “exact” good times (and figure out on the fly what elemental damage is the best for the elites I am fighting against). Am I missing out a lot for not using CoE? Noob here (as you can see in my setup) so definitely trying to learn from the experts here!
Also I guess we need minimum posting count before one can post links? Thanks for making my screenshot more accessible, always a pain to post these ones!
Unless you really need / want to Augment the ancient ring, it has no advantage over a plain regular one AFAIK.
Thanks for the feedback, no I am not particularly attached to the Ancient ring, however my understanding is ancient in general stats (in my case I can see attack speed is faster and cool down reduction is 1% more for the ancient vs my regular ORotZ), which is why I am hoping I could get a socket in my ancient ORotZ
You should really read the stickied Rend guide in this forum. It will give you a baseline of knowledge that will allow you to adapt your build for future content/Seasons (if necessary). Remember that sockets in equipped jewelry is mandatory.
Another way to think of it is like this: D3 is not a game where you discover your own unique builds. It’s very much a game where builds are dictated by set bonuses (mainly large damage multipliers) that stack with other specific items (that also provide large multipliers). For most builds there are one or two “correct” ways to set it up and play it, and those ways are, for the most part, established well before a build makes it out of PTR.
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Understood, thanks a lot for putting those guides together by the way, Rage 1st recommended me to read about it and it has been tremendously helpful. I guess I am still in the “noob” excitement stage where every ancient drop still get me excited (and every primal drop literally made me jump out of my chair to celebrate)!
By the way since we are on this topic…what’s your recommendation on the gear/skills set up that we should change in your post on Zodiac Rend for this season? For example I read somewhere that for S27 the ancient spear is not really necessary as the primary skill, especially since now I have a crucified shoulder that would pull enemies towards me. Is this true and if so what would you recommend as a replacement for Ancient Spear? Is there anything else you might recommend?
It’s true that you don’t need Spear with the S27 Santified powers, but once you go non-Season, that will change.
For now, you’re better off picking Falter (Threatening Shout) for more damage. But be warned: I haven’t played the game in a few eras; I’m one of the old timers on this forum, maybe the last of the OG posters, and I don’t really play Diablo anymore. In fact, I don’t play Blizzard games period as I find the company detestable. Other players on this board are going to have much better, more current insight into the active builds.
As for Ancient items, don’t sweat it too much. Focus on crushing GRs that you can wipe out in 2-3 minutes, and over time, you will acquire (or craft) much better gear.
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Thanks for the word of encouragement, I’ll let the grinding continue! 
Underrated advice. This should be mandatory for rend barbs.
@Spammy like Free’s said it will give you a base knowledge then you can move on
to more advanced things.
Personal advice. Keep it simple until you start you understand. Start with the correct items/talents/enough cdr. Nothing else should matter until that is accomplished.
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Np. Though, I meant in general the ancient Obsidian ring doesn’t have better stats than the regular. In your case, of course the 1% more CDR is better. Hopefully you have enough resources to get the socket you want or even reforge the ring with a better cluster of general stats and then try for the socket.