Rewatching the fireside chat Adam Jackson mentioned better scaling for aspects that create stuff like Earthquakes and Dust Devils so that people could have those as builds. Later on they talked about making druid companion builds different from necros because minions are a core fact of the Necro class.
Putting these two things together what do folks see as the defining builds for Barbs and does a Dust Devil barb fit into that equation?
Personally having a functioning Frenzy build is a much more key component of the barb class than dust devils. WW and HotA definitely qualify as class defining builds. Id argue that Frenzy, Bleed, Thorns and quake builds are close behind. (im counting DS as a frenzy type build) If i were going to put dust devil barb on the list it would be somewhere 100 steps before tornado druid.
One only needs to play lightning storm druid to see how flat damage aspects can actually scale well. My druid can proc off procs. So once again the druid does everything better than every other class in the game lol
As I see it now, staying in line with the whole fantasy theme Adam Jackson mentioned, these are the options we currently have:
- Hammer of the Ancients barb
- Whirlwind barb
- Upheaval barb (probably it’s just me, but everyone matters!)
- Bleed barbs
- Thorn barb
- Berserker barb
These are the archetypes I can pick out mainly from the skill tree. But, everyone, no matter the build is pretty much using the same passives because they are not freedom of choice: they are obligatory to get at least some modicum of damage. So out of those, only a few perform on an acceptable level, which is still MILES behind any other class.
Then there are builds that just don’t do well at all, like an ancients build. Charge is half-bugged, the aspect of leap/upheaval/ww is useless because of the low dmg and the ultimate itself isn’t much better.
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I use both Earthquakes and Dust Devils currently. I am going down the permazerker route with DS. Having ground stomp + earthquake and dust devils on DS helps a bit with some minor AoE damage. I am still pretty low level so not sure how much scaling it will do, but its fun. Barbarian go vroooom.
None is the answer, current state the quakes, dust devils, berserk fire do absolutely nothing late game.
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If they’re just going to slowly rediscover / reinvent D3 Barb, I’d rather they give us IK first, then 9KS, then Raekor, then MOTE, then finally WOTW.
I say that as a diehard MOTE player.
- Quakes can cap the (nerfed) Disobedience easily.
- You will almost always have the DR and Damage bonus (both which need to be increased).
- Quakes proc both effects if you take Bul-Kathos and Earthquake.
Yeah, it can be hard to stay in them and the damage it does can just as easily not even exist.
I wasn’t speaking to the buffs the quakes they provide just the damage scaling. Guess what you can receive just as good a buff with shouts and your mobile.
I don’t think the Quakes were ever intended to deal viable damage otherwise it would be designed differently. If it worked like Dust Devils, the tool tip would be misleading and the X number represented would the Base Damage, but the Actual Damage would benefit from your Character Stats greatly.
It does not snapshot and cannot Lucky Hit, benefit from your Arsenal or Technique Weapon, and the Flat Damage really is just bad.
I don’t think the Quakes necessarily need to have their damage increased as the secondary effects on the Aspects are decent enough. They should probably increase the buff values, or, at least let it snapshot and benefit from your Technique and trigger any Lucky Hit procs.