Inexperienced player - HC Barb build questions

Trang Oul wrote: 6 months ago

And by level 12 you mean Aura Enchanted unique monsters in high level Terror Zones? Has anyone checked that? Conviction would be easy - just check the difference of your resistances before and after applying the aura.

Here is a source for aura enchanted mob aura levels:
https://www.theamazonbasin.com/wiki/ind ... _Enchanted

And in case Amazon Basin isn't working for you, here's another:
https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Aura_Enchanted

Trang Oul wrote: 6 months ago

I'm asking because most sources state that max level is 11, likely a leftover from LoD with no monsters with lvl 96 (8×12).

Yes, the effective max was 11 in LoD because there were no monsters above level 96. It's only with TZs that monsters were able to have level 12 Conviction. And it was actually noticed by a lot of people rather quickly - there used to be a bug where if there were two opposing Conviction auras of the same level, it would cause both Conviction auras to apply both the negative and positive effect simultaneously (both -res & -def to enemies and to oneself), and this would stick until you removed the aura (unequip the Infinity and re-equip it). I.e., if you had an Infinity and encountered a mob with level 12 Conviction, after killing the elite mob, your own Infinity would keep hitting your own defense and resistance until you unequipped the Infinity. This bug was fixed a few seasons ago, but the bug's presence was a definite proof that level 12 enemy Conviction auras was a new thing in D2R.
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Trang Oul wrote: 6 months ago

Also, all sources agree that the slvl of Conviction is ⌊lvl/8⌋, so slvl 13 would require monster level 104.

Yes, I meant to write 104, of course. It was a typo to write 106, I have corrected it. Thanks for noticing

Long time Barbarian Player.
I run all my new HC characters as Solo-Self-Found through Hell Baal, then trade and level with other players after.

For my Concentrate Barbarian, this is what got me through Baal at about level 80:

Armor: Duress - easy to farm the runes from Countess runs and the base from the Pit
Gloves: Crafted Blood Glove - easy to make, looks for IAS, Crushing Blow, Life Leech, Plus Life and Fire Resist
Ring: Raven Frost - Barbarians must have a source of "Cannot Be Frozen" - If you cannot find one then a Rhyme shield is a good placeholder as you hunt
Weapon: Oath in a 4 socket Conquest Sword - the runes are not too hard to farm
Weapon switch: two +3WC weapons from Malah in Nightmare

Everything else pretty flexible, look for rare items that plug holes in your resistances and give bonus to life.

In Hell be extra careful of:
1. don't let yourself get surrounded, fall back and draw out a few enemies at a time
2. be cautious around Unique and Super Unique monsters ( Gold Names overhead) - ESPECIALLY if they have the Might Aura
3. Stygian Dolls in Act 3 are to be killed one at a time, preferably by your mercenary - their Death explosion does a lot of damage and as a Concentrate Barbarian you are right there to receive all of it.

Good Luck and Happy Slaying

Phoenix_00 wrote: 6 months ago

Long time Barbarian Player.
I run all my new HC characters as Solo-Self-Found through Hell Baal, then trade and level with other players after.

For my Concentrate Barbarian, this is what got me through Baal at about level 80:

Armor: Duress - easy to farm the runes from Countess runs and the base from the Pit
Gloves: Crafted Blood Glove - easy to make, looks for IAS, Crushing Blow, Life Leech, Plus Life and Fire Resist
Ring: Raven Frost - Barbarians must have a source of "Cannot Be Frozen" - If you cannot find one then a Rhyme shield is a good placeholder as you hunt
Weapon: Oath in a 4 socket Conquest Sword - the runes are not too hard to farm
Weapon switch: two +3WC weapons from Malah in Nightmare

Everything else pretty flexible, look for rare items that plug holes in your resistances and give bonus to life.

In Hell be extra careful of:
1. don't let yourself get surrounded, fall back and draw out a few enemies at a time
2. be cautious around Unique and Super Unique monsters ( Gold Names overhead) - ESPECIALLY if they have the Might Aura
3. Stygian Dolls in Act 3 are to be killed one at a time, preferably by your mercenary - their Death explosion does a lot of damage and as a Concentrate Barbarian you are right there to receive all of it.

Good Luck and Happy Slaying

If I notice I have too many gaps in resistances, then Duress seems like a nice and very accessible alternative.

I had in mind Oath as well.

I believe stacking and overstacking even (a bit) of %pdr can offer a bit of Peace of mind.

Thank you very much for answering!

ShadowHeart wrote: 6 months ago

Here is a source for aura enchanted mob aura levels:
https://www.theamazonbasin.com/wiki/ind ... _Enchanted

And in case Amazon Basin isn't working for you, here's another:
https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Aura_Enchanted

Corrected.

Convition's slvl is ⌊lvl / 8⌋, so the TZs' max slvl should be be 12. The next slvl would require monster level 104, which is unobtainable even in lvl 99 TZs.
But what with the special case of bosses with superunique bonuses ( Griswold, Radament and Nihlathak), how do other auras work with them?
Might, Holy Freeze, Blessed Aim have their slvl calculated by dividing the monster level by 5 or 6 - and the next slvls, 20 (Might, HFreeze) and 17 (BA) are within the range of the levels of those bosses.

In general, as you find new gear, there are a few attributes to try and keep on your character:

1. Crushing Blow: this takes down 25% of an enemies remaining health, and 12.5% for Bosses <-- super useful against Act bosses
Duress Grants it, but there are a few other good choices ( Guillaume's Face, Gore Rider / Goblin Toe, Crafted Blood Gloves, etc.

2. Open Wounds: this essentially prevents monsters from healing <-- super useful against Act bosses
Duress Grants it, but there are a few other good choices ( Gore Rider, Crafted Blood Belt)
The "Prevent Monster Heal" on Oath also works for this (though, not on Ubers, there you must have Open Wounds)

3. Cannot Be Frozen: mentioned before, start with Rhyme shield and look for a Raven Frost

After that, focus on items that max resistances and grant plus health/vitality


If going for uniques, Hell Andariel has a decent drop rate (though more dangerous). The drop calculator has her at a 1:1200 for Gore Rider if your MF is 200%.
Duress should take less time, and can be farmed relatively safely in Hell from The Countess (Runes) and the Pit (Base).
Absolute fastest way to get Crushing Blow and Open Wounds is by crafting Blood Gloves and Blood Belt, the ingredients are common.

Trang Oul wrote: 6 months ago

But what with the special case of bosses with superunique bonuses ( Griswold, Radament and Nihlathak), how do other auras work with them?
Might, Holy Freeze, Blessed Aim have their slvl calculated by dividing the monster level by 5 or 6 - and the next slvls, 20 (Might, HFreeze) and 17 (BA) are within the range of the levels of those bosses.

I'm not 100% sure, but I would assume that for those 3 bosses, they can reach an even higher aura level than a regular level 99 elite mob would be able to, where applicable (not for Conviction - the max level that those 3 monsters can reach is 102). That would be Might (aura level 17 at monster level 102), Holy Fire (same as Might) and Blessed Aim (aura level 20 at monster level 100). The other auras effectively cap out earlier - Holy Freeze is max aura level 14 at monster level 98, and the final three ( Holy Shock, Fanaticism and Conviction) are max aura level 12 at monster level 96 (would require monster level 104 to have aura level 13, as previously established).

There are quite a few items that provide CNBF (cannot be frozen): https://diablo.fandom.com/wiki/Cannot_be_Frozen

Death guard is often overlooked due to its low level but gloves + Belt are awesome! Just upgrade the Belt to get 16 potion slots.

Deaths guard + Deaths hand is excellent combo. Ive used that combo (with upgrade to exceptional) all through Hell HC. 8% life steal, 15 all res, CBF, and the IAS is huge for melee chars.

For my 90 HC Barb lately I prefer Cham rune in helmet vs Ravenfrost, as I like to play the Travincal slot machines alot with him. Also have dual rings with 10 FCR, AR, and all res which helps hit 105 FCR on swap.