1.10 Guide To The Spear WW Barb
Well here goes. My very first guide ever. This guide is for the Spear Barb. Utilizing a high damage spear, the highest range in the game, and decent speed. This barb destroys most casters. Elemental druids, sorcs, necs, trapsins, and some pala builds. In order to make this barb good, it requires a lot of expensive items. Due to the fact that you have a two-hand weapon, it deals a lot of dmg. Also you will have a lot of life. Mine is currently at 5.6k life with level 33 battle order.
Stats-
Strength – 50 (enough with anni to use your enigma)
Dexterity – It’ll vary on your gear. Due to your + dex. Should have just enough with all your gear to use your weapon.
Vita – All the rest goes here. Should be around 400+ high end.
Energy – MAX PLZ! J/p..base…a barb should never have more than +1 point into Energy. It’s a no no.
Explanation- Your barb will be using an Ebotd War Pike, or Ebotd Ghost Spear. They both will have low requirements, therefore that’s why I chose to have low strength and dexterity, but very high life.
Skills-
Whirl Wind – level 20
Battle Orders – level 20
Spear Mastery – level 20
Optional-
Natural Resistance – level 1-20
Shout – level 1-20
Iron skin – level 1-20
Increase speed – level 1-20
Battle Command – level 1
Explanation- Whirl Wind, Battle Orders, and Spear mastery are standard. Therefore all must be maxed. No explantion there. For natural resistance, you can chose to have more resistance to help out vs. elementals, or you can go for Shout and Iron skin to help your defense. Battle Command is also helpful for the + all skills.
Gear-
In order for your spear barb to work well, you will need gear like I will mention. Please, if you find other alternatives, list them in a reply. Thanks.
Helm - One option, Arreats. Only Arreats. As for your socket, 40/15 ias jewel is nice, UM rune will give you +15 more res, also nice. I keep stashed. BER socket for more %DR. You could also use a zod’ed Etheral Arreats. The Etheral mod will give you low str requirement, allowing you to use easier, giving you more of a life boost because you will save yourself about 10 stat points.
Ammy - Highlords wrath. +1 all skills, + X% deadly strike based of CLVL. Doesn’t get better than that. Not to mention a good 25% Lighting Res. A good alternative would be a crafted Blood ammy. +2 barb skills, 10% faster run walk, +str/+dex. + life. ( IMHO would use crafted ammy better off than highlords )
Armor – Enigma, oh please enigma. Mage plate or Archon. Depending on how much base strength you put. I highly recommend a high def Mage plate enigma. Make in a superior one. My Mage plate enigma is 1060 def. The reason I don’t use a Dusk enigma is because the strength requirement is 22 more points than a mage enigma. Those 22 points can go into your vita.
Belt – A good +40 vita, 15% DR verdungos.
Weapon – There are two choices here. Etheral Breath of the Dying Ghost spear (my favorite) or a Etheral Breath of the Dying War Pike. The difference is that a Ghost spear has less dmg, less range, but faster. While the War Pike gives more dmg, more range, but slower.
Weapon Switch – Two +3 war cry weapons.
Rings – 250/20 raven frost. Good legit +AR +dex/str.
Gloves – Steelrends. Real nice. 60/20’s if you can afford. If not, any will do.
Boots – Oh please. Only one choice here. Gore riders. A good %Defense or Upgraded will be more than perfect.
---Charms---
39 x 3/20/20 If you are rich, and can afford all 39, then be my guest. I don’t like to use because they disappear to easily due to the fact that they are DUPED. Massively duped.
3/20/5 faster run walk charms.
1 x Annihlius ( perfect would be very very nice )
20/5 life/res scs. (versus your elemental casters of course )
---Stash---
Demon limb ( use the enchant when you don’t feel like using the angelic ring + ammy combo )
Dwarf Star
Extra Raven Frost
Wisp Projector
Angelic Ring + Ammy ( good AR bonus )
Rising Sun Ammy
Thunder Gods
Snowclash
Draculs Grasp ( for the open wounds / life tap, although considered BM, its good to piss people off once in a while )
** One thing to keep in mind, is that you wont have a lot of resistance, but you will have major life. That is why you have your extra items in your stash to help you out when you are dueling against elements you are weak to.
-*-*-*- Dueling Strategies -*-*-*-
* I will not go in depth about how to deal certain classes, that is for you to find out to make you a better dueler, but I will go over the basics.
*** Helpful hints here.
1. Keep WW on your left click, and tele on your right click. Also make the leap and tele hotkey next to each other. Leap can stun good, tele is self explainitory.
2. When dueling Necs and Sorcs, don’t charge at them in a straight line, Zig-Zag and Run around them.
3. You have the highest range in the game, learn how far of a range you have, and how it is to WW at the range. Use it. Short WW’s are the key here.
Amazon – If a bowzon, go to your stash, get your Ber’d Arreats, run around the zon, teleport near her and short WW. Name lock the tele if you can. Short WW only on the zon. For a lighting zon, go to stash, get your tgods, and WW away. No real strat against them except to short WW.
Necromancer – If you are dueling a tele BoneNEC. Run like crazy. Run unpredictably, Zig-Zag patterns and running around him is useful. Name lock tele when you get the chance. Short WW is the key. If poinsonMancer, wait for him to cast a poison nova, wait for the right time, and tele over the poison nova and short WW him. The duel will be over before he knows it. If a summoner Nec, don’t worry. Just treat it like any other Nec, except he wont have good range. He will have to tele on top of you to do dmg. Wait till he does then short WW away from him. If he trys and stays still to wait for you. Tele right on top of him and do a couple of short WW, and he is out of the ball park. Easy matchup.
Sorceress – Now, these girls could be easy, or be hard. Well before you even start to duel one of these girls, find out what element they are. Once found, go to stash, equip what is needed, then go start to duel. Fire – easy match up, run zig-zag pattern, then tele in and do short WW, rinse and repeat as needed. Lightning – These girls do crazy dmg. Treat it the same as a Fire sorc, they only have single shot, if they have thunder storm laugh, your absorb will negate easy. It will most likely be base skill level 1. No good dmg from that. Watch out for thunders, when you WW her, WW in the opposite direction from where she is shooting. Cold – Ahh yes.. my favorite type of sorc. Also deadliest
(corny ) well yes. These girls are one of the hardest. Like any other sorc, run zig-zag. Don’t charge directly at her. If blizz, they will blizz right on top of themselves, wait for you to tele in, then they run away from your WW. Don’t fall for that. Run smart, run around, pretend to WW in, when the time is right, the sorc will tele out of her blizz field and you have a chance to WW. Short WW is the key here. So do so. If orb, easy. Treat like fire or light, zig-zag, run around, tele in, and short WW. If combo, just put the two together. Think and move fast, hit hard.
Paladins – The most versatile class out there. Remember, your range is from 5 to 6. Use it wisely. If zeal, use your range, short WW, the duel is over. Charger, might give a little trouble because of the fast and hard hitting. Advice for this, WW away from his charge direction, not into it, short WW’s as well. FOH, these guys hit hard and are good range, easy targeted. Tele on top, short WW’s is the key. WW like crazy! Hammerdins, the melee killers. Wait for them to tele out of his hammer field, then do a short WW, rinse and repeat. Ahhh yes, the dominating V/T builds of EotD. Although I don’t have one, a lot of the EotD’s have one, and damn would I tell ya, I get spanked. Don’t let them FOH you, when you get in right by them, short WW only, it’s the key. You have a 5 to 6 range, use it. Get out of the range of the smite. The smite range is from 1 to 3, yours its 5 to 6, you have the advantage. You’ll have major life too. You’ll last quite long. Good luck.
Druids – Melee druids are gone. No explanation there. WW short, hit hard. Elemental druids, easy match. Tele in the middle of the hurricane, do short WW. Do not WW out side of the hurricane. Try to max your %DR, tornado is counted as physical dmg, so %DR helps.
Assassin – WW sins and kick sins are pretty much easy. Just Short WW them. Your WW dmg is far more superior than that of an Assassin. The kicks will touch you, but not hurt you up to a point where you have to fear a kicksin. Trapsins are pretty much easy as well. Go to your stash, take out tgods and wisp projector. Run out, tele on top, short WW, pretty much easy duel. Just watch out for mind blast. It gets annoying.
Barbarians – Warcry barbs should be easy to you. Short WW only. Now, the BvB, high def, high dmg, good life. Sorry, a Spear barb has no chance against the BvB’s of Diablo, well the high-end BvB’s that is. Good luck. Just do fast and short WW, hope you hit good. Also use the Angelic Ring + Ammy combo.
Credits / Acknowledgements
Clan EotD, for introducing me to high caliber dueling. Making me see a whole new side to D2 dueling. Also for being there to help me out, and to have fun with me in dueling games.
All the classic clans out there that I have dueled back in my classic .09 days. Most of my best duels have been there. Where I started from, and where I learned the art of PK.
My cousin *j_foo for being the other spear barb out there that I know of. Also for Josh, DvS clan leader for being another spear barb out there.
Yone – classic legend who taught me the art of PK and was my inspiration to be a better manner type dueler.
Clan Elders of the Dragons
J-NUB FOR LIFE!
…P.S. I hope you enjoyed my very first guide. If you have any questions or just comments, feel free to leave any, and if you are going to flame on your threads and are just going to criticize and not give opinion, just leave because it takes up space. You can also contact me in game at *ezgosu_jd@USWest. Thank you for your time.
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