The Crushing Barbarian

Well, the new job has turned out to be way more of a time sink they I had ever anticipated. Because of this, I haven't been able to find even a full hour to sneak in any playtime :( It's rather depressing, I miss the virtual world of fun!

So, I've made the decision to cancel my AoC subscription for the time being until I'm able to figure a way to get some serious playing back in. As such, updates are going to be few and far between until I get back to playing (which is my goal, this won't be my end with this game). Thanks for all the support from everyone thus far, and keep an eye out for my return :) Good luck to everyone out there and feel free to stop by and drop a line.

Ok, I'm not posting the full patch notes, they are quite long and honestly.. this is a blog for Barbarians. So, here are the snipits that I've found to pertain to us and a little bit of what they mean for our future.

Before we get started, sorry again for the lack of updates. Still in training at the new job and it takes a good chunk of my time.

For some reason, lists aren't agreeing with indenting subtabs, so this might not look the best. I'll try to tidy it up later.

Combat

* Combos and all other actions will be aborted when you start to charge.
* The combo chain will now be stopped when you begin a charge.
* You can no longer start combos in the middle of a charge.
-Easy enough. No more exploiting Finishing Blow, with any combo. Time to respec out of it.
* You can now abort multihit combos without all the damage being rolled back.
-Awesome! No more lost damage when our combos get interrupted.
* Aborting multihit combos will not make the target's health become desynced from the client/server anymore.
* Fizzle and immunity rolls have been moved to the end of your spellcast. If your target becomes immune after you start your spellcast but before it deals damage, your target will resist the spell.
* Stealth is checked again at the end of your spellcast. If your target hides before you land the spell, your spellcast will fail.
* The distance to your target while casting a spell is checked again at the end of your spellcast, with a 25% bonus to your range.
* Line of sight to your target is checked again at the end of your spellcast.
-All the above are putting casters in check. Now if you LoS them mid cast, they fail. BIG boost in PvP.
* Combo finishers (the last attack in the combo chain) now have 25% extra range, making them easier to land in PvP.
-Again, awesome pvp boost.
* Aborting unarmed attacks (using a knockback, for example) will now properly cause the damage not to be dealt.
* Active Blocking now displays a buff in the debuff GUI indicating the effect.
* Active Blocking now has an initial stamina cost upon activation.
* Active Blocking has been modified to increase the player's shielding bonus rather than evade chance.
* Attacks and heals performed while in Active Blocking will now have reduced effect.
-Again, starting to put casters and healers in check in PvP.
* Clickable abilities with instant effects will not be queued after your attack anymore, but executed right away.
* For each attack in the combo chain that you do without a valid target, your end damage (on the combo finisher) is reduced 15% per miss.
-Ambiguous wording FTL. It seems that any directional swing you take that misses will reduce damage done by the actual combo by 15%. Not the best news, but PvP will be a whole new game if these notes all hit at the same time. Also, this is good news for Smash n Crush and Brutal Cyclone.
* Attack animation speed should be more balanced between genders.
-Neat.

Player Character

* You now only prohibited from entering stealth mode if team members are in combat nearby.
-O.M.G. YES!
* All your team members and their pets will now get the fatality buff when a team member performs a fatality.

Full Notes

Well, I was just about to sit down and re-do all the feat builds in the calc since recently goonheim went bonkers, BUT turns out they were a step ahead of me and have made their calc backwards compatible :) So, just letting you all know the links should be working fine. If you find any that still seem to be wrong. I'll be working on some of the bits I mentioned below as the week goes on; started training at the new job today, though, so it might take me a day or two.

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates. The past few days I've been a bit busy planning a 4th of July celebration for tomorrow. I also have a new job starting on Monday, so updates may slow down a bit until everything settles back down (haven't even been able to play :( ) But here's a little preview of some things I have in mind the near future:

-Fix the feat calc links
-Analysis of our t1 raid gear
-"How To" make a nice combat log
-PvP stats/gems

Anything else offhand you'd like to see?

Apparently, the folks over at goonheim decided to change the way their feat calc was displaying saved feats. So, none of my old links work. I'll try to reupdate them sometime soon. Until then, just hang in there.. you should be able to figure it out without em :P

Is going up.. here's a link to the notes: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?p=1350788#post1350788

I'm not going to post any of them since none are of particular interest to us. Enjoy your freshly patched day :P

You female barbs will be happy to know that FC is, in fact, working on the issue of different attack speeds. Unfortunately, since it is game wide, it still may be up to another month before we see the fix rolled out. But hey, at least they're keeping the communication open.

"Let me begin with saying “yes, we here at Funcom agree with you; this is an unacceptable bug”. We never intended for any character to be stronger/weaker than another based on its gender, and we have been working on making the necessary adjustments to correct this issue for quite some time already."

Here's a link to the thread on the official forums: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=115251

If you recall, I had been discussing trying a build that focuses on 2H damage, but includes Haste and Predatory Instincts.

For the past day or two, I got around to giving it a shot and I must say it worked well. The damage bonus from Haste seemed to but Staggering Blow just slightly below what CoS was doing. Also, with PI, the stam usage was negligible, which was a nice change for the style.

Anyone else have anything to report? I've gone to a deeper 2H/General build for today, since there are a still few general feats I'm interested, but I wouldn't discount the 2H hybrid yet. Might be something I get back to soon.

A while ago, I posted that I was building a new system.. after RMAing 2 motherboards and finding a spare processor to get my final mobo to work with a 45nm processor I found out the stock Intel fan/heatsink was pretty useless (broken) and I had major overheating issues.

So, THIS came today:

Another angle:

The good ol' Thermaltake Big Typhoon (they don't lie. it's big.) Hopefully this will get my heating issues under control :D

However, it also means most of my night will be spent getting this all rigged up and getting the new PC running. I'll have pics and SSs when I'm done, if all goes well :P

Just noticed this: Now, when you activate Lure, you get a shield graphic over your head. No more checking the tiny buff icons to see if it's up!

So I hear the females now don't have the delay after using Savage Rage? Yay :) While I play a male, I'm sure it was quite annoying.

You old school WoW players know what I'm talking about :P every patch theres mountains of anecdotal evidence pointing to stealth nerfs, but nothing to really confirm it.

All day the US boards have been full of people citing a small sample of tests done by a EU player seeming to indicate a massive nerf to CoS. If you don't believe me and feel courageous, go check it out :P

However, now that the US servers are (finally - I'm still patching) back up, we're getting reports of CoS being fine and just how it used to be. So, what's the deal? The tooltip for Cyclone of Razors has certainly been changed from 28% to 10%, but some people are claiming that this was simply a display error that was corrected (wouldn't be surprising) and that we had always been getting only 10%, thus, no nerf.

WELL???? What are you seeing?

Well, servers are still down and we don't know where CoS stands. However, I like to play, so I came up with a build focused on 2H damage. What do ya think:

http://feats.goonheim.com/barbarian#t0a5b5d5e2i3k1t1a5b5c5d3f5g1i3k1l1m3o3q5u2w3t2a5b3d1f1j3

PvP Hybrid with a focus on 2H damage.

Why go hybrid with 2H?

Haste - More damage
PI - Stam regen, 2H's biggest downfall (coupled with Second Wind?! zomg :P)
Sever - DOES work with 2H, increased burst ftw!
Unstoppable - Great PvP talent, when it works

Thread on the forum

Well, if you spend any time on the forums, you'll notice they're overrun with trolls and QQers seeming to indicate a stealth nerf to CoS, specifically reducing the bonus damage given by Cyclone of Razors from 28% to 10%. What does this mean? We have to wait and see, but, if that is the only change, I don't think it will be particularly game breaking. Some preliminary EU parses seem to say CoS isn't hitting for that much less, but I don't trust it until I test it myself :P

Edit:

Since I know a lot of people are wondering exactly how much reducing CoR to 10% will reduce the damage of our CoS, here's the math I did earlier:

So if it does 2000 damage unfeated, it will do 2200 now with CoR

Prepatch, 2000 damage would become 2560

Damage difference of 360, 360/2560 = 14% less damage

Other than that, this is what we got in today's patch:

Barbarians

An issue where Barbarians lose strength between the levels of 42 and 45 has been resolved. Please note that this is only between those specific levels

So there ya go, for those levels, you won't lose strength. Grats :P

Also, this may be worth noting, since many of us are Cimmerian:

Cimmerian and male Stygian dancers beware - dancing near the edges of tall cliffs may be fatal to your health.

So yeah, we'll see what happens with CoS.. I'll keep you updated with what I can find.

Full Notes: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=107983

Hello! Today I am bringing you my take on the Reaver (or, Dual Wield) tree and the feats available within it. As with the Berserker Feats Guide and the Skills Guide this will be focused toward a solo/small group playstyle for PvP and leveling/raiding for PvE.

The Reaver (DW) tree is often refered to as our primary DPS tree, and for good reason. The feats within this tree that augment Cyclone of Steel serve to make it our highest damaging combo and a staple of the Hybrid Spec. For end-game raiding, this is hands down the top DPS spec and generally will put barbs ahead of the rest on single target.

Further reading on Reaver feats can be found in Mad's Reaver Guide over on the official forums. I'll be giving each feat an "out of 5" rating for both PvE and PvP along with including a little information about each specific feat.

Reaver Stance: Grants the barbarian a combat stance that increases the damage inflicted by their strikes, which also have a chance of causing additional damage. This effect can be applied three times.

The first feat in the tree, and, as such, a must take. Great stance for raid environments where it can stack to full.

PvE: *****
PvP: *****

Hand Weapon Expert: Increases damage inflicted with one handed edged and blunt weapons.

Flat, passive, DPS increase while using 1H weapons. Wonderful talent when it comes to maximizing damage.

PvE: *****
PvP: *****

Ambidextrous: Permanently increases the chance of attack with their secondary weapon.

Offhand swings are not yet fully understood, but they CAN add a decent chunk of damage. However, for PvP, there are often better places to allocate your points. This is a great filler talent, and absolutely necessary for a max DPS PvE build

PvE: *****
PvP: ***

Sever: Attacks with the barbarian's primary weapon have a chance of inflicting additional slashing damage.

First off, THIS IS NOT A DoT. Just to clear that up, it is a direct (slashing) damage proc that his for a significant amount. This is in the same line as Ambidextrous, good filler for PvP, necessity for PvE.

PvE: *****
PvP: ***

Unstoppable: When dropping below 30% health the barbarian gain a large amount of damage deflection.

Fluctuates between broken and functional. Even while functional, not very impressive.

PvE: *
PvP: **

Brutal Cyclone: Increases the chance of inflicting critical damage when using the Cyclone of Steel combo starter.

Take a look over at The (my) official word on Smash 'n Crush and Brutal Cyclone to get a feel for how these abilities work. They only affect the damage from the initial press of the combo. Due to the popular technique in PvP of getting all of the presses of a combo done except the last before you get to the target, this is not very useful. Makes for great damage in PvE.

PvE: ****
PvP: *

Smash 'n Crush: Increases the combo starter damage done by the Cyclone of Steel combo.

Reference what was said above, this works the same way.

PvE: ****

PvP: *

Twist and Tear: All attacks with the barbarian's off hand weapon have a chance of inflicting a bleeding wound that damages the victim for a short time. This effect can be applied five times.

Does good damage, and in a raid environment, this can definitely add up. In PvP and solo PvE, though, DoTs aren't too big of a deal. One point here is MUCH better than none, but I'm not sure it's worth going further.

PvE: **** (at least one point)
PvP: * (at least one point)

Predatory Instincts: Grants the barbarian an ability which increases their evasion skill and rate of stamina regeneration for a short time.

Wonderful ability on its own. However, as a prerequisite for Spirit of the Panther, there is no excuse to skip it.

PvE: *****
PvP: *****

Gushing Wounds: Augments the Cyclone of Steel combo with a chance to inflict a bleeding wound that damages the victim for a short time.

Again with bleeds: great in raids, not so good while soloing (lots of one shotting mobs make them not very useful). This will proc a bleed of your most frequently used combo. Again, one point here will do great things compared to none.

PvE: ****
PvP: **

Haste: Grants the barbarian an ability which for a short time increases their movement speed and increases damage inflicted by their attacks.

Awesome. Use it before a CoS for huge damage. Or, use it for the speed boost to chase someone down.

PvE: *****
PvP: *****

Too Many to Count: Grants the barbarian an ability to increases the damage inflicted by their attacks, based on how many living foes are nearby. The effect can be applied ten times.

Never tried this one personally, but I've heard the damage can be pretty significant. In a raid or 1v1 environment, probably not very necessary. However, in mass PvP, it might be useful.

PvE: **
PvP: **

Berserker: Grants an ability that increases damage inflicted by the barbarian's attacks, but can only be used when they are significantly wounded, and cancels when their health improves enough.

Another I have no personal experience with. I'm not a big fan of feats that you have to activate when you're holding the short end of the stick. However, I can think of some occasions it could be useful.

PvE: **
PvP: *

Unstoppable Berserker: Improves the Berserker feat by increasing the rate of stamina regeneration.

May be a nice augmentation to Berserker (the feat) but as it stands, stamina is not a huge issue. Even less of an issue if you begin to consider potions.

PvE: **

PvP: *

Jagged Weapons - Increases the damage done by the barbarian's Jagged Cut combos.

Jagged Cut is horrible currently. Do not spend points on it.

PvE:
PvP:

Cyclone of Razors: Increases the damage done by the barbarian's Cyclone of Steel combo.

Increasing the damage of Cyclone of Steel is always good. This is great.

PvE: *****
PvP: *****

Spirit of the Panther: Increases the barbarian's chance of inflicting critical damage with the Cyclone of Steel combo, as long as the Predatory Instincts ability is active.

Amazing feat, combine Predatory Instincts (with this feat) with Haste for crazy CoS damage.

PvE: *****
PvP: *****

Boiling Blood: Increases the damage done by the barbarian's blows while the Savage Rage combo is in effect.

If Savage Rage itself gets improved, this will be more valuable. As it stands, you use SR so infrequently, that it's not particularly useful to put points here.

PvE: **
PvP:

Lashing Swords: Increases the area of effect of the Jagged Cut combos and it to also reduces the victim's chance to evade blows for a short time.

Once again, Jagged Cut is not good.

PvE:
PvP:

Back in the Fray: Grants a short range charge ability that can be used after the barbarian suffers a knock-back in combat.

I have never seen this work properly. Currently bugged. Do not take. (However, if this is fixed before I update, 5 *'s for PvP)

PvE:
PvP:

Overpower: When the barbarian evades blows in combat they gain a temporary damage increase. This effect can be applied 5 times.

It has been indicated that this is actually misworded (not uncommon) and should be gives a damage increase when our targets evade, either way.. not very good. We don't evade often, nor do we get evaded often.

PvE:
PvP: *

Rupture Armor: Improves the Wreck Armor combos by increasing the chance of inflicting a devastating critical hit.

Rupture Armor does decent damage as it stands. If you find yourself using it frequently, drop a point here.

PvE: ***
PvP: **

Shrapnel: Improves the barbarians Wreck Armor combo by inflicting piercing damage on any enemies nearby the primary target.

Unfortunately, the prerequisites for this feat make it not worth getting. If it were alone, it'd be great.

PvE: *
PvP: *

Lure: Double tap forward also grant the barbarian an absorb shield. If hit the enemy will also suffer a counter attack. This effect can only occur once every 30 seconds.

Awesome. What isn't spelled out is that once you activate Lure, the buff is actually a 99% reduction in damage on the next attack that hits you. Only one point is really necessary, not truly sure what more do.

PvE: *
PvP: *****

Impale: Grants the barbarian an ability so their next attack inflicts significant bleeding wounds with both their weapons.

Great damage DoT. More points = more damage.

PvE: *****
PvP: ****

Dance of Death: Grants an ability that makes all attacks inflict instant damage to all foes in close vicinity.

Again, poor prereqs will prevent many people from even trying this out (myself included). However, those who HAVE tried it all indicate that the only effect is a wider frontal cone. On a longish cooldown below another crappy feat, not worth it.

PvE: *
PvP: *

Armageddon Falls: Grants an ability so that for a short period of time when the barbarian strikes a foe they are temporarily doomed to suffer lingering bleeding wounds whenever struck in combat.

This adds some great damage in a raid environment. Probably not too useful in PvP.

PvE: ****
PvP: ***

So there you go. Don't forget to check out the Berserker Feats Guide - Solo PvE/PvP and the Barbarian Skills Guide

If you guys find any problems or corrections to be made, post em up! Thanks for reading and good luck.

Well, looks like yesterday's patch introduced a new bug. While the damage from BR stance is now being properly applied to weapons' displayed DPS, it seems that the proc'd health regenerations is currently broken.

I'll still probably use BR over Reaver, since it'll still be more damage, but I'd love to get the heal back. Hopefully next patch.

Not much in the way of Barbarian notes today. And, to be honest, I'm kind of happy to see it. Right now, I don't think we have any glaring issues that need to be resolved. Any issues we do seem to have, I believe, are generic melee class issues (if you disagree, post up the fixes you'd like to see, I may have very well missed something). And, of course, not being in the notes means no nerfs coming our way, also good.

Here's a link to the full notes:
http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=101147

Tempest of Sets got smashed in the face.. we all saw that coming. One of their AoE spells was limited to 3 targets, another was changed to single target. Their ability to power AoE grind was just stupid, especially on a Priest class.

All bags have had their size doubled!
Many level 80 items that increased Max Mana have been adjusted to provide Max Stamina as they were intended. Barbarians will greatly benefit from this change.

This is pretty awesome. Many people have noted that we're wearing "ToS Gear" at 80, because it's just better. I have a feeling a lot of that gear just got a whoooole LOT better. We will see.

So that's about it.. a quiet patch overall. Have a barbarianarific day!

Two notes. First off, Tild and I have found our guides being posted on other websites with no credit or linkbacks given. I'm not going to post the links since these sites are just ad farms that blast you with spam, and every view is money in his pocket. If any of you guys happen to come across this, please let one of us know so we can take the proper actions.

Secondly, I have comments open right now, and I don't really think it's going to be a major issue, but the occasional spammer has been dropping by to try to throw some links into the comments (for placement on Google). If you come across a comment here with a URL in it to anything besides a known feat calculator, the AoC Forums or something of that Nature, don't click it. The one today was just a link labled "AoC Leveling Guide" linking to something like aoc-leveling-guide-from-gold-spammer.blogspot.com Whenever you see a crazy blog address like that, it's another of the ad farm spam sites. I don't plan to restrict comments at all since it's pretty easy for me to monitor them. Just giving you guys a heads up.

Also, I have a triple bachelor party this weekend (I'm not one of the three non-bachelors-to-be, thankfully), but don't expect much as far as updates go this weekend.

I updated the Barbarian Feats Leveling Guide today. Took care of not counting the bonus Feat point every 10 level, so all the points should fall right into line with their levels.

Also added a 50-80 hybrid build, for anyone interested in trying that out.

Let me know what you think!

Well, modified the build a bit further.. if you see my most recent post on The (my) official word on Smash 'n Crush and Brutal Cyclone , you'll see that I don't find them very practical for PvP. So, the build changes again. You'll note I also don't have sever maxed at the moment, this is because of some handy information from a reader named Mark indicating that the actual damage gain from it is relatively minimal (about 5% for 5/5.. more on that later, don't quote me, yet.) but we're still trying to determine the frequency of procs to see if its useful for burst.. anyway.. before I get too off topic, here's the build:

http://feats.goonheim.com/barbarian#t0a5b5c5d2h1i3j5k1p5q3w1y1z5t1a5b3c5d3g1i3k1l1m3o1t2a5b3d1f1j1

Thanks to powerslave7 for pointing out I could get Escape Artist, totally missed it!

(this post is a follow up to Hybrid Spec Info)

As is the current trend in Age of Conan, two of the feats in the Reaver tree have very, very vague descriptions. So vague, in fact, that I have heard at least 3 different explanations about what they do!

In an effort to put all the confusion to rest, I went ahead and did a little observational testing of my own. Didn't log any of it, since it was pretty clear and anyone can easily reproduce it.

Basically, when performing a combo there are 3 "stages" of damage. Apparently one of them is known as "Opening" as per the tooltip. Let's just say, for ease of definition, the others are called Pre-combo damage and finally Combo damage.
These stages occur as follows:

Opening

When you initially press the key to activate a combo, before any directional attack input is given, you perform one white damage swing. Press the CoS key, and nothing else, and you will do one swing of white damage.

THIS IS WHAT SMASH N CRUSH AND BRUTAL CYCLONE AFFECT

Pre-Combo

This is the white damage that occurs as a result of the directional attack input required to execute the combo.

Combo

CoS Hits for XXX
CoS Hits for XXX
CoS Hits for XXX
.
.
.

Now then, since we have this established, we can see that the effects of Smash 'n Crush and Brutal Cyclone are applied to the Opening damage. One white damage attack per CoS has a very high chance to crit.. really hard. Right now, at level 64, they are critting for 700-900. This is a substantial chunk of damage, and when it doesn't land in PvE, it's noticeable. However, due to the general tactic in PvP, and, even in fast paced PvE, of winding up combos, this Opening damage rarely gets applied to the target.

So, what's it mean?

I'll be taking both of these out of my PvP build (look for an updated build, and some thoughts on sever tomorrow) most likely. However, following a Clobber, it seems you might be able to reliably lay down an opening hit... what do you guys think?

I would like to thank Remnance for originally providing this idea, of the three I initially mentioned, this one was correct, and without his mention, I probably wouldn't have thought to look at that aspect.

Here's the thread on the Forums

Follow up to: Hybrid Spec Info

In my continual display of indecisiveness, I have changed my potential end game spec a bit again. This spec was developed taking into consideration what I mentioned in the last post about comatose, and in this case, scatter foes.

The plan here was to take about 10 points out of the Berserker tree and transfer them to Reaver to further enhance the damage output and increase the Bleed (DoT) damage. Theoretically the bleeds, along with Rupture Armor, should help us out a bit with the higher HP classes, bleed em down.

Here's the build:

http://feats.goonheim.com/barbarian#t0a5b5c5d5f2g3h1i3j5k1p5q3w1y1z5t1a5b2c5d3e3g1i3k1l1m3o1t2a1

Discuss this on the Official Forums

I've been thinking over my level 80 hybrid build, and the more I think about it, the less I think these two feats will be particularly useful. Chances are, I'll be using earth shatter more frequently than stunning punch. Seems like that could free up a few points. Thoughts?

On the sidebar, under Great Offsite Reads, you will notice two new links. It took way to long to get them up here, so go check them out!

Many people have inquired as to the best medium to discuss the guides I've produced, as the comment system here isn't optimal for anything beyond a "Thanks!" or a quick question.

To help with this I've finally done something I should have been from the start, added links to all the guides to where I have posted them on the Official Forums

Here is a quick complied list, if you want to check them out:

Head over, give em a read, give em a BUMP.

Thanks!

Just threw this together this morning, it's probably not perfect, but it's good enough to get a plan for level 80 together.

I'd like to get the descriptions a bit more accurate also, so if anyone has any input on what they do specifically (besides run speed, endurance and skulk, please chime in).

AoC (Age of Conan) Barbarian / Rogue Skills Calculator

I would also like to give the option to input different levels, but as no one knows how many skill points we get per level.. I won't.

Discuss this article on the Official Forums

Seeming to be working. However, it seems the gains are TINY, 12 or so strength only gave me .3 dps. We'll have to wait for some tests to confirm what the gains are, but I'm just happy there ARE gains!

Impale

Grants the Barbarian an ability so their next attack inflicts significant bleeding wounds with both their weapons.

I picked this up tonight for the first time and got around to playing with it. Wow, it is great. I haven't put more than one point into it, as that's all my build will allow for the time, but that one point seems to be extremely powerful. The damage from the bleed seems very high and the fact that it makes you use both weapons seems to be quite useful.

With just one point, the bleed ticked for between 90 and 100 damage for 7 ticks, when the mob died - couldn't keep counting. It doesn't take much math to realize the potency of this ability (especially combined with No Escape, could make for some huge DoT action).

Update:

Adding points increases damage done by the DoT. Seems to do the same damage whether you apply it with a combo or just a white damage (that is to say, apply it asap however you can). With 2 points, it's consistantly hitting around 110-140. Word is at 5/5 it's around 250 a tick.. I'll let you know when I get there.

Either way, I'm diggin it.

Anyone know what it does with more point invested? Shorter cooldown? More damage? Either way, it's definitely worth investing in. Awesome feat.

Another frequent question popping up on the boards is a template for a Hybrid spec. Currently, it is possible to spend your feats to acquire all of the CC talents from Berserker and most of the DPS talents from the Reaver tree.

This is my plan for my level 80 PvP build:
http://feats.goonheim.com/barbarian#t0a5b5c5d5f2g3i3k1p5q3y1z1t1a5c5d3e3g1i3k1l1m3n2o3q5u2w2t2a1

I just hit level 60 and respec'd, took all of the Reaver feats listed, Perfect Balance, and I'm working my way down the Berserker tree.

What do you guys think? Trying something similar?

UPDATE: Check out: Hybrid spec follow up and Keeping on the hybrid spec train

The newest patch notes from the test server have been posted over on Curse. Nothing particularly interested, apart from:

Stat bonuses from items (strength, wisdom, dexterity and constitution) will now properly affect your character (Note that strength now directly affects your DPS, not your attack rating).

However, that is enough to make it a great patch in my opinion :D It'll be great to finally be able to wear out beautiful +Str gear and have it do something.. I'm pretty sure it was never affecting our attack rating.. Just think, we hit hard now.. imagine what this will do to us!

Well, it is for me. Tonight, doing the Villa dailies I got a green 1H with +1% Haste Modifier. Haven't seen or even heard about that before, but, this will be good. 1% haste is a straight 1% increase in DPS (Unless AoC has some goofy haste mechanics, but we'll have to wait to hear. I'll just assume it's logical and functional - dangerous, I know.)

I'll add this to the Barbarian Stats (Attributes) and Gear Guide sometime tomorrow and toss up a screen shot.

Anyone who has been skulking around the boards has been aware that today has been previously announced as a day where a lot of information about the future of the game will be released. FunCom held true to this, and a ton of info has come out.

Instead of trying to link it all here, I'll just let you guys head over to the compilation post http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=83139 which should be continuously updated. Here's a quick glimpse of what kind of info is out so far:

Kingship revealed - Huge upgrade planned!

Introducing Powerpoints

PVP Evolved - Drastic Enhancements Coming!

More quests with voice over!

The Game Director answers

New Clan of Conan newsletter out NOW!

and more! Head on over to the thread: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=83139

One of the most common questions popping up on the forums is still how to spec while leveling. This can certainly be a tough situation to be in, and there are plenty of options available to level with. One of the recently popular methods is using Berserker (2 Hand) until level 50 then switching to the higher DPS of Reaver (Dual Wield).

The reasoning behind this is that, in the earlier levels, Berserker provides improved CC while still keeping up on the damage. It is great for a fresh barb to use to familiarize himself with the class in a relatively "safe" environment, with a lot of outs. The additional CC acquired from the line make it easy to handle medium sized groups of equal level opponents with relative ease.

Once you reach level 50, the weapon selection begins to heavily favor Dual Wield (pick up Misery, a blue 1H, when you're finishing up the quests in the Field of the Dead - Equipable at level 50, and a random green from the trader for your offhand, until you get one from questing in E. Mtns.) and since you have a good number of feat points available, you can quickly respec and have a fully talented Cyclone of Steel available.

Also keep in mind that once you respec to Reaver, you should keep a 2H as your weapon swap so you can still use Stunning Punch and Clobber. Both will still be very useful.

This guide will serve to provide a general path for taking feats as you level, starting out as Berserker then, at 50, taking Reaver to the end.

As with the Barbarian Berserker Leveling Feats Guide , which is dedicated to leveling solely as Berserker, I won't be going into much detail about WHY I feel you should take these talents. For that information head over to the Barbarian Feats Guide (Berserker) - Solo PvE/PvP and the Reaver Feats guide.

Without further ado, here is how to spend your feat points:

Levels 1-50 will be done as Berserker, also known as 2-Hand spec

Levels 10-14

5 points into Blood Rage Stance

Levels 15-19

5 points into Great Weapons Master

Levels 20-24

1 point into Paralysis
5 points into Reverse Swing

Levels 25-29

3 points into Shock and Awe
2 points into Insanity

Levels 30-34

1 point into Earth Shatter
1 point into No Escape
3 points into Finishing Blow
1 point into Insanity

Levels 35-39

5 points into Atrocity

Levels 40-50

3 points into Unstable Mind
1 point into Excellent Ballance
OPTIONAL - Here you can chose to invest into Arcane Marauder or Swarm Fighter. Both are situationally mediocre, I'll let you chose the lesser of 2 evils.. or you can consider respecing at this point. Up to you!

Here is a link to how it would look:
http://f.goonheim.com/barbarian#t0t1a5b5c5d3f5g1i3k1l1m3o3t2a1

Once you reach level 50, it is time to go and respec. A [Trainer] can be found at the base of the steps to the Temple of Mitra (marked with a blue dot on your map), in Tarantia, on the left, if you're facing up them.

Also, it seems that there is a [Trainer] to be found in Conarch Village after all! Thanks to those who pointed this out, here's how to get to him:

The trainer in Cimmeria is in the upper part of Conarch's Village. You go up to the right instead of down to the left (where the Traders and entrance to Conalls Valleys are) and he is just past the bon fire on the right next to a NPC weapons smith. (Thanks Nightravn)

This is the build that you should start out with. Note that I have opted to put 5 points into Blood Rage Stance. This is because Reaver stance does not surpass the bonus damage of Blood Rage until you get all 3 stacks of it. When you are running around 1-2 shotting mobs, this isn't nearly as useful as the extra static damage from Blood Rage along with the Health regen, which will help considerably with down time.

Level 50 starting build:
http://feats.goonheim.com/barbarian#t0a5b5c5d5f2g3h1i3j1k1p5q3t1a5t2a1

Berserker:

Blood Rage5/5

Reaver:

Reaver Stance5/5

Hand Weapon Expert5/5

Ambidextrous5/5

Sever5/5

Brutal Cyclone2/2

Smash 'n Crush3/3

Predatory Instincts3/3

Gushing Wounds1/5

Twist and Tear1/5

Haste1/1

Cyclone of Razors5/5

Spirit of the Panther3/3

General:

Excellent Balance1/5

UPDATE:
At this point, you can chose to continue as full reaver spec, or begin working down the Berserker tree to regain the CC bonuses. This would be a Hybrid spec. I'll cover both here:

Full Reaver:

Levels 51-54

4 points into Twist and Tear

Levels 55-59

4 points into Gushing Wounds
1 point into Unstoppable

Levels 60-64

5 points into Impale
1 point into Lure

Levels 65-69

2 points into Lure
1 point into Unstoppable
1 point into Berserker
1 point into Unstoppable Berserker

Levels 70-74

1 point into Armageddon Falls
1 point into Unstoppable Berserker
1 point into Rupture Armor
3 points into Boiling Blood

Levels 75-80

Once again, I'll leave this open.. but if you don't want to think about it:

4 points into Excellent Balance
1 point into Second Wind
1 point into Quick Recovery
2 points into Subtlety

Final Build: http://feats.goonheim.com/barbarian#t0a5b5c5d5e2f2g3h5i3j5k1m1n2p5q3r3w1y3z5B1t1a5t2a5c2d1f1

Hybrid:

Levels 51-54

4 points into Great Weapons Master

Levels 55-59

1 point into Great Weapons Master
1 point into Paralysis
3 points into Shock and Awe

Levels 60-64

1 point into Atrocity (This will go into Staggering Punch, once they fix it. If they have fixed it by the time you read this, and I've been too lazy to update, put this, and future points mentioned for Atrocity, into Staggering Punch.)
3 points into Insanity
2 points into Atrocity

Levels 65-69

1 point into Earth Shatter
1 point into No Escape
3 points into Finishing Blow

Levels 70-74

3 points into Unstable Mind
3 points into Arcane Marauder (OR Swarm Fighter.. take your pick)

Levels 75-80

4 points into Hammer and Anvil
1 point into Scatter Foes
1 point into Hammer and Anvil
2 points into Comatose

Final Build:
http://feats.goonheim.com/barbarian#t0a5b5c5d5f2g3h1i3j1k1p5q3t1a5b3c5d3g1i3k1l1m3n3o3q5u2w1t2a1
(For more thoughts on Hybrid builds, check out Hybrid Spec Info)

Hopefully this will be helpful to those wondering what to do with their new little Barb, and again, let me know if I need to make any corrections. Thanks!

Discuss this on the Official Forums

Updates:
6-20-08: Revised which feats to take when, added hybrid build.

For those who are unaware, in the Noble District in Tarantia there are three quests that can be completed on a daily basis. One requires you to gather herbs from a garden, one to gather valuables that drop from mobs and one to collect some valuables that are in a box. All of these quests take you into a personal instance loaded with equal level mobs and generally 2 bosses.

Doing these every day is a great way to get XP and loot (some great blue light armor)throughout the 50-80 range. Try it out! There are a total of 5 available quests, but currently one seems to be bugged. The quests scale with your level, always giving slightly above average XP and gold rewards and doing a full clear of the instance is some fast, efficient grinding.

We all pretty much knew that strength hadn't been giving us the increase in damage that was intended, but it was finally confirmed on the boards by a FunCom rep:

LordOrion

Funcom Product Manager

Quote:

Originally Posted by derka

Are stat points such as strngth and dexterity currently working as intended?

No, they are not working as intended right now. This will be fixed either in the next update or in one following soon after. We are on top of it, and I just discussed this with our senior designer.

Source: http://forums-eu.ageofconan.com/showpost.php?p=404220&postcount=84

Hopefully this will be fixed quickly and we can start hitting even harder!

Well, today is patch day. Got some nice changes coming in for our Berserker spec'd brethren:

Barbarian

If a Barbarian performs a unarmed attack after executing their No Escape ability they should no longer slide around without animating their legs.
Unstoppable should stop functioning when the feat is untrained
Finishing Blow damage boost after charge should always cancel (even when missing the target) - Finishing blow should scale like this : 1 point = 2x damage, 2 points = 3x damage, 3 points = 4x damage.
Decapitation feat should scale better when more than one point is spent in the feat.

The last two are the most important. It seems now that Finishing Blow should have finally achieved is permanent resting place, and it sounds pretty sweet. Decapitation will have to be tested to see how much damage it's actually doing these days. I'll let you know when I hear anything.

Nothing else in the notes caught my eye.

Full Notes: http://forums-eu.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=41537

Anyone with a custom UI knows that with every patch the default version numbers change which make your custom UI useless until you go through and change it in each of the .xml files (or wait for a new release.. and play with default UI until then).

This tool goes through the default folder, acquires the new version number and applies it to all of your custom .xml files.

Awesome!

Once again, link: http://aoc.curse.com/downloads/details/12783/

Well, I installed Tisra's UI tonight and found it to be rather broken. No player or target windows and missing a few keys designated for directional attacks.

Lucky, I backed up my Inc UI directory, in which I had already updated all the version numbers, and was able to simply put that back on.

So, Incendiary wins, Grats!

Well, this is some really good news. A lot of Barbarian tears have been shed lately over on the forums about the beating Finishing Blow has taken, basically leaving us with a new version each patch. It seems, though, that they have been heard! Famine stopped by the boards today to let us know:

"Hey guys,

I just got a minor peek on the issue with Finishing Blow. The developers are looking to make it do the correct damage and ensure it scales correctly per point. Which I believe should be 2x, 3x, and then 4x in point order. More on that will be released soon and I'll keep my eye on the progression of the change.

Cheers!"

__________________

Glen 'Famine' Swan
US Community Manager

Source: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showpost.php?p=817739&postcount=49

So. That is great news! If, at 3 points invested, Finishing Blow will make the following attack do 4x damage, it will be amazing. I would imagine this was the original plan for finishing blow, and hope they get it ironed out a.s.a.p.

So, who's happy? :P

This is sort of a link holder for me to reference later, but I'd like to share a few custom UIs I've come across and see if any of you have used them.

Right now, I'm using The Incendiary UI Compilation Pack, and it's serving me well, but I'm looking for a few changes. Primarilly, I would like to see bigger player/target frames and the group/party buttons along with the Latency monitor.

So with a bit of looking, I've come across the Tisra UI package and will probably give it a shot tonight.

The main appeal to me of Tisra's is that is retains the lag meter along with the various group buttons. Also, the larger player/target windows (with an easier to read font) are great. A few potential downfalls is the lack of the mini map (though I use the regional map more, anyway) and the fact that in a recent update, buffs have apparently been removed from the character & target windows. That wouldn't be good.

Also, this one doesn't seem to take advantage of Marz's Hide Gem which makes it much easier to tell where/when you can hide, but that's not hard to add later on.

For those wondering, addons are very simple to install. Download and extract the .zip file containing the addon you wish to install. Navigate to your AoC interface folder at
*:\\Program Files\Funcom\Age of Conan\cd_image\ (if you followed default installation)

At this point, back up your /GUI directory located here, save it somewhere not in the AoC directory.

Now, copy the GUI folder you have extracted over the existing one, in the cd_image directory. Select OK to overwrite any current files.

Now, when you load the game, it should use the custom UI. If you ever wish to revert, simply delete the GUI/Custom folder and the patcher will take care of the rest. (Or, you can copy your old GUI folder back in.)

One thing to note is that after patches, version numbers may need to be updated to ensure functionality (The game will give you an error if this is the case) Follow the path indicated by the error message, open the .xml file in notepad or something similar and simply change the version # to whichever the in-game error indicates.

You guys have any addons you like? Thoughts on these? I'll post a screenshot sometime in the near future.

Now that Savage Rage has been fixed, some work has been done on Boiling Blood, the talent that increases the damage buff from SR. Turns out, this is now great. Opening with Savage Rage, then activating Haste and Predatory Instincts while it is casting will result in a ridiculously hard hitting CoS immediately after. This has been great fun.

Also, Unstoppable seems to be correctly activating, no longer needing a double tap. Seems like this will be a great one also.

Hybrid is starting to look like a very good time at level 80, all the CC of Berserker with the very high damage of fully feated CoS.

A few fixes seemed to have slipped under the patch notes radar today:

-Finishing Blow: now augments damage of next attack properly. Seems to be about 200%. Also now gives 12% fatality chance buff.

-Staggering Punch: Now correctly applies a 15% snare when using Stunning Punch.

Finishing Blow isn't nearly as powerful as it was before it got nerfed initially, but I believe this is its final form for a while. So, get used to it... not THAT bad.

Not sure if this went in with today's patch or if I've just missed it, but all stats have had some new effects added. Here are the new effects that will help us out:

Str: Adds stam regen
Con: Adds stam regen
Dex: Increases chance to evade, chance for offhand to hit, stam regen

I'll be updating the Barbarian Stats Guide to reflect this later on.

Another patch coming in today. Not much in the way of Barb changes, but the two we got are relatively important.

Barbarian

Barbarian's should no longer be unable to attack or move directly after performing any rank of their 'Savage Rage' combo.
'No Escape' combo should now always give you a cooldown when used and you will always get disarmed.

So, Savage Rage should be a useful ability now. No more self-stun every time you try to use it. Also, the fix to No Escape was long overdue, it was pretty much a huge exploit to use it to chain stun someone.

Apart from that, this general note will impact us (as it does everyone):

NPC

Monsters 4 levels or higher will now correctly have increased evade and immunity chance.

Full Notes: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=71998

Tonight, I got to put a few hours in as Reaver (Dual Wield) spec, and it hasn't been too bad so far. I've enjoyed my time as 2H until this point, and still will be considering specing back to it for end-game PvP. As it stands, however, I will be keeping my current spec and try to learn a bit more about the dual wielding aspect of our class.

Pros (of Reaver spec):
-One main damage combo is pretty easy to manage
-Mobs fall VERY quickly
-Can still handle decent groups (2-3) of equal level mobs, may involve some switching to 2H
-Gear with +1H damage seems more common. Currently I have +5 DPS to 1H Blunt weapons

Cons:
-No bow for pulling, as a spec that needs it (though I have been trying to switch the 2H and a bow when needed, still tedious)
-Lamer fatalities

So, yeah. I'm having a good time as Reaver spec, not seeing any motivating factors to respec back, until I'm done with the level grind at least.

Also worth noting is that I put 5 points into Berserker tree, and generally use Blood Rage stance.

Well, finally got around to actually respecing, here's what I went with:
http://www.tentonhammer.com/aoc/feats?class_id=2&sc_1=5&sc_2=55502351000301000000013005&sc_3=1&tab=1

Let me know your thoughts, I'm looking forward to playin it :P

I've finally gotten a pretty nice one handed, enough to make me ready to try DW out. This isn't due to any issues with 2H/Berserker. I actually enjoy it very much and will probably go back at the end, but I've got to see what all the DW hype is about. If it IS, in fact, faster leveling, I'll probably stick with it till 80. I'll give more info as I actually respec and get more into it.

There has been a lot of debate over the three skills listed above: Skulk, Endurance and Run Speed as to whether or not they work and if they are worth the investment. Latsabb over on the official boards has run some tests that seem to indicate they DO work, and by the following numbers:

Skulk: 100 points increases movement speed, while hidden, by 2%
Endurance: 100 points reduces the Endurance cost of Sprinting by 1%
Run Speed: 100 points increases movement speed by 1%

Links to his threads with the actual tests:

Proof Run Speed works: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=51367
How Endurance skill works: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=52121
Skulking DOES work: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=58845

Thanks Latsabb! Keep it up.

A few people have asked for this, and I'm sorry for the delay. Barbarian Skills Guide, adding what % of max you should keep each Skill at. Keep in mind this is a very flexible guide, I believe skills can be distributed a number of ways and still work well.

While Leveling:

Bandaging - 70-85%
Recovery - 50-70%
Fast Recovery - 1 Point
Endurance - 20-40%
Run Speed - 15-20%
Skulk - 0-10%
Climbing - 70-80% (Need 350 for a mid 40's quest, working on a list of climbing spots.)
Hiding - 100%
Perception - 0-5%
Subtlty - 0-5%

Projected End-Game PvP - Highly Speculative due to the unknown nature of end game PvP.

Bandaging - 70-90%
Recovery - 70-90%
Fast Recovery - 1 point,until FunCom fixes it.
Endurance - 60-75%
Run Speed - 30-60% (Mounts?)
Skulk - 40-60%
Climbing - Minimum required to climb player buildings, if possible
Hiding - 100%
Perception - May be more useful, 10-20%
Subtlty - 0%

Projected End-Game PvE (Group/Raid based)

Bandaging - 50-70%
Recovery - 60-80%
Fast Recovery - 1 point unless fixed
Endurance - 0-20%
Run Speed - 0-20%
Skulk - 0-20%
Climbing - Minimum for climbing the world
Hiding - 100% (Or, 0%, depends on playstyle. Probably won't need to hide in raids.)
Perception - 0-10%
Subtlty - 60-90%

I've been thinking today about what we will be doing at level 80, PvP wise, and how I felt about it. I'm pretty happy that I think we will be able to excel in a variety of situations including large and small group, solo and stealth.

For group PvP, from 6v6 to 48v48 I think Barbs will always be welcome to the group. We provide high melee DPS and great CC. In these situations, I think our role will be stealthing (once we can do it while group is in combat) behind the enemies front line and CCing their healers/nukers. From that point we can begin DPSing their melee. This is a role that appeals to me and hopefully, as a class, we will be able to do it well.

One of my favorite aspects of PvP based games (specifically, Dark Age of Camelot) is to stealth and camp a high traffic choke point. Now, I do not know what kind of playing field layouts we will be seeing at endgame, but as I also play on a PvP server, there is always somewhere to camp out and jump people. As it stands, I feel we are definitely a viable class for this playstyle also. And, of course, who can forget the stealth groups! Six characters of the Rogue archetype doing the same as I described above. Some consider it cheap.. but I consider it fun :P

It's good to know that we should be viable in almost all forms of group and solo PvP come level 80, what do you guys plan to do? How do you want to PvP with your barb?

Hey guys, just addded a bit to the stats and gear guide. Natural Stamina and Health regen are now listed. Here's the new bit and an updated list:

+ Natural Health/Stamina Regeneration

This could be located under the Health and Stam section, but it works here. Apart from Max and Out of Combat Regen, a 3rd form of Health and Stam may be found on gear, this is natural regeneration. Unlike Out of Combat Regen, Natural Regeneration occurs even in combat. Great to pick up, especially stamina.

Strength
Maximum Stamina
Natural Stamina Regen
Constitution
Dexterity
Maximum Health
Natural Health Regen
Hiding
Run speed
Out of Combat Regen

Hello! This is a continuation of my previous post about Feats, Barbarian Feats Guide (Berserker) - Solo PvE/PvP. This guide will show you exactly how you should (IMO) spend your feat points as you are leveling. I will not be going too deeply into WHY I feel you should go this route, if you care to see my take on each feat in the tree, head on over to Barbarian Feats Guide (Berserker) - Solo PvE/PvP.

**This guide is for those who want to play Berserker, or 2H, all the way from 1-80.
**It is currently recomended to play Berserker to level 50, then respec to DW. For a guide on that, see: Barbarian Feats Leveling Guide (Berserker to 50, then Reaver)

For ease of finding specific info, I have broken it down into blocks of 5 levels.

Levels 10-14

5 points into Blood Rage Stance

Levels 15-19

5 points into Great Weapons Master

Levels 20-24

1 point into Paralysis
1 point into Staggering Punch
3 points into Shock and Awe

Levels 25-29

5 points into Reverse Swing

Levels 30-34

1 point into No Escape

1 point into Combo Earth Shatter

3 points into Finishing Blow

Levels 35-39

5 points into Atrocity

Levels 40-44

3 points into Insanity
2 points into Unstable Mind

Levels 45-49

Save 5 points

Levels 50-54

5 points into Rampage
5 points into Hammer and Anvil

Levels 55-59

3 points into Scatter Foes
2 points into Fearsome Agility

Levels 60-64

5 points into Combo - Decapitation

Levels 65-69

3 point into Fearsome Agility

Levels 70-74

1 point into Thirst for Blood

Levels 75-80

This is up to you, lots of options.. doesn't matter much since you may be looking to respec now anyway :)

Hope this helps :) There may be a few issues, considering that some Feats have level requirements, but I'm pretty sure I took care of them all. If not, let me know!

Discuss this on the Official Forums

Well, over on the offical boards, Famine has given us a little glimmer of hope about our beloved Finishing Blow:

"Greets,

Going to have the QA investigate this. Please feel free to provide any more details.

Thanks"
http://forums.ageofconan.com/showpost.php?p=576463&postcount=26

So, hopefully we'll see FB back to a normal functional state shortly. If you missed it, earlier, from today's patch notes:

Finishing Blow damage boost should only affect the first hit after the charge.

Now, once we get the actual damage bonus reapplied, I think it will be a still wonderful ability.

So, initial reports are that you can no longer use Finishing Blow to augment the damage of a combo (decap, staggering). If so, this makes me sad. We'll see how it goes.

Hello again, I come today bringing something that I think has been requested more than anything lately, a guide of feats, including how to spending feat points while leveling. For the time being, I will be only focusing on the Berserker tree because I have yet to play the Reaver tree at all. I’ll start by just giving a general description of all the feats available in the Berserker tree, and rate each “out of 5” based on how I feel the feat will perform in PvE and PvE. As with the Barbarian Skills Guide, this will currently only apply to solo PvP and PvE, with a focus on leveling.

Before I start, I would like to recommend anyone reading this guide also take a look at supercooper3000’s post: “Berserker tree Feat guide (builds inside)”

Feats in the Barbarian’s Berserker tree, and what I think of them:

Blood rage: Grants the barbarian the Blood Rage Stance which increased damage inflicted and enemy attacks have a chance of increasing the barbarian's rate of Health regeneration and evasion chance. The health effect can be applied three times.

This is the first feat in the tree, you have no choice to get it to go further down. Thankfully, it is awesome. Stacks up to 2% dodge and some nice health regeneration.

PvE: *****
PvP: *****

Atrocity: Increases the damage done by barbarians Butcher combos.

Wonderful feat. However, Butcher doesn't become particularly useful until level 40 when you get rank V (5) my advice here is to put this off until level 36, when you will most likely hit a roadblock, start pumping this talent so when you hit 40 you have it maxed. Butcher, post 40, is your primary attach after Staggering Blow. This feat is awesome!

PvE: ***** (post level 40)
PvP: ***** (post level 40)

Great Weapons Master: Increased the damage done by two-handed edged and two-handed blunt weapons.

Of the tier 2 feats, this is the best to take until level 40. Also, it's just awesome. More damage = ...more damage. Take it.

PvE: *****
PvP: *****

Shock and Awe: Reduces the reuse time for Stunning Punch and Clobber combos.

Our top two forms of Crowd Control (CC), shortening the reuse timer (aka cooldown) is never bad. As a careful PvE'er you may consider avoiding this, but for handling groups of mobs or multiple pvp opponents, it's top notch.

PvE: ****
PvP: *****

Staggering punch: Improves the Stunning Punch combos by adding an effect that also reduces the victims movement speed.

This talent is debatable. In PvE, it's nearly useless, but when you use Stunning Punch in PvP (often times as an opener), the snare become quite handy. While leveling on a PvP server, throwing one point in here isn't a bad idea. It can also be an escape utility in PvE.

PvE: **
PvP: ****

Reverse swing: Augments the Staggering Blow combo by increasing the damage the barbarian inflicts.

Around level 30, Staggering Blow starts to become a barbarians main combo. Its low stamina cost and high damage make it a great attack. Adding reverse swing into the mix makes it even better. The in game description is worded akwardly. The way this works is that after performing a Staggering Blow, you get a short duration buff that increases your overall damage output. Staggering Blow > Butcher makes for some nice damage, post level 40 (Stag > Cunning pre-40). Also, Staggering Blow reduces evade chance, making it a popular choice against other players.

PvE: *****
PvP: *****

Paralysis: Adds a brief root effect, preventing the target from moving, to the barbarian's Clobber combo.

This one is questionably, generally, after you Clobber someone you immediately Finishing Blow them or otherwise run back up. Because of this, a root added to Clobber can be questionably. However, I find it great for handling multiple mobs as you can spread them out and root them, allowing a few ticks of a potion to come in while you beat on one of them.

PvE:**
PvP: ***

Eyes of madness: Grants the barbarian an ability that makes all foes in the vicinity less likely to focus their attacks on them.

Reduces your Hate modifier. Great in group PvE, useless in solo PvE and all types of PvP.

PvE: ***
PvP:

Insanity: Permanently increased the barbarian's resistance to fear effects.

I have yet to encounter a mob in PvE that fears, and as it stands noone can really tell how prevalent fear will be in endgame PvP. However, assuming it's as bad as it is in other games, this will probably become a key endgame PvP feat.

PvE: *
PvP: ****

Grisly wounds: The barbarian augments the Butcher combos with their own inborn brutality, adding more damage over time.

The jury is still out on this one as to how much it actually helps, but again, butcher doesn't become that useful until level 40, and when you hit 40, you'll have better places to put these points. Might be a good one to flush out closer to 80. Three *'s for now, until a report on how much damage it adds comes in. Either way, more damage on a frequently used combo is good stuff.

PvE: ****
PvP: ****

No escape: Grants an ability that enables the barbarian to throw their weapon, impaling their enemy, cause massive damage that lingers for a short time and also stuns the victim. This ability disarms the barbarian for a short time.

Very nice ability. Does a large amount of damage, over 5 ticks, and stuns the target. The disarm is unpleasant, but this ability isn't meant to be used at the beginning of fights.

PvE: **
PvP: *****

Combo - Earth Shatter: This mighty combo stuns all foes in close vicinity.

Another AoE Stun, this one, however, is not directional like Stunning Punch. Get it, awesome feat.

PvE:****
PvP: *****

Finishing blow: Grants the barbarian a charge ability available after they knock back an enemy. Their charge caused severe damage but a high stamina cost and long reuse time.

Recently "nerfed" to not be able to augment the damage of other combos. Also hearing that the damage of the uncombo'd swing (white damage) has been decreased. Still a great way to charge enemies after you clobber them and a decent bit of stamina-free damage.

PvE: ***
PvP: ***

Arcane Marauder: When hit by spell damage the barbarian gains natural health regeneration and drains mana from enemies around them.

This seems like it would be a strong ability in PvP, depending on the popularity of casters in endgame (yet to be seen, but if current numbers continue, there will be a decent number of them). I'd like to get some feedback on how much regeneration and mana drain actually occurs.

PvE: **
PvP: ****

Unstable Mind: Grants the barbarian an ability which removes all stun, snare and root effects and gives them immunity for a short period of time.

Great ability. Crowd Control is our bane, and this gives us an immunity, along with breaking it (duration of immunity increases with investment)

PvE: *
PvP: *****

Swarm Fighter: Grants the barbarian an ability that taunts all minions in the area for a short period of time. Every attack from a minion will trigger a heal effect when this ability is active.

More PvE orientated, I believe there is only one class that will be bringing minions to you in PvP. However, in PvE, this is a good feat. A taunt + heal is good, even if it's only on minions.

PvE: ****
PvP: *

Hammer and Anvil: Enhances Stunning Punch combo by increasing the damage it inflicts.

Stunning Punch is something you use often, this will add more damage to it, never a bad idea.

PvE: ****
PvP: ****

Fearsome agility: When hit in combat there is a chance to gain a short evade buff. This can stack up to 5 times.

In PvE, we generally won't spend much time tanking (though, it will happen, and when solo, it is unavoidable) but in PvP, anything that will keep us alive longer will be beneficial. This is one you can put off for a while.

PvE: ***
PvP: ****

Rampage: When hit in combat you will occasionally damage every enemy around you for a small amount.

Still haven't heard any numbers about how much damage this does, or how occasionally it happens, or how wide of a radius it will inflict damage to. Either way, this could be useful for PvE when taking on 4-5 mobs at once, and possibly PvP. However, the "small amount" of damage, and need to be surrounded by enemies tends to make me stray away from this one.

PvE: **
PvP: **

Comatose: Enhances Stunning Punch combo by increasing the amount of time the victim is stunned for.

A longer stun is a better stun. Take it!

PvE: *****
PvP: *****

Rampaging horde: Grants an ability that increases the damage inflicted upon foes based on the number of friendly barbarians within range. Maximum number counted is 10.

It has been said that endgame PvP will be potentially 49 v 49. In this situation, if there are frequently other barbs around you, this might come in handy. Also note is in an ability, which most likely means it is Active (confirm?)

PvE: *
PvP: **

Combo - Scatter Foes: Grants the barbarian a combo that will knock back all foes in a wide cone in front of them.

Basically Clobber on steroids, more CC = win. Take it.

PvE: ***
PvP: ****

Combo - Decapitation: Grants the barbarian a swift combo that inflicts massive damage and increased the chance of a fatality. This combo has a long reuse time.

Reports are in that this combo does very little damage (500 or so at 80) But I can't imagine this being the case for very long, and I will update this if/when it is changed. As it stands though, this is a medium damage INSTANT combo. Pretty far down the tree, probably worth picking up if you're there already.

PvE: ***
PvP: ***

Welcoming Death: Grants an ability that increases the damage inflicted by the barbarian's attacks based on the number of dead foes nearby, up to a maximum number of 10.

Still not sure where this ability would be useful. In the 49 v 49 endgame PvP, maybe. But as said before, we can't know yet.

PvE: *
PvP: **

Thirst For Blood: Grants an ability that drives the fellowship into a wild bloodlust. Attacking or being attacked can trigger a damage bonus effect and multiple applications of this effect eventually boosts health and stamina regeneration.

Assuming this applies to the whole group, based on use of "fellowship." However, even if it doesn't, the chance at bonus health and stam regen is great. Waiting to hear more about how frequently it procs and how much it regenerates. Assuming it is reasonable:

PvE: ***
PvP: ***

For ease of locating information, I have decided to post the Leveling Feat Guide in a separate post.

Thanks for reading!

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