Sprint + Whirlwind = Feel like a Barb

[Maitohaile]

Hello, l just wanted you all know this upcoming trend from Barbarian forums.


I am updating this thread because it seems many people are missing out on some of the later things I discussed about sprint and builds involving Run Like the Wind rune as a means of DPS and healing from Life on Hit. Originally, this thread proposed what was essentially a kiting build and while it certainly was viable a lot of people felt discouraged by the fact that it wasn't consistent with the theme of a Barb. However, after testing various sprint builds I have found that in general the superior sprint build doesn't use kiting as a primary strategy. Quite the opposite in fact as the more stuff you can hit the better the survivability.

My current build through Act 2 into Act 3.
Barbarian - Game Guide - Diablo III

So to summarize how this build works it is based on Sprint's Run Like the Wind rune to spawn tornadoes that will crit often enough to generate a substantial amount of fury from Battle Rage's Into the Fray. The mechanics of the tornadoes functions similarly to that of whirlwind in that they hit quite a few times very rapidly thus not requiring vast amounts of crit % to function. Combining this mechanic with an adequate amount of Life on Hit will allow a player to not only to output greater AoE damage per target than Frenzy by stacking the tornadoes close together, but will produce significantly more healing per target and will scale proportionally to the number of enemies you are hitting.

The primary drawback to sprint as a means of DPS and healing is that a player must be able to move to create the tornadoes and must be able to get mobs to run through or preferably sit in those tornadoes. This is where Whirlwind with the Hurricane rune comes in and why it is far more effective than kiting builds that use Leap or Furious Charge to get out of bad situations. Because Whirlwind allows a player to pass through enemies the issue of walls, halls, or getting surrounded are no longer a problem and in many cases are now to the player's advantage. A player can drop tornadoes in the dead center of an enemy or pack instead of just next to them or in front of them. This makes stacking easier and more effect, which in turn produces more fury, damage, and healing not to mention has a positive feedback with Whirlwind.

The last component is WotB with the Thrive on Chaos rune. Using this skill and rune together with Sprint and Whirlwind will allow a player to constantly refresh the duration indefinitely so long as the player has something to hit. The reason doing this is so invaluable compared to using Insanity or Slaughter is that it makes crowd control affixes like Jailer, Frozen, or Nightmarish over the entire fight a non-issue and that makes them all the more easier to kill and leaves fewer affixes that are actually deadly. Also, it is the most forgiving when fighting Teleporter, Shielding, Invulnerable, or a ranged enemy type that flees.

Unfortunately, most of the other skills are mandatory with the exception of the primary skill slot. I prefer Bash with Instigation as it gives me the fastest and most reliable fury for when starting on empty or accidentally running dry. Also, with a fast enough weapon speed Bash fury generation is enough to keep WotB refreshed. I wouldn't suggest having a non-primary in the slot as you will regret it when trying to kill a Treasure Goblin or accidentally let Battle Rage fall off and can't refresh it.

Now, this build won't magically carry people into Act 4 and I'm not claiming it is the best build. You will still get your face smashed in upon entering a new Act, but the upside is that it is just as viable as a tank build. So instead of hitting one mob for a puny % of its massive health pool you can be a zooming massive AoE monster that doesn't stop till everything is dead. You can be a Barb.


This is copied straight from Sprint + Whirlwind = Feel like a Barb - Forums - Diablo III

All credits to Hackuseme!

[nona]

I tried this with my barb with which i just finished act2, I did a butcher run, and playing this spec is actualy tons of fun compared to the boring sword n shield frenzy/revenge.

gear wise, you need the same gear as you would for a barb tank, except you swap your shield for an off hand with life on hit (though if you have decent life on hit you can keep your shield). I have two weapons with 300 life on hit on each, and it was more than enough for a butcher run, and probably enough for a2. For higher, just gear as you'd gear a tank, but look more for those life on hit and crit chance gear.