Barbarian
This big brute is for people who like to wade into a battle and bathe in the blood of their enemies.
Single player TIPS:
Because the Barbarian offers strength, you will want to increase your skills
and tactics to complement this. Sure, Stun is a neat option to add on, but Bash
makes much more sense--you want to annihilate your enemies in as few blows as
possible, heal, and then move on. Upgrade your dexterity as well to make sure
you can handle higher-level weapons, and make sure your stats are fairly well-rounded--even
though you'll want to lean towards building up your strength as much as possible.
The Barbarian's single-player game is action-packed but requires a good deal
of thought. Yes, this class screams "attack" and doesn't seem to require
much strategy, but when heading into battle alone, the most important thing
is to be prepared. Two single-handed weapons seem to be more effective when
battling against multiple monsters, where a double-handed weapon does more damage
in a single blow. Be careful, though--it's very easy to be overwhelmed by a
large group of monsters, and even lesser-powered hordes can take you down if
you aren't constantly using a hot-keyed healing potion. Quest-related conversations
aside, you can expect to spend about half your time in town buying potions,
trading weapons and items, and, most importantly, repairing your weapons. And,
though this may sound like the type of advice your father gives you, buy a good
belt. Better belts will hold more hot-keyed items, and having 16 hot-keyed potions
is imperative as you head into later levels of the game.
The Barbarian also seems to do well with socketed weapons. Hold on to any jewels
you find in the game and insert them into a socketed axe or similar item that
you may find. Your instrument of destruction makes all the difference as the
Barbarian, and you want the most powerful one you can get. Do what it takes,
hunt around, and constantly upgrade--you want to inflict the most damage possible.
One note: Sometimes minimum damage is more important than maximum damage when
ranking weapons. It's far better to inflict a healthy amount of whup-ass on
a constant basis, rather than hoping for that sweet spot that will bring the
most pain possible.
Because you cannot summon anyone, it helps to hire someone to aid you on your
quest. If anything, it will keep you out of some sticky situations, and in later
levels they can be incorporated into a fighting strategy.
Multi player TIPS:
As the Barbarian, your basic function is to be the muscle of the group. Sure,
you can't resurrect corpses to do your bidding, and you don't have any fancy
spells, but when it comes down to it, you can whup some ass. When traveling
in a party, it doesn't hurt to be at the front and to rush into battle. Most
of the time you can start hacking away at the enemies while other members of
your party pick up the slack. If other members are attacking from a distance,
they can often pick off smaller monsters while you go for the worst of the bunch.
However, it is also quite helpful when they fire at an enemy while you are also
attacking them. The Barbarian definitely complements almost any party.
When it comes to upgrading your skills, leave the magic to the characters that
can really do something with it. Perhaps it is a tad stereotypical, but Bash
really makes sense for the Barbarian--you want to be the ax man who gets it
done. Save all those fancy spells for the Sorceress.
A warning: When playing in any situation where lag is a factor, you'd better
watch out. A character who is away from the enemies and gets stuck with a slow
connection will not often find himself suddenly dead. However, lag out in the
middle of a group of enemies in a thick battle, and you could find your Barbarian
coming down with a serious case of dead. You had better hope another member
of your party can open a town portal to get you back to your body--and in that
vein, racing back to your corpse is a skill you'll pick up in no time.