Changes

Ceaseless clan warfare and the constant struggle to survive in the hostile wilderness are reflected in the Barbarian's sturdy and powerful frame. Though perhaps lacking the sophistication of city-folk, the Barbarian has an acute awareness of his surroundings. Because of his shamanistic belief in the animal powers with whom he identifies, the Barbarian is sometimes associated with stories of lycanthropy. In fact, he believes he can call upon totemic animal spirits to infuse him with supernormal strengths and abilities, but these only work to improve his already superb battle-tactics.

The three corpse skills are very useful as well. Find Item is one of the most powerful skills in the game, in terms of finding good equipment, and Find Potion can be very helpful also, for the more patient Barbarian. Grim Ward is one of the neatest skills in the game in concept and appearance, but it's hardly needed or used in the game, since the Barbarian is so powerful in other areas that it's icing on the icing on the triple chocolate chip fudge cake.

You can use +2 Sounding weapons also, but obviously they are not as good. Any time you are in town, check the NPC for echoing weapons, and since most Barbs spend some time shopping for a big weapon at some point, you should find Echoing stuff at the same time. Buy anything you can dual wield with this bonus, normal weapons if possible, since they have lower Str/Dex/Level requirements.

=Combat Masteries=

Other than the six weapon masteries, there are four other passive skills in this tree, all of which deserve at least one point. Increased Stamina is helpful, though not mandatory. Increased Speed is the same, basically a luxury, but running faster means you get to each battle quicker, move faster in town, can escape trouble more rapidly, and is just generally more fun. It's hard to resist a point there. Iron Skin is helpful for your defense, and Natural Resistance is one of the most useful skills in the entire game. Certainly the other six character classes would trade most any of their skills to for one that gave them free resistance.

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=Combat Skills=

[[Category:Barbarian]]