Barbarian - Frenzied Berserker Changes
Greetings!

This is the first in a series of posts outlining our plans for the update to Barbarians. The design behind these changes is that Barbarian DPS is largely in a good state, but they lack mitigation and healers don't like that they take so much healing. The idea behind these changes is to make Barbarians tougher through sheer hit point bonuses, give them enough healing amplification so healing them doesn't feel like a healing sink, and adding 5th tier healing to help sustain them during dungeons.


Here are the proposed changes for Barbarian's Frenzied Berserker tree for Update 24.

(If you see "---" that means text was removed; likely a penalty or condition.)



Core abilities

Die Hard: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 1). You gain the Die Hard feat, and automatically stabilize when incapacitated.

Toughness: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 3). +20 hit points, and +10 healing amplification.

Frenzy: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 6). Activation Cost: 10 Hit Points. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Enter a frenzy, increasing your strength by +2 and adding Vicious to your melee weapons. You gain +30 hit points and +10 healing amplification.

Toughness: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 12). You gain 10 Physical Resist Rating. You gain +60 hit points and +20 healing amplification.

Death Frenzy: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 18). Activation Cost: 20 Hit Points. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Expend 20 hit points to enter a Death Frenzy for one minute. You gain 4 strength. You increase your crit multiplier by an additional 1 when raging. Your melee weapons gain 'Greater Vicious'.(+4d6 damage to your attacks while dealing 1d3 damage to yourself per attack.) Passive: You gain +100 hit points and +20 healing amplification.

Storm’s Eye: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 20). Activate: You gain +1 melee damage. --- This damage bonus gains one stack every six seconds, up to 25 stacks. This ends when you are below 50% health. Activation Cost: 100 Hit Points. Cooldown: 3 minutes. Passive: You gain +4 Constitution. You gain +150 hit points and +40 healing amplification.


Tier One

Extra Rage: (1/1/1 AP). +1/+2/+3 Rage use per rest

Cracking Attack: Melee Attack: Deals +1/+2/+3[W] extra damage. Damaging enemies reduces their AC by -1/-2/-3 for 20 seconds. ---(Activation Cost: 5 Hit Points. Cooldown: 30 seconds)

Die Harder: Your range of unconsciousness extends +5/+10/+15 HP. When you drop below 1 health, you gain 10/20/30 temp hitpoints. This can only trigger once every five minutes.

Power Rage: +1/+2/+3 Strength --- while raging

Athletics: +1/+2/+3 Balance, Jump, Swim. Rank 3: When you activate Barbarian Rage, you gain +35% Action Boost bonus to movement speed for 20 seconds.


Tier Two (Requires Barbarian Level 2, 5 APs spent in tree)

Angry Arms: (Requires: Two Handed Fighting, 1/1/1 AP) +1%/+2%/+3% chance of triggering weapon effects on glancing blows and +3%/+4%/+5% glancing blow damage.

Body Blow: (1/1/1 AP) Damaging enemies with Cracking Attack reduces their Fortitude saving throws by 1/2/3 for 20 seconds.

Blood Tribute: (1/1/1 AP) Gain +50/+100/+150 Temporary Health for one minute. This scales with 400% Melee Power. You have a stacking -1 penalty to constitution until you rest or die. (Cooldown: 3 seconds)

Extra Action Boost: (1/1/1 AP) +1/+2/+3 additional Action Boost use per rest.

Sprint Boost: (1/1/1 AP) +35%/40%/50% Action Boost bonus to movement speed for 20 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.



Tier Three (Requires Barbarian Level 3, 10 APs spent in tree)

Mad Munitions: (1/1/1 AP, Requires: Greater Two Handed Fighting, Angry Arms) +1%/+2%/+3% chance of triggering weapon effects on glancing blows and +3%/+4%/+5% glancing blow damage


Blood Trail: (2 AP, Requires: Blood Tribute, Supreme Cleave) Supreme Cleave no longer has a hit point cost. You gain 2 Melee Power.

Supreme Cleave: (1/1/1 AP) Tactical Melee Cleave: Expend 10 hit points to activate this ability to attack enemies around you. This attack deals +1/+2/+3[W] damage. (Activation Cost: 10 Hit Points, affected by Dungeon Scaling. Cooldown: 9/6/3 seconds)

Strength/Constitution: (2 AP) +1 Strength or Constitution



Tier Four (Requires Barbarian Level 4, 20 APs spent in tree)

Crazy Strike: (1/1/1 AP, Requires: Body Blow) When you score a --- hit with Cracking Attack, for 12 seconds you gain +0.3/+0,6/+1[W] damage and 1/2/3 Melee Power.

Exhausting Blow: (1/1/1 AP) Melee Attack: Deals +2/+3/+4[W], 1d6/2d6/3d6 Strength, and 1d6/2d6/3d6 Dexterity damage. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)

Wade In: (1/1/1 AP, Requires: Supreme Cleave) When you Supreme Cleave, you gain +1 Primal bonus to Attack --- per enemy damaged, up to 3/6/10 maximum. Lasts for 4 seconds.

Strength/Constitution: (2 AP) +1 Strength or Constitution


Tier Five (Requires Barbarian Level 5, Character Level 12, 30 APs spent in tree)

Focus Wide: (2 AP, Requires: Mad Munitions) When you score a vorpal hit, you increase your chance of triggering weapon effects with glancing blows by +10% and gain +10% glancing blow damage for 12 seconds.

Focused Wrath: (2/2 AP) While raging, increases the critical multiplier of all weapons you use by 1/2 when you roll a natural 19 or 20 that is a confirmed crit hit.

Lash Out: (1/1/1 AP, Requires: Slicing Blow) Supreme Cleave has a 50%/75%/82% chance to cause bleeding to damaged enemies, inflicting up to 1/2/3 stacks. This can stack up to 5 times. Your Supreme Cleave also reduces the AC of enemies by 1/2/3 for six seconds. This stacks up to five times.

Accelerated Metabolism: (2 AP) While raging you heal 2d6 hit points every 4 seconds. This healing scales with 100% Melee Power.

Tantrum: (2 AP) Tactical Melee Cleave: Expend 25 hit points to activate this ability and attack enemies around you. This deals +5[W] damage and has a 50% to knock down each damage enemy briefly on a failed Fortitude save vs. 10 + Strength modifier + Barbarian Level. Abilities that trigger on Supreme Cleave also trigger on Tantrum. (Blood Trail, Wade In, Lash Out, Sundering Spin, Storm's Eye)


Sev~

Barbarian - Occult Slayer Changes
Greetings,

Here are the proposed changes for the Barbarian's Occult Slayer tree for Update 24. The Occult Slayer is designed to mitigate magical damage while at the same time shutting down and eliminating foes that use magic against you. We've made the weapon bond easier to use; stacks are no longer removed when you switch weapons and they build much faster since the 1 second cooldown was removed. This faster stack building allows the Occult Slayer to spend these charges to heal or make big attacks.





Core abilities


Bonded Weapons: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 1). You build a psychic bond with your weapons. You strengthen this bond by damaging enemies with attacks. Each attack adds 1 to your weapon bond, up to a maximum of 200. Dying resets your weapon bond. Activate: Exhaust 1 Weapon Bond: Gain a +5 Insight bonus to Attack for 12 seconds. (Cooldown: 2 minutes)


Note: Changing weapons no longer resets your weapon bond.

Resistance: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 3) +1 to all saving throws. Improve your barbarian damage reduction by +1. You gain +10 hit points and +10 healing amplification.


Elemental Defense: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 6) When enemy spells deal elemental damage to you, there's a 25% chance you'll gain 25 temporary hit points for 30 seconds. This gain scales with 100% Melee Power. This can trigger up to once every 12 seconds. (Elemental Damage includes Acid, Cold, Electric, Fire, Sonic.) Improve your barbarian damage reduction by +1. Passive: You gain +30 hit points and +10 healing amplification.


Blank Thoughts: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 12) You gain the Slippery Mind feat and improve your barbarian damage reduction. Improve your barbarian damage reduction by +1. Passive: You gain +5 Magical Resistance Rating, +60 hit points and +20 healing amplification.

Force Ward: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 18) You gain immunity to magic missiles and +5% Competence bonus to entirely avoid incoming Force damage. Improve your barbarian damage reduction by +1. Passive: You gain +5 Magical Resistance Rating, +100 hit points and +20 healing amplification.

Mind Over Magic: (1 AP, Barbarian Level 20) You gain a bonus to your Spell Resistance equal to your Constitution score. Passive: You gain +4 Constitution. You gain +10 Magical Resistance Rating, +150 hit points and +40 healing amplification.




Tier One


Extend Rage: (1/1/1 AP) Your barbarian rage lasts [25/50/75]% longer.

Ear Smash: (1/1/1 AP) Melee Attack: Deals +0.5/+1/+1.5[W] damage. Damaged enemies can't cast spells for 2/4/6 seconds. (Cooldown: 12 seconds)

Parrying Bond: (1/1/1 AP) If Weapon Bond is 10+: +[2/4/6] Competence bonus to AC and +[1/2/3] to Magical Resistance Rating.

Uncanny Dodger: (1/1/1 AP) You gain +[1/2/3]% Dodge.

Awareness: (1/1/1 AP) +[1/2/3] Listen, Search and Spot. Rank 3: +1 Reflex Saving Throw



Tier Two (Requires Barbarian Level 2, 5 APs spent in tree)


Willpower Rage: (1/1/1 AP) You gain +[1/2/3] to Will saving throws while raged.

Knockout: (1 AP) Ear Smash puts enemies to sleep for 6/12/18 seconds. On Vorpal, enemies are stunned instead.

Guarding Bond: (1/1/1 AP) If weapon bond is 60+: Gain +4 Physical and Magical Resistance Rating. Rank 2: If weapon bond is 120+: Ratings increase to +8. Rank 3: If weapon bond is 180+: Ratings increase to +12.

Lessons of Travel: (1/1/1 AP) +[2/4/6] energy resistance against Acid, Cold, Electric, Fire and Sonic damage.

Antimagic Boost: (1/1/1 AP) Action Boost: +[2/4/6] Action Boost bonus to saving throws vs. magic (Cooldown: 30 seconds)



Tier Three (Requires Barbarian Level 3, 10 APs spent in tree)


Oath of Retribution: (2 AP) (Removed bond requirement) While you are below 50% health you gain +1 critical damage multiplier on attack rolls of 19-20.

Lessons of Nature: (1/1/1 AP) You gain +[2/4/6] to save vs. both disease and poison. Rank 3: You don't fail disease or poison saving throws on a roll of 1.

Arcane Encumbrance: (1/1/1 AP) When enemies damage you with spells, there's a [10/20/30]% chance they'll be knocked down. (Does not affect bosses.)

Kinetic Bond: (1/1/1 AP) If weapon bond is 20+: Your attacks deal 1d20 force damage that scales with 200% Melee Power. This damage can trigger up to once every 3/2/1 seconds.

Constitution/Wisdom: (2 AP) Multi-selector: +1 Constitution or +1 Wisdom



Tier Four (Requires Barbarian Level 4, 20 APs spent in tree)

Hated Enemies: (2 AP) Expend 30 weapon bond to gain 10 Melee Power for 10 seconds.

Viscious Strike: Melee Attack: Deals +1/+2/+3[W] damage and inflicts Feedback on the enemy for 6/12/18 seconds. (Cooldown: 12 seconds) Feedback - On Spellcast: Caster suffers 6-60 force damage. This damage is increased by the target's Spell Power.

Constitution/Wisdom: (2 AP) Multi-selector: +1 Constitution or +1 Wisdom



Tier Five (Requires Barbarian Level 5, Character Level 12, 30 APs spent in tree)


Oath of Destruction: (2 AP) Your Oath of Retribution doesn't have a health requirement.

Vampiric Bond: (1 AP) If weapon bond is 150+: Your weapon provides you 20 temporary hit points when you damage an enemy. These temporary hit points scale with 200% Melee Power. This can trigger at most once every 12/9/6 seconds.

Metalline Bond: (1 AP) Your equipped weapon gains the Metalline property. It bypasses Adamantine, Alchemical Silver, Byeshk, Cold Iron and Mithral damage reduction.

Toughness: +10/+20/+30 HP and +4/+8/+12 Magical Resistance Rating.

Ancestral Bond: (2 AP) Expend all stacks of weapon bond. For each stack expended you are healed for 2 hit points. This healing scales with 100% Melee Power. Cooldown: 10 seconds.

Slayer Bond: (1 AP, 3 Ranks) Expend 50 stacks of weapon bond: Make a melee weapon attack for +1/3/5 (W) damage. This attack has a +1 critical threat range and a +1 critical multiplier. Cooldown: 3 seconds.


Sev~

Core abilities

Furious Rage: (1 AP, Level 1) When you are raging and miss your attack by rolling 1, you gain Fury for 6 seconds. Fury: +1 Rage bonus to attack and damage. This effect stacks up to 6 times and one stack fades every 6 seconds.

Pain Touch: (1 AP, Level 3) Your melee attacks deal 1d6 extra damage. --- This damage scales with 100% Melee Power. Passive: You gain +10 healing amplification.

Demoralizing Success: (1 AP, Level 6) When you score a vorpal hit in melee, you inflict Crushing Despair on nearby enemies for 30 seconds on a failed DC 20 Will saving throw. You then inflict Vulnerable Will for 15 seconds, regardless of the Crushing Despair saving throw. Passive: You gain +30 hit points and +10 healing amplification.

Pain Touch: (1 AP, Level 12) Upgrades Pain Touch so your melee attacks deal 2d6 extra damage. This damage scales with 100% Melee Power. Passive: You gain +60 hit points and +20 healing amplification.

Subsiding Fury: (1 AP, Level 18) When you use Barbarian Rage, you gain 3 stacks of Fury. Passive: You gain +100 hit points and +20 healing amplification.

Visage of Terror: (1 AP, Level 20) Terrorize an enemy, killing them with fear if they fail a Will save vs 10 + Constitution modifier + half barbarian level. Enemies who make their saving throw are briefly paralyzed with fear instead. (Cost 1 Rage. Cooldown: 30 seconds. Passive: You gain +4 Constitution, +150 hit points and +40 healing amplification.


Tier One

Ritual Scarring: (1/1/1 AP) +[1/2/3] Intimidate, Haggle and Physical Resistance.

Hate: (1/1/1 AP) Melee Attack: Deals +(1/2/3)[W] damage and generate extra threat. (Cooldown: 15 seconds)

Do You Like Pain?: (1/1/1 AP) When you are hit: [20/40/60]% chance attacker loses 10 AC.

Barbarian Power Attack: (1/1/1 AP, Requires Power Attack) Your Power Attack feat does 1/2/3 additional point of bonus damage ---.

Hardy Rage: (1/1/1 AP) +[1/2/3] Constitution when raging.


Tier Two (Requires Barbarian Level 2, 5 APs spent in tree)

Fear me!: (2 AP, Requires: Ritual Scarring) When you intimidate, affected enemies are Shaken for 6 seconds. DC 10 + Strength Modifier + Barbarian Level (Note that the DC is currently 13)

Mutilate: (1/1/1 AP, Requires Hate) Hate additionally deals 1d4/1d6/1d8 Charisma damage and 1d4/1d6/1d8 force damage. The force damage scales with 200% Melee Power.

I Like Pain: (1/1/1 AP, Requires: Do You Like Pain?) When you are hit: Small chance to gain 50/100/150 Temporary HP. The gain scales with 100% melee power.

Cruel Cut: (1/1/1 AP) Melee Attack: Deals 1d6/2d6/3d6 extra constitution damage as long as you damage your target. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)

Action Boost: Melee Power: (1/1/1 AP) Activate this ability to receive a +[10/20/30] Action Boost bonus to Melee Power for 20 seconds. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)


Tier Three (Requires Barbarian Level 3, 10 APs spent in tree)

Aura of Fear: (1/1/1 AP, Requires: Fear Me!) Nearby enemies receive a -2 penalty to Strength and Charisma.
~ Rank 2: Nearby enemies receive a -2 penalty to Strength, Charisma, Dexterity and Wisdom.
~ Rank 3: Nearby enemies receive a -2 penalty to all ability scores.

Slaughter: (1/1/1 AP) Melee Attack: Deals +(5/7.5/10)[W] damage. (Cooldown: 30 seconds)

Festering Wound: (1/1/1 AP Requires: Cruel Cut) Cruel Cut additionally inflicts 1/2/3 5-seconds stacks of 1d6 Poison damage every 2 seconds and the target loses -50% healing amplification for 5/10/15 seconds. This poison damage scales with 200% Melee Power. Damage stacks fade one at a time.

Constitution/Strength: (2 AP) +1 Constitution or Strength


Tier Four (Requires Barbarian Level 4, 20 APs spent in tree)

Laughter: (2 AP, Requires: Slaughter) For many Ravagers, there's no Laughter without Slaughter.
When Slaughter damages an enemy, you gain 3 Fury. When Slaughter scores a critical hit on an enemy, you gain an additional 3 Fury and 10 Melee Power for 15 seconds.

I Hit Back!: (1/1/1 AP, Requires: I Like Pain) When you are hit: 20% chance to deal 2d8/4d8/6d8 force damage to attacker. This damage scales with 100% Melee Power.

Dismember: (1/1/1 AP, Requires: Festering Wound) Cruel Cut increases Melee Power by 5 for 10 seconds. Cruel Cut additionalyl slows enemy movement speed, or slows attack speed, or deals 2d4/2d6/2d8 force damage, or deals 6d4/6d6/6d8 force damage. This force damage scales with 200% Melee Power.

Constitution/Strength: (2 AP) +1 Constitution or Strength


Tier Five (Requires Barbarian Level 5, Character Level 12, 30 APs spent in tree)

Blood Strength: (2 AP) Each time you land a hit you are healed for 1d4 hit points. Each time you kill an opponent you are healed for 1d20 hit points. This healing scales with 100% Melee Power.

Bully: (1/1/1 AP, Requires: I Hit back!) You deal +[5/10/15]% damage to helpless enemies.
Requires: I Hit back!

Critical Fury: (2 AP) While raging, each hit also grants 1 stack of Fury.

Critical Rage: (2/2 AP) Increases your critical threat range by 1/2 when raging.


(Note that Critical Rage no longer requires the Cruel Cut line.)

Yeah.  This...this isn't exactly what we worked for weeks on.  I know I shouldn't be surprised, but they basically took our ideas (that included numerous new enhancements) and just kind of forced it into the existing trees.  What fit, they kept.  What fell off, fell off.

Most of the cooler changes didn't make it.  The healing amp thing seems like way more than what we asked for, but thats hard to tell with the new system.  Barbs needed the healing amp buff, but hopefully its not going to be overkill.

Yeah.  This...this isn't exactly what we worked for weeks on.  I know I shouldn't be surprised, but they basically took our ideas (that included numerous new enhancements) and just kind of forced it into the existing trees.  What fit, they kept.  What fell off, fell off.

Most of the cooler changes didn't make it.  The healing amp thing seems like way more than what we asked for, but thats hard to tell with the new system.  Barbs needed the healing amp buff, but hopefully its not going to be overkill.