
The consensus amongst most experienced HotA barbs is that none is necessary if you use a build that incorporates a fury generator such as bash or frenzy, and plenty argue that reduction makes keeping WotB harder. Q: How much HotA resource cost reduction do I need, if any?Ī: The answer to this depends heavily on the build you choose. Some posts on dual wield versus Skorn later in the thread: Critical hit damage is also very important as a properly built HotA barb will be landing crits close to 100% of the time. Critical hit chance is especially important, and to a higher degree than it is with DTWW. Dual-wield setups can be at least as powerful if done correctly. Skorn is a popular choice because it gives you tremendous damage without having to worry about balancing damage ranges. The higher the damage of both of your weapons, the better.

As far as weapons go, HotA alternates damage between the mainhand and offhand, so low-DPS stat sticks that are typical for DTWW are undesirable. It will give you much more build flexibility. Stack resistances and HP as heavily as you can within your budget. Q: What type of gear works best with HotA? Do I have to use a Skorn?Ī: Being able to stand in the thick of things and HotA mobs down without the movement that's typical of DTWW requires high defenses. If you're accustomed to running without a fury generator, you can use hybrids using OP:KS or Rend which are covered in the following post. Simply use HotA against rare elites, goblins, and pesky kiting elites and leave your playstyle unchanged otherwise. The simplest way to work it in is to replace either war cry or OP:KS with it, and leave a fury generator. There are several variations of WW/HotA hybrid builds which work very effectively.

(See below) I also highly suggest watching some or all of the videos linked to, especially if you'd rather skip reading the details.Ī: Chances are you can get by fine with your current build and gear.

I don't have the patience to put everything I'd want to in here in one go, so consider it a WIP.Ī: This is too complicated to answer without a post of its own. Diablo III Complete Barbarian Hammer of the Ancients (HotA) Guide submitted by silver.
