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Now, let’s dive into today’s build analysis—the Frenzy Barbarian in Diablo 2 Resurrected. This one might just be the best Barbarian build I’ve experimented with yet, especially if you're looking for a more budget-friendly option.

Frenzy Barbarian: An Overview

If you're looking to dive into the Frenzy Barbarian, you're in for a treat. The Frenzy Barbarian focuses on maximizing speed and damage through the Frenzy skill, which increases attack speed and damage as you hit enemies. This build is fast, efficient, and capable of dishing out immense amounts of damage in short bursts. While the build might seem a bit overkill with some D2R items, we're experimenting to find that sweet spot between cost and effectiveness.

Let’s talk about the main components of the Frenzy Barbarian and break down the gear, skills, and strategies that make this one of the most fun and rewarding builds in Diablo 2 Resurrected.

Key Gear: The Secret Behind the Build

Now, let’s get into the gear that makes this build tick. As you can see, I’m using some pretty powerful items here, but we’re focusing on finding the most optimal setup for efficiency.

Last Wish Phase Blade:

Without a doubt, one of the most powerful items I’m using in this build is the Last Wish Phase Blade. Now, I know this might be a little on the pricey side, but hear me out. It’s packed with stats that are perfect for the Frenzy Barbarian. It gives you a 10% chance to cast Level 18 Life Tap on striking. This synergizes beautifully with Drax Grasp—a fantastic item for life leeching. Life Tap is essential for surviving Ubers and other difficult bosses, allowing you to sustain yourself as you rapidly attack. While Last Wish is not typically used for its damage output—especially when equipped in a Phase Blade, which lowers its overall damage—it provides critical utility and survivability through Fade and Charged Bolt effects.

The Fade aura gives you about 60% resistance to all damage types and a nice chunk of damage reduction, which is incredibly helpful when you’re wading through enemies or dealing with high-damage situations. I’ve got to admit, Last Wish might be a bit of overkill, but it makes a difference, especially when you’re facing Ubers or other tough enemies.

Grief Weapon:

One of the true stars of the Frenzy Barbarian build is the Grief weapon, and it’s just a powerhouse when paired with Frenzy. The Grief sword gives you a massive +400 damage to your base, which then scales with Frenzy’s multipliers—giving you an exponential boost in overall damage. Additionally, the Grief sword’s -25% target defense is crucial when fighting tougher bosses like Ubers. It’s much more effective against bosses than the “Ignore Target’s Defense” stat that some other weapons use.

On top of that, Grief offers tons of synergies, like +174% damage to Demons and -25% poison resistance to enemies, which is just icing on the cake. It’s a killer combo when you factor in Frenzy and all the multipliers from your other skills.

Synergies and Skill Points

The Frenzy Barbarian relies heavily on synergies to maximize its potential. In this build, I’ve focused on getting Frenzy to its maximum potential by investing 20 points into it. The synergies are nice to have, but they are secondary for this build. With just one point invested in the synergies, I’m already seeing a significant boost to my damage, and I didn’t need to max them out to get results.

Weapon Mastery—specifically Axe Mastery—is another crucial skill that I maxed out. It adds a nice damage boost and increased accuracy with axes, which fits perfectly with the build. Battle Orders is always a must for any Barbarian build, as it significantly increases life, mana, and stamina, which is essential for keeping up the pace in combat.

Additional Gear and Setup

While Last Wish and Grief are the focal points, I’ve also optimized the rest of my gear to further enhance my Frenzy Barbarian’s survivability and damage output.

Fortitude Armor:

This armor is a great choice for the Frenzy Barbarian because of its +200% enhanced damage and high resistances. It also offers the added bonus of 10% life leech, which synergizes well with your overall survivability when tackling difficult bosses or swarms of enemies.

Gore Rider Boots:

Gore Rider boots are an excellent choice for this build, offering high physical damage boosts and a 50% chance of crushing blow. This is crucial for taking down high-health enemies, and the added deadly strike and open wounds are great for increasing overall damage.

Raven Frost Ring:

This is a must-have for any Frenzy Barbarian, as it provides Cannot Be Frozen—a key stat that prevents your Barbarian from being slowed down by cold effects. It also offers a nice boost to dexterity and overall damage output.

String of Ears Belt:

Instead of Dungo (which is a common choice for some), I prefer String of Ears for this build. Why? It gives me damage reduction and life leech, both of which are crucial when fighting high-damage enemies. The added physical damage reduction from String of Ears helps mitigate the damage your Barbarian takes, while the life leech ensures that you can sustain yourself through long fights.

Frenzy Barbarian vs. Ubers

One of the most exciting things about this build is its ability to take on Ubers. Although Last Wish may not be the most optimal weapon for pure damage against Ubers, its utility—such as Life Tap and Fade—ensures that you can stay alive long enough to deal massive damage. The combination of Grief and Last Wish gives the Frenzy Barbarian the necessary damage output, while Fortitude and String of Ears offer excellent survivability.

While this build might take a little longer than some other Ubers strategies, the Frenzy Barbarian is capable of handling Ubers with the right gear and skill setup. You’ll want to focus on casting Life Tap early to ensure you can sustain yourself throughout the battle. Remember, the faster you hit, the quicker your life tap can proc, and that means you’ll be able to heal as you deal damage.

Conclusion

Overall, the Frenzy Barbarian in Diablo 2 Resurrected is one of the most enjoyable and effective builds, especially when optimized with the right gear. While some items like Last Wish might seem excessive, they provide much-needed utility and survivability when facing tougher enemies. If you’re looking for a build that balances speed, power, and flexibility, this might be the one for you.

Stay tuned for future updates as I will continue to experiment and improve this build. If you want to see more builds, gear analysis, and gaming tips, be sure to bookmark P2Pah!