If you are reading this, then it means you are from the future:
There is a new guide with up-to-date information and where I continue the discussion:
As of March 29th, 2016 this guide will no longer receive replies or updates.
#What is this guide about?
This guide is for those who are interested in building their character around the Barbarian class. This means that the build should have at least Circle 2 (C2) of this class, with a high interest in going into Circle 3 (C3) but not necessary.
While the beta is coming to it’s end and new changes are coming in the future, I still wanted to make a guide and write the stuff I learned while playing this class, building a solid base to continue gathering and adding knowledge as the game keeps on changing.
#What is and why should I play a Barbarian?
When one reads the “Barbarian” word, perhaps one thinks of a character that likes to get into the action fast, “hit first, ask questions later” type of build, that doesn’t care much about anything else but hitting hard and killing fast.
Big buy. Big Muscles. Big weapons. Blood.
Well, while this class is perhaps inclined a little bit towards that playing style, but not quite exactly like that. If you have been reading about Tree of Savior, you know by now that it offers a unique class systems which allows a character to expand it’s abilities by picking other classes that provide the tools one is looking for.
Taking this into consideration, here are the advantages of playing as a Barbarian:
- Great early start: This class gets access very fast to skills that hit very hard, making it quite easy to progress through the game at early levels (relative to other classes).
- Different types of damage: Barbarians get the ability to use Slash and Strike types of damage, while being able to complement their build by picking the third type which is Pierce. Giving them the tools to deal with any kind of opponent they face.
- Evasion and equipment: This class is able to stat heavily into DEX, which is a stat that grants evasion to dodge attacks. This also gives the option to pick either Leather or Plate armor to use, based on personal preference.
- Universal skills: Unlike other classes, Barbarian skills are able to be used by any type of weapon, which means one could easily change to whatever combination of weapons is more appropriate for the situation.
- Huge build diversity: Because of the previous reasons, the Barbarian class has a great way to change it’s playing style by picking up other classes, as everything picked up during the Barbarian stage will carry onto future classes.
Overall it is a pretty fun class to play, with lots of room for improvement and customization.
#Stats
You probably have heard that “full DEX” is the way to go for a Barbarian build, and while it certainly works, it is not necessarily the best way to go.
Early on, the stat that helps the most is STR, as DEX barely has any impact until you get to higher levels. From my experience this is around Rank 4 levels, which is is 127 or so.
Currently, we have Statu Reset Scrolls available for free. I would need to know if we will have these as easily available when the game goes live, but for now it is better to use these to reset your stats and get the best build for the build range you are currently at.
For early levels I recommend all your points into STR (maybe a few points of DEX here and there), as it is what makes leveling really easy.
Once you get to Barbarian C2 or Barbarian C3, you can reset your stats to get most points into DEX, with a few into STR (at least 1 point every 10 levels, but you can add more).
CON is not necessary if you are using Plate Armor, but if you are using Leather Armor you might want to consider placing a few points into CON (as many as you feel necessary, depending on how much +Health you can get from your equipment).
Finally, SPR or INT are not necessary at all.
What about equipment?
Use whatever you can get, to be honest. You can get to level 200 by using the equipment you receive from quests without having any problems.
Just make sure that you upgrade your weapon every possible level (15, 40, 75, 120, 170).
#Rank 1: Swordsman
###Skills
- Gung Ho: Level 5
- Concentrate: Level 5
- Bash: Level 1 to 3 (You need to 3 to be able to get it’s attribute, but you can reset it back to 1 for utility).
- Thrust: Level 1 (You only need the Pierce type damage).
- Pain Barrier: The rest of your points go in here.
Gung Ho and Concentrate are self-buffs that increase the overall damage you deal, so make sure to keep them up as much as possible.
###Important Attributes (priority order)
- Concentrate: Enhance (Max Level 50)
- Make sure to max this ASAP. It is cheap, but takes a long time to max out. Early on is more useful than Gung Ho.
- Plate / Leather Mastery (Max Level 50)
- It is an expensive one, but worth it. Make sure to get 1 level of it at least every 8 to 10 character levels.
- Provoke (Max Level 10):
- It makes the role of a tank easier, it is cheap and you can learn it instantly, make sure to get it as soon as you can, specially if you are about to do your first dungeon.
- Gung Ho: Enhance (Max Level 50)
- Unlike Concentrate, Gung Ho lowers your defense by 1 for each point into this attribute, so I don’t recommend going too hard on this one at early levels. Take maybe 5 to 10 levels and max it once you consider it is worth it.
- Bash: Knockdown (Max Level 1)
#Rank 2: First Class Advancement
Your choice of:
- Highlander: Will make the early content much easier providing big amounts of damage. Has a higher impact than Peltasta at early stages of the game (and this is a much higher impact due to Highlander’s current state in the beta).
- Peltasta: Gives you the ability to become a tank, providing a mass AoE taunt, some CC and the ability to manually block with a Shield. Has a higher impact than Highlander at later stages of the damage.
I know most people feel inclined to pick Highlander because of the extra damage it provides, but I highly recommend to choose Peltasta instead. Let me expand on this a little more:
Highlander advatages
- Start using Two-Handed Sword from early levels (they give more attack than other weapons).
- Wagon Wheel and Cartar Stroke serve as great damaging skills at low levels.
- Cartar Stroke remains as a decent skill later on, but it is still limited to being charged up.
- Cross Guard allows you to block while using a Two-Handed Sword
- Two-handed Sword Mastery attribute, which increases your Critical Attack while using a Two-Handed Sword by 50% (this doesn’t mean 50% more damage, it means a 50% increase on the Critical Attack stat).
Peltasta advantages
- Swash Buckling is an AoE taunt which quickly gathers mobs around you and gives you aggro. It is an invaluable skill to have as it allows any Swordsman to perform the role of tank during dungeons and grinding parties (makes them more efficient too, as you can quickly group the mobs to burst them down).
- +25% HP when using Swash Buckling.
- +18% Evasion when using Guardian, which has great synergy with evasion based builds.
- Manual Block (using C) with a Shield, which allows you to pretty much block any incoming damage making you a great tank, you don’t even take damage from world (open field) bosses. It increases your dfense by 25% too.
- Umbo Blow attribute which allows it to stun for 3 seconds with a 25% chance.
Now, it is in my opinion that every Swordsman based class should take at least 1 point into Peltasta so they can help the parties they join with the use of Swash Buckling.
Not having this AoE taunt makes your party weaker, as they have to either take more time gathering the mobs in the map, or have to take another Swordsman that has that taunt, using one slot in the party that could have gone towards something that provides more utility / damage.
Why should you take another Swordsman in your party, when you could have performed the role of a tank by yourself?
That said, if you still want to go with Highlander, it is a perfectly fine option too. It does have the advantages I previously listed, just be aware that it would be ideal for groups if you had that AoE taunt.
What about Swordsman C2?
This circle is in a very poor state, as it provides basically nothing compared to both, Peltasta and Highlander. You might have heard that Restrain is a great PvP skill, but it is not, specially when a Barbarian is mostly based around using skills instead of auto-attacks.
##Highlander
###Skills
- Cartar Stroke: Level 5
- Wagon Wheel: Level 5
- Cross Guard: Level 5
###Important Attributes (priority order)
- Use Two-handed Sword: Max Level 1
- Weapon Swap (Max Level 1)
- Catar Stroke: Remove Knockback (Max Level 1)
- Cartar Stroke: Knockback Increase (Max Level 3)
- Cartar Stroke: Collision Damage (Max Level 1)
- Cross Guard: Extend Stagger (Max Level 3)
- Two-handed Sword Mastery: Critical Attack (Max Level 5)
Peltasta
###Skills
- Swash Buckling: Level 5
- Umbo Blow: Level 5
- Rim Blow: Level 4
- Guardian: Level 1
###Important Attributes (priority order)
- Weapon Swap (Max Level 1)
- Shield Guard (Max Level 1)
- Shield Mastery: Block (Max Level 5)
- Swash Buckling: Maximum HP (Max Level 5)
- Umbo Blow: Add Knockdown (Max Level 3)
- Umbo Blow: Stun (Max Level 5)
- Guardian: Evasion (Max Level 3)
#Rank 3: Barbarian Class Advancement
This is where the fun starts, as we have finally arrived at the class this guide is intended for. While we aren’t near full potential yet, it certainly has a good start.
If you picked Highlander, then will get a few more skills to keep on improving your damage. While if you picked Peltasta, then it is time to pick a Two-Handed Sword and explore a new world (but keep your Sword+Shield around for when you need them, like dungeons or bosses).
###Skills
- Cleave (Level 5): This skill not only deals great Slash damage, but it also gives you a 5 seconds buff that incrases your Critical Rate by 50, make sure to use it before other skills to increase your chance of landing a critical hit.
- Helm Chopper (Level 5): I love this skill, not only does it deal high damage but it also hits twice and it is Strike type of damage. Did I mention that it also stuns for 2 seconds?
- Embowel (Level 0 to 5): Since we have Skill Reset Scrolls available for free, you can get this skill then take it off when you advance to the next circle. The damage it deals is ok, but it has a slow animation that makes this skill not so great.
- Stomping Kick (Level 0 to 5): Same as Embowel, you can get it and later on remove it with the Reset Scroll, but the damage and conditions it requires make it a not so good skill to have.
###Important Attributes (priority order)
- Use Two-handed Swords (Max Level 1)
Plus the increase damage by 1% per attribute ones, of course.
#Rank 4: Barbarian C2 Class Advancement
Detailed Information
Now, this is where you really get to feel the potential of the Barbarian, as you acquire a few new skills including the pride of this class: Seism.
###Skills
- Seism (Level 5): It deals huge damage, it is quick, it has great range, overheart and relatively low cooldown. Almost too good to be true. But wait, it gets better. Just like Chopper, this skill also has the chance to stun the opponent for 2 seconds.
- Helm Chopper (Level 10): It keeps on dealing good damage.
- Cleave (Level 10): Same as above.
- Warcry (Level 0 to 5): It has a slight animation delay, but it lowers the defense of those around you for 30 seconds. It is a decent skill, but I personally prefer Frenzy for dealing more damage. This could be more useful if you have multiple physical attackers in your party, as it helps everyone and not just you.
- Frenzy (Level 0 to 5): This skill increases your attack by stacking itself as you keep attacking the same target. You get 2 additional stacks for each point you put in this skill. Good for bosses, but not so good for mobbing, as opposed to Warcry.
###Important Attributes (priority order)
- Warcry: Duration (Max Level 5)
Plus the increase damage by 1% per attribute ones, of course.
#Rank 5 Class Advancement
Wait, you mean no more Barbarian?
Not necessarily. While advancing to Barbarian Circle 3 is a good way to continue, there are a few other paths that you could take to adapt to the playing style you want to have. Most of these are better done at Rank 6, but Corsair requires 2 circles to unlock it’s full potential, so that is another option you have at Rank 5.
There is also another option for those of you who would like some out-of-combat utility, which is Squire. As you already have a solid base class with Barbarian to solo and deal damage during parties, you don’t have to worry too much about lacking the tools to keep on progressing during the game.
##Barbarian Circle 3
Detailed Information
###Skills
- Seism (Level 10)
- Helm Chopper (Level 15)
- Cleave (Level 15)
- Giant Swing (Optional: Level 1): This skill would mostly be for PvP, so only 1 point for utility is more than enough. Other thant, it doesn’t provide much for PvE.
- Pounching (Level 0 for now): This is a pretty awkward skill at the moment, it’s hitbox only really works when the opponent is moving, so using this during PvE has pretty much no effect as using your normal attacks is just a faster way to deal damage. I think it can be a good skill for PvP, but we will see.
- Warcry (Level 0 to 5)
- Frenzy (Level 0 to 5)
At this point I think Frenzy becomes a better option than Warcry since you can get the attribute where half of the stacks carry over when you switch targets. At level 5 you can get 10 stacks which is a pretty good amount of extra damage.
###Important Attributes (priority order)
- Frenzy: Maintain Stacks (Max Level 1)
- Warcry: Add Target (Max Level 5, if you took this instead of Frenzy)
Plus the increase damage by 1% per attribute ones, of course.
##Corsair Circle 1
Corsair is a pretty fun class for every pirate fan out there. You can put down your Two-Handed Sword (or keep using it if you want to) and pick up a Sword+Dagger combo. In the future Corsairs will be able to use pistols as well, so that is something to keep in mid.
Don’t worry, all the Barbarian skills you have acquired so far will carry over, as they are universal. The same thing happens with Corsair, with the exception of Dust Devil, you can every other skill with a Two-Handed Sword.
The true potential of this class doesn’t come until Circle 2, but for now this is what you will get with Circle 1:
###Skills
- Jolly Roger (Level 5): Allows you to place a flag on the ground that will (as long as you are leader of the party) grant a combo count each time a mob is killed within 5 seconds. Each skill level adds 1 to the max combo count, and each combo adds an additional 3 to 5 extra damage to skills and auto-attacks. It also has the chance to make mobs drop additional silver. Another fun mechanic of this skill, is that it has aggro of it’s own, so mobs will attack the flag if they are near it.
- Dust Devil (Level 5): This skill deals decent damage, but the important part is that it will make the opponent spin for 2 seconds, which works as a great way of interrupting enemies (specially during PvP).
- Iron Hook (Level 0 to 5): This is a hard CC, as it stops yourself and the opponent for it’s duration. You have the option to pull back and deal damage using Keel Hauling. I think it could have some use in PvP, but for PvE it is unnecessary.
- Keel Hauling ( Level 0 to 5): Same as above.
- Unlock Chest (Level 0): I don’t think there are enough chests in the game to justify taking this skill. Maybe if in the future we get chests that can only be opened by this skill, then it might be worth taking it. But for now, just leave it at 0.
###Important Attributes (priority order)
- Dagger Mastery: Sudden Attack (Max Level 5)
- Jolly Roger: Unity (Max Level 5)
- Iron Hook: Chain (Max Level 1, if you took this skill)
- Keel Hauling: Bleeding (Max Level 5, if you took this skill)
Plus the increase damage by 1% per attribute ones, of course.
##Squire Circle 1
Detailed Information
Now, this won’t give you any real combat advantage. Though, it will give you the option to set up your shop and start earning some extra gold, as well as get some incredible utility to help in parties once you advance to Circle 2.
Plus, everyone loves having repair on-demand through a Squire.
###Skills
- Weapon Maintenance (Level 5): Most people prefer damage when it comes to upgrades, so while Armor Maintenance is an option, I think weapon is the most popular one. You can of course get the Armor one if you feel that you prefer having that one.
- Repair (Level 5)
- Arrest (Level 1 to 5, will only need level 1 for Circle 2)
###Important Attributes (priority order)
- Repair: Service (Max Level 5)
- Arrest: Slow (Max Level 5)
- Arrest: Weaken Defense (Max Level 5)
- Armor Maintenance: Count Increase (Max Level 100, if you took this)
- Weapon Maintenance: Count Increase (Max Level 100, if you took this)
#Rank 6 Class Advancement
Now it is finally time to close your build (until more ranks are opened) by choosing one of the different available options that you have. Since Corsair was an option on Rank 5, let’s start with that one:
##Corsair Circle 2
This is where the class gains it’s full potential.
###Skills
- Hexen Dropper (Level 5): This skill is fantastic, not only does it deal some great damage, but it also deals Pierce type of damage, which is something that you have been lacking so far. It has overheat and a 28 seconds cooldown. Simply fantastic.
- Double Weapon Assault (Level 5, if you are using dual weapons): This is a buff that allows you to temporarily deal consecutive hits using both your main and offhand weapons. The drawback is that it uses 2 Stamina per use, but it is a good option to have while your other skills are in cooldown.
- Dust Devil (Level 10)
- Jolly Roger (Rest of your points)
###Important Attributes (priority order)
Only the ones that increase your damage by 1%.
##Squire Circle 2
Detailed Information
Now you get some pretty good buffs to share with your friends, as well as higher levels of Repair and Maintenance that will help you distinguish yourself from other Squires that only took 1 circle.
###Skills
- Weapon Maintenance (Level 10): Same reasoning as on the Circle 1 section.
- Repair (Level 10): Same as above.
- Refreshment Table (Level 5): It provides 4 different types of food for people to eat. Sandwich (increases max SP by 20%), Salad (increases max HP by 20%), Soup (increases SP recovery), Yogurt (increases HP recovery). These values are at level 5, and their duration is 40 minutes.
- Base Camp (Level 1 to 4): It allows members on your party to use it as if it was their warehouse. The problem is that it has a really long cooldown (6 hours), and the max duration is 3.5 hours (each skill level increases it’s duration by 30 minutes, starting at 30 minutes).
- Arrest (Level 1 to 4): You can choose between this or more Base Camp duration.
##Fencer
Detailed Information
Now, this is a great choice after Barbarian 3 as it gives the build new skills with the Pierce type damage, as well as a skill to increase the damage of Slash attacks, which is great for Seism and Cleave. All of this in addition to getting more skills of Slash and Strike damage.
You will have to put down your Two-Handed Sword and pick up a Rapier, as none of the Fencer skills work without one. They have lower damage and durability, so you will have to repair your weapon more often.
Also, you have the option to use a dagger on your offhand or a shield.
###Skills
- Flanconnade (Level 5): This skill deals two quick Slash attacks, and it has 0 cooldown. It is a perfect skill to use when the other ones are on cooldown, and it deals significantly more damage than auto-attacks. It is also a great way to kill enemies without blowing other big, important cooldowns. It also gives you a high chance of blocking an attack when you use it, even if you are not using a shield.
- Lunge (Level 5): It quickly deals 4 hits of Pierce type, but more importantly, it will make the target vulnerable to Slash type attacks for 4 seconds, so make sure to use this before Seism, Cleave or Flanconnade.
- Sept Etoiles (Level 3 to 4): It quickly deals 7 hits of Pierce type damage, it is a pretty decent burst skill.
- Attaque Coquille (Level 1): This skill deals 1 hit of Strike damage, but the important part is that it makes the target vulnerable to Pierce type attacks, so make sure to use it before Sept Etoiles, Lunge and Esquive Toucher. While this skill gets to deal more damage the higher level it is, I don’t feel it is worth to max it out as it only deals 1 hit compared to the others, so level 1 should be enough for it’s utility.
- Esquive Toucher (Level 0 to 1): I personally didn’t like this skill that much, as it is too slow (animation) even though it deals 4 hits of Pierce type. It does increase your evasion, but it is only for 1 second (which takes an animation delay before dealing damage), and compared to the 4 seconds evasion buff from Lunge, it isn’t that impressive. Either take 1 point to have another skill to use, or leave it at 0.
Now, from reading the skill descriptions you can already notice that some powerful combos can be made from using the right sequence of attacks to deal more damage. This is pretty important to keep always in mind, as to not waste any cooldowns unnecessarily.
###Important Attributes (priority order)
- Use Rapiers (Max Level 1)
- Rapier Mastery: Aggression (Max Level 5)
Plus the ones that increase the skill damage by 1%, of course.
##Doppelsoeldner
Detailed Information
Doppelsoeldner is all about dealing lots of damage, while it doesn’t provide ways of dealing Pierce type attacks, it does allow you to buff your overall damage while sticking to Two-Handed Swords or Sword+Shield if you prefer. It is also overall better for mobbing than the other options, thanks to Cyclone.
###Skills
- Cyclone (Level 5): Easily the best reason to pick Doppelsoeldner. This skill deals insane amounts of damage around you, it has overheat and you can move while using it. You wil love this skill.
- Deeds of Valor (Level 5): Each skill point gives you the ability to gain 1 stack, and each stack increases your Physical Attack by 10%, while decreasing your defense by 10%. Losing defense sounds risky, but in practice it doesn’t make that much of a difference as it allows you to kill mobs faster, thus receiving less hits. The problem is that you don’t get stacks on dodge or hit, so it might be awkward to use if your build is heavy on DEX. If that is the case, level 1 still gives you 1 stack as soon as you use it.
- Mordschlag (Level 1): After a small delay, it will hit the target and send them flying through the air. It deals some damage, so you could give this skill more levels, but overall level 1 should be enough for utility.
- Punish (Level 0 to 3): This skill isn’t that impressive to be honest, it deals some decent damage to knocked down enemies, but nothing out of the ordinary. Feel free to give this from 0 to 3 points.
- Double Pay Earn (Rest of your points): This skill allows you to acquire double EXP and Drop Rate when killing an enemy within the number of attacks the skill gives you, which is 1 attack per skill point. It is pretty useful to last hit enemies of which you would like to get double rewards from. It does have a 57 second cooldown, so you can choose between level 1 or level 4.
###Important Attributes (priority order)
- Cyclone: Movement (Max Level 1)
- Mordschlag: Cloth Armor (Max Level 1)
- Double Pay Earn: Damage Taken (Max Level 1)
Plus the increase damage by 1% per attribute ones, of course.
##Rodelero
Detailed Information
Wait, what? Yeah, Rodelero. While this option won’t be dealing as much damage as the other ones, it provides some extra CC if you are willing to use a Shield for it. It could provide to be useful for PvP, but we will see that as the game matures more.
I will leave this section here for now, and perhaps expand it later if there is more interest for choosing this path.
#Extra Stuff
###What about Gems? Which ones should I use?
I recommend:
- Weapon: Red (Maximum Attack) or Green (Critical Rate).
- Secondary Weapon: Red (Physical Attack) or Green (Critical Rate).
- Armor and Pants: Red (HP) or Blue (SP, helps with classes like Fencer).
- Boots: Green (Evasion) or Yellow (HP).
- Gloves: Yellow (Block Penetration) or Blue (SP Recovery, helps with classes like Fencer).
Don’t forget to roast your gems to avoide negative effects!
###This huge wall of text is nice and all. But do you have any examples on how it would turn out?
Well, here are a few videos to give you a general feel of how the Barbarian class behaves in practice. Perhaps it is not the best example, but this is done with normal gear acquired from quests and without using any OP equipment that is hard to get. I feel this is a great to show what one can expect from the class on a real scenario.
- Level 81 Barbarian damage test on Hogma Scout (Level 77 mob)
- [Level 120 Barbarian killing Throneweaver (Level 109 boss)] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RimXSiqKabI)
- [Level 127 Barbarian damage test at Mage Tower 5F (Circle 2) ] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04zYIWnRkQk)
- [Level 129 Barbarian damage test at Mage Tower 5F (Circle 3) ] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5LUheiVgDM)
- [Level 166 Barbarian damage test on level 162-164 mobs] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PGQqVjboTo)
- [Level 180 Fencer / Barbarian damage test on level 168-171 mobs] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9c3ICiHrRk)
- [Level 184 Fencer / Barbarian killing Sparnashorn (Level 185 boss)] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muq6mHzBooo)
- [Level 200 Fencer / Barbarian killing Master Genie (Level 194 boss)] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quUo_CcgOp4)
#Finally
I will keep updating the guide with every new useful information I find. Any help that you can provide for improving this guide will be greatly appreciated.
Also, if there is something you would like me to add to the guide or any questions you have about your personal build, feel free to comment that and I will gladly help if possible.
Thanks for reading!