Hi,
There are some guides at http://www.lurkerlounge.com/diablo2/strategy/ which can be of some help although they are obsolete because of the version changes. And with 1.10 more or less coming out, the changes will continue and good strategy will have to be evolved again.
For now, I have been following a fairly simple build with Ugar, my 1.10 Barb, and it has been working OK. So, this is neither optimal not sophisticated but it is getting the job done :)
1 . . . How should I distribute my attribute points? . . .
I've been putting 1 point per clvl into Vit and using the other points as needed to equip gear. At clvl 35, he has 60 unallocated stat points. Except for act end bosses and brain farts on my part, he survives battles quite nicely at players 8.
. . .what are the main skills . . .
I like to focus on one weapon (in Ugar's case an ax) and usually max that. In addition, a point in Leap and Leap Attack are well worth it for the maneuverability. Other than that, I have a tendency to go with Combat Masteries since they don't take mana and that simplifies my life (after all, if I wanted to play a magic user, there are better classes than the Barb. :) )
2 . . . what should I look out for in helms, amulets, rings, charms etc? . . .
Life steal and life regen are nice. He has 7% steal and a total of 11% regen -- keeps the belt drain down. Other than that it is nice to have lots of damage, especially in elemental and poison. Cold, of course, is doubly valuable. He carries a few charms to add the elemental that he doesn't get from other gear. Resistances are good, especially lightning which I try to max. And, of course, the ability to do vast amounts of damage is what the barb's all about :)
So, from the gear that falls and you can buy (and don't overlook gambling, most of Ugar's gear came from friendly wagers) try to build up in those general areas. Use sockets to fill in the gaps, realizing that you'll go through a number of "outfits" before your barb gets full grown.
3. Please give me some help on how to deal with specific monsters. . . .
Poison and cold are both handled best by items that reduce the duration, IMO. Sometimes it is worth keeping an item or two (rings and ammys being nice and portable) for specific cases. Lightning is tempered somewhat by resistance. Not having a merc that is shooting the lightning monster also helps a lot :). There are places where you can stand and hit a lightning enhanced monster and not be hit, find them, learn them and try to use them. Other than that, "divide and conquer" is a valid strategy. Because of monsters that resurrect others, it can't be applied too simple mindedly. But a point in leap attack will let you draw the small fry away from the resurrector and then get back to kill him. Sometimes that has to be applied a couple of times.
EDIT: Forgot to mention -- you can switch between two setups. Use one of them for a ranged weapon. Sometimes the best way to get lightning monsters is to hit them with a ranged weapon, especially if you do a fair amount of cold damage.
Other than that, I'd say observe and learn from what is happening. If you avoid using all your stat and skill points right away, you can add them judiciously as you find problems.
--Pete
There are some guides at http://www.lurkerlounge.com/diablo2/strategy/ which can be of some help although they are obsolete because of the version changes. And with 1.10 more or less coming out, the changes will continue and good strategy will have to be evolved again.
For now, I have been following a fairly simple build with Ugar, my 1.10 Barb, and it has been working OK. So, this is neither optimal not sophisticated but it is getting the job done :)
1 . . . How should I distribute my attribute points? . . .
I've been putting 1 point per clvl into Vit and using the other points as needed to equip gear. At clvl 35, he has 60 unallocated stat points. Except for act end bosses and brain farts on my part, he survives battles quite nicely at players 8.
. . .what are the main skills . . .
I like to focus on one weapon (in Ugar's case an ax) and usually max that. In addition, a point in Leap and Leap Attack are well worth it for the maneuverability. Other than that, I have a tendency to go with Combat Masteries since they don't take mana and that simplifies my life (after all, if I wanted to play a magic user, there are better classes than the Barb. :) )
2 . . . what should I look out for in helms, amulets, rings, charms etc? . . .
Life steal and life regen are nice. He has 7% steal and a total of 11% regen -- keeps the belt drain down. Other than that it is nice to have lots of damage, especially in elemental and poison. Cold, of course, is doubly valuable. He carries a few charms to add the elemental that he doesn't get from other gear. Resistances are good, especially lightning which I try to max. And, of course, the ability to do vast amounts of damage is what the barb's all about :)
So, from the gear that falls and you can buy (and don't overlook gambling, most of Ugar's gear came from friendly wagers) try to build up in those general areas. Use sockets to fill in the gaps, realizing that you'll go through a number of "outfits" before your barb gets full grown.
3. Please give me some help on how to deal with specific monsters. . . .
Poison and cold are both handled best by items that reduce the duration, IMO. Sometimes it is worth keeping an item or two (rings and ammys being nice and portable) for specific cases. Lightning is tempered somewhat by resistance. Not having a merc that is shooting the lightning monster also helps a lot :). There are places where you can stand and hit a lightning enhanced monster and not be hit, find them, learn them and try to use them. Other than that, "divide and conquer" is a valid strategy. Because of monsters that resurrect others, it can't be applied too simple mindedly. But a point in leap attack will let you draw the small fry away from the resurrector and then get back to kill him. Sometimes that has to be applied a couple of times.
EDIT: Forgot to mention -- you can switch between two setups. Use one of them for a ranged weapon. Sometimes the best way to get lightning monsters is to hit them with a ranged weapon, especially if you do a fair amount of cold damage.
Other than that, I'd say observe and learn from what is happening. If you avoid using all your stat and skill points right away, you can add them judiciously as you find problems.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?