Just recently started playing D3 and just got my first character to 60. Having a lot of fun playing the Barb class but now i am wondering where to go for better gear. i have read post in terms of building sets but at the moment don't have much gold to invest in the AH. As a fresh 60 barb what should my focus be towards gearing up?

Welcome to Diablo 3 and DiabloHub.com @snazz! The gear currently on your Barb is actually really pretty good stuff, just low on Vitality. Your Blackthorne's Pants are already great for that. You can fill your chest armor sockets with Amethysts for more life.

On the basics, Rubies when socketed in helm give you +XP% which is then multiplied by your NV (Nephalem Valor) stack bonus so just about everyone puts at least a Flawless Square Ruby in their helm and upgrade the ruby as they get more Gold. You'll notice the difference.

It's worth upgrading your emerald in your weapon as much as you can. It's transferable not only between weapons, but between characters if you unsocket it. With your Critical Hit Chance as high as it is, you'll get a noticeable amount of additional damage even from just moving it up two steps to a Perfect Star Emerald and you can do that without even buying mats on the Auction House.

Otherwise, what's your goal with playing the game? Do you want to cut through enemies like butter? Do you want to be playing right on the edge where you're dying occasionally, but not often? Gear choices can change dramatically depending upon whether you want to play Monster Power Level 1 vs. Monster Power Level 5.

P.S., There's very likely going to be a server rollback due to a bug in the new patch. It's not clear whether it will affect XP earned so it might be worth grabbing a cool drink and sitting out Diablo tonight.

@ecocd thanks for the advice. Right now my goal is upgrade enough to do higher monster Power levels gradually. I tried MP 1 last night died a few times due to CC but was a lot of fun. My current gear i purchased off the AH( placed lots of bids) most of the pieces with stamina i lost within the last few mins before they expired. I going to try for a Blackthorne chest to get the 2 piece bonus, a immortal kings helm and work on getting my gear gems. A few things i am not to sure about are what kind of gear should i be looking for to put on my followers? Around what stats should i aim for before attempting the higher MP like mp5?

Posted by snazz at 05/08/2013 12:44 PM

@ecocd thanks for the advice. Right now my goal is upgrade enough to do higher monster Power levels gradually. I tried MP 1 last night died a few times due to CC but was a lot of fun. My current gear i purchased off the AH( placed lots of bids) most of the pieces with stamina i lost within the last few mins before they expired. I going to try for a Blackthorne chest to get the 2 piece bonus, a immortal kings helm and work on getting my gear gems. A few things i am not to sure about are what kind of gear should i be looking for to put on my followers? Around what stats should i aim for before attempting the higher MP like mp5?

Welcome to the forums, @snazz! :-)

Regarding followers: Most players try to stack gold find, magic find, and bonus experience on their followers' jewelry, since your hero gets 20% of their followers' bonus. As for weapons, usually it's a Grand Vizier for the Enchantress (cause of the legendary's high MF & GF), a Sun Keeper for the Templar (due to the high MF), & a Buriza for the Scoundrel (for the freezing ability).

EDIT: Oh yeah, might add a lot of players who don't need the extra GF/MF &/or who need an additional meat shield will often equip their enchantress with a Maximus for its demon summoning ability... :-) Also, since Buriza's are pretty darn expensive on the AH, a bow w/ Cold damage is also popular among players who hire the Scoundrel.