Malkien's Barbarian guide
Introduction
Welcome to the Barbarian guild, whelp! You've made a fine choice of careers. Though the Barbarian's philosophy is a simple one, don't let the frail mages fool you into thinking the path of magic is more dynamic, more powerful, or more difficult. The Barbarian's path demands of him or her skin like steel, strength to wield bow and sword alike, and an endless sea of foes to sate your weapon's hunger for slaughter. Though the path is hard, the rewards are the secrets of your own rage and the power to make an army cower before you!
Abilities
As a Barbarian you've the fortune of being one of the most powerful combat guilds in the game, and rightly so! Barbarians revel in the slaughter like no other guilds. To begin, let's break down the basic Barbarian abilities.
Inner Fire
Within Dragonrealms, Inner Fire is like chi: it is the tempestuous iron will found in all living things. Only Barbarians, however, have attained the mastery required to fuel this fire.
Inner Fire is not a river flowing into a Barbarian; Barbarians are a river flowing into it, and it is an ocean! The deeper a Barbarian's understanding of Inner Fire becomes, the more wonderous the gifts it shall bestow on him or her. Inner Fire grants the ability to push through pain, to rend muscles beyond their natural boundaries, to pull out of the dredges of fear and stun, and even to defy the grave at higher levels, pushing well beyond the boundaries of the mortal frame to feast on one last slain foe.
Inner Fire can be regained in two ways. First, it will naturally recover over time. Secondly, slaying any foe that will teach you the weapon you are using will recover a small amount of Inner Fire. Inner Fire does not reward Barbarians for slaying defenseless foes!
Knowledge of Inner Fire comes at a price. Exposure to the unnatural forces of mana forever quenches the Fire within mages. Though Barbarians must sacrifice direct knowledge of magic to maintain their Fire, it brings with it great gifts, such as...
Barbarian Magic Resistance
Barbarian Magic Resistance (BMR) is arguably the most costly guild-based perk in the game. No other guild is required to sacrifice knowledge of an entire skillset in order to maintain their guild powers; however, it is also arguably the most powerful passive ability in the game, as well.
Inner Fire abhores magic; as such, Barbarians abhore magic as well. Inner Fire is a direct contrast to magic. It provides Barbarians with magic resistance several times greater than other non-magic users (the resistance of actual mages is practically non-existant). Any magic, be it beneficial or harmful, will first have to go through Barbarian Magic Resistance. While this may be annoying when a Moon Mage is trying to cast Clear Vision on you (why are you relying on magic?!), this is extremely wonderful when a Moon Mage is trying to cast Partial Displacement or Burn on you.
Many critters are extremely difficult to hunt for most guilds for long periods of time because of the spells they cast. However, as a Barbarian, threats like a rock troll's Tremor, a sand sprite's Tingle, a spirit dancer's Partial Displacement or a warcat's Hypnotize will simply be shrugged off by your BMR. The same applies to enemy mages. In time, you will become very familiar with this message...
JoeMage gestures at you.
Small motes of light flicker for a moment around JoeMage, then fade.
...Which indicates your BMR has completely defeated a spell. This is a very useful ability for both hunting and PvP, to say the least. Stay away from magic, and learn to love the mages cursing your magic resistance!
Berserks
Berserks are the first of a Barbarian's abilities. Berserks represent a Barbarian's ability to channel his rage, granting him or her amazing powers in combat. For a long time berserks will be a young Barbarian's bread and butter. The first berserk is learned at level 2 (Blood Berserk) and grants impressive bonuses to strength and offensive power. Be warned, however, for the amazing power of berserks often comes at a steep price! Lost to madness, most berserks will not allow you to retreat. For a more detailed break-down of berserks, please go to the Berserks page.
Dances
Dances are much like the flip-side to berserks, representing a Barbarian's ability to channel his control. Dances are something of a higher-level ability. The first dance is not gained until level 10, and dances do not become truly powerful until the Barbarian is well-disciplined with many circles under his or her belt. Regardless, dances are arguably a Barbarian's most powerful tools. For more detailed information, check out the Barbarian Dances page.
Roars
Starting at level five, Barbarians learn to use the power of their fearsome presence to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies (or inspire the hearts of their allies). Roars can have a wonderful variety of effects, from stunning a foe, to imbalancing them, to harming their ability to control magic... even to kill them in one cruel punch! Likewise, Battle Cries (inspirational roars for allies) can have great effects, like snapping opponents out of stun, lowering a group's roundtime, or boosting their stamina regeneration. Keep in mind, though, that Barbarians are not Paladins or Bards, so do not expect roars to match the power of a Paladin's abilities. For more information, visit the Roars page.
Miscellaneous Abilities
As weapon masters, Barbarians have a variety of bonuses. They can use their Offhand skill to dual-wield heavy edged or heavy blunt weapons. They can dual-load bows. They can snap necks with their skill in Brawling. They can even learn to throw multiple blades at once with the Light Thrown skill earlier than most other guilds!
Barbarians can also Whirlwind to hit multiple foes at once or break free of webbing.