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Double Throw Barbarian Guide


The Double Throw Barbarian is the fastest weapon-slinger in the West. He's throwing sharp metal objects faster than bullets till his arms fall off. Whether it be Axes, Knives, Javelins, or Spears, the pain train never stops. Dealing raw Physical Damage with every toss, this Barbarian uses Double Throw to massacre his enemies. With Throwing Mastery and gear such as Razortail, Wisdom, and Warshrike, Double Throw pierces through monsters, shredding groups of them. Throwing Mastery also makes Quantity a non-issue in the late-game.

The Throw Barbarian can farm almost anything on any Player Count, but specializes in Solo Elite Hunting (/Players1 on Single Player) using Double Throw and Find Item. A combination of Bone Break and Grim Ward comfortably deals with Physical Resistant/Physical Immune mobs while making this build great in a Party. Lacerator also breaks Physical Immunity and greatly increases your damage with its Amplify Damage proc. His only true weakness is that his power is highly weapon dependent. However, a fully-loaded Double Throw Barbarian can cut through anything in an instant.

Ideal Standard Setup

Double Throw

Throwing Mastery

Find Item

Teleport

This build guide assumes you have a Character at Level 75 before transitioning to it. Check out our Barbarian Leveling Guide and our General Leveling Strategies to reach Level 75.

Safe From Afar ✔
Great Elite Hunter ✔
Fast-Paced Playstyle ✔
Can Farm Almost Anything ✔

❌ Repetitive Skill Usage
Highly Weapon Dependent
Only 1 Primary Damage Type
❌ Requires GG Gear For Full Potential


Sunder Charm Setup

Patch 2.5 introduced a new way of breaking Immunities: Sunder Charms. Any enemy that would be Immune to your damage type is instead reduced to 95% Resistance, before any other Resistance reductions apply. The Charm also reduces YOUR Resistance against the sundered damage type! Check out our post on Sunder Charms to learn more about these new Charms. The following setup uses Bone Break, allowing you to farm anywhere you want.

Sunder Charm Setup

Gear Changes

To optimize this Sunder Charm you need as much -% Enemy Physical Resistance as possible. Equip Lacerator or Atma's Scarab for their Amplify Damage procs to accomplish this. You can also invest Skill Points into Find Potion and use Grim Ward for a similar effect.

Counteract the negative effect of Bone Break with % Damage Reduction items such as Crown of Ages and Verdungo's Hearty Cord.


Terror Zones

The new Terror Zone mechanic combined with Sunder Charms open up a wide range of farmable areas. The following list highlights the best and worst Terror Zones for this build. With the Sunder Charm Setup, more Terror Zones become accessible. Learn more about Terror Zones here and see how they stack up in our Terror Zone Tier List.

Best

Travincal - Bosses, Quick Access, Breakable Immunities
Pit - High Density, Many Elite Groups, Quick Access, No Immunities
Underground Passage + Dark Wood - High Density, Many Elite Groups, Quick Access, No Immunities
Chaos Sanctuary - High Density, Many Elite Groups, Quick Access, No Immunities, Boss
River of Flame + City of the Damned - High Density, Many Elite Groups, Quick Access, No Immunities

Worst

Arcane Sanctuary - Trash Mobility, Immunities
Blood Moor + Den of Evil - Low Density, Few Elite Groups
Burial Grounds + Crypt + Mausoleum - Low Density, Trash Mobility, Slow Access
Ancients' Way + Icy Cellar - High Physical Damage, High Elemental Damage, Immunities
Crystalline Passage + Frozen River - High Physical Damage, High Elemental Damage, Immunities


Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Increased Speed
2. Iron Skin
3. Natural Resistance
4. Howl
5. Shout
6. Battle Command
7. Grim Ward
8. Frenzy

Put 10 Skill Points into these Skills:
1. Find Item
2. Battle Orders

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Throwing Mastery
2. Double Swing
3. Double Throw
4. Find Potion

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Damage

Double Throw* is your Damage Skill. It rapidly tosses Throwing Weapons in a straight line, dealing Physical Damage (for the most part) to enemies in their path. You cannot move while using this Skill.

* Increased Attack Speed Skills (IAS)

Utility

Throwing Mastery* passively increases Damage, Attack Rating, and Critical Strike (chance to deal double damage) while using Throwing Weapons. It also adds Chance to Pierce, chance to not consume Quantity, and Replenishes Quantity on Critical Strike. These stats greatly boost the effectiveness of Double Throw, each improving with this Skill's Level.

Find Item* gives you a second chance at receiving loot when used on a monster's corpse. The % chance is based on its Level and the number of Skill Points you allocate into Find Potion. Your Barbarian's Magic Find stat is taken into account when using this ability.

Frenzy* increases your Faster Run/Walk and Attack Speed with each successful attack. This effect stacks up to 9 times, increasing the Attack Speed of Double Throw while active. Its boost to Faster Run/Walk and Attack Speed are based on its Level, while its effect duration increases with Skill Points into Increased Stamina.

Double Swing* attacks rapidly with 2x 1-Handed Weapons. This Skill can be used to pre-buff Burst of Speed with 2x Hustle Phase Blades on Weapon-Swap.

Howl* causes all non-Elite/non-Boss monsters within its Area of Effect (AoE) to scatter away from you in fear. This Skill's AoE, effect duration, and degree of scatter are all based on its Level.

Battle Orders* is a temporary buff that grants a significant percentage boost to the Maximum Life, Mana, and Stamina of all partied Characters, Mercenaries, and minions within its cast radius.

Battle Command* is a temporary buff that grants +1 to All Skills to all partied Characters, Mercenaries, and minions within its cast radius.

Shout* is a temporary buff that grants a significant percentage Defense boost to all partied Characters, Mercenaries, and minions within its cast radius.

Grim Ward* is used on a monster corpse (cannot be used on certain Undead monster corpses). It applies a Fear Effect which Slows and reduces enemies' Physical Resistance within its Area of Effect (AoE). It's Slow effect and radius both increase with its Level, but its -x% to Enemy Physical Resistance increases with Skill Points into Find Potion. This Skill is capable of breaking Physical Immunity.

Natural Resistance* passively increases All Resistances based on its Level.

Iron Skin* passively grants a percentage boost to Defense based on its Level.

Increased Speed* passively grants Faster Run/Walk based on its Level.

* Increased Attack Speed Skills (IAS)
* Faster Cast Rate Skills (FCR)
* Skills that do NOT utilize either FCR or IAS


Attributes

Note: This section provides you with the standard Stat Point allocation. Build Variants may require different allocations!

Strength

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to equip all of your gear. Take into account how much Strength your gear provides when equipped.

Dexterity

Allocate 200-300 Stat Points into Dexterity for additional Physical Damage on Double Throw.

Vitality

Allocate any remaining Stat Points into Vitality after meeting Strength, Dexterity and Energy requirements.

Energy

Don't allocate any Stat Points into Energy. Mana costs are covered by the “x% Mana stolen per hit” stat. They are also covered by gear, Charms, Battle Orders, and Mana Potions.


Essentials

Gear Options

While every Stat in the Desirable Stats column is useful for this build, we highlighted the Priority Stats in Teal so you can easily identify the Most Important Stats on them.

Hover over any Item to see a pop-out with the full Item description.

Important: Having a source(s) of Cold Damage on your gear, inventory, or Mercenary significantly lowers your Magic Finding efficiency. Even 1 Cold Damage can shatter Elite Monsters, leaving behind no corpse to use Find Item on.

SlotItem OptionsDesirable Stats
WeaponEthereal Lacerator
Lacerator
Ethereal Warshrike
Warshrike
Ethereal Deathbit (Upgraded)
Deathbit (Upgraded)
Ethereal The Scalper (Upgraded)
The Scalper (Upgraded)
Ethereal Demon's Arch
Demon's Arch
Ethereal Gimmershred
Gimmershred
Ethereal Gargoyle's Bite
Wraith Flight
Ethereal Rare Ghost Glaive
Ethereal Rare Winged Axe
Ethereal Rare Flying Axe
Ethereal Rare Flying Knife
Ethereal Rare Winged Harpoon (Imbue)
Ethereal Rare Flying Axe (Imbue)
Ethereal Rare Flying Knife (Imbue)
Blood Crafted Elite Throwing Axe
Cruel Elite Throwing Weapon
x% Chance to cast level x Amplify Damage on striking
+x to Combat Skills [Barbarian Only]
+x% Increased Attack Speed
Piercing Attack
+x% Enhanced Damage

x% Bonus to Attack Rating
+x to Attack Rating
+x% Damage to Demons
+x% Damage to Undead
+x Minimum Damage
+x Maximum Damage
Adds x fire damage
Adds x lightning damage
Adds x cold damage
+x% Mana stolen per hit
+x% Life stolen per hit
x% Deadly Strike
Knockback
+x Life
X Resist +x%
Replenish Quantity
Ethereal
Off-HandEthereal Lacerator
Lacerator
Ethereal Warshrike
Warshrike
Ethereal Deathbit (Upgraded)
Deathbit (Upgraded)
Ethereal The Scalper (Upgraded)
The Scalper (Upgraded)
Ethereal Demon's Arch
Demon's Arch
Ethereal Gimmershred
Gimmershred
Ethereal Gargoyle's Bite
Wraith Flight
Ethereal Rare Ghost Glaive
Ethereal Rare Winged Axe
Ethereal Rare Flying Axe
Ethereal Rare Flying Knife
Ethereal Rare Flying Axe (Imbue)
Ethereal Rare Flying Knife (Imbue)
Blood Crafted Elite Throwing Axe
Cruel Elite Throwing Weapon
x% Chance to cast level x Amplify Damage on striking
+x to Combat Skills [Barbarian Only]
+x% Increased Attack Speed
Piercing Attack
+x% Enhanced Damage

x% Bonus to Attack Rating
+x to Attack Rating
+x% Damage to Demons
+x% Damage to Undead
+x Minimum Damage
+x Maximum Damage
Adds x fire damage
Adds x lightning damage
Adds x cold damage
+x% Mana stolen per hit
+x% Life stolen per hit
x% Deadly Strike
Knockback
X Resist +x%
Replenish Quantity
Ethereal
Weapon-SwapWizardspike (Ist Rune)
Suicide Branch (Ist Rune)
Heart of the Oak Flail
Gemmed Crystal Sword (6x Ist Runes)
Blade of Ali Baba Tulwar (2x Ist Runes)
Gull (Ist Rune)
Hustle Phase Blade
Harmony
Naj's Puzzler
Teleport Charge Staff
5% Chance to cast level 1 Burst of Speed on striking
Level 10 Vigor Aura When Equipped
+x to All Skills
+x% Faster Cast Rate

+x to Attribute
+x Life
+x Mana
Increased Maximum Mana x%
All Resistances +x
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level x Teleport [x/x Charges]
Off-Hand-SwapSpirit Monarch
Heart of the Oak Flail
Wizardspike (Ist Rune)
Suicide Branch (Ist Rune)
Stormshield
Gemmed Crystal Sword (6x Ist Runes)
Blade of Ali Baba Tulwar (2x Ist Runes)
Gull (Ist Rune)
+x to All Skills
+x% Faster Cast Rate

+x% Faster Block Rate
x% Increased Chance of Blocking
+x to Attribute
+x Life
+x Mana
Increased Maximum Mana x%
X Resist +x%
Damage Reduced by x%
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
HelmetsGuillaume's Face (Cham Rune)
Harlequin Crest (Cham Rune)
Rare Diadem
Artisan's Diadem of Speed (3x Ruby Jewels of Fervor)
Artisan's Diadem of Nirvana (3x Ruby Jewels of Fervor)
Artisan's Diadem of Luck (3x Ruby Jewels of Fervor)
Berserker's Diadem of the Magus
Crown of Ages (Cham Rune + Ber Rune)
Crown of Ages (2x Ruby Jewels of Fervor)
Giant Skull
Arreat's Face
Wisdom
Bulwark
Temper
Gemmed Slayer Guard (3x Vermilion Jewels)
Immortal King's Will
Tarnhelm
Gemmed Slayer Guard (3x Perfect Topazes)
+x to All Skills
+x to Barbarian Skills
+x to Combat Skills [Barbarian Only]
+x to Warcries [Barbarian Only]
+x% Faster Run/Walk
+x% Increased Attack Speed
+x% Faster Cast Rate
+x% Faster Hit Recovery
Piercing Attack
+x% Enhanced Damage
x% Bonus to Attack Rating
+x Minimum Damage
+x Maximum Damage
+x% Mana stolen per hit
+x% Life stolen per hit
x% Chance of Crushing Blow
x% Deadly Strike
+x to Throwing Mastery [Barbarian Only]
+x to Find Item [Barbarian Only]
+x to Battle Orders [Barbarian Only]
Knockback
+x to Attribute
+x Life
+x Mana
All Resistances +x
Fire Absorb x%
Damage Reduced by x%
Cannot Be Frozen
+x to Mana after each Kill
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items

Socketed [x]
Body ArmorEnigma
Fortitude
Hustle
Lionheart
Treachery
Skullder's Ire
Wealth
Gemmed Dusk Shroud (4x Perfect Topazes)
5% Chance to cast level 15 Fade when struck
+x to All Skills
+x% Faster Run/Walk
+x% Increased Attack Speed
+x% Enhanced Damage
+x to Teleport
+x to Attribute
+x to Life
Increased Maximum Life x%
+x% to Maximum Lightning Resist
All Resistances +x
Damage Reduced by x%
Damage Reduced by x
Magic Damage Reduced by x
+x to Life after each Kill
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
GlovesLaying of Hands
Chance Guards
Hit Power Crafted Gloves
Blood Crafted Gloves
Immortal King's Forge (3-Piece Immortal King's Set)
Sigon's Gage (3-Pierce Sigon's Set)
Death's Hand (2-Piece Death's Set)
Trang-Oul's Claws
Magefist
+x% Increased Attack Speed
+x% Faster Cast Rate
+x to Attack Rating
+x% Damage to Demons
+x% Life stolen per hit
x% Chance of Crushing Blow
Knockback
+x to Attribute
+x Life
X Resist +x%
Poison Length Reduced by x%
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
BeltsRazortail
Arachnid Mesh
Nosferatu's Coil
Goldwrap
Thundergod's Vigor
Verdungo's Hearty Cord
String of Ears
Immortal King's Detail (3-Piece Immortal King's Set)
Sigon's Wrap (3-Piece Sigon's Set)
Death's Guard Demonhide Sash (2-Piece Death's Set)
+x to All Skills
+x% Increased Attack Speed
+x% Faster Cast Rate

+x% Faster Hit Recovery
Piercing Attack
+x Maximum Damage
+x% Life stolen per hit
Slows target by x%
+x to Attribute
+x Life
Increased Maximum Mana x%
X Resist +x%
+x Lightning Absorb
Damage Reduced by x%
Magic Damage Reduced by x
Cannot Be Frozen
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
BootsWar Traveler
Gore Rider
Goblin Toe
Immortal King's Pillar (3-Piece Immortal King's Set)
Sigon's Sabot (3-Piece Sigon's Set)
Sander's Riprap
+x to Combat Skills [Barbarian Only]
+x% Faster Run/Walk
+x to Attack Rating
Adds x Damage
x% Chance of Crushing Blow
x% Deadly Strike

+x to Attribute
+x Life
X Resist +x%
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
AmuletsHighlord's Wrath
The Cat's Eye
Atma's Scarab
Caster Crafted Amulet
Caster Crafted Amulet
Teleport Charge Amulet
Metalgrid
Angelic Wings (2-Piece Angelic Set)
5% Chance to cast level 2 Amplify Damage on striking
+x to All Skills
+x to Barbarian Skills
+x% Faster Run/Walk
+x% Increased Attack Speed

+x% Faster Cast Rate
x% Bonus to Attack Rating
+x to Attack Rating
x% Deadly Strike
+x to Attribute
+x Life
+x Mana
X Resist +x%
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Level x Teleport [x/x Charges]
RingsRare Ring
Rare Ring
Rare Ring
Blood Crafted Ring
Raven Frost
Nagelring
Wisp Projector Ring
Nature's Peace Ring
Angelic Halo Ring (2-Piece Angelic Set)
+x% Faster Cast Rate
+x to Attack Rating

+x Minimum Damage
+x% Mana stolen per hit
+x% Life stolen per hit

Slain Monsters Rest in Peace
+x to Attribute
+x Life
+x Mana
X Resist +x%
Lightning Absorb x%
Damage Reduced by x
Cannot Be Frozen
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
CharmsFine Small Charm of Good Luck
Shimmering Small Charm of Good Luck
Shimmering Small Charm of Vita
Fine Small Charm of Vita
Fine Small Charm of Balance
Fine Small Charm of Inertia
Fine Small Charm
Small Charm of Good Luck
Small Charm of Vita
Shimmering Small Charm
Resistance Small Charm
Sharp Large Charm of Vita
Sharp Grand Charm of Maiming
Sharp Grand Charm of Dexterity
Sharp Grand Charm of Vita
Sharp Grand Charm of Balance
Sharp Grand Charm of Inertia
Sharp Grand Charm
Shimmering Grand Charm of Balance
Shimmering Grand Charm of Inertia
Shimmering Grand Charm
Resistance Grand Charm
+x% Faster Run/Walk
+x% Faster Hit Recovery
+x to Attack Rating
+x Maximum Damage

+x to Attribute
+x Life
X Resist x%
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Unique CharmsBone Break
Gheed's Fortune
Barbarian Hellfire Torch
Annihilus
Monster Physical Immunity is Sundered
+x to All Skills
+x to Barbarian Skills
+x to All Attributes
All Resistances +x
+x% to Experience Gained
x% Extra Gold from Monsters
x% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
Reduces all Vendor Prices x%
+x to Light Radius

Farming Spots

The areas below are efficient farming locations that make use of the build’s strengths. Other farming spots might not be as effective due to Immunities or bad layouts.

Anything that has a in the "Starter" column can be farmed with the Starter Build Variant.

Act 1

AreaStarterRewards
The CountessRunes
Key of Terror
The PitAll Item Types
Max Area Level
Leveling

Act 2

AreaStarterRewards
Stony TombAll Item Types
Max Area Level
Leveling
Ancient Tunnels-All Item Types
Max Area Level
Leveling
Summoner-Key of Hate

Act 3

AreaStarterRewards
Arachnid LairAll Item Types
Max Area Level
Leveling
Swampy Pit-All Item Types
Max Area Level
Leveling
Lower KurastRunes
Runeword Bases
Charms / Gems / Jewels
Jewelry
Sewers-All Item Types
Max Area Level
Leveling
Ruined TempleAll Item Types
Max Area Level
Leveling
TravincalGearing
Runes
Charms / Gems / Jewels
Gold

Act 4

AreaStarterRewards
City of the Damned-All Item Types
River of Flame-All Item Types
Max Area Level
Leveling
Chaos Sanctuary-All Item Types
Max Area Level
Leveling
Diablo-Uniques
Sets
Leveling

Act 5

AreaStarterRewards
Eldritch the RectifierGearing
Gold
Leveling
Shenk the OverseerGearing
Gold
Leveling
PindleskinGearing
Gold
Leveling
Thresh Socket-Gearing
Gold
Nihlathak-Key of Destruction
Leveling
Worldstone Keep / Throne of Destruction-All Item Types
Max Area Level
Leveling
Baal / Waves-Uniques
Sets
Max Area Level
Leveling

Mercenary

Your Mercenary serves an incredibly important role to the overall success of your build. They can be a front line tank, provide a pivotal Aura, and/or deal Physical Damage to kill enemies with Immunity to your Skill set.

Act 1 Rogue Mercenary

Her Arrow Skill options are Fire (using Exploding Arrow and Fire Arrow) and Cold (using Freezing Arrow and Cold Arrow). Both options alternate between their 2 Skills, dealing AoE damage with Exploding Arrow and Freezing Arrow respectively. Freezing Arrow additionally Freezes enemies, providing a great deal of Crowd Control. An Act 1 Mercenary also casts Inner Sight, which lowers the Defense of affected enemies. She can be equipped with a Bow, a Body Armor and a Helmet.

Exploding Arrow Faith

Faith, Exploding Arrow

Equip the Rogue with Faith to benefit from Fanaticism (Level 12-15). This Aura grants Increased Attack Speed and Enhanced Damage depending on its Level. A Fire Act 1 Mercenary is used to avoid Cold Damage, which can shatter corpses needed for Find Item.

You can also use an Act 2 Might Mercenary with Pride for higher raw damage, but slightly lower DPS due to less Attack Speed. However, this option can interfere with Find Item due to the Freezes target +x stat on Pride; it can also interfere with Amplify Damage procs due to its Blind stat.

Mercenary Gear Options

Your Mercenary needs maximum Resistances, Life Leech, a high damage Weapon, and high Defense and/or Damage Reduction to stay alive reliably. Cannot Be Frozen is also a great stat for maintaining Mercenary DPS and leech. Ethereal gear is preferred since it doesn't lose durability. Mercenary Types and Gear Options at each Gear Level perform equally well in different situations; choose based on Farming Spots and/or personal preference.

Gear LevelEarly-GameMid-GameEnd-Game
Mercenary TypeAct 2 Might
or Act 5 Frenzy
Act 2 MightAct 1 Fire
or Act 2 Might
WeaponHustle
Insight
Lawbringers
HustleFaith
Pride
Body ArmorSmoke
Lionheart
Hustle
Skin of the Flayed One
Goldskin
Rockfleece
Gemmed Dusk Shroud
Treachery
Duress
Shaftstop
The Gladiator's Bane
Duriel's Shell
Guardian Angel
Shaftstop
HelmetBulwark
Undead Crown
The Face of Horror
Gemmed Mask
Temper
Cure
Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest
Guillaume's Face
Vampire Gaze
Crown of Thieves
Stealskull
Kira's Guardian
Rockstopper
Cure
Andariel's Visage
Andariel's Visage
Vampire Gaze

The Mercenary is hard to keep alive until you have the minimum gear recommended in this guide. Remember you can drag Healing Potions onto the portrait, or shift + 1/2/3/4 to directly feed them a Healing Potion from your Belt. The Mercenary also gains bonus Resistances from Thawing Potions and Antidote Potions.

If your Mercenary dies in battle, you can revive them from any of the Mercenary NPCs in each Act. This does come with an increasing cost, capping at 50,000 Gold. Keep that in mind and decide if the Mercenary is currently worth the cost.

Playstyle

General

  • Keep back-up Throwing Weapons in your inventory or Horadric Cube if you regularly deplete their Quantity.
  • If you equip Harmony on Weapon-Swap, use its Vigor Aura to quickly travel through town and towards your Farming Spot. You can also use 2x Hustles on Weapon-Swap to pre-buff Burst of Speed with Double Swing. If you are using an item with Teleport Charges, use Teleport for short-distance traveling when farming Super Uniques such as Pindleskin. Repair to replenish these Charges.
  • At the beginning of each run, swap to your + to Skills equipment and cast Battle Command 2 times, then Battle Orders and Shout once each. Refresh these buffs as soon as they expire (approx. every 3-5 minutes).
  • Periodically use Frenzy on nearby monsters to increase your Faster Run/Walk and Double Throw's Attack Speed. The more Frenzy stacks, the bigger the bonuses.
  • Target and kill Elite Packs from a distance using Double Throw. In Solo gameplay, target only the Elite Monsters themselves.
  • Use Howl to isolate Elites and prevent becoming surrounded.
  • Use Grim Ward on corpses to lower the Physical Resistance of nearby mobs, increasing your damage. Grim Ward is not as effective as Amplify Damage from Lacerator unless Find Potion is maxed.
  • Once the Elites in an immediate area have been killed, Weapon-Swap to your Faster Cast Rate or Magic Find-granting equipment and use Find Item on each Elite corpse. "Horking" corpses gives a chance of loot dropping a second time!

Immunities

  • Bone Break sets all Immune to Physical monsters to 95% Physical Resistance, allowing any sources of -x% to Enemy Physical Resistance (including Amplify Damage and Grim Ward) to take full effect.
  • The Amplify Damage proc from Lacerator or Atma's Scarab breaks the Physical Immunity of most monsters by itself.
  • Use Grim Ward to break Physical Immunities if you don't have Bone Break, Lacerator, or Atma's Scarab equipped. Grim Ward does not work on Elites.
  • Skip Unique mobs that are still Physical Immune after applying Amplify Damage or using Grim Ward (unless you are using Gimmershred).

Late-Game


Optimal Loot/Experience Farming Strategies

  • The Pit - The Double Throw Barbarian quickly shreds the low Life monsters in this Max Level Area with any number of Players in the game. Even a Starter Build has little trouble farming this area (see Build Variants).
  • Travincal Solo - Council Members are the best source of Runes, Charms, Jewels, Jewelry, and Gems for this build. Find Item is particularly strong here. Bone Break along with Amplify Damage from Lacerator makes short work of any Physical Resistant/Immune Council Members.
  • Uber Keys - Targeting and killing the Key Bosses is a cinch for any fully-geared Throw Barbarian using Enigma.
  • Chaos Sanctuary Preparation in a Full Game - The Double Throw Barbarian quickly targets and destroys the Seal Bosses in Chaos Sanctuary. Even in a full game, this build can spawn Diablo incredibly fast by focusing on popping Seals and assassinating the Seal Boss Super Uniques. This build is also great at Seal Popping monsters for loot.

Breakpoints

Breakpoints in Diablo 2 are the minimum values required to reduce the frames of an action. Below are the important breakpoints considered for this build. For more information on the mechanics involved, check out our in-depth Resource: Breakpoints.

Faster Cast Rate (FCR)

Faster Cast Rate speeds up your casting animation for spells. Aim for the 105% FCR Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap for Enigma Teleport cast speed on the Standard Build. Note: FCR only controls the animation speed of the Character, and not any internal Cooldowns spells have.

Frames13121110987
FCR09203763105200

Increased Attack Speed (IAS)

Increased Attack Speed speeds up your attack animations. Weapon Bases have different IAS Breakpoints. Values for recommended weapon combinations are provided below. Frenzy stacks temporarily increase your IAS, and thus can help you reach higher Breakpoints. Consult the d2planner for other bases.

Lacerator + Warshrike

Frames151110109887
Double Throw IAS032527083142259317
Double Throw IAS (5x Frenzy Stacks)-013233060109129
Double Throw IAS (Level 15 Fanaticism)-041319448399

The Scalper (Upgraded) + Deathbit (Upgraded)

Frames191211111098
Double Throw IAS0507280105163292
Double Throw IAS (Lvl 1 BOS + Lvl 1 Fana)-01115264886

Faster Hit Recovery (FHR)

Faster Hit Recovery is not required for survivability on this build. The Standard Build achieves the 27% FHR Breakpoint.

Frames9876543
FHR0715274886200

Hardcore

For all Hardcore gameplay, your primary focus is increasing your Resistances, Damage Reduction, Chance to Block and Maximum Life. This can mean sacrificing overall power level for a more secure playstyle.

The Double Throw Barbarian can become Hardcore viable with key changes to Gear, Stat Point allocation, and Skills. Review the changes below before building this character in Hardcore, as some of these changes differ significantly from the Standard Build.

Gear Changes

  • Damage Reduction: Equip either Crown of Ages or Harlequin Crest in the Helmet slot to achieve a decent amount of % Damage Reduction on your main weapon loadout. Either Verdungo's Hearty Cord or String of Ears in the Belt slot can also provide solid % Damage Reduction, but at the expense of Chance to Pierce. You can also use a Stormshield socketed with a Shael Rune on Weapon-Swap to reach the 50% Damage Reduction cap, maximum Chance to Block (75%), and the 42% Faster Block Rate Breakpoint while Teleporting, but at the expense of Teleport cast speed.
  • Stacking Resistances: Stack your Fire/Lightning/Cold Resistances beyond the default maximum values of 75 each (175 total in Hell). Stacking 85 additional Resistances in Hell completely negates the Conviction Aura of any Elite Boss or the Oblivion Knight's Lower Resist Curse. Beware of encountering both at the same time! Consider the primary damage type(s) of the monsters in the area you want to farm. Crown of Ages is the best Helmet option for stacking Resistances; it also allows you to hit the 27% Faster Hit Recovery Breakpoint. Wizardspike is the best option for stacking Resistances on Weapon-Swap. Charms, Jewelry, and Gloves are ideal sources of Resistances for your main weapon loadout.
  • Lightning Absorb: Equip Thundergod's Vigor when farming or Teleporting through an area where Burning Souls are able to spawn such as Worldstone Keep/Throne of Destruction.

Stat Point Changes

  • Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear.
  • Only allocate 150-200 Stat Points into Dexterity for increased Double Throw damage and maximum Chance to Block (75%) on Weapon-Swap using Stormshield.
  • Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Skill Point Changes

  • Prioritize maxing Battle Orders before allocating additional Skill Points into Find Item and Find Potion.

    See the "Hardcore" Build Variant below for additional suggestions and visuals.

Build Variants

Starter

Setup

The Starter variant of the Double Throw Barbarian meets the minimum gear requirements for farming the Starter tagged areas in the "Farming Spots" section above. These areas can be Solo-farmed by this setup (/Players1 on Single Player) in both Nightmare and Hell difficulty. A slightly modified version of this build using Dwarf Star can farm Travincal. Upgraded The Scalper and Upgraded Deathbit are strong, relatively easy to acquire Unique Throwing Weapons that provide this build with sufficient power. Imbuing, picking up Rare Throwing Weapons, Crafting Blood Throwing Axes, and shopping Cruel Throwing Weapons from Malah can also be sufficient. Beyond decently strong weapons, make sure to prioritize Attack Speed, Attack Rating, Resistances, Chance to Pierce, Cannot Be Frozen, and Life/Attributes on your gear. 2x Hustles on Weapon-Swap can be used to pre-buff Burst of Speed with Double Swing for Faster Run/Walk and Attack Speed. Follow the Barbarian Leveling Guide to get your Barbarian to Level 75.

Mercenary

The Starter Double Throw Barbarian uses an Act 2 Might Mercenary with Hustle for the Attack Speed, Damage, and Attack Rating provided by its Fanaticism Aura. Mercenaries require Resistances, Life Leech, and/or Damage Reduction to stay alive. Smoke is a cheap Body Armor option for Resistances, while Bulwark is the cheapest Helmet that provides Life Leech and Damage Reduction.

Skills

Allocate additional Skill Points into Natural Resistance to shore up your Resistances. The rest is the same as the Standard Build.

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Increased Speed
2. Iron Skin
3. Natural Resistance
4. Howl
5. Shout
6. Battle Command
7. Grim Ward
8. Frenzy

Put 10 Skill Points into these Skills:
1. Find Item
2. Battle Orders

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Throwing Mastery
2. Double Swing
3. Double Throw
4. Find Potion

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and 200-300 Stat Points into Dexterity to increase Double Throw's damage. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Standard

Setup

This is the Standard Best in Slot (BiS) Double Throw Barbarian featured in the beginning of the guide. It is the balanced "jack-of-all-trades" version, capable of performing the most tasks well. This variant is the point of comparison for all other variants. It carefully balances Damage, Magic Find, and Teleport mobility. With Bone Break you can more easily kill Physical Immunes. This setup achieves the 105% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap.

Mercenary

The Standard Double Throw Barbarian uses an Act 1 Fire Mercenary with Faith, Shaftstop, and Andariel's Visage. The Fanaticism Aura from Faith massively increases this build's Attack Speed. It also increases your Damage and Attack Rating.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Increased Speed
2. Iron Skin
3. Natural Resistance
4. Howl
5. Shout
6. Battle Command
7. Grim Ward
8. Frenzy

Put 10 Skill Points into these Skills:
1. Find Item
2. Battle Orders

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Throwing Mastery
2. Double Swing
3. Double Throw
4. Find Potion

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and 200-300 Stat Points into Dexterity to increase Double Throw's damage. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Damage

Setup

This variant achieves extremely high DPS at the expense of Magic Find and Teleport. It reaches the highest Attack Speed Breakpoint with 2x Hustle Burst of Speed pre-buff with Double Swing on Weapon-Swap, and a few stacks of Frenzy. This setup prioritizes Damage wherever possible to crush mobs in High Player Count games (/Players5-8 on Single Player). With maxed out Grim Ward damage, the Damage Double Throw Barbarian is great in a Full Party. Fortitude, Artisan's Diadem of Speed socketed with 3x Ruby Jewels of Fervor and Sharp Grand Charms of Maiming add a great deal of damage. Find Item efficiency is a secondary concern for this build given that it uses Raven Frost (Cold Damage). Bone Break allows this build to crush Physical Immunes.

Mercenary

The Damage Double Throw Barbarian uses an Act 2 Might Mercenary with Pride for as much damage as possible. Shaftstop and Vampire Gaze provide this Mercenary with much needed Damage Reduction, as Pride does not do much damage.

Skills

Max Find Potion for the highest Grim Ward damage buff possible. Put additional Skill Points into Grim Ward for increased radius. You can also allocate Skill Points into Increased Stamina for a longer Frenzy buff duration. A Skill Point into Leap improves mobility. Sacrifice Skill Points into Find Item and Battle Orders for these purposes. The rest is the same as the Standard Build.

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and 300-400 Stat Points into Dexterity to increase Double Throw's damage as much as possible. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Magic Find

Setup

This variant stacks as much Magic Find as possible to target and kill Elite Monsters in Solo gameplay (/Players1 on Single Player). This setup is particularly good at farming The Pit. Harlequin Crest and Chance Guards boost your Magic Find at the expense of Damage. Just as on the Standard Build, ensure that there is no Cold Damage anywhere on your gear or inventory for maximum Find Item efficiency. With Bone Break you can more easily kill Physical Immunes. The Magic Find Double Throw Barbarian achieves the 105% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap.

Mercenary

Just as with the Standard Build, the Magic Find Double Throw Barbarian uses an Act 1 Fire Mercenary with Faith, Shaftstop, and Andariel's Visage.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Increased Speed
2. Iron Skin
3. Natural Resistance
4. Howl
5. Shout
6. Battle Command
7. Grim Ward
8. Frenzy

Put 10 Skill Points into these Skills:
1. Find Item
2. Battle Orders

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Throwing Mastery
2. Double Swing
3. Double Throw
4. Find Potion

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and 200-300 Stat Points into Dexterity to increase Double Throw's damage. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Mobility

Setup

This variant achieves the 200% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap by using Arachnid Mesh, Magefist, 2x Rare Rings with 10% Faster Cast Rate, a Rare Diadem with 20% Faster Cast Rate, and a Caster Crafted Amulet with 20% Faster Cast Rate. Prioritizing fast Teleport cast speed, this elite setup is optimal for farming Uber Key Bosses (e.g. Nihlathak) and Chaos Seal Popping. This variant is strong in any Farming Spots which require traveling long distances between Elite Packs or to the Farming Spot itself. With Bone Break you can more easily kill Physical Immunes. The Mobility Double Throw Barbarian sacrifices Damage and Chance to Pierce.

Mercenary

Just as with the Standard Build, the Mobility Double Throw Barbarian uses an Act 1 Fire Mercenary with Faith, Shaftstop, and Andariel's Visage.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Increased Speed
2. Iron Skin
3. Natural Resistance
4. Howl
5. Shout
6. Battle Command
7. Grim Ward
8. Frenzy

Put 10 Skill Points into these Skills:
1. Find Item
2. Battle Orders

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Throwing Mastery
2. Double Swing
3. Double Throw
4. Find Potion

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and 200-300 Stat Points into Dexterity to increase Double Throw's damage. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.

Hardcore

Setup

For the Hardcore mode variant, aim for decent Damage Reduction to guard against taking extreme amounts of Physical Damage. If you choose to use Bone Break, consider equipping Verdungo's Hearty Cord to counteract its negative effect. Additionally, overcap Resistances beyond the natural cap of 75% if possible to counteract hostile Conviction or Lower Resist. This setup achieves the 63% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap. Consult the "Hardcore" section for more detailed information.

Mercenary

The Hardcore Double Throw Barbarian uses an Act 2 Might Mercenary with Pride, Shaftstop, and Vampire Gaze. This Mercenary serves as a reliable frontline, while massively increasing your Damage.

Skills

Prioritize maxing Battle Orders on the Hardcore build. The rest is the same as the Standard Build.

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Increased Speed
2. Iron Skin
3. Natural Resistance
4. Howl
5. Shout
6. Battle Command
7. Grim Ward
8. Frenzy

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Throwing Mastery
2. Double Swing
3. Double Throw
4. Battle Orders

Put ~10 Skill Points into these Skills:
1. Find Item
2. Find Potion

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and 150-200 Stat Points into Dexterity to increase Double Throw's damage. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.


Video Guide

Video Guide by DarkHumility

Summary

  • Allocate the majority of your Stat Points into Dexterity for solid Damage.
  • Procing Amplify Damage with either Lacerator or Atma's Scarab is key to unlocking the Double Throw Barbarian's full potential.
  • Imbue/gamble/pick up Rare Throwing Weapons, Craft Blood Throwing Axes, or shop Cruel Throwing Weapons in the early-game until you find serviceable options. Several easy to acquire Unique Throwing Weapons such as The Scalper, Deathbit, Gimmershred, and Demon's Arch are great for a Starter setup.
  • Use Frenzy for faster travel if you are not using Enigma. Frenzy stacks also improve Double Throw's Attack Speed.
  • Avoid Cold Damage on both your Barbarian's and Mercenary's gear so that you don't shatter corpses needed for Find Item. This is crucial for efficient Magic Finding on this build.
  • A fully-geared Double Throw Barbarian can farm almost anything. This is especially the case after obtaining Bone Break. Farm what suits your goals and playstyle.
  • Quantity is no longer an issue on this build! Throw to your heart's content!

We hope you enjoy this build! Cut 'em down like wheat faster than you can blink! All aboard his endless train of pain!

Good luck!


Credits

Written by DarkHumility
Reviewed by MacroBioBoi


Changelog

Feb 11th 2023
Updated to Patch 2.6 Added Hustle Weapon-Swap

Oct 5th 2022
Updated to Patch 2.5 Added Sunder Charm and Terror Zone sections