RPGs with the best Barbarian experience?

[Louis_Cypher]

Conclusion: Few CRPGs have done a decent barbarian (just as we found hardly anybody had played a Paladin straight in 30 years).

 

[ERYFKRAD]

as we found hardly anybody had played a Paladin straight

Keldorn

 

[Dark Souls II]

Diablo II. I've read somewhere that the guy that designed the class was a huge fan of the barbarian genre, he died of cancer or some shit after the game was released?

Baldur's Gate 2

Meh, my first playthrough ever of BG1+2 was a dwarf barbarian (because I love the classic Howard Conan stories, I've read them all many times). And barbarians are just not that fun in Infinity Engine games, not that much to play around with compared to wizards/clerics/paladins.

Also, not a proper RPG, but Asghan: the Dragon Slayer is a classic I'll always recommend:

 

[Beastro]

I don't like the idea of smart barbarians apart from things like having a low reaction time. Smells of Mary Sue-ism

They're supposed to be a more brutal, pragmatic Noble Savage, one that lives a primitive life to know how nasty it can be and does what they can to gain advantages with their good intuition that is wily while also physically strong. They're shrewd but not cynical in the way civilization makes men cynical. They use what they can but don't let things like technology or magic (which are symbolically the same thing) have such a hold on them to weaken them by their absence.

Just having them be a cavemen with a sword reeks too much of the DnDification of fantasy (just as DnD ruined wizards).

If anything, the Conan barbarian aechetype is more in keep with how tribal people are. Indians didn't turn their nose up at firearms and Western tech, but eagerly sought them to get a leg up on their rivals while keeping a level head about what Europeans were up to.

 

[Robber Baron]

Asghan: the Dragon Slayer

now this is videogames

 

[Crispy]

Of note should be playing a barbarian in Icewind Dale 2, particularly the Enhanced Edition.

To wit:

Barbarians: Barbarian rage now grants immunity to fear, hopelessness, stun, paralysis, sleep, and unconsciousness. Also, Barbarians start gaining damage resistance at level 2 rather than level 11, and their damage resistance from their class is doubled if they're wearing medium armor (hide armor or chain mail). Barbarian Rage now keeps improving after level 20.

P. intimidating.

 

[Beastro]

If your barbarian was smart he would be a shaman or chief rather than an adventurer.

Smart has more to do with wisdom than intelligence. A big problem today as expressed in that word, is people assuming wisdom and intelligence are the same things.

That's like saying that a wise knight can't exist because they'd be a priest.

Barbarians are supposed to be a jack of all trades pushed by the demands of life to be a master of many things and competent in almost all. They may not know things on an intellectual level, but their perceptive to know better.

 

[Dark Souls II]

the Conan barbarian aechetype

There are really two of those.

Conan from the stories (I love those) is a stealthy DEX build, highly intelligent, streetwise, mainly a thief/rogue, burglarizing at night, but he also has leadership qualities.

Conan from the movies (I love those too) is a STR build, but unnecessarily dumbed-down and naive. Book Conan is never dumb, as Arnold Conan sometimes looks to be.

An underutilized aspect of both of these archetypes when it comes to video games is that Conan, both the book and movie version, is supposed to basically be a mageslayer, spending most of his time on defeating ancient wizards and eldritch abominations with nothing but his sword.

 

[Falksi]

This is a great retro action-RPG...

The Arcade version is the best, as it allows you to play as a Barbarian, Cleric, Ninja and Wizard, and the play is a bit smoother too. But it also has a timer, which kills the immersion a bit.

Seeing as you're going for a Barbarian play though, I'd probably say try the SEGA Mega Drive version as...despite the fact it drops 2 of the characters from the Arcade version...the Barbarian (or "Fighter" here) isn't one of them. There's no timer here, and the healing value of herbs, damage from enemies, enemy AI and many more aspects of the game were altered to make for a better rounded experience. This is also the only version of Cadash where the player can buy elixirs, which serve as extra lives, in item shops.

There is a PCE/TG-16 version, but honestly it just doesn't play as good as the other two, despite it having all 4 characters. It drops all continues too, and this is a game which you'll need them when you first play.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And this is more of an action game which shares some similarities to the Souls games, but it has some RPG elements too, the absolutely fantastic Blades Of Vengeance....

You can have 2-players here, have a choice of 3 characters, and the play is very challenging with some wicked traps and devious stage design to keep you on your toes. A truly brilliant game.

There are of course the 3 Golden Axe games on the SEGA Mege Drive too, but they're obviously just out and out Beat 'Em Ups.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And this is a homebrew currently in the works, but yet to be released, Black Jewel Reborn. One to keep an eye on....

 

[anvi]

EverQuest!

Barbarian is a race, they can be Rogue, Shaman, or Warrior. (Later Berserkers). They can use any weapons, spears, daggers, 1h, 2h, etc.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Conan from the stories (I love those) is a stealthy DEX build, highly intelligent, streetwise, mainly a thief/rogue, burglarizing at night, but he also has leadership qualities.

Nix, even in the stories he was a STR/CON build first. The thieving he did more as a young 'un than later.

 

[0sacred]

If your barbarian was smart he would be a shaman or chief rather than an adventurer.

Smart has more to do with wisdom than intelligence. A big problem today as expressed in that word, is people assuming wisdom and intelligence are the same things.

That's like saying that a wise knight can't exist because they'd be a priest.

Barbarians are supposed to be a jack of all trades pushed by the demands of life to be a master of many things and competent in almost all. They may not know things on an intellectual level, but their perceptive to know better.

I like my barbarians balanced right, dumb but strong. Keep your nasty Mary Sue Schwarzeneggers.

 

[Louis_Cypher]

Smart has more to do with wisdom than intelligence.

Exactly, there are all sorts of types of wisdom and intelligence, some of which may even conflict:

• - Formal education
• - Spacial intelligence
• - Spiritual insight
• - Quick wits
• - Street smarts
• - Wily cunning
• - Charisma

Conan is wily, cunning, street smart, quick witted, survivalist, and charismatic; he can master a room of people with his force of personality, and knows exactly what he wants in terms of exercising his faculty of "will", where civilized folks have been often been over-civilized into sheep, but has virtually zero education (although he does make an effort to learn certain things, and in the cinematic version get taught formal fighting in the East). As we have increasingly seen of late, an education system is sometimes just indoctrination for a regime. Conan is a Nietzschean hero with an integrated personality, without the illusions of civilization.

 

[Serus]

Conan The Cimmerian for Amiga/DOS. Action RPG. 100% Conan game, but very clunky.

Got to love the intro though:

The interesting thing is how enemy forces can enter Cimmeria with no problems. Same in the Arnold movie. According to Howard Cimmerians were supposed to be fierce and very unfriendly to people trespassing on their territory uninvited. When Aquilonia built a fort on Cimmeria's side of the border Cimmerians burnt it very quickly (Conan was there!). But apparently if you are a group of horsemen + a wizard who kills Cimmerians right and left - it's no problem, you can go and leave whenever you want.

 

[Louis_Cypher]

I heard someone say the Pillars of Eternity barbarian is decent, is this true?

I like the description at least, it conveys the way that people from rural unsettled communities and tribes are willing to use brawn born of their lifestyles rather than training and finesse to overcome others in a fight. The fighter parries and ripostes. The barbarian applies pure newtonian force. Since any man will get big if he lifts enough, it is a good strategy if they lack finesse and training.

 

[Turisas]

Skyrim.

 

[Beastro]

If your barbarian was smart he would be a shaman or chief rather than an adventurer.

Smart has more to do with wisdom than intelligence. A big problem today as expressed in that word, is people assuming wisdom and intelligence are the same things.

That's like saying that a wise knight can't exist because they'd be a priest.

Barbarians are supposed to be a jack of all trades pushed by the demands of life to be a master of many things and competent in almost all. They may not know things on an intellectual level, but their perceptive to know better.

I like my barbarians balanced right, dumb but strong. Keep your nasty Mary Sue Schwarzeneggers.

The movie Conan isn't really what I'm talking about, as Dark Souls II pointed out.

I'm speaking of more the one that's a variation of what Odysseus was in Greek mythology, a warrior but a crafty one known for not just brute forcing everything.

 

[Beastro]

I heard someone say the Pillars of Eternity barbarian is decent, is this true?

I like the description at least, it conveys the way that people from rural unsettled communities and tribes are willing to use brawn born of their lifestyles rather than training and finesse to overcome others in a fight. The fighter parries and ripostes. The barbarian applies pure newtonian force. Since any man will get big if he lifts enough, it is a good strategy if they lack finesse and training.

I played one first playthrough and liked it. More of a DPS melee that can tank when needed.

 

[Modron]

I played one first playthrough and liked it. More of a DPS melee that can tank when needed.

Sawyer "balanced" them quite hard when he didn't like that people could solo the game as them when it came out.

 

[Blutwurstritter]

Baldurs Gate 3 offered a good amount of might makes right - strong willed brute barbarian options. Stuff like smashing magic mirror with rock, kicking down doors, tearing open pods, telling people to drown the fields with the blood of their enemies. And of course intimidating everything and anything. Was positively surprised how consistently the game let you play that way. Lacked nuance but was better done than in most games, which usually force you to be a goody two-shoes besides some rare exceptions.

 

[Beastro]

I played one first playthrough and liked it. More of a DPS melee that can tank when needed.

Sawyer "balanced" them quite hard when he didn't like that people could solo the game as them when it came out.

Which is pretty funny since the only real challenges I had was doing just that early on before I grabbed Aloth.

 

[octavius]

If your barbarian was smart he would be a shaman or chief rather than an adventurer.

Smart has more to do with wisdom than intelligence. A big problem today as expressed in that word, is people assuming wisdom and intelligence are the same things.

That's like saying that a wise knight can't exist because they'd be a priest.

Intelligence is ability to learn new things, ability to think quickly; mental agility.
Wisdom is applying your knowledge to do the right thing.

 

[0sacred]

I'm speaking of more the one that's a variation of what Odysseus was in Greek mythology, a warrior but a crafty one known for not just brute forcing everything.

I wouldn't say Odysseus is a poster child for the barbarian archetype but whatevs

 

[Kabas]

RPG/RTS hybrid Warlords Battlecry 2 is the only game i know of where you can play as Barbarian Barbarian.
Can't be more Barbarian than that.

 

[Fargus]

Also, not a proper RPG, but Asghan: the Dragon Slayer is a classic I'll always recommend:

This is the first time i hear about this game and it looks like good shit. Thanks for the tip. I hope it's possible to run on it modern systems.

French game huh? Interesting

Ryzer La vie sexuelle any thoughts?