Since I started doing solo legend I began using barrels more and more.
Fire barrels are all great, they seem to do more or less what a fire bomb does.
However, explosive barrels just seem useless. At 150+ game hours I have yet to see an enemy die to a explosive barrel, not even zombies. They get somewhat micro staggered, but then it’s all fine.
The explosive barrel had some moments against act bosses just to cheese an extra stagger on them, but it’s far more convenient just to take a potion and Pyro, BH, FK.
Another issue is that it’s hard to visually tell when a barrel has been activated. Unless you can hear the faint hiss, the spark effect can only be seen from up close and in certain angles which are often obstructed. It would be far better if they had a wider effect.
Some weapons like the Blunderbuss are terrible at lighting them up because the spread often misses the barrel. Giving barrels a more generous hitbox for ranged weapons could help.