The Barbarian in Diablo 4 embodies a straightforward and direct approach to dealing with demonic adversaries. They prefer wielding massive, razor-sharp weapons and unleashing them with unbridled ferocity. Clad in formidable armor, their sheer presence causes the ground to quake, and their enemies tremble at the sound of their powerful war cries echoing in the distance.
Here are some of the best Barbarian builds you can try:
- Whirlwind Barbarian Build – The Whirlwind Barbarian Build in Diablo 4 centers around harnessing the power of the Whirlwind skill as the primary means of dealing damage. This particular build proves highly effective for swiftly dispatching hordes of enemies, thanks to the utilization of the “Aspect of Grasping Whirlwind” technique. By drawing enemies into the cyclone, this build significantly enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of Whirlwind, allowing for rapid and efficient clearing of large groups of foes.
Look Through- Class: Barbarian
- Primary Stats: Strength and Dexterity
- Active Skills: Lunging Strike, Whirlwind, Rallying Cry, War Cry, Death Blow, Wrath of the Berserker
- Passive Skills: Aggressive Resistance, Prolific Fury
- Weapons: Prioritize Weapon with desired Bonuses
- Armor: Prioritize Armor with desired Bonuses
The key aspect of this Build is the “Aspect of Grasping Whirlwind,” which pulls enemies towards the whirlwind’s center. By utilizing “Lunging Strike” to reach ranged foes, followed by “Rallying Cry” to generate fury, you can unleash whirlwind attacks while advancing through dungeons. Additionally, activating “War Cry” grants “Berserk” for uninterrupted whirlwind usage. For Elites and Boss fights, unleash the powerful “Wrath of the Berserker” for increased damage and movement speed, while timing the ultimate after the duration of other shouts has expired.
- Active Skills:
- “Lunging Strike” provides swift movement and moderate individual damage. Enhancements like “Enhanced Lunging Strike” and “Battle Lunging Strike” amplify single-target damage, beneficial against bosses.
- “Whirlwind” serves as the primary damage-dealing skill, complemented by the pulling effect from the aspect. Acquiring “Enhanced Whirlwind” ensures its continuous activation, while “Violent Whirlwind” maximizes its damage potential.
- “Rallying Cry” boosts movement speed and fury generation, essential for this build. Pairing it with “Tactical Rallying Cry” provides enough fury to initiate whirlwind quickly and replenish the gauge.
- “War Cry” enhances damage output, and when combined with “Enhanced War Cry,” it grants the “Berserking” effect, further amplifying damage.
- “Death Blow” can finish off groups of enemies and synergizes with “Enhanced Death Blow” to increase single-target damage against bosses when whirlwind usage is limited.
- “Wrath of the Berserker” is the ultimate ability, perfect for this build. When used with “Prime Wrath of the Berserker” and “Supreme Wrath of the Berserker” upgrades, it provides movement speed, fury generation, “Berserking,” and “Unstoppable”. Each 50 Fury spent by the Berserker grants a 25% damage bonus, which pairs well with the constant whirlwind usage. Refresh the duration using “Lunging Strike.”
- Passive Skills:
- The skill “Prolific Fury” enhances fury generation while under the effects of “Berserking,” enabling you to sustain Whirlwind for an extended duration.
- The skill “Prolific Fury” enhances fury generation while under the effects of “Berserking,” enabling you to sustain Whirlwind for an extended duration.
- Aspects & Combos: In the Whirlwind Barbarian Diablo 4 Build, the “Aspect of Grasping Whirlwind” is crucial for its pulling effect on the whirlwind skill. Additionally, the “Aspect of Berserk Ripping” enables you to inflict bleeding damage while under the effects of Berserking, enhancing boss encounters.
- Rend and Rupture Barbarian Build – The strategy for this build revolves around using Rend to inflict Bleeding damage on enemies, followed by finishing them off with Death Blow. These AoE cone attacks allow you to strike multiple enemies simultaneously, making this Diablo 4 Barbarian Build highly effective for wiping out groups of foes in a single devastating attack. Fury generation is not a concern in this build due to the Fighter’s Death Blow and Furious Rend passive skills, which both generate Fury. This allows you to focus on utilizing these damaging skills without relying heavily on a Basic Skill like Frenzy for Fury generation, except in cases where Death Blow is not executed properly. Additionally, skills such as Challenging Shout and Iron Skin provide survivability when facing multiple enemies or challenging bosses. Leap serves the purpose of quickly returning to bosses or escaping difficult situations.
Dealing with enemy- Death Blow: When facing a group of enemies in Diablo 4, prioritize using Death Blow first to eliminate the weakest target. Aim carefully to ensure maximum impact within the small cone in front of you. Killing the weakest enemy is crucial to avoid the 15-second cooldown on Death Blow. The Fighter’s Death Blow passive will grant Fury, allowing you to subsequently use Rend on the remaining enemies. However, if no enemy is easily defeated with Death Blow, resort to using Frenzy to generate Fury and weaken targets simultaneously.
- Rend: Once you have enough Fury, use Rend on a group of enemies, aiming to hit as many as possible. Follow up with Death Blow if feasible, focusing on killing an enemy to refresh its cooldown while attempting to hit other enemies as well. Maintain the priority of killing enemies to maintain the cooldown refresh of Death Blow. The Furious Rend passive and Death Blow should provide additional Fury, allowing you to repeat the process of using Rend on subsequent groups of enemies. If Death Blow is on cooldown, utilize Frenzy until it becomes available again. Consider selecting the Hamstring passive skill to Slow Bleeding enemies, aiding in crowd control and utilizing the Damage to Slowed Enemies gear bonus.
- Challenging Shout & Iron Skin: In this Build, use Challenging Shout to gain Damage Reduction when surrounded by enemies. Employ a hit-and-run playstyle, allowing the Bleeding effect from Rend to take its toll. Activate Iron Skin when your Health is low to gain a Barrier based on your missing HP, benefiting from synergies with Legendary Aspects.
- Frenzy: In Boss fights, utilize Frenzy and its Combat Frenzy passive for Damage Reduction. Combine it with Iron Skin and Challenging Shout for increased survivability, even with moderate DPS. Maintain a face-tank position, moving only to dodge deadly attacks or when Dodge is available. Keep attacking to maintain damage reduction and Frenzy stacks. Use Challenging Shout and Iron Skin strategically, and continuously apply Rend for Bleed damage. Utilize Death Blow whenever available for high impact, Fury-free damage.
- Leap: Leap provides mobility to escape unfavorable situations during boss fights or quickly return to the boss before Frenzy buff expires. It helps counter boss teleports, knockbacks, and allows you to swiftly evade dangerous AoE attacks.
Summary: Look for gear with bonuses to Damage to Slowed Enemies, +1 to Rend, +1 to Death Blow, Damage to Close Enemies, Basic Skill Damage, Strength, and Critical Strike Chance. These attributes are highly beneficial for this Diablo 4 Barbarian Build, so prioritize them. Additionally, Damage Over Time bonuses are also valuable.Keep an eye out for Legendary Aspects that enhance boss fights, such as Rapid Aspect for increased Frenzy attack speed, Aspect of Inner Calm for damage increase when stationary, and Aspect of Might for damage reduction with Basic Skills. Two-Handed Weapons provide double benefits for Aspects, and Barbarians can wield two of them simultaneously. Remember that amulets grant an additional 50% Aspect bonus, so equip your best Aspects on these items. Aspect of the Protector grants occasional Barrier effects, while Conceited Aspect increases your damage while a Barrier is active. These Aspects synergize well with Iron Skin. Additionally, Aspect of the Iron Warrior provides Unstoppable status when using Iron Skin, granting crowd control immunity during its duration.
- Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian Build – The Hammer Barbarian excels at swiftly annihilating foes through a combination of Leap for strategic positioning and the devastating Hammer of the Ancients. This ability inflicts significant burst damage while also generating Fury. To sustain your resource, you’ll utilize skills like Bash, Rallying Cry, and Death Blow. The Hammer Barbarian is widely regarded as an incredibly powerful and beginner-friendly build due to its immense damage output.
Look Through –- Class: Barbarian
- Primary Stats: Strength, Dexterity & Willpower
- Active Skills: Bash, Hammer of the Ancients, Rallying Cry, Leap, Death Blow, Call of the Ancients
- Passive Skills: Endless Fury, Thick Skin
- Weapons: Prioritize Two-Handed Mace to gain Fury
- Armor: Prioritize Armor with desired Bonuses
- Bonuses Wanted: Strength, Dexterity, Critical Strike Chance, Critical Strike Damage Bonus, Damage to Close Enemies, Life on Kill, Damage Reduction, Cooldown Reduction, Maximum Fury, Fury Cost Reduction
- Legendary Aspects: Aspect of Unrelenting Fury, Aspect of Ancestral Force, Aspect of Ancestral Echoes, Aspect of Bul-Kathos.
In this Build, the main objective is to maximize your Barbarian’s Fury and unleash devastating damage with Hammer of the Ancients. To generate Fury, you’ll use Leap and Bash, allowing you to swiftly move between enemy groups and build up your resource. Once your Fury is high or at its maximum, unleash the power of Hammer of the Ancients to crush your foes. Additionally, Death Blow can be used to finish off resilient enemies and is particularly effective against Bosses.For challenging encounters with Elites and Bosses, Call of the Ancients can be employed to deal heavy damage and also hinder their movements with Slow and Stun effects.
Active Skills- Bash – This Build favors Bash as the preferred Basic Skill due to its high Fury generation, especially when used with a Two-Handed Weapon and the Battle Bash upgrade. Bash is effective at stunning enemies and provides additional Base Life, ensuring your survival during combat.
- Hammer of the Ancients – Hammer of the Ancients is the key skill in the build, delivering high damage output. It is crucial to allocate 5 skill points to maximize its effectiveness. Enhanced Hammer of the Ancients should also be obtained to gain extra Fury per enemy hit, and Furious Hammer of the Ancients for increased damage, as mentioned before.
- Rallying Cry – Rallying Cry is a versatile skill in the Hammer Barbarian Build. It increases both your and your allies’ Movement Speed and Resource generation. Enhanced Rallying Cry grants you Unstoppable status, making you immune to Stun, Root, Slow, and Fear effects. Additionally, Tactical Rallying Cry allows you to quickly replenish a significant amount of Fury.
- Leap– Leap is a crucial skill in the Hammer Barbarian Build, granting you the mobility to swiftly jump onto enemies, dealing damage and knocking them back. It is recommended to invest in Enhanced Leap and Power Leap to increase your Fury generation for optimal performance.
- Death Blow– Slaying enemies with low HP becomes highly effective with the Hammer Barbarian Build. Make sure to acquire Enhanced Death Blow, especially for Boss encounters. Additionally, Fighter’s Death Blow is a valuable passive skill that ensures Fury generation as long as you damage even a single enemy, which is highly advantageous in most situations.
- Call of the Ancients– The ultimate skill, Call of the Ancients, summons three powerful Ancients to assist you in obliterating enemies. It is most effective when combined with the Prime Call of the Ancients and Supreme Call of the Ancients upgrades. These upgrades provide benefits such as increased attack speed, enhanced damage, and additional Fury generation. One of the Ancients, Korlic, replenishes Fury when using Frenzy to deal damage. Talic can slow enemies with Whirlwind, and Madawc can stun them with Upheaval, adding crowd control to your arsenal.
- Passive Skills
- Endless Fury– By utilizing this skill, you will be rewarded with additional Fury as long as you continue wielding Two-Handed Weapons in this Build.
- Thick Skin– This skill improves your resilience when taking damage, letting you survive longer in combat.
- Aspects & Combos
- Aspect of Unrelenting Fury– With this aspect, when you eliminate an enemy using the Core Skill Hammer of the Ancients, a portion of the spent Fury will be refunded.
- Aspect of Ancestral Force– By utilizing this aspect, the area of effect (AoE) of Hammer of the Ancients in the Hammer Barbarian D4 Build is expanded, resulting in increased damage output.
- Aspect of Ancestral Echoes: When you activate Leap and deal damage, this aspect grants you a chance to summon an Ancient who will also perform the Leap Skill against enemies.
- Aspect of Bul-Kathos– By utilizing Leap, this aspect conjures an Earthquake that inflicts additional Physical Damage. When you remain within the area of the Earthquake, you will experience reduced incoming damage.
- Thorns Barbarian Build – The Thorns Barbarian Build in Diablo 4 focuses on taunting groups of enemies with Challenging Shout and dealing damage through both high Thorns Stat and active skills like Upheaval and Deathblow. It maintains an offensive playstyle while keeping Berserk active at all times.
Look Through- Class: Barbarian
- Primary Stats: Strength & Dexterity
- Active Skills: Lunging Strike, Upheaval, Challenging Shout, Death Blow, Wrath of the Berserker
- Passive Skills: Imposing Presence, Martial Vigor, Outburst, Tough as Nails
- Weapons: Prioritize Two-Handed Weapon with desired Bonuses
- Armor: Prioritize Armor with desired Bonuses
- Bonuses Wanted:Strength, Dexterity, Critical Strike Chance, Critical Strike Damage Bonus, Thorns, Maximum Life, Life on Kill, Damage Reduction, Cooldown Reduction
- Legendary Aspects : Needle flare Aspect, Death Wish Aspect, Aspect of the Protector, Aspect of Echoing Fury
In this Diablo IV Build, your approach is to start the combat with Lunging Strike, charging towards enemies and dealing moderate damage. This alerts distant foes and prepares them for the next step. Next, you use Challenging Shout to taunt the entire group, increasing your Maximum Life and gaining Thorns. This allows you to reflect damage back to attackers. The Needle flare Aspect further enhances this reflection by damaging nearby enemies based on your Thorn Damage. Grouping up enemies is important for the effectiveness of the Upheaval Skill. Damaging at least two enemies triggers Berserk for a brief duration, boosting your power. You can reactivate Berserk by using Death Blow, a powerful skill that excels against low-health targets. When facing Elites and Bosses, you should use Death Blow in combination with Wrath of the Berserker for massive damage and to maintain the active state of Berserk, maximizing its damage bonus.
Active Skills- Lunging Strike – Lunging Strike is the primary skill for initiating combat in the Thorns Diablo IV Build. It allows you to swiftly close the distance and engage enemies, compensating for the Barbarian’s slower movement speed. By choosing Enhanced Lunging Strike, you enhance your damage output and gain healing when damaging enemies with maximum health. Additionally, selecting Combat Lunging Strike increases the likelihood of triggering Berserk, amplifying your combat effectiveness.
- Upheaval – Upheaval is a key skill in this Diablo IV Thorns Build, focusing on utilizing Fury to unleash powerful damage against multiple enemies. Prioritize acquiring Enhanced Upheaval, as it grants the ability to stun the affected targets. Additionally, aim to unlock Violent Upheaval, which enables the activation and upkeep of Berserk by attacking at least two enemies simultaneously. This synergy enhances your combat effectiveness and contributes to the success of the build.
- Challenging Shout– Challenging Shout is a powerful skill in this Thorns-based Diablo IV Build, enabling you to taunt enemies and reduce incoming damage. To enhance its effectiveness, focus on upgrading it. Prioritize acquiring Enhanced Challenging Shout to increase your Maximum Life, and then opt for Strategic Challenging Shout, which utilizes half of your current Maximum Life to determine the amount of Thorns you gain. These upgrades further amplify your survivability and contribute to the overall success of the build.
- Death Blow– Death Blow is a crucial skill in this Thorns-based Diablo IV Build, particularly when dealing with enemies who are close to defeat. Enhance its effectiveness by acquiring Enhanced Death Blow, which greatly increases your damage against bosses. Additionally, consider using Warrior’s Death Blow to automatically activate Berserk for 3 seconds upon hitting a single enemy, synergizing with your Berserking playstyle. For optimal results, combine Death Blow with Upheaval to refresh Berserk and maintain your heightened damage output.
- Wrath of the Berserker– The ultimate ability of this Thorns Barbarian Build is highly effective in triggering Berserk and generating sufficient Fury for repeated use of Upheaval. Its base form ensures the activation of Berserk upon using Lunging Strike. Furthermore, the upgrades, Prime Wrath of the Berserker and Supreme Wrath of the Berserker, enhance Movement Speed, Fury restoration, and the damage bonus granted by Berserk when Upheaval is unleashed. These enhancements contribute to the overall power and efficiency of the build.
Passive Skills- Imposing Presence: This skill increases the Thorns Barbarian Diablo 4 Build’s Maximum Life, and in doing so improves your survivability and Thorns Damage.
- Martial Vigor: This skill reduces the damage you take against Elites to live longer in combat.
- Outburst: This skill grants and increases Thorns based on your Maximum Life.
- Tough as Nails: This skill raises Thorns by a fixed percentage while also dealing additional Bleeding Damage based on your Thorns’ value.
Aspects & Combos - Needleflare Aspect: This aspect is a must-have for this Thorns Barbarian Diablo IV Build, giving you a chance to deal Thorns Damage to all nearby enemies regardless of whether or not they hit you.
- Death Wish Aspect: This aspect lets you gain more Thorns while Berserking.
- Aspect of the Protector: This aspect creates a Barrier to absorb the damage you’ve taken, allowing you to survive longer.
- Aspect of Echoing Fury: This aspect allows Challenging Shout to generate Fury for Upheaval while it remains active.