This Is The Best Diablo 4 Barbarian Build & Guide

Barbarian is one of the best classes you can go with in Diablo 4. However, simply choosing the best class won't take you far. Along with that, it's equally important to choose the right build as well. That's why, today, I will cover the best Diablo 4 Barbarian build so that you can exploit the abilities of this class to the maximum.

Diablo 4 Barbarian Build Overview

The build you should go with when it comes to the Barbarian class is the Rend Build. The advantages of going with this build are:

It helps you last long in battles with elites and gives you an upper hand.

The high single-target DPS that it provides ensures you can eliminate most enemies without breaking a sweat.

Not only that, but the more you progress through the game, the higher your DPS gets, which means that the game becomes easier with time.

The build also amplifies the Cleave damage with time, which makes this skill even more lethal.

The detailed post below will help you understand how to create this build, use your skill points, and utilize the paragon boards to become even more powerful.

D4 Barbarian Build Skills Breakdown

Getting the skills and respective upgrades right is important to execute this build well. The section below will cover the skills needed in great detail.

Lunging Strike (Basic)

Rend (Core)

Death Blow (Weapon Mastery)

Rallying Cry (Defensive)

War Cry (brawling)

Call of the Ancients (Ultimate)

Lunging Strike

Lunging Strike is a skill that helps you inflict damage on an enemy in front of you. Whenever you use this skill, you also generate Fury, which you can spend later. Besides inflicting damage, you can also use this skill for mobility. The 2 upgrades of this skill include:

Upgrade 1 is the Enhanced Lunging Strike, which deals 30% more damage. Also, if you inflict damage on a healthy enemy, you heal by 2%.

Upgrade 2 is the Battle Lunging Strike, which also causes 20% Bleeding damage for 5 seconds.

One of the main advantages of Lunging Strike is that the generated Fury can be spent on other skills.

Rend

Rend is so effective because it Cleaves the enemies in front, inflicting significant damage on them and also causing bleeding damage for 5 seconds.

Upgrade 1 is Enhanced Rend, which makes the enemies vulnerable for 2 more seconds when direct damage is dealt with using this skill.

Upgrade 2 is Furious Rend, which helps you earn 4 Fury for every enemy you hit directly with Rend. The upper limit is 20 Fury.

As highlighted above, Rend is at the center of this build. It can inflict significant damage on enemies and also causes bleeding damage. Apart from this, you can always gather up the enemies behind you by moving around and then turning around to unleash Cleave, which will also result in bleed damage, which helps you deal with multiple enemies effectively.

Once you have Furious Rend by your side, you will get half the Fury back whenever you hit 5 or more enemies. The trick as highlighted above is to run around till they gather behind you.

Death Blow

Death Blow is a skill that helps you execute a kill strike, which means anyone in front of you suffers extensive damage. If you kill that enemy the cooldown timer is reset which means you need not wait long to use this skill again. Upgrades include:

Upgrade 1 is Enhanced Death Blow which inflicts 100% increased damage to any boss.

Upgrade 2 is Fighter's Death Blow, which helps you earn 20 Fury if you damage at least 1 enemy using this skill.

Rend comes in handy for Cleave damage, and Death Blow comes in handy for bosses and elite enemies. Reason being if you reduce the health of elites partially before using the Death Blow, you can indeed finish them off once you use this skill.

This means it can serve as the Death Blow if you time it right. Besides, when you kill the enemy, the cooldown timer is reset, you earn 20 Fury, and you can use it on the next target, making it a pretty powerful skill.

Rallying Cry

Rallying Cry helps you increase mobility speed by 30% and enhance Resource Generation by 40%. The time limit is 6.5 seconds. It also helps the nearby allies with advantages for 3.2 seconds.

Upgrade 1 is Enhanced Rallying Cry which imparts you Unstoppable when the skill is active.

Upgrade 2 is Tactical Rallying Cry, which helps you earn 20 Fury and provides an additional 20% Resource Generation.

Rallying Cry imparts a combination of speed and some crowd control. The generated Fury helps you execute other skills like Rend, aiding your progress.

War Cry

War Cry increases your Damage Dealt by 15% for 6.5 seconds. The benefit to allies nearby is 3.2 seconds.

Upgrades include:

Upgrade 1 is Enhanced War Cry which initiates Berserking for 4 seconds.

Upgrade 2 is Power War Cry, which increases damage by 10% more if there are 6 enemies in proximity when you use this skill.

Even with this build, you will encounter enemies that aren't easy to take down. That's when you should use War Cry because it will increase the damage. With the upgrades, you can deal with a large number of enemies.

Call of the Ancients

This skill helps you call 3 Ancients who come to your aid for 6 seconds in the following ways:

Korlic deals X damage to enemies by leaping at them and inflicting damage with his weapons in a Frenzy, which again causes X damage when they make contact.

Talic creates a Whirlwind which can attack multiple enemies dealing X damage.

Madawc creates a ground upheaval which inflicts X damage on enemies standing there.

Upgrades include:

Upgrade 1 is Prime Call of the Ancients, which increases their attack speed by 10% and damage by 10% when the skill is active.

Upgrade 2 is the Supreme Call of the Ancients, which imparts additional power. Whenever Korlic damages an enemy with his Frenzy, you get 10 Fury. Talic's Whirlwind slows down enemies by 50% for 1 second. Madawc has a 30% chance to stun enemies for 3 seconds when he uses his Upheaval power.

The extensive damage this skill can cause is why I have recommended this as Ultimate. Furthermore, the upgrades increase the damage and provide an opportunity to get Fury. When enemies surround you and want a way out, this Ultimate can come to your rescue.

Read more in our: Diablo 4 Story - Lore, How It Started, And Ending

D4 Barbarian Build Passive Breakdown

The best way to take down enemies is to have the right passives. But which ones are best for this build? Check the list below to find out.

Hamstring

Hamstring supplements the bleeding effect. Using it on healthy enemies will slow them down by 20%, 40%, or 60%. Thus, you can inflict damage and limit their mobility, which helps you eliminate them easily.

Booming Voice

Booming voice supplements the Shout Skill. The Shout Skill helps you reduce enemy damage by 40% for 6 seconds. Booming Voice increases this duration by 8%, 16%, or 24%.

Pit Fighter

While the above passive was more defensive, this one's on the attacking side. It helps increase the damage you inflict on close enemies by 3%, 6% or 9%. As for distant enemies, you can reduce their damaging capability by 2%, 4% or 6%.

Unbridled Rage

Unbridled Rage helps you inflict much more damage on the enemy—up to 135% more. However, there is a downside to it as well. It will cost you 100% more Fury. Thus, if you activate this passive, ensure you have active skills that generate Fury rapidly.

Raid Leader

Want something that can also help your allies? Try Raid Leader. It can help you heal your allies with your Shouts up to 3% of their maximum life per second.

Guttural Yell

Guttural Yell helps you reduce the damage that enemies inflict on you. When this passive is active, Your Shouts reduce enemy damage by up to 12% for 5 seconds.

Tempered Fury

Many aspects of this build rely on the Fury you generate. You can't execute this build well if you can't generate and collect it in copious amounts. That's why I recommended Tempered Fury as a passive. It can increase Maximum Fury by up to 9.

Invigorating Fury

It's always a good idea to have a passive that has a healing effect. Invigorating Fury helps you heal yourself up to 9%, but it costs 100 Fury. The passive comes in handy when you are fighting hordes of enemies.

Cut to the Bone

When this passive is active, you can further amplify the damage caused by your Bleeding Effects by up to 15%. However, this passive is limited to Vulnerable enemies. Since you are dealing with hordes of enemies you have to slay, this passive is handy.

Aggressive Resistance

As a Barbarian, you'll use Berserking repeatedly to thwart or attack enemies. Aggressive resistance helps you while Berserking by reducing enemy damage upto 10%.

Prolific Fury

The passive I am speaking about now is once again associated with Berserking. During that duration, this passive increases Fury Generation up to 18%, which certainly comes in handy when you need healing (Hint: Invigorating Fury!) and using skills.

Pressure Point

Want to finish off enemies faster? That's where Pressure Point can come in handy. The Pressure Point Lucky hit gives you up to 30% chance to make enemies vulnerable for 2 seconds. During this time, you can use your active skills or let the passive ones do their job to finish off the enemies.

If you look at the passive skills breakdown above, you realize they are the right mix of attacking and defensive passive skills, ensuring you have a balanced build and can easily slay enemies.

Diablo 4 Barbarian Specialization

The unique mechanism for Barbarians is known as the Arsenal System. Once you reach level 5, the system will unlock on its own. Apart from the system you need to unlock something known as Technique Slot. The Technique Slot unlocks when you reach level 15. However, this slot doesn't unlock on its own. On reaching that level, you will come across a quest known as Masters Of Battle. Complete this quest, and the Technique Slot will unlock.

You might think, what's this Arsenal System?

The Arsenal system allows Barbarians to carry up to 4 weapons. Then, you can assign these 4 weapons to 4 attacks. The player can then earn various bonuses when executing these attacks. The bonuses you gain start at Level 1. Your experience will increase with each hit, and the bonuses will follow eventually.

Use a particular weapon/attack frequently, and not only will the weapon level go up, but also the associated bonus. Once you unlock the Technique Slot, equip it with a separate weapon, which will further buff the weapon and the damage caused by the skill associated with that weapon.

In a nutshell, the Arsenal System allows you to carry 4 weapons, associate them with certain attacks, and after that use them more to make the weapons and the attacks more powerful.

Now that you know the Arsenal system, I will highlight how to use it with this build. I will cover 2 weapon slots because those make the most difference.

Many players think the Arsenal mechanic of Barbarians isn't as powerful as the specialization of other classes. While this can be true to a certain extent, but if you know how to use it correctly, you can indeed make a difference with it.

The Arsenal mechanic will unlock once you reach level 5. The first slot you get at this level should be equipped with a two-handed sword. The advantage is that whenever you damage enemies directly, you can cause them to bleed. Couple that with a hamstring, and you can slow down the enemies. After that, you can inflict heavy damage on enemies.

The second slot of the mechanic you get at level 15 should be equipped with a two-handed axe. Equipping this weapon will increase the damage you inflict on Vulnerable enemies by 15%.

Note The percentages highlighted above might be lower at the start, but as you gain weapon expertise, they will reach the levels mentioned above.

Barbarian Build Skillpoints Distribution

Table below covers how to spend points to execute this build well. Table highlights Renown use as well.

Levels	Skill	Purpose
2	Lunging Strike	Activates the skill
3	Enhanced Lunging Strike	Increases damage and adds conditional healing ability
4	Rend	Activates the skill
5	Enhanced Rend	Increases Vulnerable duration for enemies hit
6	Furious Rend	Helps you generate Fury for every enemy hit
7	Battle Lunging Strike	Helps you inflict bleeding damage
8	Rallying Cry	Activates the skill
9	Enhanced Rallying Cry	Helps you gain Unstoppable when skill is used
10	Tactical Rallying Cry	Aids Fury and Resource Generation
11	Rend tier 2	Further increases damage inflicted
12	Rend Tier 3	Further increases damage inflicted
13	War Cry	Activates the skill
14	Enhanced War Cry	Provides Berserking along with War Cry
15	Power War Cry	Increases damage bonus if 6 enemies are nearby when use the skill
16	Rend tier 4	Further increases damage inflicted
17	Rend tier 5	Further increases damage inflicted
18	Hamstring	Activates the passive skill that helps you slow down enemies
19	Death Blow	Activates skill to deal damage to enemies in front
20	Enhanced Death Blow	Increases damage of skill by 100% when dealing with bosses
21	Fighter’s Death Blow	Helps gain Fury when you hit at least 1 enemy
22	Death Blow tier 2	Increases damage dealt
23	Death Blow tier 3	Increases damage dealt
24	Death Blow tier 4	Increases damage dealt
25	Call of the Ancients	Activates the skill to call 3 Ancients
26	Prime Call of the Ancients	Provides bonus attack speed and higher damage when skill is active
27	Supreme Call of the Ancients	Boosts power of ancients one way or the other
28	Death Blow tier 5	Increases damage dealt
29	Booming Voice	Activates skill to reduce enemy damage when Shout skill is used
30	Booming Voice tier 2	Further helps reduce enemy damage
31	Booming Voice tier 3	Further helps reduce enemy damage
32	Pit Fighter	Activates passive to inflict more damage on close enemies and reduce damage capabilities of distant enemies
33	Pit Fighter tier 2	Enhances skill attributes further
34	Pit Fighter tier 3	Enhances skill attributes further
35	Unbridled Rage	Activates passive to inflict more damage
36	Rallying Cry tier 2	Enhances skill attributes further
37	Rallying Cry tier 3	Enhances skill attributes further
38	Rallying Cry tier 4	Enhances skill attributes further
39	Rallying Cry tier 5	Enhances skill attributes further
40	Raid Leader	Activates passive skill which helps allies
41	Raid Leader tier 2	Amplifies skill benefits
42	Raid Leader tier 3	Amplifies skill benefits
43	Guttural Yell	Activates passive which reduces damage inflicted by enemies
44	Guttural Yell tier 2	Enhances skill benefits further
45	Guttural Yell tier 3	Enhances skill benefits further
46	Tempered Fury	Activates passive which aids Fury generation
47	Invigorating Fury	Activates passive which heals you
48	Invigorating Fury tier 2	Enhances skill benefits further
49	Invigorating Fury tier 3	Enhances skill benefits further
Renown	Cut to the Bone	Activates passive to amplify Bleeding Effects
Renown	Cut to the Bone tier 2	Enhances skill benefits further
Renown	Cut to the Bone tier 3	Enhances skill benefits further
Renown	Aggressive Resistance	Activates passive to reduce enemy damage
Renown	Prolific Fury	Activates passive to aid Fury generation
Renown	Prolific Fury tier 2	Enhances skill benefits further
Renown	Prolific Fury tier 3	Enhances skill benefits further
Renown	Pressure Point	Activates passive which can help you make enemies Vulnerable
Renown	Pressure Point tier 2	Enhances skill benefits further
Renown	Pressure Point tier 3	Enhances skill benefits further

Paragon board and Glyph breakdown

Choosing the right paragon boards will help you use the Glyphs in the right way and boost the important attributes of your character to utilize this build in the best possible way.

1. Starting board

The best way to utilize this board is to move directly towards the Glyph socket and choose Territorial Glyph. Utilize all the Dexterity nodes in the vicinity, and thereafter progress to Iron Strength and Raw Power. Move towards the upper left area of the board to reach the exit node. For the next board, choose the Weapons Master Board.

2. Weapons Master Board

Before progressing in any direction on the board, rotate it such that the Glyph socket is in the bottom right corner of the board. Thereafter, move towards the Glyph node and utilize the Raw Power node that comes in the way. Use Marshal in the Glyph socket. In the vicinity of the Glyph socket, you will find Strength Nodes, including the Iron Strength Node and the Magic Nodes. Unlock them and move towards the board exit. The next board you should attach is the Warbringer Board.

3. Warbringer Board

Before unlocking any nodes on the board, rotate them until the Glyph socket is in the upper left corner of the board. Directly move towards the Glyph socket, and upon unlocking it, place the Wrath Glyph in the socket. Your next job is to unlock the Dexterity Nodes in the area impacted by the Glyph, followed by the Raw Power node.

After doing so, move towards the Hungering Fury node on the right side of the board. Next you need to unlock the Warbringer Node by progressing in the down direction. Thereafter, move towards the Guarded Advance node, which is further south, but do ensure you unlock the Magic Nodes in its vicinity. After that, progress in the upper direction to exit the board. The next board you should attach is the Decimator board.

4. Decimator Board

Rotate the Decimator board until the Glyph socket is near the center but slightly downwards. Move towards the Glyph socket and place the Disembowel Glyph in the socket. Next on your list should be the unlocking of the Willpower Nodes and then move towards the Demolish and Arrogance nodes. Head in the Northwest direction to unlock Pillage node. Thereafter, exit the board by moving in the left direction. The next board you should attach is the Bone Breaker board.

5. Bone Breaker Board

Rotate the board such that the Glyph socket is in the upper right corner of the board. Progress towards the Glyph socket and use the Exploit Glyph. Thereafter, in the vicinity of the Glyph socket, activate the Dexterity Nodes and also the Vigour Node. After doing so move towards the board exit near the upper left corner of the board. The next board you should attach is the Flawless Technique Board.

6. Flawless Technique Board

Before unlocking any sockets, rotate the board until the Glyph socket is just to the right of the center. Thereafter, unlock nodes such that you move towards the Havoc Node. After that, move towards the Glyph node and place Imbiber in it. Thereafter, it's all about unlocking the Willpower nodes that are within the influence of the Glyph socket.

Read more in our: The Complete Diablo 4 World Boss Guide (Timers, How To's)

Legendary Aspects

You can either get Aspects through legendary items or through Codex of Power. The Aspects got through Codex of Power are weaker, but they can be a good replacement in the absence of legendary items. Section below covers which Aspect to use with which equipment. In case you can't get the Aspect through legendary items, the section also covers which dungeon to complete to get the Codex of Power Aspects.

Two-Handed Bludgeoning Weapon and Offensive Aspect of Retribution is a powerful combination which provides a 8% chance of stunning distant enemies if they attack you. Not only that, you can inflict 40% more damage on stunned enemies. Completing Abandoned Mineworks in Kehjistan helps you earn this Aspect.

Two-Handed Slashing Weapon and The Grandfather is another good combination. It boosts Critical Strike Damage by 17.5%, Damage by 28%, Maximum Life by +2700, All Stats by 36. You can obtain it via random loot.

Edgemaster's Offensive Aspect is a good choice for Dual Wield Weapon 1 since it provides upto 20% higher damage. You can obtain it using Oldstones in Scosglen.

Conceited Offensive Aspect goes pretty well with Dual Wield Weapon 2 and increases damage by 25% if you have an active barrier. Best way to obtain it is through looted gear.

The Defensive Aspect of Numbing Wrath is a good option for Helm. Reason being for every Fury generated when it's already at maximum you gain 54 Fortify. Complete Heathen's Keep in Hawezar to obtain this Aspect.

The Defensive Aspect of Disobedience is a good choice for Chest Armour since it increases Armour by 0.5% for a period of 4 seconds. Caveat is to deal damage to any enemies. Keep in mind that the maximum stacking level is 50%.

The Offensive Aspect of Inner Calm increases damage by 10% when you stand still. Maximum limit is 30$. It's a good option for Gloves. Complete Raethwind Wilds in Scosglen to gain this Aspect.

For Boots, a good option is the Ghostwalker Mobility Aspect, which helps you increase your movement speed by 25% when you are Unstoppable and even 4 seconds after that. Easiest way to obtain this aspect is to complete Broken Bulwark in Scosglen.

Amulet goes well with the Offensive Aspect of Limitless Rage. Once you obtain it, you can increase your core skill damage by 2% for every Fury point you generate when at Maximum Fury. The upper limit is 30%.

Couple Ring 1 with Bold Chieftain's Resource Aspect which reduces cooldown for 1.9 seconds for every single enemy in vicinity with a maximum limit of 6 seconds. Keep in mind that this happens when you use a Shout Skill.

Ring 2 goes well with the Resource Aspect of Berserk Fury, which helps you gain Fury by 6 per second if you are Berserking. The best way to obtain it is through looted gear.

Suitable Equipment Type For Best Diablo 4 Barbarian Build

The build also relies on the type of equipment you choose. Below I will cover what stats you should check and pay attention to while choosing every piece of equipment. Apart from that, I will also go into the details of socket upgrades.

1. All Weapons

When it comes to weapons, it's best to choose those that offer high Vulnerable Damage, Core Damage, Critical Strike Damage. Apart from that, the weapons that inflict high Slowed Enemies Damage are an added advantage.

2. Helm

It's best to choose Helms that offer Cooldown Reduction, Maximum Fury generation, High Armour, Maximum Life and Strength.

3. Chest

For Chest Armour, choose an option that provides Maximum life and Damage Reduction.

4. Gloves

The best Gloves are those that lead to higher Rend rank, Attack Speed, Strength, and Crit Chance.

5. Pants

When choosing Pants, always prioritize those that offer Increased Armour, Damage Reduction, and Maximum Life.

6. Boots

The best Boots are those that offer higher Movement Speed and reduce Fury Cost.

7. Amulet

Amulets should ideally offer more Fury points, Vulnerable Damage, and Cooldown Reduction. If amulets reduce the Fury Cost, that's an added positive.

8. Rings

Rings should offer Fury Generation, Vulnerable Damage, Crit Damage, and Crit Chance. If you are wondering how to use the sockets, then check the section below to understand which type of Gems to fit in particular sockets.

If you find a weapon with socket use the Royal Emerald stone in it as it increases the Critical Strike Damage caused by the weapon against Vulnerable enemies.

If you find Armour with a slot, set the Royal Sapphire gemstone in it to get Damage reduction when you are fortified.

If you find Jewelry with a slot, encrust it with the Royal Skull to increase the Armour.

Limitations of best Diablo 4 barbarian build & how to overcome them:

Despite the build being so powerful, there are a few limitations you need to be aware of.

1. Hard To Procure Resources

If you have gone through the post carefully, you would know that the build requires a lot of resources. For someone who has played previous Diabo games and is familiar with the gameplay, procuring so many resources isn't an issue. However, a beginner might find it difficult to procure the resources and utilize them properly.

The best solution to this problem is to take a printout of this post and have it by your side when playing the game. Either that or you can keep this post open on your smartphone. That will let you know how to best procure and use the resources.

2. Use of multiple active skills

Another limitation of this build is that you need to use multiple active skills to fight off enemies and gain the needed resources. The best way to tackle this is to take it slow and go through the learning curve. That will help you remember the skills at your disposal and the best time to use them.

3. Dependent on fury

The Rend build depends on Fury, but that isn’t a cause of concern. Many aspects of this build help you generate Fury points at a fast pace. If indeed you manage to procure resources for quicker Fury generation, the build being overly dependent on Fury won't hamper you and you can use the skills and attacks you want.

4. Small AoE

Very few skills in this build can be used to tackle distant enemies. However, if you observe the build carefully, you will realize it relies heavily on damage reduction. Not only that, but it also has a lot of passive skills. These passive skills keep you well-protected when these enemies come nearby. It means you need not worry about the small AoE at all.

FAQs

Is Barbarian bad Diablo 4?

Barbarian has a small AoE in Diablo 4 and has limited range. However, the ability to carry multiple weapons makes it one of the best classes in Diablo 4. So, No Barbarian isn't bad in Diablo 4.

Who is the strongest Barbarian?

The Bear Totem or the Ancestral Guardian are the most powerful Barbarians.

What is the strongest weapon for a Barbarian?

For Barbarians, the strongest weapon is The Greataxe. The reason is pretty simple: it results in maximum damage.

Wrapping it up

Choosing the Barbarian class in Diablo 4 is a wise move. However, the only way you can utilize this class's abilities to the fullest is by going with this best diablo 4 barbarian build. Sure enough, it's a bit elaborate but stick to it and your character will become powerful with each battle you win.

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