Diablo 4: BEST Barbarian Build [Skills & Gear]

Out of all classes in Diablo 4, the Barbarian is one that deals the most damage. The brute is capable of carrying some of the heaviest and deadliest weapons in the game. Barbarian’s strikes and blows can put down the enemies in a matter of seconds.

To make things easier for you, here’s my Barbarian Build Summary:

Skills	Ultimate Skill	Weapons	Aspects	Armor	Jewelry
- Flay - Rend - Whirlwind - Iron Skin - Rallying Cry - Challenging Shout - Charge - War Cry - Death Blow - Rupture - Call of the Ancients	Call of the Ancients	- Legendary Two-handed Sword - Legendary Sword - Legendary Two-handed Mace - Legendary Mace/Polearm	- Aspect of the Iron Warrior - Needlefare Aspect - Aspect of Might - Veteran’s Brawler’s Aspect - Brawler’s Aspect - Aspect of Anemia - Death Wish Aspect	Legendary Variants of choice	- Relentless Berserker Necklace - Vigo’s Protecting Amulet - Devilish Band - Band of Berserk Ripping - Slaking Loop

Best Barbarian Build In Diablo 4

With the Barbarian class, players can carry up to 4 weapons at a time in Diablo 4. The diversity will allow you to switch between different weapons depending on the enemy you’re facing. You can equip two-handed as well as single-handed weapons.

There are many different elements that are combined together to make the optimal Barbarian build in Diablo 4. Players will need to take certain things into account, which include:

• Skills.
• Armor.
• Weapons.

A few important elements related to the Barbarian build are the following:

• Aspects of Codex of Power and top-tier gems enhance armor and weapons
• Skills are the most important factor for creating a high-damage build
• Exploration and loot can provide powerful and useful items for improving builds
• The Barbarian is a melee and close-range damage character
• Focus on maximizing damage output, and defense or Thorn set up
• Skills are essential for progression in the game and can be fully customized under the skill tree
• Perks, ultimate abilities, and passive abilities can be chosen for the Barbarian build.

Skills

Type	Best Skills
Basic	Flay
Fury	Rend, Whirlwind
Defensive	Iron Skin, Rallying Cry, Challenging Shout
Brawling	Charge, War Cry
Weapon Mastery	Death Blow, Rupture
Ultimate	Call of the Ancients

As I mentioned earlier, the skills selection you make for your Barbarian will either make or break the class. Hence, if you want to come up with the best variant of the brute character, you need to pick the most effective abilities carefully. Whether you’re starting the game from scratch or just respecing, it’s still worth knowing all the Best Skills that are available at your disposal.

On each level, you will get a single skill point which you can spend at the Skill Tree to buy a new or upgrade an older skill.

Diablo 4 offers tons of different skills to choose from, and it is practically impossible to unlock each skill for your Barbarian due to the level cap. Therefore, the skill selection should be well thought out so that you can get the best out of your Barbarian build.

There are a few types of skills that can be found within the tree system of Diablo 4. For the Barbarian class, the skill types include:

• Basic.
• Fury.
• Defensive.
• Brawling.
• Weapon Mastery.
• Ultimate.

Among these skill types, you can further unlock their subvariants or you can also choose to upgrade them. With that said, here are some of the top picks that are worth going for while you’re leveling up your Barbarian in Diablo 4.

Flay

Skill Category	Type	Fury Generation	Cooldown	Requirement
Basic	Active	9	N/A	Slashing Weapon

The basic skills on offer for the Barbarian are pretty much the same as Diablo 3, except for a few changes. Even though there are multiple basic skills that offer more damage at hand, Flay has been the best pick for Diablo 4 players so far.

Despite inflicting lesser damage, the Flay skill will allow players to induce the Bleed effect on enemies. 

Additionally, the Bleed effect can also be stacked while using the Flay skill with the Barbarian. However, the bleed effect can not be implemented without a slashing weapon. So keep a sword or axe in hand. On top of that, I also advise you to go for Enhanced Flay and Combat Flay in the skill tree.

• Enhanced Flay: Increases the chance of making the enemy vulnerable for a few seconds.
• Combat Flay (base level): When inflicting damage with Flay, you will get a 3% reduction in damage taken and Thorns effect (42) for 2 seconds.

Rend

Skill Category	Type	Fury Cost	Cooldown	Requirement
Fury	Active	25	N/A	Slashing Weapon

The Fury Skills have a bunch of good options at their disposal. However, if you’re aiming to build a high-damaging tanky Barbarian, then it’s important to only focus on two of these skills. The most common and best Fury skills are Rend and Whirlwind.

The Whirlwind is surely one of the most used skills with the Barbarian class in Diablo. However, I recommend going for Rend instead.

Similar to Flay, Rend will also inflict damage as well as a bleeding effect on the enemies. Although, keep in mind that Rend and Flay are completely different moves and will impose separate bleed effects. I also advise you to increase your Rend skill further on.

• Enhanced Rend: Increase vulnerability effect on enemies by 2 seconds after dealing damage with Rend.
• Furious Rend: Earn Fury upon every direct damage dealt to enemies.

Rallying Cry

Skill Category	Type	Fury Generation	Cooldown	Requirement
Defensive	Active	10	20 seconds	N/A

Apart from focusing on the offensive side of Barbarian, it is extremely important to pay as much attention to the defensive abilities as well. Since you’ll be facing enemies up close, the Barbarian will take unavoidable damage. Nevertheless, that can be minimized with the right Defensive skills.

The first one to go for, in my opinion, has to be the Rallying Cry. The skill will enhance the movement speed as well as make the character immune to crowd control. The effects of Rallying Cry will also be granted to your allies in battle.

Thus if you’re playing with friends, then the Rallying Cry is an easy pick. Although, you could also opt for the Challenging Shout too. Also, if you go for the Challenging Shout, you can then also proceed to unlock the Strategic Challenging Shout skill that will grant you even more Thorns.

Iron Skin

Skill Category	Type	Fury Generation	Cooldown	Requirement
Defensive	Active	N/A	14 seconds	N/A

Iron Skin is probably the best Defensive Skill that you can get for the Barbarian. This is an easy pick and should remain constant, regardless of what playstyle you’re focusing on. The Iron Skin will help you take on multiple enemies with ease without having to worry about your health too much.

The Defensive skill will conjure up a Barrier for your player that will help absorb 50% of your health for five seconds. This can obviously be increased by investing more skill points into the Iron Skin. After unlocking the extended branches, it’s best to go for the following route in Diablo 4’s Iron Skin set.

• Enhanced Iron Skin: Barrier will now concede an additional 6% of the Barbarian’s missing life.
• Tactical Iron Skin: Whenever the skill is active, you will also get healed in accordance with a proportion of the Barrier’s amount.

Charge

Skill Category	Type	Fury Generation	Cooldown	Requirement
Brawling	Active	N/A	N/A	N/A

Next up, we have the Brawling Skills for the Barbarian. Players will have a few different options here. Although, these skills are not that groundbreaking. Hence, I recommend that you do not spend too many of your skill points here. Nevertheless, that does not mean that you should totally ignore it.

Two skills stand out in the Brawling section. These are Charge and War Cry. However, for this Bleed/Thorns Barbarian build, it’s best to go for Charge since it will give you a little diversity on the battlefield.

The Charge skill is quite self-explanatory. Whenever you activate it, your player will charge toward the direction it is facing and deal damage to everything that falls under its path. It’s a useful skill to use, especially in areas where there are a bunch of enemies.

On the other hand, War Cry will add a statistical bonus to your Barbarian and your allies. With this skill, you and your companions will get a 3.6% increase in damage/enemy for up to ten seconds.

Death Blow

Skill Category	Type	Fury Generation	Cooldown	Requirement
Weapon Mastery	Active	N/A	15 seconds	Two-handed Slashing Weapon

Next up, we have a few special skills to choose from in the Weapon Mastery category. The ones that stand out for all kinds of Barbarian Builds are Deal Blow and Rupture. You can get both. However, you’ll be able to fully upgrade only one of them.

It is better to go for the Death Blow Weapon Mastery skill. It is a high-damaging skill that is capable of unleashing 663 damage on the opponent. Of course, this will further increase with each skill point you put in Death Blow. After that, you can follow the skill path I have mentioned below.

• Enhanced Death Blow: Deals 100%+ damage on all bosses in Diablo 4.
• Strategic Death Blow: Offers 20 Fury whenever Death Blow damages an enemy.

However, you can skip Strategic Death Blow and instead go for the Rupture skill. Rupture will allow you to cause a bleeding effect on multiple enemies at once. 

Call Of The Ancients

Skill Category	Type	Fury Generation	Cooldown	Requirement
Ultimate	Active (Summoning)	N/A	75 seconds	Slashing Weapon

Last but not least, for your Ultimate Skill, it is best to go for “Call of the Ancients.” From time to time, you will end up at the receiving end of the battle. Hence, whenever you’re overwhelmed, you can utilize this skill to summon the Ancients, who will help you in the fight for up to 12 seconds (base-level skill).

Having the skill can get you out of a lot of sticky situations. Therefore, it’s always best to have a backup plan. On top of that, the skill extensions also offer some juicy bonuses such as:

• Prime Call of the Ancients: Your character will get a 10% boost in damage and attack speed during the time Ancients are active on the battlefield.
• Supreme Call of the Ancients: For each ancient, you will get a unique buff. These buffs will include stuff like gaining Fury, Enemy slowdown, and a chance to stun enemies.

Gear And Equipment

Moving on with the Barbarian build, it is also essential to get some of the best gear for your character. The Gear consists of the types of weapons and armor you use. As you probably know, the gear is completely randomized in Diablo 4. Therefore, there isn’t any right pick for these slots. However, you should always aim for high-rarity weapons and armor. 

On top of that, pay close attention to the stats and buffs that come along with each gear. As they will help you get the Best Barbarian Build in Diablo 4. 

Weapons

The Barbarian can wield four different weapons, automatically switching based on the skill in use. Prioritize these legendary weapons:

1. Legendary Two-handed Sword.
2. Legendary Sword.
3. Legendary Two-handed Mace.
4. Legendary Mace/Polearm.

Obtain these legendary weapons and consider their buffs and stats.

Enhance weapons using Codex of Power obtained by conquering Dungeons. Unlock the Occultist to add Aspects to your gear.

For your Barbarian build I recommend focusing on these Aspects:

1. The Aspect of the Iron Warrior: Makes the character Unstoppable with Iron Skin.
2. Needlefare Aspect: 20% chance of Thorn damage harming nearby enemies.
3. Aspect of Might: 25% Damage Reduction for 4.0 seconds with Basic Skills.
4. Veteran’s Brawler’s Aspect: Boosts Charge or Leap damage by up to 225% with Core Skill hits.
5. Brawler’s Aspect: Enemies explode if killed within 2 seconds after Kick/Charge.
6. Aspect of Anemia: Adds a chance to stun Bleeding Enemies.
7. Death Wish Aspect: Grants extra thorn effects during Barbarian berserk state.

Balance Defensive and Offensive Aspects, leaning slightly toward defense as Barbarian already deals significant damage. Unlock the Jeweler to craft Gems for minor buffs. Prioritize Amethyst (% increase in Damage Over Time) and Emerald Gems (% increase in Damage to Elites).

Armor

Focus on obtaining Legendary Boots, Pants, Gloves, Chest Armor, and Helmet for your armor. Examine their built-in stats carefully, prioritizing damage reduction and Barbarian skill enhancements. Once you have suitable armor, visit the Occultist to imprint an Aspect onto it and consider adding Gem sockets.

For your Armor set in Diablo 4, I recommend considering these Gems and Aspects:

1. Aspect of the Protector: Grants a Barrier every 10 seconds to absorb damage.
2. Ghostwalker Aspect: Allows unhindered movement around enemies when below 40% HP.
3. Aspect of Tempering Blows: Gains Fortify after every 6 weapon switches.
4. Aspect of Disobedience: Increases armor by 0.25%+ for 4 seconds after each hit (stackable up to 25%).
5. Aspect of Deflecting Barrier: Has a 20% chance to evade damage from distant enemies (requires Barrier).

For a Thorns-focused build, prioritize Emerald Gems in all armor slots. Crude Emeralds offer +19 Thorns, while Chipped Emeralds grant +39 Thorns. Ruby, Diamond, and Skull Gems are also viable options for Barbarians.

Items

Acquire the best jewelry items to enhance your Barbarian Build in Diablo 4. In the game, you’ll find rings and amulets while looting dungeons. These items offer additional buffs and stat boosts.

Upgrade items at Jewelers, but ensure you have the ideal jewelry before upgrading. Some noteworthy pieces include:

• Relentless Berserker Necklace
• Vigo’s Protecting Amulet
• Devilish Band
• Band of Berserk Ripping
• Slaking Loop

Items with sockets allow you to add gems, such as:

• Ruby: Resistance against Burn effect
• Emerald: Resistance against Poison effect
• Diamond: Resistance against all elements
• Skull: Increases Armor stat

Maximize your build’s damage resistance and Armor stats, and consider adding Thorns. Gems are vital for fortifying your Barbarian against elemental damage.

For beginners, read the Beginner Tips to ease into Diablo 4. If you want to explore other classes, check out the Druid Build. Lastly, use Waypoints for convenient, fast travel.

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