The Barbarian is a powerful melee class in Diablo 4, focusing on running up and facing large groups of enemies head-on. While also being a great tank to distract enemies from your allies, you can also build this class to focus on dealing large amounts of damage and effects on enemies.
While this guide will dig into how to level up and build your Barbarian, there are an endless number of ways to build this class to match whatever play style you favor. While there are other options out there, this is the best basic Barbarian build most players should focus on when starting out.
Best Skills For Leveling
To build the best Barbarian, you'll need to healthy focus on both dealing damage but also trying to stay alive when surrounded by enemies. You'll almost always find yourself surrounded by enemies, making AOE attacks your friend and the bonus Thorns ability even more important.
|
Skill Point |
Type Of Skill |
Prioritized Skill |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Basic |
Flay 1/5 |
|
2 |
Basic |
Flay 2/5 |
|
3 |
Core |
Whirlwind 1/5 |
|
4 |
Core |
Whirlwind 2/5 |
|
5 |
Core |
Enhanced Whirlwind |
|
6 |
Basic |
Enhanced Flay |
|
7 |
Basic |
Combat Flay |
|
8 |
Core |
Violent Whirlwind |
|
9 |
Defensive |
Outburst 1/3 |
|
10 |
Defensive |
Challenging Shout 1/5 |
|
11 |
Defensive |
Outburst 2/3 |
|
12 |
Defensive |
Outburst 3/3 |
|
13 |
Defensive |
Enhanced Challenging Shout |
|
14 |
Core |
Whirlwind 3/5 |
|
15 |
Basic |
Flay 3/5 |
|
16 |
Core |
Whirlwind 4/5 |
|
17 |
Core |
Whirlwind 5/5 |
|
18 |
Weapon Mastery |
Pit Fighter 1/3 |
|
19 |
Defensive |
Imposing Presence 1/3 |
|
20 |
Defensive |
Tough As Nails 1/3 |
|
21 |
Defensive |
Imposing Presence 2/3 |
|
22 |
Defensive |
Tough As Nails 2/3 |
|
23 |
Defensive |
Tough As Nails 3/3 |
|
24 |
Defensive |
Challenging Shout 2/5 |
|
25 |
Ultimate Skill |
Wrath Of The Berserker |
|
26 |
Ultimate Skill |
Prime Wrath Of The Berserker |
|
27 |
Ultimate Skill |
Supreme Wrath Of The Berserker |
|
28 |
Defensive |
Imposing Presence 3/3 |
|
29 |
Defensive |
Challenging Shout 3/5 |
|
30 |
Basic |
Flay 4/5 |
Best Gear & Stats
Diablo 4 throws tons of weapons and armor at the player, with many of them giving you bonus stats and abilities. Trying to perfect your build requires you to prioritize some stats over others when selecting which gear to use, as the basic armor stat will later only scratch the surface of what an armor piece can do. Below are listed the different abilities and stat bonuses you should focus on when selecting armor for your character.
|
Priority Level |
Prioritized Affixes |
|---|---|
|
1 (Most Important) |
Strength, Thorns, Fury Generation, Fury On Kill |
|
2 |
Weapon Damage, Maximum Fury, Damage Reduction, Damage With Bleeding, Armor |
|
3 |
Damage With Physical, Life On Kill, Damage With Skills |
|
4 |
Weapon Speed, Life, Fortify, Damage While Berserking, Damage Reduction From Close, Critical Strike Chance |
|
5 (Least Important) |
Movement Speed, Life Regeneration, Healing From Potions, Critical Strike Damage |
While the armor stat is not always a clear factor for what armor is better than others, the Barbarian is one of the few classes that will greatly benefit from always taking this stat into account. Much like many of the damage reduction stats, simply increasing your armor as much as possible will greatly benefit you and keep you up and berserking longer.
Recommended Gems
At level 15, you'll get access to gems that can be affixed to different weapons and armor. Gems offer a further bonus beyond the bonuses already provided by your gear. Finding the right gem is important as the amount you can affix is greatly limited. Below are the best gems you should affix to your character.
|
Gear Item |
Ideal Gem |
|---|---|
|
Weapons |
Skull or Diamond |
|
Armor |
Emerald or Ruby |
|
Jewelry |
Diamond or Skull |