Diablo 4 Barbarian builds and class guide

Learn exactly how the melee-focused Diablo 4 Barbarian class works and get some build tips

Create a top-tier Diablo 4 Barbarian build and you’ll eviscerate Lilith's demonic minions with an armory of melee weapons, proving yourself to be a near unkillable berserker. However, it's crucial that you choose the right Barbarian Skills if you want to be an effective frontline force as you delve into dungeons in Diablo 4. Barbarians can specialize in several unique ways of dealing damage, whether that's through slicing the enemy to ribbons and bleeding them dry, smashing things with various bludgeoning attacks, or going into a Berserk rage. Below, I’ve laid out how the Barbarian works in Diablo 4, including its unique Arsenal System mechanic, as well as two solid Barbarian builds.

The Barbarian class in Diablo 4 uses up to four melee weapons to deal a lot of physical damage up close, whether it's through wide area attacks, single-target strikes, or extra effects such as Bleed damage and Vulnerable. Barbarians are also the main ‘tank’ class and are very resilient, allowing them to protect their allies in the heat of combat, whether that's through distracting enemies or providing buffs to allies. Here's a quick rundown of the Barbarian class's core functions:

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The Barbarian's special class mechanic – the Arsenal System – provides useful benefits that allow these warriors to become highly versatile in melee combat. Firstly, you can hold four weapons at once – one Two-handed Bludgeoning weapon, one Two-handed Slashing weapon, and two one-handed weapons which are your Dual Wield weapons. You can also assign them to different Skills to customize your build further. Learn how to change weapons in Diablo 4 to switch between your Barbarian weapons for Skills.The main feature of the Arsenal System is Weapon Expertise. These Expertise perks are unlocked at level 5 and provide extra buffs for a certain weapon type. Each perk can be levelled up to Rank 10 just by using the specified weapon type in combat – doing so improves the perk and unlocks an additional benefit. I’ve laid them all out just below.Finally, you can also choose one Expertise perk to put into your Technique slot, extending its benefit to all weapon types. However, you won't unlock the Technique Slot until you’ve completed the "Barbarian: Masters of Battle" quest, which is unlocked at Level 15.Here are all the Weapon Expertise perks for Barbarians in Diablo 4:

Below, I’ve laid out two Diablo 4 Barbarian builds that’ll see you through the game, featuring the essential Skills you need and some extras to round things out. One uses the relentless Whirlwind attack and the other focuses on dealing massive amounts of Bleed damage.

Using the Barbarian's Whirlwind Core Skill, players can deal lots of damage in a wide area, clearing out clusters of demonic foes with ease. However, it's going to require a lot of Fury to keep up, so you’ll need to use Skills such as Frenzy, Rallying Cry, and War Cry to provide some crucial buffs and Fury generation. Frenzy is also one of the main ways of increasing your attack speed, and you’ll want to always be using your Dual-Wield weapons to ensure your Whirlwind is as fast as possible.Mobility is also important for this build, so the Berserking status ailment will really help with boosting movement speed so that you can quickly get within melee range of enemies. Berserking also provides a nice 25% damage boost, so to maximize that buff's uptime, the Wrath of the Berserker Ultimate Skill and Unconstrained Capstone Passive will turn you into a deadly vortex.Here's what I recommend for a Diablo 4 Barbarian Whirlwind build:

To get the most out of Whirlwind, hunt for gear that boosts Strength and Willpower for high damage and Fury generation. Additionally, you should opt for the Two-handed Mace Expertise for your Technique slot to hopefully generate a bit more Fury, but stick to using any combination of Dual Wield weapons.

The Barbarian class has quite a few Skills that apply and benefit from the Bleed effect which can deal a hefty amount of damage over time – great for cleaving through crowds, or even bosses, and letting them bleed out. Flay gets the blood ball rolling, allowing you to apply lots of Bleed damage and Vulnerable effects in a wide area. The Rallying Cry Skill and certain passives will bolster your power and your Fury generation, allowing you to spam Rend a bit more too.However, this build really comes into its own once you unlock Rupture, as this Weapon Mastery attack allows you to deal huge amounts of damage in a single strike with built-up Bleed damage. This attack can also spread more Bleed damage with a bloody explosion and can heal you! I’ve also opted for some Skills that boost Thorns, allowing you to deal even more damage when you’re hit – the best defense is a good offense!Here are the essential Skills you need to craft a great Barbarian Bleed build in Diablo 4:

To round out this build, you’ll want gear that gets your Strength, Willpower, and Dexterity as high as possible. Furthermore, I highly recommend that you assign all your Skills to use your Two-Handed Slashing weapon. It's the weapon type that works best with most Bleed-based Skills and offers a very useful Weapon Expertise ability for Bleed damage. Finally, apply the Two-handed Axe Expertise to your Technique slot to increase the damage you deal to Vulnerable enemies – paired with the Two-handed Sword Expertise, you should be dealing a lot of damage.© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission

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Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.

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