Best Diablo 4 Barbarian Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Arsenal, Legendary Aspects

Looking for the best Barbarian class build in Diablo 4? Then we've got you covered. To quote Barbarians in Diablo lore and to get things off with the right axe forward: "Bul-Kathos Guides My Hand!"

In this consistently updated Diablo 4 class guide for Barbarians across the world of Sanctuary, we dive deep into everything players need to know. This includes the best Skills, Gems, Stats Priority, Arsenal System, best-in-slot items, and much more for the Barbarian in Diablo 4, so let's charge in.

Update on 17 March 2023: You can test out the best Barbarian build in Diablo 4's Early Access Open Beta starting today.

Diablo 4 Barbarian Overview: Is it a Good Class?

For those who love charging into battle headfirst, the Barbarian is a great class. Featuring a unique Arsenal system class mechanic (more on that in another section of this guide) allowing you to wield four (4) weapons at once, the Barbarian in Diablo 4 is all about smashing the hordes of the Burning Hells and the followers of Lilith to pieces.

The Barbarian is arguably a very item-dependent class. You will need best-in-slot equipment for Diablo 4's toughest challenges. It is also a beginner-friendly option as a tanky class. The Barbarian uses Fury as a resource, generated by basic attacks and spent by Core Skills, Ultimate Skills, and Weapon Mastery Skills. 

The class' unique Dismount ability sees the player jump from their mount and slam the ground, dealing damage to surrounding enemies. Sounds good? Okay, now let's get started with all the details of our best class build for the Diablo 4 Barbarian, jumping straight into the skills to use in our next section.

Best Diablo 4 Barbarian Skills Build: Bleed Them Dry

We call our best Barbarian skill build in Diablo 4 the "Bleed Them Dry" to signify the build's propensity to Whirlwind into a pack of enemies and watch them bleed to death like the good son/daughter of Bul Kathos that you are.

For those new to Diablo 4, these skill names and upgrades might not mean anything in particular. To really flesh out the best Barbarian build in Diablo 4, we've got explanations of each of the skills listed above, alongside their upgrades, as per Maxroll.gg's data.

• Flay: Flay the enemy dealing {5%} damage. Inflicts {38%} Bleeding damage over 5 seconds.
• Flay Battle upgrade: Flay has a {10%} chance to make enemy Vulnerable for 2 seconds. Double this chance when using a Two-Handed Weapon.
• Flay Enhancement: When Flay deals direct damage to an enemy, they take {x10%} increased Bleeding damage for the next 3 seconds.
• Whirlwind: Rapidly attack surrounding enemies for {12%} damage.
• Whirlwind Furious upgrade: While using a Slashing weapon, Whirlwind also inflicts {26%} Bleeding damage over {5} seconds.
• Whirlwind Enhancement: Gain {1} Fury each time Whirlwind deals direct damage to an enemy, or {3} Fury against Elite enemies.
• Rallying Cry: Bellow a rallying cry, granting allies {+30%} increased Movement Speed, and {x50%} increased Resource Generation for {6} seconds.
• Rallying Cry Tactical upgrade: Rallying Cry grants {25} Fury. You gain {+50%} increased Resource Generation from Rallying Cry.
• Rallying Cry Enhancement: Rallying Cry grants Unstoppable while active.
• Charge: Become Unstoppable and rush forward, pushing enemies with you then swinging through them for {26%} damage and Knocking them Back.
• Charge Mighty upgrade: Damaging enemies with Charge makes them Vulnerable for {2} seconds.
• Rupture: Skewer enemies in front of you, dealing {14%} damage, then rip your Weapon out, damaging enemies for their total Bleeding amount and removing all Bleeding damage from them.
• Rupture Tactical upgrade: Killing enemies with Rupture increases your Attack Speed by {+20%} for {4} seconds.
• Rupture Enhancement: If an enemy dies while being skewered by Rupture, then reset its Cooldown. Enemies who survive take {x20%} increased Bleeding damage for the next {8} seconds.
• Wrath of the Berserker: Gain Berserking and Unstoppable for {5} seconds. For the next {10} seconds dealing direct damage with Basic Skills grants Berserking for {5} seconds. Cooldown is 60 seconds.
• Wrath of the Berserker Supreme upgrade: While Wrath of the Berserker is active, gain {+20%} increased Movement Speed and increase Fury Generation by {x30%}.

We suggest picking the Enhancements only for the skills where mentioned below.

That's already a whole lot of info to consider and take in. This build basically allows your Barbarian to have high mobility due to its skill and upgrade choices and focus on applying a whole lot of Vulnerability and Bleed effects to your enemies. Note that Rupture is used to finish off Elites or deal massive damage spikes after bleed effects are applied.

What Passive Skills Are Best for D4 Barbarians?

In the expansive Diablo 4 skill tree, there are passive skills to unlock, and for our Bleed Them Dry build, we've picked some you can go after as priorities before branding out into others. Check them out below.

• Pressure Point - Lucky Hit: Your Core Skills have up to 10%/20%/30% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
• Endless Fury - Basic Skills generate x5%/x10%/x15% more Fury when using Two-Handed Weapons.
• Swiftness - Movement Speed is increased by +4%/+8%/+12%.
• Pit Fighter - You deal x3%/x6%/x9% increased damage to Close enemies and gain 2%/4%/6% Distant Damage Reduction.
• Cut to the Bone - Your Bleeding effects deal x6%/x12%/x18% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.
• Heavy Handed - While using Two-Handed Weapons you deal x5%/x10%/x15% increased Critical Strike Damage.
• Tempered Fury - Increase your Maximum Fury by 3/6/9.

Still with us? We are only about halfway through our in-depth best Diablo 4 Barbarian build guide!

Diablo 4 Barbarian Arsenal System Priority

For the best Barbarian build in Diablo 4, focusing on Bleed damage, we suggest ranking up your 2-handed Slashing weapon first. At level 10 Expertise, 20% of your direct damage is inflicted as Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. The Rank 10 bonus allows the Barbarian to deal 30% increased Bleeding damage for five (5) seconds after killing an enemy.

You can learn more about how the unique class mechanic for the Barbarian in Diablo 4, the Arsenal system, works with our dedicated guide.

Stats Priority For Diablo 4 Barbarians

In terms of Primary Stats for Barbarians in Diablo 4, the priority is:

• Strength: +0.1% Skill Damage per point.
• Dexterity: +0.02% Critical Strike Chance per point.
• Willpower: +0.1% Resource Generation per point.
• Intelligence: +0.1% to All Resistances

Please note: this priority list assumes your items will have enough resistance for your current difficulty level.

There are a lot of secondary stats and affixes in Diablo 4. For our Bleed Them Dry build, we suggest looking for +Bleed affixes, + Whirlwind Damage, or really anything that synchronizes well with the Skills picked. Attack speed is always great to have, alongside Critical Hit Damage, movement speed on boots, damage on Gloves (yes, that's a thing in Diablo 4), and hitting All Resistance requirements for the next World Tier difficulty level.

These core stats can also be increased by leveling up and equipping new items. You can also get a permanent primary stat increase for all your characters for every Altar of Lilith you find and interact with.

If your Barbarian has 225 Strength and 225 Dexterity or more in total, you can select a special passive increase that adds +1% Critical Strike Damage per second while the channeled Whirlwind skill is active. This can stack up to 20%, making your Barbarian a devasting flurry of death and destruction on the minions of the Burning Hells.

Best Gems For Barbarians in Diablo 4

The best Gems for your Barbarian build in Diablo 4 should complement your skill selection and fill in some blanks where your character might be lacking. Our gem picks and reasons for adding them to specific slots can be found below.

• Amethyst - Add to weapons for increased Damage over Time effects (great for Bleeding).
• Skull - Add to Jewelry if you need +Armor.
• Sapphire - Add to weapon for +Critical Strike chance.
• Ruby - Add to weapon for better Fury generation if needed.
• Topaz - Add to armor at higher levels for damage reduction or a weapon for Lucky Hit increase.
• Emerald - Add to weapon for +damage to Elites.

Top Legendary Aspects For Diablo 4 Barbarians

With Diablo 4's Codex of Power and the Occultist vendor, players can Imprint, Extract, and Store Legendary Aspects and Powers. For our best Barbarian build in Diablo 4, we've listed the top 12 known Legendary Powers that you need to be on the lookout for, either by getting item drops or by completing Dungeons.

• Aspect of Ancestral Echoes - Lucky Hit: Damaging enemies with Leap, Upheaval, or Whirlwind has up to a 40% chance to summon an Ancient to perform the same Skill. Can only happen once every 5 seconds.
• Aspect of Berserk Ripping - Whenever you deal direct damage while Berserking, inflict 22% of the base damage dealt as additional Bleeding damage over 5 seconds.
• Aspect of the Dire Whirlwind - Whirlwind's Critical Strike Chance is increased by 5% for each second it is channeled, up to 20%.
• Aspect of Quickening Pulse - Lucky Hit: Up to a 20% chance to reduce the Cooldowns of your non-Ultimate Skills by 1.5 seconds when you inflict Bleeding on Elites.
• Veteran Brawler's Aspect - Each time a Core Skill deals direct damage to an enemy, your next Charge or Leap deals x15% increased damage, up to 225%.
• Slaking Aspect - Lucky Hit: You have up to a 30% chance to gain 20 Fury when Rend deals direct damage to at least one Bleeding enemy.
• Aspect of Anemia - Lucky Hit: Direct damage against Bleeding enemies has up to a 31% chance to Stun them for 2 seconds.
• Relentless Berserker's Aspect - Lucky Hit: Damaging an enemy with a Core Skill has up to a 22% chance to extend the duration of Berserking by 1 second. Double this duration if it was a Critical Strike.
• Wind Striker Aspect - Critical Strikes grant 8.0% Movement Speed for 1 second. The duration can be extended.
• Ghostwalker Aspect - You may move freely through enemies while below 40% total Life.
• Rapid Aspect - Basic Skills gain 23% Attack Speed.
• Aspect of the Expectant - Enemies hit with Basic Skills increases the damage of your next Core Skill by x5.0%, up to x50%.

Remember, you can use the Occultist to extract and imprint these powers on Rare gear as well, turning them Legendary in the process. Check out our guide's complete list of Diablo 4's Legendary Aspects and Powers for the Barbarian class.

Best in Slot Items For Diablo 4 Barbarians

At the time of writing, it is impossible to give you a full list of best-in-slot items for a powerful Barbarian build in Diablo 4 since we have no idea what types of items will drop during the endgame.

We can, however, say that for this build, +damage to Whirlwind, movement speed on boots, high-damage weapons, and items with increased bleed effect or duration should be a top priority while following the Core Stats priority as well in a previous section of this guide. The table below will be updated as soon as we get more information.

We will endeavor to update this article as soon as more item information becomes available. 

Unique Barbarian Items in Diablo 4?

At the time of writing, only one Unique item for the Barbarian has been found in Diablo 4. We are sure there are many more in Sanctuary and will update this section once an appropriate one for our Bleed Them Dry build is found. For now, check out the Unique Barbarian axe found thus far:

The Butcher's Cleaver (Axe):

• Class: Barbarian
• Unique Effect: Immobilize your target for [1.0-3.0] seconds when you Critically Strike.
  Stats:
• 2.0 - 4.5% Attack Speed
• +6.5 - 11.5% Damage to Healthy Enemies
• +4.5 - 7.5% Damage While Healthy
• Lucky Hit: 5% Chance to heal 35 - 57

Remember, you can only equip one Unique item on a character.

While you wait for Diablo 4 to release, learn more about the Barbarian class in the video from YouTuber Vulcan below.

So there you have it, a complete guide to the Barbarian class in Diablo 4 for a robust build, from the best skills to use to gems, stat priority, the Arsenal system, and more. We will endeavor to update this article consistently, so you always have the latest information at hand.

For more Diablo 4, be sure to check out our dedicated section or some of our Guides & Tutorials just below:

Diablo 4 Class Builds - Best Barbarian Build |  | Best Necromancer Build | Best Sorcerer Build | Best Druid Build | Best Rogue Build | All Classes Tier List | Best Class For Beginners | Build Calculator | 

Class Mechanics: Sorcerer Enchantment System | Barbarian Arsenal | Rogue Specialization | Necromancer Book of the Dead | Druid Specialization | 

Items - Healing Vial | Item Slot Types | Transmogs/Wardrobe | Salvage Items | Durability & Repair | Trading Items | All Unique Items & Stats | Set Items | Item Quality/Rarity Levels | Elixirs | Butcher's Cleaver | 

Features: Beginners Guide | Impressions From Beta | 

Quests: Ritual Tower Key | Forgive Me Side Quest | Traveler's Prayer Side Quest | Secret Of The Spring Riddle | Raising Spirits Side Quest | 

General D4 Guides: Legendary & Gold Farming | Town Portal | Inventory Size | Stash Size | Beat Lilith's Lament | Beat Den Mother Boss | Beat Lord Avitus Boss | Beat Blood Bishop Boss | Reset Dungeons | Gathering Legions Guide | The Butcher Boss | Leave Dungeons | All Stronghold Locations | 

Diablo 4 Tech Guides - Ray Tracing Support | Couch Co-Op | Server Regions | PC Requirements & File Size | Diablo 4 Servers Down? | Connection Issues Fix | Crashing Issues Fix | Unable To Install or Patch | Low FPS Fix | Error Code 34202 Fix | Disable Fog & Glare | Stuck in Queue Fix | Console Issues | PC Issues | Enable & Disable Chat Bubbles | Hit Max Level Fast | Best PC Settings High FPS | Error Code 395002 Fix | Error Code 316719 Fix | D4 on Steam Deck | 

Crafting/Vendors - Jeweler | Gambling & Obols | Occultist | Alchemist | Blacksmith | | Monster Parts | Skins | Ore | Plants | 

Legendary Aspects - Codex of Power | Sorcerer Legendary Powers | Barbarian Legendary Powers | Rogue Legendary Powers | Necromancer Legendary Powers | Druid Legendary Powers

Activities - Strongholds | Nightmare Dungeons | Silent Chests | Altars of Lilith | 

Story & Lore - Campaign Length | Who is Lilith? | Who is Inarius | Deckard Cain | Secret Cow Level | 

Zones - Fractured Peaks Overview | Scosglen | Kehjistan | Dry Steppes | Hawezar | All Waypoint Locations | 

Mounts - Temptation Mount | Diablo 4 Class Dismount Mechanics | Unlock & Customize |

Seasons - Battle Pass Price | Diablo 4 Season Duration | 

Gameplay Systems - Armor System | Clans | Primary Stats & Effects | Shrines & Buffs | Renown & Reputation | Max Level & Paragon Cap | World Tier Difficulty Levels | Followers/Mercenaries | 

World Bosses - Ashava | Avarice | Wandering Death | Beat Ashava | Ashava Spawn Location | 

Diablo 4 Misc - Statue of Inarius Price & Specs | Wolf Pack Cosmetic | Codes | Diablo 4 Free-to-Play? | Mother's Inked Title | Collector's Edition | How To Respec | Stagger Mechanic | Patch Notes | Asmongold Diablo 4 Beta Thoughts | 

Diablo 4 PvP - Coming soon!

Our section keeps growing, so check for new guides daily! Don't forget to pick up one of the Diablo 4 Editions and join the fight to save Sanctuary soon.