Best Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4

Published: Jun 1st, 2023, 17:31

Unleash devastation by following our comprehensive guide on crafting the formidable Upheaval Barbarian build in Diablo 4.

Best Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4

Embodying the gruesome and merciless essence of Diablo 4, the Barbarian class reigns supreme as the ultimate force of raw power. Unleashing relentless fury, Barbarians obliterate enemies with bone-crushing attacks that shatter defenses. But why stop there? With the right build, you can push the boundaries even further.

That's where this guide comes in, introducing the formidable Upheaval Barbarian – a true epitome of devastation in Diablo 4. Brace yourself as we unveil the best Upheaval Barbarian build in Diablo 4, from the best Skills, Paragon Node distributions, Gear choices, Skill Tree point allocations, and so much more. So no time to waste – let's plunge headfirst into the adrenaline-fueled world of the Upheaval Barbarian.

Is the Barbarian Class a Good Choice in Diablo 4?

In simple terms, the Barbarian class is indeed an outstanding choice in Diablo 4. Renowned for its unbridled strength and brutal combat style, the Barbarian excels at overpowering foes with devastating melee attacks. Their capacity to dismantle defenses and unleash unrelenting fury establishes them as a formidable force on the battlefield.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Barbarian Build Good for in your face aggressive players — The Barbarian is a great pick for aggressive melee players, especially when using our Upheaval build. (Picture: Blizzard)

Nevertheless, Barbarians do have their share of limitations. They possess a restricted range, lack mobility, and must endure significant damage. Fortunately, the Upheaval Barbarian build effectively addresses some of these concerns, elevating the Barbarian's capabilities to serve as an excellent class choice in Diablo 4.

Now, let's delve into the intricacies of the Upheaval Barbarian build and explore the remarkable advantages offered by this potent combination of class and build.

Best Skills for the Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4

Starting with the most vital aspect of any build in Diablo 4, the skills that we've chosen for the Upheaval Barbarian focus on stunning and immobilizing enemies while you gain stat buffs for Crit strikes and increased movement speed to tear through the battlefield. Below are the basic skills that we've chosen for this build, with the Upheaval skill taking the spotlight, naturally.

Barbarian Skill Type	Skill Name	Upgrade
Basic	Lunging Strike	Combat
Core	Upheaval	Violent
Defensive	Rallying Cry	Tactical
Defensive	Challenging Shout	Tactical
Brawling	War Cry	Power
Brawling	Leap	Power
Technique	Two-Handed Axe Expertise	N/A

Some of these skills are new to many players, and it may be confusing to understand each of their effects at a glance. So below, we've listed the full details of each ability as well as the level/unlock path these skills take.

Lunging Strike - Lunge forward and strike an enemy for 30% damage.
Combat Lunging Strike (Upgraded) - Critical Strikes with Lunging Strike grant you Berserking for 1.5 seconds.
Upheaval - Tear into the ground with your weapon and fling debris forward, dealing 70% damage.
Violent Upheaval (Upgraded) - If Upheaval damages at least 2 enemies, you gain Berserking for 2 seconds, increased to 3 seconds if it damages at least 4 enemies.
Rallying Cry - Bellow a rallying cry, increasing your Movement Speed by +30% and Resource Generation by x40% for 6 seconds, and Nearby allies for 3 seconds.
Tactical Rallying Cry (Upgraded) - Rallying Cry generates 20 Fury and grants you an additional x20% Resource Generation.
Challenging Shout - Taunt Nearby enemies and gain a 40% Damage Reduction for 6 seconds.
Tactical Challenging Shout (Upgraded) - While Challenging Shout is active, you gain 3 Fury each time you take damage.
War Cry - Bellow a mighty war cry, increasing your damage dealt by x15% for 6 seconds, and Nearby allies for 3 seconds.
Power War Cry (Upgraded) - If at least 6 enemies are Nearby when you cast War Cry, your damage bonus is increased by an additional x10%.
Leap - Leap forward and then slam down, dealing 32% damage and Knocking Back surrounding enemies on impact.
Power Leap (Upgraded) - If Leap damages at least one enemy, gain 40 Fury.
2h Axe (Technique) - x[15.0%] increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.
- +10% increased Critical Strike Chance against Vulnerable Enemies.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Barbarian Build Skills — The Upheaval Barbarian skills are listed below. (Picture: D4builds.gg)

Now, you may be wondering, what about the Ultimates? Well, since the Upheaval builds focus on capitalizing on the stuns, immobilizations with stat effects, and the damage buffs sprinkled throughout, the passive skills suit this build more and are where we're pushing most of the other points, as shown below.

Best Passive Skills for the Upheaval Barbarian Build

The passive skills for the Upheaval Barbarian build off of the other skills to either add more damage, increase your ability to deal out status effects such as being stunned, or increase your effectiveness against enemies that are currently under the status effects you impart.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Barbarian Build Passive Skills useful — Passive skills like the one below help boost your already chosen skills for the Upheaval build. (Picture: Blizzard)

Pit Fighter - You deal x3%/x6%/x9% increased damage to Close enemies and gain 2%/4%/6% Distant Damage Reduction.
No Mercy - You have +3%/+6%/+9% increased Critical Strike Chance against Immobilized, Stunned, or Slowed enemies.
Slaying Strike - You deal x7%/x15%/x22% increased damage against Injured enemies.
Heavy Handed - While using Two-Handed weapons you deal x5%/x10%/x15% increased Critical Strike Damage.
Wallop - Your Skills using Bludgeoning weapons deal x5%/x10%/x15% increased damage if the enemy is Stunned or Vulnerable.
Concussion - Lucky Hit: Skills using Bludgeoning weapons have up to a 10%/20%/30% chance to Stun enemies for 3 seconds, or up to a 15%/30%/45% chance when using a Two-Handed Bludgeoning weapon.
Unconstrained - Increase Berserk’s maximum duration by 5 seconds and increase its damage bonus by +25%.

Best Starting Paragon Board for the Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4

When it comes to Paragon Points that we recommend for this build, we expect every player to tweak the node distribution at the later game changes because, at that point, almost nothing can stop you. However, during your early levels, you'll need a few nodes that will help you get the best out of the Upheaval Barbarian build and let you crush your way to the end game.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Barbarian Build best Paragon Starter board — Above is the best starting Paragon point distribution for the Upheaval build. (Picture: D4builds.gg)

So below, we've listed the best nodes that you should aim for to create the best starting Paragon Board to increase the strength of your Upheaval Barbarian build:

+5 Strength
+5 Willpower
+5 Strength
+5 Strength
+5 Strength
+5 Willpower
+5 Dexterity
+5% Physical Damage
+10% Physical Damage
- + 4% life
- + 10% Physical damage if requirement is met: Obtain 200 Strength.
+ 2% Life
+ 2% Life
+ 5% Physical Damage
+5 Strength
+5 Willpower
+5 Intelligent
+5 Dexterity
Rare Glyph (Ambidextrous)
- Bonus: Gain a 40% bonus to all magic nodes within range.
- Deal 8% increased damage while wielding One-handed weapons.
- Requires: 40 Strength

Our choices for the Paragon Nodes will head up the left side of the board focusing on Strenght and Willpower buffs, and towards the first Rare Glyph, Ambidextrous, which is the most important start. This Glyph will allow you to gain an 8% increase in damage while wielding a one-handed weapon, this may sound like a little, but it's worthwhile for the future.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Barbarian Build Once done feel free to experiment — Once you have these points, feel free to experiment with the other pints as the boards are large and offer tons of power. (Picture: Blizzard)

As you level up and gain more damage output, the 8% increase will scale accordingly, so once you reach the late game, you'll be dishing out tons of extra damage compared to a single +5 Strenght. Once you reach this node, feel free to experiment to your heart's content with the rest of the board and the ones to follow.

Best Gems for the Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4

Gems can be slotted into your armor, weapon, and jewelry slot, and can give the barbarian some great additional buffs that push the Upheaval Barbarian just a little bit further in terms of strength and survivability. So below are the three Gems that we believe are best suited to be slotted into your Upheaval Barbarian build:

Skull - Add to Jewelry if you need +Armor.
Sapphire - Add to weapon for +Critical Strike chance.
Ruby - Add to armor for a +6 life increase.

Best Legendary Aspects for the Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4

Diablo 4 introduces the Codex of Power and the Occultist vendor, allowing players to utilize the Imprint, Extract, and Store features for Legendary Aspects and Powers. In the case of the Upheaval Barbarian, we have selected specific Legendary Aspects that do not necessitate extensive dungeon or area grinding to obtain them.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Barbarian Build Legendary aspects — The Legendary Aspects chosen below are the bare recommended for this build, and the rest are free to choose as your build evolves. (Picture: Blizzard)

These three chosen Aspects serve as the fundamental recommendations for this build but feel free to customize and modify them according to your preferences.

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.
Aspect of Retribution - Distant enemies have an 8% chance to be Stunned for 2 seconds when they hit you. You deal [20 - 40%] increased damage to Stunned enemies.
Aspect of Echoing Fury - Your Shout skills generate [2.0 - 4.0] Fury per second while active.

And there you have it, the best items and skills needed to create the powerful and nearly unstoppable Upheaval Barbarian in Diablo 4. Consider checking out more details on this build courtesy of YouTuber Warlug above, and enjoy wreaking havoc in the world of Sanctuary.

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

Features: Beginners Guide | Impressions From Beta |

Stronghold Guides - Kor Dragan | Malnok | Nostrava |

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

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.

Written by Shane Moosa

Shane started his career as a freelance writer for Gamezo while working full-time as a software developer. You can often find Shane trying his hand at no-hit runs of Souls Games such as Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3 (and being quite unsuccessful). To relax, Shane will often boot up sessions of Overwatch 2 or Hunt: Showdown, but his interests are spread across various games, from AAA titles (He loved the Dead Space Remake and RE4 Remake) to indies such as Hollow Knight, Celeste, and Hades. Shane is always willing to try new games though, so feel free to drop him an email with what you think he should check out next.

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