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Best Diablo 4 Upheaval Barbarian Build Season 2: Skills, Stats, Items, Aspects

Unleash devastation by following our comprehensive guide on crafting the formidable Upheaval Barbarian build in Diablo 4 Season 2.
Best Diablo 4 Upheaval Barbarian Build Season 2: Skills, Stats, Items, Aspects
Blizzard

Embodying the gruesome and merciless essence of Diablo 4, the Barbarian class reigns supreme as the ultimate force of raw power in Season 2. 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. So let's 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. 

Diablo 4 Upheaval Barbarian Overview: Is it a Good Class in Season 2?

In simple terms, the Barbarian class is indeed an outstanding choice in Diablo 4, especially for the challenges awaiting players in the Season of the Malignant. 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 in Diablo 4 Season 2.

Best Diablo 4 Season 2 Upheaval Barbarian Skills

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.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Barbarian Build Passive Skills useful
The following skills are best suited for the Upheaval build in Season 2, and focuse on the Upheaval skill at it's core. (Picture: Blizzard)
D4 Upheaval Barbarian build Skills in S2 Points Spent
Lunging Strike 1
Enhanced Lunging Strike 1
Battle Lunging Strike 1
Upheaval 5
Enhanced Upheaval 1
Violent Upheaval 1
Ground Stomp 1
Enhanced Ground Stomp 1
Strategic Ground Stomp 1
Rallying Cry 1
Enhanced Rallying Cry 1
Tactical Rallying Cry 1
War Cry 1
Enhanced War Cry 1
Mighty War Cry 1
Booming Voice 3
Raid Leader 3
Guttural Yell 3
Aggressive Resistance 3
Prolific Fury 3
Pit Fighter 3
No Mercy 3
Hamstring 1
Thick Skin 1
Defensive Stance 3
Counteroffensive 3
Iron Maelstrom 1
Prime Iron Maelstrom 1
Supreme Iron Maelstrom 1
Heavy Handed 3
Wallop 3
Walking Arsenal 1

Important: The most effective Druid companion builds for Diablo 4 Season 2 make use of all Skill Points, including the extra two acquired per region through renown.

In this build, we have meticulously chosen skills in collaboration with the valuable resource, IcyVeins.GG. The main focus of this build is to unleash powerful AoE attacks with Upheaval, allowing you to decimate the hordes of hell. As enemies fall before your relentless assaults, you will embody the spirit of a berserker on the battlefield.

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 33% damage.
  • Upheaval - Tear into the ground with your weapon and fling debris forward, dealing 70% damage. 
  • Ground Stomp - Smash the ground, dealing 9% damage and Stunning surrounding enemies for 3 seconds. 
  • Rallying Cry - Bellow a rallying cry, increasing your Movement Speed by 30%[+] and Resource Generation by 40%[x] for 6.5 seconds, and Nearby allies for 3.2 seconds. 
  • War Cry - Bellow a mighty war cry, increasing your damage dealt by 15.0%[x] for 6.5 seconds, and Nearby allies for 3.2 seconds. 
  • Booming Voice - Your Shout Skill effect durations are increased by 8%[x]
  • Raid Leader - Your Shouts also Heal allies for 1% of their Maximum Life per second. 
  • Gutteral Yell - Your Shout Skills cause enemies to deal 4% less damage for 5 seconds.
  • Aggressive Resistance - Gain 3% Damage Reduction while Berserking. 
  • Prolific Fury - While Berserking, Fury Generation is increased by 6%[x]
  • Pit Fighter - You deal 3%[x] increased damage to Close enemies and gain 2% Distant Damage Reduction. 
  • No Mercy - You have a 3%[+] increased Critical Strike Chance against Immobilized, Stunned, or Slowed enemies. 
  • Hamstring - Your Bleeding effects Slow Healthy enemies by 20%.  
  • Thick Skin - Each time you take direct damage gain 0.4% Base Life (6) a Fortify.
  • Defensive Stance - Increase the Damage Reduction gained while you are Fortified by an additional 2%
  • Counteroffensive - While you have Fortifyfor over 50% of your Maximum Life, you deal 4%[x] increased damage. 
  • Iron Maelstrom - Activate three times to attach chains to each of your weapons and perform an attack: First, your Two-Handed Bludgeoning weapon slams into the ground, dealing 60% damage and Stunning enemies for 2 seconds. Next, your Two-Handed Slashing weapon swipes in front of you, dealing 20% damage and inflicting 24% Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. Finally, your Dual Wield weapons swing around you, dealing 32% damage per hit. 
  • Heavy Handed - While using Two-Handed weapons you deal 5%[x] increased Critical Strike Damage. 
  • Wallop - Your Skills using Bludgeoning weapons deal 5%[x] increased damage if the enemy is Stunned or Vulnerable. 
  • Walking Arsenal - Dealing direct damage with a Two-Handed Bludgeoning, Two-Handed Slashing, or Dual Wielded weapon grants 10%[x] increased damage for 6 seconds. While all three damage bonuses are active, you gain an additional 15%[x] increased damage. 

Diablo 4 Best Arsenal System Picks For Upheaval Barbarian Build 

The Arsenal System enables Barbarians to utilize specific weapons for each attack skill, granting distinct bonuses. By equipping the Technique Slot, you gain an additional Arsenal Power of your choice for every attack. The strategy is to utilize the two most potent weapon bonuses to overpower your foes. If you haven't unlocked it yet, be sure to refer to our comprehensive guide on the Barbarian Arsenal system.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Build Arsenal system picks
Below are the best Expertise and Technique choices for the Upheaval Barbarian in Season 2. (Picture: Blizzard)

For the Upheaval build, the focus will be on utilizing the expertise of Two-Handed Axes for the bonus. Additionally, the Technique will be applied to the Two-Handed Axe. Here are the descriptions of each of these bonuses:

  • (Expertise) 2-Handed Axe: Increases Critical Strike Chance against Vulnerable enemies by 10%.
  • (Technique) 2-Handed Axe: Increases damage to Vulnerable enemies by 15.0%. 

Stats Priority For Diablo 4 Upheaval Barbarian Build Druid

Regarding Primary Stats for Barbarians in Diablo 4, the priority is as follows:

  • Strength: Each point provides a +0.1% Skill Damage boost.
  • Willpower: Each point provides a +0.1% Resource Generation boost.
  • Dexterity: Each point provides a +0.02% Critical Strike Chance boost.
  • Intelligence: Each point provides a +0.1% bonus to All Resistances.

Diablo 4 Season 1 includes numerous secondary stats and affixes. For the Upheaval Barbarian build, we recommend seeking items with the following affixes: Cooldown Reduction, Skill Ranks, Strength, Life, Attack Speed, Crit Strike Chance, and Movements Speed+ Ranks to skills you are using, with Upheaval on Gloves being the most advantageous.

These core stats can improve further by leveling up and equipping new items. Additionally, interacting with the Altars of Lilith grants a permanent primary stat increase for all your characters.

Best Diablo 4 Season 2 Upheaval Barbarian Build Paragon Legendary Nodes & Glyphs

As for Paragon Points, we anticipate players to adjust the node distribution as the game progresses, as very little will be able to impede your progress at that point. During the early levels, focus on nodes that optimize the Upheaval Barbarian build and help you dominate your way to the end game.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Build Paragon board glyphs and nodes
By the end of your Upheaval build, here's what your Paragon board should look like, but feel free to choose the staring board nodes at your discretion. (Picture: D4Builds.GG)

For the best Upheaval Barbarian build, we recommend upgrading and using the following Glyphs: 

  • Bloodfeeder
  • Ire
  • Exploit
  • Mortal Draw
  • Might
  • Marshal

The Legendary Nodes and their boards you need to progress through (as per the image above via Maxroll.gg), in order of importance, are listed below:

  • Blood Rage (Go through the board, not Legendary Node) 
  • Carnage (Pick up the Legendary Node on this board) 
  • Decimator (Pick up the Legendary Node on this board) 
  • Warbringer (Go through the board, not Legendary Node) 
  • Hemorrhage (Go through the board, not Legendary Node) 

It is important to remember to always look ahead and see what stats you require for additional bonuses. To this end, we suggest checking out the best Paragon Board planner for Diablo 4 Season 2.

Best Gems for the Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4

Gems offer different effects based on the gear they are equipped with, including weapons, armor, and jewelry like necklaces. The effectiveness of Gems varies depending on their placement. To optimize the Upheaval Barbarian build in Diablo 4 Season 2, we suggest the following placements for specific Gems:

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Build Best Gems
The following Gems will work best for the Upheaval build in Diablo 4. (Picture: Blizzard)
  • Weapon: Use a Royal Emerald to increase critical strike damage against vulnerable enemies.
  • Armor: Equip a Royal Sapphire to gain damage reduction while fortified.

Our typical recommendation is to use Royal Skulls for Rings and Amulets.

Best Legendary Aspects for the Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4

In this section, we will explore the primary Aspects you should aim to acquire. These Aspects can be obtained through various means, such as collecting item drops, clearing and farming Dungeons, or acquiring them from the Occultist merchant and the Codex of Power. Now, let's delve into the discussion of which Aspects work best with the Upheaval Barbarian build in Diablo 4 Season 1.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Barbarian Build Legendary aspects
The Legendary Aspects chosen below are the ideal for this build as you approach the end-game. (Picture: Blizzard)
Item Slot Best Upheaval Barbarian Legendary Aspect/Power
Head Aspect of Might
Chest Aspect of Numbing Wrath
Gloves Aspect of Berserk Ripping
Pants Iron Blood Aspect
Boots Ghostwalker Aspect
Amulet Aspect of Disobedience
Ring 1 Aspect of Echoing Fury
Ring 2 Bold Chieftain’s Aspect
2H Mace Edgemaster’s Aspect
1H Slot 1 Aspect of the Expectant
1H Slot 2 Accelerating Aspect
2H Sword Aspect of Limitless Rage

It is advisable to experiment with different combinations to find the ones that suit your playstyle. With a wide selection of Aspects available, be sure to consult our comprehensive list of Legendary Aspects and Abilities for the Upheaval Barbarian builds in Diablo 4.

Best Unique Items For Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4 Season 2

Diablo 4's Unique items offer a tremendous opportunity to significantly enhance your character. Equipping these extraordinary finds can completely transform your playstyle. In addition to powerful attributes like other items, Unique items provide enhanced itemization and often come with distinctive effects that cannot be found on any other gear.

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Barbarian Build Once done feel free to experiment
The following unique items give our Upheaval Barbarian a massive boost in power and lethality. (Picture: Blizzard)

Here are the best Unique items for Barbarians in Diablo 4 Season 2 that you can utilize with the Upheaval build:

  • Hellhammer (Ideal Recommendation)  
  • The Butcher's Cleaver
  • The Grandfather (Super Unique) 
  • Doombringer (Super Unique) 
  • Ramaladni's Magnum Opus
  • 100,000 Steps

Lastly, there are exceedingly rare and potent Unique items known as uber/super Unique that players can acquire if they are exceptionally fortunate. If you manage to obtain any of the Uber/super unique items listed above, make sure to incorporate them into your build immediately!

Diablo 4 Best Upheaval Build Unique items
Once the meta has set around this new unique weapon, we will make a recommendation on whether it suits our Upheaval build. (Picture: WoWHead)

And there you have it, the best items and skills needed to create the powerful and nearly unstoppable Upheaval Barbarian in Diablo 4 Season 2. We would like to shout out IcyVeins.GG for their massive contribution to the information used in this guide, 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:

Diablo 4 Season 2 Guides
Class Builds & Tier Lists

 

Tech Guides & Fixes
World, Maps & Locations
Diablo 4 Items & Slots
Achievements/Challenges
Legendary Aspects
Strongholds
Bosses
Gameplay Systems
The Story, Lore & Characters
Diablo 4 Season Guides

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.