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The best Diablo 4 Barbarian build for solo play

The best Diablo 4 Barbarian build turns one of the RPG's less impressive classes into a heavy-hitting DPS dealer capable of support and mighty offense alone or in a group.

Josh Broadwell

March 25, 2023 11:40 AM

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The best Diablo 4 Barbarian build turns one of the RPG’s less impressive classes into a heavy-hitting DPS dealer. You can play the Barbarian just as well in a group or solo, though it does take some getting used to. Their skill costs are high, and the playstyle is more aggressive than other classes.

What is the best Barbarian build in Diablo 4?

The Barbarian is a straightforward class and yet one that’s a bit complicated to get used to. They exist to deal heavy damage and can wield multiple weapon types at once, but their skillsets lend themselves to a variety of specializations. You can, among other things, play the Barbarian as a traditional tank with fortify skills, debuff enemies, or just focus on strong DPS attacks.

Whatever you do, make sure you’re always attacking. The Barbarian generates Fury with each attack, and their skills require Fury in large amounts.

The best Barbarian build for solo play

We opted for a powerful Barbarian build that centers on strong attacks, with a few buffs thrown in. Barbarian passives are less essential than the passives for other classes, so feel free to ignore them and invest points in other skills if you want.

Basic skill: Frenzy (Battle)

Frenzy costs more Fury than most basic skills and requires a dual-wield weapon, but it’s also the most powerful basic skill. It deals high damage, and hitting an enemy raises your attack speed for a short while.

Core skill: Whirlwind (Furious)

Whirlwind uses 20 Fury per second, but the damage it deals and the area of effect make it worthwhile. At higher levels, it generates extra fury to help mitigate the high cost.

Core passive: Skip

These aren’t that great, and if you have Frenzy as your basic skill, you won’t get any use from Endless Fury anyway. It requires two-handed weapons.

Defensive skill: Ground Stomp (Strategic)

Ground Stomp has the shortest cooldown of the Defensive skills, and since it damages and stuns enemies, it’s the most useful too. It even generates Fury at the first upgrade level.

Defensive passive: Imposing Presence

This is an optional investment that’s helpful if you find yourself needing more HP but skippable if you’re fine on that front.

Brawling skill: War Cry (Powerful)

War Cry grants you and any nearby allies a significant attack buff, which can make all the difference in a fight against tough Elites. If you’re surrounded by at least four enemies, it boosts the attack increase even further.

If you skipped any of the previous passives, you may want to invest some points in Leap. It’s not the most powerful attack, but at upgrade level two, it generates 40 Fury.

Brawling passives: Booming Voice and Gutteral Yell

Booming Voice increases how long War Cry lasts. It also unlocks Gutteral Yell, which reduces any nearby enemies’ attack power.

Weapon Mastery skill: Death Blow (Strategic)

Death Blow deals heavy damage to enemies in front of you, and it may kill them. At Tactical level, it deals 100 percent more damage to bosses. Strategic generates 20 Fury when you defeat a foe with Death Blow.

Weapon Mastery passives: Pit Fighter and Slaying Strike

Pit Fighter increases the damage dealt to nearby enemies, and Slaying Strike boosts the damage you do to injured foes. Most of your enemies will be close, so this combo is a good way to finish them quickly and get Death Blow’s extra Fury.

Ultimate skill: Call of the Ancients (Supreme)

Call of the Ancients has a lengthy cooldown timer of 50 seconds, which makes it a highly situational skill, one that works best against tough Elites and bosses. It summons three Ancients in a set order. The first uses Leap, the second activates Upheaval, and the third uses Whirlwind. Keep that in mind when deciding where and when to use it.

However you build your Diablo 4 Barbarian during the beta, just bear in mind you'll have to do it again later. Your beta progress won't carry over to the full game.

Josh Broadwell

Contributing Editor

Josh is a freelance writer and reporter who specializes in guides, reviews, and whatever else he can convince someone to commission. You may have seen him on NPR, IGN, Polygon, or VG 24/7 or on Twitter, shouting about Trails. When he isn’t working, you’ll likely find him outside with his Belgian Malinois and Australian Shepherd or curled up with an RPG of some description.