Barbs were used to being the bottom of the barrel of classes, ignored, seemingly and weak and slow to most content creators. This season, a combination of Vampiric Powers, buffs, and new uniques made Barbs into a powerhouse of a build!
5. Whirlwind
The Whirlwind Barbarian Guide presents an iconic playstyle that's adored by many - the classic "hold down one button and obliterate everything in my path" approach, often referred to as "spin to win."
Whether you're engaged in speed farming, tackling Nightmare Dungeons, or any task in between, Whirlwind excels in all aspects. It offers remarkable versatility in both its capabilities and gear choices. If you fancy smashing your foes to bits in a furious whirlwind of fury, grab that Two-Handed Mace and go all out. If your preference is to spin faster and tear through enemies, then dual-wielding a One-Handed Mace and a One-Handed Sword might be your style.
In this guide, we'll primarily focus on the latter option as it provides a satisfying blend of power and comfort for a significant portion of the game. Furthermore, we'll enhance its effectiveness even more through the use of the potent Unique item, Ramaladni's Magnum Opus.
What Whirlwind Excels in:
- Smooth playstyle.
- Spin to win.
- Great to farm while moving.
Pick Whirlwind if you Like:
- Blasting through content without stopping
- Easy to play builds, low APM
- Playing Melee classes
Vampiric Powers and Unique Items:
- Accursed Touch (Major): A Lucky Hit-based application of Vampiric Curse, with a chance to spread it to other enemies.
- Bathe in Blood (Major): This Power has a relatively short cooldown, and it provides a significant offensive and defensive boost as long as we remain within the pool.
- Domination (Minor): We benefit from this by imposing Stun on our enemies. Additionally, the ability to instantly kill enemies below 35% health is quite potent.
- Prey on the Weak (Minor): This is our means of inflicting Vulnerable, working in conjunction with our other Vampiric Power, Accursed Touch. It also enhances our damage against Vulnerable enemies.
- Sanguine Brace (Minor): An excellent defensive tool for generating Fortify and increasing our Critical Strike Chance.
- Ramaladni's Magnum Opus (Grigoire / Lord Zir) – Great sword that is the essence of our build. It amplifies the damage we deal with it, for a low cost of 2 Fury per second that is easily negated.
- Tibault's Will (Duriel) – Amazing pair of pants that will massively boost your damage as well as provide Fury on demand.
- Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty (Duriel) – New Helmet grants a ton of damage as well as some damage reduction.
- Rage of Harrogath (Grigoire / Lord Zir) – Great starting body armour that grants a ton of damage mitigation, as well as providing a massive boost to our Shouts’ cooldowns.
For more information, check here: https://maxroll.gg/d4/build-guides/whirlwind-barbarian-guide
4. Thorns
Thorns introduces a unique twist to the typical melee-focused Barbarian play style, which often revolves around charging into battle with Whirlwind, or unleashing ground-shaking shockwaves with Hammer of the Ancients. In contrast, we adopt a more strategic and passive approach, employing the "do nothing" tactic.
This approach is often sufficient to lure most enemies into impaling themselves recklessly until their demise. However, there are some who stubbornly stand their ground, resisting the temptation of our taunting Challenging Shout.
In such cases, when words alone fail, we resort to using force. Even the most formidable adversaries cannot escape the grip of our Steel Grasp, forcing them to either seal their own fate or face the relentless onslaught of Frenzy until death becomes their sole escape.
And speaking of Frenzy... with some valuable Unique enhancements and the Vampiric Powers of Season 2, Thorns receives a much-needed boost in single-target damage, surprising many with its enhanced damage output!
What Thorns Excels in:
- Extremely Tanky.
- Chill play style.
- Easy to get into.
- Can stand still and things die around you.
Pick Thorns if you Like:
- Unique play style.
- Scaling damage in a different manner.
- Off-meta picks.
Vampiric Powers and Unique Items:
- Moonrise (Major): Provides Attack Speed and a significant multiplicative boost to our Basic Skill Damage, along with added Movement Speed. This greatly enhances Frenzy, enabling us to take down Bosses effortlessly.
- Accursed Touch (Major): An excellent method for spreading Vampiric Curse and maintaining its effects continuously on Bosses.
- Ravenous (Minor): Another substantial Attack Speed bonus.
- Prey on the Weak (Minor): Grants us a damage boost when enemies become Vulnerable, a status they often acquire due to our application of Vampiric Curse.
- Undying (Minor): Given our rapid attack rate, this ability ensures near-infinite life sustain.
- Razorplate (Lord Zir) – Core piece of the build, though you can play without. It gives tons of Thorns, freeing the need to get thorns on any other piece.
- Ancients' Oath (The Beast in the Ice) – Fantastic Axe that grants a massive boost to damage whenever you use Steel Grasp, while also buff that skill significantly.
- Ramaladni's Magnum Opus (Grigoire / Lord Zir) – Great sword that is the essence of our build. It amplifies the damage we deal with it, for a low cost of 2 Fury per second that is easily negated.
- Tibault's Will (Duriel) – This amazing pair of pants that will massively boost your damage as well as provide Fury on demand.
- Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty (Duriel) – New Helmet grants a ton of damage as well as some damage reduction.
For more information, check here: https://maxroll.gg/d4/build-guides/thorns-barbarian-guide
3. Double Swing
The Double Swing Barbarian is a formidable melee build with a fast-paced and hard-hitting play style, excelling in all aspects of the game. While its small hit zone might appear unimpressive initially, the accumulation of attack speed buffs transforms Double Swing into a lethal force. It swiftly annihilates small groups of enemies with a hit-and-run approach and effortlessly dispatches any Bosses that dare to obstruct your path.
In essence, speed reigns supreme in this build. We prioritize attack speed through various means, including the Accelerating Aspect, specific gear (such as the exceptional Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty), and, for Season of Blood, the equally remarkable Ravenous Vampiric Power.
In terms of skills, we emphasize abilities that help maintain high damage output and fury levels. Ground Stomp is particularly valuable in this regard since Enhanced Double Swing consistently replenishes Fury when striking a Stunned target. Wrath of the Berserker provides a substantial damage boost, resource regeneration, and a notable movement speed increase. Rallying Cry serves as another source of Fury recovery and one of our primary means of staying Unstoppable, ensuring that control-impairing effects do not impede our progress. Oh, and did I mention it also enhances our movement speed even further?
What Double Swing Excels in:
- High Single-target damage.
- Simple to play.
- Easy to gear.
- Quite tanky and mobile.
Pick Double Swing if you Like:
- Playing ‘ethical’ builds.
- High APM builds.
- Cooldown management.
- Clapping your enemies with your weapons.
Vampiric Powers and Unique Items:
- Metamorphosis (Major): Our method for applying Vampiric Curse, ensuring excellent Unstoppable and Ghostwalker uptime.
- Ravenous (Minor): A substantial Attack Speed bonus that significantly augments our damage output.
- Undying (Minor): An excellent tool for maintaining our life pool, given our frequent attacks.
- Prey on the Weak (Minor): Our primary means of inflicting Vulnerable, while also boosting our damage.
- Sanguine Brace (Minor): An outstanding defensive resource for generating Fortify and increasing our Critical Strike Chance.
- Ramaladni's Magnum Opus (Grigoire / Lord Zir) – Great sword that is the essence of our build. It amplifies the damage we deal with it, for a low cost of 2 Fury per second that is easily negated.
- Tibault's Will (Duriel) – Amazing pair of pants that will massively boost your damage as well as provide Fury on demand.
- Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty (Duriel) – New Helmet that grants a ton of damage as well as some damage reduction.
For more information, click here: https://maxroll.gg/d4/build-guides/double-swing-barbarian-guide
2. Walking Arsenal
The Walking Arsenal Barbarian, often affectionately called Kratos Barb due to its frequent use of Iron Maelstrom, offers an enjoyable, fast-paced, and engaging playstyle that fully leverages the Barbarian's class mechanic.
Constantly switching between all three different weapon types, you transform into a relentless machine that effortlessly carves through legions of demons and dispatches dungeon bosses in a single hit, thanks to the combination of Encroaching Wrath and Enhanced Death Blow. Large groups of weaker foes are obliterated using Upheaval, which also applies Vulnerable with Expose Vulnerability.
This build excels in leveling to 100 and speed farming. However, due to the requirement of a killing blow for Death Blow, it thrives in easy content but may experience slowdowns in high-end challenges, such as pushing towards Tier 100 Nightmare Dungeons or confronting Pinnacle Bosses, where the absence of cooldown resets can impact its performance. Nevertheless, thanks to Overpower synergies like Brute Force and Earthstriker's Aspect, you can still unleash devastating one-shots on elites and bosses with well-timed combos.
In summary, the Walking Arsenal Barbarian offers an enjoyable package for those who simply want to have a blast and revel in what the class does best: reducing their foes to bits and pieces.
What Walking Arsenal Excels in:
- Fast-paced build, with several sources of damage
- Massive AoE ultimate that can be used frequently
- Fun and unique play style
Pick Walking Arsenal if you Like:
- Cosplaying as Kratos
- Highly synergistic combos
- Intricate skill rotations
- Big one-shots with Death Blow
Vampiric Powers and Unique Items:
- Moonrise (Major) - Significantly boosts Attack and Movement Speed.
- Metamorphosis (Major) - Provides a consistent source of Unstoppable and improves our Evade skill.
- Hemomancy (Minor) - Introduces an area-of-effect explosion and healing.
- Anticipation (Minor) - Reduces the cooldown of our Ultimate for more frequent utilization.
- Ravenous (Minor) - Frequently provides a substantial Attack Speed increase for enhanced damage output.
- Overkill: Substituting either Conceited or Accelerating, this exceptional weapon is a valuable addition for late-game scenarios. It adds an extra shockwave to your Death Blow at the expense of sacrificing some stats on a regular weapon and a doubled offensive Aspect. All in all, it's an excellent item for this build, especially in easier content where the lower-damage shockwave is sufficiently potent to eliminate regular monsters.
- Tibault's Will: Replacing Disobedience, this item provides a substantial damage boost in what is typically a defensive slot. If you find yourself too vulnerable, you can opt for a legendary item instead.
- Harlequin Crest or Andariel's Visage: If you're fortunate enough to acquire these drops, you can replace Might.
- Doombringer: Should luck be on your side and you obtain this sword, it can be used in place of Conceited. This weapon boasts impressive statistics and a damage reduction effect, making it easier to survive high-end content.
For more information, check here: https://maxroll.gg/d4/build-guides/walking-arsenal-barbarian-guide
1. Hammer of the Ancients
To bolster Hammer of the Ancients, we employ many standard endgame tools. Our primary generator, Bash, maintains our Fury reserves and amplifies our smashes with its inherent ability to guarantee Overpower hits. Thanks to aspects like Expectant and Limitless Rage, this skill becomes a powerhouse. Meanwhile, Ground Stomp performs precisely as the name suggests, delivering a ground-shaking impact that either topples or Stuns all foes unfortunate enough to find themselves in its zone of influence.
We've also made sure to include all three Shouts: Rallying Cry for Unstoppable, Fury generation, and enhanced mobility; War Cry for Berserking and extra damage; and Challenging Shout for damage reduction.
What Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian Excels in:
- BIG BONKS.
- Massive one-shots with Overpower (20 million damage hits!!.
- Great at Clearing.
- Enjoyable to Smash through enemies with massive numbers even from leveling.
Pick Hammer of the Ancients if you Like:
- Playing a true archetypal Melee character
- Smashing the ground and seeing enemies die in the blink of an eye
- Using Overpower Mechanics
Vampiric Powers and Unique Items:
- Accursed Touch (Major) - Lucky Hit based application of Vampiric Curse, with a chance to spread it to other enemies.
- Metamorphosis (Major) - Grants Unstoppable, generates Fury, and is another source of Vampiric Curse. This also allows permanent uptime on Tibault's Will if it's used.
- Ravenous (Minor) - Massive Attack Speed bonus, enabling us to build Overpowers quicker and generally ease a lot of the clunkiness that the build may suffer from.
- Prey on the Weak (Minor) - In combination with our other powers, this is our primary way of inflicting Vulnerable.
- Sanguine Brace (Minor) - Great defensive tool for generating Fortify and also gives us increased Critical Strike Chance.
- Tibault's Will (Duriel) – Amazing pair of pants that will massively boost your damage as well as provide Fury on demand.
- Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty (Duriel) – New Helmet grants a ton of damage as well as some damage reduction.
- Banished Lord's Talisman (Duriel) – Crazy new amulet will guarantee your HotA is an Overpower after 300 Fury spent (quite easy to spend that) as well as a massive 120%x Multiplier to Overpower hits that crit.
Build details: https://maxroll.gg/d4/build-guides/hammer-of-the-ancients-barbarian-guide
