D&D Best Barbarian Subclass (All Barbarian Subclasses From Weakest To Strongest)

Updated:

01 Jul 2023

8. Path of Zealot

A barbarian that chooses to walk the Path of the Zealot is unquestionably favored by the divine. The divine gives them an extra perk that other paths don’t offer, and what is that perk? Never worrying about truly dying. Since these barbarians are blessed by those high in power, they do advantages in saving throws.

Strengths: This path has advantages in saving and attack throws and death is only a mild problem that can easily be overcome with the help of a good friend. Thanks to their resilience beyond death, a barbarian on this path can make for a highly reliable teammate.

Choose the Path of the Zealot if…

You want to bless your weapons with Divine Fury. Make sure you pick your first target wisely, because the first one you hit will have to suffer some extra damage. The damage you cause isn’t just any normal slashing or piercing damage, but it’s a little more zesty than that. The choice is yours, do you want to inflict radiant or necrotic damage?
At level six, death is no longer a concern. You have become a Warrior of the Gods. With the help of a reliable buddy, the Raise Dead spell can be performed on you with ease. Warrior of the Gods isn’t the only skill given out at level six, but you’ll also get Fanataical Focus. If you’re in a state of rage and you fail any sort of saving throw, you’ll be given the opportunity to try again.
Infect others with your Zealous Presence once you reach level ten. With this skill, your allies will be able to roll saving or attack throws with an advantage. Having this skill can mean the difference between life and death when it comes to your allies. Death might not be an issue for you, but for them, it usually is.
Rage Beyond Death is a one of a kind skill that ignores the principle of death but only while you’re in a rage. At level fourteen you can continue fighting even if your hit points reach zero but once your rage is over, so is your life. That is until someone uses Raise Dead on you, then you’ll be back in action.

Path of the Zealot Details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/barbarian:zealot

7. Path of the Berserker

The Path of the Berserker is a very lively path to choose, especially if your goal as a barbarian is to rip your enemies apart without a second thought. It’s a simple class to learn and great for first time players. Those on this path have a bloodlust for battle and are ready to take down any enemy that comes their way.

Strengths: Land multiple attacks early on and not be infected by fear or charm. A fearless barbarian can venture deep into areas that other party members don’t dare even step into. Not to mention you’ll be able to strike fear into others with your formidable presence.

Choose the Path of the Berserker if…

You want to go into a Frenzy and cause some real damage to your foes. In a rage, you can use a bonus action on every turn. There’s nothing more fun to a barbarian than being able to hit their target twice. But beware, this kind of skill comes with a price, and that is taking one level of exhaustion afterwards.
In a spooky situation, your teammates may have the crap scared out of them, but a level six barbarian with Mindless Rage will keep their crap right where it needs to be. Mindless Rage will keep you focused on the battle and ignore any charms or fear buzzing around you. There’s only one thing you’re concerned with, and that is defeating your foe.
You ever want to invoke fear in other creatures just for existing? Of course you do. Well, that dream is certainly a possibility at level ten with the Intimation Presence skill. Sadly, this can only be used on one enemy at a time, so if you’re battling a group, pick your victim wisely.
Knock out enemies that attack you with your use of the Retaliation skill. This skill comes at level fourteen, and lets you react to an enemy’s attack when you are their target.

Path of the Berserker Details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/barbarian:berserker

6. Path of the Battlerager

Only dwarves can choose this path, usually, but your DM can change that if you ask them nicely. This subclass relies heavily on having spiked armor, so if you don’t have it or don’t know where to get it, I would pass on choosing this subclass for your barbarian.

Strengths: You’ll be able to deal some extra damage with your spiked armor and with use of the skill Reckless Abandon, you’ll be able to increase your hit points. Speed is not a problem with this subclass and dash can be used as a bonus action.

Choose the Path of the Battleranger if…

You’re playing a dwarf and you have spiked armor. Not only can those on this path rock the spiked armor look better than any model during fashion week, but a barbarian in a rage can use it as a weapon too. There are two ways to do this, you can either grapple an enemy, giving them the most painful hug they’ve ever had or you can use a weapon with your armor and strike a target within five feet.
Sometimes it’s only one or two hit points that make the difference between survival and -- well, not. The skill of Reckless Abandon becomes available at level six and to activate this skill you’ll need to do a little math. Add up your hit points with your Constitution modifier and whatever number is, will be your new number of hit points for the duration of your rage.
If you have a hyper barbarian that gets extra zippy in battle, you’ll love the skill that comes with level ten: Battlerager Charge.While in a rage, use dash as a bonus action
When you reach level fourteen, remember to dress yourself in that sexy spiked armor to use the skill Spiked Retribution. Any enemy that you hit will take piercing damage as well.

Path of the Battlerager Details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/barbarian:battlerager

5. Path of Wild Magic

The Path of Wild Magic is exactly what it says it is, wild. You never know how things are going to turn out and for some people that isn’t exactly their cup of tea. The magic involved in this path is nearly impossible to control - just like a barbarian in a rage.

Strengths: Always brings something new and unexpected into battle and this can make for really exciting and interesting things to take place.

Choose the Path of Wild Magic if…

You want a little random chaos on your side. On the Path of Wild Magic, you gain the ability to use Wild Surge. With this, you’ll be able to roll for an effect on the wild magic table, the effect will be chosen based on your roll. Each of the eight effects does something unique.
Bolstering Magic is the skill that is unlocked at level six. With this skill, you or an ally can pick one of two options to take effect. You can take a 3d and add that to an attack roll or an ability check. The other option is to roll a 3d and whatever is rolled will equal the amount of spell slots regained.
At level ten, if you take damage during a battle, you can activate Unstable Backlash. This lets you roll for the wild magic table and whatever it rolls will take effect.
At level fourteen, you’ll be able to roll twice on the wild magic table and pick whichever skill you prefer. However, if you roll the same number twice, you can then pick any option.

Path of Wild Magic Details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/barbarian:wild-magic

4. Path of the Storm Herald

Path of the Storm Herald lets you create storms of the desert, sea, or tundra, each with its own unique effects. Some will give you resistance from elemental damage like, fire, lighting, and cold and other skills will allow you to use those same elements to damage your foes. This subclass is perfect for both offensive and defensive strategies and highly versatile.

Strengths: Without using a spell slot, you are able to change the environment to better suit you and companions in battle. This path will give you resistance to certain elements and provide protection to your allies at late levels.

Choose Path of the Storm Herald if…

A barbarian on this path can activate a Storm Aura when raging within battle. You’ll be able to choose one of three: desert, sea, and tundra, each with its own effects. Desert will cause fire damage to your enemies, and party members too so be careful when using it. The sea aura will let you pick an enemy and strike them with lightning damage but only if they fail a saving throw. Tundra is the only one of the three auras that does not deal damage, rather it gives hit points to your allies.
WIth the use of Storm Soul, all the environments from the Storm Aura that you choose will continue to have positive effects on you regardless of if the skill has been activated or not. The powers of desert, sea, and tundra all increase. Desert will give you fire resistance, sea will give you lighting resistance, and the tundra will give you cold resistance.
Using Storm Shield, the Storm Aura no longer only protects only you but it can protect allies as well -- as long as they are in your Storm Aura. This skill can only be used in a rage, so be sure to save it if you know a tough battle is coming up.
If you find yourself in a situation where you are battling against multiple enemies, the Raging Storm skill will be a great help. With Desert activated, if you are attacked the enemy must make a saving throw or take fire damage. Sea will cause an enemy to be knocked over on a failed saving throw. Tundra, however, isn't really a reaction. This one allows you to target someone who then must succeed in a saving throw or have their speed reduced to nothing.

Path of the Storm Herald Details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/barbarian:storm-herald

3. Path of the Beast

Barbarians that walk the Path of the Beast are connected to their inner animalistic tendencies. Similar to how creatures use their parts of their body as weapons, those on the Path of the Beast can do the same.

Strengths: Parts of the body, like claws, tail, and teeth become magical weapons and since these weapons are part of your body, it will be difficult to disarm you. Call of the Hunt will keep you from becoming lonely and will give you and your party a good amount of backup.

Choose the Path of the Beast if…

You’ve always wanted to transform into an animal. By using the Form of the Beast skill you may pick from teeth, tail, or claws to use as weapons. Picking teeth will allow you to chomp down on your target and inflict them with piercing damage. You’ll also gain hit points back, but only if you only have half of your hit points remaining. If you pick claws and you want to scratch your enemies, you can deal out some slashing damage, twice in one turn. Then if you want to smite your enemy with your tail, you can hit them up with some piercing damage. Picking the tail option even allows for some defensive skills, if an enemy tries to hit you, you can use a reaction and with a swipe of your tail, cause them to miss.
With Beastial Soul you gain skills such as swimming, climbing, or jumping. Not to mention those beasty weapons from level three (teeth, tail, claws) gain the ability to act as magical weapons.
Have you ever wanted to give someone rabies? Well, now is your chance. You must use one of your natural weapons and when they contact the target, they are infected. When an enemy has been contaminated by your Infected Fury, one of two things can happen, either they’ll be inflicted with psychic damage or they’ll have to attack anyone the barbarian chooses.
Call of the Hunt is the perfect skill for those who are battling in a wilderness type area, but maybe not so much in an empty dungeon. You can call upon creatures to give you help in battle. Each new friend will give you extra hit points. It’s the perfect choice if many of your party members are either unable to attack or dead.

Path of the Beast Details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/barbarian:beast

2. Path of the Totem Warrior

The barbarians on the Path of the Totem Warrior are highly connected to their chosen animals on the totem. This path is not as confined as the other paths due to the diversity of skills the player can choose from. With so many choices available you can make a truly powerful warrior.

Strengths: Multiple skills are offered on this path, everything from walking faster to damage resistance. This path offers many options allowing a player to build a barbarian tailored perfectly to what the party needs.

Choose the Path of the Totem Warrior if …

You want the opportunity to pick a totem animal that will lend its power and attributes to you. This will only work if you are raging. Each animal will provide unique effects to your performance in battle. The animals and their skills are: bear, which makes you resistant to all damage except psychic, eagle, you can use dash as bonus action and anyone who targets you is at a disadvantage, elk, you can walk faster, tiger, you can jump higher, wolf, this gives your allies advantage against attack rolls.
At level six you’ll gain the magical attributes of your chosen animal, and each one is different. You do not need to pick the same as before. If you pick the bear, you’ll be able to carry more, eagle, gives you better eyesight, elk, you and your party, will have your walking speed doubled, tiger will give you two proficiency skills in either athletics, acrobatics, stealth, or survival, and wolf will increase your tracking and stealth capabilities.
At level ten you gain the Spirit Walker ability, with this ability, you will be able to seek guidance from your totem animal.
While you are raging, you gain the magical benefits of your chosen animal. The bear will cause enemies who attack allies to have a disadvantage, the eagle will increase your flying speed to match your walking speed, the elk will allow you to knock a target prone as a bonus action, then you’ll be able to apply bludgeoning damage, tiger allows you to make a bonus attack, but only if you move in a straight line for twenty feet, with the wolf totem, you’ll be able to knock an enemy prone as a bonus action after you land an attack.

Path of the Totem Warrior Details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/barbarian:totem-warrior

1. Path of the Ancestral Guardian

Those on the Path of the Ancestral Guardian have an intense connection to the spirits of their ancestors. These spirits support the barbarian in battle and sometimes even their comrades.

Strengths: The Path of the Ancestral Guardian is flexible and comes with the ability to inflict a good amount of damage right at the start. This path is highly versatile, you can use your guardian spirits to attack, defend, or even ask them questions that come up during your adventure.

Choose the Path of the Ancestral Guardian if…

After choosing this path, when a barbarian goes into a rage they’ll see ghostly appropriations. Now, these appropriations aren’t a hallucination invoked by their rage, but rather the spirits of the ancestors. If you smack your target with an attack, your spirit buddy will get a shot at them too.
Sometimes in battle, allies become the target of enemies and as a barbarian, you should want to protect them -- no matter how annoying they may or may not be. At level six, you’ll be able to use the powers of the ancestors to protect. At first all you need to roll is a 2d6 to see how much damage is reduced, but as you hit certain level milestones that 2d6 can become a 3d6 or a 4d6.
At level ten you gain an ability that may seem simple, but when used to seek the correct knowledge, it can be highly useful. You’ll gain the ability to Consult the Spirits, which is exactly how it sounds. You’ll be able to summon the spirits of your ancestors for guidance, oh, and this doesn’t use up a spell slot.
Vengeful Ancestors is a powerful skill, when you’re defending an ally with the Spirit Shield skill that you gained back at level six, any damage that you prevent your ally from taking will be given to the attacker.

Path of the Ancestral Guardian Details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/barbarian:ancestral-guardian