Barbarians are tanks in Diablo IV, dealing some of the greatest physical damage with the largest health pool out of any class, making some builds best against other players in PvP. By picking the right gear and skills, players have a chance to overcome this class’ weaknesses against strong opponents. Although no build is guaranteed to win all the time in PvP, the Barbarian has unique options that make players terrifying on the battlefield.
Diablo 4 has two PvP zones in Sanctuary where players can challenge one another, called the Fields of Hatred. These large areas are essentially free-for-all combat regions, with one located in the west of the Dry Steppes near the town of Alzuuda and another that can be found in southern Kehjistan next to Gea Kul and Zarbinzet. While the towns in the Fields have no combat, players become “Bloodmarked” as soon as they enter, making them vulnerable to attack.
General Strategies for a Barbarian PvP Build
At their core, the Barbarian class wants to get close to enemies to deal massive physical damage, using abilities that cause debuffs and gear that provides Thorns. Many of the debuffs in Diablo 4, such as Vulnerable, Slowed, and Bleed, are all incredibly important to the Barbarian, allowing players to lock in their enemies or causing them to take far more damage than usual. Certain Legendary Aspects for the class also support these effects further from the Codex of Power.
Thorns are something Barbarians will universally want before going into PvP, with gear that supports a character that is at least level 20 or higher. Legendary gear past this point can usually provide either a great ability or tons of Thorns, which cause enemies to take damage when landing a hit on a Barbarian. Items like armors, rings, or shields have a high chance for greater Thorns, which can act as a passive defense buff for the class when going into PvP.
Best Skills for a Barbarian PvP Build
Shouts are skills players should invest in to create a truly competitive Barbarian PvP build in Diablo 4 since those abilities can provide powerful buffs to their character. While Bleed or Crowd Control builds are better for the PvE of the regular story or higher-level dungeon crawls, Shouts are better for massive health bonuses and DPS output. With other Passive skills supporting a strong Ultimate skill, players can create an unstoppable force that their opponents will have a hard time taking down.
| Skill Type | Skills & Point Investment | Enhancement(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Skills | (3/5) Lunging Strike |
|
| Core Skills | (5/5) Whirlwind |
|
| (3/3) Pressure Point | N/A | |
| Defensive Skills | (3/3) Imposing Presence | |
| (2/5) Rallying Cry |
|
|
| Brawling Skills | (1/5) War Cry |
|
| (3/3) Booming Voice | N/A | |
| (3/3) Swiftness | N/A | |
| (3/3) Aggressive Resistance | ||
| Weapon Mastery Skills | (3/3) Pit Fighter |
|
| (2/5) Death Blow |
|
|
| Ultimate Skills | (3/3) Tempered Fury | |
| (1/1) Wrath of the Berserker |
|
|
| Key Passives | Unconstrained | N/A |
The main goal behind these skills is to put the Barbarian into a Berserking state through either the Lunging Strike upgrade or the Wrath of the Berserker Ultimate. Many of the buffs here give the player health back, increased movement with skills like Rallying Cry, and massive damage through War Cry and other traits. Combined with this Barbarian build in Diablo 4, players can be a destructive machine, making opponents Vulnerable before finishing them off instantly with Death Blow.
Players may use the Unconstrained Key Passive to stay in a Berserking state for longer, dealing 25% increased damage while raging on the battlefield.
The only cons to this build is the over-reliance on Fury, the Barbarian’s primary resource. Although Berserking lets players form many resistances and regain health, they will still be using Fury on the Shouts and Whirlwind, the latter consuming tons of Fury to last longer. Thankfully, the Invigorating Fury and Tempered Fury skills help players out in Diablo 4, giving an increased resource pool and recovered health when they spend enough Fury.
Best Gear for a Barbarian PvP Build
| Gear | Item Type | Imprint/Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereign Helm of Disobedience | Helm | Aspect of Disobedience – You gain increased armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking a number of times. |
| Razorplate | Chest Armor | N/A |
| Gohr’s Devastating Grips | Gloves | Unique Item Effect – Whirlwind explodes after it ends, dealing [16-26]% of the total Base damage to surrounding enemies as Fire damage. |
| Temerity | Pants | Unique Item Effect – Effects that Heal you beyond 100% Life grant you a Barrier up to 76% of your Maximum Life that lasts for 8 seconds. |
| Sovereign Greaves of Grasping Whirlwind | Boots | Aspect of Grasping Whirlwind – Whirlwind periodically Pulls enemies toward you (Barbarian only). |
| Conceited Horned Cudgel | Two-Handed Mace | Conceited Aspect – Deal increased damage while you have a Barrier active. |
| Lich Blade of the Dire Whirlwind | Sword (Slashing) | Aspect of the Dire Whirlwind – Whirlwind’s Critical Strike Chance is increased for each second it is channeled, up to a certain percentage. |
| Smiting Flammard | Sword (Slashing) | Smiting Aspect – You have increased Critical Strike Chance against Injured enemies. While you are Healthy, you gain a percent increase of Crowd Control duration. |
| Death Wish Demonblade | Two-Handed Sword (Slashing) | Death Wish Aspect – Gain X Thorns while Berserking. |
| Bold Chieftan’s Circle | Ring | Bold Chieftan’s Aspect – Whenever you cast a Shout Skill, its Cooldown is reduced by a number of seconds per Nearby enemy, up to a maximum of 6 seconds. |
| Ring of Echoing Fury | Ring | Aspect of Echoing Fury – Your Shout Skills generate an amount of Fury while active. |
| Needleflare Necklace | Amulet | Needleflare Aspect – Thorns damage dealt has a percent chance to deal damage to all enemies around you. |
This gear set, shown in a video by content creator Mattjestic MultiGaming, highlights how strong the Barbarian can get in Diablo 4‘s PvP with the right tools. Players should focus on the Aspects listed here since they will have to unlock them in the Codex of Power by progressing the main story or finishing certain dungeons around Sanctuary before imprinting them onto gear.
Many of these gear pieces provide players with Thorns and increase Movement Speed, Healing, and many different types of Damage Reduction. While the Unique items are only found in World Tier 3 of Diablo 4 and above, players can find similar Aspects from the Codex of Power that could also serve a similar role for Legendary items they already have.
Best Paragon Board Paths for a PvP Barbarian Build
Paragon Boards are an excellent opportunity for players to invest in Glyphs to flush out their build beyond the Skill Tree. Here, players should focus on Bleed abilities that alter the Barbarian with another strong status effect against enemies. The build shown off here does a good job keeping the player alive, but rending opponents apart gradually with Bleed adds an extra layer to this strategy in Diablo 4.
Alternatively, players could invest more into the Barbarian’s mobility to chase down more elusive classes like the Rogue in the Fields of Hatred. No matter what path players choose, their Barbarian build for PvP in Diablo IV; the class has some of the best skills and abilities seen in this mode, making them nearly unstoppable in the right situations.
Source: YouTube/Mattjestic MultiGaming
Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available.
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Diablo 4
- Franchise:
- Diablo
- Platform:
- PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows
- Released:
- 2023-06-02
- Developer:
- Blizzard Team 3, Blizzard Albany
- Publisher:
- Blizzard Entertainment
- Genre:
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
- Multiplayer:
- Blizzard Entertainment
- ESRB:
- M
- Summary:
- Players are set to return to the world of Sanctuary in Diablo 4. Set after the events of Diablo 3’s Reaper of Souls DLC, Lilith, the daughter of Mephisto, has been summoned to the world and has assumed power in the absence of demons and angels. Lilith establishes Sanctuary as a haven for refugees caught in the crossfire between hell and heaven. Wanting to protect her kind from the recently emerged Nephelem, Lilith is banished to the void. Now she has returned, seeking revenge for the crimes committed against her. Players will choose between staple class choices, such as Barbarian, Sorceress, Druid, Rogue, and Necromancer, as they battle alone or together against Lilith’s forces.
- How Long To Beat:
- 34 hours
- Prequel:
- Diablo 3
