Best Diablo 4 Barbarian Build Season 2: Skills, Items, Aspects, Paragon Glyphs
We explore the best build for Barbarians in Diablo 4 Season 2, featuring the best skills, Legendary Aspects, Unique items, Paragon Glyphs and more.
First Published October 16, 2023, 08:05
Looking for the best Barbarian class build in Diablo 4 Season 2? Then we've got you covered. To quote Barbarians in Diablo lore and to get things off with the right axe forward: "Bul-Kathos Guides My Hand!"
In this consistently updated Diablo 4 class guide for Barbarians across the world of Sanctuary, we dive deep into everything players need to know. This includes the best Skills, Gems, Stats Priority, Arsenal System, best-in-slot items and Legendary Aspects, and much more for the Barbarian in Diablo 4 Season 2, so let's charge in.
Update on 16 October 2023: We've updated this guide with the best Barbarian build in Diablo 4 Season 2.
Table of Contents
Diablo 4 Barbarian Overview: Is it a Good Class in Season 2?
For those who love charging into battle headfirst, the Barbarian is a great class. Featuring a unique Arsenal system class mechanic (more on that in another section of this guide) allowing you to wield four (4) weapons at once, the Barbarian in Diablo 4 Season 2 is all about smashing the hordes of the Burning Hells and the followers of Lilith to pieces.
The Barbarian is arguably a very item-dependent class. You will need best-in-slot equipment for Diablo 4's toughest challenges. It is also a beginner-friendly option as a tanky class. The Barbarian uses Fury as a resource, generated by basic attacks and spent by Core Skills, Ultimate Skills, and Weapon Mastery Skills.
The class' unique Dismount ability sees the player jump from their mount and slam the ground, dealing damage to surrounding enemies. Sounds good? Okay, now let's get started with all the details of our best class build for the Diablo 4 Barbarian, jumping straight into the skills to use in our next section.
Best Diablo 4 Barbarian Skills Build: Whirlwind Spin To Win
We call our best Barbarian skill build in Diablo 4 the "Whirlwind Spin to Win" to signify the build's propensity to Whirlwind into a pack of enemies and watch them melt like the good son/daughter of Bul Kathos that you are.
You will use Shouts to keep up the Fury generation, and once you've acquired most of the Legendary Aspects needed to get this build online, you will select Unbridled Rage as the Key Passive. Below, you will find the layout of all the Skill Point distributions for the Barbarian Spin to Win build in Diablo 4 Season 2.
| D4 Barbarian Skills in S2 | Points Spent |
| Lunging Strike | 1 |
| Enhanced Lunging Strike | 1 |
| Whirlwind | 5 |
| Enhanced Whirlwind | 1 |
| Furious Whirlwind | 1 |
| Pressure Point | 3 |
| Rallying Cry | 5 |
| Enhanced Rallying Cry | 1 |
| Tactical Rallying Cry | 1 |
| War Cry | 1 |
| Enhanced War Cry | 1 |
| Power War Cry | 1 |
| Iron Skin | 1 |
| Enhanced Iron Skin | 1 |
| Strategic Iron Skin | 1 |
| Challenging Shout | 5 |
| Enhanced Challenging Shout | 1 |
| Tactical Challenging Shout | 1 |
| Booming Voice | 3 |
| Guttural Yell | 3 |
| Raid Leader | 1 |
| Aggressive Resistance | 1 |
| Prolific Fury | 3 |
| Pit Fighter | 3 |
| Hamstring | 1 |
| Wrath of the Berserker | 1 |
| Prime Wrath of the Berserker | 1 |
| Supreme Wrath of the Berserker | 1 |
| Heavy Handed | 3 |
| Tempered Fury | 1 |
| Invigorating Fury | 3 |
| Unbridled Rage | 1 |
This build is for endgame grinding level 50 or higher as you dive into Nightmare Dungeons and farm Helltides.
Please note:The best Barbarian build for Diablo 4 Season 2 uses all possible Skill Points, including the two per region earned with renown.
This build basically allows your Barbarian to have high mobility due to its skill and upgrade choices and focus on applying a whole lot of Vulnerability and Bleed effects to your enemies. Generating Fury with your Shouts and focusing on Cooldown Reduction, Vulnerable Damage, Crit Damage, and Movement Speed is a must.
For leveling up to 50, we suggest going with Upheaval as your main skill until such time as you can generate enough Fury to keep spinning with Whirlwind. We don't use Lunging Strike on our skill bar, replacing it with Iron Skin at the end of the build. However, you could remove Iron Skin if you have no problems surviving and spend two more points in Tempered Fury or another passive you fancy.
Diablo 4 Barbarian Technique Slot
For the best Barbarian build in Diablo 4 Season 2, we suggest ranking up your 2-Handed Sword weapon first. At level 10 Expertise, 20% of your direct damage is inflicted as Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. The Rank 10 bonus allows the Barbarian to deal 30% increased Bleeding damage for five (5) seconds after killing an enemy.
For the Technique Slot, however, we suggest going with the Two-Handed Axe effect and then using a Two-Handed Sword assigned to Whirlwind. Why? Because you get both the 2-Handed Slashing Weapon Expertise + the level 10 bonus, alongside the Two-Handed Axe effect (x15% multiplicative damage to Vulnerable enemies) when using Whirlwind with this setup.
You can learn more about how the unique class mechanic for the Barbarian in Diablo 4, the Arsenal system, works with our dedicated guide.
Stats Priority For Diablo 4 Barbarians
In terms of Primary Stats for Barbarians in Diablo 4, the priority is:
There are a lot of secondary stats and affixes in Diablo 4 Season 2. For our Spin To Win build, we suggest looking for + Vulnerable Damage, Critical Strike Chance, Critical Strike Damage, Fury Cost Reduction, Maximum Fury, Strenght +Ranks to skills you are using, with Whirlwind on Gloves being the absolute best.
These core stats can also be increased by leveling up and equipping new items. You can also get a permanent primary stat increase for all your characters for every Altar of Lilith you find and interact with.
Best Diablo 4 Season 2 Barbarian Paragon Legendary Nodes & Glyphs
As you progress through the Paragon Board, you'll add specific Glyphs (level them up quickly), unlocking some Legendary Nodes along the way. For the best Barbarian build in Diablo 4 Season 2, we suggest the following Glyphs in order of importance.
- Exploit
- Marshal
- Wrath
- Disembowel
- Territorial
- Imbiber
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 (Pick up the Legendary Node on this board)
- Decimator (Go through the board, not Legendary Node)
- Warbringer (Pick up the Legendary Node on this board)
- Flawless Technique (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 Barbarians in Diablo 4
The best Gems for your Barbarian build in Diablo 4 Season 1 should complement your skill selection and fill in some blanks where your character might be lacking. Our gem picks per item type and reasons for adding them to specific slots can be found below.
- Royal Emerald on Weapons: +12% Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies
- Royal Sapphire on Armor: +3% Damage Reduction while Fortified.
We would usually suggest Royal Skulls in your Jewelry with Diablo 4 Season 2.
Best Legendary Aspects/Items For Diablo 4 Barbarians in Season 2
With Diablo 4's Codex of Power and the Occultist vendor, players can Imprint, Extract, and Store Legendary Aspects and Powers. For our Barbarian build in Diablo 4 Season 2, we've listed the best Legendary Powers per item slot in the table below, working in tandem with our Skill picks to devasting effect.
Please note: Use additional Legendary Aspects before you can get your hands on the Unique items listed in the table below.
| Item Slot | Best Barbarian Legendary Aspect/Power |
| Head | Grasping Whirlwind |
| Chest | Disobedience |
| Gloves | Unique item Ghor's Devasting Grips |
| Pants | The Protector |
| Boots | Ghostwalker |
| Amulet | Edgemaster |
| Ring 1 | Bold Chieftan |
| Ring 2 | Echoing Fury |
| 2H Mace | Dire Whirlwind |
| 1H Slot 1 | Conceited Barbed |
| 1H Slot 2 | Berserk Ripping |
| 2H Sword | Limitless Rage |
Remember, you can use the Occultist to extract and imprint these powers on Rare gear as well, turning them Legendary in the process. Check out our guide's complete list of Diablo 4's Legendary Aspects and Powers for the Barbarian class.
Best Unique Items For Barbarians in Diablo 4 Season 2
The best Unique items for Barbarians in Diablo 4 Season 2 that you can use with the Whirlwind build are:
- Ghor's Devasting Grips gloves
- Temerity pants
- Rage of Harragoth chest
There are, however, also uber/super Unique items that players can get if they are lucky. We mean winning the lotto lucky. If you do get one of the items listed below, add them to your build immediately!
- The Grandfather (2H Sword)
- Doombringer (1H Sword)
- Ring of Starless Skies (Ring)
- Andariel's Visage (Helm)
- Harlequin Crest (Helm) aka Shako for D2 fans!
- Melted Heart of Selig (Amulet)
The best Barbarian Whirlwind build for Diablo 4 Season 2 is based on the build from Maxroll.gg's Raxxanterax. Full credit goes to the incredible resource. Check out the 18-minute video explaining the build in more detail below.
So there you have it, a complete guide to the Barbarian class in Diablo 4 Season 2 for a robust build, from the best skills to use to gems, stat priority, the Arsenal system, Technique Slot, Malignant Hearts, Legendary Aspects, and Unique items. We will endeavor to update this article consistently so you always have the latest information!
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
- Best Diablo 4 Barbarian Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Arsenal, Legendary Aspects
- Best Diablo 4 Necromancer Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Legendary Aspects
- Best Diablo 4 Sorcerer Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Legendary Aspects
- Best Diablo 4 Druid Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Legendary Aspects
- Best Diablo 4 Rogue Build: Skills, Stats, Items, Specialization, Legendary Aspects
- Diablo 4 Class Tier List: Best Solo Builds
- Best Diablo 4 Build Calculator: Skill Tree For All Classes & More
- Best Diablo 4 Paragon Board Planner
- Best Diablo 4 Class & Build For Beginners
- Best Upheaval Barbarian Build in Diablo 4
- Best Lightning Sorcerer Build in Diablo 4
- Best Fire Sorcerer Build in Diablo 4
Tech Guides & Fixes
World, Maps & Locations
Diablo 4 Items & Slots
Achievements/Challenges
Legendary Aspects
Strongholds
Bosses
- Diablo 4 Ashava Spawn Times, Location, and How To Beat Easily
- Diablo 4 Wandering Death World Boss: How To Beat, Spawn Location & Loot
- Diablo 4 Avarice World Boss: How To Beat, Spawn Location & More
- Diablo 4 Lilith's Lament: How To Beat Final Act 1 Boss
- Diablo 4 Den Mother Boss: How To Beat, Location & Rewards
- Diablo 4 Staggering System Explained: How To Stagger Bosses
- Diablo 4 Lord Avitus Location, How To Beat and Loot Drops
- Diablo 4 The Blood Bishop Location, How To Defeat, Loot Drops
- Diablo 4 The Butcher Location, How To Defeat, Loot Drops
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.
Written by Wessel Minnie
Wessel is a former member of Bravado Gaming, a top South African esports organization, and a former editor at GLITCHED.online. He can also be found on HLTV discussing everything CS esports. When he's not writing or editing, Wessel is clicking heads in Counter-Strike 2, pondering over the best Diablo 4 builds for each class, or venturing into the Lands Between of Elden Ring for the umpteenth time. He loves ARPGs and any SoulsBorne title he can get his mitts on, but feel free to email or drop him a message on social media with any interesting gaming-related topics you think he might enjoy.
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