With Diablo 4‘s Loot Reborn update in full swing, season four has seen a lot of shifts in the power dynamic between classes. The Barbarian has more ways to play than ever, but one is the most interesting (and possibly the best to build this cycle).
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- Guide to the best Barbarian build in Diablo 4 season four
- Skill progression
- Passive abilities
- Arsenal choices
- Aspects
Guide to the best Barbarian build in Diablo 4 season four
The Barbarian has seen a lot of ups and downs through Diablo 4. In the last three seasons, powerful builds like Double Swing and Rend destroyed the meta. However, with the Loot Reborn update of season four, a new build has taken over: Bash Barbarian.
Unlike most builds, the Bash build focuses on a Basic skill: Bash. With the build showcased below, this build can clear out content and defeat the new bosses introduced in season four. Bash deals damage and stuns the enemy with every fourth hit, making it a powerful elite/boss killer with the right upgrades.
Speaking of upgrades, Bash has one mandatory upgrade and a choice between two optional upgrades. These are our picks:
- Enhanced Bash: You gain 20 percent of your maximum life as Fortify when you damage a stunned enemy with Bash.
- Battle Bash: You generate five additional Fury when you damage a stunned enemy with Bash.
Enhanced Bash is the mandatory upgrade that works as a defensive skill. The Fortify will help you tank through most attacks long enough to get out of harm’s way. If you need additional Fury, Battle Bash has you covered.
Tip:
Both upgrades grant you double the buffs when you use a two-handed weapon.
Skill progression
Having six skills to fill up the rest of your slots is the way to go. By the time you reach the endgame, you should have these skills equipped:
- Bash:
- Enhanced Bash
- Battle Bash
- Leap:
- Enhanced Leap
- Mighty Leap
- War Cry:
- Enhanced War Cry
- Power War Cry
- Challenging Shout:
- Enhanced Challenging Shout
- Tactical Challenging Shout
- Steel Grasp:
- Enhanced Steel Grasp
- Fighter’s Steel Grasp
- Wrath of the Berserker:
- Prime Wrath of the Berserker
- Supreme Wrath of the Berserker
If you’re ever swarmed by mobs, Leap is the perfect way out. Enhanced Leap improves your traversal by lowering the skill’s cooldown if you don’t damage any units. If you do happen to damage enemies, Mighty Leap will make sure they cannot chase you by adding a slow effect upon landing.
War Cry and Challenging Shout increase your damage and reduction respectively. Enhanced War Cry grants Berserking while Power War Cry increases your damage even further if there’s at least six enemies near you. Enhanced Challenging Shout grants you increased maximum life on cast while Tactical Challenging Shout grants you Fury per attack taken. Then, Steel Grasp is the perfect skill to draw troublesome enemies to you. Enhanced Steel Grasp leaves affected enemies Vulnerable upon impact. Fighter’s Steel Grasp grants you Berserking whenever Steel Grasp damages an enemy.
Wrath of the Berserker is the Ultimate skill of choice for this build. Prime Wrath of the Berserker grants you increased movement and Fury generation. Supreme Wrath of the Berserker increases damage while Berserking every time you spend 50 Fury.
Passive abilities
Passive skills grant you various buffs and improvements to certain active skills. Passives are also divided into one Key Passive and several secondary Passives which support your build. First, we address the Key Passive for this build:
- Unconstrained: Any Berserking effects are increased by five seconds while its damage is increased by 100 percent.
Since this build thrives on Berserking and how long you can maintain its uptime, Unconstrained fits in nicely with its buffs. Next, we pick the remaining passives:
- Aggressive Resistance: You gain damage reduction while Berserking.
- Battle Fervor: You gain Berserking every time your Brawling skill damages an enemy.
- Booming Voice: You gain increased duration on your Shout skills.
- Concussion: You gain a chance to stun enemies while using skills with a bludgeoning weapon. This effect triggers on a Lucky Hit.
- Counteroffensive: You deal increased damage when you have Fortify for over 50 percent of your maximum life.
- Guttural Yell: You gain increased damage reduction when you use a Shout skill.
- Imposing Presence: You gain an increase to maximum life.
- Martial Vigor: You gain increased damage reduction against Elite enemies.
- Thick Skin: You gain a percentage of your maximum life as Fortify every time you take damage.
- Wallop: You deal increased damage to stunned or Vulnerable enemies while using skills with a bludgeoning weapon.
Arsenal choices
The Arsenal system is the Barbarian’s unique class mechanic that unlocks when you hit level five. Every Arsenal choice levels up certain types of weapon expertise depending on which weapons you frequent. As you gain expertise, you will acquire weapon bonuses, and eventually place them in your Technique slot.
For this build, choose these options:
- Two-handed Axe expertise: You deal bonus damage to Vulnerable enemies.
- Two-handed Mace expertise: You deal bonus critical strike damage while Berserking.
- One-handed Sword expertise: You gain increased attack speed after killing a crowd-controlled enemy.
- One-handed Mace expertise: You deal increased damage to stunned enemies.
Since you will be switching your Diablo 4 weapons to combat different situations, having these equipped at all times will be invaluable.
Aspects
The best Aspects for this build revolve around a few that enhance your Basic skills. These are the recommended Aspects:
- Aspect of Adaptability: Your Basic skills deal bonus damage when your Fury is above 50 percent. Basic skills also generate extra Fury when your Fury is below 50 percent.
- Aspect of Disobedience: You gain stacks of armor every time you deal any form of damage.
- Aspect of Giant Strides: You reduce the cooldown of Leap depending on how many enemies you damage with the skill.
- Aspect of Might: You gain damage reduction after casting a Basic skill.
- Aspect of the Moonrise: You gain stacks of attack speed when you damage enemies with a Basic skill. After gaining five stacks, you gain Vampiric Bloodrage, increasing your movement speed and damage dealt by your Basic skills.
- Mangler’s Aspect: You gain a chance to Daze Vulnerable enemies when you damage them.
- Rapid Aspect: Your Basic skills gain increased attack speed.
- Vengeful Aspect: Your critical strike chance increases when you turn an enemy Vulnerable.
Additionally, these unique will fit seamlessly into your build.
- Paingorger’s Gauntlets: You mark enemies every time you damage them with a non-Basic skill. When you use a Basic skill on a marked enemy, you deal increased damage and affect every other marked enemy.
- Ramaladni’s Magnum Opus: You lose two Fury per second. In exchange, your skills deal bonus damage per point of Fury you currently have.
That’s everything you need to know to run a powerful Bash Barbarian in season four. For more, check out our Vampiric Powers guide to find the optimal powers for your Barbarian.
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