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Other Diablo 4 Build Guides |
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Diablo 4 features a selection of the most popular classes from the franchise’s history. Each of these archetypal classes has been re-imagined over and over throughout video game history and Diablo 4 seeks to try them again. This time around, all the classes feel refined, capable, and incredibly versatile.
The Barbarian especially has come a long way. What was once a meat-headed brute, endlessly spamming Whirlwind enough to make even a Dervish dizzy, has become a finely-tuned, demon slaughtering machine. Blizzard didn’t pull any punches with the Barbarian this time around. Players will thoroughly enjoy using this Barbarian build to cleave through the Diablo 4 beta.
Best Barbarian Build for the Diablo 4 Beta
Barbarians excel at dealing massive damage, taking hits when needed, and weakening enemies when possible. They use the Arsenal system to equip a variety of weapons to accomplish these goals, and each one can be assigned to a skill for maximum customization.
The Diablo 4 beta has a level cap at 25. After the player has reached max level and accrued all the Skill Points given out by Renown Rewards, they’ll have a total of 26 points to distribute. Those 26 points are more than enough to craft a dozen excellent builds.
The following is one such build for the Diablo 4 Barbarian titled “Rend & Rupture.” It's based on a level 25 character, and it prioritizes maximum damage output above all else. It’s also surprisingly tough to kill. Note that the numbers may vary depending on the character's stats.
| Rend & Rupture | ||
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| Skill | Description | Enhancements |
Flay (4/5)
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Flay the enemy, dealing 29 damage and inflicting 215 Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. Assign 1H weapons to this skill for maximum speed. | Enhanced Flay: 10% chance to inflict Vulnerable for 2 seconds, 20% if using 2H weapon. |
| Battle Flay: Enemies take 10% increased Bleeding for 3 seconds. | ||
Rend (5/5)
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Cleave enemies in front of the player, dealing 87 damage and inflicting 697 Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. Assign a 2H weapon to this skill for maximum damage. | Enhanced Rend: Hits with Rend extend the duration of Vulnerable by 2 seconds |
| Violent Rend: +12% damage to Vulnerable enemies | ||
Pressure Point (1/3)
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Core skills have a 10% chance to make enemies Vulnerable. | |
Rallying Cry (1/5)
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Bellow a Rallying Cry, increasing Movement Speed by 30% and Resource Generation by 50% for 6 seconds. Also affects allies for 3 seconds. | Enhanced Rallying Cry: Grants Unstoppable when active. |
| Tactical Rallying Cry: +25 Fury and +50% Resource Generation | ||
Rupture (1/5)
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Skewer enemies in front of the player, dealing 57 damage and damaging enemies for their total Bleeding amount while ending all Bleeding effects on them. Assign a 2H weapon to this skill for maximum damage. | Enhanced Rupture: Causes an explosion that deals Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. |
| Fighter’s Rupture: A hit heals the player for 15% of Maximum Life. | ||
Steel Grasp (1/5)
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Throw out a trio of chains that deal 98 damage and pull enemies in. | Enhanced Steel Grasp: Makes enemies Vulnerable for 2.5 seconds. |
| Fighter’s Steel Grasp: A hit grants the player Berserking for 2 seconds. | ||
Iron Maelstrom
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Ultimate, three-part attack that deals huge damage, Bleeding, and Stun to everything on the screen. | Prime Iron Maelstrom: +10% Critical Chance, +20% Critical Strike Damage. |
| Supreme Iron Maelstrom: Dealing direct damage after weapon swapping reduces cooldown by 1 second. | ||
The Best Attack Pattern for Rend & Rupture Barbarians
Using the build above, the perfect attack pattern relies heavily on precise timing. However, players that can pull it off will utterly destroy even the hardest bosses in Diablo 4 with this build. Here’s the best way to utilize these skills:
- Activate Rallying Cry to gain Fury, Resource Generation, and Movement Speed.
- Pull enemies in with Steel Grasp. Even if they aren’t pulled in, it’ll make them Vulnerable and grant the Barbarian Berserkering.
- Deal one or two hits with Flay to increase Bleeding damage and build extra Fury.
- Swipe with a Rend to inflict a huge Bleed and extend the Vulnerable effect.
- Before Berserking ends, finish with Rupture to instantly deal all Bleed damage (plus 55% from Vulnerable and Berserking) and heal 15% Health.
That attack pattern works well on bosses and elites, and it doesn’t require Iron Maelstrom which players won’t get until near the end. It’s a brutal combination that can bring down any boss in the Fractured Peaks, even at World Tier 2.
The Best Gear for Rend & Rupture Barbarians
Diablo 4 uses a system of randomized bonuses (called affixes) to generate loot. Because of this, it can be a hassle to track down just the right gear. Thankfully, there are quite a few ways to customize gear to suit specific needs. In general, Barbarians using the Rend & Rupture build should try to find gear with the following stats:
- Strength
- Vulnerable Damage
- Physical Damage
- Maximum Life
- Thorns
- Life on Kill
Barbarians should keep their eyes out for boots with the “+1 Max Evade Charge” effect as that’s incredibly helpful for improving the Barbarian’s mobility. There’s also an Aspect that truly breaks Diablo 4 called “Defensive Aspect of the Crowded Sage.” It heals the Barbarian an amount based on how many enemies are within close range. With one of those, players can save all their potions for boss fights.
Diablo 4 launches June 6 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5.