The Barbarian class returns in Diablo 4, but you can only unlock this melee class’ true potential when you’re using the best Barbarian build.
The Barbarian is physically the strongest class in the Diablo series and has been for a long time. They use pure strength and melee weapon mastery to defeat hordes of enemies. If a one-person army sounds like the playstyle for you, then the Barbarian is a great option.
Having made their original debut in the Hellfire Expansion of the original Diablo, Barbarians have been featured in every Diablo game since, and there are multiple ways to build them. So, if you want to survive the legions of Hell, then using the best Diablo 4 Barbarian build is essential.
Here are the best Barbarian builds for PvE leveling, endgame, and PvP during Diablo 4. We’ve put these builds in a tier list to give you an idea of where each build ranks.
Are Barbarians good in Season 6?
The Barbarian is a mixed bag in Season 6. They’re still pretty reliable in PvP, being rated as A-class, but they’re rated B-class for leveling and C-class for endgame.
So, while their one-man/woman army approach works well for taking down other players, it’s less effective against the high-level hordes of Hell this season.
However, they’re still the best pure melee class, and their Bash build still does major damage to any enemy who’s unfortunate enough to be up close and personal with the Barbarian.
Best Barbarian leveling builds
| Tier | Build |
|---|---|
| S | Upheaval Barbarian |
| A | Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian Barbarian, Double Swing Twisters Barbarian |
| B | Whirlwind Barbarian |
| C | Rend Barbarian |
Best leveling build – Upheaval Barbarian
To cruise through Season 6 with minimal effort, the Upheaval Barbarian is your golden ticket. This build is a wrecking ball of chaos and can delete rooms of enemies like no other build can.
It can easily turn hordes of enemies into nothing but a memory with its massive area-of-effect carnage. Upheaval lets you smash everything in sight from a safe distance while Bash and Rallying Cry keep your Fury topped up.
Add Leap and Charge to zip around the battlefield like an angry pinball and sprinkle in Iron Maelstrom for those “everything must die” moments, and you’ve got a recipe for the quick road to max level.
The Upheaval Barbarian is a bit of a wimp when facing a lone monster, so it’s better to switch to a different build for the endgame. But when you’re leveling, it’s all about efficient crowd control.
Also, Whirlwind Barb isn’t that great in the late game. If you want that spin-to-win Barbarian experience, do it in the early levels while you can.
| Tier | Build |
|---|---|
| S | Bash Barbarian |
| A | Flay Barbarian, Rend Barbarian, Double Swing Twisters Barbarian, Death Blow Bonk Barbarian |
| B | Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian, Whirlwind Twisters Barbarian |
| C | Upheaval Barbarian, Leapquake Barbarian |
Best PvP build – Bash Barbarian
Bash Barbarian’s high damage output and stun capabilities also make it the best option for PvP, and it’s not an especially difficult build to get off the ground.
Recent buffs have turned Bash into a Swiss Army knife for PvP, allowing you to cleave through groups and focus down single targets with brutal efficiency.
Bash’s insane Fury generation and defensive perks mean you can tank hits like a champ while dishing out punishment. Flay Barbarian might make enemies bleed slowly, but in PvP, there’s no time for that. You need them down now, not five seconds later after they’ve run halfway across the battlefield.
Best Barbarian endgame builds
| Tier | Build |
|---|---|
| S | Bash Barbarian, Flay Barbarian, Frenzy Thorns |
| A | Rend Barbarian, Double Swing Twisters Barbarian, Death Blow Bonk Barbarian |
| B | Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian, Whirlwind Twisters Barbarian |
| C | Upheaval Barbarian, Leapquake Barbarian |
Best endgame build – Bash Barbarian
Once you’ve bulldozed your way through the leveling grind with Upheaval, it’s time to swap to the real deal: the Bash Barbarian.
When you hit endgame, Bash Barbarian turns you into a walking sledgehammer. Thanks to recent buffs – like extra cleave animations and juicy damage multipliers – Bash now shreds both single targets and groups with alarming efficiency.
Flay Barbarian is a close second. Bleeding enemies dry sounds fun, but you’ve got to keep those bleeds up to do the most damage rather than just bulldozing through the enemy.
Frenzy Thorns is also a great option here, though it relies on Razorback to really hit its S-Tier stride. It’s bulky, easy to use, and strong against almost all enemy types and scenarios, but has a huge barrier of entry in terms of getting the right items. Banking off of one unique to succeed is a tough gamble.
Unfortunately for Whirlwind Barb enjoyers, your best bet with the class currently is running other skills. It’s not a non-viable build per se, but it’s not ideal. Double Swing Twisters can give you that AoE damage you’re looking for, though.
Our tiers explained
- S: The best of the best
- A: Very good in the current meta
- B: There might be situations where these can perform well
- C: Unless you love this class, there are much better options
Diablo 4’s meta might shift every season, but don’t expect any wild surprises. The same reliable builds keep climbing to the top season after season.
All Barbarian builds in Diablo 4 Season 6 explained
Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian
If smashing things with a giant hammer sounds fun, then the Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian is the build for you.
This build thrives on Fury, bashing skulls with devastating hits that strengthen as your rage grows. Stack up shouts like Rallying Cry and War Cry to pump up your Fury and wreck everything in sight. Perfect for both smashing a single foe into the ground and sending groups flying, this build is all about maximum impact.
However, Ancestral Force is a must-have Aspect for killing bosses with this build, and the DPS isn’t anywhere near builds that focus around Bash, Rend, or Flay. It’s not a bad build, but it’s not optimal.
Upheaval Barbarian
The Upheaval Barbarian is here to show that bigger is better, especially when wrecking multiple enemies at once.
Channel your inner rage to fuel Upheaval’s wide-reaching attacks, turning hordes of enemies into piles of regret. Rallying Cry and War Cry keep your Fury topped off, while gear that boosts attack speed and critical damage ensures every swing counts.
It’s great for leveling due to strong base damage, but falls off heavily late due to other abilities having much better Aspects to build around.
Rend Barbarian
The Rend Barbarian isn’t just here to fight – you’re here to make everything bleed.
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This build specializes in inflicting massive bleed damage over time. With Lunging Strike generating Fury and Iron Skin keeping you alive, this build focuses on turning your enemies into walking blood fountains.
That said, cooldown management is key here. With Rallying Cry and War Cry both being essential for getting your damage up, and Rupture being a key part of maximizing your AoE damage, you’ll need to learn your ability rotation.
Rend also really needs Ring of the Ravenous to be effective, making this build more difficult to put together than Flay Barb for minimal payoff by comparison.
Whirlwind Twisters Barbarian
If spinning until everything around you is dead sounds like your kind of fun, the Whirlwind Twisters Barbarian is the ideal build for you.
Keep Whirlwind going with a steady supply of Fury from Rallying Cry, and let War Cry amp up your damage as you tear through hordes like a tornado with a grudge. This build is all about speed, efficiency, and making sure nothing survives.
That said, it’s worse than most AoE options in terms of endgame content. If you’ve been playing Whirlwind Barb for years, no one’s stopping you, but there are better AoE builds out there.
For a full rundown of the best way to build the Whirlwind Twisters Barbarian this season, check out our guide.
Frenzy Thorns Barbarian
The Frenzy Thorns Barbarian is the ultimate “hit me, I dare you” build. This build turns enemy attacks into their own worst nightmare.
It’s perfect for both offense and defense. With Frenzy boosting your attack speed and thorns reflecting damage, this build is all about punishing anyone foolish enough to hit you while also adding some of that thorns damage to your hits. Challenging Shout and Iron Skin keep you standing tall.
You won’t want to fully commit to a Thorns build until you get Razorback, though. It’s truly a make-or-break unique item for this build.
Double Swing Twisters Barbarian
The Double Swing Twisters Barbarian is all about speed and ferocity. It delivers rapid strikes that leave enemies wondering what just happened.
This build focuses on relentless dual-weapon attacks, keeping up the pressure with the Fury generation from Rallying Cry and damage boosts from War Cry. If you want to feel like a whirling dervish of death, this build has you covered.
This is, unfortunately for veteran Whirlwind players, your best bet when it comes to massive, sweeping AoE damage. The DPS and resource efficiency here is leagues ahead of most other area damage builds, and this should be your go-to for that playstyle. Still not as good as Bash and Flay, though.
Bash Barbarian
The Bash Barbarian is for those who believe that if you’re going to hit something, make sure it stays down. It specializes in powerful, single-target attacks, this build makes every swing count with maximum critical strikes and stuns.
Use Lunging Strike to generate Fury and War Cry to amp up the damage, then let loose with a Bash that leaves enemies reeling. It’s ideal for smashing your way through any tough encounter.
It’s strong, it’s simple, it hasn’t really been nerfed over the past few seasons despite Barbarian being one of the best classes in Diablo 4, and it’s one of the best builds.
Leapquake Barbarian
The Leapquake Barbarian is all about causing chaos from above, leaping into battle, and bringing the ground down with you.
This build combines high mobility with devastating area damage, using Leap to trigger quakes that send enemies flying. It’s best for tearing through large groups.
Unfortunately, getting this build together takes much more effort than it’s worth, and it’s not nearly as effective as other AoE builds without mentioning its poor performance against bosses. Leapquake is fun, but it’s not worth the effort even as a fun build.
Death Blow Bonk Barbarian
The Death Blow Bonk Barbarian is all about delivering that final, devastating hit that leaves enemies wishing they’d never crossed you.
Timing and precision are key here, with Death Blow turning into a devastating finisher that can reset and be used again if you play it right. Lunging Strike keeps your Fury topped off, while War Cry cranks up the damage to make each blow count.
Great for mobbing, not so good for bosses or large enemies. Seeing as the build is entirely oriented around getting killing blows, dealing with chunkier enemies will always be a challenge.
Flay Barbarian
The Flay Barbarian takes pleasure in making enemies bleed out, focusing on bleed damage that leaves foes in a world of hurt.
Lunging Strike fuels your Fury, while Challenging Shout keeps you alive and kicking as you watch your enemies slowly die. This build is all about sustained damage and making sure your enemies regret every encounter.
However, while Flay has a ton of damage potential, it takes a while to come out due to being entirely oriented around DoT damage. As a result, it falls just short of Bash Barb in terms of actual viability.
Now that you know which Barbarian builds are best to use this season in Diablo 4, make sure to check out our guides for the Druid, Sorcerer, Rogue, and Necromancer.