The Barbarian is the ultimate team player in Diablo 4, coming equipped with buffs for themselves and their party. But what if you wanted to play the game solo? This is where our solo Barbarian build comes into play, perfect for grinding it out till the endgame.
A guide to the solo Barbarian in Diablo 4
The solo Barbarian build is a literal walking arsenal of death and devastation. Since the focus of this build is entirely on your Barbarian, we bring out a combination of skills and Aspects that enhance his weapon masteries to the limit while also being able to tank enemies. For this build, however, we go for the “offense is the best defense” approach.
As such, this build utilizes the Barbarian’s unique class mechanic, the Arsenal system, to its fullest. This involves bringing out a variety of weapons to be used in different attacks as well as Iron Maelstrom wrecking every enemy in sight whenever the skill is off-cooldown. Because of that, before we get to the other skills in this build, we talk about Iron Maelstrom.
Iron Maelstrom is a three-stage Ultimate attack that utilizes three different types of weapons. Once you have equipped a two-handed Bludgeoning weapon, a two-handed Slashing weapon, and a Dual Wielding weapon, you are good to go. Activate the skill thrice to use these effects.
- The first attack slams your Bludgeoning weapon on the ground, dealing 60 percent damage and stunning all enemies caught for two seconds.
- The second attack swipes your Slashing weapon in an arc in front of you, dealing 20 percent damage and 120 percent bleeding damage over five seconds.
- The final attack launches your Dual Wield weapons in a massive circle around you, dealing 32.5 percent damage per hit.
The combo damage potential from these three hits is quite devastating toward the end game. Because Iron Maelstrom is an Ultimate skill, it has only two upgrades instead of the usual three. Both of these upgrades are mandatory.
- Prime Iron Maelstrom: You gain an increased critical strike chance and deal increased critical strike damage when you use Iron Maelstrom.
- Supreme Iron Maelstrom: You reduce Iron Maelstrom’s cooldown by one second every time you deal damage to an enemy after swapping your weapons.
Prime Iron Maelstrom is the perfect damage boost you will need as you inch towards the endgame, with more critical strike damage and a higher chance to critically strike. This will proc often as you spam your skills and keep up Iron Maelstrom.
Supreme Iron Maelstrom ensures that you have your Iron Maelstrom up as often as possible by reducing its cooldown. Since you will be using multiple weapons for this build, swapping them out constantly while dealing damage will reduce the downtime for Iron Maelstrom.
Now we pick up the rest of the skills needed to make this build function.
Solo Barbarian skill progression
The Solo Barbarian is a killing machine, which is why the other skills serve to amplify Iron Maelstrom and make short work of enemies in the process. These are the rest of the active skills we choose.
- Iron Maelstrom: The Ultimate skill chosen for the solo Barbarian.
- Rallying Cry: Increase the movement speed and resource generation of you and your nearby allies for a short while. This duration is doubled for the casting Barbarian.
A Barbarian is often incomplete without his Shouts. In this case, we only choose one, Rallying Cry. The skill is a perfect offensive Shout ability, granting you a boost to your Fury generation and movement speed. This allows you to cut through your enemies whilst spamming skills without worrying too much about the Fury costs.
The increased movement speed allows you to cut through enemies in no time, especially when you upgrade the skill with Enhanced Rallying Cry, turning you Unstoppable. The next upgrade, Strategic Rallying Cry, grants you 10 percent of your max life as Fortify. Additionally, every time you take damage while this buff is active, you gain an extra two percent of your max life as Fortify.
- Lunging Strike: The Barbarian leaps toward an enemy, dealing 33 percent damage and generating Fury.
- Upheaval: The Barbarian uproots the ground in front of them, tossing the debris at enemies, dealing 138 percent damage.
The next couple of skills are your generator and Core skill combo. Lunging Strike is perfect for this build since it allows you to get up close and personal with your enemies. Enhanced Lunging Strike deals increased damage and heals you on attack. Combat Lunging Strike grants you Berserking every time the skill critically strikes.
Upheaval is your big spender when Iron Maelstrom is on cooldown. If you want to clear groups of enemies, this is your skill. Enhanced Upheaval grants you a 20 percent chance to stun all enemies it impacts for 2.5 seconds. Furious Upheaval improves the skill’s damage on cast every time you deal damage to enemies with any other skill.
- Iron Skin: The Barbarian generates a barrier that absorbs 50 percent of their max life in damage.
- Death Blow: The Barbarian deals 324 percent damage to all enemies in front of them. Death Blow comes with two charges. If this attack kills an enemy, a charge is refunded.
The final two skills are a combination of defense and offense. Iron Skin is great in a pinch, granting you a powerful barrier that absorbs a lot of damage, preferably used best when you’re surrounded. Enhanced Iron Skin absorbs even more damage while Tactical Iron Skin also heals you for 10 percent of the barrier’s original amount as life per second.
The last skill we go for is Death Blow, the best finishing move in the Barbarian’s arsenal. Starting with Upheaval and finishing with Death Blow is the best combination when Iron Maelstrom is on cooldown. Enhanced Death Blow deals bonus damage to bosses while Warrior’s Death Blow grants you Berserking every time you deal damage with the skill.
The next section will tackle passive abilities that synergize well with these active skills.
Solo Barbarian passive choices
The passives chosen here are divided into secondary passives that buff this build and one Key Passive that works as the backbone of the build.
- Imposing Presence: Increases your max health pool.
- Martial Vigor: Increases your damage resistance against elites.
- Swiftness: Increases your max movement speed.
- Aggressive Resistance: Increases your damage resistance when Berserking.
- Pit Fighter: Increases your damage output against close enemies and your damage resistance against distant enemies.
- Expose Vulnerability: Your next Core skill will turn enemies vulnerable if you previously dealt damage with a Weapon Mastery skill.
- Slaying Strike: Increases the damage you deal against injured enemies.
- Thick Skin: Gains Fortify each time you take direct damage.
- Counteroffensive: Increases your damage output when you have over half of your maximum health as Fortify.
- Defensive Stance: Increases your damage reduction while you are Fortified.
- Heavy Handed: Increases your critical strike damage when you use two-handed weapons.
- Brute Force: Increases your Overpower damage when you use two-handed weapons.
Finally, we choose the Key Passive for this build.
- Walking Arsenal: You gain 10 percent increased damage every time you deal damage with a two-handed Bludgeoning weapon, a two-handed Slashing weapon, or a Dual Wield weapon. Additionally, you deal 15 percent increased damage when all three bonuses are active.
The next part of this build deals with the Barbarian’s unique class mechanic.
Solo Barbarian Arsenal choices
The Barbarian’s Arsenal system unlocks at level five and grants Barbarians additional weapon bonuses. These bonuses depend on which weapon the Barbarian uses and their proficiency with said weapon. Since we’re focusing on different types of weapons for this build, picking the best choices for the Arsenal system can be difficult, but this is the one we have chosen.
- 2H Axe Expertise: Deals increased damage to vulnerable enemies. Additionally, your critical strike chance against vulnerable enemies also increases when you use an axe.
Two-handed Axe Expertise in our Weapon Technique slot grants us bonus damage against injured and vulnerable enemies.
The final part of this build focuses on the Aspects we imbue into our gear.
Solo Barbarian Aspects
First, we pick up the main Aspects of this build.
- Aspect of the Relentless Armsmaster: You gain increased Fury generation when all the bonuses from Walking Arsenal are active.
- Weapon Master’s Aspect: You gain an additional charge for your Weapon Mastery skills. Additionally, on a Lucky Hit, you have a chance to stun enemies with a Weapon Mastery skill.
Next, we pick up the rest of the Aspects needed for this build to function ideally.
- Aspect of Berserk Ripping: You deal additional bleeding damage along with your base damage while you are Berserking.
- Aspect of Disobedience: You gain increased armor that increases with every attack you land.
- Aspect of Encroaching Wrath: Your next Weapon Mastery skill cast deals bonus damage after spending 100 Fury.
- Aspect of the Iron Warrior: You gain increased damage reduction and become Unstoppable when you cast Iron Skin.
- Aspect of Might: You gain increased damage reduction when you use a Basic skill.
- Aspect of Numbing Wrath: You gain additional Fortify whenever you generate Fury beyond your maximum limit.
- Aspect of Retribution: You deal bonus damage to stunned enemies. Additionally, distant enemies have a chance to be stunned when they attack you.
- Earthstriker’s Aspect: Your next skill cast will Overpower and deal bonus Overpower damage whenever you swap weapons eight times.
- Rapid Aspect: You gain increased attack speed using a Basic skill.
- Steadfast Berserker’s Aspect: You gain Fortify whenever you deal damage while Berserking.
And finally, a unique weapon that can really boost this build.
- Overkill: You release a shockwave every time you cast Death Blow. Enemies killed by the shockwave also refill a charge of Death Blow.
That’s everything you need to know to run a successful solo Barbarian in Diablo 4.
