The Barbarian is one of the better classes to clear through the main content of Diablo 4. But one aspect of the Barbarian that’s not talked about as much is the class’ prowess in PvP.
If you’re a fan of battling other players in Diablo 4, this PvP Barbarian build is for you.
A guide to the PvP Barbarian in Diablo 4
Unlike PvE builds, PvP builds focus on how best to take down one enemy instead of hordes of multiple smaller ones. PvP builds are more similar to boss-killing builds than they are to massive mob-clearing PvE builds, and this Barbarian PvP build is possibly one of the strongest among all the classes in the game.
The reasoning behind this is that the build focuses exclusively on single-target damage. We will be cutting out all of the AoE damage and flashy spells of the Barbarian in favor of having more one-on-one options, ensuring the swift demise of our player opponent. Because of this approach, our skillset is very single-minded, with one playstyle to focus on.
Since we want to take down our opponent with maximum force, leaving little room for error, Wrath of the Berserker is the ideal Ultimate skill to have. Casting it makes your Barbarian Unstoppable and grants them Berserking, which means they can’t be stopped by control-impairing effects while gaining increased damage and movement speed.
The Berserking bonuses from Wrath of the Berserker continue if the Barbarian uses their Basic skill during the Ultimate’s duration. For the sake of improvements to the skill, since Wrath of the Berserker is an Ultimate skill, it has two upgrades instead of three, both of which are mandatory.
- Prime Wrath of the Berserker: You gain increased movement speed and improved Fury generation when Wrath of the Berserker is active.
- Supreme Wrath of the Berserker: You gain 25 percent increased damage each time you spend 50 Fury during Wrath of the Berserker. This damage bonus stacks up to 100 percent.
Prime Wrath of the Berserker sustains your offense with increased Fury generation, letting you spam your skills on your opponent. Additionally, gaining increased movement speed during the skill lets you easily pursue your enemy if they try to make a break for it.
Supreme Wrath of the Berserker amplifies your damage even further. With the increased Fury generation, you will be spending Fury constantly. The more you spend, the more damage you gain, all the way up to a double damage bonus.
The next part of this PvP build picks up the other five skills we need.
PvP Barbarian skill progression
Now that our main PvP skill is sorted, we pick up five more skills to fill up our skill slots. These skills will include our bleed skills and supporting skills that ensure we stick to our opponent, giving them no chance to escape.
Since our focus is entirely on one target, we ensure that we make them bleed out before they have a chance to retaliate. This hit-and-run playstyle might not be like your typical PvE Barbarian, but it is a lot more suited for PvP.
First, we pick up our trifecta of bleed skills.
- Flay: The generator skill. You deal minor damage on impact and additional bleeding damage per second for five seconds.
- Rend: The big spender. You cleave the enemy in front of you, dealing minor damage and strong bleeding damage per second for five seconds.
- Rupture: You stab the enemy in front of you for minor damage, then pull your weapon out, dealing all bleeding damage over time as burst damage.
Flay is the first skill we pick up, inflicting bleeding and generating Fury so that you have enough for your bigger skills. Enhanced Flay also makes your enemy Vulnerable, allowing you to deal additional damage to them. Our optional upgrade of choice beyond this point is Battle Flay so that you deal even more bleeding damage over time.
Rend is the Core skill for this build. After building up a lot of Fury and bleeding damage stacks with Flay, we spam Rend for more bleed. Enhanced Rend increases the Vulnerable duration that you create with Enhanced Flay for some nice synergy. Additionally, picking up Violent Rend increases the damage you deal to Vulnerable enemies.
Finally, Rupture rounds off our bleed skills. As you keep stacking bleed effects with Flay and Rend, your enemy is primed and ready for a big finish. Rupture will deal burst bleeding damage depending on how much bleed you stack over time. Enhanced Rupture causes an additional explosion of bleeding damage over time.
The optional upgrade choice is up to you. If you want a defensive option, Fighter’s Rupture will heal you. If you want an offensive option, Warrior’s Rupture will increase your attack speed for a while.
- Charge: You become Unstoppable and dash forward, dealing minor damage and knocking back your enemy.
- Rallying Cry: You let out a powerful war cry that increases your Fury generation and movement speed for six seconds.
The final couple of skills are going to be our support skills to ensure we stick to our target. If they manage to create some distance between you and them, Charge should solve that issue. Enhanced Charge also stuns your enemy when you knock them back into terrain while Mighty Charge also leaves your target Vulnerable upon impact.
Rallying Cry is the final skill we pick up. Since our damage and control are sorted, we pick up more Fury generation and movement speed to ensure we stick to our target and can spam skills. Enhanced Rallying Cry grants you another source of Unstoppable while Tactical Rallying Cry increases your Fury generation even more while restoring 20 additional Fury.
PvP Barbarian passive choices
The passive skills we choose are going to be secondary passives and one Key Passive. First, we pick up the secondary passives.
- Aggressive Resistance: Increases your damage resistance when Berserking.
- Booming Voice: Increases the duration of your Shout skills.
- Counteroffensive: Increases your damage output when you have over half of your maximum health as Fortify.
- Cut to the Bone: Increases the bleeding damage you inflict on Vulnerable enemies.
- Defensive Stance: Increases your damage reduction while you are Fortified.
- Hamstring: Slows healthy enemies when you make them bleed.
- Heavy Handed: Increases your critical strike damage when you use two-handed weapons.
- Imposing Presence: Increases your max health pool.
- Martial Vigor: Increases your damage resistance against elites.
- Pit Fighter: Increases your damage output against close enemies and your damage resistance against distant enemies.
- Prolific Fury: Increases your Fury generation when Berserking.
- Raid Leader: Grants your Shout skills the ability to heal you every second they are active.
- Thick Skin: Gains Fortify each time you take direct damage.
This Key Passive makes your build even stronger.
- Gushing Wounds: You have a chance to increase the bleed amount when you cause your enemy to bleed. The chance to make this happen is equal to your critical strike chance. The damage increase is equal to your critical strike damage. If you Overpower your target, you deal additional bleeding damage over five seconds.
Now, we pick the right Arsenal choices for our PvP Barbarian.
PvP Barbarian Arsenal choices
The Arsenal system is the Barbarian’s unique class mechanic. It unlocks at level five and grants additional passives based on the Barbarian’s weapon mastery levels. Depending on how proficient you are with the weapon, you gain more passives over time. For this build, this is what we pick up as our Arsenal choices.
- 2H Sword Expertise: Deals additional bleeding damage from 20 percent of the direct damage you deal to your opponent.
- 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 Sword Expertise is the primary option here because of the bonuses to bleeding damage. Two-handed Axe Expertise is the secondary option since we will be using slashing weapons and can take advantage of these bonuses if necessary.
PvP Barbarian Aspects
First, we pick up the main Aspect of this build.
- Wanton Rupture Aspect: You have a chance to not consume all bleeding effects when you cast Rupture.
This Aspect allows you to deal even more bleeding damage by dealing burst bleed with Rupture and more damage over time by not consuming all existing bleeding effects.
The rest of the Aspects support this build’s playstyle.
- 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 Limitless Rage: Your next Core skill deals increased damage when you cast it while generating Fury above the maximum limit.
- Aspect of Might: You gain increased damage reduction when you use a Basic skill.
- Aspect of Retribution: You deal bonus damage to stunned enemies. Additionally, distant enemies can be stunned when they attack you.
- Edgemaster’s Aspect: You deal increased damage with all your skills based on how much Fury you have. The maximum damage increase is gained when you have maximum Fury.
- Iron Blood Aspect: You gain damage reduction when you have a bleeding enemy nearby.
- Rapid Aspect: You gain increased attack speed using a Basic skill.
- Relentless Berserker’s Aspect: Your Berserking duration increases every time you deal damage with a Core skill. This bonus doubles on a critical strike.
- Steadfast Berserker’s Aspect: You gain Fortify whenever you deal damage while Berserking.
We can fit one unique weapon into this build as well.
- Fields of Crimson: You create a pool of blood when you deal damage with Rupture. Enemies standing in the pool of blood bleed even more and take increased bleeding damage over time.
That’s everything you need to know to run a successful PvP Barbarian in Diablo 4.
