The Rogue has slowly climbed the ranks to become the most powerful endgame class in Diablo 4. There are several top-performing endgame Rogue builds in season two, but one comes out on top: The Barrage build. This guide will tell you exactly how to make the ultimate Barrage Rogue.
A guide to the Barrage Rogue build in Diablo 4
While most endgame Rogue builds rely on Dual Blades or Traps, some builds take advantage of the Rogue’s mastery of Bows. The Barrage build picks up an overlooked Bow skill, Barrage, and makes it the backbone of the build. As with most Core skills, Barrage starts off a little lackluster but slowly picks up power with levels and appropriate gear.
Barrage is a powerful Bow skill that is great for clearing dungeons or areas clustered with enemies. Upon activation, the skill rapidly fires five arrows that damage all enemies in a cone-shaped area. The projectiles also have a chance to ricochet upon hitting an enemy, splintering into additional projectiles that deal slightly less damage.
Like any non-ultimate skill, Barrage also has an upgrade tree that consists of one mandatory and two optional upgrades. These are the upgrades we need to pick up:
- Enhanced Barrage: The ricochet chance of Barrage is guaranteed when the projectile critically strikes or damages a Vulnerable enemy.
- Advanced Barrage: When Barrage ricochets at least four times, your next attack gains an increased chance to critically strike an enemy.
Enhanced Barrage is a no-brainer. The chance for a guaranteed projectile gives this skill even more damage and crowd control when you combine it with certain Aspects and Specializations.
Since we are focusing on the skill’s ricochet capabilities, Advanced Barrage is naturally the best upgrade to choose next. The chance to critical strike can also proc on your next Barrage cast, giving this skill even more value.
Now that our Core skill is sorted out, we’ll move on to the rest of our active skill slots.
Barrage Rogue skill progression
When you reach the endgame, the Rogue’s six active skill slots will include:
- Barrage: The main Core skill of this build.
- Puncture: The Basic skill that serves as an Energy generator. Toss your blades toward an enemy to deal minor damage. Critical strikes and every third hit of Puncture will also slow the enemy.
Puncture is the best generator for the Barrage build, as it slows enemies and will help keep them at a safe distance from your Rogue. Enhanced Puncture generates even more Energy when you damage a crowd-controlled enemy, and Fundamental Puncture spreads out the blades, making enemies Vulnerable if they are hit by two blades at once. This is a great disabling skill toward the endgame.
Since Rogues aren’t exactly the tankiest class, we should also pick up some defensive options to help us survive:
- Smoke Grenade: Toss a smoke bomb that Dazes all enemies caught in its area of effect.
- Shadow Step: Dash toward an enemy, appearing behind them and stabbing them. After the attack, you gain increased movement speed for a short time.
Smoke Grenade is one of the best defensive skills in the Rogue’s arsenal. Dazing enemies prevents them from casting spells or attacking, allowing you to slip away without taking damage. Enhanced Smoke Grenade makes affected enemies take more damage from you, while Countering Smoke Grenade gives you a chance to reduce the ability’s cooldown by damaging affected enemies.
Shadow Step is a great repositioning tool, as it allows you to get behind key targets. You can use it to close the gap between you and an enemy or escape after casting Smoke Grenade. Enhanced Shadow Step is a great offensive option, as it increases your critical strike chance against the affected target, while Disciplined Shadow Step reduces the cooldown of the skill when you hit an unaffected target with it.
The last two abilities will be two Imbuement choices to enhance Barrage:
- Shadow Imbuement: Imbue your weapon with Shadow damage. The next two attacks infect enemies with Shadow damage causing them to explode when they die.
- Cold Imbuement: Imbue your weapon with Cold damage. The next two attacks deal bonus Cold damage and Chill enemies per attack you land on them.
Shadow Imbuement is a perfect enhancer to clear out smaller enemies. You can chain explosions to clear out waves of enemies quickly if done right. Enhanced Shadow Imbuement grants you increased critical strike chance when you damage Shadow-infected enemies, while Mixed Shadow Imbuement increases the non-physical damage that Shadow-infected enemies take.
Cold Imbuement is the best crowd-control enhancer that works great on Elites and Bosses. The Chill factor allows you to slow enemies down while you cast Barrage. Enhanced Cold Imbuement also gives you a chance to make affected enemies Vulnerable, while Mixed Cold Imbuement lets you deal increased damage to all crowd-controlled enemies. This bonus is doubled against Frozen enemies.
Barrage Rogue passive abilities
Passive abilities enhance our Rogue’s active abilities even further, and both the Key Passive and secondary passives are important parts of the build. Choose the following Key Passive:
- Close Quarters Combat: You gain separate attack speed bonuses when you attack enemies with Marksman and Cutthroat skills. When both bonuses are active, you deal increased damage.
And choose the following secondary passives for your Barrage Rogue:
- Stutter Step: You gain increased movement speed each time you critically strike an enemy.
- Rugged: You gain damage reduction against damage over time effects.
- Weapon Mastery: You gain additional bonuses when attacking with certain weapon types.
- Daggers: You deal increased damage to Healthy enemies.
- Crossbows: You deal increased critical strike damage to enemies.
- Concussive: You gain an increased critical strike chance against knocked-down enemies.
- Trick Attacks: You knock down Dazed enemies when you critically strike them.
- Exploit: You deal increased damage to Healthy and Injured enemies.
- Malice: You deal increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.
- Shadow Crash: You have a chance to stun enemies affected by your Shadow damage.
- Consuming Shadows: You generate Energy when you kill enemies with Shadow damage.
- Precision Imbuement: You gain increased critical strike chance on your Imbuement skills.
- Frigid Finesse: You deal increased damage to Chilled enemies. This bonus doubles on Frozen enemies.
- Adrenaline Rush: You gain increased Energy regeneration while moving.
- Haste: You gain increased movement speed when your Energy levels are above half. You also gain increased attack speed when your Energy levels drop below half.
Barrage Rogue Specialization choices
Specialization is the Rogue’s unique class mechanic that unlocks at level 15 after you finish the “True Potential” quest. You’ll get three choices of Specialization:
- Combo Points
- Inner Sight
- Preparation
For this build, the specialization we want is Combo Points. Casting Puncture repeatedly will build up Combo Points, while Barrage spends them for additional damage and effects. Combo Points can stack up to three times, with each stack improving Barrage:
- One point: Six additional arrows fired with a damage increase of 44.88 percent.
- Two points: Seven additional arrows fired with a damage increase of 52.36 percent.
- Three points: Eight additional arrows fired with a damage increase of 59.84 percent.
With the abilities and specialization decided, the last part of the Barrage Rogue build involves choosing your Aspects.
Barrage Rogue Aspects
Choosing the right Aspects will bring out the best of the Barrage Rogue build. Above all, the best Aspect by far for Barrage Rogues is:
- Aspect of Branching Volleys: When Barrage ricochets, it has a chance to split into two arrows instead of one.
This Aspect amplifies the damage of Barrage in the endgame by launching even more projectiles in the heat of battle. The rest of your Aspects should look like this:
- Aspect of Corruption: Your Imbuement skills gain increased potency against Vulnerable targets.
- Aspect of Disobedience: You gain stacks of armor every time you deal any form of damage.
- Aspect of the Expectant: Your next Core skill deals bonus damage after you use a Basic skill.
- Aspect of Might: You gain damage reduction after casting a Basic skill.
- Cheat’s Aspect: You gain damage reduction against crowd-controlled enemies. Additionally, taking damage from a crowd-controlled enemy temporarily increases your movement speed.
- Eluding Aspect: You gain an Unstoppable status if you become Injured while crowd-controlled.
- 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.
On top of this, two pieces of gear work well with the Barrage build:
- Condemnation: Your Core skills deal increased damage when you use all three Combo Points. Additionally, your Basic skills have a chance to recover three Combo Points on attack.
- Tibault’s Will: You gain increased damage and recover 50 Energy each time you become Unstoppable.
That’s all you need to know to make a successful Barrage Rogue in Diablo 4. For season-specific updates, check out our Vampiric Powers guide to find the best powers for your Rogue.
