Best Early Game Barbarian Build in Diablo IV

Barbarian is the stereotypical “arrrgh, look at me, I’m strong” character in Diablo IV, but for good reason. It packs one heck of a punch with the right set of Skills and Aspects. Here’s what I recommend you spend your Skill Points on for your early-game Barbarian build on the road to level 50.

What Barbarian build should I use in the Diablo IV early game?

As you may expect, Barbarian works best when it’s slamming down on enemies with all its might. So you’ll want to choose skills that synergize with this the best. After all, “whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power,” so they say.

To get to level 50, you’ll want to utilize the Hammer of the Ancients as your main Skill and build your character around that. It’s the most fun gameplay I’ve had yet in Diablo IV.

Screenshot by Siliconera

Which Barbarian Skills should I pick in Diablo IV, then?

I recommend putting your Skill Points into the following Skills and passives:

• Frenzy
• Hammer of the Ancients
• Rallying Cry
• Combat Frenzy
• Leap
• Death Blow
• Hamstring
• Wrath of the Berserker
• Tempered Fury
• Furious Impulse
• Swiftness
• Walking Arsenal
• Pit Fighter
• No Mercy
• Expose Vulnerability
• Thick Skin
• Counteroffensive
• Defensive Stance

You’ll want to spend your Skill Points in this order for your Barbarian build in Diablo IV:

1. Frenzy
2. Enhanced Frenzy
3. Hammer of the Ancients level 1
4. Enhanced Hammer of the Ancients
5. Furious Hammer of the Ancients
6. Hammer of the Ancients level 2
7. Hammer of the Ancients level 3
8. Hammer of the Ancients level 4
9. Hammer of the Ancients level 5
10. Rallying Cry level 1
11. Enhanced Rallying Cry
12. Tactical Rallying Cry
13. Combat Frenzy
14. Leap level 1
15. Enhanced Leap
16. Power Leap
17. Death Blow level 1
18. Enhanced Death Blow
19. Warrior’s Death Blow
20. Death Blow level 2
21. Death Blow level 3
22. Death Blow level 4
23. Death Blow level 5
24. Hamstring
25. Wrath of the Berserker
26. Prime Wrath of the Berserker
27. Supreme Wrath of the Berserker
28. Tempered Fury
29. Furious Impulse level 1
30. Furious Impulse level 2
31. Furious Impulse level 3
32. Swiftness level 1
33. Swiftness level 2
34. Swiftness level 3
35. Walking Arsenal
36. Pit Fighter level 1
37. Pit Fighter level 2
38. No Mercy
39. Expose Vulnerability level 1
40. Expose Vulnerability level 2
41. Expose Vulnerability level 3
42. Thick Skin level 1
43. Thick Skin level 2
44. Thick Skin level 3
45. Counteroffensive level 1
46. Counteroffensive level 2
47. Counteroffensive level 3
48. Defensive Stance level 1
49. Defensive Stance level 2
50. Defensive Stance level 3

Which Aspects should I use on my Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian build?

Legendary Aspects are an essential part of your build as they add extra perks. You should prioritize the following Aspects for your Barbarian build in Diablo IV:

• Aspect of Ancestral Force: Hammer of the Ancients emits an outward quake that deals a percentage of damage to enemies.
• Aspect of the Expectant: Using a Basic Skill increases your next Core Skill damage by up to 30%.
• Aspect of Unrelenting Fury: Getting a Core Skill skill refunds a portion of its base Fury cost. It can only happen once per Skill cast.
• Edgemaster’s Aspect: Skills deal increased damage based on your available Primary Resource when cast. You receive the maximum benefit when your Primary Resource is full.

Diablo IV is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. If you’re considering leveling Sorcerer next, here’s what build we recommend.

Related: How to Get Baleful Fragments in Diablo 4 on Destructoid