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The Barbarian class is the go-to choice for players who want to raise hell through sheer brute force, and inDiablo 4Season 9, this class received some fun new toys to play with. However, the best of those toys are only obtainable in the endgame, which means you’ll need to rush through the early game if you want to use them.
The following is a leveling build for Barbarians that focus on speed and AoE to help with thoseHoradric Strongroom blitzes inDiablo 4Season 9. Here’s what you need to make it work.
Upheaval remains one of the best skills for leveling a Barbarian inDiablo 4thanks to its high AoE damage. It can kill mobs very quickly without being overly-reliant on good gearand Legendary Aspects, making it very attractive for fresh characters. This build focuses on improving Upheaval to make it viable throughout the leveling process and the early Torment grind.
Active Skills
Furious Upheaval (5/5)
Deal up to 200% more damage with Upheaval when you hit enemies with other skills.
Speeds up Upheaval’s slow speed while dealing decent single-target damage.
Strategic Ground Stomp (1/5)
Stuns enemies and reduces the cooldown of your Ultimate by up to 15 seconds.
Tactical Rallying Cry (1/5)
Boosts Movement Speed and Fury Generation while generating 20 Fury and making you Unstoppable.
Fighter’s Death Blow (5/5)
Grants you 20 Fury if it hits at least one enemy. Change this toWarrior’s Death Blowif you want easy Berserking access.
Wrath of the Berserker (5/5)
Big damage buff that also groups enemies.
Upheavalis our main damage skill here, but we’ll also be usingFrenzy and Death Blow for DPS as well. Ground Stomp is also surprisingly good as a damage skill with the Tactical upgrade, so consider using that if you want more damage.
When playing this build, your goal is to build Fury while grouping enemies up for big Upheaval casts. Passives and Aspects will help you deal more damage with this playstyle.
Use 2H Bludgeoning Weapons for Upheaval and 2H Slashing Weapons for Death Blow. If needed, replace Death Blow withWar Cryfor more damage buffs orChallenging Shoutfor survivability.
Passives
These are the core skills needed to maximize this build’s damage output and Fury generation. For the rest of your skill points, invest them in passives likeFurious Impulsefor better Fury generation orInvigorating Furyfor health sustain. Skills likeThick SkinandDefensive Stanceare also great for improving survivability.
Weapon Technique
For thisDiablo 4Barbarian leveling build, we’ll be using 2H Mace asour Arsenal Expertise bonusto maximize our Fury generation with Frenzy. Since the build uses Unbridled Fury, you’ll want to get as much Fury as you can between Upheaval casts to maximize its damage through passives and Aspects.
Alternatively, you’re able to use 2H Axe for extra Vulnerable damage. Change Ground Stomp’s upgrade from Strategic to Tactical, then shift some of Wrath of the Berserker’s skill points to the Pressure Point passive. This will let you take advantage of the 2H Axe bonus at the cost of less Wrath of the Berserker uptime.
Horadric Spells
The Horadric Spells you use early on doesn’t matter much, but the defaultThunderous Particle + Celestial Surgecombo pairs well with Ground Stomp. Celestial Surge groups enemies together, making themeasy targets for a big Upheaval cast..
Your choice of late game spells depend on what build you want to transition to. If you still want to use Upheaval, thenSmoldering Ember + Astral Pillaris good for grouping enemies and making them vulnerable. For Arcanas, use the following:
Equipment and Aspects
Upheaval itself is decent early on, but in order to max out its damage, you’ll need to use Legendary Aspects that boost its damage. Some good options include:
As usual, mix in some Defensive Aspects here so you may keep yourself alive.Aspect Of MightandAspect Of Disobedienceare always helpful, but if you want to scale your Overpower damage, anything that Fortifies you will do just fine.
The following Uniques will help this build a lot if you manage to get them early:
