Diablo 3 Barbarian Build

Build and customize the active skills, passive skills and skill rune variations for the Barbarian. Build and customize the active skills, passive skills and skill rune variations for the Barbarian. Damage and skill slot information on this page is drawn from the PC version of Diablo III. Stay Connected. This Diablo 3 Season 19 Barbarian Builds guide focuses on ensuring your tank is truly a tank on the battlefield against forces of hell.

IntroductionThis build guide explains in painstaking detail the Zodiac Rend build, our strongest and most versatile Rend and Whirlwind build, for pushing solo Greater Rifts and speed-farming T16.If you’re familiar with the Barb class, skip down to.If you’re new to this build or the Barb class, or just trying it out for Season 20, please read the primer below. Click the arrow for details Build PrimerStep 1: Read through this guide:Step 2: Acquire the necessary gear.Step 3: Read the rest of this guide.

Pay close attention to how your gear is supposed to be rolled.Step 4: If you’re playing in Season, consult the Season-specific information in each entry.For more information on where this build ranks compared to other Barb builds, check out this thread:Finally, here are some common abbreviations in case you’re new. While Zodiac Rend offers some flexibility depending on your needs, the core build requires the following six skills on your bar.Whirlwind: This is the build’s source of mobility, and healing or Fury generation. Unlike previous iterations of this build before 2.6.7, Whirlwind effectively deals no damage in the build. I recommend you put this skill on Right Mouse Button.Rune Choice:.

With the BK set or with Ambo’s and Doombringer, use Bloodfunnel for healing. With the IB set, use Wind Shear for Fury generationAncient Spear: This skill allows you to manage and group density, as well as drag elites to new locations. Though tricky to control, mastery of this skill is essential to successful Greater Rift pushes. I recommend you put this skill on Left Mouse Button and use Force Stand Still to make precise pulls.Rune Choice:.

Rage Flip for groupingBattle Rage: This skill provides a boost to our damage output. While we used to rely on the damage provided by the Bloodshed rune, Rend cannot crit, and thus doesn’t syngergize well with Bloodshed. Because CHC and CHD act as direct multipliers to Rend’s damage (more on that in Parts & ), Into the Fray is the best choice for pushing. I recommend you put this skill on Number 1 Key.Rune Choice:.

Into the Fray for boosting Rend’s damage. Ferocity for speed-farming. Swords to Ploughshares must be used if you opt for the IB set and the Wind Shear rune on WhirlwindRend: This is the build’s main source of damage, and while I discuss it in greater detail below, there are actually two different kinds of Rends you will use: those applied automatically by Ambo’s Pride via Whirlwind, and those you manually apply through hard-casting Rend. If you don’t have this skill on the bar, your applied Rends will not have the added bonus of a rune effect. See for more detailed information on how Rend works. I recommend you put this skill on Number 2 Key.Rune Choice:.

Bloodbath for optimal DPS (stronger in density). Lacerate for more consistent damage output (weaker in density). If your damage is sufficient when speed-farming T16, you can drop this skill from the bar and take Overpower (Killing Spree) instead since Ambo’s will still apply an un-runed Rend.Ground Stomp: We use this skill to assist in grouping tight clusters of density (to increase our CHC bonus from Into the Fray) and to proc Band of Might for damage reduction. Make sure to use this skill before your Band of Might bonus drops off.

This skill is also very good at pulling mobs into Oculus circles to maximize your DPS output. I recommend you put this skill on Number 3 Key.Rune Choice:.

Wrenching Smash for groupingHigh-Paragon players that use Crimson’s may wish to drop Band of Might for Convention of Elements. If you opt for that setup, swap Ground Stomp to Ignore Pain with either Ignorance is Bliss or Iron Hide as your rune.Wrath of the Berserker (Insanity): As a separate damage multiplier, this skill is a major booster shot to the build’s damage per second (DPS). It also boosts your toughness (Dodge), healing, and movement speed thanks to Mortick’s Brace. Since Mortick’s gives us the effects of all runes, the rune you select doesn’t matter. Just make sure you keep this skill up 100% of the time for the extra healing and damage reduction. I recommend you put this skill on Number 4 Key.Passives are key to a winning build. Discussed below are the essential passives needed to fully optimize your build.Rampage: This passive provides a huge boost to DPS and toughness through the rift, but won’t offer much against the RG unless the boss spawns lots of adds (hello, Saxtris!).Ruthless: When you’re pushing your personal best, you’ll want every second you can get to kill the RG and elites.

This passive makes your job a heck of a lot easier.Brawler: Since this build performs best in density, you should be able to maintain the bonus from this passive 100% of the time. Berserker Rage: Though this passive offers slightly more damage than Brawler, it requires you to have 95% or more Fury.

Use of this passive over Brawler depends on how often this drops off during game play. Use whichever seems to give you the most consistent damage. Boon of Bul-Kathos: This, along with careful management of cooldowns, will insure you have perma-Wrath. If you use the Crimson’s variant, you won’t need this passive to maintain perma-Wrath. If, however, you opt to not use this passive and happen to die with Wrath on a long cooldown, you will need to wait a long time before reviving.Whether through bad RNG, deficiencies in gear, or Hardcore play, you may be forced to take a different, optional passive. For Hardcore, swap Brawler for Nerves of Steel. If you have trouble maintaining Fury, swap Brawler to Weapons Master (with BK set) or Animosity (with IB set).

If you are having trouble mitigating incoming damage, swap Brawler to Superstition.There are essentially two different ways to gear for this build. Here is a brief breakdown of each that highlights the major differences:Core Zodiac Build:. Armor set: Wrath of the Wastes. Weapons: Bul-Kathos’s Oath, Istvan’s Paired Blades, or Ambo’s and Doombringer.

Rings: Zodiac, Band of Might, Convention of Elements. Cube: Ambo’s, Mantle of Channeling, ring of choice. For Season 20, many players prefer using Stone Gauntlets in the Cube, especially at lower Paragon. Paragon RangeEquip Crimson’sEquip or Cube LamentationCube MantleRoRGBand of MightConvention of Elements0-3500NoEquipYesNoYesYes3500-6500YesCubeNoYesYesNo6500-9000+YesCubeNoYesNoYesNote that you can swap to the Crimson’s variant any time you acquire the ability to craft the pieces (the plans can only be found in Bounty Caches). Because the Core Zodiac build is so strong right out of the box, I recommend waiting until you have the mats to spend trying to craft Ancient Crimson’s pieces.Now that you know the basic differences between the variants, let’s examine how each stacks up in terms of damage multipliers and damage reduction. The table below is excerpted from a larger table alex in this thread. BuildAdditional damage multiplierAdditional damage reduction%Core Zodiac + CoE, MoC, Mortick, BoMx1.87592.5%Crimson’s + Mortick, BoMx1.6393.3%Crimson’s + CoE, Mortickx2.4466.5%As you can see, the Core Zodiac build is very strong, particularly at lower levels while your gear is still imperfect.

The Crimson’s variant that trades Band of Might for Convention of Elements is not recommended for new or low-Paragon players, and is never suitable for Hardcore play. This table doesn’t take certain factors into account, such as having Stomp on the bar and its ability to make pulls into Oculus rings, or the presence of Ignore Pain in any of the build variants.Please note that Season 20 players should avoid using the Crimson’s variant as their optimal setup will require them to equip Focus and Restraint and use their Cube slots for the other three rings.If you’re playing Season 20, you’ll have access to the most powerful possible version of this build. This will require you to use the Core Zodiac build. Use the table below to determine how you should set up the build. Paragon RangeCube Slot 1Cube Slot 2Cube Slot 3Equipped WeaponsEquip Focus and Restraint?0-1500Ambo’sStone GauntletsWorst ringIstvan’s Paired BladesNo1500-2500Ambo’sMantleWorst ringIstvan’s Paired BladesNo2500-9000+Band of MightZodiacCoEAmbo’s + DoombringerYesNote that the final configuration also requires you to take the Weapons Master passive and have Ambo’s equipped in your main hand to generate Fury.

Even then, you may run into problems generating enough Fury, and may have to conserve your use of Ancient Spear. You will also use Bloodfunnel on Whirlwind, and Into the Fray on Battle Rage.

If you have frequent problems generating enough Fury, you can swap your runes to Wind Shear and Swords to Ploughs respectively.This configuration will use Ground Stomp to proc the generator buff of Focus and Restraint, but since Stomp eats Zodiac procs, you have to be careful when you use it. Only Stomp when you’ve gathered density and are prepared to DPS on your Physical CoE cycle (via hard-cast Rends). Make sure you keep up Wrath 100% of the time against RGs, and only cast Stomp when you are able to without interrupting Wrath cooldowns.In all other respects, pushing Greater Rifts in Season 20 is handled in exactly the same fashion as it is in non-Season play.Zodiac Rend offers three options for weapon combinations. The following table compares each potential combination. Equipped WeaponAdditional damage multiplierCubed WeaponWW RuneBattle Rage RuneElite DmgBul-Kathos’s Oath0Ambo’sBloodfunnelInto the Fray0%Istvan’s Paired Bladesx1.3Ambo’sWind ShearSwords to Ploughshares0%Ambo’s + Doombringer or Sunkeeperx0-1.4FurnaceBloodfunnelInto the Fray50%+The BK set is the weakest weapon combination in terms of damage output. It is, however, the best choice for low-Paragon players or those new to the build as it provides easy Fury generation, additional move speed (which makes large, multi-screen pulls with Ancient Spear much, much easier), and Bloodfunnel, the best healing skill available to Barbs.

When speed-farming T16 for Rifts or Bounties, always use the BK swords.Despite forcing players to take less optimal runes on Battle Rage and Whirlwind, the IB set has proven to be the overall best weapon set for pushing Greater Rifts. The additional Armor it provides helps to make players much tougher, but deaths with this set are much more risky than with the BK set: without the Fury generation of the BK set, getting the build going again after reviving is difficult, and it’s easy to end up in a chain of deaths that cost precious time. Despite these drawbacks, the 30% damage multiplier offered by the IB set makes these weapons incredibly powerful, especially when you take into account how this effects your hard-cast Rends (discussed in ).Season players are more likely to take advantage of the third configuration above. By equipping Ambo’s with another weapon, you’re able to take the best runes on WW and Battle Rage and load elite damage into the build from the Furnace in the Cube. For a second weapon, you can use Doombringer for the extra elemental damage roll, or Sunkeeper for the additional elite damage.

While Doombringer looks to be the better overall option, either weapon will work for end-game pushes. On paper, this seems to be the most powerful weapon combination, but many players report problems with Fury generation, even with Ambo’s in the main hand and use of the Weapons Master passive.Here are a few important thoughts to keep in mind when gearing your Barb:Critical Hit Chance and Critical Hit Damage: These stats act as direct multipliers to Rend’s damage. Do not, under any circumstance, sacrifice these rolls for other stats. Your CHC and CHD should be roughly at a 1:10 ratio while all buffs are active, thus if your CHC is 50% while Wrath and Battle Rage are up, your CHD should be at 500%. See the FAQ for an excellent calculator to help determine how to achieve this ratio and when or where you should trade-off.Attack Speed: Rend is not effected by attack speed. Do not stack this stat.Vitality: Generally speaking, you want between 600k-850k Life. This isn’t a hard rule; many experienced players push with less.

But if you’re new to the build or still learning its nuances, you want a bigger Life pool. Don’t be afraid to pump Paragon points into Vitality if necessary.

.Record by opponent Up to matches played on 20 July 2019. . OpponentPldWDLGFGAGD%W330.001001211−900 0.00201125−300 0.00202033+000 0.00220.00110.34−10090+918−700 0.00210138−0.001.004103517−132111447−313318−10102−200 0.00110.00100104−400 0.00100105−500 0.00550.00200259−400 0.34−141 6.671.004310202+18482732−0.00Total21289+320 33.82Notes. A: Includes results as Western Samoa.

There may also be times when you need to sacrifice a roll (such as All Resist on chest) for% Life, but that should only be done if there is absolutely no alternative.CDR: This stat, in conjunction with the Boon of Bul-Kathos passive, the Zodiac ring procs, the diamond in your helm, your CDR in Paragon, and the Captain Crimson’s set bonuses will produce enough cooldown to maintain 100% uptime on Wrath of the Berserker. The Crimson’s variant also applies your sheet CDR as a multiplier to outgoing damage. Bear in mind that the amount of CDR we stack varies greatly between the Core Zodiac build and the Crimson’s variant.Area Damage: The Rends applied by Ambo’s do not proc AD, but hard-cast Rends (those manually applied by pressing the Rend key) do proc AD. That means that if you have gathered a large amount of density, you’ll want to hard-cast Rend every few seconds–sometimes several times in a row–while also keeping up the Wastes 4 bonus and your Taeguk gem by Whirlwinding. Once density thins out, or against the RG, hard-cast Rends are no longer very useful except to accrue additional Zodiac procs.All Resist and Armor Rolls: While there are ideal ratios to have between resistances and Armor, don’t worry about it. The simplest way to approach things is to gear as follows.

Paragon RangeMust-Have All Resist RollsLow (0-3000)Shoulder, Chest, Pants, Boots, BeltMedium (3000-6000)Shoulder, Pants, Boots, BeltHigh (6000-10K+)Pants, Boots, BeltAs you gain Paragon and acquire better Augments, you’ll acquire more main stat–Strength–which directly contributes to your Armor rating. Armor reduces all incoming damage, but since Paragon isn’t capped, neither is main stat. Resistances, on the other hand, are capped. This is why it’s so important to get those All Resist rolls on gear and to use diamonds in your armor.If a piece of gear has a native secondary resist roll (Arcane resistance, for example), it cannot roll All Resist as a primary stat.

If this happens on a piece of gear that needs to have All Resist and you don’t have other, better options for that item slot, try to get an Armor roll on the item in question.Secondary Rolls: Physical resist goes a long way in making this build tougher. I recommend two or three Physical resist rolls, and, if possible, one Lightning resist roll. If you find that you rarely die during a rift, but get one-shotted by the RG, it means you’re missing Physical resists (or don’t have enough Life). Additional Lightning or Arcane resist rolls are also very useful.Mortick’s vs Parthans: Though no longer widely used in the build, the Ancient Parthan Defenders bracers are an excellent alternative to Mortick’s Brace. While Mortick’s provides a more consistent (50%) source of damage reduction when Wrath is active, Parthans have no cap on their damage reduction. As a result, in good density, Parthans can make you practically invincible. Use Ground Stomp to proc Parthans, or acquire a secondary Freeze or Stun roll on your belt or weapon.

Parthans will only proc from Freeze and Stun. Slow, knockback, chill, and immobilize do not proc Parthans.Bracer Choice: There are three different bracers that you’ll want to use in this build. Each has a different purpose as described below:.

Nems: The best bracers for speed-farming T16 and low GRs (2-4 minute clears) once you have enough Paragon and Augments to survive incoming damage. Mortick’s: Your second best option for speed-farming T16 and low GRs is this item. It offers much more toughness and healing than Nems, but can’t compare to Parthans when pushing higher, end-game GRs.

Think of this item as the second-best option for pushing GRs if you don’t have much Paragon or can’t get the secondary rolls necessary to proc Parthans. Just don’t be fooled by the hype–this item is likely not the best-in-slot bracer for pushing. Sports connection camp.

Parthans: As noted above, this item is a good alternative to Mortick’s, particularly if you have not yet found a decent pair of the bracers. You can proc this item with Ground Stomp or a secondary Freeze or Stun roll on belt or weapons.Use rubies in your armor when speed-farming T16 or until incoming damage becomes a problem. Type of Crowd ControlExamplesSoft CCSlow (move and attack), ChillHard CCBlind, Fear, Charm, Stun, Frozen, Knockback, PullA general rule of thumb for this build is to never apply Hard CC outside of pulls with Ancient Spear. The reason you don’t want to apply unnecessary Hard CC is because re-application of Hard CC will increase a monster’s resistance to its effects.

If a monster is effected by Hard CC several times in a short window of time, it will go immune to that effect until it is left alone for a while. In other words, after a few instances of Hard CC, a monster is immune and can’t be further effected by Hard CC until you let it cool off. Different monsters have different Hard CC thresholds; for example, elites, champions, and RGs go immune to pulls with Spear much faster than regular trash monsters.In terms of this build, this means the only Hard CC you want to apply is with Ancient Spear and Ground Stomp. It also means you can’t do this too often or you’ll risk the monsters going immune. Hi, Free,may I make a suggestions to rework your tutorials?In the help guide to the new forums on the german site, I found a tag, which might make the tutorials a bit more accessible. Header (click on arrow to expand)Detailed textWhich results in this: Header (click on arrow to expand)Detailed TextThis may make it easier to read the rather long tutorial postings.What do you think?Other than that I’m glad to have such supportive guys like you, Rage and others on the forums.RegardsB.

Golestand:Why nobody is talking about Band of Might-Ring?For HC play, Band of Might isn’t a bad option. The problem is, you’re gimping your DPS if you also use Aquila and RoRG. You can’t make up the damage you lost from COE and Zodiac + PE provides far more cooldown than Gogok. In other words, while you have to prioritize survival in HC, you also can’t afford to cripple your damage output.It looks like you’re going for the Lightning Istvan’s variant, so I recommend you do the following:. Follow the build guide in the OP for your variant. If you’re nervous, swap COE for Band of Might, and swap War Cry for Furious Charge (Cold Rush to Proc Parthans). Always use all diamonds in gear.

Always use Parthans.Right now, it looks like you’re struggling to get the right/good gear, so DO NOT PUSH GRs until you get your build in order.Good luck!This build can be tricky. LennyBody:A few questions for Templar-.

is stacking + Phys Damage beneficial?Hi Lenny.Don’t overthink your follower. Everything you need to know is covered in the OP. Your templar is only there to proc Oculus and occasionally heal you a bit and keep your Fury topped up. Stack CDR and attack speed on his gear, and make sure he has the Immortal token.If you’re using Parthans, do not let your follower proc any CC. Hard CC will detract from your Freeze, and soft CC will slow mobs down. Again, no CC effects from Follower!