Barbarian is a fun class inDiablo 4that has many different build types. If you’re looking for the best early game Barbarian build to get a feel for the class and its potential, look no further. Here is the best early game Barbarian build inDiablo4.
Note:As a Necromancer main myself, I recommend you check outthe best early game Necromancer buildthat can easily take you into endgame as well.
BestDiablo 4Barbarian early game build — Pros, cons, and playstyle
In my opinion,the Rend Barbarianis the best early game build to go with. Let’s start with the pros, cons, and general playstyle of the Rend Barbarian.
Rend Barbarian playstyle, explained
The basic playstyle of the Rend Barbarian is torun around the enemies to gather them together, using Lunging Strike to get the best positioning. Then, use your Rallying Cry and War Cry forextra movement and damageand rely on Rend for Bleed damage and Death Blow forsingle-target final blows.
AllDiablo 4best early game Barbarian abilities, explained
All Barbarian builds can feel hard to use at first since they don’t have any great AoE options, but the Rend Barbarian isgreat because of Bleed, War Cries, and swiftly moving around the battlefield. Another great build you can look into isthe Thorns Barbarian build, but the Rend Barbarian is a solid pick.
Rend Barbarian abilities and passives, explained
The key skills required for the Rend Barbarian are Lunging Strike, Rend, Rallying Cry, War Cry, Death Blow, and Call of the Ancients.Lunging Strikeis your combat opener and can be used to get around the map while avoiding enemies.Rend, of course, is the main attack you should be using when you aren’t using any other attack.
Rallying CryandWar Cryare your two buffs that you’ll want to use to make your movement and damage go up.Death Blowis an amazing single-target attack that can demolish any foe that has been beaten down by Rend.
Call of the Ancientsis an amazing Ultimate that gives you high-damage AoE support. Use it whenever you’re overwhelmed with enemies.
Best early game Barbarian Aspects, explained
The two best early game Aspects for the Rend Barbarian areAspect of Unrelenting FuryandSlaking Aspect. Both of these Aspects arefound in Fractured Peaks near Kyovashad.
Aspect of Unrelenting Fury gives youa 10% Fury refund to a Core Skill after killing an enemy, which works for Rend since it is a Core Skill. Slaking Aspect gives youa 30% chance to gain Fury when Rend deals direct damage to at least one Bleeding enemy. Both of these Aspects are very good on the Rend Barbarian thanks to the synergy of using Rend often.
Other early game Barbarian build options
While the Rend Barbarian is choice for the early game, there are some other builds you may consider. Feel free torespec your characterandtry out different combinations.
Whirlwind Barbarian
Whirlwind Barbarian isgenerally considered the best endgame Barbarian build— but it’s not great for early game. It takes time for the Whirlwind Barbarian build to get good since the ability by itself without supporting Aspects, gear, and passive abilities isn’t amazing. However, it definitely can be, especially in endgame.
Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian
Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian, otherwise known as HotA, isextremely good at AoE and requires very little Fury. This build can be really good in the endgame, especially if you’replaying with friends, but the HotA Barbarian build struggles with high single-target damage which is necessary in the early game.
Noah Nelson
From his early days of blog-style music, movie, and game reviews to working as the Esports Writer at Coastline Community College, Noah Nelson now works fulltime as a Staff Writer for Attack of the Fanboy and PC Invasion. He has been helping gamers everywhere with Destiny 2 god rolls, Warzone 2 DMZ missions, and collectibles in any indie game for over a year and a half. His Bachelor’s Degree in English Rhetoric and Composition with a minor in Journalism from CSULB has shaped him to be a strong writer and editor. His fondest gaming memory is playing Sly Cooper 2 after begging his mom (for hours) to play it before his birthday and he still cries myself to sleep remembering the time he accidentally saved over his 99% completion save file in Kingdom Hearts 2.
