Overkiller Diablo IV Barbarian Build [RDY-4-Launch]

Overkiller Barbarian BUILD for Diablo IV [RDY-4-Launch]

(get MAD, Charge headfirst into combat & Overpower your foes before dealing a final Death Blow)

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

Diablo IV launches on June 6th, 2023 for PC (Battle.Net), XBOX, & PlayStation with a 4 days Early Access (no wipe) for pre-orders (so kind of really launching June 2nd).

Diablo IV‘s Launch is getting closer and it’s time to make some Ready-For-Launch full Builds/Theorycrafts that should be good for both ‘fresh-into-endgame’ characters as well as late endgame. I’ also plan to evolve them further when the game is released & keep them updated when we get rebalance updates. This is one such build for the Barbarian Class called Overkiller.

I’ve also made spreadsheets for those builds (see the links below) that have shortlisted the active and passive skills + legendary aspect + unique item + gems & sockets + suggested stat rolls + paragon boards that work well with the build which you can use to tinker. Alternatively, I’ve added build calculator links (mostly needed for the paragons)

This build will be updated post-launch to a new & expanded version when I have more in-game information as reference.

Video Version:

Skill Trees

Below you’ll see ONLY the Active & Passive skills that were selected for this build. For additional skills that can be taken + alternative skill options, you can check my RDY-4-Launch Builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Overkiller) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

Basic Skill (Resource Generator/Builder) (Required Points: 0 )

  • (active) Lunging Strike – Lunge forward and strike an enemy for 30% (X – ?) damage. Generate Fury: 9 Lucky Hit Chance: 50% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Basic,
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Lunging Strike Lunging Strike deals 30% (multiplicative) increased damage and Heals you for 2% Maximum Life when it damages a Healthy enemy.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Combat Lunging Strike Critical Strikes with Lunging Strike grant you Berserking for 1.5 seconds

Core Skill(s) (Resource Spender) (Required Points: 2 )

  • (active) Upheaval Tear into the ground with your weapon and fling debris forward, dealing 70% (X – ?) damage. Requires a two-handed weapon Fury Cost: 40 Lucky Hit Chance: 20% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Core,
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Upheaval Upheaval has an 20% chance to Stun all enemies it damages for 2.5 seconds.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Furious Upheaval Dealing direct damage to an enemy with a Skill that is not Upheaval causes your next cast of Upheaval to deal 8% (multiplicative) increased damage, stacking up to 10 times.
  • (passive) Pressure Point Lucky Hit: Your Core Skills have up to a 10%/20%/30% to make enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
  • (passive) did not pick any other Core passives to save points

Defensive Skills (Required Points: 6 )

  • (active) I did NOT take any Active Defensive Skills due to lack of enough skillbar slots
    • (1st upgrade)
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2)
  • (passive) Imposing Presence Gain 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) additional Maximum Life.
    • (upgrade) Martial Vigor Damage Reduction against Elites, is increased by 4%/8%/12% (multiplicative).
  • (passive) did not pick other Defensive passives to save points

Brawling Skills (Required Points: 11 )

  • (active 1 rank/level only) War Cry Bellow a mighty war cry, increasing your damage dealt by 15% (multiplicative) for 8 seconds, and Nearby allies for 4 seconds. Cooldown: 25 seconds Tags: Brawling, Shout
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced War Cry War Cry grants you Berserking for 4 seconds.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Mighty War Cry War Cry grants grants you 28% Base Life as Fortify.
  • (active 1 rank/level only) Charge Become Unstoppable and rush forward pushing enemies with you then swinging through them for 25% (X – ?) damage and Knocking them Back. Cooldown: 17 seconds Lucky Hit Chance: 33% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Brawling,
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Charge Enemies who are Knocked Back into terrain by Charge take 15% (X – ?) damage and are Stunned for 3 seconds.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Mighty Charge Damaging enemies with Charge makes them Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
  • (passive) Booming Voice Shout Skill effect durations are increased by 10%/20%/30% (multiplicative).
    • (upgrade) Guttural Yell Your Shout Skills cause enemies to deal 8%/16%/24% (multiplicative) less damage for 5 seconds.
    • (upgrade) Raid Leader – did NOT take this one
  • (passive 1 point/rank only) Aggressive Resistance Gain 4%/8%/12% Damage Reduction while Berserking.
    • (upgrade) Battle Fervor – did NOT take this one
    • (upgrade) Prolific Fury – did NOT take this one
  • (passive) did not pick other Brawling passives to save points

Weapon Mastery Skills (Required Points: 16 )

  • (active) Death Blow Attempt a killing strike, dealing 120% (X – ?) to enemies in front of you. If this kills an enemy, the Cooldown is reset. Cooldown: 15 seconds Lucky Hit Chance: 50% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Weapon Mastery,
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Death Blow Death Blow deals 100% (multiplicative) increased damage to bosses.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Fighter’s Death Blow If Death Blow damages at least 1 enemy, gain 20 Fury.
  • (passive) Pit Fighter You deal 3%/6%/9% (multiplicative) increased damage to Close enemies and gain 2%/4%/6% Distant Damage Reduction.
    • (upgrade) Slaying Strike You deal 8%/15%/23% increased damage against Injured enemies.
    • (upgrade) No Mercy – did NOT take this one
    • (upgrade) Expose Vulnerability – did NOT take this one
  • (passive) did not pick other Weapon Mastery passives to save points

Ultimate Skills (Required Points: 23 )

  • (active) Wrath of the Berserker Gain Berserking and Unstoppable for 5 seconds. For the next 10 seconds, dealing direct damage with Basic Skills grants Berserking for 25 seconds Cooldown: 60 seconds Lucky Hit Chance: 40% Tags: Ultimate,
    • (1st upgrade) Supreme Wrath of the Berserker While Wrath of the Berserker is active, gain +20% increased Movement Speed and increase Fury Generation by 30% (multiplicative)
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Prime Wrath of the Berserker While Wrath of the Berserker is active, every 50 Fury spend increases Berserk’s damage bonus by 25% (multiplicative)
  • (passive) Wallop Your Skills using Bludgeoning weapons deal 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) increased damage if the enemy is Stunned or Vulnerable.
    • (upgrade) Concussion Lucky Hit: Skills using Bludgeoning weapons have up to a 10%/20%/30% chance to Stun enemies for 3 seconds, or up to a 15%/30%/45% chance when using a Two-Handed Bludgeoning weapon.
    • (upgrade) Brute Force – did NOT take this one
  • (passive ) Heavy Handed While using Two-Handed weapons you deal 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) increased Critical Strike Damage.seconds.
  • (passive) did not pick other Ultimate passives to save points

Specializations (Required Points: 33 )

  • (passive) Unconstrained Increase Berserk’s maximum duration by 5 seconds and increase its damage bonus by +25%.

Class Mechanic:

The Barbarian class mechanics is called Arsenal and this is how I believe it works:

The Barbarian class can equip 4 weapons at the same time: a Dual-wielding set of 2x One-Handed weps + two separate Two-Handed weapons (not dual-wielding those). They switch in combat between those based on what weapon is assigned to specific skills via the class unique Arsenal System. So each skill can have its own weapon assigned to it as long as it’s one of the 4 weapons equipped. The weps you don’t actually use work as ‘stat sticks’, even any aspects slotted on them. Here are the types:

  • Dual Wielded 1-Handed Weapons on Barbarians can be either Slashing or Bludgeoning such as: Swords, Axes, or Maces. The game seems to clump all 1-Handed weapons together under the “Dual-Wielding” as far as Barbarians and their skill tags are concerned so regardless of Slashing or Bludgeoning type, a 1-Handed weapon will apparently not count as either.
  • The two slots of Two-Handed Weapons can be occupied by Slashing type weps like Swords, Axes, & Polearms and/or by Bludgeoning Maces
  • Ideally 1x 2h Slashing, 1x 2h Bludgeoning and a Dual-Wield 1h combo for the 4 weps if you go for a swap-centric build

Unique Item

In Diablo IV apparently (I have multiple sources that confirmed this) we can equip more than one unique item at the same time (not so ‘unique’ if we can get decked out in full uniques I guess). It seems that the one unique per build idea that Unique inherited from the Mythical gear they supposedly replaced was scrapped even before the closed beta tests. My top pick will be the following one but check the notes under the Aspects list for some additional picks:

Overkill (Two-Handed Mace)

+[31.5]% Overpower Damage

Death Blow creates a shockwave, dealing [16 – 30]% of its Base damage to enemies. Enemies who die to this effect also reset Death Blow’s Cooldown.

+[21 – 35]% Damage to Injured Enemies
+[4.5 – 12]% Critical Strike Chance Against Injured Enemies
Elite_Kill_Damage (Struck’s note: I suspect this is X% dmg after killing an Elite for X seconds)
+[2 – 4] Ranks of Death Blow

The malformed snake creatures that live in the swamps are not content with simply killing their prey. They seem to take a malicious pleasure from inflicting as much suffering as possible before death.

Sockets & Gems

Full Diamonds is a good fit for many builds, not so much for this one due to not much Barrier sources. I’ve shortlisted 5 total gems that work well with the build so pick based on your preference. I’d recommend either of those for Weps: Diamond, Skull, Saphire or Emerald. For Armor: Diamond, Skull, Saphire or Ruby. For Jewelry: Diamond unless you need specific resistance more than all.

XYZ Diamond (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Ultimate Skill Damage
• Armor: +N% Barrier Generation
• Jewelry: N% Resistance to All Elements

+5%/+5%/5 for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Skull (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N Life On Kill
• Armor: +N% Healing Received • Jewelry: +N Armor

+13/+5%/+170 for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Saphire (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Critical Strike Damage to Crowd-Controlled Enemies
• Armor: N% Damage Reduction While Fortified
• Jewelry: N% Cold Resistance

+7.5%/5%/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Ruby (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Overpower Damage

• Armor: +N% Maximum Life
• Jewelry: N% Fire Resistance

+15%/+5.5%/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Emerald (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies
• Armor: +N Thorns
• Jewelry: N% Poison Resistance

+7.5%/39/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

Legendary Aspects / Powers

I will only list the Legendary Aspects that have been selected for the build and the slots in which I advise putting those. For in-depth information you can check my RDY-4-Launch Builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Overkiller) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

  • Helm: Aspect of Might
  • Amulet: Exploiter’s Aspect
  • Chest: Weapon Master’s Aspect
  • Pants: Steadfast Berserker’s Aspect
  • Gloves: *Aspect of Inner Calm (see NOTE below)
  • Boots: Relentless Berserker’s Apect
  • Ring 1: Bold Chieftain’s Aspect (see notes for alternative choices)
  • Ring 2: Bear Clan Berserker’s Aspect (see notes for alternative choices)
  • 1H Weapon: Aspect of Brawler’s Aspect
  • Off-hand: Edgemaster’s Aspect
  • 2-H Weapon 1: Aspect of Encroaching Wrath
  • 2-H Weapon 2 (see NOTE below): Aspect of Veteran Brawler
NOTE 1: Aspect of Veteran Brawler should go into the 2nd 2-Hander slot until the Overkill Unique 2-handed mace drops. After that, move it to the Gloves slot and discard the aspect there (Aspect of Inner Calm). 

NOTE 2: The two Resource aspects I put for the Ring slots can me mix-and-matched with those two other resource aspects in any ways between the 4: Aspect of Echoing Fury & Aspect of Berserk Fury. 

It's up to you which 2 of the 4 resource Aspects to take if you're not "feeling it" with the two I picked.

Paragon Boards:

Use the links below to check the paragon boards selected and the nodes I’ve taken. One link is for what the boards will look like at lvl 95 without any paragon points from renown (so more paragon points will be obtained on the way to 100 as well as from renown. The other link will be what the boards will look like when fully maxed out on paragon points.

Suggested Gear Rolls to look out for (NOT in order of priority):

I’ve shortlisted 37 different affixes that work well with the build of almost 300 total. I’ll highlight in Orange the ones I think should get higher priority

Bonus to All Damage
Critical Strike Damage Bonus
Critical Strike Chance
Crit Chance / Critical Strike Damage with Core Skills
Damage with Core Skills
Lucky Hit Chance
Physical Damage Bonus
Physical Crit Chance / Critical Strike Damage Bonus
Resistance to All Elements
Cooldown Reduction
Weapon Mastery Skill Damage
+ % Damage to Elites
+ % Physical Damage to Elites
Damage Upon Killing an Elite
+ % Critical Chance / Crit Damage with Physical Damage Against Elites
Damage Reduction for X Seconds After Killing an Elite
+ % Damage for X Seconds After Killing an Elite
Damage Reduction from Elites
Vulnerable Damage
Crit Chance / Critical Strike Damage to Close Enemies
Crit Chance / Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies
Crit Chance / Critical Strike Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
Damage while Healthy
Damage to Vulnerable Enemies
Damage to Close Enemies
Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
Damage to Vulnerable Enemies with Core / Weapon Mastery Skills
Crit Chance/ Critical Strike Damage with Weapon Mastery Skills
+ All Stats
Damage vs Injured Enemies
Damage vs Healthy Enemies
Weapon Damage (not sure if there are any bonuses to that as rolls)
Fury Generation / Regeneration/ On Kill
Movement Speed
Attack Speed
Strength
Resource Cost Reduction
Low Priority

Useful Links (Spreadsheets & more):

For all of my Diablo IV RDY-4-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet

For my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Class Skill Trees (can be used as mini-calculator): This Spreadsheet

For all of my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

This concludes the Overkiller Barbarian Build for Diablo IV. If you’re interested in the game below are links to the various platforms where one can buy it (you can just click the links to open a new tab):

PC (Battle.Net)

XBOX

PlayStation

Official Website

Butcher Diablo IV Barbarian Build

Butcher Barbarian BUILD for Diablo IV

(flay the skin off of their bones and bleed them dry)

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

Diablo IV launches on June 6th, 2023 for PC (Battle.Net), XBOX, & PlayStation with a 4 days Early Access (no wipe) for pre-orders (so kind of really launching June 2nd).

Diablo IV‘s Open Beta Tests are almost here and I felt motivated to make some Pre-Launch theorycrafted semi-builds that should be good for ‘fresh-into-endgame’ characters when the game launches. I also plan to evolve them into FULL builds when the game is released & keep them updated when we get rebalance updates. This is one such build for the Barbarian Class called Butcher.

The Beta tests will only let us reach lvl 25 and only let us play in the first Act/Zone (Fractured Peaks) so those builds will be more useful for the actual game launch and ideally for characters around lvl 50+ or 60+. I’ve used 50+ and 60+ skill points when making the build instead of the full 100 so that they can be used to jumpstart a player’s post-story endgame grind.

I’ve also made spreadsheets for those builds (see the links below) that have shortlisted the active and passive skills + legendary aspect that work well with the build so one can spend the extra skill points on the way to lvl 100 into those other skills.

This build will be updated post-launch to a new & expanded version when I have actual in-game information as reference.

Video Version:

Skill Trees

Below you’ll see ONLY the Active & Passive skills that were selected for this build. For additional skills that can be taken on the way to lvl 100 + alternative skill options, you can check my pre-launch builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Butcher) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

Some of the skill icon images you see could be outdated & differ from what is seen in the Full release version. I plan to replace them once the Beta ends or after the full launch

Basic Skill (Resource Generator/Builder) (Required Points: 0 )

  • (active) Flay – Flay the enemy, dealing 9.58% (X – ?) damage. Inflicts 80.48% (X) Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. Requires a slashing weapon. Damage: Physical Generate Fury: 9 Lucky Hit Chance: 50%
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Flay Flay has a 10% chance to make the enemy Vulnerable for 2 seconds. Double this chance when using a Two-Handed weapon.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Battle Flay When Flay deals direct damage to an enemy, they take 10% (multiplicative) increased Bleeding damage for the next 3 seconds.

Core Skill(s) (Resource Spender) (Required Points: 2 )

  • (active) Rend Cleave enemies in front of you, dealing 23.00% (X – ?) damage and inflicting 183.96% (X) Bleeding over 5 seconds. Requires a slashing weapon. Damage: Physical Fury Cost: 35 Lucky Hit Chance: 33%
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Rend Dealing direct damage with Rend extends the duration of Vulnerable on enemies by 2 seconds.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Furious Rend Direct damage with Rend grants 4 Fury per enemy hit, up to a maximum of 20 Fury.
  • (passive – NOT INVESTED INTO IT but good to consider) Pressure Point – Lucky Hit: Your Core Skills have up to a 10% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
  • (passive) Endless Fury Basic Skills generate 5% (multiplicative) more Fury when using Two-Handed weapons.
  • (passive) did not pick any other Core Passives to save points

Defensive Skills (Required Points: 6 )

  • (active) Challenging Shout Taunt nearby enemies and gain 40% (multiplicative) Damage Reduction for 10.4 seconds. Cooldown: 16.0 seconds
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Challenging Shout While Challenging Shout is active, gain +20% bonus Maximum Life.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Tactical Challenging Shout While Challenging Shout is active you gain 3 Fury each time you take damage.
  • (passive) Imposing Presence Gain 15% (multiplicative) additional Maximum Life.
    • (upgrade) Martial Vigor Damage Reduction against Elites, Bosses, and Players is increased by 4% (multiplicative).
  • (passive) did not pick any other Defensive Passives to save points

Brawling Skills (Required Points: 11 )

  • (active) Charge Become Unstoppable and rush forward pushing enemies with you then swinging through them for 47.91% (X – ?) damage and knocking them back. Cooldown: 17.0 seconds Damage: Physical
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Charge Enemies who are Knocked Back into terrain by Charge take 28.74% (X – ?) damage and are Stunned for 3 seconds.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Power Charge Reduce Charge’s Cooldown by 3 seconds if it Knocks Back an enemy into terrain.
  • (passive) Booming Voice Shout skill durations are increased by 30% (multiplicative).
    • (upgrade) Raid Leader did not pick to save points
    • (upgrade) Guttural Yell Your Shout Skills cause enemies to deal 8% (multiplicative) less damage for 5 seconds.
  • (passive) Aggressive Resistance Gain 4% Damage Reduction while Berserking.
    • (upgrade) Battle Frenzy did not pick to save points
    • (upgrade) Prolific Fury did not pick to save points
  • (passive) did not pick any other Brawling Passives to save points

Weapon Mastery Skills (Required Points: 16 )

  • (active) Rupture Skewer enemies in a line, inflicting 13.65% (X – ?) damage then rip your weapon out, damaging enemies for their total Bleeding amount receiving all Bleeding damage from them. Requires a slashing weapon. Cooldown: 15.0 seconds Damage: Physical Tags: Weapon Mastery Lucky Hit Chance: 50%
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Rupture If an enemy dies while being skewered by Rupture, then reset its Cooldown. Enemies who survive take 20% (multiplicative) increased Bleeding damage for the next 8 seconds.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Warrior’s Rupture Killing enemies with Rupture increases your Attack Speed by +20% for 4 seconds.
  • (passive – only put 1 point to unlock the upgrades) Pit Fighter You deal 3% (multiplicative) increased damage to Close enemies and gain 2% Distant Damage Reduction.
    • (passive – did not put any points here) No Mercy You deal 5% (multiplicative) increased damage against Immobilized, Stunned, or Slowed enemies.
    • (passive – only put 1 point to unlock the next upgrade) Slaying Strike You deal 8% increased damage against Injured enemies.
    • (passive – only put 1 point to save points) Expose Vulnerability Dealing direct damage with a Weapon Mastery skill causes your next Core Skill to make enemies Vulnerable for 1.5 (multiplicative) seconds.
  • (passive – did not pick but worth considering) Thick Skin Each time you take direct damage gain X Fortify.
    • (upgrade – did not pick but worth considering) Counteroffensive While Fortified for over 50% of your Maximum Life, you deal 5% (multiplicative) increased damage.
    • (upgrade – did not pick but worth considering) Defensive Posture Increase the Damage Reduction gained while you are Fortified by an additional +3%.
  • (passive – only put 1 point to save points) Hamstring Your Bleeding effects Slow enemies by 10%
    • (passive) Cut to the Bone Your Bleeding effects deal 6% (multiplicative) increased damage to Vulnerable Enemies.

Ultimate Skills (Required Points: 23 )

  • (active) Call of the Ancients Call upon 3 Ancients to aid you in battle for 6 seconds. Korlic leaps at enemies, dealing 80.00% (X – ?) damage and swings his weapon in a Frenzy dealing 30.00% (X – ?) damage per hit. Talic spins in a Whirlwind rapidly attacking enemies for 50.00% (X – ?) damage. Madawc Upheaves the ground, dealing 150.00% (X – ?) damage. Cooldown: 50.0 seconds Damage: Physical Tags: Ultimate
  • (1st upgrade) Prime Call of the Ancients While Call of the Ancients is active, gain +10% bonus Attack Speed and 10% (multiplicative) increased damage.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Supreme Call of the Ancients Each of the Ancients gains additional power: Korlic: You gain 10 Fury each time Korlic damages an enemy with Frenzy. Talic: Enemies are Slowed by 50% for 1 second when damaged by his Whirlwind. Madawc: 30% chance to Stun enemies for 3 seconds when using his Upheaval.
  • (passive – did not pick but worth considering) Tempered Fury Increase your Maximum Fury by 3.
    • (upgrade) Furious Impulse – DID NOT INVEST in this to save points
    • (upgrade – did not pick but worth considering) Invigorating Fury Heals you for 2% of your Maximum Life for each 100 Fury spent.
  • (passive – did not pick due to using Slashing) Wallop Your Skills using Bludgeoning weapons deal 5% (multiplicative) increased damage if the enemy is Stunned or Vulnerable.
    • (upgrade – did not pick due to using Slashing) Concussion Lucky Hit: Skills using Bludgeoning weapons have up to a 10% chance to Stun enemies for 3 seconds, or up to a 15% chance when using a Two-Handed Bludgeoning weapon.
  • (passive) Heavy Handed While using Two-Handed weapons you deal 5% (multiplicative) increased Critical Strike Damage.
    • (upgrade) Brute Force Your Overpower deals 15% (multiplicative) increased damage when using a Two-Handed weapon *NOTE: It seems that unlocking this skill upgrade requires investing into either Wallop OR Heavy Handed (can still get both if you want)
  • (passive) did not pick any other Ultimate Passives to save points

Specializations (Required Points: 33 )

  • (passive) Gushing Wounds Killing a Bleeding enemy creates an explosion that inflicts 11.55% (X) Bleeding damage over 3 seconds.

Arsenal (Class Mechanic):

The Barbarian class mechanics is called Arsenal and this is how I believe it works:

The Barbarian class can equip 4 weapons at the same time: a Dual-wielding set of 2x One-Handed weps + two separate Two-Handed weapons (not dual-weilding those). They switch in combat between those based on what weapon is assigned to specific skills via the class unique Arsenal System. So each skill can have its own weapon assigned to it as long as it’s one of the 4 weapons equipped. The weps you don’t actually use work as ‘stat sticks’. Here are the types:

  • Dual Wielded 1-Handed Weapons are Slashing and can be Swords, Axes, or Maces (strange why the 1H Maces are clumped together with Swords & Axes under Slashing and not listed as Bludgeoning maybe the information I found is incorrect… hopefully 1h Maces are not Slashing)
  • The two slots of Two-Handed Weapons can be occupied by Slashing type weps like Swords, Axes, & Polearms and/or by Bludgeoning Maces
  • Ideally 1x 2h Slashing, 1x 2h Bludgeoning and a Dual Wield 1h combo for the 4 weps if you got for a swap-centric build

Legendary Aspects / Powers

I will only list the Legendary Aspects that have been selected for the build and the slots in which I advise putting those. For in-depth information you can check my pre-launch builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Butcher) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

  • Helm: Aspect of Shared Misery
  • Amulet: Aspect of Pummeling
  • Chest: Aspect of Anemia
  • Pants: Aspect of Numbing Wrath
  • Gloves: Relentless Berserker’s Apect
  • Boots: Wind Striker Aspect
  • Ring 1: Aspect of Echoing Fury
  • Ring 2: Aspect of Unrelenting Fury
  • 1H Weapon: Aspect of Berserk Ripping
  • Off-hand: Aspect of Veteran Brawler
  • 2-H Weapon One (see Class Mechanic for info): Aspect of Retribution
  • 2-H Weapon Two (see Class Mechanic for info): Aspect of The Dire Whirlwind

Useful Links (Spreadsheets & more):

For all of my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet

For my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Class Skill Trees (can be used as mini-calculator): This Spreadsheet

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

This concludes the Butcher Barbarian Build for Diablo IV. If you’re interested in the game below are links to the various platforms where one can buy it (you can just click the links to open a new tab):

PC (Battle.Net)

XBOX

PlayStation

Official Website

Bladestorm Diablo IV Barbarian Build

Bladestorm Barbarian BUILD for Diablo IV

(SPIN your way to Victory while being a speedy critmonster with this spin2win setup)

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

Diablo IV launches on June 6th, 2023 for PC (Battle.Net), XBOX, & PlayStation with a 4 days Early Access (no wipe) for pre-orders (so kind of really launching June 2nd).

Diablo IV‘s Open Beta Tests are almost here and I felt motivated to make some Pre-Launch theorycrafted semi-builds that should be good for ‘fresh-into-endgame’ characters when the game launches. I also plan to evolve them into FULL builds when the game is released & keep them updated when we get rebalance updates. This is one such build for the Barbarian Class called Bladestorm.

The Beta tests will only let us reach lvl 25 and only let us play in the first Act/Zone (Fractured Peaks) so those builds will be more useful for the actual game launch and ideally for characters around lvl 50+ or 60+. I’ve used 50+ and 60+ skill points when making the build instead of the full 100 so that they can be used to jumpstart a player’s post-story endgame grind.

I’ve also made spreadsheets for those builds (see the links below) that have shortlisted the active and passive skills + legendary aspect that work well with the build so one can spend the extra skill points on the way to lvl 100 into those other skills.

This build will be updated post-launch to a new & expanded version when I have actual in-game information as reference.

Video Version:

Skill Trees

Below you’ll see ONLY the Active & Passive skills that were selected for this build. For additional skills that can be taken on the way to lvl 100 + alternative skill options, you can check my pre-launch builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Bladestorm) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

Some of the skill icon images you see could be outdated & differ from what is seen in the Full release version. I plan to replace them once the Beta ends or after the full launch

Basic Skill (Resource Generator/Builder) (Required Points: 0 )

  • (active) Lunging Strike – Lunge forward and strike an enemy for 51.74% (X – ?) damage. Critical Strikes with Lunging Strike grant you Berserking for 1.5 seconds. Lunging Strike deals 30% (multiplicative) increased damage and Heals you for X Life when it damages a Healty enemy Damage: Physical Generate Fury: 5 Lucky Hit Chance: 50%
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Lunging Strike Critical Strikes with Lunging Strike grant you Berserking for 1.5 seconds
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Battle Lunging Strike When using a Slashing weapon, Lunging Strike has a 30% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.

Core Skill(s) (Resource Spender) (Required Points: 2 )

  • (active) Whirlwind Rapidly attack enemies nearby for 27.68% (X – ?) damage. Damage: Physical Fury Cost: 20 per seconds Lucky Hit Chance: 20%
  • (1st upgrade)Enhanced Whirlwind Gain 1 Fury each time Whirlwind deals direct damage to an enemy, or 6 Fury if the enemy is Stunned.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Furious Whirlwind After using Whirlwind for 2 seconds, Whirlwind deals 30% (multiplicative) increased damage until it is cancelled.
  • (passive – NOT INVESTED INTO IT but good to consider) Pressure Point – Lucky Hit: Your Core Skills have up to a 10% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
  • (passive) Endless Fury Basic Skills generate 5% (multiplicative) more Fury when using Two-Handed weapons.
  • (passive) did not pick any other Core Passives to save points

Defensive Skills (Required Points: 6 )

  • (active) Rallying Cry Bellow a rallying cry, granting allies +30% increased Movement Speed, and 50% (multiplicative) increased Resource Generation for 7.8 seconds. Cooldown: 25 seconds
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Rallying Cry Rallying Cry grants Unstoppable while active.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Tactical Rallying Cry Rallying Cry grants 25 Fury. You gain +50% increased Resource Generation from Rallying Cry
  • (passive) Imposing Presence Gain 15% (multiplicative) additional Maximum Life.
    • (upgrade) Martial Vigor Damage Reduction against Elites, Bosses, and Players is increased by 4% (multiplicative).
  • (passive) did not pick any other Defensive Passives to save points

Brawling Skills (Required Points: 11 )

  • (active) Leap Leap forward and slam downward, dealing 62.28% (X – ?) damage and Knocking Back nearby enemies on impact. Cooldown: 17.0 seconds Damage: Physical
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Leap If Leap doesn’t damage any enemies, its Cooldown is reduced by 4 seconds.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Power Leap If Leap damages at least one enemy, gain X Fury.
  • (passive- I did invested into but may want to skip it) Booming Voice Shout skill durations are increased by 30% (multiplicative).
    • (upgrade) Raid Leader did not pick to save points
    • (upgrade) Guttural Yell – did not pick to save points
  • (passive – I ONLY put 1 point to unlock the Fury upgrade) Aggressive Resistance Gain 4% Damage Reduction while Berserking.
    • (upgrade) Battle Frenzy did not pick to save points
    • (upgrade) Prolific Fury While Berserking, Fury Generation is increased by 6% (multiplicative).
  • (passive) did not pick any other Brawling Passives to save points

Weapon Mastery Skills (Required Points: 16 )

  • (active) Death Blow Attempt a killing strike, dealing 126.00% (X – ?) to enemies in front of you. If this kills an enemy, the Cooldown is reset. Cooldown: 15.0 seconds Damage: Physical Tags: Weapon Mastery Lucky Hit Chance: 50%
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Death Blow Death Blow deals 100% (multiplicative) increased damage to Bosses.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Fighter’s Death Blow If Death Blow damages at least one enemy, gain 20 Fury.
  • (passive – did not pick but worth considering) Thick Skin Each time you take direct damage gain X Fortify.
    • (upgrade – did not pick but worth considering) Counteroffensive While Fortified for over 50% of your Maximum Life, you deal 5% (multiplicative) increased damage.
    • (upgrade – did not pick but worth considering) Defensive Posture Increase the Damage Reduction gained while you are Fortified by an additional +3%.
  • (passive) did not pick any other Weapon Mastery Passives to save points

Ultimate Skills (Required Points: 23 )

  • (active) Wrath of the Berserker Gain Berserking and Unstoppable for 5 seconds. For the next 10 seconds, dealing direct damage with Basic skills grants Berserking for 25 seconds Cooldown: 60.0 seconds Tags: Ultimate
  • (1st upgrade) Supreme Wrath of the Berserker While Wrath of the Berserker is active, gain +20% increased Movement Speed and increase Fury Generation by 30% (multiplicative)
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Prime Wrath of the Berserker While Wrath of the Berserker is active, every 50 Fury spend increases Berserk’s damage bonus by 25% (multiplicative)
  • (passive – did not pick but worth considering) Tempered Fury Increase your Maximum Fury by 3.
    • (upgrade) Furious Impulse – DID NOT INVEST in this to save points
    • (upgrade – did not pick but worth considering) Invigorating Fury Heals you for 2% of your Maximum Life for each 100 Fury spent.
  • (passive) Wallop Your Skills using Bludgeoning weapons deal 5% (multiplicative) increased damage if the enemy is Stunned or Vulnerable.
    • (upgrade) Concussion Lucky Hit: Skills using Bludgeoning weapons have up to a 10% chance to Stun enemies for 3 seconds, or up to a 15% chance when using a Two-Handed Bludgeoning weapon.
    • (upgrade) Brute Force Your Overpower deals 15% (multiplicative) increased damage when using a Two-Handed weapon *NOTE: It seems that unlocking this skill upgrade requires investing into either Wallop OR Heavy Handed (can still get both if you want)
  • (passive) Heavy Handed While using Two-Handed weapons you deal 5% (multiplicative) increased Critical Strike Damage.
  • (passive) did not pick any other Ultimate Passives to save points

Specializations (Required Points: 33 )

  • (passive) Unbridled Rage Core Skills deal 135% (multiplicative) increased damage, but cost 100% (multiplicative) more.

Arsenal (Class Mechanic):

The Barbarian class mechanics is called Arsenal and this is how I believe it works:

The Barbarian class can equip 4 weapons at the same time: a Dual-wielding set of 2x One-Handed weps + two separate Two-Handed weapons (not dual-weilding those). They switch in combat between those based on what weapon is assigned to specific skills via the class unique Arsenal System. So each skill can have its own weapon assigned to it as long as it’s one of the 4 weapons equipped. The weps you don’t actually use work as ‘stat sticks’. Here are the types:

  • Dual Wielded 1-Handed Weapons are Slashing and can be Swords, Axes, or Maces (strange why the 1H Maces are clumped together with Swords & Axes under Slashing and not listed as Bludgeoning maybe the information I found is incorrect… hopefully 1h Maces are not Slashing)
  • The two slots of Two-Handed Weapons can be occupied by Slashing type weps like Swords, Axes, & Polearms and/or by Bludgeoning Maces
  • Ideally 1x 2h Slashing, 1x 2h Bludgeoning and a Dual Wield 1h combo for the 4 weps if you got for a swap-centric build

Legendary Aspects / Powers

I will only list the Legendary Aspects that have been selected for the build and the slots in which I advise putting those. For in-depth information you can check my pre-launch builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Bladestorm) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

  • Helm: Aspect of Shared Misery
  • Amulet: Aspect of Pummeling
  • Chest: Aspect of Anemia
  • Pants: Aspect of Numbing Wrath
  • Gloves: Relentless Berserker’s Apect
  • Boots: Wind Striker Aspect
  • Ring 1: Aspect of Echoing Fury
  • Ring 2: Aspect of Unrelenting Fury
  • 1H Weapon: Aspect of Berserk Ripping
  • Off-hand: Aspect of Veteran Brawler
  • 2-H Weapon One (see Class Mechanic for info): Aspect of Retribution
  • 2-H Weapon Two (see Class Mechanic for info): Aspect of The Dire Whirlwind

Useful Links (Spreadsheets & more):

For all of my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet

For my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Class Skill Trees (can be used as mini-calculator): This Spreadsheet

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This concludes the Bladestorm Barbarian Build for Diablo IV. If you’re interested in the game below are links to the various platforms where one can buy it (you can just click the links to open a new tab):

PC (Battle.Net)

XBOX

PlayStation

Official Website