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Barbarians have definitely seen better days than Season 5, but they’re by no means at the bottom in Diablo 4. I’d say they’re somewhere in the middle. Season 4 saw the rise of the Bash Build (among others), but after a few nerfs, it’s not performing as well. For pushing endgame content in Diablo 4, the two best builds of Season 5 are the Barbarian’s Flay Build and the Whirlwind Dust Devil Build.
Best Barbarian Flay Build in Diablo 4
[Updated August 28, 2024 – Rewrote guide and updated best builds for season 5].
With Infernal Hordes featuring boss fights at the end of rounds, being able to down them as fast as possible is a must. The Flay Build really excels at single-target damage, bleeding your enemies dry with copious amounts of bleed damage.
| Skill Category | Talents |
| Basic | Battle Flay (5/5) |
| Core | Endless Fury (5/5) |
| Defensive | Strategic Ground Stomp (5/5), Imposing Presence (3/3), Martial Vigor (3/3) |
| Brawling | Power War Cry (1/5), Power Leap (1/5), Swiftness (3/3), Aggressive Resistance (3/3), Prolific Fury (3/3) |
| Weapon Mastery | Warrior’s Rupture (1/5), Pit Fighter (3/3), Hamstring (1/3), Cut to the Bone (3/3), Thick Skin (1/3), Counteroffensive (3/3), Defensive Stance (3/3) |
| Ultimate | Supreme Wrath of the Berserker, Heavy Handed (3/3) |
| Passive | Gushing Wounds |
| Paragon | First Board > Warbringer > Bone Breaker > Hemorrhage > Decimator > Blood Rage |
| Glyphs | Ire, Exploit, Wrath, Might, Bloodfeeder |
| Technique | Two-Handed Axe Expertise |
Essentially, you want to use and spread Flay as much as possible, and this build is designed to do that with the help of Leap. Rupture also adds some much needed AOE damage, which shores up the Flay Build’s biggest weakness.
As for Aspects of Power and Temper Manuals, you’ll want to focus on these, most of which are only found on Legendary items that drop:
- Adaptability
- Anger Management
- Edgemaster’s
- Giant Strides
- Metamorphosis
- Might
- Moonrise
- Starlight
- Wanton Rupture
- Weapon Master’s
- Bleed Augments Temper Manual
- Slayer’s Finesse Temper Manual
Be on the lookout for the Fields of Crimson and the Shard of Verathiel, too/ The pool of blood that spawns with Fields of Crimson is an easy 30% damage buff; the Shard of Verathiel makes Flay punch even harder.
Best Barbarian Whirlwind Dust Devil Build in Diablo 4
While not as effective as the Flay Build when it comes to single-target damage, the Whirlwind Dust Devil build is awesome for clearing packs and speedrunning in general. Once you’ve got your talents and gear right, you can fill the battlefield with dust devils.
| Skill Category | Talents |
| Basic | Enhanced Lunging Strike (1/5) |
| Core | Enhanced Whirlwind (1/5), Pressure Point (2/5) |
| Defensive | Tactical Rallying Cry (1/5), Tactical Iron Skin (1/5), Tactical Challenging Shout (1/5), Imposing Presence (3/3), Martial Vigor (3/3) |
| Brawling | Power War Cry (1/5), Booming Voice (3/3), Guttural Yell (3/3), Raid Leader (1/3), Swiftness (3/3), Aggressive Resistance (3/3), Prolific Fury (3/3), Battle Fervor (1/3) |
| Weapon Mastery | Pit Fighter (3/3), Slaying Strike (3/3), Thick Skin (1/3), Counteroffensive (3/3) |
| Ultimate | Wallop (3/3), Supreme Wrath of the Berserker |
| Passive | Unconstrained |
| Paragon | First Board > Carnage > Warbringer > Bone Breaker > Decimator > Blood Rage |
| Glyphs | Ire, Ambidextrous, Exploit, Wrath, Marshal, Twister |
| Technique | Two-Handed Axe Expertise |
Contrary to its name, you won’t be doing a lot of spinning, per say. Your damage isn’t coming from Whirlwind, but the Dust Devils that spawn when you use it (and your shouts spawn Dust Devils, too). However, the trick isn’t to channel Whirlwind, but to repeatedly activate it, thereby creating Dust Devils with every cast.
As for Aspects of Power, you’ll want to focus on the following:
- Conceited
- Ghostwalker
- Dust Devil’s
- Aspect of Fierce Winds
- Bold Chieftain’s Aspect
- Devilish Aspect
It’s a surprisingly short list and that’s the beauty of the Whirlwind Dust Devil Build—it’s really easy to start. To take the build to the next level, I recommend the Ring of Starless Skies (from Duriel and Andariel) and Ramaladni’s Magnum Opus. The two synergize well with your constant use of Fury.
