This is a legacy build that is not competitive for the current version of Diablo 4 and which we do not recommend using. It only exists for documentation purposes and will not receive any further updates.
Build Introduction
This is your comprehensive guide for building a devastating warrior who charges into his enemies with intense, raw fury, crushing anyone who stands before him. Welcome to our Charge Endgame build for the Barbarian. This builds up a series of buffs, aimed at multiplying our damage, then unleashes a powerful Charge attack which crashes into the demons of hell, leaving a wake of destruction behind you.
Our guide will cover all basic mechanics and deep dive into the optimal setup for skills, Paragon, and gear for the build.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Amazing group DPS
- High Unstoppable uptime
- Huge critical hits
- Excellent mobility
Weaknesses
- Skill target can be challenging
- Requires positional gameplay
- Skill rotation is very important
To see how this build compares to the other builds on our site, you can check out our build tier lists.
Build Requirements
Required Uniques
Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty
Tibault’s Will
Required Aspects (Non-codex)
Aspect of Ancestral Charge
Aspect of Berserk Fury
Bold Chieftain’s Aspect
Season of the Construct
Season 3 Patch Updates
The following list details all changes of Season 3 that may pertain to Barbarians.
Passive
- Weapon Expertise
- Expertise leveling has been cut by 50%.
Paragon
- Marshal
- Now reduces the cooldown of every non-Shout skill by 4 seconds, instead of every other Shout skill by 1.2 seconds.
Seneschal Construct Companion Powers
The Season 3 theme introduces a Seneschal Construct Companion that can deal damage or provide support to complement your character. Equip the Seneschal with two Governing Stones to activate their abilities, and then link them to three Tuning Stones each to augment the abilities. There are 12 different Governing Stones and 27 different Tuning Stones that can be found in Vaults scattered across Sanctuary. Fuse together duplicate stones to level them up, increasing the potency of Governing Stones or adding augments to Tuning Stones.
Listed below are the general recommended Governing Stones and their linked Tuning Stones for Barbarians, ranked by importance.
- Tempest: Electrically charge an enemy causing it to deal damage to themselves and 1 additional enemy each second over 5 seconds. If the enemy is killed, Tempest spreads to another enemy gaining 2 additional seconds and 20%[x] bonus damage. These bonuses are also applied if Tempest is reapplied onto the same enemy
- Evernight: The supported Skill grants you +4 to all Skills when used for 2.0 seconds.
- Resource Support: Player gains an amount of Primary Resource when the supporting Skill first deals damage.
- Efficiency Support: When the supporting skill deals damage, you gain Critical Strike Chance to the same targets hit.
- Swift Support: The supported Skill gains 40% Attack Speed bonus.
- Flash of Adrenaline: Administers a quick flash of adrenaline into the player, granting bonus damage for a duration.
- Genesis: Increase the effectiveness of the supported Skill by 150%.
- Safeguard Support: When used, the supported Skill grants Damage Reduction to you.
- Tactical Support: Decrease the cooldown of the supported Skill.
- Duration Support: Supported Skills have their durations increased.
Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar
Skill Bar Setup for the Double Swing Build (Order does not matter)
Charge 
Lunging Strike 
Whirlwind 
Iron Maelstrom 
Rallying Cry 
War Cry
Follow the points allocated in the image above for the complete 58 point build. The additional 10 skill points are completed using the Renown system.
| Priority Skills | Cluster |
|---|---|
| Lunging Strike Level 1, Enhanced Lunging Strike, Combat Lunging Strike | Basic Skill |
| Whirlwind Level 5, Enhanced Whirlwind, Furious Whirlwind | Core Skill |
| Imposing Presence Level 3, Martial Vigor Level 3, Rallying Cry Level 1, Enhanced Rallying Cry, Strategic Rallying Cry | Defensive Skill |
| War Cry Level 1, Enhanced War Cry, Mighty War Cry, Charge Level 5, Enhanced Charge, Power Charge, Aggressive Resistance Level 3, Prolific Fury Level 3, Battle Fervor Level 3 | Brawling Skill |
| Thick Skin Level 1, Defensive Stance Level 3, Counteroffensive Level 3, Pit Fighter Level 3 | Weapon Mastery Skill |
| Iron Maelstrom, Prime Iron Maelstrom, Supreme Iron Maelstrom, Wallop Level 3, Heavy Handed Level 3 | Ultimate Skill |
| Walking Arsenal | Key Passives |
Weapon Expertise – The Barbarian Specialization
Weapon Expertise is a set of benefits tied to which weapons you use as a Barbarian. To unlock your Expertise, simply hit Level 5 and the tab below will be made available. By using a certain weapon type, you will begin to gain ranks with that weapon as you fight. The ranks are from 0 to 10 and will level up moderately quickly as your character gains experience. Once your expertise hit rank 10, you will be maxed out on the benefit for using that weapon with your skills. As a reminder, to swap your assigned weapon to the skill you are using, go to your Skill selection list (not Skill Tree) and you will see how to switch it. For mouse and keyboard users, you can access this by pressing the middle mouse button. At Level 15, you will unlock the Masters of Battle quest. This quest will be available in the township of ‘Ked Bardu’ from the Forgemaster Gerti. Upon completing this quest, you will unlock the Technique slots as seen below. This will offer you an additional permanent bonus from one of the weapons regardless of whether you have it equipped to a skill or not.
For the Charge build, we will be focusing on the Technique of a Two-Handed Axe. This boosts our damage to Vulnerable enemies, increasing our overall damage as we continually hit enemies with our charge.
Weapon Selection
Barbarians have an unique mechanic in Diablo 4 where you can assign a weapon type to certain skills. This is a critical component for all builds to function properly, and failure to match your weapon to the proper skill may cause the build to perform poorly. For this build, we will be assigning the following weapons to our skills:
- Charge – Bludgeoning
- Lunging Strike – Dual Wielding
- Whirlwind – Slashing
Paragon
We recommend using these Legendary nodes and Rare Glyphs to truly take this build into the endgame. Note that each Rare Glyph’s information listed below is for the Level 21 version.
| Rare Node | Effect |
|---|---|
| Exploit | – For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal + [3.85%] increased damage to Vulnerable targets. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Dexterity points are purchased in the glyph’s range: When an enemy is damaged by you, they become Vulnerable for 3 seconds. This cannot happen more than once every 20 seconds per enemy. |
| Territorial | – For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal +[9.6]% increased damage to Close targets. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Dexterity points are purchased in the glyph’s range: You gain 10% Damage Reduction against Close enemies. |
| Marshal | – Grants +[125%]bonus to all Magic nodes within range. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 40 Strength points are purchased in the glyph’s range:After casting a Shout Skill, the active Cooldown of every other non-Shout Skill is reduced by4seconds, |
| Might | – Grants + [125%] bonus to all Magic nodes within range. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 40 Strength points are purchased in the glyph’s range: You deal x8% increased damage while wielding Two-Handed weapons. |
| Brawl | – Paragon nodes within range gain +[55%] bonus to their Physical damage and damage reduction modifiers. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Willpower points are purchased in the glyph’s range: Brawling Skills deal x18% increased damage. |
| Mortal Draw | – For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, Skills that Swap to a different weapon deal +[16.5%] increased damage. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 25 Dexterity points are purchased in the glyph’s range: Swapping weapons has a 18% change to cause the Skill’s damage to Critically Strike. |
| Ire | –For every 5 Strength purchased within range, you deal +[8%]increased damage whileBerserking. – Additional Bonus unlocked after 40 Strength points are purchased in the glyph’s range: WhileBerserking, you take 10% reduced damage from Elites. |
| Blood Rage | – Killing a Bleeding enemy has 10% chance to grant Berserking for 5 seconds. Your damage is increased by x25% of your Damage while Berserking bonus. |
| Decimator | – Each time you make an enemy Vulnerable, your damage is increased by 10% for 5 seconds. Overpowering a Vulnerable enemy grants an additional x10% bonus for 5 seconds. |
Let’s break down each of these beneficial nodes and where our Paragon Points are positioned in each of the Paragon Boards we use. This part of the build is presented in order of importance. If you do not have enough Paragon Points to use in your Paragon Tree, just slowly work towards each step.
Starting Board
- Take the pathway up the left hand side of the board towards the open glyph slot.
- Along route pick up the Rare Node Tenacity, this will boost our Maximum Life.
- Now cross over and take the Rare node on the opposite side of the board, Brawn, for the bonus Maximum Life.
- Insert the glyph Exploit, and take the Dexterity nodes shown to get the bonus. This will help us with Vulnerable Enemies.
- Inside the glyph radius, we take both Rare Nodes, Raw Power and Iron Strength, for the increase Armor and Physical Damage boost.
- Finally, path towards the connection point at the top of the board and attach our next Paragon Board, Carnage.
Carnage
- Head towards the first Rare Node Enraged.
- Next path towards the open glyph slot and insert Might. This glyph will help grant us a bonus +125% bonus to all Magic nodes within range.
- Next we will take both Rare Nodes inside the Glyph radius, Brash and Fierce, these nodes will grant us an increase to damage while Berserking and Damage Reduction to Close enemies.
- Head towards the right hand side of the board and attach the next Paragon Board Blood Rage.
Blood Rage
- Take the pathway towards the glyph slot and insert Marshal into the glyph slot. This glyph will grant us a [+125%] bonus to all Magic nodes within range and assist with our non-Shout Cooldowns.
- Inside the glyph radius take bothRare Nodes, Revel and Grit, these Nodes will grant you an increased in Damage to Bleeding Enemies and Damage Reduction from Bleeding Enemies.
- Now path towards the Legendary Node Blood Rage.
- Now take the Rare node Enraged for the increased Damage while Berserking.
- Next path down and pick up the Rare node Restorative for the increase in Maximum Life.
- Complete the path to the left hand side of the board and attach the Weapons Master paragon board .
Weapons Master
- Head up towards the open glyph slot and pick up Rare node Raw Power, this will increase our Physical Damage.
- Path to the glyph slot and insertBrawl. This increases our paragon nodes by [+55%] and adds x18% to our Brawling Skills.
- Now take the otherRare Node inside the glyph radius, Iron Strength. These will grant us more Armor.
- Now continue to the bottom connection point and attach the Bone Breaker Paragon Board.
Bone Breaker
- Follow the pathway to the open glyph slot, picking up Vigor along the way. This increases our Damage Reduction while Healthy.
- Now go and insert Territorial into the open Glyph slot. This will increase our damage and Critical Strike Chance against Bleeding Enemies.
- Be sure to take the correct nodes in the image above, including the Dexterity for the bonus.
- Now that this board is complete, go to the left hand connection point and attach Warbringer.
Warbringer
- Select the path towards the open glyph slot and insertMortal Draw, this will grant us a damage boost each time we swap weapons.
- Next, take both theRare Nodes, Raw Power and Conditioned, for the increased Resistance and Physical Damage boost.
- Now head to the top connection point and attach our final board Decimator.
Decimator
- Select the nodes towards the open glyph slot, and insert Ire for the increases in damage while Berserking.
- Now take both the Rare Nodes, Arrogance and Demolish, this will increase our Vulnerable Damage and increases our Damage Reduction from Vulnerable Enemies.
- Lastly, path up and take the Legendary Node Decimator.
- This completes the Paragon Tree for this build.
Paragon board images courtesy of d4builds.gg.
Build Mechanics and Playstyle
The playstyle for this build is group-up and kill style of gameplay. We begin by using Whirlwind to group up enemies then we slam into the group of enemies with our Charge. Our Charge uses the power of Aspect of Ancestral Charge to increase hitting power to trigger an explosive reaction with Brawler’s Aspect. Once you have taken out the majority of the pack of enemies, you can use your Ultimate to clean up with a screen-wide attack, or you can switch back to Whirlwind and build up another pack to then Charge into a nearby object. The rotation looks like this:
- Use War Cry to begin Berserking and Rallying Cry to generate Fury.
- Use Whirlwind to gather up a group of enemies.
- Once you have a decent sized pack, Charge them all into a nearby object or wall.
- Lastly, use your Iron Maelstrom to clean up any left over enemies.
This simple four step rotation will be our main focus, while our Lunging Strike will be woven in and out of our rotation to help keep our Berserking and health up. All of our skill attacks will be assigned to different weapons, to help with Walking Arsenal and our Iron Maelstrom Cooldown.
Berserking
Berserking gives us a base increase of 25% damage and 30% movement speed. We also benefit from the passive Aggressive Resistance for an increase in our Damage Reduction. We also use the Aspect of Berserk Fury to keep our Fury high while Berserking. These benefits are easily triggers by both our basic attack, Combat Lunging Strike, as well as our War Cry.
While Berserking we have the added chance for additional damage from our Unique helmet: Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty. This bonus Cooldown reduction is extremely helpful with our Charge Cooldown and the bonus Ranks to Aggressive Resistance will keep our Damage Reduction high to keep us in the fight longer.
Gear Choice and Stat Priority
As you begin to farm in World Tier 3 and 4, Rare and Legendary item drops will begin to appear with some regularity depending on your luck. We recommend saving the targeted Legendary items that have the needed Legendary aspects listed below. We also recommended to keep multiple copies of the build’s Aspects in your Stash for future upgrades.
As for the Rare items, you will need to inspect each one for targeted affixes for use in each specific slot and do your best to match the recommended rolls. We have listed our targeted affixes in order of importance. Check the chart below and make note of what affixes you are searching for when you see a Rare gear piece drop.
Season 2 Update (1.2.0): Critical Strike Damage and Vulnerable Damage affixes are changed to be additive with other damage increases. All additive damage increases of the same amount are equal in value, as long as their conditions are active.
| Gear Slot | Targeted Affixes |
|---|---|
| Helm | 1. Cooldown Reduction 2. Damage while Berserking 3. Maximum Life 4. Needed Resistance |
| Chest | 1. Damage Reduction while Fortified 2. Damage Reduction from Bleeding Enemies 3. Damage Reduction 4. Maximum Life 5. Ranks of Rallying Cry |
| Gloves | 1. Critical Strike Chance 2. Ranks of Whirlwind 3. Strength 4. All Stats 5. Critical Strike Chance Against Injured Enemies |
| Pants | 1. Damage Reduction 2. Damage Reduction while Fortified 3. Damage Reduction from Bleeding Enemies 4. Maximum Life 5. Damage Reduction from Close Enemies |
| Boots | 1. Movement Speed 2. Strength 3. Fury Cost Reduction 4. Needed Resistances |
| Amulet | 1. Cooldown Reduction 2. Ranks of All Brawling Skills 3. Ranks of Heavy Handed 4. Strength 5. Brawling Skill Damage |
| Rings | 1. Critical Strike Chance 2. Damage while Berserking 3. Resource Generation 4. Maximum Life |
| Weapons | 1. Strength 2. All Stats 3. Damage to Close Enemies 4. Damage while Berserking 5. Damage to Bleeding Enemies |
Please note that these affixes are the recommended picks for this Charge build, but that is simply our opinion. Other affixes could certainly work instead of the ones listed above, but may not be optimal.
- Rank ups to selected Skills
- Cooldown Reduction – this is our Charge, Iron Maelstrom and our Shouts.
A final point on acquiring the right Affixes and Legendary Aspects, use your Obols to target farm them. Obols are awarded from many different activities in the game, you will always stockpiling them until you hit your maximum. Instead of just randomly spending them on a random pick, use them to target what you might be missing from this build. It is a great way to target a specific slot of loot and find what you need.
If you are interested in checking out a new tool for gambling Obols check out this link below from Icy Veins.
Obol Gambling Optimization ToolLegendary Aspects
Listed below are all the best-in-slot Aspects found onLegendary items that are important for the Double Swing Barbarian build. Aspects from the Codex of Power can be used if you cannot find the proper Legendary drops, but they have weaker effects. Extract Aspects from lower level Legendary itemsand imprint them onto better Rare items with preferred stats. The endgame itemization goal will be to imprint Aspects with the best valuesAncestral Rare itemswith Item Power above or as close to 800, then upgrade them through the Blacksmith. Each aspect is listed with its matching gear slot. Do your best to keep each aspect in the slot it was posted with.
| Gear Slot | Legendary Aspect | Legendary Aspect Power |
|---|---|---|
| Helm | Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty | |
| Chest | Aspect of Might | Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for[2.0-6.0]seconds. |
| Gloves | Edgemaster’s Aspect | Skillsdeal up to[10- 20%]increaseddamage based on your available Primary Resource when cast, receiving the maximum benefit while you have full Primary Resource. |
| Pants | Tibault’s Will | |
| Boots | Ghostwalker Aspect | While Unstoppable and for 4 seconds after, you gain [10-25%] increased Movement Speed and can move freely through enemies. |
| Amulets (50% bonus) | Aspect of Ancestral Charge | Charge calls forth 4 Ancients who also Charge, dealing [20-30%] of normal damage. |
| Ring | Aspect of Berserk Fury | You gain[3-6]Fury per second whileBerserking. |
| Ring | Bold Chieftain’s Aspect | Whenever you cast a Shout Skill, its Cooldown is reduced by [1.0-1.9] seconds per Nearby enemy, up to a maximum of 6 seconds. |
| Bludgeoning Weapon (200% bonus) | Rapid Aspect | Basic Skills gain [15-30%] Attack Speed. |
| Slashing Weapon (200% bonus) | Veteran Brawler’s Aspect | Each time a Core Skill deals direct damage to an enemy, your next Charge or Leap deals [6-8%] increased damage, up to [30-40%]. |
| Dual-Wield Weapon 1 | Aspect of the Dire Whirlwind | Whirlwind’s Critical Strike Chance is increased by [3-8%] for each second it is channeled, up to [9-24%]. |
| Dual-Wield Weapon 2 | Brawler’s Aspect | Enemies damaged by Kick or Charge will explode if they are killed within the next 2 seconds, dealing [X] damage to surrounding enemies. |
Uber Uniques
The chart below is our recommendation for Uber Uniques that will work within this build. However, all Uber uniques are extremely powerful and can shine in different situations. Good Hunting!
| Uber Uniques | Recommended(Y/N) | Replaces |
| Andariel’s Visage | No | |
| Harlequin Crest | Yes | Replaces Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty |
| Melted Heart of Selig | No | |
| Ring of Starless Skies | No | |
| Doombringer | Yes (2nd) | Aspect of the Dire Whirlwind will be dropped. |
| The Grandfather | Yes (1st) | Aspect of the Dire Whirlwind will be dropped. |
| Ahavarion, Spear of Lycander | No |
Gems
Listed below are the best gems to socket into gear for each slot type.
- Weapon: Royal Emerald for critical strike damage to Vulnerable enemies.
- Armor: Royal Ruby for Maximum Life.
- Jewelry: Royal Diamond for All Resistances, however, certain bosses may require you to switch to their corresponding resistances.
Elixirs and Health Pots
Visit the Alchemist in any main town to craft helpful Elixirs that increase stats, and experience gain for 30 minutes. Make sure to forage plants and pick up the necessary crafting materials during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Use an Elixir providing any Resistance you need most, or the Assault Elixir to increase Attack Speed.
Return to the Alchemist again when you reach Level 20, 30, 45, 60, 70, 80 and 90, to upgrade your potion. The extra healing is essential to survival.
Changelog
- February 1st 2024: Small changes for performance.
- January 30th 2024: Build Creation Season 3.
