The Barbarian brings their brute strength and ferocity to the fight against the armies of Hell. Here’s the best Barbarian build to use in Season 9 of Diablo 4.
The Barbarian class has been slaying demons since Diablo 2, and they’re still going strong in Season 9 of Diablo 4. They’re a class for melee enthusiasts, namely those who want to smash their enemies with sheer strength and brutality, but the Barbarian class is also known for their mastery of weapons.
Now that this season will add the all-new Horadric Powers to the game, players heading into Season 9 will want to know the best Barbarian build to use. Here’s what’s top of the meta this time around.
What is The Best Barbarian Build in Season 9?
The Earthquake Barbarian is back on top in Season 8 of Diablo 4, after having taken a backseat to various others in earlier seasons. This is a build that relies on dealing vast amounts of AOE damage to enemies, then moving in and bashing them to death with a range of weapons.
Below, we’ll detail how to assemble the build in full, and while this guide is focused on making the best Earthquake Barbarian for endgame and pit pushing, it’s still effective during your leveling journey and in PvP.
What Are The Best Skills to Use For This Build?
The most defining part of any build in Diablo 4 is the skills that comprise it, how many points you allocate to each, as well as any upgrades needed. As you’d expect with a name like the Earthquake build, this one is designed around the Earthquake skill, but Lunging Strike and Hammer of the Ancients also round out the active skill rotation, along with a range of stat boosting cries.
This build is geared towards endgame, but you can also use it as you level through the campaign and early game. The build is also helpful in PvP, so don’t worry about needing to respec at any point.
So, for the Earthquake Barbarian build, pick the following skills as you level:
Active Skills
Select the following Active Skills with the below number of points and upgrades:
| Skill | Points | Upgrades |
|---|---|---|
| Lunging Strike | 1 | Enhanced |
| Hammer of the Ancients | 1 | Enhanced, Furious |
| Rallying Cry | 1 | Enhanced, Strategic |
| Challenging Shout | 1 | Enhanced |
| War Cry | 5 | Enhanced, Power |
| Wrath of the Berserker | 5 | Enhanced, Supreme |
Passive Skills
Select the following Passive Skills with the below number of points and upgrades:
| Skill | Points |
|---|---|
| Endless Fury | 3 |
| Martial Vigor | 3 |
| Imposing Presence | 3 |
| Belligerence | 3 |
| Raid Leader | 3 |
| Booming Voice | 3 |
| Guttural Yell | 3 |
| Aggressive Resistance | 3 |
| Pit Fighter | 3 |
| Slaying Strike | 3 |
| Thick Skin | 1 |
| Counteroffensive | 3 |
| Defensive Stance | 3 |
| Heavy Hitter | 3 |
| Heavy Handed | 3 |
| Wallop | 3 |
| Unconstrained | (Key Passive) |
Arsenal Selections
The Barbarian’s unique ability, like the Necromancer’s Book of the Dead or the Druid’s Spirit Boons, is the Arsenal System. This allows the Barbarian to wield multiple weapons for each skill to generate different bonuses in close combat.
For this build, we’ll be using the Two-Handed Mace as our main weapon with Hammer of the Ancients as its assigned skill.
For the Technique Slot, select Two Handed Axe Expertise to add a 10% damage boost.
Paragon Board
Once you reach level 60, the standard leveling you’ve been doing will stop, and you’ll be introduced to the Paragon Board. Here, you’ll need to move across various different boards, activating nodes and gaining small boosts to your stats. However, sometimes you’ll activate nodes that buff class-specific skills.
As you navigate the boards, you’ll come across certain nodes called Glyphs. These are the ones that help you continue to build your character your build, so with the Earthquake Barbarian setup in mind, prioritize the following Glyphs when you can:
- Rumble
- Ire
- Territorial
- Challenger
- Wrath
Don’t panic if you think you’re activating nodes that aren’t helpful as you move around the Paragon Board, all of them will be in some way. Just work towards the next Glyph and try to activate nodes that you think are the most beneficial, for example, a Barbarian can never have too much strength.
What Are The Best Mercenaries to Choose in Diablo 4?
Mercenaries were added to the game in the Vessel of Hatred expansion and changed buildcrafting overnight. It’s most beneficial to choose a merc that complements your build. For example, if using a Barbarian, then it pays to hire a merc who can support you from a distance and buff your defense.
For the Earthquake Barbarian, we recommend hiring the following mercenaries:
Hired: Subo
Hire Subo as your main merc, as not only will he be able to support you with projectiles and grenades from a distance, his Seeker ability helps you identify enemies and carve through them quickly. He can also stun enemies, making them open to your attacks.
For his main skills, select Wire Trap and Cover Fire, as these abilities will both give us a nice damage multiplier and fit the build well.
As for his passive skills, select Piecing Arrows and Cover Fire to increase his arrows’ penetration and critical hits.
Reinforcement: Raheir
For you’re Reinforcement merc, choose Raheir and set his skill to Crater every time you cast Lunging Strike. Not only will this damage enemies caught in the blast, it’ll stun them and pull them into one spot, ready for you to blast with Earthquake.
Having Raheir also gives you another layer of defense; that way, you can charge into danger knowing it’s safer to do so, which is what the Barbarian class is all about!
What Are The Best Horadric Powers to Use?
Season 9 of Diablo 4 is all about using the new Horadric Powers, which have essentially replaced Boss Powers. For the Earthquake Barbarian, try and prioritize the following Horadric Powers:
- Catalyst: Disintegrate
- Infusion: Nebulous Extract
- Arcana: Sapping Crux, Bloody Charm, Fractured Core
It could take a while to find them all, but these are the Horadric Powers to aim for.
What Are The Best Items to Equip?
The gear you use in Diablo 4 is almost as important as the skills you select. You’ll use lots of different items in your path to endgame, as it takes time to hunt down the very best equipment and Legendary/Mythic Aspects that empower it.
So, below we’ll only tell you the best items/Aspects you should aim to locate once you’re able. Remember, some drops are random, but others can be acquired at certain locations or by killing certain bosses.
| Item | Aspect | Item type | How to get | Sockets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ugly Bastard Helm | Ugly Bastard Helm | Helm | Random drop | 2x Grand Rubies |
| Mantle of Mountain’s Fury | Mantle of Mountain’s Fury | Armor | Random drop | 2x Grand Rubies |
| Fists of Fate | Fists of Fate | Gloves | Farm The Beast in the Ice boss | – |
| Tibault’s Wil | Tibault’s Wil | Pants | Farm Duriel or Andariel | 2x Grand Rubies |
| Ghostwalker Runic Cleats | Ghostwalker | Boots | Broken Bulwark dungeon in Scosglen | – |
| Bonebreaker of Earthquakes | Earthquakes | Bludgeoning Weapon | Both weapon and Aspect are random drops | MoniTec Runeword |
| War Crest of Incendiary Fissures | Incendiary Fissures | Slicing Weapon | Both weapon and Aspect are random drops | PocZec Runeword |
| Executioner’s Obsidian Blade | Executioner’s | Mainhand | Both weapon and Aspect are random drops | Grand Emerald |
| Obsidian Blade of Elements | Elements | Offhand | Both weapon and Aspect are random drops | Grand Emerald |
| Vehement Brawler’s Ocelot’s Eye | Vehement Brawler’s | Amulet | Both amulet and Aspect are random drops | Grand Emerald |
| Bold Chieftain’s Soulwatch Hoop | Bold Chieftain’s | Ring | Both amulet and Aspect are random drops | Grand Amethyst |
| Ring of Starless Skies | Ring of Starless Skies | Ring | Farm bosses for best results | Grand Amethyst |
Remember, you’ll need to reach endgame to hunt these items down, but these will be the items most suited to optimize this build.
Looking forward to bashing some demons with the Earthquake Barbarian build in Season 9? The Insider Gaming forum is the perfect place to talk all things Diablo 4.
You can also find out the best builds in Season 8 for the Spiritborn, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue, and Sorcerer classes while you’re here.
