In this guide we will tell you about the best Diablo IV Barbarian build — the Whirlwind Barb Build. It’s good for beginners and will also allow you to easily get through Open World content and Nightmare Dungeons. After trying Bleed, Hammer of the Ancients, kicking and jumping, not using Shout, some of the top Barbarian players around the world came up with Whirlwind build. Including youtuber Rob2628, who was the first in the world to get level 100 on Softcap, and Alkaizersenpai.
Diablo 4 Whirlwind Barbarian Gameplay
The strategy for this build involves using the Lunging Strike skill to attack monsters, while also utilizing Shouts to generate extra Fury. When the Fury gauge is full, the player begins using Whirlwind to attack and continues until the Fury gauge is depleted or all monsters have been defeated.
The main gameplay principle is that you don’t have to kill all monsters with the Whirlwind. You only kill a certain number, i.e. the biggest clusters, and keep moving forward the whole time.
This build uses Gohr’s Devastating Grips Gloves, which causes these little fire blasts after the end of each series of Whirlwind. Also important is the use of the Ultimate ability Wrath of the Berserker, which gives two properties at once — Berserker and Unstoppable.
As for Shouts, one of them also gives Berserker and the other Unstoppable, so it makes sense to alternate the use of the three Shouts (Rallying Cry, Challenging Shout, War Cry) with the use of Ultimates. In case we want to attack our enemies with full power, we can activate all three Shouts and Ultimates at the same time. Both your Shouts and your Wrath of the Berserker allow you to be constantly on the move.
Being able to kill enemies and still move is probably the main advantage of this build and the Barbarian class in general.
That’s not to say that this is an incredibly simple build, where you just push one button and spin. No, you have to apply your skills on cooldowns in the right order. But in general, this Barbarian with Whirlwind build doesn’t need to use a lot of skills, and it’s not super complicated in terms of rotating those skills.
Why is this build so awesome?
Whirlwind Barbarian Strengths and Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| You can clear dungeons +10 level even on Torment difficulty level. | Survivability dependent. |
| It’s great for killing both normal and Elite monsters, and even deals with bosses in quite a reasonable amount of time. | Gear dependent. |
| This build works on both softcore and hardcore. | May feel quite repetitive. |
| Its advantage is a good DPS damage. | Low single target damage. |
| To pull enemies around allows you one of the aspects. | |
| It also supports the team very well. | |
| The ability to kill enemies and still move. |
The peculiarity of the game on hardcore is that here you need to survive very well, so players do not take big risks – for example, in the video the level difference between Alkaizersenpai and the monsters he kills is only 3, not 10, which you can afford on softcore. At the same time, Rob2628, who was the first to level up to a 100 on softcore, has an even higher difference between his character’s and monster’s levels.
When completing Nightmare Dungeons, the monsters far exceeding the level of your character, the survival rate of the character becomes extremely low, and this applies not only to the Barbarian, but to any class. So you need to deal enough damage and kill the monsters before they kill you. This is where our Whirlwind build comes in, which gives us speed, area damage, the ability to effectively destroy crowds, to help the team and all in one build.
D4 Whirlwind Barbarian Skill Tree
- Lunging Strike 1/5 → Enhanced Lunging Strike → Battle Lunging Strike
- Whirlwind 5/5 → Enhanced Whirlwind → Furious Whirlwind
- Pressure Point 3/3
- Rallying Cry 1/5 → Enhanced Rallying Cry → Tactical Rallying Cry
- Imposing Presence 3/3 → Martial Vigor 3/3
- Challenging Shout 1/5
- War Cry 1/5 → Enhanced War Cry → Mighty War Cry
- Booming Voice 3/3 → Raid Leader 3/3
- Aggressive Resistance 3/3 → Prolific Fury 3/3
- Pit Fighter 1/3 → No Mercy 3/3
- Hamstring 1/3
- Thick Skin 1/3 → Defensive Stance 3/3
- Wrath of the Berserker → Prime Wrath of the Berserker → Supreme Wrath of the Berserker
- Tempered Fury 1/3 → Invigorating Fury 3/3
- Heavy Handed 3/3
- Unbridled Rage
Diablo 4 Whirlwind Barbarian Gear
Gear Stats for WW Barbarian
- Damage Per Second for your main WW weapon
- + Ranks for WW
- Critical Strike Damage
- Critical Strike Chance (if not maxed while Aspect of the Dire Whirlwind is active)
- Vulnerable Damage
- Cooldown Reduction
- Lucky Hit Chance
- Attack Speed+ Healing Received
- Fury Cost Reduction
- Resource Generation
- Movement Speed
- Damage Reduction
- Strength
- All Stats for paragon nodes
- Maximum Life
- Any relevant Resistance
Best Unique Items WW Barb
There is a variety of Unique Items for the Whirlwind Barbarian build. We have picked out a few of the most worthy:
- GOHR’S DEVASTATING GRIPS
Whirlwind explodes after it ends, dealing [16 – 26]% of the total Base damage dealt to surrounding enemies as Fire damage.
- RAGE OF HARROGATH
Lucky Hit: Up to a [20 – 40]% chance to reduce the Cooldowns of your Non-Ultimate Skills by 1.5 seconds when you inflict Bleeding on Elites.
- TEMERITY
Effects that Heal you beyond 100% Life grant you a Barrier up to [40 – 80]% of your Maximum Life that lasts for 8 seconds.
Also, the good option is The Grandfather, a Two-Handed Sword with the unique property “Increases your Critical Strike Damage by x[60 – 100]%. The other properties on this weapon can roll higher than normal.”
Gems
Here are the top gems for each gear slot in the Whirlwind Barbarian build.
- Weapon: Emerald, for +% Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies.
- Armor: Sapphire, for +% Damage Reduction while Fortified.
- Jewelry: Diamond, for % Resistance to All Elements.
Skulls can be a helpful choice for survival due to the combined healing effects of Enhanced Lunging Strike, Raid Leader, and Invigorating Fury, despite being an unconventional choice.
Elixirs and Healing Potions
Craft Elixirs at the Alchemist in towns for helpful effects and +5% XP boost for 30 minutes. Choose Assault Elixir for faster attacks as a Whirlwind Barbarian.
You can find powerful Elixirs by completing tasks, such as Elixir of Savagery (increases critical strike damage), Elixir of Magic Resist (boosts Magical Resistances), Elixir of Fortitude (increases Maximum Life), or any of the Elixirs of “slaying” (increases damage against specific monsters).
Visit the Alchemist at levels 20, 30, 45, 60, 70, 80, or 90 to upgrade Healing Potions.
Diablo 4 Whirlwind Barb Aspects
The Whirlwind Barbarian build benefits greatly from the Aspects and Codex of Power found on Legendary Items, with Dire Whirlwind Aspect being the only required choice.
| Gear Slot | Aspect | Aspect Power |
|---|---|---|
| Two-Handed Weapon (+100% bonus effect) | Aspect of the Dire Whirlwind | Whirlwind’s Critical Strike Chance is increased by +[5 – 10]% for each second it is channeled, up to [[5 – 10] * 4|%+|]. |
| Two-Handed Weapon (+100% bonus effect) | Edgemaster’s Aspect | Skills deal up to x[10 – 20]% increased damage based on your available Primary Resource when cast, receiving the maximum benefit while you have full Primary Resource. |
| Amulet (+50% bonus effect) | Accelerating Aspect | Critical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by +[15 – 25]% for 5 seconds. |
| Ring | Aspect of Echoing Fury | Your Shout Skills generate [2 – 4] Fury per second while active. |
| Ring | Bold Chieftain’s Aspect | Whenever you cast a Shout Skill, its Cooldown is reduced by [2.7 – 5.4] seconds per Nearby enemy, up to a maximum of 12 seconds. |
| 1-Handed Weapon | Aspect of Limitless Rage | Each point of Fury you generate while at Maximum Fury grants your next Core Skill x[1 – 2]% increased damage, up to [[1 – 2] * 15|%x|]. |
| 1-Handed Weapon | Aspect of Berserk Ripping | Whenever you deal direct damage while Berserking, inflict [20 – 30%] of the Base damage dealt as additional Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. |
| Chest | Relentless Berserker’s Aspect | Lucky Hit: Damaging an enemy with a Core Skill has up to a [22 – 40]% chance to extend the duration of Berserking by 1 second. Double this duration if it was a Critical Strike. |
| Pants | Iron Blood Aspect | Gain [[10 – 20] / 5 |1%|] Damage Reduction for each Nearby Bleeding enemy up to [10 – 20]% maximum. |
| Helm | Aspect of Grasping Whirlwind | Whirlwind periodically Pulls enemies to you. |
| Gloves | Dust Devil’s Aspect | Whirlwind leaves behind Dust Devils that deal *825 damage to surrounding enemies. |
| Boots | Wind Striker Aspect | Critical Strikes grant +[8 – 16]% Movement Speed for 1 second, up to [1*6] seconds. |
Diablo 4 Whirlwind Barbarian Paragon Boards
Let’s get to the paragons here.
Once you reach level 50 in the game, you can access the Paragon Board which contains nodes offering various benefits. Normal and Magic Nodes provide minor stats, while Rare Nodes, Glyph Sockets, and Legendary Nodes offer more powerful and unique bonuses.
When aiming for Glyph Sockets and Legendary Nodes, it is advisable to prioritize Damage bonuses, Strength, Resistances, and Life for Normal and Magic Nodes. Additionally, it may be beneficial to consider Rare Nodes that are within 5 nodes of your destination. Here are the Legendary Nodes recommended for the Whirlwind Barbarian build:
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Carnage | While Berserking, Critical Strikes increase your Attack Speed by +2%, up to 8%, for 6 seconds. |
| Decimator | Lucky Hit: Two-Handed Slashing Weapon attacks have up to a 8% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds. |
| Blood Rage | Killing a Bleeding enemy has 10% chance to grant Berserking for 5 seconds. |
Paragon Boards Distribution
As for the distribution of Paragon boards, we recommend placing the boards in the following order after the Starting board:
- Warbringer
- Decimator
- Hemorrhage
- Carnage
- Bone Breaker
You can certainly spend a few hours and think of a better way to arrange these boards so that more Rare nodes are activated. Because the later the board stands, the more base characteristics are required to activate the Rare nodes. For example, to activate a Rare node on the second board, it only takes 260 Willpower to double the bonus and we get 16, not 8 max rage. And if you look at the last board, the requirements are completely different. Here we need the fiercest 610 Dexterity or 530 Willpower, which is unrealistic for a Barbarian.
So we prioritize boards and put the one with the most awesome bonuses at the beginning, i.e. Warbringer. We put it right after the standard board so that all those delicious bonuses are doubled. And even with a very weak gear, which does not give you any bonuses to the basic attributes all this is sure to work, and you’ll have not just a bonus, but a double bonus from the Rare nodes.
That’s it, and at the very end you need to set aside the boards you like the least, which give the most shady bonuses.
And plus the path to the glyphs should be as short as possible, so you have enough points. In our build we get 9 paragon points saved.
If you’re not ready to dive into such complicated and time-consuming stuff, Overgear is always ready to help you with Paragon level boost and everything else.
Diablo 4 Whirlwind Barbarian Glyphs
When enhancing the impact of Glyphs, it may be worth placing Rare Glyphs in Glyph Sockets after accumulating enough points. It is advisable to not disregard Glyph Sockets initially and then respecialize later as more points are gained.
The following is a ranked list of Rare Glyphs recommended for the Whirlwind Barbarian build, assuming the player can fulfill the stat requirements for the Rare Glyphs and their Additional Bonus.
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Wrath | For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, Core Skills deal +3.425% increased Critical Strike Damage. Additional Bonus: (if requirements met) Skills that Critically Strike generate [3] Fury. Requirements: (purchased in radius range) 25 Dexterity |
| Cleaver* | For every 5 Strength purchased within range, you deal +1.5% increased damage while wielding an Axe. Additional Bonus: (if requirements met) While wielding an Axe, you deal x12% increased Critical Strike Damage. Requirements: (purchased in radius range) 40 Strength |
| Marshal | Grants +40% bonus to all Magic nodes within range. Additional Bonus: (if requirements met) After casting a Shout Skill, the active Cooldown of every other Shout Skill is reduced by 1.2 seconds. Requirements: (purchased in radius range) 40 Strength |
| Ire | For every 5 Strength purchased within range, you deal +1.5% increased damage while Berserking. Additional Bonus: (if requirements met) While Berserking, you take 10% reduced damage from Elites. Requirements: (purchased in radius range) 40 Strength |
| Territorial | For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal +2% increased damage to Close targets. Additional Bonus: (if requirements met) You gain 10% Damage Reduction against Close enemies. Requirements: (purchased in radius range) 25 Dexterity |
| Imbiber | For every 5 Willpower purchased within range, you deal +1.84% increased damage while Healthy. Additional Bonus: (if requirements met) You gain +30% increased Potion Healing. Requirements: (purchased in radius range) 25 Willpower |
| Exploit | For every 5 Dexterity purchased within range, you deal +1.5% increased damage to Vulnerable targets. Additional Bonus: (if requirements met) When an enemy is damaged by you, they become Vulnerable for [3] seconds. This cannot happen more than once every 20 seconds per enemy. Requirements: (purchased in radius range) 25 Dexterity |
*Requires an Axe at least one slot.
Take note, that you may have other priorities. Because if you’re playing hardcore, you’re not going to like the story of having two survival glyphs at the very end. You’ll want your survival glyphs to go first. For softcore, you put the Fury generation glyph first, then the shout cooldown twice. In order to play comfortably, always have cooldown shouts, have a lot of Fury, and can spin in a Whirlwind. Though the player on hardcore has slightly different priorities, but the build will be exactly the same. Because the Whirlwind Barbarian at the moment is the most optimal in terms of survivability and damage ratio. To learn more about Barbarian builds dive into our related guides.
