Barbarian HotA Build with Immortal King
Welcome to our build guide for HotA IK Barbarian in Diablo 3. Here, you will learn everything you need to know to play this build at the highest level. This build is updated for patch 2.6.8 and Season 20.
For more information regarding followers, we advise you to read our follower guide, which contains detailed advice on choosing the skills and the gear of your companion.
Introduction
Empowered by the Immortal King set, this Barbarian build emphasizes melee
devastation and pulverizes his enemies to the ground with
Hammer of the Ancients, while maintaining a vast array of buffs and
warriors at his side. This agile, face-to-face burst damage build is geared towards
Greater Rift solo progression, but we also have a speed farming variant of it.
HotA Raekor Barbarian Build
This HotA IK Barbarian Build used to have a Raekor variation, but it eventually grew into a competitive build of its own, which you can access using the link below.
Quick Reference
Skill Setup
The basic skill setup of the IK HotA Barbarian is displayed below. Read the dedicated Skills page for detailed information on choices, alternatives and build customization.
| Active Skills |
|---|
Furious Charge
 Merciless Assault
Hammer of the Ancients
 Smash
1
Battle Rage
Bloodshed
2
Threatening Shout
 Falter
3
Wrath of the Berserker
Insanity
4
Call of the Ancients
Together as One
|
| Passive Skills |
Gear Setup
The required gear setup for IK HotA Barbarian is listed below. Check the Gear page for detailed information on choices, alternatives, gemming, Kanai's Cube and Paragon distribution.
- Helm:
Immortal King's Triumph - Shoulders:
Fury of the Ancients - Gloves:
Immortal King's Irons - Chest:
Immortal King's Eternal Reign - Belt:
Immortal King's Tribal Binding - Pants:
Immortal King's Stature - Boots:
Immortal King's Stride - Bracers:
Bracers of the First Men - Amulet:
The Traveler's Pledge - Ring 1:
The Compass Rose - Ring 2:
Convention of Elements - Weapon 1:
Remorseless - Weapon 2:
Echoing Fury
Legendary Gems
- Legendary Gem 1:
Bane of the Trapped - Legendary Gem 2:
Bane of the Stricken - Legendary Gem 3:
Esoteric Alteration
Kanai's Cube
- Weapon Slot:
The Gavel of Judgment - Armor Slot:
Mortick's Brace - Jewelry Slot:
Band of Might
Changelog
- 12 Mar. 2020 (gear page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
- 12 Mar. 2020 (this page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
- 12 Mar. 2020 (skills page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
- 19 Nov. 2019 (skills page): Revised and update for Season 19.
- 19 Nov. 2019 (gear page): Revised and update for Season 19.
- 19 Nov. 2019 (this page): Revised and update for Season 19.
- 28 Aug. 2019 (this page): Revised recommendations for the Raekor and speedfarming versions of the build.
- 22 Aug. 2019 (this page): Item recommendations were revised for Season 18.
- 22 Aug. 2019 (gear page): Item recommendations were revised for Season 18.
- 22 Aug. 2019 (skills page): Skill selection was clarified for Season 18.
- 13 May 2019 (skills page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
- 13 May 2019 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
- 13 May 2019 (gear page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
- 27 Jan. 2019 (skills page): Minor revision to the passive selection options.
- 27 Jan. 2019 (this page): Introduced minor improvements to the guide and adjusted the Raekor variant according to the meta.
- 17 Jan. 2019 (gear page): Added suggestions for the baseline Ring of Royal Grandeur for Seasonal characters.
- 17 Jan. 2019 (this page): Guide was revised with additional recommendations for Season 16.
- 16 Jan. 2019 (skills page): Information was reviewed and approved for Season 16 with no changes required.
- 20 Sep. 2018 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 15.
- 14 Jun. 2018 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 14.
- 16 Nov. 2017 (this page): Added the Raekor build variation for GR progress.
- 31 Oct. 2017 (this page): Overhaul of the guide to reflect the 2.6.1 buffs that made this build the best build of the season for Barbarians.
- 31 Oct. 2017 (gear page): Changed the weapon recommendation to a dual setup with The Istvan's Paired Blades replacing The Gavel of Judgment (which is now cubed).
- 26 Jun. 2017 (this page): Guide updated for 2.6 and moved to new format.
More Barbarian Guides
Builds from Other Classes
Farming Guides
This build is presented to you by Deadset, one of the very few professional Diablo 3 players. Deadset regularly publishes video guides on Youtube and streams on Twitch, where you can see how this and other builds play out in practice.
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- Fastest Greater Rift 150: 3 min 49 sec in Season 20 (4 Player)