Diablo 4 – Barbarian Skills Guide (Season 8)

The Barbarian has access to 24 different skills in Diablo 4. Most skills also have an “enhanced” version as well as two mutually exclusive upgrades that improve them in various ways.

This section provides a brief overview of the Barbarian skills as well as their enhancements and upgrades.

For a detailed list of Barbarian talents, refer to our Barbarian passives page.

For more general information about the Barbarian class, refer to our Barbarian Guide.

Barbarian Basic Skills

Basic Skills are spammable skills whose primary purpose is to generate Fury for skills of the Core category. By virtue of being free and having no cooldown, they are also used to fill dead time while waiting for other, more powerful skills to be available.

Bash

Fury Generation	15
Lucky Hit Chance	50%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Bash the enemy with your weapon, dealing {#}% damage. After bashing enemies 4 times, your next Bash will Clobber, stunnning enemies for 1.5 seconds. Clobber twice as often while using a Two-Handed weapon.
Enhanced Bash	Clobbering an enemy grants you 20% Maximum Life as Fortify.
Battle Bash	Clobbering an enemy generates an additional 10 Fury.
Combat Bash	After Critically Striking 4 times with Bash using a Two-Handed weapon, your next Core or Weapon Mastery Skill will Overpower.

Flay

Fury Generation	15
Lucky Hit Chance	50%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Flay the enemy, dealing {#}% damage and inflicting {#}% Bleeding damage over 5 seconds.
Enhanced Flay	Flay has a 15% chance to make the enemy Vulnerable for 5 seconds. Double this chance when using a Two-Handed weapon.
Battle Flay	When Flay deals direct damage to an enemy, they take x10% increased Bleeding damage from you for the next 3 seconds.
Combat Flay	When Flay deals direct damage to an enemy, you gain 4% Damage Reduction and {#} Thorns for 6 seconds. This stacks up to 5 times.

Lunging Strike

Fury Generation	12
Lucky Hit Chance	50%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Lunge forward and strike an enemy for {#}% damage.
Enhanced Lunging Strike	Lunging Strike deals x30% increased damage and Heals you for 2% Maximum Life when it damages a Healthy enemy.
Battle Lunging Strike	Lunging Strike also inflicts 20% Bleeding damage over 5 seconds.
Combat Lunging Strike	Critical Strikes with Lunging Strike grant you Berserking for 3 seconds.

Frenzy

Fury Generation	7
Lucky Hit Chance	30%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Unleash a rapid flurry of blows, dealing {#}% damage with each pair of hits. If Frenzy hits an enemy, its Attack Speed is increased by +20% for 3 seconds, up to 60%.
Enhanced Frenzy	While Frenzy is granting 60% bonus Attack Speed, the Fury costs of your Core Skills are reduced by 25%.
Battle Frenzy	While Berserking, your other skills gain +6% Attack Speed for each stack of Frenzy you have.
Combat Frenzy	You gain 5% Damage Reduction and 5% Movement Speed per stack of Frenzy you currently have.

Barbarian Core Skills

Core Skills are the main sources of damage for the Barbarian. Although they have no cooldown, the main limiting factor of Core Skills is their Fury cost.

Hammer of the Ancients

Fury Cost	35
Lucky Hit Chance	50%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Slam your hammer down with the fury of the Ancients, dealing {#}% damage to a concentrated area.
Enhanced Hammer of the Ancients	Gain 3% more Fury for 5 seconds for each enemy damaged by Hammer of the Ancients, stacking up to 10 times.
Furious Hammer of the Ancients	Hammer of the Ancients gain 5% Critical Strike Damage and Critical Strike Chance for every 10 Fury you had when cast. Its Critical Strikes Knockdown enemies for 2 seconds.
Violent Hammer of the Ancients	After Overpowering with Hammer of the Ancients, you deal 40% more damage for 5 seconds.

Rend

Fury Cost	35
Lucky Hit Chance	33%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Cleave enemies in front of you, dealing {#}% damage and inflicting {#}% Bleeding damage over 5 seconds.
Enhanced Rend	Dealing direct damage with Rend extends the duration of Vulnerable on enemies by 2 seconds.
Furious Rend	Direct damage with Rend grants 5 Fury per enemy hit, up to a maximum of 25 Fury.
Violent Rend	Rend deals x35% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.

Upheaval

Fury Cost	40
Lucky Hit Chance	30%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Tear into the ground with your weapon and fling debris forward, dealing {#}% damage.
Enhanced Upheaval	Upheaval has a 45% chance to Stun all enemies it damages for 3 seconds.
Furious Upheaval	Dealing direct damage to an enemy with a Skill that is not Upheaval causes your next cast of Upheaval to deal 20% increased damage, stacking up to 10 times.
Violent Upheaval	If Upheaval damages at least 2 enemies, you gain Berserking for 3 seconds, increased to 5 seconds if it damages at least 4 enemies.

Double Swing

Fury Cost	25
Lucky Hit Chance	30%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Sweep your weapons from opposite directions, dealing {#}% damage with each weapon. Enemies caught in the center are damaged by both.
Enhanced Double Swing	Hitting an enemy with both hits of Double Swing makes them Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
Furious Double Swing	Casting Double Swing while Berserking grants 2 additional seconds of Berserking.
Violent Double Swing	If Double Swing damages a Stunned or Knocked Down enemy, gain 25 Fury.

Whirlwind

Fury Cost	25 per second
Lucky Hit Chance	20%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Rapidly attack surrounding enemies for {#}% damage.
Enhanced Whirlwind	Gain 1 Fury each time Whirlwind deals direct damage to an enemy, or 4 Fury against Elite enemies.
Furious Whirlwind	While using a Slashing weapon, Whirlwind also inflicts 40% of its Base damage as Bleeding damage over 5 seconds.
Violent Whirlwind	Channeling Whirlwind for 2 seconds increases the damage of your next Weapon Mastery Skill by 35% if used immediately after Whirlwind ends.

Barbarian Defensive Skills

Defensive Skills revolve around protecting the Barbarian and their allies through powerful protective effects or crowd control.

Challenging Shout

Cooldown	25 seconds
Description	Taunt Nearby enemies and gain {#}% Damage Reduction for 6 seconds.
Enhanced Challenging Shout	While Challenging Shout is active, gain x20% bonus Maximum Life.
Strategic Challenging Shout	While Challenging Shout is active, gain Thorns equal to 30% of your Maximum Life.
Tactical Challenging Shout	While Challenging Shout is active, you gain 6 Fury each time you take damage.

Ground Stomp

Cooldown	16 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance	33%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Smash the ground, dealing {#}% damage and Stunning surrounding enemies for 3 seconds.
Enhanced Ground Stomp	Ground Stomp generates 60 Fury and has a 2 second increased Stun duration.
Strategic Ground Stomp	Reduce the Cooldown of your Ultimate Skill by 5 seconds per enemy damaged by Ground Stomp, up to 15 seconds.
Tactical Ground Stomp	Ground Stomp is now a Brawling Skill and deals 100% increased damage to Bosses. It also applies Vulnerable for 4 seconds.

Iron Skin

Cooldown	12 seconds
Description	Steel yourself, gaining a Barrier that absorbs {#}% of your missing Life for 5 seconds.
Enhanced Iron Skin	Iron Skin grants Unhindered for 5 seconds and its Barrier absorbs 30% more of your Maximum Life.
Strategic Iron Skin	Iron Skin also grants 30% Maximum Life as Fortify. Double this amount if cast while below 50% Life.
Tactical Iron Skin	While Iron Skin is active, Heal for 20% of the Barrier‘s original amount as Life per second.

Rallying Cry

Cooldown	25 seconds
Description	Bellow a rallying cry, increasing your Movement Speed by +30% and Resource Generation by x{#}% for 6 seconds, and Nearby allies for 3 seconds.
Enhanced Rallying Cry	Rallying Cry grants you Unstoppable while active.
Strategic Rallying Cry	Rallying Cry grants you 10% Maximum Life as Fortify. While Rallying Cry is active, you gain an additional 2% Maximum Life as Fortify each time you take or deal direct damage.
Tactical Rallying Cry	Rallying Cry generates 20 Fury and grants you an additional x20% Resource Generation.

Barbarian Brawling Skills

Brawling Skills provide a wide array of utility, including mobility.

War Cry

Cooldown	25 seconds
Description	Bellow a mighty war cry, increasing your damage dealt by x{#}% for 6 seconds, and Nearby allies for 3 seconds.
Enhanced War Cry	War Cry grants you Berserking for 4 seconds.
Mighty War Cry	War Cry grants you 15% Maximum Life as Fortify.
Power War Cry	If at least 6 enemies are Nearby when you cast War Cry, your damage bonus is increased by an additional x10%.

Kick

Cooldown	9 seconds
Charges	2
Lucky Hit Chance	40%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Throw a powerful kick that deals 60% damage and Knocks Back enemies in front of you. Enemies who are Knocked Back into terrain take an additional 105% damage and are Stunned for 3 seconds.
Enhanced Kick	Damaging enemies with Kick makes them Vulnerable for 4 seconds.
Mighty Kick	Kicked enemies deal 70% damage to enemies they collide with while being Knocked Back. Enemies damaged this way are Knocked Down for 2 seconds.
Power Kick	If Kick damages an enemy, it consumes all of your Fury and deals an additional 25% damage per 10 Fury spent. Kick no longer Knocks Back enemies.

Leap

Cooldown	17 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance	66%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Leap forward and then slam down, dealing {#}% damage and Knocking Back surrounding enemies on impact.
Enhanced Leap	If Leap doesn’t damage any enemies, its Cooldown is reduced by 4 seconds.
Mighty Leap	Enemies damaged by Leap are Slowed by 70% for 5 seconds.
Power Leap	If Leap damages at least one enemy, gain 40 Fury.

Charge

Cooldown	17 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance	33%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Become Unstoppable and rush forward, pushing enemies with you then swinging through them dealing {#}% damage and Knocking them Back.
Enhanced Charge	Enemies who are Knocked Back into terrain by Charge take 150% damage and are Stunned for 3 seconds.
Mighty Charge	Damaging enemies with Charge makes them Vulnerable for 4 seconds.
Power Charge	Reduce Charge’s Cooldown by 2 seconds for each enemy hit, up to 6 seconds. Charging a boss will reduce the Cooldown by 6 seconds.

Barbarian Weapon Mastery Skills

Weapon Mastery Skills are situational but powerful offensive skills with a relatively long cooldown.

Rupture

Cooldown	10 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance	50%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Skewer enemies in front of you, dealing 25% damage which is guaranteed to Overpower, then rip your weapon out, damaging enemies for their total Bleeding amount and removing all Bleeding damage from them.
Enhanced Rupture	Ripping your weapon out of enemies during Rupture causes an explosion that deals 70% Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. This damage is increased by x35% for each 50 Strength you have.
Fighter’s Rupture	Hitting at least 1 enemy with Rupture Heals you for 22% of your Maximum Life.
Warrior’s Rupture	Hitting enemies with Rupture increases your Attack Speed by +40% for 5 seconds.

Death Blow

Cooldown	15 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance	50%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Attempt a killing strike, dealing {#}% damage to enemies in front of you. If this kills an enemy, its Cooldown is reset.
Enhanced Death Blow	Death Blow deals x200% increased damage to Bosses.
Fighter’s Death Blow	If Death Blow damages at least one enemy, gain 20 Fury.
Warrior’s Death Blow	If Death Blow damages at least one enemy, gain Berserking for 3 seconds.

Steel Grasp

Cooldown	11 seconds
Charges	2
Lucky Hit Chance	25%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Throw out a trio of chains that deal {#}% damage and Pull In enemies.
Enhanced Steel Grasp	Steel Grasp also makes enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
Fighter’s Steel Grasp	Steel Grasp’s damage is increased by 200% and if it damages an enemy you gain Berserking for 2 seconds.
Warrior’s Steel Grasp	Steel Grasp gains 1 additional Charge.

Mighty Throw (Vessel of Hatred)

Cooldown	12 seconds
Lucky Hit Chance	15%
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Hurl your weapon, dealing {x}% Weapon damage upon impact and sticking in the ground. While in the ground, your weapon pulses and deals {x}% Weapon damage every second for {x} seconds.
Enhanced Mighty Throw	Mighty Throw grants {x}% increased Attack Speed for {x} seconds.
Fighter’s Mighty Throw	Swapping weapons near any of your thrown weapons creates an additional pulse. Mighty Throw generates {x}% of your Maximum Life as a Barrier for 5 seconds.
Warrior’s Mighty Throw	Mighty Throw’s impact deals {x}%[x] increased damage and Stuns enemies for {x} seconds.

Barbarian Ultimate Skills

Ultimate Skills are extremely powerful skills with a cooldown to match. Their use is typically reserved for dispatching powerful enemies. Only one Ultimate Skill may be equipped at a time.

Wrath of the Berserker

Cooldown	60 seconds
Description	Explode into rage, Knocking Back surrounding enemies and gaining Berserking and Unstoppable for 5 seconds. For the next 10 seconds, dealing direct damage with Basic Skills grants Berserking for 5 seconds.
Rank 5 Bonus	Wrath of the Berserker Pulls in enemies instead of Knocking Back and deals 500% damage to them.
Prime Wrath of the Berserker	While Wrath of the Berserker is active, gain +20% increased Movement Speed and increase Fury Generation by x30%.
Supreme Wrath of the Berserker	While Wrath of the Berserker is active, every 50 Fury you spend increases Berserk‘s damage bonus by x25%, up to x100%.

Iron Maelstrom

Cooldown	45 seconds
Damage Type	Physical
Description	Activate three times to attach chains to each of your weapons and perform an attack: First, your Two-Handed Bludgeoning weapon slams into the ground, dealing 75% damage and Stunning enemies for 2 seconds. Next, your Two-Handed Slashing weapon swipes in front of you, dealing 20% damage and inflicting 120% Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. Finally, your Dual Wield weapons swing around you, dealing 43% damage per hit.
Rank 5 Bonus	Iron Maelstrom damage is increased by 60% of your Damage to Injured and Healthy bonuses.
Prime Iron Maelstrom	Iron Maelstrom gains +30% increased Critical Strike Chance and deals x40% increased Critical Strike Damage.
Supreme Iron Maelstrom	Dealing direct damage to an enemy after swapping weapons reduces Iron Maelstrom’s Cooldown by 1 second.

Call of the Ancients

Cooldown	50 seconds
Description	Call upon 3 Ancients to aid you in battle for 6 seconds. Korlic leaps at enemies, dealing 156% damage and swings his weapons in a frenzy, dealing 59% damage per hit. Talic spins in a whirlwind rapidly attacking enemies for 98% damage. Madawc upheaves the ground, dealing 293% damage.
Rank 5 Bonus	While Call of the Ancients is active, gain 50% Movement Speed and 20% Distant Damage Reduction.
Prime Call of the Ancients	While Call of the Ancients is active, gain +20% bonus Attack Speed and x30% increased damage.
Supreme Call of the Ancients	Each of the Ancients gains additional power: Korlic: You gain 10 Fury each time Korlic damages an enemy with his Frenzy. Talic: Enemies are Slowed by 50% for 1 second when damaged by his Whirlwind. Madawc: 30% chance to Stun enemies for 3 seconds when using his Upheaval.

Barbarian Dismount Skill

While mounted, the Barbarian has access to a unique Dismount Skill which causes the Barbarian to jump off their mount and slam into the ground twice, dealing damage to and stunning nearby enemies.