A lot has been announced during the Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight, and one of the more interesting glimpses we got was when Blizzard showed us more details about the upcoming Skill Tree changes. The preview primarily focused on the Sorcerer’s 
Hydra to demonstrate the upcoming skill tree overhaul, but we also spotted significant changes to the Barbarian, especially for Hammer of the Ancients (HotA).
Although Blizzard did not formally break down the Barbarian changes, the on-screen skill tree preview revealed multiple new upgrade branches for this very iconic ability.
Current Hammer of the Ancients
In the live version of Diablo 4, 
Hammer of the Ancients:
- Slams a hammer down in a concentrated area
- Has two upgrade paths: Furious and Violent
- Focuses primarily on Critical Strike scaling and Overpower synergy
The skill currently enhances burst damage but does not significantly alter its core behavior.
New Branches Teased in the Spotlight
The new skill tree appears to expand HoTA with multiple massive upgrade options. We do not see the base skill, so it is unknown for now if the base Hammer of the Ancients skill remains the same or not, but both upgrades, Furious and Violent, have been changed completely, and similar to all the other skills, a 3rd variant was added!
Seismic Quake Variant
- Hammer of the Ancients now quakes outward, dealing additional damage beyond the initial impact area.
Seismic Line Variant
- HoTA forms a seismic line that deals damage in a forward path.
- Enemies hit are slowed by 80% for 4 seconds.
Fire / Ancients Variant
- Casting HoTA summons two Ancients that strike the same area.
- If Burning enemies are hit, the attack explodes for additional damage.
- HoTA converts to Fire damage.
This represents a massive change from simple damage modifiers to entirely new functionality and elemental identity.
A Change Toward Transformative Skills
The teased Barbarian changes mirror what Blizzard demonstrated with the Sorcerer‘s Hydra, which can now convert into a Frost Hydra and fundamentally alter its behavior. If every class receives similar branching options, this suggests a much deeper layer of build customization than previously available. Instead of choosing between minor stat bonuses, players may now select entirely different mechanical identities for the same core skill.
Full details are not shared yet, but the Hammer of the Ancients preview already gives us a bit of a closer look at how dramatically the Lord of Hatred skill tree overhaul may change class builds.
For more on Lord of Hatred and the upcoming Season 12, visit our Diablo 4 news hub.
