Thorns Barbarian Leveling Build

Introduction

Are you tired of having to actually attack enemies to kill them? Does the thought of being able to run around and laugh at your enemies asking them why they are punching themselves just fill you with glee? Then do we have a build for you! Introducing our Thorns Barbarian Leveling Build Guide!

The Thorns Barbarian is a build that has been around since Diablo 2 in one form or another. In Diablo 4 it is a build that uses shouts to taunt all enemies and buff our damage after gathering up enemies by jumping from pack to pack with Lunging Strike.

This is your leveling guide for the Diablo 4 beta that will help you get to level 20 and enjoy your time in the Fractured Peaks taunting and screaming at your enemies in this upcoming Open Beta. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Now let’s go over the build mechanics, character progression, and playstyle!

Skill Tree Points

The following table shows the order in which to allocate your Skill Points for Thorns Barbarian Leveling build. You gain 24 points at level 25 and 2 points from completing Renown, for a total of 26.

Playstyle

Playing this build is very simple, we stack Thorns and maximum life while using Lunging Strike to dash to enemies. Once we have gathered up a fairly decent sized pack of enemies, at least six, we then use Challenging Shout to Taunt them all to us, and War Cry to increase our damage and give us Berserking. We then let the enemies kill themselves. Make sure to use your potions and dodge large telegraphed attacks.

Damage Rotation

Group up enemies with Lunging Strike.
Use Challenging Shout and War Cry to Taunt all the enemies and increase your Thorns damage.

Codex of Power

We have a few Legendaries that make clearing and staying alive much easier Protecting Aspect should be retrieved from the Caldera Gate dungeon as soon as you arrive in Kyovashad. It is located near the initial player starting area. You can also get Aspect of the Protector from Lost Archives.

Stat Priorities on Gear

We are only looking for a few main stats on our gear, listed below:

+# Flat Life
% Life
+# Thorns
Cooldown Reduction
Resistances as needed

Legendary Item Aspects

Gems

Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each slot type.

Weapon: Skull for Life on Kill
Armor: Ruby for +#% Maximum Life or Emerald for Thorns Damage
Jewelry: Any Gem that gives the Resistance type you are lacking the most.

Elixirs and Health Potions

Visit the Alchemist in Kyovashad to craft helpful Elixirs that increase stats and experience gain for 30 minutes. Make sure to forage plants and pick up the necessary crafting materials during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Use an Weak Iron Barb Elixir it is by far our best Elixir, and remember that Elixirs also give 5% bonus XP so always have one on.

Return to the Alchemist when you reach level 20 to upgrade your Health Potions. The extra healing is essential to survival.

Order	Skill	Cluster Category
1	Lunging Strike	Basic Skill
2	Enhanced Lunging Strike	Basic
3	Upheaval	Core
4	Combat Lunging Strike	Basic
5	Enhanced Upheaval	Core Skill
6	Violent Upheaval	Core
7	Challenging Shout	Defensive
8	Enhanced Challenging Shout	Defensive
9	Strategic Challenging Shout	Defensive
10	Outburst	Defensive
11	Tough as Nails	Defensive
12	Tough as Nails Level 2	Defensive
13	Tough as Nails Level 3	Defensive
14	Outburst Level 2	Defensive
15	Outburst Level 3	Defensive Skill
16	Imposing Presence	Defensive
17	Imposing Presence Level 2	Defensive
18	Imposing Presence Level 3	Defensive
19	War Cry	Brawling
20	Booming Voice	Brawling
21	Booming Voice Level 2	Brawling

Legendary Aspect Name	Legendary Aspect Power
Needleflare Aspect	Thorns damage dealt has a X% chance to deal damage to all enemies around you.
Deathwish Aspect	Gain # Thorns while Berserking.
Aspect of the Protector	Every 10 seconds, Gain a Barrier absorbing up to # damage.
Protecting Aspect	When struck, a magical bubble forms around you for 8 seconds, absorbing # damage Can only occur once per 10 seconds.