With the changesDiablo 4Season 4 makes to its itemization, as well as the changes made to damage types over the past few seasons, the variety of viable builds players can create has increased dramatically. Although past seasons ofDiablo 4have had some clear winners and losers when it came to class build viability, the majority of builds in Season 4 are going to be viable with the right gear, tempering, and aspect setup. The current state of theDiablo 4class meta is great for both veterans and newcomers, but one particular build is perfect for casual players to dip their toes intoDiablo 4’s build crafting system during Season 4.
When deciding on a build forDiablo 4, there are several factors players will need to consider beyond simply choosing a class. How efficient that build will be for leveling up in the early and mid-game is an important place to start, since some builds don’t shine until players can accessParagon Boards at level 50, but other factors to consider include the build’s ability to handle the endgame activities the player wants to participate in and even how powerful its unique items are. For players intimidated by all these factors, going with something simple yet effective like a Thorns Barbarian build might be the best choice.
Diablo 4’s Thorns Barbarian Build is Great for a Casual Season 4 Experience
What Makes a Thorns Barbarian Build So Powerful
One of the reasons aThorns Barbarianbuild is great for a casual playthrough ofDiablo4 is due to the amount of damage players can deal passively with the Thorns affix. Like other RPGs with similar damage-reflecting mechanics, Thorns deals damage to enemies whenever they deal damage to the player, essentially causing enemies to kill themselves over time. With the changes to damage scaling over the last few seasons, Thorns has gotten even more powerful since it now deals flat damage as well as damage based on other multipliers players have available, creating the potential for some serious damage output for minimal player effort.
Diablo 4players will want to ensure they have the Passive Skills Outburst and Tough as Nails to form the basis of their Thorns Barbarian build.
The addition ofTempering inDiablo 4’s Loot Rebornseason also gives Thorns Barbarian builds a new lease on life. Now that players can Temper items to add new affixes to them, it’s easier than ever to stack Thorns on multiple pieces of gear to ensure players are getting the maximum damage output possible from this damage type. Additionally, Tempering can also let players add other damage multipliers to gear that Thorns damage can also benefit from, creating a great new system that allows for experimentation from newcomers as they learnDiablo 4’s many mechanics.
Thorns Barbarian is Versatile Enough for Hardcore Fans to Enjoy as Well
For as simple as a Thorns Barbarian build is, there is a potentially high skill ceiling for this build that makes it great for veterans to test out as well. Having Thorns passively damage enemies is great for leveling in the early game, but an endgame version of this build can truly be a force to be reckoned with. Focusing on pulling in enemies with a skill like Steel Grasp orChallenging Shoutis a great way to get enemies close enough to attack the Barbarian and suffer Thorns damage, and the tanky nature of the Barbarian allows them to shrug off this damage even at higher levels.
The late-game loop of grinding for unique and legendary weapons also lends itself nicely to this build since there are some powerful aspects players will want to utilize with it. The Needleflare Aspect is especially potent since it gives Thorns the chance to damage all enemies around the Barbarian when activated, and the Death Wish Aspect is also a great one to imprint since it increasesThorns damagewhen berserking.
Diablo 4
WHERE TO PLAY
Diablo® IV is the ultimate action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or explore an expansive end game and shared world where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle world bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play, cross-progression, and couch co-op on Xbox.This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon.
