The Ultimate Guide to Obtaining Diablo 4's Coveted Barber Heart

The Barber Heart, also known as the Caged Heart of the Barber, stands as the top-tier Malignant Heart in Diablo 4 Season One. Its exceptional boost in DPS proves to be invaluable and is accessible to all classes, making it an essential acquisition for those aiming to conquer the current endgame challenges.

Yet, acquiring such power does not come without challenges. While the Barber Heart surpasses its counterparts, it is not a magical solution to every player's DPS dilemmas in Diablo 4. Though relatively straightforward, this Malignant Heart possesses certain aspects that deserve clarification.

What Is the Barber Heart (& How to Get One)

The Barber Heart is a highly formidable heart in the game, known for its wrathful and malignant nature. It stands as one of the most powerful hearts available to players. Its official description states that any Critical Strikes and their subsequent damage within a time frame of [2.0-4.0] seconds are absorbed by the target. Afterwards, this absorbed damage unleashes upon nearby enemies. Additionally, the stored damage increases at a rate of 11% per second.

After a Critical Strike, subsequent attacks will no longer deal damage. Instead, the damage is stored in the enemies that were hit. When the indication duration on the Barber Heart ends, the stored damage will explode, causing increased damage to everything near the target.

With longer Barber durations, the explosions become more powerful (up to a 44% increase in damage, to be precise). However, longer Barber effects may not always be beneficial as it can take longer to kill weaker enemies. Skills like Rapid Fire and Ice Shards, which are fast, may benefit from shorter Barber durations since they fire quickly. On the other hand, skills like Hammer of the Ancients are better suited for longer Barber durations so players can accumulate more hits before the explosions occur.

The Barber Heart presents a problem for certain builds that rely on on-hit effects since it can disrupt their functionality. This could be due to a bug, an intentional design choice, or an oversight. Caged Hearts of the Barber can be obtained as a random drop from Wrathful-labeled Malignant monsters. Alternatively, players can craft Uncertain Hearts at Cormond's Workbench to obtain a Barber Heart. It is important to note that the Barber Heart will only drop on World Tier 3 and higher.

Diablo 4 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.