Ultimate Guide to Dominating Diablo 4: Earthquake Barbarian Build Unleashed in Patch 103!

The Barbarian class in Diablo 4 offers a variety of satisfying playstyles. From the popular spin-to-win style to the more strategic combo and rotation-based approach, there are numerous ways to experience this class. Many of these playstyles are effective even in the endgame, allowing players to continue progressing.

One particular method that harkens back to the previous game is the Leap and Earthquake combo. This combination allows players to maintain high mobility while still dealing significant damage. While not as overpowering as its previous incarnation, due to Diablo 4's more balanced design, this playstyle will still be familiar and enjoyable for Barbarian enthusiasts.

Diablo 4: Leapquake Barbarian Build

Earthquake can only be obtained from Legendary Aspects. Consequently, this build heavily relies on items, and may not be as effective until players acquire the necessary gear pieces.

The primary offensive abilities for this build include Battle Lunging Strike, Furious Hammer of the Ancients, and Warrior's Death Blow. The latter two abilities consistently deliver devastating blows to both regular enemies and elites, while Lunging Strike enables the Barbarian to move swiftly and inflicts Bleed on all enemies it contacts. To activate Walking Arsenal's damage bonuses, assign each ability to a separate weapon.

Using the proper Aspects, Leap and Ground Stomp are the primary sources of Earthquake. When cast, these skills generate two distinct quakes that damage enemies standing on them. Standing on the quake created by Ground Stomp increases the player's outgoing damage, while standing on the quake caused by Leap reduces the damage taken from monsters.

Any skill that has the Unstoppable effect will be effective in this scenario. Charge is a particularly useful ability with a short cooldown that can break stuns, making it ideal for combat in cramped spaces. If players desire a longer duration of Unstoppable, they can choose between Rallying Cry or Wrath of the Berserker.

Passive Skills

Combining all these abilities will grant players significant boosts in damage through Berserking, Walking Arsenal, and Ground Stomp, while also ensuring enough survivability by utilizing Crowd Control and Leap.

The effectiveness of the build depends on maintaining high levels of Fury and resource generation to maximize the damage output of the HotA skill and charge up Death Blow for a powerful strike. The mentioned passive skills not only enhance the damage dealt but also improve the survivability of the character while generating enough Fury.

It is crucial to consistently use Death Blow to sustain the Berserking buff. Failing to do so will result in the loss of Aggressive Resistance's damage reduction and Prolific Fury's resource generation, significantly diminishing the build's effectiveness.

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The preferred Key Passive is Walking Arsenal as it enhances the damage of all abilities. Unbridled Rage and Unconstrained are viable alternatives, but Unbridled Rage only boosts HotA while Unconstrained is only effective during Berserking, which can pose a problem in lengthy fights without enemies to reset Death Blow.

To maximize the potential for one-shot kills, use Two-Handed Axe Expertise, and invest one point into Hamstring to increase damage through Battle Lunging Strike's bleed procs.

Gear and Aspects

To initiate actual Earthquakes, it is necessary to have both the Earthquake and Bul-Kathos Aspects. These skills may not be as deadly as they were in Diablo 3, but players will need to utilize the additional bonuses they offer in order to make the entire build effective.

Edgemaster and Encroaching Wrath are the primary sources of damage for this build. Utilize Ground Stomp's quake by combining it with a pre-charged Encroaching Wrath Death Blow to inflict significant damage on any target it strikes. Even with suboptimal gear, a level 74 character on Torment difficulty can deal up to 300K non-critical damage with a single Death Blow against a full-health elite in a Tier 25 Nightmare Dungeon.

The damage bonus from Inner Calm remains active even after dashing towards enemies with Lunging Strike. This means that players can enjoy a 30% increase in multiplicative damage with HotA and Death Blow without the requirement to remain stationary.

The rest of the Aspects focus on providing damage reduction and reducing the downtime between Leap casts.

Paragon Board

For players aiming to maximize the potential damage of Hammer of the Ancient through the Unbridled Rage passive, Warbringer is an excellent choice. Additionally, those seeking to accumulate Critical Strike Chance can benefit from Flawless Technique. Moreover, if players assign One-Handed Weapons to Lunging Strike, it can become a proficient eliminator of lower-level enemies.

Choose Carnage next for its Berserking bonuses and the Glyph socket that relies on Dexterity. This socket will accommodate Mortal Draw, further increasing Critical Strike Chance.

For the remaining Glyphs, Exploit is essential for all Barbarian board configurations. Install it in the initial board and then opt for Strength-scaling Glyphs such as Might or Ire in the Warbringer or Flawless Technique boards.

The Critical Strike Chance bonus of Flawless Technique is listed as multiplicative in the tooltip, but it should be noted that it is actually additive. This discrepancy may be an oversight and could potentially be changed in the future.

You can currently play Diablo 4 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5.