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Unleashing the true potential of Diablo 4’s Barbarian demands a mastery of intricate leveling techniques, where harnessing endgame talents and honing skills becomes paramount. Amongst these, the Whirlwind build emerges as a formidable force, offering not only unrivaled strength when fully mastered, but also serving as the ultimate catalyst for swift ascension towards the pinnacle of power for the Barbarian.
With an unwavering focus on unleashing relentless area-of-effect devastation while simultaneously upholding an assortment of formidable enhancements, the Whirlwind Barbarian effortlessly captivates players with its simplicity and exhilarating advancement. Embark on a journey through this guide, which imparts invaluable wisdom on mastering the art of leveling as a Whirlwind Barbarian. Delve into the realm of prioritizing Active and Passive skills, while also discovering the optimal path to excellence through Expertise, Stats, and Aspects.
As of June 25, 2023, a captivating video guide has been incorporated into this article. It thoroughly dissects the intricate process of enhancing your Barbarian’s prowess in Diablo 4.
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Active Skill Priority
Input: Whirlwind Barb’s active skills for leveling may have some variations compared to the setup for the full endgame, but there’s no need to fret about having to reacquaint yourself with the build. Most of the skills are straightforward to utilize to their fullest potential. Keeping that in mind, here are the six abilities you should invest in during your leveling adventure.
Lunging Strike Basic Skill
Begin your journey by investing your first ability point into Lunging Strike. This fundamental skill empowers you to effortlessly leap from foe to foe, granting you unparalleled agility and the ability to amass an abundance of Fury. Although its offensive prowess may not be extraordinary, Lunging Strike fulfills all the essential requirements of a foundational technique, making it a wise choice for a modest expenditure of points.
Enhancing your Lunging Strike grants the ability to absorb a modest amount of health upon striking a robust adversary, while also inflicting a subtle Bleed effect, seamlessly complementing your unique playstyle.
When you reach the highest level, instead of Lunging Strike, you have the option to replace it with a defensive skill like Iron Skin. Nonetheless, the decision to switch will probably only be made once you are capable of sustaining Whirlwinding indefinitely.
Whirlwind
Your Core Skill reigns supreme in this build, driving its essence towards optimizing both utility and destructive force. Whirlwind, a relentless whirlwind of an attack, relentlessly consumes Fury as it effortlessly slices through multiple adversaries, granting you the freedom to perpetually propel forward.
Enhancing your Whirlwind grants the ability to reclaim a fraction of expended Fury upon striking foes, while also inflicting a Bleed effect when employing a Slashing Weapon. This enhancement necessitates opting for a Two-Handed Slashing Weapon as the preferred active weapon for this particular skill.
To truly excel, it is imperative that you swiftly enhance the power of Whirlwind to its ultimate level of five. All other skills should merely act as a supporting force, with your utmost focus dedicated to maximizing your efficiency.
Rallying Cry
Enhancing your dual aptitudes, you shall acquire an array of Shout abilities to complement your arsenal as a Whirlwind Barbarian. These skills are integral to your toolkit, and your ultimate objective is to maintain their perpetual presence.
Rallying Cry stands tall among the mighty shouts, bestowing upon you and your comrades a surge of swiftness and abundance. As a class with an insatiable appetite for resources, maintaining a formidable Rallying Cry presence is crucial in order to keep the tempest of Whirlwind raging ceaselessly.
Enhancing your Rallying Cry shall heighten Resource Generation and grant invincibility throughout its duration.
Don’t hesitate to unleash a flurry of shouts while performing the Whirlwind maneuver, as it won’t interfere with its impact. Feel free to relentlessly spam them whenever they become available.
War Cry
Input: Another crucial skill to acquire is the mighty War Cry. This skill, though straightforward, possesses remarkable efficacy as it bestows upon you and your comrades a formidable boost in damage during its activation.
When you unleash Your Battle Roar, the power of Berserking shall be bestowed upon you, engulfing you in a frenzy for a fleeting moment. This will not only intensify your Fury acquisition but also amplify the damage boost, especially when confronted by a horde of six foes or more.
With its ability to impact both comrades and oneself, the Whirlwind Barbarian emerges as a splendid inclusion in any collective, offering a plethora of remarkable enhancements and versatile capabilities to the squad.
Leap Into Challenging Shout
Rewrite: Embrace the thrill of the end game build by unleashing the power of Challenging Shout. However, when it comes to leveling up, indulge in the exhilarating Leap instead. This dynamic leaping attack not only fuels your Fury but also enhances your agility and resourcefulness, essential qualities for swift progression.
Equipped with both enhancements, Leap offers two distinct options: a means of unhindered movement, featuring a diminished cooldown if no foes are struck, or the opportunity to amass a substantial 40 Fury upon engaging in combat.
As you approach the pinnacle of your power and unlock enhanced abilities to generate Fury, it is advisable to replace Leap with Challenging Shout. This mighty skill unleashes a resounding call that provocatively draws the attention of all foes within a wide expanse, while endowing you with substantial resilience against harm.
Embrace the power of both augmentations, for the mighty Challenging Shout bestows upon you fleeting vitality and a surge in Fury as foes strike you. These harmonious enhancements align seamlessly with the essence of the Barbarian’s playstyle, urging you to unleash this formidable skill at every opportunity.
Embark on a thrilling adventure in group content, where the mighty Challenging Shout bestows upon you the power to embody the indomitable Tank. Harness the ability to divert enmity from your comrades and redirect it towards yourself. Remember to strategically gather your adversaries, not only to unleash the devastating Whirlwind but also to synergize with the formidable prowess of your comrades.
Call Of The Ancients Into Wrath Of The Berserker
Although Whirlwind stands as a formidable end-game specialization, it occasionally experiences a lull in effectiveness while leveling. It is not uncommon to discover a shortage of Fury, hindering your ability to execute Whirlwind consistently and leaving your damage somewhat underwhelming.
Gratefully, the foremost selection of Ultimate is at your disposal for assistance. Summon of the Ancients beckons forth a triumvirate of eternal fighters to lend you a hand in battle and shall proficiently escort you during the progression of leveling. The ethereal beings unleash formidable devastation, and when combined with enhancements, CotA shall become your ultimate recourse when confronted with hordes of adversaries.
Embracing the power of CotA brings forth a multitude of advantages, such as heightened Fury Generation, amplified damage, and accelerated Movement Speed.
As the Whirlwind awakens, the opportunity arises to replace CotA with Wrath of the Berserker, an epitome of might. This formidable ability, akin to a resounding roar, encompasses all the desires of a Barbarian: devastation, swiftness, untamed ferocity, indomitable strength, and enhancements to the state of frenzy. Together, these elements merge harmoniously into a remarkable period of respite.
Harness the power of the Ancients as you embark on your leveling journey. Unleash this formidable ability, known as the Call of the Ancients, frequently to unlock a whirlwind of energy and seize moments of exhilaration.
Passive Skill Priority
Once you have acquired the bulk of your dynamic abilities and enhancements, it is advisable to complement your Whirlwind construction by incorporating essential passive skills.
Not only do these aids enhance your active skills, but they also contribute to your survival.
Passive Name |
Ranks Leveled |
Effect |
---|---|---|
Pressure Point |
|
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Booming Voice |
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Guttural Yell |
|
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Raid Leader |
|
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Aggressive Resistance |
|
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Prolific Fury |
|
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Pit Fighter |
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Hamstring |
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Heavy Handed |
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Tempered Fury |
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Invigorating Fury |
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Unbridled Rage |
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Unleashing your specialized expertise in Unbridled Rage, this extraordinary ability not only enhances the power of your Whirlwind attacks but also introduces an intriguing challenge in sustaining its usage.
In the absence of distinct Legendary abilities or advantageous Fury Cost reduction statistics, one is bound to experience a frequent depletion of Fury, thus intensifying their dependence on Call of the Ancients.
Expertise Priority
The Barbarian class is delightfully straightforward when it comes to its distinctive specialization. The Expertise mechanic bestows various passive abilities that vary depending on the weapon type you wield at the moment.
Mastering a particular weapon not only enhances your expertise but also amplifies the associated perks. Upon reaching the illustrious tenth level, a myriad of new passives shall be bestowed upon you, one for each formidable weapon in your arsenal.
The Whirlwind Barb faces a captivating dilemma, weighing the options of a mighty Two-Handed Sword or a ferocious Two-Handed Axe.
Equipping the Two-Handed Sword bestows a Bleed effect upon all your attacks, enhancing the significance of each Whirlwind tick.
Although this option showcases immense strength, your ideal build necessitates wielding a Two-Handed Sword as your main weapon. Consequently, you can allocate the Technique slot for a Two-Handed Axe, thereby amplifying the damage inflicted on Vulnerable targets—an additional awe-inspiring passive ability.
When it comes to leveling, it’s crucial to prioritize the weapon that offers the utmost DPS and stats. Adjust your Technique accordingly, utilizing the Two-Handed Sword passive skill to consistently inflict Bleeds if you’re not wielding one at the moment. However, if you are, sticking with the Two-Handed Axe is the way to go.
Stat Priority
Gearing up for the Whirlwind build during the leveling phase is a breeze, as it only calls for a bit of cleverly stacking readily available bonuses.
Embrace the power of Strength as your primary attribute and make it your utmost priority to acquire items that magnify this stat. Remember, not only will this enhance your offensive capabilities, but the increased Armor value will bestow upon you a formidable defense.
Keep an eye out for these key statistics that really matter:
As you embark on your Whirlwind build, these skills will serve as the heart and soul. However, during the leveling process, feel free to embrace whatever gear comes your way, without feeling the need to cling onto lower-level items solely for the purpose of maximizing every single stat.
As you ascend through the levels, the power of your items grows exponentially, granting you a formidable advantage. Utilize the vast expanse of the endgame to meticulously fine-tune your stats and reach the pinnacle of optimization.
Utilizing certain Legendaries, even if they possess superior stats, can prove worthwhile if their passive effects are sufficiently potent. For instance, abilities like Grasping Whirlwind have the potential to greatly enhance your AoE clearing speed. It is essential to extract these formidable powers from the Occultist to empower your future gear upgrades.
When it comes to your precious gems, your quest should revolve around uncovering three distinct categories:
Best Aspects
Input: While it can be challenging to acquire all of your top-notch Aspects during the leveling process, there are certain dungeons where you can diligently grind and eventually include them in your mighty Codex of Power.
Aspect Name |
Power |
Dungeon Name |
Zone |
---|---|---|---|
Protector |
|
Lost Archives |
Fractured Peaks |
Dire Whirlwind |
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Garan Hold |
Scosglen |
Ghostwalker |
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Broken Bulwark |
Scosglen |
Edgemaster’s |
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Oldstones |
Scosglen |
Echoing Fury |
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Siroccos Caverns |
Kehjistan |
Disobedience |
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Halls of the Damned |
Kehjistan |
Berserk Ripping |
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Mournfield |
Dry Steppes |
Numbing Wrath |
|
Heathen’s Keep |
Hawezar |
Discover other serendipitous elements that will enhance your experience:
When it comes to leveling up, there’s no assurance of acquiring all your ultimate powers. Therefore, seize every opportunity that comes your way, as even a handful of them can yield a remarkable boost in power and accelerate your progress significantly.
Coming Soon: Unleashing the Secrets of Diablo 4 Mount Unlocking.