Each class in Diablo 4 comes with a unique mechanic related to that help to flesh out builds and give players a sense of class fantasy expressed through gameplay. For Barbarians, known for their expertise with all types of weapons, this unique class mechanic is called the Arsenal.
Most classes in Diablo 4 can only equip two weapons at a time, or one two-handed weapon. Barbarians are the only class that can wield up to four weapons at once: two one-handed weapons, and two two-handed weapons. Alongside the Barbarian's Arsenal is the Expertise system, which improves effectiveness with a weapon type the more they are used.
How To Unlock the Barbarian Arsenal Mechanic
The Barbarian's Arsenal mechanic is arguably the easiest unique class feature to unlock in Diablo 4 as there's no quest to unlock four weapon slots. All Barbarian players need to do is reach Level 5 – that's it. After Level 5, Barbarians gain access to the Expertise system via the Character/Inventory screen, and all four slots open up.
When players switch to and fight with a specific weapon type, they will gain Expertise with that weapon. Over time players' experience with each weapon type builds up, and eventually new bonuses become available. Expertise experience doesn't come from killing enemies, it comes from hitting them.
Equipped weapons can actually be assigned to specific abilities via the Skill Assignment menu. By doing this, players can take advantage of synergies between the Expertise bonuses and abilities. For instance, a player who wants to proc more Lucky Hits with an ability could assign their equipped Polearm to it, which increases Lucky Hit Chance via the Expertise system.
There is also a Technique slot that unlocks at level 15. There's a short questline to complete beforehand, but after it's complete, players can choose one Expertise bonus to always apply no matter which weapon is being used. A build that causes the Vulnerable effect in enemies regularly would benefit from always having the 2H Axe bonus equipped in this Technique slot, for example.
Barbarian Arsenal Overview: Weapons, Expertise, and Bonuses
There are seven types of weapons that Barbarians can equip in their four weapon slots: three 1H weapons, which double effectiveness when dual-wielded, and four 2H weapons. Each has a bonus that gets stronger as Expertise Experience is earned, up to a maximum Rank 10.
At Rank 10, an additional bonus is granted when using that weapon type. Barbarians can equip two 1H and two 2H weapons, but if they aren't used in combat, they will only provide passive stats and won't build Expertise experience.
Weapon Types and Expertise Bonuses
Weapon Type | Unique Expertise Passive (Scales from Rank 1 to 10) | Rank 10 Additional Passive |
|---|---|---|
One-Handed Axe | +5% Crit Chance vs. Injured enemies | Lucky Hit: 55% chance to gain 0.6% attack speed for up to 2s |
One-Handed Mace | x10% damage vs. Stunned enemies | Lucky Hit: 10% chance to gain Berserking for 1.5s vs. Stunned enemies |
One-Handed Sword | Lucky Hit: 10% chance to gain up to 5 Fury vs. CC'ed enemies | +15% Attack Speed for 3s after killing CC'ed enemies |
Two-Handed Axe | x15% extra damage vs. Vulnerable enemies | +10% increased Crit Chance vs. Vulnerable enemies |
Two-Handed Mace | Lucky Hit: +10% chance to gain 2 Fury on hit. Doubled when Berserking. | x15% increased Crit Damage vs. Stunned/Vulnerable enemies while Berserking |
Two-Handed Sword | 20% of all damage output turns into Bleed damage | x30% Bleed damage after killing any enemy for 5 seconds |
Polearm | x10% extra Lucky Hit chance | +10% damage while Healthy |
Diablo 4 is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S