The Whirlwind build for the Barbarian has historically been one of the most popular builds in the Diablo franchise among any class. With a goal to get enough Fury to sustain the skill for as long as possible, it's natural to wonder if Diablo 4 allows such a build to thrive.
The answer to this question is a positive one. The focus of Diablo 4 is on player choice. However, not every build is good or will work in the long run. Although Whirlwind can't be channeled forever, it can work in bursts to clear even elite groups of mobs before running out of steam.
Updated on June 30th, 2023 by Hodey Johns: This guide has been updated for the huge rebalance patch in 1.0.3. Many guides have remained untouched because most skills got a simple numerical buff or nerf to bring them in line with the rest of the skills in the game. Especially with Vulnerable builds becoming so powerful, this was an appropriate rebalance. However, not every skill received a small buff or nerf. Some of these were significant enough to change builds for and this build was one of those. Some of these buffs weren't to damage but to cooldown or resource reduction which alters the skill rotation entirely. The old build might still be better than it was before but this new guide gets the absolute most out of the class.
Skill Tree
Skill | Points |
Bash | 5 |
Enhanced Bash | 1 |
Battle Bash | 1 |
Whirlwind | 5 |
Enhanced Whirlwind | 1 |
Violent Whirlwind | 1 |
Pressure Point | 3 |
Endless Fury | 3 |
Rallying Cry | 5 |
Enhanced Rallying Cry | 1 |
Tactical Rallying Cry | 1 |
War Cry | 5 |
Enhanced War Cry | 1 |
Power War Cry | 1 |
Pit Fighter | 3 |
Slaying Strike | 1 |
Expose Vulnerability | 3 |
Steel Grasp | 5 |
Enhanced Steel Grasp | 1 |
Fighter's Steel Grasp | 1 |
Wrath of the Berserker | 1 |
Prime Wrath of the Berserker | 1 |
Supreme Wrath of the Berserker | 1 |
Wallop | 3 |
Concussion | 3 |
Unconstrained | 1 |
At the maximum level and with all the Renown gathered, players will have 58 skill points to invest. There are a few facets to the Whirlwind Build that make it deadly and sustainable. Players will need to invest in skills that generate Fury, make enemies Vulnerable, and give the Barbarian Berserk for the damage and speed.
Use Rallying Cry and War Cry before snagging opponents with Steel Grasp to bring them right next to the Barbarian. On most mobs, a few seconds of Whirlwind at this stage will wipe the group out. On bosses or elite, pop Wrath of the Berserker for more Fury and speed. The build also has huge stun potential with Bash and Wallop so most opponents won't be able to retaliate appropriately.
Paragon Boards
Board | Paragon/Legendary Nodes | Glyph |
Start | Brawn, Raw Power | Crusher |
Bone Breaker | Bone Breaker, Bludgeoner | Might |
Carnage | Berserker, Carnage, Fierce, Enraged | Ire |
Warbringer | Hungering Fury, Raw Power, Core Reserve, Guarded Advance | Exploit |
Decimator | Brawn, Destroyer, Demolish, Pillage | Dominate |
The paragon boards and glyphs can be a bit tough to figure out. It's a matter of adjusting the boards so that they snake properly. Few players will get to the maximum 200 paragon points but those that do will find that their powers are enhanced by enormous magnitudes.
Listing all nodes would be tedious and impossible to read, but if gamers move between the major nodes listed, it shouldn't be an issue. Make sure to purchase all relevant stat bonus nodes inside the designated glyph areas.
Bone Breaker is a good board to start one since the Whirlwind Barbarian build gets the most out of two-handed BLudgeoning weapons but there aren't enough great nodes here to waste time on. Move on to Carnage and Warbringer quickly to gather up extra Berserk and Fury benefits. Finally, Decimator is a solid board for capitalizing on the ultra-powerful Vulnerable debuff.
Gear
Slot | Aspect/Piece |
Helm | Harlequin Crest |
Chest | Aspect of Grasping Whirlwind |
Gloves | Gohr's Devastating Grips |
Pants | Aspect of Disobedience |
Boots | Weapon Master's Aspect |
Amulet | Aspect of Dire Whirlwind |
Ring | Aspect of Berserk Fury |
Ring | Aspect of Echoing Fury |
Two-Handed Bludgeoning | Aspect of Limitless Rage |
With the new aspect system, gamers have a ton of freedom to take the piece of gear they find with the best stats and then add their favorite effect to it. Increasing potion efficiency helps out a bit but these aspects are game-changing. Note that some of these aspects can be swapped in and out on other pieces of gear; which piece has which aspect is not important.
Fury generation is the core theme for armor. Anything that buffs core skills and/or Whirlwind specifically deserves a spot but the biggest issue for the build is being able to continually channel the skill. Early on it might be a wise idea to use an ideal leveling build for Barbarians until getting the necessary gear. After getting access to the Aspect of Berserk Fury and Aspect of Echoing Fury, Fury generation should be enough to allow the gamer to spin as much as they'd like with only occasional and very brief breaks against world or dungeon bosses.
Technique
- Two-Handed Mace Expertise
World Tiers can get out of control when it comes to difficulty. Thankfully, techniques are a simple way to keep pace with the escalating challenge. In this case, what demands the most focus is the Two-Handed Mace Expertise since this will be the one used while engaging in Whirlwind.
All of the skills listed in this guide can be used with the two-handed mace so anything other than Two-Handed Mace Expertise will only be useful when switching builds. A perfect Hammer of the Ancients build might use other weapons but this one only needs one great mace.
Diablo 4 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.