Whirlwind Barbarian Build Guide For Diablo IV Season Of Blood

The Barbarian’s Whirlwind build has been a staple in the Diablo series for quite a while, and things are no different in Diablo 4. Whirlwind is a strong and viable skill to build around in D4, offering the classic spin-to-win playstyle.

Related: Diablo 4: Blood Harvest Guide

The Whirlwind build is resource and cooldown-reliant, but once you solve these issues, the build becomes extremely fun and powerful. Below, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about the Barbarian Whirlwind build, including gear, abilities, Paragons, stats, and more.

Build Overview

The concept and execution of the Whirlwind build is extremely simple, making it great for players who want a low-intensity build that still has great clear speeds. Your objective at all times with this build is to use Whirlwind to spin through enemies, while buffing yourself with Shouts to maintain Fury and increase your damage.

The Whirlwind Barbarian is very easy to gear, mainly using Aspects that can be unlocked in the Codex. Plus, the build is extremely versatile, performing well in pretty much all forms of content.

Skills And Paragons

Passives

Paragon Boards And Glyphs

As you level this build and gain Paragon Points, prioritize reaching the Glyph Slots so you can start benefitting from them as soon as possible. Activate each Glyph Slot and Paragon Board in the order they are listed above. This will get you the biggest impact Glyphs the earliest, while the Glyphs with the smallest, but still significant impact, later on.

For Glyphs, focus on leveling Ire first, followed by Territorial, Ambidextrous, Mortal Draw, Marshal, and finally Disembowel. Ire is a great damage Glyph that is beneficial in most scenarios, as it only requires you to be Berserking to gain increased damage. This is easily accomplished through Wrath of the Berserker, the Relentless Berserker’s Aspect, and War Cry.

Weapon Expertise

We will be using Two-Handed Axe in the Weapon Expertise Technique slot, mainly for the added damage against Vulnerable enemies. Alternatively, you can swap in Two-Handed Sword Expertise for additional Bleed application, which triggers many passives and Aspects that we are using.

Vampiric Powers

During Diablo 4’s second season, the Season of Blood, you will have access to Vampiric Powers that can grant additional damage or utility for very little investment. You can slot in five Vampiric Powers, and each costs Pacts that you’ll need to have on your gear to keep the Powers active.

For this Whirlwind build, we recommend using the following Vampiric Powers.

• Accursed Touch (6 Divinity)
• Bathe in Blood (3 Divinity, 3 Eternity)
• Domination (1 Ferocity)
• Prey on the Weak (2 Ferocity)
• Sanguine Brace (1 Divinity, 1 Eternity)

In total, you’ll need 3 Ferocity, 10 Divinity, and 4 Eternity Pacts on your gear to keep these Vampiric Powers active. This can be easily accomplished by using Cleansing Acid and Pact items to acquire the ones you need.

Recommended Gear And Stats

As mentioned above this build is very versatile when it comes to gearing. All you really need to get started are your skills and passives; this build doesn’t necessarily rely heavily on any one Legendary Aspect. Because of this, you aren’t limited to using just the Aspects below. If you don’t have one of these Apsects yet or prefer another option, feel free to swap that in.

That said, Bold Chieftain and Echoing Fury are two of the main forms of Fury management for this build, so you’ll definitely need to slot these in if you want to maintain your Whirlwind.

Uniques

There are several pieces of Unique gear that can fit nicely into this build, and some that make it much stronger. We’ll go into detail on these below.

The One-Handed Sword Ramaladni’s Magnum Opus provides lots of additional damage at the cost of losing two Fury each second. This weapon is best saved for when you are all geared up and have significant development into the Paragon Board and have solved the Fury generation problem. However, once you’ve accomplished that, Ramaladni’s Magnum Opus will drastically increase your damage.

Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty is a Unique Helm that can make maintaining Whirlwind much easier. Its effect grants you increased Fury generation and Cooldown Reduction, along with increased damage, if you gain Berserking while already in Berserk. With the number of different ways this build can enter Berserk, this is pretty easily attained, making resource management much more consistent.

TIbault’s Will offers another method for gaining Fury, attained by simply becoming Unstoppable. This can be achieved through Rallying Cry and Wrath of the Berserker, and pairs well with the Ghostwalker Aspect. The Metamorphosis Vampiric Power is also really strong for gaining permanent Unstoppable.

Playing A Whirlwind Barbarian

The playstyle of the Whirlwind Barbarian is very simple but very satisfying. Use your Shouts off-cooldown to grant yourself a ton of useful buffs and increase your Fury generation, then tear through groups of monsters with Whirlwind. In larger packs, especially with two or three Elites present, Whirlwind will sustain its own Fury thanks to the Enhanced Whirlwind skill augment.

However, where you will eventually run into problems, especially when you aren’t fully geared, is against smaller groups of enemies or single targets. It can be difficult to maintain enough Fury to keep Whirlwind going for more than a second or two. Luckily, with the Bold Chieftain’s Aspect, Marshal Glyph, and enough Cooldown Reduction, your Shouts should come off cooldown pretty quickly.

Berserking is one of this build’s most important buffs to maintain, bringing increased damage, movement speed, and a variety of other buffs and effects. Wrath of the Berserker is essential for maintaining this buff, but be sure to keep an eye on your Berserking uptime as you mow through enemies with Whirlwind.

Next: Diablo 4: Complete Guide And Walkthrough