Diablo 4 Walking Arsenal Barbarian Endgame Build

The class mechanic of the Barbarian in Diablo 4 is amazing in the sense that it forces you to get the most out of each of the weapons in the game. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of Barbarian builds that give you benefits depending on how often you swap between your guns. If you’ve ever wanted a build that lets you do that, you’ve come to the right place.

This Diablo 4 Barbarian endgame build makes you switch weapons often and gives you tons of benefits in doing so. This fun and engaging playstyle can break the tediousness of farming in the endgame. It’s exciting, fast-paced, and very strong.

Sanctuary’s Walking Arsenal Build

The Sanctuary’s Walking Arsenal Build is perfect for those that want a Barbarian build that’s very active and engaging. For the most part, you’ll be swapping between three different weapons depending on the situation. Each time you swap, you’ll be using something different to handle the enemies.

We believe that the Arsenal mechanic is one of the most underappreciated class mechanics in the game. This time around, we want to highlight it and show you the full power behind the swings of the Barbarian and what they can do when given the right Arsenal setup.

To start with this build, let’s first talk about the Caged Hearts that you’ll need to farm.

Caged Hearts

For better durability and damage, make sure to farm for these Caged Hearts in Diablo 4 Season 1. 

1. Caged Heart of Revenge

Effect: [10.0 - 20.0]% of incoming damage is instead suppressed. When you use a Defensive, Subterfuge, or a Macabre skill, all suppressed damage is amplified by 250%[x] and explodes, dealing up to [200 - 42,340] Fire damage to Nearby enemies.

Caged Heart of Revenge is always a great choice for any class but it’s highly recommended for Barbarians. Since the class is pure melee, you can get the most out of the damage you take and then use it against the enemies using this Sacred Heart. It’s one of the best ways to whittle down the huge mobs you face in the game.

2. Caged Heart of Ignoring Pain

Effect: Incoming damage has a [5 - 15]% chance of being ignored and instead Healing you for [2 - 1,270]. (Barbarian Only)

Having this Caged Heart in conjunction with Caged Heart of Revenge makes your Barbarian even more durable. The additional healing you can get from Caged Heart of Ignoring Pain can go a long way, especially if you find yourself often lacking potions in the endgame.

3. Caged Heart of Punishing Speed

Effect: Your Skills have a [22 - 32]% chance to Knock Down all enemies for 1.25 seconds when that Skill's Attack Speed is higher than [20 - 35]%. (Barbarian Only)

There are a few passives in this build that will give you a huge jolt in attack speed. That said, Caged Heart of Punishing Speed is going to be an excellent means to get the most out of those bonuses. Knocking Down enemies in front of you can make it easier to wipe out everyone else, or you can also use that as an opportunity to escape.

Arsenal System

As we’ve said, this build is going to be very specific when it comes to the Arsenal System. If you want to get the most out of it, make sure that you follow this setup:

1. Lunging Strike - Dual-Wield

2. Death Blow - Two-Handed Slashing

3. Upheaval - Two-Handed Bludgeoning

You’re going to need to use three different weapons to activate the Walking Arsenal bonuses. Death Blow is going to deliver the heaviest damage out of all the skills you have too so it’s important. Upheaval is just mainly going to be a means to apply debuffs to your enemy and buffs to you.

On your Technique Slot, make sure to use Two-Handed Axe. This helps increase your damage against Vulnerable enemies. Keep in mind, however, that this special effect won’t apply to all of your attacks. Still, it’s going to be a great way to start applying heavy damage to enemies that are going to the Vulnerable.

Skill Point Allocation

1. Lunging Strike - 3 Skill Points

Upgrades: Enhance Lunging Strike, Combat Lunging Strike

We’ve chosen Lunging Strike as the Basic Skill for this build. One of the reasons for getting this is the fact that it can help activate the Berserking status effect. It can greatly increase your damage to enemies. Aside from that, it gives you the best movement bonuses out of all the Basic Skills.

2. Upheaval - 7 Skill Points

Upgrades: Enhanced Upheaval, Violent Upheaval

This is our choice for the Core Skill on this build. As a Two-Handed Bludgeoning weapon attack, you can get a decent bonus for Upheaval when partnered with Walking Arsenal. Its great range and damage make it great for many occasions, be it offensive or defensive.

3. Rallying Cry - 3 Skill Points

Upgrades: Enhanced Rallying Cry, Strategic Rallying Cry

Rallying Cry is going to be your main source of Unstoppable which is crucial for this build. Unstoppable will help you rampage through enemies without being hindered by any status effect. With Unstoppable, you can play this build as intended. It can also make for a quick escape when you get overwhelmed by the number of enemies.

4. Iron Skin - 3 Skill Points

Upgrades: Enhanced Iron Skin, Tactical Iron Skin

Iron Skin is going to be the key skill that provides you with survivability. If you have the Aspect of the Iron Warrior, this ability can also provide you with Unstoppable. You can use Iron Skin as a necessary buff when you’re going up against tougher enemies like bosses or Elites.

5. Imposing Presence - 3 Skill Points

Although you have a few defensive abilities for this build, you’re still going to need the extra Life that you can get with Imposing Presence. All in all, it’s 15% of your Maximum Life that we’re talking about here and this can help you survive in many cases in the endgame.

6. Martial Vigor - 3 Skill Points

For even more durability, you’re going to want to get Martial Vigor. This provides you with up to 15% damage reduction from Elites. If you’ve been busy with the endgame, you should be familiar with just how hard some Elite enemies are.

7. Swiftness - 3 Skill Points

This build will force you to be nimble on your feet, not to escape, but to chase down enemies and initiate fights. Swiftness will make it a lot easier for you to do just that. This 15% Movement Speed bonus is also very helpful when it comes to scenarios when you need to escape.

8. Aggressive Resistance - 3 Skill Points

The Arsenal System is set up in a way where you have multiple opportunities to Berserk with your Barbarian. This passive gives you great defensive bonuses whenever you’re raging on the field. With your Barbarian hitting Berserk most of the time, Aggressive Resistance is going to give you defensive bonuses without end.

9. Deathblow - 3 Skill Points

Upgrades: Enhanced Deathblow, Fighter’s Death Blow

Deathblow’s main purpose is to do what it’s really intended to do - to be the finishing blow to enemies. Our Arsenal Setup, Walking Arsenal, and enhancements to this Skill will provide you with amazing burst damage to Elites and bosses which can be a big pain in the endgame.

10. Pit Fighter - 3 Skill Points

This skill is going to be focused mainly on closed-range combat. Pit Fighter is going to give you amazing offensive bonuses against enemies while giving you protection from ranged enemies. It’s a great 

11. No Mercy - 3 Skill Points

The passives and bonuses you get from this build can cause a variety of crowd control effects. This only means that you can get Critical Strike Chance bonuses against enemies most of the time too. No Mercy is an excellent way to start maximizing your damage further.

12. Expose Vulnerability - 3 Skill Points

For even more damage bonuses, get Expose Vulnerability so that you can hit harder after using a Weapon Mastery Skill. With Upheaval serving as your Core Skill, you’re going to get an immense amount of damage whenever you trigger this passive.

13. Hamstring - 1 Skill Point

This slows down any Bleeding enemy. Only one point is needed here as it’s more than enough to control the enemy. This is very helpful especially against bosses and Elites, as they’ll have a harder time chasing you down.

14. Thick Skin - 1 Skill Point

Only needed to gain access to the next passive skill.

15. Counteroffensive - 3 Skill Points

This will give you a huge Fortify bonus depending on your maximum health. Thanks to Imposing Presence, you’re getting a huge Fortify added to your life which will definitely help when it comes to fighting against huge hordes of enemies.

16.  Defensive Stance - 3 Skill Points

This further enhances your durability if Fortify is active. Unfortunately, we aren’t going to maximize this skill as the points are best left allocated to other passives that increase your offense.

17. Iron Maelstrom - 3 Skill Points

Upgrades: Prime Iron Maelstrom, Supreme Iron Maelstrom

This will be the Ultimate Skill for this build. This is primarily used as a means to clear out really dense hordes. Thanks to the upgrade of Supreme Iron Maelstrom, we can greatly reduce the cooldown time of this ability, making it easier to use again and again.

18. Heavy Handed - 3 Skill Points

Since you’ll be swapping between two-handed weapons mostly, you can use Heavy Handed for its amazing damage bonuses. The Critical Strike Damage bonus you get from this will be more than enough to keep enemies at bay.

19. Walking Arsenal - 1 Skill Point

This Key Passive is also going to be the star of this build. As you can see, Walking Arsenal gives you damage bonuses for all of the weapons we are wielding. On top of all that, you can gain even more damage bonus once all three passives are in effect.

Gameplay

As we’ve said before, the Sanctuary’s Walking Arsenal build is effective but it requires a lot of effort to play. Just the idea of rotating between all of your weapons should give you an indicator of how much effort you’ll need to use to get the most out of this build. 

When you’re dealing with mobs, the course of action would be to engage them using Lunging Strike once. You’ll get a buff from using it thanks to Walking Arsenal. This will be the main purpose of Lunging Strike so don’t focus too much on actively using it.

Once the buff is applied, you should use Upheaval for the Berserking buff. This can also apply Vulnerable to enemies if you have the Exploit Glyph upgrade via the Paragon Board. After all of that, you’ll use Death Blow to deal heavy damage and finish off the rest of your enemies.

You’ll need to rotate between these skills regularly and make sure that you’re benefiting from the Walking Arsenal bonus from each weapon type. One thing to keep in mind is that you should always have a stack of Death Blow so manage the skill well.

As for your defenses, you should use Iron Skin to become Unstoppable and to heal with the help of Tactical Iron Skin. You can use Maelstrom when dealing with really dense packs of enemies. It’s really good for clearing up the screen and as a last resort when you’re overwhelmed.

It can be hard mastering this build so make sure to practice first. Start with small mobs around Sanctuary and slowly work your way to bigger and denser mobs until you master the gameplay style.

Aspect

For this build, make sure to get the following Aspects from Codex of Powers by beating their respective dungeons.

• Aspect of ‍Berserk Ripping in Mournfield in (Dry Steppes)

• Aspect of ‍Disobedience in Halls of the Damned (Kehjistan)

• Aspect of ‍Numbing Wrath in Heathen's Keep (Hawezar)

• Aspect of ‍Retribution in Abandoned Mineworks (Kehjistan)

• Aspect of the ‍Iron Warrior in Carrion Fields (Dry Steppes)

• ‍Aspect of the Relentless Armsmaster in Calibel's Mine (Scosglen)

• ‍Death Wish Aspect in Penitent Cairns (Scosglen)

• ‍Earthstriker's Aspect in Maugan's Works (Hawezar)

• ‍Edgemaster’s Aspect in Oldstones (Scosglen)

• ‍Ghostwalker Aspect in Broken Bulwark (Scosglen)

• ‍Might Aspect in Dark Ravine (Dry Steppes)

• ‍Rapid Aspect  in Buried Halls (Dry Steppes)

If you have the time and you’re willing to make the extra effort, farm for these Aspects from loot as well.

1. Aspect of Encroaching Wrath

Effect: After spending 100 Fury, your next Weapon Mastery Skill deals [82 - 100]%[x] increased damage. (Barbarian Only)

You can use this as a replacement to Death Wish Aspect. It can make Death Blow deal a literal ending blow if you use it at the right time.

2. Weapon Master’s Aspect

Effect: Lucky Hit: Damaging an enemy with a Weapon Mastery Skill has up to a [37 - 55]% chance to Stun them for 2 seconds. (Barbarian Only)

This is great for crowd control. Since you’ll be swapping weapons most of the time, you can activate the bonus regularly, meaning enemies around you can be stunned without a problem.

3. Accelerating Aspect

Effect: Critical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by [15 - 25]%[+] for 5 seconds.

Core Skills are going to be the star of this build so the Accelerating Aspect is definitely a great choice when it comes to additions on this build.

This build is going to be significantly better if you can get the Overkill Unique weapon for the Barbarian. It’s going to give your Deathblow an extra shockwave which can be very effective and helpful in the endgame.

Become A Master of Weapons

The Barbarian is an amazing class but not a lot of players are putting it to good use. This build makes full use of the Barbarian’s Arsenal so you can see just how powerful the class really is. It’s understandably hard to master but the efforts in doing so are well worth it.