The Barbarian returns from Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. The class proved highly popular in the early days of Diablo 3’s release so it’s no surprise the class is back. The Barbarian was one of the first two classes revealed when Diablo 3 was announced and was the only class to use strength as a main stat.

When the Barbarian was reintroduced to Diablo 3, the then Game Director Jay Wilson explained why the class was returning and the eventual popularity of the Barbarian explains why the class is returning in Diablo IV.

[BLUE]The barbarian is the only returning class. Originally we actually planned to have no returning classes, but as we developed the barbarian, it essentially ended up turning into a barbarian. We sort of got to the point where we went – because we actually had a different name for him originally – I think we’re going to call it this other name and everyone else is just going to call it the barbarian, so maybe we should just call it the barbarian. One of the things we really did not want to do – it’s why we set that initial goal to not repeat classes – was, we didn’t just want a rehash; we wanted to make the sequel and the sequel has new gameplay and new experiences. I know a lot of people really love the classes in Diablo 2 and it’s not my desire to intentionally arc those people – I like those classes to; I love the Necromancer, he’s my favorite class from Diablo 2 – but as our goal, we really wanted to provide new experiences; that was our focus.[/BLUE]

Arsenal System

As the name suggests this is the Barbarian’s collection of weapons but it specifically refers to weapons he has on his person and not simply in his backpack.  In Diablo 4 the Barbarian will be able to equip four weapons at one time switching between them automatically depending on which skill he is using. He can have a two-handed bludgeoning weapon, a two-handed slashing weapon and two single handed weapons to dual wield.

Barbarian Skills

The Barbarian has access to six groups of skills and in general they serve the following purposes:

• Basic – Generate Fury and deal Physical Damage
• Fury – Deal Physical Damage at a cost to Fury
• Defensive – Deal Physical Damage with Cooldowns
• Brawling – Deal Physical Damage with Cooldowns with some generation of Fury
• Weapon Mastery – Deal Physical Damage with Cooldowns
• Ultimate – Deal Physical Damage with Cooldowns with some generation of Fury

Each skill falls into one of four categories:

• Berserker
• Warlord
• Shout
• Ancient

The Barbarian can have four weapons on his person, two single-handed weapons and two two-handed weapons and will swap between them automatically depending on the skill being used.

Certain skills generate Fury which is used to execute other skills. Fury will drain from the orb over a short time if not used.

Certain Talents can affect an entire category of skills, for example points in the Guttural Yell talent means all your Shouts cause you enemies to inflict less damage on you for a few seconds.

Note: Diablo IV is a work in progress and whilst the classes so far revealed will definitely appear in the game the specific’s of theirs skills and indeed which skills they have can all change before release.

Basic Skills

Name	Type	Damage	Generates	Description
Bash	Berserker	Physical	9 Fury	Bash the enemy with your weapon, dealing X damage.  20% chance to stun for 0.5 seconds. Requires bludgeoning weapon. Talents: Endless Fury, Cut to the Bone, Combat Prowess
Flay	Warlord	Physical	9 Fury	Flay the enemy, dealing X damage and inflicting Y Bleeding * over 6 seconds. Requires a slashing weapon. Talents: Endless Fury, Gushing Wounds
Frenzy	Berserker	Physical	5 Fury	Unleash a rapid flurry of blows, dealing X damage with each pair of hits. Your attack speed is increased by 20% for 3 seconds, up to 60%. Requires dual-wielding weapons. Talents: Endless Fury
Lunging Strike		Physical	9 Fury	Lunge forward and strike an enemy for X damage. Talents: Endless Fury

Note: Talents listed are those that directly affect the skill.

* Vulnerable enemies take 30% increased damage until off of their vulnerable life is removed.

* Bleed is a Damage over Time (DoT) skill.

Fury Skills

Name	Type	Damage	Costs	Description
Rend	Berserker	Physical	25 Fury	Cleave enemies in front of you, dealing X damage and inflicting Y Bleeding * over 5 seconds. Requires a slashing weapon. Talents: Gushing Wounds, Unbridled Rage
Hammer of the Ancients		Physical	20 Fury	Slam your hammer down with the fury of the ancients, dealing X damage to a concentrated area. Requires a two-handed bludgeoning weapon. Talents: Unbridled Rage
Double Swing		Physical	25 Fury	Sweep your weapons from opposite directions, dealing X damage with each weapon. Enemies caught in the center are hit by both. Requires dual wielded weapons. Talents: Unbridled Rage
Upheaval	Berserker	Physical	30 Fury	Tear into the ground with your weapon and fling debris forward, dealing X damage. Requires a two-handed weapon Talents: Unbridled Rage
Whirlwind		Physical	5 / second	Rapidly attack enemies nearby for X damage. Talents: Unbridled Rage

Note: Talents listed are those that directly affect the skill.

* Bleed is a Damage over Time (DoT) skill.

Defensive Skills

Name	Type	Damage	Generates	Description
Rallying Cry	Shout	Physical	10 Fury 20 second Cooldown	Bellow a rallying cry, granting all allies Unstoppable *, 15% increased movement speed, and 15% reduced damage taken for 6 seconds. Talents: Endless Fury, Booming Voice, Guttural Yell
Ground Stomp	Berserker	Physical	6 Fury 15 second Cooldown	Smash the ground, stunning nearby enemies for 4 seconds. Talents: Cut to the Bone, Combat Prowess
Undying Rage	Warlord		Passive	When you take fatal damage, you have 5 seconds to fight for your life before you die. Killing an enemy in time will revive and heal you for X. This effect can only occur once every 2.9 minutes. Talents:
Challenging Shout	Shout	Physical	25 second Cooldown	Fortify * yourself for X and taunt nearby enemies for 8 seconds. During this time you generate 5 additional Fury when hit Talents: Booming Voice, Guttural Yell

Note: Talents listed are those that directly affect the skill.

* While Unstoppable, control impairing effects are removed and prevented.

* Fortified characters take 30% decreased damage until all of their fortified life is removed.

Brawling Skills

Name	Type	Damage	Generates	Description
Kick	Berserker	Physical	10 Fury 20 second Cooldown	Kick an enemy for X damage and knock them backwards. On collision, enemies in the area take an additional Y damage. Talents: Battle Frenzy, Concussion
War Cry	Shout		6 Fury 15 second Cooldown	Bellow a mighty war cry. You and nearby allies deal X% increased damage per nearby enemy for 10 seconds, up to 50%. Talents: Endless Fury, Battle Frenzy, Booming Voice, Concussion, Guttural Yell
Leap	Berserker	Physical	Passive	Leap forward and slam downward, dealing X damage on impact. Talents: Battle Frenzy, Concussion
Charge	Berserker	Physical	25 second Cooldown	Rush forward and push enemies with you, then swing through them for X damage. Talents: Battle Frenzy, Concussion

Note: Talents listed are those that directly affect the skill.

Weapon Mastery Skills

Name	Type	Damage	Cooldown	Description
Primal Axe	Berserker	Physical	20 seconds	Throw your weapon with a chain attached, dealing X damage and pulling in enemies. Talents: Master of Arms
Rupture	Berserker	Physical	10 seconds	Skewer enemies in a line, inflicting X bleeding over 3 seconds. If an enemy dies while Bleeding *, the cooldown is reset. Requires a two-handed slashing weapon. Talents: Gushing Wounds, Master of Arms
Death Blow	Warlord	Physical	15 seconds	Attempt a killing strike, dealing X damage to enemies in front of you. If this kills an enemy, the cooldown is reset. Requires a two-handed slashing weapon. Talents: Master of Arms
Unknown

Note: Talents listed are those that directly affect the skill.

* Bleed is a Damage over Time (DoT) skill.

Ultimate Skills

Name	Type	Damage	Cooldown	Description
Wrath of the Berserker	Berserker		Generates 20 Fury	Go Berserk for 15 seconds. Every 20 Fury you spend increases the effects by 25%. Talents: Unstoppable Force
Call of the Ancients	Ancient	Physical	75 seconds	Call upon the ancients to aid you in battle for 12 seconds. Talents:
Iron Maelstrom	Warlord	Physical	50 seconds	Whirl your weapon around on a chain, continually dealing X damage. Requires a two-handed weapon. Talents:
Unknown

Note: Talents listed are those that directly affect the skill.

* Berserking increases your damage by 25% and your movement speed by 30%.

* While Unstoppable, control impairing effects are removed and prevented.

Barbarian Talents

The Barbarian has access to two talent trees

Orange Talent Tree

Talent	Icon	Effect
Endless Fury		Fury generation is increased by X%.
Swiftness		Movement speed is increased by X%.
Defy Pain		When you evade, you gain X% damage reduction for 1 second.
Blood Thirst		Enemies Bleed for X% of your Critical Strike * damage over 5 seconds.
Fierce Brawler		Attack speed is increased by X% while using one-handed weapons. Critical Strike * damage is increased by X% while using two-handed weapons.
Quick Impulses		While moving, your damage reduction is increased by X%.
Slaying Strike		Damage is increased by X% against enemies below 30% life.
Cut to the Bone		Stunning an enemy increases Bleeding * on them by X% for 3 seconds.
Battle Frenzy		Using a Brawling skill grants Berserk for X seconds.
Momentum		Hit Effect: Up to a 20% chance to generate X Fury.
Gushing Wounds		Bleeding * effects deal X% more damage.
Unstoppable Force		Berserking grants Unstoppable and X% increased damage.

* Berserking increases your damage by 25% and your movement speed by 30%.

* While Unstoppable, control impairing effects are removed and prevented.

* Critical Strike is increased damage and an added effect, depending on the school of damage used.

* Bleed is a Damage over Time (DoT) skill.

Red Talent Tree

Talent	Icon	Effect
Endurance		While out of combat, gain X% life per second.
Martial Vigor		Damage reduction is increased by X%.
Booming Voice		Shout durations are increased by X%.
Thick Skin		Non-Physical damage reduction is increased by X%.
Concussion		Enemies struck by your Brawling skills are slowed by X% for 5 seconds.
Master of Arms		After using your Weapon Mastery Skill, your next Fury skill is free and deals X% increased damage.
Slam		Hit Effect: Up to a X% chance to knock down enemies.
Guttural Yell		Your Shouts cause enemies to deal X% less damage for 5 seconds.
Close Quarters Combatant		You deal X% increased damage to enemies within melee range, but take X% increased damage from enemies outside melee range.
Combat Prowess		Damage increased by X% against immobilized, stunned, or slowed enemies.
Unbridled Rage		Fury Skills deal X% increased damage, but cost X% more.
Walking Arsenal		Using a different weapon increases your damage by X% for X seconds, up to X%.

Barbarian History

Lead by Bul-Kathos, the tribes called “barbarians” by the people of the Western Kingdoms united and took upon themselves a sacred duty to protect Mount Arreat and its mystical secrets, until it was destroyed. They call themselves the Children of Bul-Kathos.

The Children of Bul-Kathos developed a kinship with the land over the years, and learned to harness the primal energies in nature to enhance their own substantial physical prowess, popularly referred to as “fury”. They also developed a spiritual strength that far surpasses most of the living and dead creatures found throughout Sanctuary. Ancient spirits even guarded the very gates to the Worldstone Keep.

A number of Barbarians started roving the lands outside the Steppes, prepared for war and seeking information regarding the activities of the Prime Evils. During the concluding events of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, the characters defeated Baal, only to learn from Tyrael that the Worldstone had been corrupted and would have to be destroyed. The destruction of the Worldstone caused a shockwave so powerful it blasted Mount Arreat to rubble, destroying the remainder of Baal’s army in the process, thus saving the Barbarian lands from its invasion. However the Barbarians found their sacred Mt. Arreat laid to complete waste, and the duty that had been theirs for generations was therefore broken.

Twenty years later, when Diablo III takes place, the Barbarian lands are largely deserted, and the only remains of Mount Arreat, formerly the symbol of the lands and the source of the Barbarians’ spiritual strength, is a huge crater.

More than the physical damage, the events detailed in Act Five of Diablo II devastated the Barbarian culture. The Barbarians gained their identity and cultural pride from protecting the Worldstone within Mount Arreat. To see it defiled by Baal and his minions, and then destroyed, tore out the heart of these proud people. They abandoned their homeland and became nomadic, wandering the lands of Sanctuary and pitching themselves into battle after battle in an effort to forget the pain of their shattered homeland.

Abd al-Hazir visited the Barbarian lands and wrote about his experiences and observation in the 25th entry of his writings. It sets the stage for the story we will learn when playing the game.

The Barbarians consider it their sworn duty to protect Mount Arreat and the mysterious object within. They believe that if they fail to uphold their duty to the great mount, or are not given a proper burial upon its slopes, they will be denied a true warrior’s death, and their spirits shall roam the land without honor for all eternity.

If there are any barbarians left alive, they must truly be without hope. Perhaps this is the genesis of the rumors of monstrous things reported to resemble the barbarians in size and ferocity, but that are in reality nothing more than unreasoning, inhuman beasts. Could the destruction of not only their home but also their very beliefs have actually brought this magnificent race so low?

– Compiled by Flux

Official Lore from Diablo 3

As related in entry #25 in the writings of Abd al-Hazir.

In my journey to catalogue the various denizens, civilizations, and fauna of our world, I have traveled far and wide, but never before have I been struck with such dismay as when standing upon the ramparts of the ancient fortress of Bastion’s Keep. I came to see firsthand the barbarians, those near-legendary, immense, relentless, dual-wielding furies of combat dwelling upon their sacred Mount Arreat.Instead, I stand here looking at a mountain that has been torn asunder by some extraordinary force. The sight, I must confess, is incomprehensible. Yet what I see before me cannot be denied.

What truly happened here? Where are those majestic warriors of old?

Though they were once misunderstood as simple, bloodthirsty invaders, the long and noble history of these proud people is now rightly acknowledged. And therein lies the greater tragedy here, for those of us familiar with the nobility of the barbarians remember too what they call their “vigil”, the concept that lay at the very heart of their culture. The barbarians consider it their sworn duty to protect Mount Arreat and the mysterious object within. They believe that if they fail to uphold their duty to the great mount, or are not given a proper burial upon its slopes, they will be denied a true warrior’s death, and their spirits shall roam the land without honor for all eternity.

If there are any barbarians left alive, they must truly be without hope. Perhaps this is the genesis of the rumors of monstrous things reported to resemble the barbarians in size and ferocity, but that are in reality nothing more than unreasoning, inhuman beasts. Could the destruction of not only their home but also their very beliefs have actually brought this magnificent race so low?