Barbarian HotA Build with Immortal King

Last updated on Oct 21, 2024 at 09:00 by Deadset 46 comments
Build Variations Updated for Season 33, Patch 2.7.8 Main Build Solo Greater Rift Progression Nephalem Rift Farming
1.

Introduction

Empowered by the Immortal King set, this Barbarian build emphasizes melee devastation and pulverizes his enemies to the ground with Hammer of the Ancients Hammer of the Ancients, while maintaining a vast array of buffs and warriors at his side. This agile, face-to-face burst damage build is geared towards Greater Rift solo progression, but we also have a speed farming variant of it.

2.

Quick Reference

2.1.

Skill Setup

The basic skill setup of the IK HotA Barbarian is displayed below. Read the dedicated Skills page for detailed information on choices, alternatives and build customization.

Active Skills
Left Mouse Button Furious Charge Icon Furious Charge Merciless Assault Merciless Assault Right Mouse Button Hammer of the Ancients Icon Hammer of the Ancients Smash Smash 1 Battle Rage Icon Battle Rage Bloodshed Bloodshed 2 Threatening Shout Icon Threatening Shout Falter Falter 3 Wrath of the Berserker Icon Wrath of the Berserker Insanity Insanity 4 Call of the Ancients Icon Call of the Ancients Together as One Together as One
Passive Skills
2.2.

Gear Setup

The required gear setup for IK HotA Barbarian is listed below. Check the Gear page for detailed information on choices, alternatives, gemming, Kanai's Cube and Paragon distribution.

2.3.

Season 33 Theme — 4th Kanai Slot

With this Season's addition of a 4th slot in Kanai's Cube as a theme, your ideal setup will be:

2.3.1.

Altar of Rites

The former Season 28 theme, the Altar of Rites, has been revised and re-added to Diablo 3 as a permanent character progression mechanic. — For virtually all builds and players of all skill levels — from casual to advanced — we recommend progressing through the Altar tree using the path outlined below. The suggested path is geared towards maximum quality of life first, then amplifying damage, and then mopping up the tree with defensive and edge case utility nodes.

Note that while they require reaching them with a Seal, Legendary Potion Powers are not part of the Seal cost system; Potions unlock with a separate resource called Primordial Ashes, obtained from salvaging Legendary or Set items of Primal (red bordered) quality. Upgrade them as soon as possible, and in the order shown below (courtesy of Caleko's Altar of Rites planner).

Altar of Rites Planner

You can read more on the Altar of Rites, Seals and Legendary Potion Powers in our dedicated Altar of Rites Mechanics guide.

2.4.

Legendary Gems

2.5.

Kanai's Cube

2.6.

Follower and Potion

We recommend the Scoundrel for GR solo progression, and the Enchantress in speed GR and T16 farming. Check our Follower guide for advice on their skills and gearing. For your legendary potion, we recommend Bottomless Potion of the Leech Bottomless Potion of the Leech.

3.

Changelog

  • 21 Oct. 2024 (gear page): Added Season 33 advice for 4th Kanai slot.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 33.
  • 21 Oct. 2024 (this page): Added Season 33 advice for 4th Kanai slot.
  • 09 Jul. 2024 (gear page): Added Season 32 advice for ethereal weapons.
  • 09 Jul. 2024 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 32.
  • 09 Jul. 2024 (this page): Added Season 32 advice for ethereal weapons.
  • 10 Apr. 2024 (gear page): Added Season 31 advice for the unbound Kanai's Cube slots.
  • 10 Apr. 2024 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 31.
  • 10 Apr. 2024 (this page): Added Season 31 advice for the unbound Kanai's Cube slots.
  • 08 Jan. 2024 (gear page): Revised guide for the permanent addition of the Altar of Rites, and added Season-specific Soul Shard recommendations.
  • 08 Jan. 2024 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 30.
  • 08 Jan. 2024 (this page): Revised guide for the permanent addition of the Altar of Rites, and added Season-specific Soul Shard recommendations.
  • 13 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Added Season 29 Paragon Cap and Gearing recommendations.
  • 13 Sep. 2023 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 29.
  • 13 Sep. 2023 (this page): Added Season 29 Paragon Cap and Gearing recommendations.
  • 22 Feb. 2023 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 28.
  • 22 Feb. 2023 (this page): Added Season 28 Altar of Rites recommendations.
  • 08 Feb. 2023 (gear page): Added Season 28 Altar of Rites recommendations.
  • 26 Aug. 2022 (gear page): Added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
  • 26 Aug. 2022 (skills page): Skills and passives reviewed for Season 27.
  • 26 Aug. 2022 (this page): Added Season 27 Angelic Crucible recommendations.
  • 13 Apr. 2022 (gear page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
  • 13 Apr. 2022 (skills page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
  • 13 Apr. 2022 (this page): Guide reviewed for Season 26.
  • 09 Dec. 2021 (gear page): Added Season 25 Soul Shard recommendations.
  • 09 Dec. 2021 (skills page): Reviewed for Season 25.
  • 09 Dec. 2021 (this page): Added Season 25 Soul Shard recommendations.
  • 22 Jul. 2021 (gear page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
  • 22 Jul. 2021 (skills page): Added skill variation recommendation.
  • 22 Jul. 2021 (this page): Added S24 Ethereal recommendation.
  • 30 Mar. 2021 (gear page): Added follower recommendation.
  • 30 Mar. 2021 (skills page): No changes required for Season 23.
  • 30 Mar. 2021 (this page): Added follower recommendation.
  • 18 Nov. 2020 (gear page): Added S22 Cube recommendation.
  • 18 Nov. 2020 (skills page): No changes required to skills for Season 22.
  • 18 Nov. 2020 (this page): Added S22 Cube recommendation.
  • 30 Jun. 2020 (gear page): No changes required for Season 21.
  • 30 Jun. 2020 (skills page): No changes required for Season 21.
  • 30 Jun. 2020 (this page): No changes required for Season 21.
  • 12 Mar. 2020 (gear page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
  • 12 Mar. 2020 (skills page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
  • 12 Mar. 2020 (this page): No changes necessary for Season 20.
  • 19 Nov. 2019 (gear page): Revised and update for Season 19.
  • 19 Nov. 2019 (skills page): Revised and update for Season 19.
  • 19 Nov. 2019 (this page): Revised and update for Season 19.
  • 28 Aug. 2019 (this page): Revised recommendations for the Raekor and speedfarming versions of the build.
  • 22 Aug. 2019 (gear page): Item recommendations were revised for Season 18.
  • 22 Aug. 2019 (skills page): Skill selection was clarified for Season 18.
  • 22 Aug. 2019 (this page): Item recommendations were revised for Season 18.
  • 13 May 2019 (gear page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
  • 13 May 2019 (skills page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
  • 13 May 2019 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
  • 27 Jan. 2019 (skills page): Minor revision to the passive selection options.
  • 27 Jan. 2019 (this page): Introduced minor improvements to the guide and adjusted the Raekor variant according to the meta.
  • 17 Jan. 2019 (gear page): Added suggestions for the baseline Ring of Royal Grandeur for Seasonal characters.
  • 17 Jan. 2019 (this page): Guide was revised with additional recommendations for Season 16.
  • 16 Jan. 2019 (skills page): Information was reviewed and approved for Season 16 with no changes required.
  • 20 Sep. 2018 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 15.
  • 14 Jun. 2018 (this page): Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 14.
  • 16 Nov. 2017 (this page): Added the Raekor build variation for GR progress.
  • 31 Oct. 2017 (gear page): Changed the weapon recommendation to a dual setup with The Istvan's Paired Blades replacing The Gavel of Judgment (which is now cubed).
  • 31 Oct. 2017 (this page): Overhaul of the guide to reflect the 2.6.1 buffs that made this build the best build of the season for Barbarians.
  • 26 Jun. 2017 (this page): Guide updated for 2.6 and moved to new format.
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