Action RPGs typically have a long history of tending to their classes in a peculiar way, at times trying to make them consistent with archetypes from popular games of all kinds, others making something entirely unique, and Diablo 4 is no exception. It's often said that Diablo 4's classes offer a cast of characters that makes the series go back to its roots, with the very first entry in the franchise only featuring the classic trio of Warrior, Sorcerer, and Rogue. Diablo 4's Barbarian differs from Diablo 2's in several key ways, but it remains a great addition to the game and makes for a great support class on top of dishing out raw damage, but it also got the short end of the stick compared to all other classes.
Each Diablo 4 class has its own resource pool, which differs both in color and name, and while the behavior of all of them remains pretty close across the board, the Barbarian's sticks out for multiple reasons. Diablo 4's skill tree allows every class to invest points into the so-called Basic Skills, which are the bread-and-butter attacks of any build and help generate resources. While every class can generate resources in the same way, the Barbarian is the only one to lose Fury over time and to have another resource generation method.
Why Diablo 4's Barbarian is at a Disadvantage Compared to Other Classes
The main issue with the Barbarian noticed by players even before Diablo 4's early access period was that it was a bit too frail compared to other classes due to its complete lack of non-melee skills, with Upheaval being the most "ranged" option available. As such, Blizzard added a 10% built-in damage mitigation to Diablo 4's Barbarian, which works in its favor particularly early on in the game, where survivability often only relies on potions and a defensive skill or two.
This could feel like a great boon, but the reality is that it makes the Barbarian more on par with the other Diablo 4 classes. However, what sets it apart entirely and doesn't do the Barbarian any favors is that its Fury pool depletes over time after not being in combat for a few seconds, whereas other classes either have a stable resource pool that doesn't fluctuate or one that slowly regenerates. This can be problematic for several reasons, and the most important is that, outside of Rallying Cry, Barbarians have no way to start an encounter with Fury stacked if they were out of combat for a while.
As such, bosses can be particularly painful to deal with because the Barbarian has to fling itself into the fray to spam Basic Skills in order to stack Fury before it can do anything else that's remotely impactful. Cooldown skills do help, but Core Skills in Diablo 4 are the big spenders that tend to do the most damage overall, and having no access to those right off the bat is a major downside for the class.
On top of that, Diablo 4's Barbarian is the only class that generates more resources if it's hit by enemy attacks, which is bad for two reasons - one being that investing in gear that allows players to dodge attacks can be counterproductive, and the other being that it pushes Barbarians to take damage. This is far from ideal, considering that taking too much damage can be extremely dangerous in Diablo 4's endgame, and it puts the Barbarian at a disadvantage compared to other classes because they can freely start encounters with full resources. As such, while the class has a lot to offer, it can be quite frustrating coming from a playthrough with other characters.
Diablo 4 launches on June 6 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
