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The Best Legendary Weapon for a Barbarian: Unleashing Fury

The quest for the best legendary weapon for a barbarian is a common one, and the answer is nuanced and depends on the game system you’re playing. This article will primarily focus on the legendary weapon Blackrazor in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e) and Fields of Crimson in Diablo 4, while also exploring related weapon considerations for barbarians. Understanding the mechanics of these weapons and their potential in different game settings is crucial for any barbarian player seeking to maximize their character’s destructive potential.

Blackrazor: A D&D 5e Legend

For D&D 5e, Blackrazor undoubtedly claims the spot of the most legendary weapon for a barbarian, and for many very good reasons. This sentient, legendary greatsword isn’t just a powerful weapon; it’s a game-changer. Here’s why it’s so potent for a barbarian:

Why Blackrazor Excels for Barbarians

Soul-Siphoning Power: Blackrazor’s core ability is its life-draining effect. When you hit a creature with it, the weapon can, if the wielder chooses to, consume the creature’s soul. While this is a dark and powerful ability, it’s particularly valuable for barbarians because it enhances the character’s durability. The damage healed when Blackrazor slays a creature can help a barbarian stay in the thick of a fight for longer, maintaining their rage and dealing more damage.
Bonus Damage: The flat bonus damage Blackrazor provides makes every strike hit harder. When combined with the barbarian’s Rage damage bonus and potentially Great Weapon Master feat, this translates to an astounding amount of damage output.
Sentient Nature: Blackrazor is a sentient weapon that craves souls. This can lead to interesting role-playing scenarios and can even provide extra advantages if the player embraces the weapon’s bloodthirsty desires.
No Restrictions: Crucially, any martial class can wield this greatsword effectively. Barbarians, with their high strength and focus on melee combat, are prime candidates. The fact that it is a greatsword works particularly well with the great weapon focused build styles popular amongst Barbarian players.

While other powerful magical weapons exist, Blackrazor’s unique blend of damage, survivability, and narrative potential makes it incredibly suited to the barbarian class.

Blackrazor Beyond Damage

The real appeal of Blackrazor extends beyond its raw stats. It’s a cursed item with a powerful will of its own, leading to narrative complications that make playing the character incredibly interesting. The player must always weigh the benefits against the potential downsides of wielding such a powerful, sentient artifact.

Fields of Crimson: The Diablo 4 Barbarian’s Bleeding Edge

In Diablo 4, a very different landscape exists and here the best legendary weapon for a barbarian who is looking to exploit bleed damage is the Fields of Crimson. This isn’t just another weapon; it’s a build-defining item.

Fields of Crimson: Why It’s Top Tier

Bleed Synergy: This weapon’s main draw is its unique ability to enhance the Rupture skill. Rupture normally simply deals direct damage, but with Fields of Crimson equipped, when you stab an enemy using Rupture, it creates a pool of blood.
Amplified Bleed: The blood pool not only applies the Bleeding status to enemies but also amplifies the Bleeding damage of any enemy standing within the pool, greatly increasing the Barbarians output. This allows for insane amounts of damage to be applied to groups of enemies caught inside.
Build Defining: For a bleed-focused barbarian build, Fields of Crimson is essentially mandatory. It completely reworks a skill that normally has very limited use into one of the best ways to quickly apply damage to large groups of enemies in the game.

While other legendary weapons in Diablo 4 offer powerful effects, Fields of Crimson’s synergy with bleed builds makes it a must-have for barbarians focused on this playstyle.

Related Weapon Considerations for Barbarians

Whether you’re in the world of D&D or Diablo, understanding the fundamental weapon choices for barbarians is vital.

Core Weapon Options in D&D 5e

Greataxe: The greataxe is a classic barbarian weapon due to its highest damage die (1d12). It synergizes well with the barbarian’s brutal fighting style. This makes the greataxe an excellent choice for pure damage output.
Greatsword: While not having the 1d12 damage die of a greataxe, the 2d6 average damage is nothing to scoff at, it is a more balanced weapon and is also a great choice. The versatility of being able to switch to a shield is also an advantage that the greatsword brings to the table that the greataxe cannot.
Halberd: The reach of a halberd allows for unique tactical advantages, keeping the barbarian further from the enemy, and also allowing for attacks of opportunity on enemy movement.

Weapon Mechanics in Diablo 4

Two-Handed Swords & Axes: Barbarians have skills that are tied to specific weapon types. The key here is to understand the requirements of your build and adjust your legendary item and weapon choices accordingly.
Dual Wielding: Barbarians can also dual-wield single handed weapons. This is generally done more for skills that require dual wielding such as the Whirlwind skill, rather than raw weapon damage.
Legendary Aspects: Diablo 4’s legendary items offer various aspects that change the way weapons and abilities function. It is these aspects, in addition to the base damage and skill modifiers that ultimately determine which weapons are optimal for a Barbarian in Diablo 4.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 FAQs to provide further clarification on barbarian weapons and builds:

What kind of weapons do barbarians usually use?

Barbarians typically use martial melee weapons including great axes, greatswords, halberds, maces and mauls. They also have the ability to dual wield in a lot of cases. The most important things to remember, however, are your current build and the way the class itself is intended to be played.

Can a barbarian dual-wield?

Yes, barbarians can dual-wield any one handed melee weapon. Dual-wielding is not specific to any one class and is part of the core rules for combat.

Can a barbarian use a sword?

Yes, barbarians can use swords. In D&D 5e, they are proficient with all martial weapons, which includes swords. In Diablo 4 and other similar games, specific skills may be tied to the sword weapon type, and therefore would make sense for a Barbarian to use.

Can a barbarian wear heavy armor?

Barbarians can be proficient in heavy armour, however, they cannot rage while wearing heavy armour. In a lot of cases therefore they are best served using a medium armour set instead.

What race makes the best barbarian?

Races with bonuses to Strength or Constitution are ideal, such as Goliaths, Orcs/Half-Orcs, Dwarves, and Dragonborn. However, almost any race is viable with the correct stat assignments.

Can a barbarian cast spells?

By default, barbarians cannot cast spells, as they are not a spellcasting class. They can learn cantrips and spells using the Magic Initiate feat, but they do not naturally have the ability to learn spells.

What is the most powerful barbarian build in Diablo 4?

The Whirlwind build is often considered one of the most powerful barbarian builds in Diablo 4. Other builds however are also extremely powerful based on the type of play you prefer.

What armor is best for a barbarian?

The best armour for a barbarian depends on the game. In Baldur’s Gate 3, Bonespike Garb, Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength, and Helm of Balduran are often recommended. In other games, the best armor usually is heavy armour that gives the most damage resistance but doesn’t interfere with the Barbarian’s main class ability Rage.

How much health should a barbarian have?

Health for barbarians generally tends to be higher than other classes. As a rule of thumb you should be adding your Constitution modifier to your HP total every level and have high constitution scores to begin with to maximize your health pool.

How do I make my barbarian stronger?

Focus on increasing your Strength and Constitution. Consider feats like Great Weapon Master (D&D) and find legendary items that enhance your skills and abilities in games like Diablo 4.

What can a barbarian multiclass with?

Popular multiclass options for a barbarian in D&D include Fighter, Paladin, Rogue, and Ranger.

Can a barbarian hit themselves to maintain rage?

Yes, the rules allow a barbarian to attack themselves to maintain rage provided they inflict damage on themselves in the process.

How do you stop a barbarian rage?

A barbarian’s rage ends if they are knocked unconscious, if their turn ends and they haven’t attacked or taken damage since their last turn, or if they choose to end it as a bonus action.

What is the best weapon for a dual-wielding barbarian?

Strength-based weapons like long swords and war picks are good choices for a dual-wielding barbarian due to their higher damage output.

What weapons do barbarians start with?

Barbarians typically start with a greataxe or any martial melee weapon, two handaxes or any simple weapon, an explorer’s pack, and four javelins (D&D).

Conclusion

Choosing the best legendary weapon for your barbarian is a matter of understanding the game you are playing. Blackrazor in D&D 5e offers a powerful blend of damage, survivability, and narrative potential. Fields of Crimson is mandatory for a bleeding build Barbarian in Diablo 4. Regardless of which game you’re playing, the optimal weapon choice is going to depend on your own individual play style and the specific build you are trying to achieve. By considering these options and the additional FAQs provided, you’ll be well-equipped to unleash the true fury of your barbarian.

What is the best legendary weapon for a barbarian?