Whirlwind Barbarian

Overview

Whirlwind is the oldest Barbarian trick in the book, and we think it's still one of the best ways to play the class in Season 15. You hold one button and spin through a pack. Dust Devils fly out as you go and shred anything nearby. Your shouts keep you alive and keep your Fury topped up.

We like it as a first endgame build because it works on almost any gear. It also doesn't need expansion items to get going, so it's a safe choice for a fresh seasonal character. It only gets better as your uniques drop.

Strengths

• Very fast in Helltide, Nightmare Dungeons and the Pit
• Easy to learn, since you mostly hold Whirlwind and keep your shouts up
• Tanky
• Works well on starter gear

Weaknesses

• Boss damage isn't the best (still good)
• Fury can run dry if you stop moving
• You need plenty of Cooldown Reduction to keep every shout running

Gear for Leveling

• Helm: Juggernaut's Aspect. Sockets: Ruby, Ruby.
• Chest: Aspect of Disobedience. Sockets: Cir, Que.
• Gloves: Aspect of Channeling.
• Pants: Irrepressible Aspect. Sockets: Moni, Gar.
• Boots: Aspect of Anger Management.
• Amulet: Aspect of Heavenly Strength. Sockets: Diamond.
• Ring 1: Aspect of Berserk Fury. Sockets: Diamond.
• Ring 2: Aspect of the Expectant. Sockets: Diamond.
• Main hand: Any. Sockets: Skull, Skull.
• Off hand: Edgemaster's Aspect. Sockets: Skull, Skull.
• Weapon 3: Crushing Aspect. Sockets: Skull.
• Weapon 4: Aspect of Walloping. Sockets: Skull.

How to play

Rotation

• Keep Rallying Cry up at all times. It costs Fury rather than having a cooldown, and it gives you most of your Fury while you move.
• Hold Whirlwind and walk through packs. The Dust Devils pretty much do the work for you, so keep moving.
• Use War Cry on elites and bosses. It makes them Vulnerable and gives you Berserking.
• Use Challenging Shout and Iron Skin when a big hit is coming or when you walk into a large pack.
• Save Wrath of the Berserker for elites, bosses and big pulls. Spending Fury while it's up makes it last longer.

Getting started

• Put Aspect of Channeling on your biggest two-handed weapon first. Whirlwind works from there.
• Your first big upgrades are Gohr's Devastating Grips and Tuskhelm of Joritz the Mighty. In our view these two make the biggest difference early on.
• Ramaladni's Magnum Opus goes in a dual-wield slot. Until it drops, any one-handed weapon with Aspect of Walloping is fine.
• If you find Ring of Starless Skies, wear it in place of Aspect of Berserk Fury. The Fury it saves is a huge upgrade.

Stats to look for

• On weapons, look for Weapon Damage, Strength and Critical Strike Damage. Masterwork Weapon Damage first.
• On jewellery, look for Critical Strike Chance, Critical Strike Damage and Attack Speed.
• On armour, take Strength and Maximum Life everywhere. Add Cooldown Reduction on the helm and Movement Speed on the boots.
• Our tip is to keep adding Cooldown Reduction until War Cry, Challenging Shout and Iron Skin are ready again before they run out.

Paragon

• Start with Twister on the Starting Board, then head to Force of Nature. That board makes your Dust Devils hit much harder.
• Carry on through Carnage and Blood Rage for Berserking damage, and finish on Decimator.
• Get every glyph to level 50 before you push any of them higher.

Talisman

• Use a Legendary Horadric Seal with +1 Charm Slot and all five pieces of Sescheron's Fury. Once you pass 100 Fury you become Colossal, and everything gets bigger and hits harder. We think this set is what makes the build feel great.
• Put Emblem of Staalbreak in the last slot.

Season 15

• We bind the Splinter of Hatred, since its physical damage suits Whirlwind.
• Splinters go in your jewellery sockets. Splinter of Hellfire in the amulet gives the most damage once your Critical Strike is covered elsewhere. Splinter of Pain and Splinter of the Black Soulstone go in the rings. Push all three to Abyssal as soon as you can.
• Hire Raheir for his Bastion, and bring Varyana to cast Bloodthirst whenever you use War Cry.

War Plans

• In the Pit, start with Choron's Haste and Choron's Blessing for extra glyph upgrades, then work down to Choron's Soul. We take Choron's Shortcut over Heart of Stone, because this build moves too fast to carry the Heart safely.
• In Helltide, we like Hellmouth into Writhe and Rot and Bursting Brood for Lair Keys and Boss Trophies. Fall of the Fell doubles your Cinders.
• For Lair Bosses, Two by Two into Greater and Ultimate Nemesis is the best line for mythics in our view. Lair of Plenty adds a hoard chest to every kill, and Children of Zir lets Lord Zir's uniques drop in the Pit.
• In the Undercity, Jade Epiphany and Endless Swarm give the most experience. Add Finely Tuned for extra Tuning Prisms.
• In Nightmare Dungeons, Branching Pathways keeps your runs chaining and Waking Spoils adds a chest at the end.
• In the Infernal Hordes, Infernal Hoard and Forged in Flame bring gear and Obducite. Take Flawless Find instead if you need gems.
• In the Tree of Whispers, take Corrupted Roots first, then Wisdom of Whispers for experience and Resplendent Favor for Sparks.