Barbarian Arsenal System
Last Updated:May 29, 2024|Change Log
The Arsenal System allows Barbarians to wield 4 weapons and assign different weapons to each of their attacks. Each weapon gives a different Expertise bonus to the Barbarian's attacks. In addition, the Technique Slot is unlocked via a quest chain at level 15. Let's learn everything we currently know about the Arsenal System to smash our enemies to pieces!
Unlocking the Arsenal System
The Arsenal System is automatically available when you reach Level 5. Opening the Expertise tab (Shift + C) shows all the different weapon types and the bonuses they give to attacks using them. Each Weapon Expertise starts at Rank 0 out of 10, and scales linearly as it levels up. An Additional Bonus is unlocked at Rank 10. Here is the complete list of all powers and bonuses:
| Expertise | Expertise Bonus (Rank 10/10 values shown) | Rank 10 Additional Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| 1H Axe | {+10.0%} increased Critical Strike Chance against injured enemies. Double this amount when using two Axes. | Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes have up to a {55%} chance to grant {+6%} increased Attack Speed for {2} seconds. Double the Attack Speed bonus when using two Axes. |
| 1H Mace | {x10%} increased damage to Stunned enemies. Double this amount when using two Maces. | Lucky Hit: Up to a {10%} chance to gain Berserking for {1.50} seconds when you hit a Stunned enemy. Double this chance when using two Maces. |
| 1H Sword | Lucky Hit: Up to a {10%} chance to gain {5} Fury when hitting a Crowd Controlled enemy. Double this chance when using two Swords. | Killing a Crowd Controlled enemy grants {+15%} increased Attack Speed for {3} seconds. Double this amount for kills with two Swords. |
| 2H Axe | {x10.0%} increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. | {+10%} increased Critical Strike Chance against Vulnerable enemies. |
| Polearm | {+15%} increased Lucky Hit Chance. | You deal {x15%} increased damage while Healthy. |
| 2H Sword | {x20%} of the Base direct damage dealt is inflicted as Bleeding damage over 5 seconds. | You deal {x30%} increased Bleeding damage for {5} seconds after killing an enemy. |
| 2H Mace | Lucky Hit: Up to a {10%} chance to gain {5} Fury when hitting an enemy. Double the amount of Fury gained while Berserking. | You deal {x15%} increased Critical Strike Damage while Berserking. |
The Technique Slot
In addition to getting the Weapon Expertise bonus for the weapon they are currently using, Barbarians also get the benefit of the Weapon Expertise they have assigned to their Technique Slot regardless of what weapon they are using. Note that the Technique slot only gives the first part of Expertise, not the Rank 10 Additional Bonus. The Weapon Expertise and the Weapon Technique stack, so it's okay (and sometimes optimal) to assign a weapon currently in use to the Technique slot. Two of the most common choices are:
1. The Two-Handed Sword Expertise to apply Bleeds to all enemies. This has tremendous synergy with Hamstring.
2. The Two-Handed Axe Expertise to deal more Vulnerable damage.
How to Unlock
At Level 15 you receive a key quest to unlock the Technique Slot in the Dry Steppes. This is extremely easy to complete:
1. Go to the town and accept the quest.
2. Head Northwest and slay the required monsters marked by red dots.
3. Head East and slay the beast in the cave.
4. Return to town and you're done!
How to Use the Arsenal System
The first order of business is to assign the weapon for your main damage ability. Do this by opening the Skill Assignment menu through the Skill Tree, hovering over the skill on the skill bar that you want to assign a weapon to, and selecting Cycle Weapons. This will cycle the skill's Arsenal Selection between Auto-Select, Dual Wield, Bludgeoning, and Slashing. For your primary damage-dealing ability, it most important to pick a weapon based on it's DPS. The Auto-Select option will do this automatically for all skills by default. In some cases, the weapon type and its Weapon Expertise bonus can have a big impact on the skill's damage and its utility. Some of your weapons may not have a high DPS and/or may not have very valuable Weapon Expertise bonuses, and you may not assign them to any skills. You can think of these weapons as "stat-sticks." They contribute valuable affixes to your character's stats, but since they are never actually wielded when performing attacks, their DPS and their Weapon Expertise bonuses do not matter.
Note: Each skill's Arsenal Selection will default to Auto-Select. If you do not explicitly assign a weapon to a skill, Diablo 4 automatically switches your assigned weapons to whichever weapon has the highest DPS. During leveling, for the most part, it does a good job of picking the right one. Pay attention to this as you're playing though in case it makes a mistake!
Leveling the Arsenal System
Leveling up the Arsenal System is a natural process. As you pick up new weapons and battle monsters, the corresponding weapons you're using gain experience. Getting up to Level 10 with all weapons is not very difficult, and can easily be done by casual players. A few things to note:
- Weapons gain XP on hit, not on kill.
- Weapons do not gain XP in PvP.
Video Guide
Summary
- The Arsenal System is the Barbarian's weapons specialization in Diablo 4 that unlocks at Level 5.
- All weapon powers scale linearly, and they max out at Rank 10 with an Additional Bonus.
- The Technique Slot allows you to use an additional Weapon Expertise of your choice. It unlocks at Level 15 via a simple quest chain in the Dry Steppes.
- Assign your preferred Weapon to your skills. By default, your highest DPS weapon is assigned to your skills.
- Level up your weapon powers by hitting enemies in battle (does not level up in PvP).
- If you mainly use 1 damaging skill, all other weapon slots become stat sticks to boost your primary weapon.
Check out our Barbarian Class Overview to learn all the details about Skills, Items, Legendaries and more.
Credits
Written by Slothmaster
Contributions by Raxxanterax.
Reviewed by Aristotelian.