D&D 5e Barbarian Guide: Best options for melee builds

❘ Published: 2024-02-15T21:30:47

Wizards of the Coast

The Barbarian class is among Dungeons & Dragons’ most popular, bringing pure Rage-fueled power to the table. Here’s what to know about building a Barbarian in D&D 5e.

Dungeons & Dragons players who want a melee class that can take and deal massive hits should look no further than the Barbarian.

A traditional RPG class, the Barbarian’s abilities are pretty straightforward – you’ll spend much of your time Raging, hitting things, and tanking enemy attacks – but their typical lack of other skills does not make them any less fun to play.

Here’s what you should know about building a Barbarian in D&D 5e.

Best Race options for Barbarians in D&D 5e

In recent years, D&D has changed the way it approaches race. Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything added new optional rules that make racial choice less important to builds by allowing players to assign their ability score bonuses rather than having them determined by race.

Still, this is an optional rule, and even if your table is using it, races come with unique features that can improve a build. Whether you’re using Tasha’s rules or not, some Player’s Handbook races make for better Barbarians.

Half-Orc

As is the case with the Fighter, Half-Orc is a standout choice for a Barbarian build and for similar reasons. Half-Orcs are ideal melee fighters thanks to their +2 to Strength and +1 to Constitution, essentially ability scores for a frontline combatant.

The racial abilities Savage Attacks and Relentless Endurance are also great for Barbarians. Savage Attacks make critical hits deal additional damage, and Relentless Endurance allows you to drop to 1HP instead of 0HP once per long rest – which is sure to come in handy against tough opponents.

Human

As the most flexible race in the game, you can’t really go wrong picking a Variant Human in 5e. Variant Humans get +1 to two ability scores of their choice, which a Barbarian will want to put into Strength and Constitution.

They also get proficiency in one skill and a free feat – the latter of which really makes the race stand out. Feats can be used to customize or diversify a build, but a Barbarian can’t go wrong with Sentinel or Great Weapon Master.

Mountain Dwarf

Of the small races, Dwarves make for the best Barbarians thanks to their +2 to Constitution, but the Mountain Dwarf’s +2 to Strength makes them better suited to be melee fighters. This means you’ll have an easier time maxing out your essential stats, allowing you to focus on other aspects of the build as you reach higher levels.

Get the D&D Player’s Handbook on Amazon

Barbarian Hit Dice

Hit dice determine how much total HP a character has, how much they can gain when leveling up, and how much they can heal during a short rest. Barbarians get a d12 – the highest possible hit die in the game. This makes them incredibly sturdy, able to survive hits that others can’t.

Barbarian ability scores and saving throws

Official D&D art of a Barbarian holding an ax

Here’s how you should prioritize your ability scores for a general Barbarian build:

Strength
Constitution
Dexterity
Wisdom
Charisma
Intelligence

Strength and Constitution are by far the most important ability scores for a Barbarian, as they determine how hard you can hit and how many hits you can take. You’ll want to get these to 20 as quickly as possible.

After those, you’ll want to focus on Dexterity. If you’re planning to use medium armor, leaving DEX at 14 will be enough to get the full benefit. If you’d rather benefit from Unarmored Defense, though, you’ll want some more DEX for the Armor Class boost.

Wisdom and Charisma aren’t really important for most Barbarians. Wisdom saves are common, and Intelligence will help with Intimidation skill checks, so you don’t want either of these to be too low.

Intelligence is the obvious choice for a Barbarian’s dump stat. You’re unlikely to face many INT saves, and no Barbarian abilities depend on it.

Barbarian starting skills and proficiencies

Fighters get the following proficiencies:

Light and medium armor
Shields
Simple and martial weapons
STR and CON saving throws

You can also choose two skills to be Proficient in out of the following:

Animal Handling
Athletics
Intimidation
Nature
Perception
Survival

Get Xanathar’s Guide to Everything on Amazon

Barbarian class features

Rage gets better at higher levels

The Barbarian’s most iconic class feature provides crucial benefits. While Raging, the Barbarian has advantage on STR checks and saves, deals additional damage with STR-based melee weapons, and gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

Normally, Rage lasts for up to one minute, ending early if you fall unconscious or haven’t attacked or taken damage since your last turn.

Your subclass will bring other changes and abilities into the mix, but all Barbarians will see their Rage improve as they level up. At 11th level, Relentless Rage allows you to attempt a DC 10 CON save when you drop to 0HP; if successful, you’ll drop to 1HP instead. This can be used as many times as needed, though the DC increases by 5 each time, resetting to DC 10 on a short or long rest.

At level 15, you’ll also get Persistent Rage, which makes it so your Rage only ends early if you go unconscious or choose to end it.

Unarmored Defense makes Barbarians hard to hit

The other class feature Barbarians get from the start is Unarmored Defense. With it, Barbarians who choose to forego armor can add both their CON and DEX modifiers to a base AC of 10. You can still use a shield for a further AC boost, though you’ll probably want a two-handed weapon instead.

Reckless Attack & other abilities help deal more damage

Unsurprisingly, most of the Barbarian’s class abilities have to do with letting them hit harder and more often.

Level 2 gives Barbarians access to Reckless Attack, which can be used to gain Advantage on STR-based melee attack rolls at a cost – enemy attacks targeting you will get advantage too until your next turn.

After that, Barbarians get an Extra Attack at level 5 and Brutal Critical at level 9, which gives an additional weapon damage die on critical hits. This increases to two extra dice at level 13 and three at level 17.

Barbarian instincts improve as they level up

Barbarians also get abilities that improve their instincts. At 2nd level, you’ll gain Danger Sense, giving advantage on DEX saves against effects you can’t see so long as you aren’t blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

At 5th level, you’ll get Fast Movement, which increases your speed by 10ft so long as you aren’t in heavy armor (which you won’t want anyway since it negates Rage benefits).

Feral Instinct, gained at level 7, gives advantage on Initiative rolls and allows you to take your normal turn if surprised so long as you Rage before doing anything else.

Finally, Barbarians who reach 18th level get Indomitable Might. When making a Strength check, this allows you to use your STR score if it’s higher than what you roll.

Level 20 Barbarians can exceed normal stat limits

Under normal circumstances, all ability scores max out at 20. However, Barbarians who get all the way to this level have that cap increased for Strength and Constitution. Primal Champion increases these stats by 4 for a max of 24. Not only does this mean much stronger hits, but those boost improve other Barbarian features like Unarmored Defense and Indomitable Might.

Barbarian subclasses

The Barbarian subclasses included in the Player’s Handbook are detailed below. Supplemental sourcebooks like Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, and Critical Role‘s Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn add even more subclass options.

Like most 5e classes, Barbarians choose their subclass, or Primal Path, at level 3. These represent what fuels the character’s Rage, granting abilities accordingly.

Get Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything on Amazon

Path of the Berserker

Berserkers are fueled by that thing Barbarians are best at: violence. These Barbarians tend to be reckless in combat, going into Frenzy when they Rage. This allows them to make a melee attack as a bonus action, though they gain a level of exhaustion when their Rage ends.

Path of the Berserker Barbarians also gain Intimidating Presence at level 10, which forces a target to make a Wisdom save or be frightened by you so long as they remain in sight or within 60 ft.

Path of the Totem Warrior

Those who want a more spiritual motivation for their Barbarian’s Rage should consider the Totem Warrior (which is being renamed Path of the Wild Heart for the 2024 rules revision). Totem Warriors are attuned to nature, allowing them to cast Beast Sense and Speak with Animals as a ritual, gaining Commune with Nature at 10th level.

These Barbarians also have a spirit animal that guides and motivates them, with different effects based on whether you pick Bear, Wolf, or Eagle (the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide adds Elk and Tiger). After picking one at level 3, you’ll be able to choose again for a different benefit at 6th and 14th level.

For more on D&D 5e, check out our other guides below:

If you click on a product link on this page, we may earn a small affiliate commission.