DIABLO 3 BARBARIAN HARDCORE BUILD

Utilize the Strength of a Barbarian to Stay Alive in Hardcore

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Hardcore is seen as the ultimate challenge by most players.  Not only do you have to overcome the harder odds that are thrown at you but you have to do it without dying at all.  With an in-your-face class like a Barbarian that means picking all of your skills very carefully.  Since you will be surrounded by enemies you have to make sure you have the power to withstand their attacks.

Controlled Combat

With Cleave and Hammer of the Ancients as your two main skills you will have control of all your enemies. Cleave will knock back enemies and Hammer of the Ancients will slow them down.  Between the two you should be able to avoid being overwhelmed by enemies while you fight.

Maneuverability

One of the most important things while playing hardcore is your ability to maneuver around the battlefield.  If you get stuck in one spot you can easily become
overwhelmed by enemies and lose your character to an unfortunate death.  Ground Stomp is an excellent skill for controlling your enemies.  With the Deafening Crash skill rune you will stun your enemies for 4 seconds and then leave them snared.  This provides ample time to reposition yourself, or run away.

Leap with Iron Impact ensures you always have a way out of combat.  Your defenses will immediately be improved and you can jump over large groups of enemies to safety.  It is also convenient for getting to a ranged enemy that is dealing too much damage.

Call of the Ancients is the last ability that will improve your odds of survival in Hardcore mode.  You can hide behind all of your allies when you are facing too many enemies.  Although the ability is brief, it will give you enough support to keep you alive in grave moments.

Healing

This build combines War Cry with the Inspiring Presence passive to give your Barbarian a powerful, on-demand heal.  With the Invigorate skill rune added to Warcry every time you initiate the ability it will heal your character every second. Inspiring Presence will add to the healing your character receives each second. Whenever you run into a difficult fight you can boost your total health and heal back any lost health with this combination.

Enhanced Survivability

The Barbarian is good at staying alive in general.  It isn’t common for him to rush into a huge group of enemies and slash through them all without breaking a sweat, but in hardcore you have to be sure that you are going to survive a fight.  These two passive abilities give your character a boost and they will at least give you some hope of staying alive.

Nerves of Steel is one of the best passives that you can get for a Barbarian in Hardcore mode, because he will have on high level Vitality Gear and gems to stay alive already.  All of that extra vitality will be boosted even further with a higher level of armor and you should be able to withstand attacks much easier.
One of the worst things a Barbarian has to face is elemental attacks.  No matter how much armor he has, the elemental damage pierces right through it, and that is where Superstition comes in handy.  The ability helps repel non-physical damage and gives you a better chance of surviving when your armor doesn’t come into play.

Have Fun!

Rogue

Hard Core Builds for the other Diablo 3 classes:

Diablo 3 Monk HardCore Build
Diablo 3 Witch Doctor HardCore Build
Diablo 3 Demon Hunter HardCore Build
Diablo 3 Wizard HardCore Build


Related Diablo 3 Leveling Articles

Diablo 3 Witch Doctor Leveling
Diablo 3 Monk Leveling
Diablo 3 Demon Hunter Leveling
Diablo 3 Barbarian Leveling
Diablo 3 Wizard Leveling


Diablo 3 Farming Guides

Diablo 3 Barbarian Farming Guide
Diablo 3 Demon Hunter Farming Guide
Diablo 3 Monk Farming Guide
Diablo 3 Witch Doctor Farming Guide
Diablo 3 Wizard Farming Guide