D&D Barbarian 5e Guide

By Mike Bernier

Published on July 16, 2020, Last modified on December 12th, 2024

In this post, we will be examining the barbarian’s class features and how you can optimize your barbarian through choosing your race, background, ability scores, subclass, and feats.

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Barbarian 5e Guide Rating Scheme

This guide is a deep dive into the DnD 5e Barbarian. For a quick overview of other classes, check out our Guide to DnD Classes.

The color code below helps you quickly identify how good an option is for your Barbarian. These ratings are guidelines, and sub-optimal choices can still be fun and viable.

  • Red: Weak, unlikely to contribute to your build
  • Orange: Situationally good, but below average
  • Green: A solid choice
  • Blue: A great option worth considering
  • Sky Blue: One of the best choices for optimization

D&D 5e Barbarian Overview

Level Prof. Bonus Features Rages Rage Damage
1st +2 Rage, Unarmored Defense 2 +2
2nd +2 Reckless Attack, Danger Sense 2 +2
3rd +2 Primal Path 3 +2
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 +2
5th +3 Extra Attack, Fast Movement⁠ 3 +2
6th +3 Path feature 4 +2
7th +3 Feral Instinct 4 +2
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 4 +2
9th +4 Brutal Critical (1 die) 4 +3
10th +4 Path feature 4 +3
11th +4 Relentless⁠ Rage 4 +3
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 5 +3
13th +5 Brutal Critical (2 dice) 5 +3
14th +5 Path feature 5 +3
15th +5 Persistent Rage 5 +3
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 5 +4
17th +6 Brutal Critical (3 dice) 6 +4
18th +6 Indomitable Might 6 +4
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 6 +4
20th +6 Primal Champion⁠ Unlimited +4

Playstyle

If you take a look at the barbarian’s class features, it’s pretty obvious how barbarians are meant to be played. Due to the barbarian’s propensity for combat, you are usually going to put all of your ability points into STR and CON, while dumping the other stats. This will give you the fantasy equivalent of the Hulk (complete with the uncontrollable rage!), which may leave you with a bit of a meathead but at least it will be your meathead.

Strengths

Barbarians are the kings and queens of melee damage in 5e. They have the ability to go into a Rage to get a bonus to any check made using STR and a nice boost to damage. Barbarians also gain the ability to attack recklessly, which makes it easier to hit opponents, with the caveat that they get to hit you more easily.

Barbarians have the unique ability to absorb tons of damage. They have the highest hit dice in the game and when combined with a maxed out CON skill, will give them a ridiculous amount of hit points. As a bonus, when they Rage Barbarians take half damage on all physical attacks. Talk about tanky.

Weaknesses

The barbarian’s weaknesses are what you might expect from the beefiest character class in 5e. Barbarians aren’t going to offer a whole lot in the way of utility, they’re more of a “go here and hit that” type of character.

In a situation in which they can’t punch, kick or bite their way out, barbarians won’t be a lot of help to the party.

Best Races for Artificers

Choosing a race that complements the barbarian’s raw power and primal rage is key to creating an effective character. To help you sift through the many options and find the best fit, check out our Guide to Barbarian Races.

If you’re working with the Basic Rules or Player’s Handbook and need a quick pick, Half-Orcs make an excellent choice. With a +2 bonus to Strength and +1 to Constitution, they perfectly align with a barbarian’s need for raw physicality. Their Relentless Endurance and Savage Attacks traits enhance both survivability and damage output, making them an ideal match for this unrelenting class.

Ability Scores

Ability Score Increases (ASI) at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level.

Barbarians value STR above all else, followed by CON. DEX shouldn’t be ignored so you can either equip armor or rely on the Unarmored Defense class feature.

STR: Barbarians want to hit things, and hit them hard. They also want to hit things with the biggest weapon they can get their hands on, so pump STR as high as possible.

DEX: Good DEX means a higher AC and access to better armor options. People will expect you to fill the role of the tank, so consider some DEX.

CON: As the tank, expect a lot of hits to come your way since you will likely be on the front lines. With Unarmoured Defense, your CON bonus also contributes to your AC.

INT: Dump for sure. You’re not out here trying to get a PhD.

WIS: WIS saves happen all the time, but barbarians will likely survive even on a failed save.

CHA: Barbarians aren’t built to be charismatic.

Barbarian Class Progression

1st Level

Hit Points: Barbarians are blessed with d12 hit dice, the best around.

Saves: CON saves come up very often, and STR saves do happen now and again.

Weapon/Armor Proficiencies: Barbarians have access to most of the weapons and armor they could ever need.

SkillsOnly two skills from a small list, but there are some good options here.

  • Animal Handling (WIS): Usually not too helpful, especially if you cant speak with animals.
  • Athletics (STR): You’ll likely be the athlete of the group, and also the one to grapple or shove your foes.
  • Intimidation (CHA): Intimidation seems like it was made for a scary looking barbarian, but it is unfortunately not a STR-based skill.
  • Nature (INT): Your INT will be pitiful, so you won’t be able to make good use of this skill even if you wanted to.
  • Perception (WIS): The best skill in the game. If you can get Perception, it’s usually the right choice to pick it up.
  • Survival (WIS): Survival proficiency can save the whole party. Get it if nobody else does.

Rage: This is the reason to play a barbarian. Advantage on STR checks and STR saving throws bonus damage, and damage resistance pairs perfectly with the playstyle. Rage is also the reason not to go for heavy armor proficiency since you don’t get the benefits in that case. Regardless, running around without armor or medium armor should serve you just fine.

Unarmored Defense: Perfect for roleplaying if you want to play the typical shirtless barbarian, and can help give a boost to AC at early levels. Once you have access to the best medium armor (half plate), Unarmored Defense is strictly worse for most stat combinations you will likely achieve. This means you should really only boost your DEX high enough to equip medium armor and let your damage resistance and large hit point pool handle the rest. On the other hand, with 20 DEX + 20 CON + a shield, you can attain the highest possible AC for playable classes D&D 5e, so that’s pretty cool too.

2nd Level

Reckless Attack: Perfect for landing devastating blows against your enemies. Attack rolls against you having advantage doesn’t matter too much due to your damage resistance and substantial hit points. You aren’t (quite) invincible though, so be careful using this when completely surrounded since all attack rolls against you will have advantage.

Danger Sense: Advantage on DEX saves is awesome and definitely will contribute to your longevity in battle.

3rd Level

At level 3, you’ll define the identity of your Barbarian by choosing their Primal Path. Each path embodies a unique aspect of the Barbarian’s raw, untamed spirit, providing specialized abilities and playstyles as you level up. From drawing power from ancestral spirits to channeling primal rage through wild magic, these paths allow Barbarians to embody their own flavor of ferocity.

For a detailed analysis of what each Primal Path has to offer, be sure to check out our Guide to Barbarian 5e Subclasses.

  • Path of the Ancestral Guardian : As the name implies, the Path of the Ancestral Guardian excels at tanking and protecting your party. For that purpose, this build is one of the best in all of D&D 5e, but if you're looking to maximize damage you won't find that here.
  • Path of the Battlerager : Path of the Battlerager is a strange subclass. The most important thing to know is that it is restricted to dwarves, but luckily dwarves are one of the best races for barbarians. Secondly, to even consider playing this subclass you need to make sure that you can get spiked armor. It is probably a good idea to talk to your DM about this and make sure they are willing to let you acquire it relatively early on. Aside from these oddities, the Path of the Battlerager is not particularly strong compared to the other subclass options. It can be fun, however, especially when played as a grappler build.
  • Path of the Berserker : The Path of the Berserker is what most people would associate with the barbarian archetype. If you just want to hit things, and be really good at hitting things, this is the subclass for you. While none of the features are overly exciting or unique, this build is straightforward and effective.
  • Path of the Giant :
  • Path of the Storm Herald : The Path of the Storm Herald adapts well to change. Starting at 3rd level, every time you level up you may choose an environment from desert, sea or tundra, and that affects what abilities you have access to. Unfortunately, you don't always level up when it would be ideal and you usually don't know what dangers lie ahead. Still, it's mechanically interesting and will keep things fresh, all while being useful to whatever party makeup you run with.
  • Path of the Totem Warrior : The Path of the Totem Warrior is the complete package. There are options for tanking, dealing damage, movement capabilities, and aiding your party. On top of that, the gameplay with this subclass is less clear-cut and requires more thinking, making it very fun to play. The expanded options for the Totem Spirit are the elk and tiger, found in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.
  • Path of the Zealot : Cool for roleplay. Dying becomes more of an inconvenience than a game ending problem. Coupled with a bit of extra damage, the Path of the Zealot is a fine subclass but lacks any serious direction.

5th Level

Extra Attack: Every martial class is excited when they get extra attacks since it effectively doubles damage output. Remember that if you apply your Reckless Attack on the first attack, it works for your extra attacks as well!

Fast Movement: You won’t want heavy armor so your Barbarian will get the benefit of Fast Movement. While very useful, especially if playing with battle maps, Fast Movement isn’t as impactful as most of the other Barbarian class features.

7th Level

Feral Instinct: Really useful. It’s a big deal for the Barbarian to be at the front lines to protect the more vulnerable party members, so advantage on Initiative helps there. Avoiding surprise attacks against you is another tool in your long list of ways to mitigate damage coming at your character.

9th Level

Brutal Critical: Does make critical hits brutally effective, but they only happen 5% of the time you make an attack roll.

11th Level

Relentless Rage: With a decent CON score you may be able to pull this off more than once per short rest, making you a real thorn in the side of your enemies. When you do finally get knocked to 0 hit points, hopefully you’ve had enough of an impact on the battlefield that the battle ends shortly thereafter.

15th Level

Persistent RageAn annoying part of Rage is that situations do occur where you can’t move or don’t have enough movement to engage the next enemy, causing it to end at an inconvenient time. Since you can only Rage a finite amount of times per Long Rest, Persistent Rage helps you conserve your uses so that you can activate it for every tough battle throughout the day. If your rage lasts longer than 4 hours, please consult a physician.

18th Level

Indomitable MightIf you like to grapple and have a maxed or nearly maxed out STR score, there won’t be much your opponent can do to stop you. Other uses for STR ability checks are often less crucial, but nice to have nonetheless.

20th Level

Primal ChampionA fitting capstone for the Barbarian class, making you the tankiest tank who ever lived. If wearing medium armor, your Unarmored Defense may offer high AC when you reach level 20, so be sure to check both options.

Best Feats for Barbarians

Check out our Guide to Barbarian Feats.

Sources Used in This Guide

  • : 2014 Player's Handbook
  • 2024 PHB: 2024 Player's Handbook
  • BR: Basic Rules
  • GotG: Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
  • SotDQ: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
  • ERLW: Eberron: Rising from the Last War
  • EEPC: Elemental Evil Player’s Companion
  • EGtW: Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount
  • FToD: Fizban's Treasury of Dragon
  • GGtR: Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica
  • MotM: Monsters of the Multiverse
  • MToF: Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
  • MOoT: Mythic Odyessys of Theros
  • PAitM: Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
  • PHB: Player's Handbook
  • SAiS: Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
  • SCoC: Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
  • SCAG: Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
  • TCoE: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
  • TTP: The Tortle Package
  • WBtW: The Wild Beyond The Witchlight
  • : Unearthed Arcana
  • VRGtR: Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
  • VGtM: Volo's Guide to Monsters
  • XGtE: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything

Other Barbarian Guides

Mike Bernier

Mike Bernier is the lead content writer and founder of Arcane Eye. He is a Adamantine best-selling author of Strixhaven: A Syllabus of Sorcery on DMs Guild and is a contributing author at D&D Beyond. Follow Mike on Twitter.

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