A complete DnD 2024 Barbarian class guide

The DnD 2024 Barbarian is still the martial powerhouse you know from fifth edition, but with several much-needed upgrades. The new Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook makes it easier than ever before to Rage your way across a battlefield. This guide explains every change made to the One DnD Barbarian, as well as the new rules introduced in 2024.

The changes aren’t quite as drastic as with some DnD classes, but the Barbarian 5e has still seen plenty of improvements. Rage is now easier to maintain, and the One DnD Barbarian feels more useful outside of combat. There’s an entirely new subclass, and the existing ones have seen some serious balance (or name) changes.

Here’s everything that we know about the new Barbarian:

Proficiencies and equipment

Level: One

A DnD Barbarian starts with either 75 GP or the following equipment:

• Greataxe
• Four handaxes
• Explorer’s pack
• 15 GP

Rage

Level: One

Rage is, at its core, the same staple feature you know and love. It’s still a bonus action that you can take when you’re not wearing heavy armor, and it still gives you these benefits:

• Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws
• Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage
• Bonus Rage damage when you make a Strength-based weapon attack (or an Unarmed Strike – that’s new) and deal damage to a target.

You still can’t concentrate on spells, and now you can’t even cast them while Raging. The condition ends after the end of your next turn, if you put on heavy armor, or if you become incapacitated. You can extend your Rage by doing the following:

• Making an attack roll against an enemy
• Forcing an enemy to make a saving throw
• Taking a bonus action to extend your Rage

Taking damage no longer extends your Rage, but on the bright side, it’s now even easier to keep the anger party going. If you can maintain it, your Rage can now last up to ten minutes. The table above shows how many times you can Rage before you need a short or long rest, and it also includes your Rage damage for each level.

Unarmored Defense

Level: One

As before, your armor class is 10 + your Dexterity and Constitution modifiers as long as you’re not wearing any armor. You can still use a shield, however.

Weapon Mastery

Level: One

This new feature lets you use the DnD Weapon Mastery properties of two weapons you’re proficient in (see our guide for more details). You can change your choices whenever you finish a long rest, and you’ll be able to use more mastery properties as you level up:

• Levels one to three – two Weapon Masteries
• Levels four to nine – three Weapon Masteries
• Levels 10+ – four Weapon Masteries

Weapon Mastery has proven to be one of our favorite D&D 2024 changes. Martial classes like the Barbarian and DnD 2024 Fighter lacked the versatility of spellcasting characters, and weapon mastery means their playstyle feels less same-y. While Nick seems like it’s wildly overpowered, there’s plenty of other strong options among the bunch, with benefits like guaranteed damage and battlefield control available.

Danger Sense

Level: Two

Danger Sense now gives you advantage on all Dexterity saving throws, and the only condition that prevents you from gaining this benefit is incapacitation. The 2014 rules only gave you advantage on Dex saves against effects you could see, and being blinded or deafened prevented you from gaining this benefit. The 2024 rules have made Danger Sense far less situational, which is always a plus in our books.

Reckless Attack

Level: Two

When you make your first attack roll on your turn, you can give yourself advantage on any Strength-based attack you make. This lasts until the start of your next turn. However, attack rolls made against you during that time have advantage.

The 2024 rules mean that Reckless Attack can now be applied to any Strength-based attack, and they don’t have to be melee attacks. Additionally, the attack bonus lasts until the start of your next turn, just like the advantage attackers have against you.

This gives your Barbarian build a lot more flexibility. An unarmed grappler or a javelin-happy Barbarian still benefits from Reckless Attack, and you’re more likely to hit with DnD opportunity attacks.

Barbarian subclasses

Level: Three

The 2024 Player’s Handbook includes four DnD Barbarian subclasses:

Path of the Berserker

Here’s what the 2024 Berserker Barbarian looks like:

Frenzy

Level: Three

Your Frenzy ability no longer gives you DnD exhaustion levels. The new version lets you deal extra damage to the first target you hit with a Reckless Attack while your Rage is active. The damage is a number of d6s equal to your Rage Damage bonus.

Mindless Rage

Level: Six

You are immune to being charmed and frightened while your Rage is active. Mindless Rage now permanently ends any existing charmed and frightened conditions when you Rage, rather than having you return to those states once your Rage is over.

Retaliation

Level: 10

When you take damage from a creature within five feet, you can spend a reaction to make a melee attack against your assailant. You can now make Unarmed Strikes with the Retaliation feature.

Intimidating Presence

Level: 14

Finally, Intimidating Presence has been swapped with Retaliation, meaning it’s now the level 14 capstone. As a bonus action, you can force every creature of your choice within a 30-foot emanation to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your Strength modifier and proficiency bonus).

If they fail, they’re Frightened for one minute, though they can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns to try and end the condition. If you want to use this feature again, you’ll need to spend a use of your Rage or finish a long rest.

Path of the Wild Heart

The Path of the Totem Warrior is now called the Path of the Wild Heart, and many of its abilities have new names.

Animal Speaker

Level: Three

Spirit Seeker is now Animal Speaker, though it works much the same. You can cast Beast Sense and Speak with Animals as rituals, using Wisdom as your spellcasting ability.

Rage of the Wilds

Level: Three

Totem Spirit is now Rage of the Wilds. When you activate your Rage, you can choose one of several animal-inspired options – though only three options from fifth edition made it into the 2024 Player’s Handbook. Here they are:

• Bear – The Bear now makes you resistant to force, necrotic, psychic, and radiant damage (rather than all damage except psychic).
• Eagle – The eagle no longer gives foes disadvantage against you, but you can both Dash and Disengage as part of the same bonus action.
• Wolf – Like the 2014 version, the wolf gives your allies advantage on attack rolls against enemies within five feet of you (as long as your Rage is active).

Aspect of the Wilds

Level: Six

Aspect of the Beast is now Aspect of the Wilds, and it adds three more Rage of the Wilds options. The Owl gives you Darkvision of 60 feet (or 60 more if you already have it). The Panther gives you a climb speed, and the Salmon offers a swim speed.

Nature Speaker

Level: 10

Spirit Walker is now Nature Speaker, though the ability is pretty much identical. You can cast Commune With Nature as a ritual, with Wisdom as your spellcasting ability.

Power of the Wilds

Level: 14

Finally, at level 14, there’s Power of the Wilds, with three more Rage of the Wilds options. Falcon gives you a fly speed if you aren’t wearing any armor. Lion gives enemies within five feet disadvantage on attack rolls against you, and the Ram can make a Large or smaller creature prone when you hit it with a melee attack.

Path of the World Tree

Since this is an entirely new subclass, we’ve written a dedicated guide to the Path of the World Tree Barbarian. You can find the exact details for this new option over there.

Path of Zealot

Here’s the subclass abilities for the 2024 Zealot Barbarian:

Divine Fury

Level: Three

On each turn while your Rage is active, you can deal extra damage to the first creature you hit with a weapon or unarmed strike. The damage is 1d6 plus half your Barbarian level, and its DnD damage type is necrotic or radiant. Divine Fury works as before, but it can apply to unarmed strikes now.

Warrior of the Gods

Level: Three

Warrior of the Gods has been completely reworked – it now gives you a pool of four d12s, and you can spend them with a bonus action to regain HP. You regain all dice in the pool when you finish a long rest, and the pool’s number of dice increases as you level up. Level-six Barbarians have five d12s, level-12 Barbarians get six, and level-17 Barbarians have seven.

Fanatical Focus

Level: Six

Once during your Rage, you can reroll a failed saving throw, adding a bonus equal to your Rage Damage. You must use the new roll. The added Rage Damage is the only new aspect of Fanatical Focus – everything else matches the 2014 version.

Zealous Presence

Level: 10

As a bonus action, you can give up to 10 other creatures within 60 feet advantage on attack rolls and saving throws. This lasts until the start of your next turn. You must spend a use of rage or finish a long rest before you can use Zealous Presence again. Apart from the fact you can spend Rage to replenish this feature, it’s identical to the 2014 version.

Rage of the Gods

Level: 14

The capstone, Rage Beyond Death, has been replaced. Rage of the Gods now gives you a fly speed when you activate your Rage, plus resistance to necrotic, psychic, and radiant damage for one minute or until you reach zero HP. Also during that minute, you can spend a reaction and a Rage use to change a target’s HP to your Barbarian level if they would drop to zero hit points.

Primal Knowledge

Level: Three

The Primal Knowledge feature gives you proficiency in another DnD skill from the list you chose from when first creating your character (see the table at the very top of this article). Additionally, you can make the following skill checks as if they were Strength checks while your Rage is active:

• Acrobatics
• Intimidation
• Perception
• Stealth
• Survival

The 2014 Barbarian’s biggest weakness was that they had very little to offer outside of combat. Primal Knowledge attempts to rectify this. However, the ability’s cost of entry, a use of your precious Rage, feels pretty expensive.

Ability Score Improvement

Level: Four, Eight, 12, 16

You know how this one works – it gives you one of the following:

• +1 to two stats
• +2 to one stat
• A DnD 2024 feat

Extra Attack

Level: Five

As before, when you take an attack action on your turn, you can attack twice instead of once.

Fast Movement

Level: Five

The same as in the 2014 rules – your speed increases by 10 feet when you aren’t wearing heavy armor.

Feral Instinct

Level: Seven

Feral Instinct still gives you advantage on Initiative rolls. However, changes to the Surprise rules means this feature no longer applies its surprise-based benefits.

Being surprised now gives a creature disadvantage on their Initiative roll rather than forcing them to miss their first turn in combat. The 2014 Barbarian was able to act on their first turn anyway, nullifying the effects of surprise. Since you still have advantage on Initiative rolls, Feral Instinct is functionally the same feature, even if the wording has changed.

Instinctive Pounce

Level: Seven

This is the same as the optional rule in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. When you take a bonus action to Rage, you can also move up to half your speed.

Brutal Strike

Level: Nine

When you’ve chosen to Reckless attack, you can choose not to have advantage on an attack. As long as you don’t already have disadvantage and that attack hits, your target takes an extra 1d10 damage. Additionally, one of these effects occurs:

• The target is pushed 15 feet away from you in a straight line, and you can move up to half your speed toward them without provoking DnD opportunity attacks.
• The target’s speed is reduced by 15 feet until the start of your next turn (this can only be applied once).

Brutal Strike replaces the 2014 ability, Brutal Critical. This let you roll an additional damage die when you scored a critical hit, so you didn’t get to use Brutal Critical too often. Brutal Strike can be used more often, and it comes with some tasty mobility perks. The new Barbarian is going to be very hard to pin down.

Relentless Rage

Level: 11

If you reach zero HP while Raging, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a success, you gain HP equal to twice your Barbarian level (which, since this is a level 11 feature, gives you a minimum of 22 HP). Every time you use Relentless Rage, the DC increases by five. However, it resets to 10 when you take a short or long rest.

This works exactly as it did in 2014, but the old Relentless Rage only gave you one HP on a successful Con save. You don’t need to be a mathematician to see how much better the 2024 version is.

Improved Brutal Strike

Level: 13

Brutal Critical, which improved your level-nine feature of the same name, has been replaced with Improved Brutal Strike. You can now choose from the following options when you land a Brutal Strike:

• The target has disadvantage on its next saving throw and can’t make opportunity attacks until the start of your next turn.
• Before your next turn, the next attack roll that another creature makes against the target gets a +5 bonus (this can only be applied once).

Persistent Rage

Level: 15

Persistent Rage now restores all uses of your Rage when you roll Initiative, but you can only use this ability once per DnD long rest. Your Rage also lasts for ten minutes without you needing to act in order to extend it, and your rage only ends early if you are unconscious or wearing heavy armor.

The 2014 version of Persistent Rage meant that your rage only ended early if you fell unconscious. This new version gives high-level Barbarians a lot more uses of their core resource. You are penalized for wearing heavy armor, but most Barbarians won’t encounter this drawback anyway thanks to Unarmored Defense.

Improved Brutal Strike

Level: 17

Your Brutal Strike’s damage increases to 2d10, and you can apply two different Brutal Strike effects at the same time. Again, this replaces Brutal Critical in the 2014 rules.

Indomitable Might

Level: 18

As before, any Strength check you roll that’s below your Strength score uses your stat in place of the result. Unlike the 2014 rules, you can now also do this with Strength saving throws.

Epic Boon

Level: 19

You choose one of the new Epic Boon feat options. See our DnD 2024 feats guide for more details on your options.

Primal Champion

Level: 20

As before, your Strength and Constitution increase by four. The maximum score you can have for each is now 25 instead of 24.

For more on the new rules, check out our 2024 Player’s Handbook review. We can also tell you all about the new DnD races, DnD 2024 backgrounds, and DnD tools.