Dungeons and Dragons’ 2024 Player’s Handbook introduces a brand-new subclass, the Path of the World Tree Barbarian. These raging combatants channel the power of a spiritual tree, and this allows them to teleport, grant temporary HP, and bash the heck out of baddies. This guide explains the DnD World Tree Barbarian’s subclass features, as well as the best character build options.
This article covers which DnD races and DnD 2024 backgrounds best suit this Barbarian. Additionally, the core DnD classes changed a lot in the new Player’s Handbook, so be sure to check out our full DnD 2024 Barbarian guide too.
Here’s everything you need to know about the DnD Path of the World Tree subclass:
- Path of the World Tree Barbarian traits
- Best World Tree Barbarian backgrounds
- Best World Tree Barbarian species
- Best World Tree Barbarian feats
- Best World Tree Barbarian weapons
- Path of the World Tree Barbarian build
Path of the World Tree Barbarian traits
Vitality of the Tree
Level: three
When you Rage, you automatically gain temporary hit points equal to your Barbarian level. Additionally, at the start of every turn when your Rage is active, you can give another creature within 10 feet temporary hit points. Their temporary hit points equal 1d6 + your Rage damage bonus – a tasty number, but the hit points disappear if your Rage ends.
At low levels, the first-turn temporary that Vitality of the Tree provides isn’t too impressive. The World Tree Barbarian I played as part of my 2024 Player’s Handbook review was a fourth-level character, so their temporary HP didn’t last too long. You’ll get better buffs at higher levels, but DnD monsters will hit harder too. So while any extra HP is helpful, don’t expect this to soak up more than one attack.
The temporary hit points you can give your friends feel more meaningful, though you’ll need your allies to stay in range if you want to make the most of this. Thankfully, the World Tree Barbarian has excellent mobility – and it only gets better as you level up.
Branches of the Tree
Level: Six
While your Rage is active, if a creature you can see starts its turn within 30 feet of you, you can spend a reaction and force them to make a Strength saving throw. Flavor-wise, you’re sending the World Tree’s ghostly branches to hold them in place. Mechanically, they must beat a difficulty class of eight plus your Strength modifier and proficiency bonus. Otherwise, they’ll be teleported to a space within five feet of you. After they’ve teleported, you can choose to reduce their speed to zero until the end of the current turn.
This is obviously a great way to control enemy movement. Less obvious but equally useful is the fact you can use this ability to teleport friends out of danger. The 2024 Player’s Handbook specifies that players can choose to fail a saving throw, so Branches of the Tree is a cheap and effective way to move allies to a more advantageous position. You don’t even have to reduce their speed if you don’t want to.
Battering Roots
Level: 10
Battering Roots increases the reach of Heavy and Versatile melee weapons you wield by 10 feet, but this only applies during your turn. If you successfully hit with this weapon on your turn, you can use the Push or Topple DnD weapon mastery, plus another mastery property you can use with that weapon.
Extra Reach always feels great. Push and Topple are my least favorite weapon masteries, but they become much more appealing when you can use them for free. To get the most out of your DnD weapons, choose ones with a different weapon mastery. My top choice is Cleave, as it gives you the opportunity to attack more than once in a turn.
Travel Along the Tree
Level: 14
When you activate your Rage, and as a bonus action during your Rage, you can teleport up to 60 feet to another space you can see. You can also increase the range of that teleport to 150 feet and bring up to six friends, but this can only occur once per Rage. When you teleport this way, everyone lands within 10 feet of the space you plan to move to.
Barbarians aren’t overly reliant on bonus actions, so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to use Travel Along the Tree. You could teleport your entire party as part of a daring escape, or you could have everyone appear right next to a group of now-disadvantaged ranged attackers. The World Tree Barbarian lets you get creative with battlefield maneuvers.
Best World Tree Barbarian backgrounds
- Farmer – Lets you buff Strength and Constitution, and the Tough feat gives you even more HP to play with.
- Soldier – You can buff Strength, Constitution, and/or Dexterity, and Savage Attacker pairs very well with the Barbarian class.
- Sailor – Buffs Strength and Dexterity, though the Tavern Brawler feat won’t be too useful, as you’ll be focusing on Heavy and Versatile weapon attacks.
Best World Tree Barbarian species
- Goliath – You can become Large, have increased speed, and advantage against grapples. Plus, you can choose a Giant Ancestry for extra versatility in combat – and honestly, they’re all pretty great options. This is the martial species at the moment.
- Orc – Adrenaline Rush gives you a different source of temporary HP and another use for your bonus action (dashing). It doesn’t synergize super well with the World Tree Barbarian, but this species is still worth it for Relentless Endurance.
- Human – An extra feat and free Inspiration once per long rest.
Best World Tree Barbarian feats
- Savage Attacker – Gives you a better chance at dealing serious damage.
- Tough – Makes your World Tree Barbarian even more of a tank.
- Crusher/Piercer/Slasher – A good way to give enemies disadvantage, depending on what type of weapon you favor.
- Great Weapon Master – Buffs your Strength, and makes your Heavy weapons even more effective.
- Polearm Master – You can attack again as a bonus action, get even more Reach to work with, and it synergizes with the kinds of weapons you specialize in.
Best World Tree Barbarian weapons
- Glaive – A Heavy weapon that deals 1d10 damage, gives guaranteed damage from the Graze weapon mastery, and works with Polearm Master or Great Weapon Master.
- Greatsword – Heavy with 2d6 slashing damage. Also comes with Graze and qualifies for Great Weapon Master.
- Greataxe – Heavy, 1d12 slashing damage, and the Cleave weapon mastery. Also good for Great Weapon Master.
- Halberd – A Heavy Reach weapon that deals 1d10 slashing damage and gives you the Cleave weapon mastery. Works for both Great Weapon Master and Polearm Master.
Path of the World Tree Barbarian build
After a thorough read-through of the new Player’s Handbook, here’s the World Tree Barbarian build we’d suggest trying first:
Background
Choose the Farmer background, and choose a +2 and +1 in Strength and Constitution. This DnD 2024 background gives you the Tough origin feat, which increases your HP maximum from the get-go and gives your HP an extra two every time you level up.
Farmers also get proficiency in Animal Handling and Nature. These aren’t exactly optimum skills for a Barbarian, but they fit the nature-like theme of the World Tree subclass well.
Species
If you’ve seen the recent hype around the Goliath, you’ll be unsurprised to see that they’re our species pick for this build. Choose the Stone Giant or Storm Giant ancestry – the first lets you reduce damage as a reaction, and the second lets you deal damage as a reaction. On top of this, you’ll have advantage on rolls to end a DnD grapple.
Once you hit level five, you can change your size to large as a bonus action. This gives you advantage on Strength checks and increases your (already 35-foot) speed by 10 feet.
Weapon
Our weapon of choice for the World Tree Barbarian is the Halberd. As a Heavy weapon, this qualifies for your Battering Roots feature at level ten. Once you reach that level, you’ll be able to use Cleave to hit a second creature with your attack, as well as Topple or Push on the first.
It also gives you some extra Reach to work with. Plus, the Halberd synergizes with some of the best DnD 2024 feats for your Barbarian – Great Weapon Master and Polearm Master.
For more on the new D&D rules, check out our 2024 Player’s Handbook review. Or, for more the 2014 rules, here’s everything you need to know about the Barbarian 5e and the Barbarian 5e subclasses.