DnD Barbarian 5e guide

The DnD Barbarian 5e is a dedicated front-line melee fighter who uses supernatural rage to power their special abilities. Simple yet effective to play, a Dungeons and Dragons Barbarian is always in the thick of the action and prioritizes might above all else. This guide explains everything you need to know to create a 5e Barbarian character.

If you're looking for more general inspiration about which class to pick for your next character, check out our full DnD classes guide. Or, for more help rounding out your Barbarian build, here's all you need to know about DnD races and DnD 2024 backgrounds.

DnD Barbarian 5e guide:

Class features

As a Barbarian, you gain the following class features as you gain DnD level ups:

Hit points

Level: One

Proficiencies

Level: One

Equipment

Level: One

Your Barbarian starts with a Greataxe, four Handaxes, an Explorer's Pack, and 15 GP. Alternatively, they can start with 75 GP to do their own shopping.

Rage 5e

Level: One

Rage 5e is what separates a frenzied Barbarian from a common schmuck with a sword. It's a primal power that might come from fury or another innate source. Either way, it makes Barbarians hit their enemies hard.

You can enter Rage as a bonus action if you aren't wearing heavy armor. This can be done twice at level one, but your number of Rages increases to three at level three, four at level six, five at level 12, and six at level 17.

While active, your Rage follows the rules below:

• Damage resistance - You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
  
• Rage damage - When you make an attack using Strength - with either a weapon or an unarmed strike - and deal damage to the target, you gain a bonus to the damage that increases as you gain levels as a Barbarian (+2 from level one, +3 from level nine, and +4 from level 16).
  
• Strength advantage - You have advantage on Strength checks and saving throws.
  
• No concentration or spells - You can't maintain concentration, and you can't cast spells.
  
• Duration - The Rage lasts until the end of your next turn, and it ends early if you don heavy armor or have the incapacitated condition. If your Rage is still active on your next turn, you can extend the Rage for another round by doing one of the following: make an attack roll against an enemy; force an enemy to make a saving throw; take a bonus action to extend your Rage. Each time the Rage is extended, it lasts until the end of your next turn. You can maintain a Rage for up to 10 minutes.

You regain one expended use when you finish a short rest, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Unarmored Defense

Level: One

While you are not wearing any armor, your armor class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a DnD shield and still gain the benefits of Unarmored Defense.

Weapon Mastery

Level: One

You learn to use the Weapon Mastery properties of two simple or martial melee weapons. The number of weapon masteries you know increases by one at levels four and 10 - see our DnD Weapon Mastery guide for more details.

Reckless Attack

Level: Two

Starting at second level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Reckless Attack gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

Danger Sense

Level: Two

You gain an uncanny sense of when things aren't as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge perils. Danger Sense means that you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws unless you have the incapacitated condition.

Barbarian subclass

Level: Three

At third level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. Your choices grant you features at third level and again at sixth, 10th, and 14th levels. For more details on your DnD subclass options, see our 'Barbarian subclasses' section later on in this guide.

Primal Knowledge

Level: Three

Primal Knowledge makes you slightly better at being a Barbarian, and it gives you a way to use your enormous muscles in unorthodox situations. You become proficient in an extra from the list your Barbarian could choose from at level one. Plus, when your Rage is active, you can use Strength to make Acrobatics, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, or Survival checks.

Ability Score Improvement

Level: Four

When you reach fourth level, and again at eighth, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by two, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by one. Alternatively, you can choose a DnD 2024 feat that you qualify for.

Extra Attack

Level: Five

Beginning at fifth level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Fast Movement

Level: Five

Starting at fifth level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren't wearing heavy DnD armor. Fast Movement is particularly handy for when the frontline of battle moves just beyond your regular reach.

Feral Instinct

Level: Seven

By seventh level, Feral Instinct means that your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls.

Instinctive Pounce

Level: Seven

When you use your bonus action to activate Rage, Instinctive Pounce means that you can also move up to half your speed as part of that same bonus action.

Brutal Strike

Level: Nine

Brutal Strike adds a bit of strategy to your Barbarian's endless onslaught of attacks. When you use Reckless Attack, you can sacrifice one attack's advantage (providing you don't also have disadvantage). Doing so adds 1d10 to the attack's damage on a hit, and you can choose one of two effects:

• Push the target 15 feet away, then move up to half your speed without triggering opportunity attacks.
• Reduce the target's speed by 15 feet until the start of your next turn.

At level 13, Brutal Strike gives you two new additional effects to choose from:

• The target can't make opportunity attacks until the start of your next turn, and it has disadvantage on its next saving throw.
• Before your next turn starts, the next attack roll made by another creature gains a +5 attack roll bonus.

Finally, at level 18, the damage this ability deals increases to 2d10. From here on, you can also apply two different Brutal Strike effects to one attack.

Relentless Rage

Level: 11

Your Relentless Rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to zero hit points while your Rage is active and don't die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, your hit points instead change to a number equal to twice your Barbarian level.

Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by five. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.

Persistent Rage

Level: 15

Persistent Rage makes the Barbarian's key feature more consistent. When you roll initiative, you can regain all expended uses of Rage. After you regain uses of Rage in this way, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

In addition, your Rage is so fierce that it now lasts for 10 minutes without you needing to do anything to extend it from round to round. Your Rage ends early if you have the unconscious condition (not just the incapacitated condition) or don heavy armor.

Indomitable Might

Level: 18

Indomitable Might means that, if your total for a Strength check or saving throw is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.

Epic Boon

Level: 19

You gain an Epic Boon feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.

Primal Champion

Level: 20

At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Primal Champion means that your Strength and Constitution scores increase by four. Your maximum for those scores is now 25.

Best Barbarian stats

The primary ability score for all Barbarians is Strength. This is the key stat for wielding the biggest melee weapons, like the Barbarian's iconic Greataxe. Plus, the class feature Rage (at first level) and Reckless Attack (at second) provide extra bonuses to Strength-based melee weapon attacks.

Constitution is the next most useful Barbarian ability score. A Barbarian with only a shield (or less) for armor can add their Constitution modifier to their armor class, thanks to the Unarmored Defense class feature. Your would-be Conan can go to war in just a loincloth and sandals - but the extra hit points from a high Constitution modifier are very welcome.

Then, from level 11, whenever a Raging Barbarian would drop to zero hit points, they can use the Relentless Rage feature. If they pass a Constitution saving throw, they will stay standing, bloodied but still swinging.

High Dexterity is also important, but it comes third in the order of priority. It increases armor class and synergizes with another defensive ability, the Danger Sense class feature. This grants advantage to a Barbarian's Dexterity saving throws against traps, spells and other hazards, as they nimbly dodge out of harm's way.

Wisdom isn't essential for Barbarians, but having a half-decent score comes with some perks. It supports many of your suggested proficiencies - Animal Handling, Perception, and Survival. Plus, it protects you from Wisdom saving throws, the preferred offensive of many magical DnD monsters.

Charisma comes next. It can be fun to build a charismatic Barbarian that leans hard on their Intimidation proficiency, but other than this, you won't use the skill often. Similarly, Intelligence is a guaranteed dump stat. The only thing you need to use your head for is headbutts.

Best Barbarian races

Now that stats are determined by your character's background, the abilities of a particular species are the main deciding factor for your build. Barbarians should focus on races that complement their strengths or solve a particular weakness. For example:

Goliath Barbarian

Probably the ultimate 2024 species for martial builds, the Goliath has increased speed and the power to increase its size. Plus, there are a variety of Giant Ancestry options that make your Barbarian hit harder, harder to hit, or more nimble than before.

Orc Barbarian

The power to dash as a bonus action gives your Barbarian some added mobility, though you'll want to save that for Rage and subclass options in many cases. Still, the temporary HP you gain from doing that Dash can be a life-saver. More importantly, an Orc's Relentless Endurance can save you from near death once a day.

Dragonborn Barbarian

Damage resistances are always handy for a class that's expecting to get hit often. Plus, your Breath Weapon now synergizes with Rage, allowing you to fire off an elemental cone or line of damage and still keep Raging. At later levels, Dragonborns can sprout wings and gain some extra mobility, too.

Dwarf Barbarian

Dwarves have naturally higher hit points and resistance to a common damage type, which make them ideal for tank-y Barbarians. They don't have anything else spectacular to offer, but they're a reliable option nonetheless.

Best Barbarian equipment

The best way to stay safe in a fight is to end all of your enemies as quickly as possible, and there's no better tool for slaughter than a massive, two-handed melee weapon. While the default equipment list for a Barbarian lists a Greataxe, they can wield a huge range of weapons.

But which is best? Here are a few of our preferred options:

Greataxe

The classic Barbarian weapon, the Greataxe remains the best damage dealer with a d12 damage die. However, with the introduction of Weapon Masteries, it's no longer the obvious pick for this class.

The Cleave Mastery is great when enemies are clustered together, and it gives a Barbarian a way to deal with more than one target at once (something the class certainly isn't built for). However, its heavy reliance on battlemap layout - and there being more than one boss to bash - means it's quite situational.

Greataxe can still be appealing thanks to its synergy with Great Weapon Master, and it's our favorite of the Heavy weapons for a Barbarian. Just be sure to pick up a more strategic Weapon Mastery with your other options.

Longsword / War Pick

The Longsword and the War Pick are identical in almost every way; only their damage type really distinguishes them. The main appeal for a Barbarian is that they both have the Sap Weapon Mastery.

Sap gives a target struck by the weapon disadvantage on its next attack roll, which can be immensely useful for preventing party damage. When they're not going all in on single-target damage, a particularly agile Barbarian can hop around the battlefield, using their multiple attacks to weaken a horde of enemies.

It also helps that both weapons are Versatile, allowing you to switch up your fighting style for different benefits.

Pike

If you're looking to optimize feats like Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master, we'd choose the Pike for a Barbarian build. It has the added bonus of a chunky d10 damage die and the Push Weapon Mastery.

Push is an excellent way for a Barbarian to manipulate the battlefield, and its results are incredibly consistent.

Trident

The Trident is the only weapon with the Topple Weapon Mastery that can be thrown as a ranged weapon. Generally, we wouldn't recommend that the Barbarian opt for Topple, as they already have a reliable way to gain advantage against melee targets, so there's no need to knock everyone prone.

However, knocking an enemy prone from a distance is both satisfying and strategically beneficial. It gives you more time to catch up and deal a devastating melee blow. It's also a hilarious way to apprehend a fleeing victim.

The Trident can also be wielded two-handed for a nice d10 of damage. Just make sure you have a backup melee weapon for those times when you want to send the Trident - and your target - flying.

Scimitar

If you're planning to dual wield, the Scimitar is a Barbarian's best friend. Each slash deals a modest d6 of damage, but more importantly, it comes with the Nick Weapon Mastery. Yes, that Nick - the one that people found ridiculous ways to break.

Dual wielding Scimitars (especially with the Dual Wielder feat) is a surefire way to get your Barbarian attacking often, even at lower levels. More chances to hit equals more chances of success - need we say more?

Barbarian 5e subclasses

The Barbarian 5e subclasses are as follows:

Path of the Ancestral Guardian

Found in: Xanathar's Guide to Everything

When those on the Path of the Ancestral Guardian rage, they draw forth the spirits of their ancestors to aid their allies and confound their foes. The Ancestral Protectors ability gives the first creature the Barbarian strikes each turn disadvantage on attack rolls against targets other than the Barbarian on its next turn, and grants allies resistance against that enemy's attacks.

Spirit Shield is a reaction that the Barbarian can use each turn while Raging, reducing the damage an ally within 30 feet would suffer from an enemy attack by 2d6 (or more at higher levels). Then, when they hit level 14, the Vengeful Ancestors ability turns that damage reduction into Force damage on the attacking enemy.

Their protective aura and the ability to cast some Divination spells with Consult the Spirits give the Ancestral Guardian a secondary role as a support class, though they're still tied to the front line of the battle. The damage reduction from Spirit Shield can help friendly spellcasters maintain their concentration when hit, while tying up the attention of a deadly foe with Ancestral Protectors will allow a fragile Rogue to stay engaged and keep landing their vital Sneak Attack damage.

Path of the Battlerager

Found in: Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

Barbarians on the Path of the Battlerager are Dwarves who woke up and chose violence. Originating in the Forgotten Realms setting of Faerûn, only Dwarves can follow the path of the Battlerager. Their abilities are tied to a suit of unique, spiked-covered medium armor with AC14.

While Raging, they can use a bonus attack action to smash into their foes, dealing d4 piercing damage. If they make an attack to grapple an enemy (remember, that's a Strength check, which Raging Barbarians have advantage on) they inflict three piercing damage on their foe. Later, they can also use that bonus action to Dash while they're Raging.

The Battlerager is something of a masochist. The Reckless Attacks feature leaves Barbarians vulnerable to taking hits, but Battleragers are encouraged to use it often by their ability Reckless Abandon, which grants them a few temporary hit points every time they make a Reckless Attack. Then Spiked Retribution adds a little payback, inflicting three points of piercing damage on anyone who lands a hit on them.

The Magekiller and Mobile 5e feats allow you to create a pitbull of a Battlerager that can punch their way through the enemy battleline, grab onto an enemy spellcaster, and hold on until they're dead.

Path of the Beast

Found in: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

The Path of the Beast turns your Barbarian into a weird semi-shapeshifter, physically manifesting their inner monster whenever they Rage. At levels three and six, this provides them with a toolbox of flexible, transformation powers.

Form of the Beast allows them to manifest a plethora of natural weapons when Raging, with the Tail the most useful in all situations; it's a reach weapon that allows the Beast to attempt to deflect enemy attacks with their reaction. Bestial Soul makes those natural weapon attacks magical and adds further mutations that you can swap between at each short rest, providing perfect adaptation for climbing, jumping, or swimming.

Infectious Fury buffs your natural weapons even further, allowing you to deal psychic damage or force your target to attack another hostile.

Make it to level 14, and Call the Hunt will mark the Beast out as a true alpha in the pack. While Raging, the Beast picks a number of willing allies up to the Beast's Constitution modifier. The Beast gains five temporary HP for each such ally, and, for the duration of the Rage, those allies can add d6 to one damage roll each turn.

The Path of the Beast is flexible where other Barbarian paths are focused. Follow it if you want to play a Barbarian that is truly wild.

Path of the Berserker

Found in: 2024 Player's Handbook

The Path of the Berserker is perhaps the iconic Barbarian, equal parts psychopath and industrial wood-chipper. While other Barbarians merely Rage out, the Berserker can throw themselves into a Frenzy, dealing extra damage to the first target they hit on a turn with a Strength-based attack. Said damage involves rolling d6s equal to your Rage Damage bonus, which feels particularly satisfying.

Mindless Rage provides immunity to Charm and Frighten effects while raging, and Retaliation allows the Berserker to make an attack in reaction to being injured by an adjacent foe.

Lastly, the Berserker gains the Intimidating Presence feature. This bonus action forces creatures of your choice within 30 feet to make a Wisdom save or become frightened for one minute. They'll keep repeating these saves at the end of each turn if they fail, but it's a handy way to disadvantage large crowds of enemies.

Path of the Giant

Found in: Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

The Path of the Giant gives your raging brawler powers inspired by the classic monster. In short, this is a subclass that turns you into both Thor and Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

At third level, Giant's Power gives you the ability to speak the Giant 5e language, as well as cast the Druidcraft or Thaumaturgy DnD cantrips. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability here, but we don't recommend taking it on as another priority ability score - you've got enough on your plate buffing Strength, Constitution, and possibly Dexterity. A low Wisdom score isn't going to hurt these minor spells.

You'll also get Giant's Havoc at level three, an ability that activates when you Rage. This increases your reach by five feet and makes you Large on the DnD sizes scale. Plus, it lets you add your Rage Damage bonus to a successful thrown weapon attack.

So, we've got spellcasting and a Giant's size for Loki. You'll fully become Thor at level six, when you get Elemental Cleaver. This allows you to choose a weapon and imbue it with one elemental damage type (we suggest lightning for the theme). That weapon gets the thrown property and deals an extra 1d6 damage of your chosen element - oh, and once you throw it, it reappears in your hand.

Things get even more out of hand at level ten when Mighty Impel allows you to throw creatures of Medium size or smaller. The creature takes fall damage and ends up prone after.

Finally, Demiurgic Colossus makes you even more enormous. When Raging, you grow to Large or Huge size, your Elemental Cleaver damage increases to 2d6 and you can toss even bigger creatures with Mighty Impel. This is a Barbarian with a simple mantra - get large and throw hard.

Path of the Storm Herald

Found in: Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Swathed in the fury of the elements, when those on the Path of the Storm Herald Rage, nature's wrath accompanies them. The Herald attunes to the Sea, Desert or Tundra, channeling their power when they Rage into their Storm Aura.

This has a one-time effect when they start Raging, that they can trigger again with a bonus action (so take note - the Storm Herald is not going to be a dual-wielding Barbarian). The Desert Storm Aura inflicts fire damage indiscriminately on all caught in the aura; the Tundra provides temporary hit points to allies; and the Sea can direct a lightning strike against a single foe.

Storm Soul provides damage resistance against the appropriate element type, even when not Raging, and comes with a utility feature (such as a swimming speed and the ability to breathe underwater for a Storm Herald of the Sea), while Shielding Storm extends that damage resistance to selected creatures within their aura.

The Raging Storm is another powerful combat effect: anyone who hits the Desert Storm Herald suffers retaliatory fire damage, while the Sea Storm Herald can knock down enemies with the force of a wave, and the Tundra Storm Herald can lock enemies in place within their freezing aura.

You'll get the most mileage out of these elemental abilities if your campaign takes you into frost-giant haunted mountain peaks or a dragon's volcanic lair - but you'll have the most fun with it if you really enjoy special effects and Led Zeppelin's The Immigrant Song.

Path of the Wild Heart

Found in: 2024 Player's Handbook

The Path of the Wild Heart Barbarian is a primal protector with an affinity for nature. If you want a Barbarian who tempers their Strength with Wisdom, this is a great choice. It's also a solid pick if you want to be buddies with beasts, as you'll be able to cast Beast Sense, Speak with Animals, and, later on, Commune With Nature.

While these spells are pretty cool, they pale in comparison to the Wild Heart's main ability, Rage of the Wilds. This activates with your Rage, and it gives you a range of animal-themed powers to choose from, with more options becoming available as you level up.

Damage resistances, attack roll advantage, darkvision, alternate speeds, and more effective bonus actions are all on the table. The level-14 powers amp things up even further, offering you flight, the power to headbutt enemies prone, or a flat disadvantage on attack rolls for any enemy who gets too close to you.

Path of the Zealot

Found in: 2024 Player's Handbook

The Path of the Zealot is a raging dervish, driven by divine fury. Compared to the Zealot, DnD Paladins and 5e Clerics look like timid pamphleteers. Divine Fury adds radiant or necrotic damage to the Zealot's first hit with a weapon attack each turn, while Warrior of the Gods grants them a pool of d12s that can be spent as a bonus action to regain hit points.

Fanatical Focus is like an angrier version of the Paladin's Aura of Protection: once per Rage, the Zealot can reroll a failed saving throw with an extra, Rage-based bonus. Zealous Presence is a potent bonus action available once per long rest, granting up to 10 allies advantage on attack rolls and saving throws until your next turn.

Lastly, at level 14, Rage of the Gods turns this Barbarian into a fully-fledged divine warrior, complete with wings and resistance to necrotic, psychic, and radiant damage. The icing on the cake is the power to spend a reaction and a use of Rage to resurrect a nearby creature that's dropped to zero hit points. They'll get back on their feet with a generous number of hit points equal to your Barbarian level.

Path of the World Tree

Found in: 2024 Player's Handbook

Path of the World Tree Barbarians share a cosmic connection with the otherworldly tree Yggdrasil, which fuels their powers. This is a teleport-happy subclass that gives the standard Barbarian class some interesting area control options, plus plenty of temporary hit points.

Any time these Barbarians rage, they gain temp HP equal to their class level, for example. They can also choose to grant temporary HP to an ally within 10 feet at the start of every turn. These equal a number of d6s equal to the Barb's Rage damage bonus.

From level six, World Tree Barbarians can summon ghostly tree branches as a reaction, which can be used to teleport a target to a space within five feet of you. The teleport also reduces the target's speed to zero - perfect for nabbing pesky ranged attackers.

At higher levels, these Barbarians have an extended melee reach and the ability to push and topple enemies regardless of their chosen weapon mastery. They'll also gain the power to teleport 60 feet whenever they Rage or spend a bonus action to do so. Plus, once per Rage, they can teleport a whopping 150 feet, bringing up to six friends with them. It's the perfect get-out-of-jail-free move.

Path of Wild Magic

Found in: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

If you think that all the other Barbarian Paths are too reserved and sensible, you want the Path of Wild Magic Barbarian.

There are a couple of sensible abilities for this class: Magic Awareness provides an intuitive awareness of the presence of magic, while Bolstering Magic can restore low-level spell slots to spellcasters, or grant characters a bonus d3 to their attacks and ability checks.

The real chaos starts when the Wild Magic Barbarian enters a Rage. Thanks to Wild Surge, you'll roll on the Wild Magic table and gain a random benefit for the duration of the Rage. That could be the ability to summon exploding pixies next to their enemy, unleash a blinding beam of radiant energy from their chest, teleport 30 feet, or all sorts of other chaos.

Unstable Backlash lets the Barbarian roll again on the table when they suffer damage or fail a saving throw, immediately unleashing the effect and applying the new one for the duration of the combat. Controlled Surge is almost an anticlimax, allowing you to roll two dice on the Wild Magic table and choose the result you prefer.

There's no way to optimize a Wild Magic Barbarian. That will frustrate the min-maxer at the table - but you'll be laughing too hard to care.

Looking for even more tabletop RPG info? Here are the DnD books coming up on this year's DnD release schedule.

This guide directly presents rules text for the DnD 5e Barbarian class, published by Wizards of the Coast under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.