Diablo 4 has five different classes, each encouraging a different playstyle. However, if you want to choose the best tank class, you should choose Barbarian or Druid.
Key Takeaways
Barbarian and Druids can be considered the two tank classes in Diablo 4. Therefore, given below are our picks and breakdown of builds you can create for both classes:
- Barbarian & Tank Build:
- High DPS and Health Resilience: Ideal for frontline combat.
- Weapon Expertise: Unique ability to equip four weapons simultaneously.
- Versatile Skills: Lunging Strike, Upheaval, Rallying Cry, Charge, Steel Grasp, Wrath of Berserker.
- Defensive Focus: Lunging Strike for lifesteal, Upheaval for crowd control, Rallying Cry for support.
- Weapon Mastery: Steel Grasp for vulnerability, Wrath of Berserker for transformation.
- Passive Skills: Tough as Nails, Imposing Presence, Guttural Yell, Thick Skin, Counteroffensive.
- Druid and Tank Build:
- Shapeshifting Abilities: Transform into powerful Werebears for high attack damage.
- Spirit Boons: Unlock unique Spirit offerings for additional powers.
- Effective Skills: Storm Strike, Pulverize, Earthen Bulwark, Wolves, Hurricane, Grizzly Rage.
- Defensive Focus: Pulverize for crowd control, Earthen Bulwark for protection, Hurricane for slowing enemies.
- Companion Support: Wolves for additional attacks, Grizzly Rage for aggressive and defensive advantages.
- Passive Skills: Circle of Life for healing, Bad Omen for lightning strikes, Mending for increased healing, Call of the Wind for companion damage bonus.
I enjoyed playing with Tank classes in Diablo 4. Therefore, I have tried my best to give a complete breakdown of the two tank classes and the builds you can create with them.
– Shahzar Khalique
Barbarian
A tank class that we would 100% recommend, the Barbarian, is also amongst the most picked class in Diablo 4. The Barbarian class is perfect for someone who wants to fight in the face of the enemy, with its high DPS (Damage per second) and extraordinary health resilience.
In addition, an exclusive mechanic for the Barbarian class is the Weapon expertise, which is unlocked at level 5. Each weapon has a unique technique, which is ranked between 0 to 10.
Barbarians are the only class to equip four weapons at a time. It allows you to have two two-handed weapons and two one-handed weapons equipped at a time. However, you will use each depending on the skill you use.
Barbarian Tank Build
This is a highly defensive build, which will enable you to survive through more difficult bosses with ease. You must get high-level skills to enhance the tank build fully.
Active Skills
- Lunging Strike: In this skill, the barbarian Swings forward to deal damage to the enemy. I suggest you upgrade to enhanced and combat Lunging strike. Thanks to that, it will now do 30% extra damage while also healing you 2% of your max life when fighting a healthy enemy, which is an excellent bit of Lifesteal.
- Upheaval: This powerful skill is closest to a ranged attack with the Barbarian. It tears into the ground and generates a shockwave and debris, which damages enemies. It is perfect for crowd control.
- Rallying Cry: This active skill will generate a deep roar, increasing the movement speed of both you and your nearby allies. In addition to that, it will also boost your resource generation.
- Charge: This brawling skill will make you unstoppable and inflict knockback on all enemies in your way. This skill has no cooldown, making it perfect for our tank build.
- Steel Grasp: This weapon mastery skill will unleash a trio of chains that will inflict damage while pulling on the targets. Upgrading it to an Enhanced steel grasp will also make enemies vulnerable for 2.5 seconds.
- Wrath of Berserker: This ultimate skill will transform the Barbarian into an iron giant. This will also make you unstoppable and berserk for 10 seconds. In addition to that, this skill enhances your movement speed and damage done.
The table below summarizes the active skills you need to pick for the best tank class. You may be interested in multiple other builds, depending on your playstyle. You can check out the top 3 barbarian builds in Diablo 4.
| Skill Name | Type of Skill |
| Lunging Strike | Basic Skill |
| Upheaval | Core Skill |
| Rallying Cry | Defensive Skill |
| Charge | Brawling Skill |
| Steel Grasp | Weapon Mastery Skill |
| Wrath of Berserker | Ultimate Skill |
Passive Skills
- Tough as Nails: This passive talent will increase your thorns by 3%. This means it will damage all enemies that hit you as bleeding damage.
- Imposing Presence: The imposing presence will give you an extra 15% of your maximum life, making it perfect for a tank build for the Barbarian.
- Guttural Yell: The Guttural yell is perfect for a tank build because it will reduce enemies’ attack damage by 10% for 10 seconds. Stopping others from hurting you is the ideal skill for a tank build.
- Thick skin: This passive skill will increase your survivability by increasing your base life whenever you take direct damage. The amount of health regained will depend on the rank of this skill.
- Counteroffensive: This skill will give you a 12% damage buff if you have Fortify for more than half of your health. Making you more dangerous and challenging to defeat.
Pros and Cons
- High Survivability
- Crowd Control
- Resource Boost
- Limited Damage Output
- Skill Dependence
- Cooldown Management
Druid
Druids are essentially shapeshifters who can turn into agile werewolves or menacing bears. This class is one of my favorite classes and provides a few more skills than the Barbarian. They provide significant damage and are an excellent tank class you should consider.
Let me remind you that this class starts weak and a bit slow, which may seem frustrating in the beginning. However, rest assured it is one of the most potent classes after you rank up and unlock some fantastic skills. In addition, if you want to focus on a tanky build, you can do that by concentrating on Bear skills.
A unique mechanic for the Druid is Spirit Boons, which can only be unlocked by Druids at level 15. Spirit offerings will start dropping after you kill enemies, which you will be able to collect. This will allow you to save up offerings and give them to any of the four Spirits in Tur Dulra.
Druid Tank Build
A complete tank build would be the Bear build, which has fantastic defensive abilities.
Active Skills
- Storm Strike: This skill is a melee attack that bounces electric shocks between 3 enemies. You’ll receive a 25% damage reduction till 3 seconds when you hit an enemy with a Storm strike. This has no cooldown, so you can spam it for however long.
- Pulverize: This skill will shapeshift you into a werebear and produce shockwaves by slamming the ground. It is perfect for crowd control and is much more effective if you upgrade it to the raging Pulverize.
- Earthen Bulwark: This defensive skill will protect you by summoning rocks around you, absorbing 63% of your base life (after a complete upgrade). Even though this skill lasts only 3 seconds, it is ample time to reposition and heal yourself.
- Wolves: This is a companion skill, meaning you will spawn wolf companions who attack enemies. They will lunge at the enemy to bite them and deal damage.
- Hurricane: This skill will cast a hurricane around you, which will not only slow down enemy attacks but also deal considerable damage to them. It lasts for 8 seconds and has a cooldown time of 20 seconds.
- Grizzly Rage: This ultimate will transform you into a werebear and grant you insane aggressive and defensive advantages. Moreover, you will regenerate your spirit faster, lasting only 10 seconds.
| Skill Name | Type of Skill |
| Storm Strike | Basic Skill |
| Pulverize | Core Skill |
| Earthen Bulwark | Defensive Skill |
| Wolves | Companion Skill |
| Hurricane | Wrath Skill |
| Grizzly Rage | Ultimate Skill |
Passive Skills
- Circle of Life: This passive skill is one of the best and a must-have due to its insane healing powers. It allows you to heal 3% of your maximum life when you consume spirit.
- Bad Omen: When fully upgraded to this skill, it will give you a 30% chance of spawning a lightning bolt whenever you hit a vulnerable, stunned, or immobilized enemy.
- Mending: This passive skill is handy because it gives you 5% additional healing from all sources if you are in werebear form. A tanky build surely needs good healing to improve survivability.
- Call of the Wind: This passive skill is particularly unique because it enhances the power of your companions. After upgrading this skill to the max, it will provide your companions with a 30% damage bonus.
Pros and Cons
- Versatile Defense
- Healing Abilities
- Companion Boost
- Short-duration Skills
- Cooldowns
- Resource Management
You can find other amazing builds for Druid for a different playstyle that suits you.
My Experience With Druid & Barbarian
Druids and Barbarians are among my favorite classes in Diablo 4. Although Wizards and Necromancers are fun to play, I was always frustrated by their weak bodies. I enjoy being in the middle of the horde of enemies and crushing them all from within, which can not be done by a less tanky class.
Druids, even though slow at the start, can transform into different beasts, which kept the gameplay fresh and diverse for me. If you want to play it safe and play as a class that has expertise in hand-to-hand combat, then I recommend playing as Barbarian or the Druid class.
Also, you can quickly improve your gameplay and strategies by reading more in-depth articles on our website:
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A gamer through and through, I’ve spent countless hours honing my skills in competitive FPS games like Counter-Strike and Valorant. When I’m not immersed in the high-stakes world of multiplayer shooters, I find solace in the mesmerizing narratives of games like The Last of Us and the Batman Arkham series.
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