In Diablo 4, the Barbarian class is accompanied by a new weapons system called the “Arsenal System.” The Arsenal system allows you to select which weapons to use for specific skills. This is an exciting new gameplay mechanic that could really expand a Barbarian player’s build potential. Learn more about the Arsenal System and how to swap your weapons.
How to Swap Weapons as a Barbarian in Diablo 4
To swap weapons on your Barbarian, hit the S key to bring up the skill menu. Hover over an active skill and hit the middle mouse button to cycle through your desired weapons.
The Arsenal System will automatically be enabled when you reach level 5. There is no quest line that needs to be completed.
There are four possible weapon selections:
- Auto-Select
- Dual Wield
- Bludgeoning
- Slicing
Weapons will default to auto-select when you first equip a new skill.
At Level 5, you will unlock Weapon Expertise which is accessible by hitting the Shift+C keys together. Using certain weapons will increase your experience with them and give you bonuses as you level them up. There is a max level of 10 for each weapon type.
Barbarians can have Expertise in seven different weapon groups.
- One-Handed Axe
- One-Handed Mace
- Two-Handed Axe
- Polearm
- Two-Handed Sword
- Two-Handed Mace
Once a weapon is mastered, you also get an additional bonus. Here is the bonus breakdown for each weapon type.
- One-Handed Axe
- Rank 10 – 5.0% increased Critical Strike Chance against injured enemies. Double this amount when using two Axes.
- Rank 10 Additional Bonus – Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes have up to a 55% chance to grant 6% increased Attack Speed for 2 seconds. Double the Attack Speed bonus when using two Axes.
- One-Handed Mace
- Rank 10 – 10% increased damage to Stunned enemies. Double this amount when using two Maces.
- Rank 10 Additional Bonus – Lucky Hit: Up to a 10% chance to gain Berserking for 1.50 seconds when you hit a Stunned enemy. Double this chance when using two Maces.
- One-Handed Sword
- Rank 10 – Up to a 10% chance to gain 5 Fury when hitting a Crowd Controlled enemy. Double this chance when using two Swords.
- Rank 10 Additional Bonus – Killing a Crowd Controlled enemy grants 15% increased Attack Speed for 3 seconds. Double this amount for kills with two Swords.
- Two-Handed Axe
- Rank 10 – 15.0% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.
- Rank 10 Additional Bonus – 10% increased Critical Strike Chance against Vulnerable enemies.
- Polearm
- Rank 10 – 10% increased Lucky Hit Chance.
- Rank 10 Additional Bonus – You deal 10% increased damage while Healthy.
- Two-Handed Sword
- Rank 10 – 20% of direct damage you deal is inflicted as Bleeding damage over 5 seconds.
- Rank 10 Additional Bonus – You deal 30% increased Bleeding damage for 5 seconds after killing an enemy.
- Two-Handed Mace
- Rank 10 – Up to a 10% chance to gain 2 Fury when hitting an enemy. Double the mount of Fury gained while Berserking.
- Rank 10 Additional Bonus – You deal 15% increased Critical Strike Damage to Stunned and Vulnerable enemies while Berserking.
At the start, you will likely want to swap your skills to your best weapon, but as you unlock more skills, you can level specific weapons and combine your expertise bonuses between moves for maximum firepower. Have fun with the new Arsenal System, and let us know your favorite weapon combos.
