Though it might sound obvious, it’s important to remember thatDungeons and Dragonsis a game about fantasy. Yes, this usually means ‘fantasy’ in the sense of an otherworldly realm with Tolkein-esque elves and spellcasters wearing funny hats, at least until your DM is seized by a dark madness and tries converting the entire 5e ruleset into a gritty,hard-sci-fi spacefaringgame (please, just play Starfinder 2e or something).
What ‘fantasy’ also means, however, is an impossible, ideal experience realized through imagination. For many people, playing as a nigh-omnipotent spellcaster able to change the shape of a continent or summon meteor storms is their fantasy. Many D&D players, however,have simpler tastes. For some, an ideal fantasy is being a huge, hulking brute, taking out several foes with a single swing, and realizing the power of raw, unmatched physical strength. For those wanting to live the life of a powerful Barbarian, these builds will take those rage-fuelled powers to their absolute peak.
4Bugbear Path of the Giant
Unprecedented Control Over The Battlefield
The Barbarian’s strength as a class comes from how straightforward it is, so it’s fitting that one of the most overpowered builds this class can have relies little on tinkering with game mechanics or balancing multiclass levels. A simple piece of synergy between a race and subclass, augmented with some feats, can create one of the strongestmelee-oriented buildsavailable, especially in early game.
The synergy here is simple. The Bugbear has an extra 5ft of reach on any melee weapons, meaning something like a pike or halberd now has 15ft reach instead of 10. When a Path of the Giant Barbarian rages, not only does their size increase by one level, but they gain a further 5ft of reach, meaning a raging Bugbear can now attack with melee range from 20 ft away. Combine this with thepolearm master featthat gives the Barbarian an opportunity attack whenever an enemy comes within 20ft of them, and the sentinel feat that stops enemy movement after taking an opportunity attack, and this class now has unprecedented control over the battlefield, able to lock down choke points or strike from afar with ease.
3Echo Knight/Path of Ancestral Guardian Multiclass
A Flavorful And Unique Build For Knowledgeable Players
One of the more nuanced and interesting Fighter subclasses in D&D 5eis the Echo Knight, which allows players to switch places on the battlefield with a shadowy afterimage of themselves that can also deal damage and draw enemy aggression away from more fragile classes like Wizards or Sorcerers. The Echo Knight gives unprecedented control over positioning during fights, but this class is at its best when it’s used to augment a Barbarian foundation.
The Ancestral Guardian Barbarian gives enemies disadvantage when hitting anyone except the Barbarian, making them an exceptional tank in a class usually more suited to DPS. This disadvantage extends to the Barbarian’s echo, meaning that the Barbarian can swap with the echo after attacking to maximize enemy disadvantage. Any race that is usually suited to Barbarians can do, such as Goliaths or Orcs, but the Astral Elf has a unique teleportation ability that synergizes well here, and the Hadozee has a dodge feature that can ensure a struck enemy has disadvantage on, well, everyone.
2Yuan Ti Path Of The Zealot
Hard To Kill And Harder To Hurt
Inspired by other, holy-focused classessuch as the Paladinbut retaining that distinctive Barbarian style, the Path of the Zealot instills holy fervor into a Barbarian’s rage, and the result is one of the most enduring and powerful subclasses available in the fifth edition. This build begins popping off really from level 3 when the subclass is chosen, but the true synergy with the Yuan-Ti race begins at level 6 - not to mention that by then, a feat or ASI and an extra attack will be in the player’s belt.
The Yuan-Ti has advantage on all magic saving throws and poison saving throws, which, combined with their high constitution as a Barbarian, means that poisoning will essentially never be an issue. The resistance to poison damage also compounds nicely with the physical resistances from Rage. Topping this off however, is the Zealot’s 6th level ability, Fanatical Focus, which lets a player reroll a failed spell save once per rage, essentially giving triple advantage on a spell or poison saving throw.
1Githzerai Bear Totem Barbarian
Double Your Effective Health Pool
The Githyanki were made popular in no small amount due to their presence inthe story ofBaldur’s Gate 3, but what was only briefly mentioned in this title were the cerebrally inclined counterparts to these fierce telekinetic warriors, the Githzerai. The Githzerai were known for focusing more on telekinetic powers that let them shape reality or use spells, instead of using it to bolster their physical strength like the Githyanki, but this build shows that the Githzerai can just as easily focus on taking and dishing out physical damage.
This is another straightforward example of an overpowered build. The Totem Barbarian’s Bear Totem grants them resistance to all damage types when they rage, except psychic. Can you guess what damage type the Githzerai naturally resist? Correct, ten points. With the Githzerai’s psychic resistant and the Bear Totem’s everything else resistance, a raging totem Barbarian essentially has their health pool doubled due to all damage being halved. Combined with advantage on dexterity saving throws, this build can take an extreme amount of punishment and still be up for a fight.
