Barbarians got a thorough working that refines, revises, and renames many aspects of the class.
Playing the Barbarian is strongly rooted in its attachment of nature and it mechanically centers Rage as the core feature of the class. Barbarian gameplay is about two main things: increasing damage dealt and withstanding damage taken.
Core Features
The starting equipment options see the option of any martial or simple weapon removed,
as well as javelins. The starting count of handaxes increases to 4 (from 2).
The new 3rd level feature Primal Knowledge provides an additional skill proficiency in Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, or Survival.
Feral Instinct at 7th level now grants Advantage on Initiative rolls, effectively countering the Disadvantage now imposed by Surprise. Formerly, Surprise preempted the surprised party’s turns for the first round of combat. This should allow a Surprised Barbarian to make a normal Initiative roll.
Withstanding and Avoiding Damage
Barbarians have always had their base DC, when not wearing any armor, increased by both Dexterity and Constitution modifiers and there is no change to their Unarmored Defense.
At 2nd level, Danger Sense is no longer impeded by the Deafened or Blinded conditions and otherwise is unchanged.
Indomitable Might, at 18th level, now also applies to Strength saving throws, not just checks.
Like all classes, 19th level Barbarians gain an Epic Boon.
The 20th level Primal Champion feature increases the maximum possible Strength and Constitution Ability scores to 25 (from 24).
Increasing Damage Dealt
Barbarians get Weapon Mastery with two weapon types starting at 1st level. The types increases to three at 4th level and four at 10th level.
Reckless Attack
PHB24 clarifies the duration of its effects to the start of the Barbarian’s next turn. The prior “during this turn” language had this same spirit, which was not conveyed by the letter of it.
Brutal Strike
This is PHB24’s redesign of '14’s Brutal Critical and replaces the old feature’s reliance on critical hits with a more consistent damage bonus and additional effects. This feature applies only to Strength-based Reckless Attacks that are not at Disadvantage.
Beginning at 9th level the Barbarian can choose not to roll its Attack with Advantage in order to add 1d10 to the damage of any Strength Attack. The target of the attack is then either pushed directly back 15’, granting the Barbarian movement without Opportunity Attacks, or the target’s Speed is reduced by 15’.
At 13th level, the Barbarian’s effect options expand to also include either to impose Disadvantage on the target’s next saving throw or buff the next Attack roll against that target by +5.
The damage bonus is increased to 2d10 at 17th level, and the Barbarian may impose any two of the available effects.
Rage
Rage is now explicitly disallowed when wearing Heavy Armor, and donning Heavy Armor immediately ends Rage. The Barbarian class does not grant proficiency with Heavy Armor but various backgrounds and feats may.
The general operation of Rage is unchanged, but how it is expressed on the page is quite different from the 2014 version. The exception to this is that the maximum possible duration of Rage has increased to 10 minutes (from 1 minute).
In both versions, Rage is activated as a Bonus Action and ends at on a turn unless some activity extends it. PHB14 had it that Rage drops at the end of the current turn if the Barbarian has made no attack or taken no damage. PHB24 has it that Rage drops at the end of the Barbarian’s next turn unless extended by attempting an attack roll, forcing an enemy to make a saving throw, or by expending a Bonus Action to extend it. Any of these extends Rage by another round, but they do not stack beyond the next round. Extending by a Bonus Action does not expend uses of Rage.
At 7th level, the new Instinctive Pounce allows the Barbarian to immediately move up to half of its Speed (presumably without using its Speed) as part of the Bonus Action used to activate Rage.
Relentless Rage at 11th level still boosts survivability when Rage is active and damage reduces the Barbarian to 0 HP (without outright killing them). A success on the Constitution saving throw now grants (this is not healing) double the Barbarian level in Hit Points, rather than just a single Hit Point as before.
The 15th level Persistent Rage now provides a once-per-Long-Rest replenishment of all spent Rage uses when rolling Initiative, rather than the “never-ending rage” of PHB14.
Subclass Options (Paths)
Path of the Berserker
Returning in '24 from '14, this class sees some changes to the implementation and order of features coming online.
Frenzy has been redesigned and removes the imposition of a level of Exhaustion for its use. The new version requires both Rage and Reckless Attack to add 1d6 damage dice per point of Rage Damage Bonus to Strength attacks. This is now an automatic damage bonus, rather than a Bonus Action, but it applies only to the first attack made on the turn.
Mindless Rage works as before but now ends Charmed or Frightened rather than just suspending them while Rage is active.
Retaliation now becomes available at 10th level (formerly 14th), and includes melee weapon or Unarmed Strikes.
Starting at 14th level (formerly 10th), Intimidating Presence is available and has been re-implemented as a Bonus Action (formerly Action) and a 30-foot Emanation (vs a single target); it also remains active for 1 minute (formerly until end of turn). The DC to save against its effects no longer adds the Charisma modifier, and is limited to one per Long Rest.
Path of the Wild Heart
This was previously named the Path of the Totem Warrior and is largely a renaming of that subclass to satisfy cultural concerns and to better align with the features being named.
Animal Seeker is the new name for the 3rd level Spirit Seeker.
Totem Spirit has been renamed Rage of the Wilds and no longer requires a persistent animal aspect selection. The aspect is now chosen upon activating Rage. The bestial aspects have the following changes:
- Bear - still provides damage resistances except against Force, Necrotic, Psychic, and Radiant (formerly just Psychic)
- Eagle - No longer imposes Disadvantage on incoming Opportunity Attacks. Instead applies both Dash and Disengage when activating Rage and optionally as Bonus Action for the duration
- Wolf - No change
Aspect of the Wilds replaces Aspect of the Beast and provides additional animal aspects that stack with Animal Seeker options. These are persistent effects that remain until changed at a Long Rest.
- Owl - Adds 60’ of Darkvision, either granting or extending its range
- Panther - Grants Climb equal to Speed
- Salmon - Grants Swim equal to Speed
Nature Speaker only has slightly different flavor text than Spirit Walker, which it replaces
Power of the Wilds replaces Totemic Attunement similarly to how Rage of the Wilds and Aspect of the Wilds were changed. These are selected when activating Rage:
- Falcon - Grants Fly equal to Speed
- Lion - Attackers within 5 feet have Disadvantage on targets other than you, or another Path of the Wild Heart Barbarian
- Ram - Can impose the Prone condition on a Large (or smaller) enemy when hitting them with a melee attack
Path of the World Tree
This is a new subclass introduced in 2024 and it infuses the Barbarian with some of the abilities of a Druid. It appears to focus on crowd control, battlefield movement, and includes some healing.
Path of the Zealot
Imported from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, it brings some distinctly Paladin-like options to the Barbarian.
Divine Fury - the only change is to allow the bonus damage to apply to Unarmed Strikes as well as weapon Attacks
Warrior of the Gods is completely re-imagined to grant up to 4d12 of healing as a Bonus Action on yourself. The number of dice in the pool increases by one at each of 6th, 12th, and 17th level. Previously this only eliminated the material spell components needed to restore the Barbarian to life.
Fanatical Focus, 6th level, is unchanged.
At 10th level, Zealous Presence no longer requires that the chosen creatures be able to hear the Barbarian, and its use can be replenished by expending a use of Rage as a free action.
The 14th level Rage of the Gods fully replaces Rage Beyond Death and, once per Long Rest, grants Fly equal to your Speed for 1 minute or until reaching 0 HP. The replaced feature allowed the Barbarian to remain conscious and active while at 0 HP.