Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous - How To Build A Barbarian (2024)

Few other classes are as easy to customize, and in a game like Pathfinder where class choices are a dominant feature, the Barbarian is more popular than ever. It's a favorite of experienced players and beginners alike, and the Pathfinder version of the Barbarian has some features and options that fill in gaps like a low AC and no spellcasting or stealth abilities. This is a class with the potential for some very creative and unique builds.

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Barbarians in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous have access to more than a wide variety of weapons to customize their features. Different types of Backgrounds and Heritage choices can be used to further customize the class. Other options include multi-classing, Prestige classes, deities, and other diverse features. Although this is primarily a martial class that shines in the height of battle, Pathfinder: WotR makes it possible for a Barbarian to fill almost any role. The first thing you do when making a character in Pathfinder: WotR is choosing your class, and what follows is the allocation of ability scores.

The Barbarian - Character Creation

Ability Scores

• Strength - The Barbarian's most important ability score regardless of build. Others can vary depending on whether the character will focus on ranged or melee damage.
• Constitution - Extra hit points are always great. but this is of greater importance to the Barbarian who often fights within close range with a relatively low AC.
• Dexterity - Barbarians that plan to stay out of melee damage and use weapons that are ranged or have a longer reach can prioritize Dextrerity over Consitution, but players should be advised this is a more unconventional build.
• Wisdom - Not a typical Barbarian ability score, but this is the stat that covers spellcasting for certain classes so keep an eye on it if you plan to multiclass.
• Intelligence - Close to a "dump stat" unless this build includes some spellcasting abilities or a multi-class with a spellcasting class that uses the score.
• Charisma - Not only is this the least important ability score for the Barbarian class, but it doesn't even fit with the general tone of the character. That's not to say more ambitious players can try to roll and more likable Barbarian, especially those that are thinking about multiclassing.

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Party Roles

Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous Companions Art

Barbarians are easy to play anyway, and Pathfinder streamlines that process even more so they can take on any party role. Defense is usually where the Barbarians are weak, being a class that does damage as opposed to taking it. However, in Pathfinder: WotR there are ways to build a tank or defender.

• Damage and Crowd Control - This kind of Barbarian splits their time between drawing aggressive characters away from the healers and casters and damaging enemies. This is usually a melee build, but depending on the exact details, you could also build a ranged Barbarian.
• Defense - This is not the usual role that a Barbarian takes, but there are subclasses, Feats, and Backgrounds that can make it work. For those who are multiclassing this is also an important consideration.
• Striker - The classic big numbers damage dealer, this is the Barbarian that one-hits their enemies before they even see them coming or bludgeons them into submission in short order. This works as either a ranged or melee build and could be the most fun when it comes to the sheer variety of weapons available.

Racial Choices

Barbarians are simple characters with simple needs, and considering how many choices Pathfinder: WotR gives you when it comes to customizing your class, there are very few Barbarian race-class combos that are without any merit. Barbarians can have a variety of backstories and the game has very few restrictions regarding class and race combinations. The class is also free from any ties to certain deities or moral alignments, making them one of the most versatile classes regardless of the race chosen.

• Aasimar: This race is mostly about Charisma, so although some Heritage choices include improvements to either Strength or Consitution but not both it's not an ideal choice.
• Dhampir: A nice choice when it comes to ability scores because many options for a Dhampir include bonuses to the most important stats. However, it's tricky to heal this race and a Barbarian typically takes a lot of damage.
• Dwarf: It seems like a good combination at first, but unless you're building a Cleric-Barbarian multiclass the lack of a Strength buff makes this a fair choice but not the best one.
• Elf: Not exactly the image of the big burly Barbarian, but some creative builds that include ranged weapon proficiencies can make this work.
• Gnome: With a minus to Strength right from the start, you might want to look elsewhere, although the +2 bonus to Consitution gives the build some hope.

• Half-Elf: A great choice for a pure Barbarian or a multiclass since that +2 ability score bonus can go into any ability score the player chooses.
• Half-Orc: Here's your big mean fighting machine. With skills like Orc Ferocity and Keen Senses, this is the Barbarian that lays waste to the enemy.
• Halfling: Like the Gnome, this race takes a Strength penalty so it's one of the lesser choices. However, Halflings get a Dexterity buff so it's not a total loss.
• Human: One of the natural choices thanks to the highly-customizable nature of Humans, who get a +2 bonus to any ability and other perks, like an extra Feat.
• Kitsune: The Kitsune has the same bonuses and penalties as a Halfing, with a bonus to Dexterity but a penalty to Strength. It can work with an unconventional build.
• Oread: This race could be tailor-made for the Barbarian class. Two of the three choices for the Oread racial Heritage include bonuses to Strength if you don't mind a penalty to Charisma or Wisdom.
• Tiefling: There are several possible choices for a Heritage for the Tiefling and a few include Strength bonuses, such as the Pitborn and Hungerseed. They can also use certain spells once a day, which is handy if your Barbarian wants to go into a Prestige Class that includes some Arcane knowledge or basic spellcasting.

The Barbarian Subclasses

Barbarians are associated with certain abilities, all of them associated with increased movement speed, little or no armor, and the ability to go into a rage that ignores a certain amount of physical damage. That's true for Pathfinder as well but the same types of "berserker rage" don't exist for every Barbarian Archetype, and some Barbarians don't have the ability at all.

• Armored Hulk - As the name suggests, this is the Archetype to choose if you're building a Defender. These Barbarians can equip heavy armor and have improved movement while fully clad in plate, but in exchange, they give up other fast movement abilities like Uncanny Dodge.
• Beastkin Berserker - Here's another Archetype that gains an ability, in this case, the power of Feral Transformation, in return for giving up the fast-movement abilities. They have some Rage-related abilities but not as many as other subclasses.
• Instinctual Warrior - This is the Barbarian that always sees their enemy first. They seem to have an intuitive sense for when and where their enemies will appear but they have the same armor proficiencies as a squishy caster.
• Invulnerable Rager - No dodge or Danger Sense, but who needs it when you have improved damage reduction and Extreme Endurance. Hack and slash at will.
• Mad Dog - An ideal choice for Barbarians that are party leaders or working towards a defense or crowd control-oriented build, this Archetype has abilities like Pack Tactics and Animal Companion.
• Pack Rager - Another ideal choice for the Barbarian that's in a leadership position, this Barbarian gets their rage-related abilities later in exchange for an extra Feat and Raging Tactician.

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Prestige Classes And Multi-Classing Options

Multi-classing a character is one way to either close some gaps in a character's abilities if there's not a subclass that can fill the void instead. Pathfinder: WotR offers so many options already that you might feel it's unnecessary, but the option is there for the ambitious, the creative, and the curious. It's also one way to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices involved.

A common point to start is the most important ability score, Strength - but Barbarians can also favor Constitution and Dexterity. The class might get some extra ability score bonuses and Feats depending on their choices of racial Heritage or diety. Classes in the Pathfinder universe don't "dual-class" . This means that a character can progress with two classes for a while but then chooses one to level while the other remains static, providing only a few basic abilities.

Pathfinder characters already have a lot of options when it comes to multi-classing and customization, so it's not a feature you'll miss when playing WotR. Keep in mind that a character needs an ability score of at least 13 in certain areas in order to be able to multiclass, and some Archetypes and Prestige classes can be just as useful when it comes to putting the final touches on your character.

Regular Classes

• Alchemist - It seems odd at first, but if your Barbarian has a decent Dexterity score, these classes have a few things in common that make them a good match. Both classes don't wear a lot of armor and are mainly DPS classes, plus this can give the Barbarian extra abilities when it comes to potions.
• Bloodrager - There's a lot of overlap here when it comes to common martial and rage-related abilities, but this class uses Charisma for spellcasting, which means your Barbarian has to have a Charisma score of 13.
• Cleric - As long as a Barbarian has a sufficient Wisdom score this is an ideal combination. Barbarians don't wear a lot of armor anyway, which is common for most healers, and Clerics are versatile enough to work in a build that does any role.
• Fighter - This vintage class, which has been in RPGs since they were new, combines well with anything and also utilizes Strength as its primary ability score. Use a Fighter to give a Barbarian better options for armor and finesse weapons.
• Kineticist - Here's a DPS class that depends on the movement of kinesis to burn things or blow them up. Combine that with a Barbarian's capacity for destruction and the result is a savage damage dealer. Most of their abilities are Consitution-based, making them a nice fit for the Barbarian.
• Rogue - This might not work unless Dexterity is a priority in the build, but it's a decent choice for a Barbarian that specializes in ranged damage.
• Slayer - A nice combination when it comes to arms and armor abilities, but the Slayer's special abilities are based on Intelligence so this Barbarian might have to be smarter than others.
• Warpriest - Similar to the Cleric when it comes to their party role and spellcasting abilities, which are tied to a certain diety and based on their Wisdom ability score. The Warpriest takes more of a support and damage role than a healer, which means this multi-class option makes more sense for a build more focused on control and damage.

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Prestige Classes

• Assassin - Barbarians that have some points in Stealth and an Evil moral alignment can train as Assassins. Barbarians aren't exactly a sneaky class, but Archetypes like Instinctual Warrior or Pack Leader have abilities that heighten their senses and give them better reflexes.
• Stalwart Defender - An obvious choice for a Barbarian that wants to be on the defensive, this feels like a natural extension of the Armored Hulk Archetype. The Barbarian gives up some damage-dealing abilities to become a better defender and only a high Dodge and Toughness rating is required.
• Duelist - The close-combat fighting and the light to medium armor proficiencies make sense to the Barbarian class. The only tricky part here is the finesse weapon, so keep that in mind when choosing a Feat if you're going for this build.

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Examples Of Barbarian Builds

Raging Defender

• Party Role: Mainly defense, although whether or not that's the main tank or as support might depend on the party mechanics. These Barbarians have chosen Archetypes, Feats, or other special abilities that allow them to wear heavy armor and use more defensive weapons.
• Ideal Race: Oread, as this race has one of the best natural armor classes along with bonuses to both Consitution and Strength, the two most important ability scores for Defenders.
• Best Subclass: Armored Hulk, which gives the Barbarian the ability to wear heavy armor, which is essential for a character taking on a defensive position.
• Important Ability Scores: Consitution is the most important ability here since this Barbarian needs a lot of hit points and be able to withstand damage.

The Intuitive Warrior

• Party Role: This role is all about melee damage. Many Barbarian builds are based solely on heavy metal and big numbers, and that's what this one is about.
• Ideal Race: Teifling or Half-Orc, since these are the classes with the best combination of Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength. These are the scores that allow you to take more damage than other classes, handle your weapon with skill, and hit really hard.
• Best Subclass: Invulnerable Rager, Mad Dog
• Important Ability Scores: Strength is the focus here, with Dexterity also eking its way in, but that might depend on your character's specific weapon choice.

Beast Mode

Three animal companion portraits from Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous - Mastodon, Dog, and Velociraptor

• Party Role: Crowd Control is the main point of this build, which utilizes their own feral abilities and their animal companions to control and organize every fight. They can also act as the secondary damage dealer.
• Ideal Race: Tiefling, since they have the best options when it comes to either Dexterity or Strength buffs depending on their choice of racial Heritage.
• Best Subclass: Beastkin Berserker, Pack Leader
• Important Ability Scores: Constitution and Strength in equal measure with this build so this Barbarian can cover more than one enemy and maybe more than one party role.

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