Why Play Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian?

Hammer of Diablo 4 Items the Ancients has always been a signature Barbarian skill: simple, hard-hitting, and satisfying. Historically, its drawback was a small area of effect, making it feel weaker in dense encounters. Season 10 fixes this weakness with new synergies that expand its range and unlock incredible damage scaling.

Key improvements include:

Aspects of Ancestral Force and Mantle of the Mountain's Fury drastically extend HotA's radius, turning single-target slams into room-clearing attacks.
Saber of Tsasgal stacks powerful multipliers when paired with Frenzy and utility skills.
A reworked Ramaladni's Magnum Opus pairs with Furious Hammer of the Ancients, creating unmatched scaling potential.

The result? A Barbarian that can obliterate bosses with single slams while also excelling at area damage.

Season 10: Infernal Chaos Overview

Season 10 introduces the Infernal Chaos theme, which directly benefits HotA Barbarians. Players encounter Infernal Portals across Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, and Infernal Hordes, where enemies drop Infernal Warp, the seasonal currency.

Infernal Warp unlocks two major systems:

Chaos Perks - Equip up to three standard perks (Magic, Rare, or Legendary) plus one Unique Chaos Perk obtained by defeating Bartuc, the Warlord of Blood, in Infernal Hordes.
Chaos Armor - Twisted versions of Uniques that drop in alternate gear slots, allowing unprecedented combinations and build flexibility.

These seasonal systems provide HotA Barbarians with stronger Fury generation, higher Overpower consistency, and more survivability.

Best Chaos Perks for HotA Barbarian

Choosing the right Chaos Perks is critical for maximizing this build's potential.

Accelerating Chaos - Grants cooldown resets, making it possible to maintain Wrath of the Berserker nearly 100% of the time.
Marred Guard - Halves health but grants huge Armor and Resistances. It pairs perfectly with risky playstyles and synergizes with A Beast Cornered.
Deafening Chorus - Boosts Shouts by 50% and extends their uptime indefinitely, resulting in permanent buffs, Fury generation, and unstoppable effects.

Unique Chaos Perk:

A Beast Cornered - Increases both offense and defense as your health drops, rewarding aggressive players who thrive on buy duriel mats the edge.

Together, these perks make the HotA Barbarian an unkillable damage machine.