Hammer of the Ancients (HOTA) Build Guide - Diablo 4 - Skills, Gear, Paragon Board, Glyphs and PvP

[@kristjanlukaj4177]

Hey brother I want to say thank you so much I've never seen a more detailed oriented build and I appreciate you putting it down below as well I was able to study it slowly since I always have a hard time with games like this trying to find a ride bill so thank you so much man I appreciate you have a blessed day

[@Doctor__Wiki]

Thank you for throwing this out there and clearing up some misrepresentations of the build and its viability. Excellent, as per the usual! TY, Cade!

[@MauticLive]

I don't really understand the build I seem to be missing points for some reason?

[@TheStudio_70]

Me too.

[@FearsomeWarrior]

Blue numbers are item level based. When you upgrade an item the area of effect or in this case the bubble for tagging an elite go up. When imprinting from codex that is the low based on whatever item level they base it on. Not bugged. You can even upgrade an item, rip the aspect, apply it, upgrade item, to double dip.

[@jahgonzaga7585]

Love your content, more power to you and your channel. No clickbait, just pure straight facts and content.

[@kioftor]

Straight to the fucking point. No fucking around. Great build looks like an improved version of mine. 10/10 would try

[@Tusk-ruk]

Great video. Be aware that 2H axe specialization when in the technique slot does not provide the +10% crit chance to vulnerable enemies. For boss fights in PvE you're better served by Flay instead of LS as it lets you apply vulnerable. You should credit Rob for the paragon board.

[@barricadettv]

Hey thanks for the feedback, where are you getting the info about the axe specialization?

[@Tusk-ruk]

@@barricadettv In the UI in-game, if you read the tooltip of the technique slot, you'll notice it only quotes the first property of the spec. Counterintuitive, I counted on the crit chance as well and was disappointed when I realized it wasn't in.

[@mauroa.4993]

Really? Wow.. dident know that thanks…

[@tomtiger8605]

@@barricadettvis The Affix good on Ur 1 Hand Weapon Bleeding Damage? Is Bleeding in HOTA not low? 🤔

[@TheJuggernaut32]

Thank you very much for detailed explanation and guide! Respect

[@kenchang1981]

thanks a lot for the tips, i find you guide very helpful. switched to your build and i am doing much better in damage and survivability

[@ZhurTaa]

Great video , this build is so much fun .

[@michaelsilva4084]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@barricadettv]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jarebare00]

I think I might like your paragon board better than mine. I'm 85, so I'm not maxed, but I use disembowel to try and lower cooldowns. I don't use WotB, I instead use kick which I find amazing as it not only stuns when they hit a wall or terrain but it makes them vulnerable again for 4 seconds. I also use imbiber and territorial. What's your honest take on those? I'm wondering if I should use might and mortal draw. I am trying to push higher nightmares. I'm into the early 60s now and hopefully by level 100 I can go higher. But, my dmg numbers are lower than your criteria. Our gear rolls are the same with yours being more maximized. Any thoughts? I put a little bit more defense into my skill tree as well. But, it'd be nice to see crits higher than 6m. I usually shout, lunge in, hota, hota if at full fury, if the elite isn't dead ill kick into a wall if a wall is around for the stun dmg and the 4 second vuln.

[@Hornsvinet]

Thank you, very nice explained etc.

[@Giorgiio69]

So u need to hit twice with hota to make benefit from vulnerable proc?

[@barricadettv]

yes

[@nacho7007]

Fantastic guide thank you so much.

[@undyingsonars]

9:48 wrong. You do not get the bonus expertise unless you are attacking with an axe which you are not in HOTA.

[@undyingsonars]

@@glandu9309 2h sword expertise. This allows you to proc bleed on all your hurts which gives you access to slow which gives you access to the slow crit chance boost buff which gives you access to any damage bump from slowed and crowd controlled which then also frees an aspect slot that he wasted to proc bleed for anything else.

[@undyingsonars]

@@glandu9309 Depends on your build. If you are using temerity pants sure. However, for high end content i recommend trying to roll for a pants with all damage reduction. So for me i currently have the one where each hit raises my power by 10% maxing at 30% on my 1h sword. Im always hitting things before smashing anyways so its an automatica 10% boost at the least.

[@undyingsonars]

@@glandu9309 Nope, once you Equip the xpertise you will always proc bleed even on a mace or 1h sword.

[@barricadettv]

Thanks for catching that and @glandu9309 - you can and probably should still use axe. It's one of the easiest ways to increase your vulnerable damage bucket for higher end hits. I will say, you can use anything that fits the playstyle you choose though. You're not locked down and must use only one thing, so that's a win!

[@Firechub3229]

Is it necessary to aim away from enemies? if so, is this build not worth doing on controller?

[@barricadettv]

yeah it is for the most part but you don't "have to" you will just miss out on dmg but still retain the radius affect.

[@Duskyming160]

Awesome build. Is it still viable after the nerfs? I heard that hota isn't even working the way its intended to and will be nerfed to the ground July 18th and upheaval is getting a buff. I could be wrong but I really want to try your build for a barb i want to create for season 1.

[@barricadettv]

time will tell, we need to see patch notes!

[@Toohottorot]

how did you get 62 skill points to allocate?

[@Giorgiio69]

Open map (tab) and press W so u can see bonuses with extra points to skill points.

[@xXCyb3rtrashXx]

Expetise says on me: When Using two handed axt, and not When using any weapon? They patch this??

[@BlasphemousMusic]

gonna try this one, hopefully its better then what i had. Man that Canadian really shows here with "showt" :)

[@B455PL4Y3R]

to get the bonus from mortal draw do you have to sneak in a basic attack everytime, or can you like basic attack once, then hold down hammer?

[@barricadettv]

you have to weave.

[@terekzingale775]

How is your mortal draw percent so high? Mine is at like 30%?

[@mauiyap]

Hi why do u have to target the hota away for the radius to his and not just directly target the enemy? Hope you can enlighten me thanks love your content!

[@barricadettv]

Because the Quake from the 2H Mace legendary actually hits for more damage than any direct hit. This is why you play this way.

[@mauiyap]

Why did u prioritize core skill damage additive instead of damage to close?

[@Therabbitking]

Pve you want ground stomp and the earthquake aspect which is bugged. You can do 70-80m crits and drop barrier also your 5th paragon should be imbiber gets you up to 15k sheet attack and doubles the dmg you do to healthy targets.

[@barricadettv]

Hey! This sounds interesting. One thing though - if you read the sheet dps - that is an "evaluation" and doesn't really do anything imo. It's just a guesstimation, sheet dps doesn't always correlate to much. You lose quite a bit of multiplicative dmg using imberer as well. Just a thought. Thanks for the feedback! Do you have a build link somewhere?

[@SlimAshenKing]

Alright I am somehow missing skill points yet have all of area's completed. Currently level 84 too

[@BLAYZNU]

Complete reknown challenges. You’ll get more points.

[@astrohanzo]

Gloves or helmets provide skill point additives, it's confusing sometimes, but yeah.

[@ledo1x]

Great guide, thanks! When I'm using HotA it has to be cast on an enemy, is there a key bind to change this?

[@wispy4652]

Press shift

[@wispy4652]

It's shift and click and u can cast without target

[@TaeKellz22]

​@@wispy4652what about console because ive tried and can't get it to work

[@xanii358]

How do you have 62 Skillpoints??? Makes no sense. Can you pls reupdate for 58 points?

[@warmanreaper]

?? Top left it says 58 spent. Anything more than 58 comes from gear

[@xanii358]

Ah ok i now realize you just have 1 point in Raylling cry an 4 extra points with Itembonus. There are my 4 missing points! Thx for your fast answer! Your build still works perfect for me. Keep up the great work!

[@jamesschultz5651]

Where are people getting all that Life from? Paragon, gear stats?

[@barricadettv]

yep.

[@ongkyiceroc6397]

how bout mortal draw ?

[@barricadettv]

this build is from the eternal format, and has aged okay... - That being said mortal draw is amazing and I would recommend it. Check out twitch.tv/barricade and type !builds then click the barb link for something more appropriate for season 1! Cheers-

[@jowlzaahNZ]

Why do you run that aspect on the gloves when you're better off running the straight 30% attack speed aspect which has more attack speed but is also ALWAYS up.

[@barricadettv]

moved into this and it was nice, I like the dabble in pvp so sometimes my gearing reflects that preference.

[@B455PL4Y3R]

What is the deal with that extra shockwave dps??

[@barricadettv]

its the ancestral echoes legendary ability that really pushes the damage so you try to hit away.

[@B455PL4Y3R]

@@barricadettv You explained nothing

[@barricadettv]

@@B455PL4Y3R The 2H Mace Legendary hits harder than directly hitting the mobs. So, turn backwards and hit. Or, catch mobs in the blue quake that is created. That's how it works.

[@B455PL4Y3R]

@@barricadettv what doesnt make sense is it says it does 100% of the damage, not increased or anything, so in my mind it should do the same amount of damage, its odd.

[@barricadettv]

@@B455PL4Y3R oh it's odd alright.

[@smokedham113]

why stack STR and not another damage to % ? I did the dps caculator and I get lower dps switching to STR.

[@barricadettv]

10 STR = 1%, then whatever your total % is is multiplied by other dmg tables. STR helps w/ armor as well. We care about both but over all I think some amount of all stats is appropriate for the paragon boards.

[@TheStudio_70]

I’m missing like 4 skill points? Level 65 barb. Anyone know what I’m missing? New to Diablo

[@crs2379]

Altars o Lillith

[@jefrykusuma8091]

How come u got so much life there

[@RickeyTomato]

How well would this hold up with a group of people because I like playing with friends but I don’t wanna lack in damage

[@barricadettv]

your damage output is still very significant. You will still smash.

[@johnarddelrosario6149]

How would you apply slow to bleeding targets when you have that expertise, i might be missing out on something

[@badderup9668]

One of his legendaries applies bleed % of damage done

[@barricadettv]

Berserk Ripping makes your hits bleed.

[@Daniel38755]

Looks very nice. Some Gameplay is recommended

[@patrickhiphop3531]

Steel grasp unique axe with Shockwave death blow hammer is quite fun. Threw them on with all my ww gear and bonked Tomb Lord for 2 million with 0 rework of anything.

[@nihan3990]

The skills in the link and video different from each other.

[@barricadettv]

that has been updated!

[@tomtiger8605]

@@barricadettv ist es nicht besser in der 2 Handwaffe folgenden Aspekt zu setzen? Aspekt der Vergeltung 80 % Schaden anstatt Aspekt der grenzenlosen Wut? 60 % Schaden 🤔🤔🤔

[@duel-tactics-n-gear5604]

This is just what iwas looking for man, awesome!

[@garylopez6764]

I currently can’t do more than 2.5 mil at 90lv 😭

[@nielc70]

Can i start this at 70?

[@barricadettv]

yep!

[@danielbeyer5948]

If your amulet didn’t have no mercy passive would you still put skill points in counter offensive? Or put them in no mercy? Also Rob and most other barbs use territorial over mortal draw, what do you think of that? It gives near 70% close dmg and close dmg reduction…

[@barricadettv]

I think it's nice to have options, I've personally seen higher hits w/ this configuration and have used territorial for sometime previously.

[@jayagusto9409]

I remember when hota was just a dungeon in runes of magic.

[@Pocketz_DK]

You say to max rallying cry but you have +4 from Items. As such we cant copy this build since it relies on specific item bonuses. We end up missing those 4 points :D

[@barricadettv]

that's a fair review! Thanks!

[@unclelucas2389]

Why 1 point in war cry?

[@barricadettv]

war cry helps all the other shouts and if you hit 6 enemies you deal x10% more dmg

[@DerSirBrandon]

great video

[@darqtyde4933]

Barricade, Whats the highest NM you've completed with this build? Was it in a group or solo? I've changed to your current build from Rob's build and I feel like a majority of survivability has been lost but it could be just me. Just curious. Thanks!

[@barricadettv]

Hey! With my current gear and set-up 84- but that being said - I do need more defensive gear and that will help.

[@rafaelsmith681]

Looks like fun build. I might try it out but I play on console and thus far any abilities which I want to "free aim" are not possible....at least not that I have figured out.

[@barricadettv]

You dont have access to that sadly, but if you try plugging in a mouse and keyboard it may actually work from what I hear.

[@mitchy5223]

large discrepancies between vid and build, aspects and everything, u dont even run beserking on the website but u have a beserking aspect, also theres no hamstring on website and your suggesting all weps be dmg to slowed??

[@barricadettv]

This has been updated. Working on fights like 85+ dungeons and uber lilith sometimes causes this. The site link for the build has been updated. Thanks for the comment!

[@imdeath6518]

your build on the website looks diff

[@barricadettv]

that has been updated

[@supercuz323]

I wonder would lucky chance help swap glyph

[@bestoutder222]

Fortify at max fury also bugged

[@mjakeanttonen]

how are you using over 58 skill points? Check your skills tree again man.

[@WreckaNize]

He has + to skills on gear. like Rallying Cry he only spent 1 point in, the rest is from gear. So he has more skill points to get more effects than diminishing returns of above level 5 in a skill.

[@SterlingXC]

Almost sounds American then you hear “shoot ooot aboooot the hoooose”

[@KeyboardSavant]

For Numbing Wrath, use the Codex craft instead. You will roll, I believe, 32 from the vendor, as opposed to the max value imprint you have.

[@barricadettv]

Thanks for this, just did this and it's fantastic!

[@Giorgiio69]

@@glandu9309 just make it from vendor, dont imprint from another item. It works only on level 100, same with barrier u get more than min max.

[@ak120000]

Why not extra damage gems to crowd controlled enemies? Since your slowing them...

[@barricadettv]

we want as much core as we can get as this gives us the most benefit.

[@imdeath6518]

you have lots of points in your skill tree is not even 58 buddy

[@xanii358]

Thats what i thougt too 😅 deletet some points 2 or 3 Times to realize, that's He has more Points then normal players

[@xvii7718]

His chest give +2 challenging shout and +2 war cry, also probably has all renown done too.. that being said i managed this at level 70+

[@xvii7718]

Made a budget build kind of managing to run around t3 pvp 1 shotting ppl 😂

[@NiRo_O]

your rally cry is not maxed out, 1 pt, rest from items lol

[@Michael-pf1in]

Shouts are for the weak.

[@barricadettv]

Disagreement has ensued.

[@orjazm1]

Same shit as every other hota video out there

[@barricadettv]

Hey there! Was there something that you'd like to know more about? Rather not just push shit to you- but maybe answer questions that could help?

[@patrickhiphop3531]

100%?? they roll up to 198%

[@barricadettv]

Sorry, what?

[@WreckaNize]

@@barricadettv You know they roll up to 198%

[@patrickhiphop3531]

@barricadettv yeah they can come with 98% on one handed swords. Imprint on a 2 hander... 196%