d4GuidelevelingShadowrogueRangedSeason 10

Barrage – Rogue Leveling Build for Diablo 4 (Season 10)

The best starter build to level a new Rogue character!

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Lexyu

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Updated: A-Tier Build

BarragePunctureDashShadow StepShadow ImbuementCold Imbuement


Build Introduction

The Barrage Rogue leveling build unleashes a spread of arrows to hit every foe. BarrageBarrage shotguns the toughest enemies, and then the arrows ricochet to hit additional targets. This is one of the best builds, featuring a straightforward playstyle, to level a new Rogue character during a season start in Diablo 4.

Check the Rogue Leveling Guide Overview for a comparison of all the starter builds on Icy Veins.

Once your Rogue character reaches Level 60, switch to the Endgame Guide for the Barrage Rogue to continue this build.

Quick Navigation

Want to skip ahead? Use the table below to jump to sections.

Gear, Gems, and RunesSkill Tree
Rotation and PlaystyleSeason Updates

Allocation of Skill Points

The following table shows the order in which to allocate your Skill Points while leveling with the Barrage Rogue build. You gain 59 points at Level 60 and 12 points from Renown, for a total of 71.

OrderSkillCluster
1PuncturePuncture Rank 1Basic Skill
2Enhanced PunctureEnhanced PunctureBasic Skill
3BarrageBarrage Rank 1Core Skill
4Fundamental PunctureFundamental PunctureBasic Skill
5Enhanced BarrageEnhanced BarrageCore Skill
6Advanced BarrageAdvanced Barrage
(switch to Improved BarrageImproved Barrage once you obtain PrecisionPrecision)
Core Skill
7DashDash Rank 1Agility Skill
8Shadow StepShadow Step Rank 1Agility Skill
9BarrageBarrage Rank 2Core Skill
10BarrageBarrage Rank 3Core Skill
11BarrageBarrage Rank 4Core Skill
12BarrageBarrage Rank 5Core Skill
13ExploitExploit Rank 1Subterfuge Passive
14ExploitExploit Rank 2Subterfuge Passive
15ExploitExploit Rank 3Subterfuge Passive
16MaliceMalice Rank 1Subterfuge Passive
17Shadow ImbuementShadow Imbuement Rank 1Imbuement Skill
18Cold ImbuementCold Imbuement Rank 1Imbuement Skill
19Enhanced Cold ImbuementEnhanced Cold ImbuementImbuement Skill
20Mixed Cold ImbuementMixed Cold ImbuementImbuement Skill
21Enhanced Shadow ImbuementEnhanced Shadow ImbuementImbuement Skill
22Mixed Shadow ImbuementMixed Shadow ImbuementImbuement Skill
23MaliceMalice Rank 2Subterfuge Passive
24MaliceMalice Rank 3Subterfuge Passive
25Unstable ElixirsUnstable Elixirs Rank 1Agility Passive
26Unstable ElixirsUnstable Elixirs Rank 2Agility Passive
27Unstable ElixirsUnstable Elixirs Rank 3Agility Passive
28Weapon MasteryWeapon Mastery Rank 1Agility Passive
29Weapon MasteryWeapon Mastery Rank 2Agility Passive
30Weapon MasteryWeapon Mastery Rank 3Agility Passive
31InnervationInnervation Rank 1Ultimate Passive
32HasteHaste Rank 1Ultimate Passive
33HasteHaste Rank 2Ultimate Passive
34PrecisionPrecisionKey Passive
35HasteHaste Rank 3Ultimate Passive
36Stutter StepStutter Step Rank 1Core Passive
37Stutter StepStutter Step Rank 2Core Passive
38Stutter StepStutter Step Rank 3Core Passive
39Frigid FinesseFrigid Finesse Rank 1Imbuement Passive
40Frigid FinesseFrigid Finesse Rank 2Imbuement Passive
41Frigid FinesseFrigid Finesse Rank 3Imbuement Passive
42Enhanced DashEnhanced DashAgility Skill
43Methodical DashMethodical DashAgility Skill
44Enhanced Shadow StepEnhanced Shadow StepAgility Skill
45Disciplined Shadow StepDisciplined Shadow StepAgility Skill
46Trick AttacksTrick Attacks Rank 1Agility Passive
47Trick AttacksTrick Attacks Rank 2Agility Passive
48Trick AttacksTrick Attacks Rank 3Agility Passive
49DeadeyeDeadeye Rank 1Imbuement Passive
50DeadeyeDeadeye Rank 2Imbuement Passive
51DeadeyeDeadeye Rank 3Imbuement Passive
52SturdySturdy Rank 1Core Passive
53SturdySturdy Rank 2Core Passive
54SturdySturdy Rank 3Core Passive
55Siphoning StrikesSiphoning Strikes Rank 1Core Passive
56Siphoning StrikesSiphoning Strikes Rank 2Core Passive
57Siphoning StrikesSiphoning Strikes Rank 3Core Passive
58Shadow ImbuementShadow Imbuement Rank 2Imbuement Skill
59Shadow ImbuementShadow Imbuement Rank 3Imbuement Skill
60Shadow ImbuementShadow Imbuement Rank 4Imbuement Skill
61Shadow ImbuementShadow Imbuement Rank 5Imbuement Skill
62ImpetusImpetus Rank 1Ultimate Passive
63ImpetusImpetus Rank 2Ultimate Passive
64ImpetusImpetus Rank 3Ultimate Passive
65DashDash Rank 2Agility Skill
66DashDash Rank 3Agility Skill
67DashDash Rank 4Agility Skill
68DashDash Rank 5Agility Skill
69AgileAgile Rank 1Subterfuge Passive
70AgileAgile Rank 2Subterfuge Passive
71AgileAgile Rank 3Subterfuge Passive

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Skill Bar and Skill Tree Points

Skill Bar Setup for the Barrage Rogue (order does not matter)
BarrageBarragePuncturePunctureDashDashShadow StepShadow StepShadow ImbuementShadow ImbuementCold ImbuementCold Imbuement

If you are unsure about the usage of these Skills, read the Build Mechanics section after setting up your Skill Bar.

Wondering what comes after Level 60 or which Paragon boards to pick? Head to the Rogue Builds page and choose an endgame build to continue your character progression.

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Rogue Class Mechanic – Specialization

Once you reach Level 15, immediately complete the True Potential class questline to unlock the Rogue’s Specialization. Combo Points is the preferred Specialization for general farming due to it providing bonus damage and additional arrows for BarrageBarrage.

Combo Points Rogue Diablo 4
Combo Points Are Counted Above the Skill Bar

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Gear, Stats, Gems, and Runes

The following sections cover the important systems that are essential to improving the power of your character during the leveling process. Higher Item Power generally indicates stronger gear, but you should also consider the affixes and effects that are relevant to your class and build.

Legendary Aspects

Aspect of Branching VolleysAspect of Branching Volleys can be unlocked in the Codex of Power by completing the Shadowed Plunge Dungeon in Hawezar. The dungeon becomes unlocked after completing Vyeresz Stronghold. Clear them both immediately to unlock the aspect for BarrageBarrage, and then visit the Occultist to imprint it onto a Rare or Legendary Item. An Amulet is recommended for imprinting important Aspects, since it provides a +50% bonus effect and is replaced less often than weapons.

Clear Vyeresz Stronghold to access Shadowed Plunge Dungeon

Higher Tier Aspects with stronger effects can be found on dropped Legendary Items. Salvage unwanted Legendary Items at the Blacksmith to unlock these Aspects in the Codex of Power, and then imprint them onto well-rolled Rare Items. Check the in-depth Aspect and Codex of Power guide for more information.

Listed below are all the Aspects found on Legendary Items that are important for the Barrage Rogue leveling build. They are listed in order of priority. For the best results, combine these Aspects with the ideal Stat Priorities. The best-in-slot Aspects List is in the Endgame Guide for Penetrating Shot Rogue.

Aspect NameLegendary Aspect PowerSource
Aspect of Branching VolleysAspect of Branching VolleysIncrease the damage of arrows that ricochet from Barrage from 40% to [50 – 90%]. Barrage’s arrows have a [30 – 70%] chance to split into 2 arrows whenever they ricochet.Shadowed Plunge, Hawezar
High Velocity AspectHigh Velocity AspectBarrage arrows now pierce through 1 enemy. Barrage has [10 – 30%] increased Attack Speed.Random Drop
Edgemaster's AspectEdgemaster’s AspectSkills deal up to x [5 – 25%] increased damage based on your available Primary Resource when cast, receiving the maximum benefit while you have full Primary Resource.Oldstones, Scosglen
Aspect of the ExpectantAspect of the ExpectantAfter attacking enemies with a Basic Skill, increase the damage of your next Core Skill cast within 5 seconds by x [5 – 12%], up to x30%.Underroot, Scosglen
Aspect of RetributionAspect of RetributionDistant enemies have a 10% chance to be Stunned for 2 seconds when they hit you. You deal x [15 – 35%] increased damage to Stunned and Knocked Down enemies.Abandoned Mineworks, Kehjistan
Aspect of MightAspect of MightBasic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for [2 – 10] seconds.Dark Ravine, Dry Steppes
Rapid AspectRapid AspectBasic Skills gain + [15 – 35%] Attack Speed.Buried Halls, Dry Steppes
Accelerating AspectAccelerating AspectCritical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by + [10 – 30%] for 5 seconds.Random Drop Only
Aspect of SlaughterAspect of SlaughterYou gain 20% Movement speed. Lose this bonus for [5 – 2] seconds after taking damage from a Close Enemy.Random Drop Only
Aspect of Nebulous BrewsAspect of Nebulous BrewsHealing Potions can be used at full Life and grant [35 – 55%] Movement Speed for 3 seconds. Every 20 meters you travel refills a Healing Potion.Random Drop Only
Wind Striker AspectWind Striker AspectCritical Strikes grant [8.5 – 19%] Movement Speed for 1 second, up to 6 seconds.Shivta Ruins, Kehjistan
Cheat's AspectCheat’s AspectYou gain [5 – 15%] increased Damage Reduction and +10% increased Movement Speed. These bonuses are doubled while below 50% Maximum Life.Luban’s Rest, Scosglen

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Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes

Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear during the early leveling of a Barrage Rogue, ranked by importance. Affixes on the same line have equal value, so attempt to obtain all affixes in each line before moving on to the next.

The Item Power of weapons determines its DPS and is the most important factor when searching for upgrades. When comparing weapons with similar Item Power, Crossbows are preferred over Bows for the higher Damage per Hit for BarrageBarrage. Daggers are selected for the fastest weapon speed to generate Combo Points.

PrecisionPrecision increases the priority of Critical Strike Damage to scale the bonus multiplier, while reducing the need for Critical Strike Chance.

The most beneficial tempering affixes while leveling are included below. The best-in-slot tempering affixes are available in the Endgame Guide for the Barrage Rogue. Check the Tempering Guide for more information on this system.

SlotGear AffixesTempering Affixes
Weapons1. Critical Strike Damage
2. Maximum Life, Dexterity
Marksman Augments — CoreMarksman Augments — Core (Weapon): Chance for Barrage Projectiles to Cast Twice
Worldly FinesseWorldly Finesse (Offensive): Critical Strike Damage
Helm1. Cooldown Reduction, Energy per Second, Ranks to Shadow Imbuement
2. Resistances, Armor
3. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Lucky Hit Chance
Imbuement AbundanceImbuement Abundance (Utility): Shadow or Cold Imbue Additional Casts
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor
Chest1. Ranks to Dark Shroud, Energy per Second
2. Resistances, Armor
3. Maximum Life, Dexterity
Imbuement AbundanceImbuement Abundance (Utility): Shadow or Cold Imbue Additional Casts
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor
Gloves1. Ranks to Barrage, Attack Speed, Critical Strike Damage
2. Resistances, Armor
3. Resource Cost Reduction, Critical Strike Chance
Imbuement AbundanceImbuement Abundance (Utility): Shadow or Cold Imbue Additional Casts
Marksman FinesseMarksman Finesse (Offensive): Critical Strike Damage
Pants1. Resistances, Armor
2. Maximum Life, Dexterity
Imbuement AbundanceImbuement Abundance (Utility): Shadow or Cold Imbue Additional Casts
Worldly EnduranceWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor
BootsImplicit Stat: Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown
1. Movement Speed, Energy per Second
2. Resistances, Armor
3. Ranks to Dash, Maximum Life, Dexterity
Imbuement AbundanceImbuement Abundance (Utility): Shadow or Cold Imbue Additional Casts
Natural MotionNatural Motion (Mobility): Movement Speed
Amulet1. Ranks to Unstable Elixirs, Exploit, Malice, or Weapon Mastery
2. Cooldown Reduction, Attack Speed
Imbuement AbundanceImbuement Abundance (Utility): Shadow or Cold Imbue Additional Casts
Marksman FinesseMarksman Finesse (Offensive): Critical Strike Damage
Rings1. Attack Speed, Critical Strike Damage
2. Resource Cost Reduction, Vulnerable Damage, Resistances, Maximum Life
3. Dexterity, Lucky Hit Chance, Critical Strike Chance
Worldly StabilityWorldly Stability (Resource): Resource Cost Reduction or Resource Generation
Marksman FinesseMarksman Finesse (Offensive): Critical Strike Damage

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Gems and Runewords

Listed below are the best Gems and Runes to socket into gear for each item type.

Gems

Equip the corresponding Gems into your Weapon, Armor, and Jewelry slots.

Weapon GemsArmor GemsJewelry Gems
EmeraldEmerald for increased Critical Strike Damage.EmeraldEmerald for Dexterity.Any Resistance Gems needed or SkullSkull for Armor (up to the 1,000 Armor cap).

Runewords

Runes start to drop after unlocking them during the Vessel of Hatred campaign. A Rune of Ritual and a Rune of Invocation can be combined by inserting them into equipment with 2 available sockets, creating a Runeword. A limit of 2 Runewords can be equipped.

Listed below are the best Runewords utilizing Magic and Rare Runes that are beneficial for this build. The best-in-slot Runewords utilizing Legendary Runes are in the Endgame Guide for the Barrage Rogue.

RunewordsEffects
YaxYax
TunTun
Gain: 200 Offering — Drink a Healing Potion.
Requires: 100 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Evoke the Rogue’s Stun Grenades, Stunning and dealing damage to enemies.
FeoFeo
LacLac
Gain: 1000 Offering — Become Injured or Crowd Controlled (Cooldown: 10 seconds).
Requires: 400 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Evoke the Barbarian’s Challenging Shout, reducing your damage taken for 3 seconds.

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Chaos Perks (Season 10)

Season 10: Infernal Chaos offers seasonal powers that can be utilized to enhance this build. Access Chaos Perks from the Powers tab in the character sheet.

Unlocking specific powers for a build is challenging due to their random appearance, so utilize any that provide the most damage. Beneficial Chaos Perks for leveling, which can be unlocked by progressing through the Seasonal Reputation Board, are listed below in order of importance. Check the Endgame Guide for the Barrage Rogue for the best-in-slot setup.

PriorityPowerDescription
1Unpredictable AlchemyUnpredictable AlchemyImbuements flow wildly, Imbuing every Basic Skill Cast with a random Imbuement. Imbued Skills deal x40% increased damage.
2Invigorating AttacksInvigorating AttacksEvery 5 seconds, your next Basic Skill generates an additional 100% of your Maximum Primary Resource when Cast, but your Basic Skills deal 30% reduced damage.
3Erupting ChaosErupting ChaosChaotic Bursts randomly erupt around you, dealing 400% damage of your highest damage type.
Your Chaotic Bursts additionally deal 100% of their initial damage over 4 seconds.
4Accelerating ChaosAccelerating ChaosLucky Hit: Damaging an enemy has up to a 10% chance to trigger a Chaotic Burst on the enemy, dealing 400% damage.
Your Chaotic Bursts that hit an enemy reduce a random active Cooldown by 0.5 seconds.
5Crazy BrewCrazy BrewYour Healing Potion is infused with the power of Chaos, granting you 100% Resource Cost Reduction, +80% increased Attack Speed and +80% increased Movement Speed for 5 seconds. Your Healing Potion has a 15 second Cooldown and you can drink it at full Life.
Cooldown is affected by Cooldown Reduction.

Mercenaries

Once the Den is unlocked during the main questline in the Vessel of Hatred expansion, complete the key quests to acquire each Mercenary. Hire a Mercenary and enlist a Reinforcement in the following setup.

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Build Mechanics

The Barrage Rogue build is fairly simple to play, but requires some precise positioning. BarrageBarrage fires arrows in an arcing range to cover a wide area, similar to Multishot in other ARPGs. The ricocheting arrows provide additional hits to clear groups of enemies, and the automatic targeting makes for an easy playstyle.

Fundamental PunctureFundamental Puncture applies Vulnerable to enable the 100% ricochet chance from Enhanced BarrageEnhanced Barrage. PrecisionPrecision also guarantees Critical Strikes for the ricochets.

Activations of Shadow ImbuementShadow Imbuement and Cold ImbuementCold Imbuement can be alternated for high imbuement uptime. Shadow Imbuement provides the build with the necessary Area of Effect explosions against groups of enemies. Mixed Shadow ImbuementMixed Shadow Imbuement also increases the damage of Cold Imbued attacks. Cold Imbuement quickly Freezes enemies in one cast of BarrageBarrage due to the multiple hits, activating Mixed Cold ImbuementMixed Cold Imbuement and Frigid FinesseFrigid Finesse for a huge damage boost against Elites.

Damage is increased further with Unstable ElixirsUnstable Elixirs, Weapon MasteryWeapon Mastery, ExploitExploit MaliceMalice, and ImpetusImpetus.

Finally, Stutter StepStutter Step, HasteHaste, and DashDash speed up movement for faster farming.

Rotation and Playstyle

Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.

  1. Activate an Imbuement Skill:
    • Against large groups of enemies, activate Shadow ImbuementShadow Imbuement for AoE explosions.
    • Against Elites, activate Cold ImbuementCold Imbuement for more single-target damage.
  2. Use a Potion to activate the damage buff from Unstable ElixirsUnstable Elixirs.
  3. Cast PuncturePuncture three times to build Combo Points. Try to stay close enough to elites and bosses to apply Vulnerable with Fundamental PunctureFundamental Puncture.
  4. Cast BarrageBarrage next to the toughest enemy to shotgun them, hitting them with every arrow and ricocheting to other enemies.
  5. Repeat the rotation, alternating activations of Imbuement Skills when needed.

Elixirs

Visit the Alchemist in any main town to craft helpful Elixirs that increase stats and experience gain for 30 minutes. Make sure to forage plants for Bundled HerbsBundled Herbs during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Elixirs can also drop randomly from enemies and chests during many activities in Diablo 4.

Listed below are the best Elixirs to consume while leveling the Barrage Rogue, ranked by importance.

  1. Elixir of Resourcefulness IIElixir of Resourcefulness II greatly helps with Energy issues, if you do not already have the appropriate Energy gear. This elixir is highly recommended for starting characters to maintain casts of Core Skills.
  2. Elixir of Precision IIElixir of Precision II provides the highest damage output increase, if not already capped at 100% Critical Strike Chance.
  3. Elixir of Advantage IIElixir of Advantage II increases damage output, if not already capped at 100% Attack Speed bonus from gear and Paragon.
  4. Elixir of Fortitude IIElixir of Fortitude II is the best general-purpose option for survivability.

Return to the Alchemist every 10 Levels to upgrade your potion. The extra healing is essential to survival.

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Season 10 Updates

A brief summary of the changes in Patch 2.4.0 that may pertain to this specific build is provided below. For a complete overview of Season 10, take a look at the comprehensive season guide.

  • BarrageBarrage: Damage increased from 22% to 25%.

Difficulty and Endgame

Once you hit Level 60 with this build, tackle harder difficulties and more challenging endgame content. Make sure to pick one of our recommended endgame builds for Rogue to continue your journey! The endgame builds also cover the Paragon setup unlocked at Level 60.

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Video Overview and Gameplay Footage


Changelog

  • September 21st, 2025: Guide updated for Season 10 (Patch 2.4.0).
  • June 27th, 2025: Guide updated for Season 9 (Patch 2.3.0).
  • April 26th, 2025: Guide updated for Season 8 (Patch 2.2.0).
  • January 19th, 2025: Guide updated for Season 7 (Patch 2.1.0).
  • October 4th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 6 (Patch 2.0.2).
  • August 6th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 5 (Patch 1.5.0).
  • May 14th, 2024: Guide created for Season 4 (Patch 1.4.0).
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