As you level, you’ll eventually acquire Animal Aspects that grant you additional thematic bonuses. While some simply enhance your current defenses and/or damage output, others allow you to explore entirely unique Barbarian build possibilities. For instance, Wolf Animal Aspect greatly enhances your stealth capabilities and Chimpanzee Animal Aspect allows you to blind enemies by throwing camp supplies. 

The appropriately wild nature of those abilities helps make Wildheart one of Barbarian’s most enjoyable subclasses. Wildheart supports multiple viable Barbarian build possibilities, and each build possibility supports a variety of enjoyable role-playing options (especially when you account for this subclass’ inherent ability to commune with animals). 

To be honest, the biggest problem with this subclass is that it is so balanced. It’s difficult (if not impossible) to entirely compensate for the Barbarian class’ inherent weaknesses via this subclass option. You can make up for some of their deficiencies, but only by a matter of degrees. Alternatively, you can lean into the class’ strengths via this subclass, but the next subclass option allows you to play to the class’ strengths so much more effectively. As such, this subclass is best suited for those who are more interested in entertainment value than maximizing the effectiveness of their class. 

1. Berserker Barbarian

The Berserker subclass may not be the most exciting Barbarian subclass, but it is almost certainly the most powerful subclass option. 

The heart of the Berserker subclass is the powerful “Frenzy” ability. Frenzy is basically an upgraded version of your already powerful Rage skill. It not only grants you additional resistances and advantages, but it allows you to access some special Frenzy-based abilities that grant your Barbarian valuable bonus actions. One of those abilities even lets you throw people across the battlefield, which is as amusing as it is surprisingly useful.

At higher levels, Berserker Barbarians acquire additional ways to not only resist the various effects that would otherwise derail their assaults (such as Sleep) but to actually instill Fear into their enemies simply by approaching them. Berserkers also benefit from some generous buffs to their total HP and Attack Power throughout the leveling process.