The Barber Heart, a coveted item in Diablo 4's Season of the Malignant, is the pinnacle of sought-after gear. Let's delve into why this Wrathful Malignant Heart, affectionately referred to as the Barber Heart, is essential in Season One and how to attain it.
Possessing the Barber Heart, arguably the finest Malignant Heart in Diablo 4's current season, delivers a substantial raw DPS boost. Its universal availability across all classes solidifies it as a must-have for individuals intending to vigorously engage in the current endgame content.
Yet, acquiring this potent power doesn't come without challenges. The Barber Heart, though remarkable, isn't a panacea for every Diablo 4 player's DPS concerns. While its mechanics are relatively straightforward, a few key aspects warrant explanation.
Understanding the Barber Heart
The Barber Heart, classified as a Wrathful Malignant Heart, stands among the most formidable items players can acquire within the game. Here's its official description:
"Critical Strikes and all subsequent damage within [2.0-4.0] seconds is absorbed by your target. Then, the absorbed damage erupts onto surrounding enemies. Stored damage is increased by 10% per second."
Upon landing a Critical Strike, any ensuing attacks cease to deal direct damage. Instead, the inflicted damage accumulates within the targeted enemies. Once the Barber Heart's duration concludes, this stored energy detonates, dealing heightened damage to everything proximate to the original target.
The duration of the Barber Heart determines the magnitude of these eruptions, potentially resulting in a remarkable 44% increased damage. However, longer Barber durations might hinder the swift dispatching of weaker mobs. Skills like Rapid Fire and Ice Shards may benefit from shorter Barber durations due to their rapid firing nature, whereas abilities like Hammer of the Ancients benefit from lengthier durations to stack hits before triggering the explosions.
How to Find a Caged Heart of the Barber
A noteworthy aspect to consider is that the Barber Heart may disrupt specific builds, particularly those reliant on on-hit effects. As players are not inflicting immediate damage while the Barber is active, certain passives and Legendary Aspects may cease to function. Whether this is an intentional design choice, an overlooked issue, or a bug remains unclear.
Caged Hearts of the Barber have a random chance of dropping from a Malignant monster. This encompasses any enemy displaying the Wrathful label below their health bar. Alternatively, players can acquire a Barber Heart by crafting Uncertain Hearts at Cormond's Workbench. It's important to note that the Barber Heart only drops on World Tier 3 and beyond.
