barbarian path-of-the-giant tavern-brawler fighter thief honour-mode

Frost Giant Barbarian

Giant Barbarian 10 / Fighter 2 (throwing) · or Giant Barbarian 8 / Thief 4 (kicking)

Frontline DPS / thrower / CC (Frozen) Difficulty: Moderate Any origin Updated 2026.07.18
Key levels
  1. L3
  2. L4
  3. L6
  4. L10

Path of the Giant — become a giant: suplex animation aside, one of the most solid, consistent and durable damage dealers in the game. Tavern Brawler +1 CON at level 4, Encrusted-with-Frost loops for free Frozen CC, and Rhapsody's Scarlet Saturation makes every thrown attack a critical hit for two turns.

Frost Giant Barbarian (Honour Mode)

Final composition:

  • 10 Giant Barbarian / 2 Fighter — if you like throwing stuff
  • 8 Giant Barbarian / 4 Thief — if you like kicking stuff

Why this split

Between literally suplexing enemies (new animation) and hearing the most satisfying, meaty smack as you kick them into the abyss, this subclass is more than just kino — a contender for one of the most solid, consistent and durable damage dealers in the game.

Character Creation

FieldPick
OriginAny
RaceAny
BackgroundPlayer’s choice
ClassBarbarian (Path of the Giant)
SkillsAthletics, player’s choice

Stats with/without Elixir both given in the PDF; the build is STR-first either way.

How the Encrusted-with-Frost Loop Works (read once)

  • Coldbrim Hat: any spell condition you inflict on a target also applies 2 turns of Encrusted with Frost. The triggering condition can be Encrusted with Frost itself.
  • We don’t actually cast spells: the 1d6 Cold from Elemental Cleaver: Cold triggers Winter’s Chill gloves → 2 turns Encrusted with Frost → which triggers the Coldbrim Hat for 2 more stacks.
  • 7+ stacks: target must make a DC 12 CON save or take 1d4 extra Cold damage and become Frozen — Frozen incapacitates for 2 turns and makes the target vulnerable to bludgeoning, thunder and force damage.

How Scarlet Saturation Works (throwing variant)

  • Killing a target with Rhapsody grants Scarlet Remittance, which can be consumed to grant Scarlet Saturation.
  • Thrown attacks do not consume the buff — for two turns you deal critical hits with all thrown attacks.

Level-by-Level

L1 — Barbarian 1

  • Rage, Unarmoured Defence.

L2 — Barbarian 2

  • Danger Sense, Reckless Attack.

L3 — Barbarian 3 — Path of the Giant — power spike

  • Giant’s Rage, Thaumaturgy, Vaprak’s Greed.

L4 — Barbarian 4 — first feat

  • Feat: Tavern Brawler (+1 CON → 18 total).

L5 — Barbarian 5

  • Boot of the Giants.

L6 — Barbarian 6

  • Elemental Cleaver (the Cold option fuels the Frost loop).

L7 — Barbarian 7

  • Feral Instinct.

L8 — Barbarian 8 — second feat

  • Alert — if struggling with initiative
  • Dual Wielder — if you want to dual wield

L9 — Barbarian 9

  • Brutal Critical.

L10 — Barbarian 10 — power spike

  • Mighty Impel (the suplex).

L11 — Fighter/Thief 1

  • Fighting Style: Defence (armour) / Great Weapon Fighting (2h) / Two Weapon Fighting (dual wield — no effect on thrown attacks).

L12 — Fighter/Thief 2/4

  • Action Surge. (Thief variant keeps stacking the bonus-action economy instead.)

Key Items

ItemActWhy⭐
Rhapsody3Throwing god-bow; Scarlet Saturation crits⭐
Titanstring1-2Ranged
Cap of Wrath1-2Helm
Fistbreaker Helm1-2Initiative only
Graceful Cloth1-2Chest alt
Gloves of Uninhibited Kushigo / Gloves of Crushing1-2Gloves
Wavemother’s Cloak1-2Cloak
Shadeclinger Armour3Equip/remove to keep Advantage on saving throws
Elixir of Hill Giant / Cloud Giant StrengthgeneralConsumables⭐

Combat Pattern

  1. Rage (Reckless if you need the advantage) → melee or throw.
  2. CC: Elemental Cleaver: Cold → Winter’s Chill gloves → Coldbrim Hat loop → 7+ stacks → Frozen (2 turns incapacitated + vulnerability to bludgeoning/thunder/force).
  3. Throwing: Rhapsody kill → consume Scarlet Remittance → two turns of all-crit throws.
  4. Mobility: Boot of the Giants + Mighty Impel to reposition or eject priority targets.

Act-by-Act Priority

ActPriorityNotes
1Tavern Brawler feat path, rage kitDurable from the start
2Frost loop gear (Coldbrim Hat, Winter’s Chill), TitanstringFree Frozen CC
3Rhapsody + Scarlet Saturation, Cloud Giant elixir, Dual Wielder if neededThrowing crits; 2026-07-18 update added Rhapsody to Act 3 gear + Shadow-Cloaked Ring / Callous Glow Ring options for Act 2+3

Honour Mode Reminders

  • Mighty Impel is your emergency button — kick the enemy about to one-shot your squishy off the map.
  • Frozen targets are vulnerable to bludgeoning/thunder/force — plan the follow-up damage type.
  • Thrown attacks don’t consume Scarlet Saturation — bank the crit window for the boss.
  • ⚠️ Two-Weapon Fighting style does not affect thrown attacks — don’t buy it for the throwing variant.
  • Viable solo; the consistency is what makes it a Honour workhorse.

Source