Confused by Diablo 4’s Fortify and Barrier systems? This tool makes them… less confusing

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already spent a good number of hours playing Diablo 4 since its release. But whether or not you’re a fan of the routine that goes for the six rarest items, or just a casual player who hasn’t finished the campaign yet, Diablo 4 is full of systems that aren’t very well explained.

Case in point: Barrierand Fortified. Both can be neatly described as bonuses to your health, but each works differently, and the benefits of having one or both assets vary as well. That lack of clarity has actually been a common point of contention among more experienced players experimenting with builds.

To make understanding Barrier and Fortified a bit easier, it’s helpful to see a side-by-side visual outside of the chaos of the game. This is what the Reddit user d4fuQQ created. Its layout breaks down what your health globe looks like with various Barrier stages, and whether or not you’re also Fortified.

Diablo 4: Health Bar Explained (Barrier & Fortify Visualized)
by u/d4fuQQ in devil4

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While this is obviously a good starting point, it’s not ideal. Part of that is the vague (and sometimes misleading) explanation of the game’s mechanics. Helpful Reddit User zaxlor I tried to make it even simpler for players who look at that chart and still feel confused.

The dark shade of red is Fortify. When he covers his entire health globe, he gets the thick black ring around him. This means that Fortify is at 100%, which happens when the stat is equal to or greater than your actual (current) HP. When fully fortified, you gain 10% damage reduction, but only when the ring appears. But as you work your way to 100% Fortification, you’ll gain an Overpower bonus to your damage.

The barrier, the shade of blue, is effectively a top shield, so it’s sort of a free health on top of your existing HP. When you take damage, the Barrier is consumed first before your actual HP. The barrier is always a certain percentage of your base HP, so if it’s at 20%, you basically have 20% extra HP.

Of course, you can have one without the other (depending on your build), which is what makes this image a bit more confusing than it needs to be. However, it’s helpful to see everything presented that way.

Diablo 4’s first season, Season of the Malignant, was recently revealed. It begins on July 20 and brings a new story arc, the evil mechanic, new gear, and more. Click the link for our full breakdown, and this one for everything you need to get done before the season kicks off.