Spoiler alert: This story contains information and screens of the game's later skills and spells. The following information may ruin some of the game's surprises.

　　Although the later acts of Diablo II become more difficult, the barbarian comes well equipped to handle such challenges. Even as the monsters grow stronger, the barbarian gains new skills as he advances in levels. Here is a rundown of some of the barbarian's later skills, which become available at level 18 and beyond.

　　The passive skills available to the barbarian grow to include iron skin, which improves defense dramatically; increased speed, which makes the barbarian move faster permanently; and natural resistance, which increases all the barbarian's elemental resistances.

　　The barbarian also gains a host of new battle cry attacks. Some of these new cries weaken or damage the enemy, while others actually benefit other player characters when the barbarian joins parties in multiplayer games. For example, the battle orders skill improves the life, mana, and stamina of all the barbarian's party members.

　　Among the other skills the barbarian can learn as he advances to higher levels are concentrate, which gives him an uninterruptable attack, and the whirlwind attack, which lets him take down all surrounding enemies in a dizzying array of wild slashes.

　　These are but a sampling of the barbarian's skills. All of these later-level skills appear to make the barbarian an even tougher warrior, whose incredibly high attack rating, great hit points, and crushingly powerful melee attacks will be unmatched by the other classes.