The official launch of Diablo 4 is right around the corner, with early access just a few days away. As players begin to preload Diablo 4 and prepare themselves to face the horrors that await, many will be contemplating the best build to use right out of the gate. With a myriad of talents to choose from and insane min-maxing potential from item rolls and the Paragon Board, the prospect of picking the right build can be overwhelming.
Luckily, the testing done by players during both the Diablo 4 beta period and Server Slam has proven useful in establishing a meta for each class. Between the information gleaned from the beta and theory-crafting, players will be more than ready when Diablo 4 drops.
The Pulverize Werebear Druid
The Druid is the trickiest of all the Diablo 4 classes to plan. It was a notoriously weak choice in the beta and Server Slam but has been described by developers as the strongest class in Diablo 4 during the endgame. Whether the latter statement is hyperbole is yet to be seen, but it does offer a bit of hope that more exciting builds will be discovered for the Druid as players get more involved in the later stages of the game.
As is, however, the current best build for Diablo 4's Druid is centered around the skill Pulverize. The idea behind the build is to be extremely durable yet ultra-hard-hitting. Unsurprisingly, players should focus on Pulverize and Earthen Bulwark in the early tree, and move down to gain more resistances, poison damage, and, ultimately, Grizzly Rage. Within the Paragon Board, gamers can focus on Willpower—to improve their Overpower damage—as well as healing, skill damage, and Intelligence.
The Bone Spear Necromancer and Late Game Minion Specialization
Unlike the Druid, the meta for the Necromancer is much more firmly established. Despite Diablo 4's recent nerf to Summoning Necromancers, it will likely still reign supreme as the top choice for PvE content. In the early stages of Diablo 4, players will not have to worry about specializing in Summoning, as the Book of the Dead is more than enough to carry them through if they want minions, and should instead focus on damaging spells like Bone Spear. The standard Bone Spear build is fairly straightforward, players should maximize Bone Spear, grab Imperfectly Balanced, and then focus on getting to Serration, Compound Fracture, Rapid Ossification, and Evulsion.
In the end game, though—even in light of the nerfs—Summoning Necromancer seems extremely enticing. Between late-game skills like Hellbent Commander, Death's Defense, and Kalan's Edict, an endgame Summoning Necromancer in Diablo 4 might be more than just viable, it might be unstoppable. With massive buffs to minion damage, durability, and attack speed, the Necromancer should be equipped to deal with any level of difficulty.
The Whirlwind Barbarian
Arguably the most iconic class choice in Diablo 4. It's hard to imagine a more tried-and-true build than the Whirlwind Barbarian. It has been a staple of the franchise since Diablo 2 and should continue its success in Diablo 4. The Whirlwind Barbarian is another uncomplicated build. Players should focus on Whirlwind, Challenging Shout, and War Cry, while also picking up skills to increase their close-range damage, health during fury, and any damage multipliers.
The key late-game choices for the Whirlwind Barbarian are going to be Invigorating Fury—which will lend much-needed durability during Whirlwind—and Unbridled Rage which will launch the Barbarian's damage potential into the stratosphere. While the item database has yet to be fleshed out fully, there are already enticing prospects for unique items related to Barbarians. From a pair of gloves that add an exploding ring of flame at the end of Whirlwind, to a familiar two-handed sword that can double critical damage. With the Barbarian set to receive buffs at launch, it may climb the ranks to become the best class in the game.
The Twisting Blades Rogue
The Rogue may have been the dark horse of the beta and Server Slam. While the Necromancer and Sorcerer made waves, the Rogue was quietly tearing up Lilith's minions at a ridiculous pace. The best Rogue build in Diablo 4 is arguably the melee-based Rogue built around Twisting Blades. Players will want to max out Twisting Blades, pick up Siphoning Strikes, Exploit, Malice, and work their way through the tree, grabbing skills that fit their play style. Shadow Clone is a must, Poison Traps can work well with the build, but there is a lot of variety available to Rogue players compared to other classes.
Twisting Blades is not the only viable choice. After all, Ashava was defeated by a solo Rogue in Diablo 4 with a long-range build. If players are more inclined toward archery, they can focus on Penetrating Shot. Again, players need to grab Malice and Exploit as well as Dark Shroud for survivability. For late-game bow choices, players can either combine Cold Imbuement with Momentum to gain massive damage on Frozen enemies, or they can pick up Precision if they want to specialize in Penetrating Shot.
The Firewall Sorcerer
The Sorcerer was the best-performing class of the Diablo 4 beta period. Its overwhelming Chain Lightning build prompted Blizzard to nerf the Sorcerer significantly, but the majority of its builds are still extremely powerful. Despite being able to mow through minions with other builds, many Sorcerer players were stumped by a mobile boss like Ashava and turned to Firewall as the solution. The Firewall build ticks both boxes for the Sorcerer, dealing massive damage and also offering a relatively strong defense.
While the main focus of the build is obviously Firewall, players should also pick up Hydra and Meteor to complement their main skill. Anything that boosts Pyromancy like Inner Flames and burning damage like Fiery Surge, Endless Pyre, and Combustion should be players' top priorities. The best Sorcerer build in Diablo 4 is probably the most difficult call to make considering the potential of nearly every talent tree route, but Firewall should be relatively safe from nerfs, even if skills like Hydra get hit hard.
Diablo 4 releases June 6 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.