The PTR of Season 5 in Diablo 4 has ended and experts are now presenting the classes and builds that are the strongest in the upcoming season. Which classes perform particularly well and which ones lag behind can be found here on MeinMMO.
At the end of June, the PTR (Public Test Realm) ran, where numerous players could test the content of Season 5 in Diablo 4. Two experts took a closer look at the class balance and summarized their assessment of the endgame builds of the upcoming season based on the PTR patch notes for Season 5.
Who are the experts? The experts are wudijo and Rob2628:
- wudijo is one of the Diablo experts from the well-known build site maxroll.gg, which has been engaged in theorycrafting for years. He constantly takes on new challenges, such as fighting bosses only with poor items. His assessments form the basis for numerous rankings of the best builds in the tier list.
- The Diablo expert Rob2628 is known for his OP builds in Diablo 4. In the PTR for Season 4, he tested a hurricane build with his druid and showed in a YouTube video how he can one-shot the “Level 200” versions of bosses with it.
Rob provides insight in his YouTube video from July 4, about what players can expect from the classes and builds in Season 5. Here, barbarians and hunters with several strong builds are at the top of his tier list for the endgame, while sorceresses perform rather poorly. Although the damage of many abilities is increased, Blizzard nerfed several skills for sorcerers in the current PTR patch.
The strongest builds in Season 5 of Diablo 4
It is possible that the patch notes will be revised and adjusted before the start of Season 5 in August. This could also change some builds and the class balance. This is the experts’ assessment of the current state.
Bleed Barbarian
With “Bleed”, the barbarian relies on bleeding damage. According to Rob, this build is particularly suitable for fast runs in the endgame activity “The Pit”. Barbarians’ builds will become especially strong in Season 5 according to Rob due to the new “Crown of Lucion” helm. The unique item grants you a damage bonus when you consume your primary resource for a skill.
Andariel Hunter
The Andariel Hunter is a special build that made it to the tier list in Season 4. The build revolves around the Uber Unique “Andariel’s Visage”, which the bosses Duriel and Andariel can drop. After the Andariel’s Visage was bugged and the massive poison damage only occurred visually, it is said that in Season 5 it will provide strong hunter builds, where several variations are possible.
Piercing Shot Hunter
Rob also sees the Piercing Shot high up on the tier list for endgame in Season 5. The Piercing Shot Hunter is a relatively easy to understand, powerful build. You fire a powerful arrow with your core skill, the “Piercing Shot”, which you can make even more deadly with infusions.
Bone Spirit Necromancer
Due to the buffs in Season 5, this build will become really strong according to both experts – according to wudijo, it could be one of the strongest builds in the game. He says the buffs that the build receives are cool, but other builds fall massively behind here. A massive gap arises between the powerful build and all others of the class.
With the Bone Spirit build, you rely on critical hit chance and deal massive damage when you push them to the maximum. You summon a bone spirit that tracks enemies and clears them off the field with an explosion. Nearby enemies also take damage as a result.
Earthquake Druid
According to the experts, the earth abilities of druids will dominate in Season 5 due to the buffs, especially Earthquake. With this, you crush your enemies between two pillars of earth and deal enormous damage.
Honorable Mention: Lightning Spear Sorceress
And what about sorceresses? Sorceresses do not perform well in Season 5 according to the current state. While other classes receive buffs, they continue to lag behind. However, wudijo points out that the new Lightning Spear build is pretty cool. It is his favorite for the upcoming season, which he recently presented in a single YouTube video. However, there is also room for improvement here.
In the Lightning Spear build, you summon lightning spears that track your enemies and deal damage. You also use Ice Blades that can quickly cut open your opponents and make them vulnerable. With Teleport, you become unstoppable and move quickly back and forth.
Season 5 lasts until the start of the first expansion for Diablo 4, Vessel of Hatred. The DLC will also usher in Season 6. Here you can see the cinematic for the expansion:
Barbarians and Hunters Are at the Top
What is being said about class balancing? wudijo refers primarily to class balance in his YouTube video from July 7. Due to the buffs and nerfs, there are some strong builds, while others require revision in his opinion.
He also sees hunters and barbarians high up in Season 5, both having several strong builds. Following them is the necromancer with a strong build, druids are “somewhere in the middle” and sorceresses have “really nothing to look forward to”, aside from one build that is quite cool. He primarily wishes for many buffs for sorceresses.
Specifically, he says about the class balance:
- Hunters: The skill “Rain of Arrows” has a lot of potential but is still too weak. Additionally, hunters often have trouble dealing damage to bosses unless they are “staggered”. The Shredder build was buffed in Season 4, but it needs more options for the “Hardening” – one of two new crafting systems in Diablo 4.
- Sorceresses: The damage output for sorceresses is generally poor. Similar to hunters, sorceresses deal most damage against bosses when they are staggered. Overall, almost all sorceress builds suffer from weak single-target damage and are the weakest class. While druids are receiving buffs, sorceresses continue to fall behind. Rob has also previously commented on the state of the class and believes: Sorceresses can be really strong, but for that, a lot needs to change.
- Barbarians: The central passive skill “Gaping Wounds” scales “ridiculously” high in the endgame, encompassing the entire class and many aspects and uniques. According to wudijo, the damage bonus here can be up to 5000% and more, while other bonuses from passive skills range between 40 and 100%. The strength of many barbarian builds lies primarily in this. It needs a cap and/or a nerf.
- Necromancers: In Season 4, the class was balanced; in Season 5, the class can only expect the Bone Spirit build as a powerful option. Blood builds are poor, and there isn’t much for necromancers to look forward to at all. Additionally, the class has limited options regarding central passive skills, glyphs, and legendary paragon nodes – in contrast to hunters or barbarians.
- Druids: According to wudijo, druids will be “quite tanky” in Season 5 and can withstand a lot. Some builds are “decent”, such as the Earthquake build receiving massive buffs. Companion builds are also a good option.
Regarding Season 5, wudijo remains optimistic. All uniques will be revised, a lot will still come into the game, and the seasonal theme is still pending. Furthermore, Season 4 is already strong, and most of its content will remain in Diablo 4. He is “confident that Season 5 will be great.” The new season starts in August, and several new features are already known: Diablo 4 Season 5: Start, Changes, and PTR
