Diablo 4 best class: All five classes ranked
Discover the best class in Diablo 4
Looking for the best class in Diablo 4? There are five classes available at launch in Diablo 4, and let's make one thing clear: they all feel incredibly powerful. Diablo 4 is a demon-slaying power fantasy, after all, so whichever class you think looks fun should be able to slaughter the hordes of hell.
However, if you want to dive into the toughest endgame content, push to level 100 in Hardcore mode, or rise the ranks when leaderboards eventually arrive in future seasons, then you'll want to use the best class in Diablo 4. Fortunately, that's where we come in!
In this guide, you'll find the best class in Diablo 4, alongside a full ranked list covering the strengths and weaknesses of each class.
This class tier list has been updated for the full launch, and includes information based on Patch 1.0.2. This patch nerfed Twisting Blades Rogue, Whirlwind Barbarian, and Pulverize Druid, while mostly buffing Necromancer.
Best class in Diablo 4
The best class in Diablo 4 is the Rogue. This is thanks to the Twisting Blades Rogue build, which has absolutely dominated in both the levelling push and in tough endgame content since the early access launch on Friday.
The Twisting Blades Rogue is an incredibly powerful build thanks to its ability to consistently inflict enemies with the Vulnerable and Infect status effects. It does this by using Shadow Imbuement and Twisting Blades, and enemies Infected by these attacks will explode on death to cause a chain reaction that melts mobs in seconds.
Twisting Blades also reduces the cooldowns of your active skills, allowing you to spam Shadow Imbuement, Dash, Shadow Step, and even your Shadow Clone ultimate for maximum damage and mobility in every battle.
From best to worst, here is our ranked list of all five D4 classes:
- Rogue
- Barbarian
- Druid
- Necromancer
- Sorcerer
Below, we'll break down each class, covering their strengths and weaknesses so that you can see why they've ranked in the order listed above.
Rogue
Previous position: 4 (up 3)
The Rogue is a high damage, high mobility class in Diablo 4, and it has one really strong build that sets it apart: Twisting Blades.
Rogues have access to a powerful synergy using Twisting Blades and Shadow Imbuement. This allows you to deal massive damage to enemies and cause them to explode, getting the best bits of the Necromancer's Corpse Explosion or the Sorcerer's Fireball Enchantment. Using these skills together will also reduce cooldowns and makes enemies Vulnerable, allowing you to spam skills on already-weakened enemies.
What makes Twisting Blades Rogue especially exciting is that you don't need to wait until endgame for it to feel good. I played through the full campaign and into endgame with this class, and I was destroying mobs and bosses throughout.
We previously had this build far lower on the list due to the high skill it requires, but after testing it out over launch weekend, we found that its performance at every tier of play makes it an obvious choice for the top spot. Despite some nerfs targeting Twisting Blades and Dash, the Rogue continues to perform incredibly well.
If this has piqued your interest, check out our Diablo 4 Twisting Blades Rogue build.
Barbarian
Previous position: 1 (down 1)
The Whirlwind Barbarian might not feel great while levelling up, but it's a Diablo classic that absolutely stomps in endgame content. The Whirlwind skill, unsurprisingly, makes your Barbarian spin around with their weapon, damaging anything that comes close. It costs Fury, but the beauty of the Barbarian is that this class has so many ways to increase Resource Generation, meaning Fury really won't be a problem late-game.
When paired with Legendary Aspects such as Aspect of the Dire Whirlwind (which increases Crit Chance) and Uniques such as Gohr's Devastating Grips (which makes Whirlwind explode after it ends), Whirlwind really does feel unstoppable in any scenario.
The Barbarian isn't all about big damage numbers, though. It also has impressive utility options, such as Rallying Cry and War Cry, that will improve Movement Speed, Resource Generation, and even total Damage for you and your allies.
The Barbarian previously held the top spot on this list, but dropped due to Patch 1.0.2, which had class balancing changes that targeted its endgame build. Gohr's Devastating Grips, Aspect of the Dire Whirlwind, and Bold Chieftain's Aspect all saw some painful nerfs, which caused the Barbarian to tumble down to second place.
If you want to spin to win, take a look at our Diablo 4 Whirlwind Barbarian build.
Druid
Previous position: 2 (down 1)
The Druid is the most varied class in Diablo 4, with plenty of wildly different playstyles to try out. Want to command wolf pets on the battlefield? Druid! Want to become the wolf? Druid! Want to forget all of that and use a combo of Earth and Storm spells to bend nature to your will? Druid!
That variety is great, but more importantly, the Druid's many potential builds are also ridiculously powerful. Raw skill damage aside, they also have ways to inflict debuffs such as Vulnerable and Immobilized on enemies, offering vital Crowd Control that'll make it easier than ever to clear demon hordes.
Unlike other casters, such as the Sorcerer, the Druid is also rather tanky. They have a lot of health and high defense, making it easier to soak enemy hits when you find yourself swarmed in late-game content. This makes the Druid a lot easier to use, and this ease of play and the high number of powerful endgame builds on offer combine to make the Druid one of Diablo 4's best classes.
The Druid previously took rank two on this list, but fell a spot due to nerfs that targeted Pulverize and Grizzly Rage, slightly reducing the impact of one of its strongest endgame builds.
If controlling storms and becoming a bear sounds like something you'd enjoy, take a look at our Diablo 4 Storm Druid build.
Necromancer
Previous position: 5 (up 1)
In fourth place comes the Necromancer, which we've found to be a mixed bag. Bone, Blood, and Corpse Explosion Necromancer builds all feel powerful at times, but it has issues with Essence Generation and, in boss battles, corpse management that make it really struggle in tougher endgame content.
However, if you can find ways to circumvent these issues, the Necromancer offers high DPS and has access to Skeletal Minions, which act as a powerful meatshield that'll draw enemy aggression and help you stay alive.
Corpse management aside, though, the Necromancer is often one of the simpler classes. You can sit back and focus on spamming corpses, using them for Corpse Explosion or to raise minions as needed, as these are both strong sources of damage. That simplicity makes it an excellent pick for those new to the Diablo franchise, but the more monotonous nature of this playstyle makes it a less exciting pick as you progress towards the endgame experience.
The Necromancer has risen from the bottom of this list, taking fourth spot thanks to some buffs targeting a few active skills and raising the damage of Skeletal Warriors and Golems.
If controlling the dead sounds fun, we've put together a couple of builds for you too: Diablo 4 Bone Necromancer build and Diablo 4 Corpse Explosion Necromancer build.
Sorcerer
Previous position: 3 (down 2)
The Sorcerer takes the bottom spot on this list, but that doesn't make it bad by any means. Right now, it simply doesn't have a build that is matching the other classes in either levelling or endgame content.
Despite not matching some of the more busted builds that we've mentioned above, the Sorcerer is a strong, varied caster in Diablo 4, largely thanks to some powerful spell combos that will tear through enemies. Fireball's Enchantment effect, for example, makes enemies explode on death, which synergises with almost any DPS spell to cause a chain reaction that melts mobs in moments.
The Sorcerer is also easy to pilot, with simple ranged attacks that will wreak havoc from afar. The biggest issue it runs into, then, is that the Sorcerer is quite weak, unable to tank in the endgame content that is so easily survivable for the Barbarian and Druid. It also fails to match the high damage potential of the Rogue and Necromancer, forcing it to the bottom of this list for now.
If you want to play as the ultimate Lightning mage, take a look at our Diablo 4 Sorcerer build.
That wraps up our guide on the best class in Diablo 4. For more, take a look at our guide on the max level in Diablo 4 so that you can better understand your journey to endgame. If you're interested in other goodies you'll unlock as you level up, make sure to check out our guide on the Diablo 4 battle pass. And if you need a hand getting around the world of Sanctuary our interactive Diablo 4 map is here to help.
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