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One of the factors that continues to drive the game’s popularity is the high replay value, with seven character classes, each one with a unique skillset and multiple specifications players can choose to pursue. Disagreements regarding which class is the best rage on within the community to this day. It should come as no surprise since each character has its unique strengths and weaknesses. Here’s how things generally shake out in Diablo 2: Resurrected.
Updated on December 30th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: The “best” of anything will always be a contentious subject in the gaming community. Players will often feel disrespected when a class or build that they love is placed underneath another. Indeed, one of the beautiful things about a well-balanced game is that even if the community has a preference or a tier list, the game is possible to beat with any class. Diablo 2: Resurrected is the poster child for such a discussion. This list has been updated with information about how each character shines, even if it ranks low down on the list, so that gamers can know how to make the class shine regardless fo its ranking.
7 Barbarian
The Barbarian is probably the most “basic” class to use in Diablo 2. It doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s worthless, but there are some significant drawbacks to using this character. First of all, he is extremely reliant on gear, regardless of the build. Also, weapon damage is nearly impossible to make work on higher difficulties. It requires a perfect Whirlwind build just to scoot by.
The Barbarian’s true strength is in his support abilities. Using shouts and playing with teammates, this is the undisputed best class when it comes to helping out teammates, and that includes factoring in a Paladin’s auras. When playing with friends, give the Barbarian more than a cursory glance.
6 Assassin
One of the two classes that were introduced to the game later on (with the Lord of Destruction DLC), the Assassin is a quite interesting character lore-wise, but she falls short when it comes to some of her in-game abilities. This character class specializes in sneaky combat tactics and diversion.
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Much like the Barbarian, melee tanking/attacking is not viable when the game gets tough. To make the Assassin function, try out the Trapper build and make her a caster, thus giving her the ability to complete the game solo. With three different damage types used in the build, no monster immunity will be enough.
4 Druid
Along with the Assassin, the Druid was added to Diablo 2 with the Lord of Destruction expansion. A lot of fans refer to him as the most well-rounded class in the game. Druids are extremely versatile. They have the conjuring abilities usually associated with necromancers, combat spells comparable to those of the Sorceress, and they are quite skilled when it comes to using swords and maces. They also have the unique ability to shapeshift into a werewolf or a werebear.
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One issue with the druid is that he doesn’t do anything better than any other class. Paladins tank better, Sorceresses deal more damage, and Barbarians have better mobility. However, the Wind Druid build deals physical damage on top of magic, making it the only viable physical spellcaster, so there is at least something the class does better than most.
3 Necromancer
The Necromancer class is the most suitable one for players who are new to isometric ARPGs. The game allows Necromancers to summon skeletons from the start, laying down the groundwork for following the path of a Summonmancer build, one of the most powerful builds in all of Diablo 2: Resurrected. Once leveled up enough, the necromancer will have the potential to create a true army of the undead that will handle most of the dirty combat work.
The Necromancer is often sought after in groups because of his curse skills, which are some of the only ways to reduce resistances and cut through immunities. It’s plenty valuable solo, too, so that summoned units stay viable all game long. And Corpse Explosion assures that the Necromancer won’t ever fall behind the difficulty gap since the damage is based on the life of enemy units. The stronger they are, the better.
2 Sorceress
The Sorceress is an incredibly powerful class, and one of the most entertaining ones to play as. This is because of her versatile magic skill trees, which branch out to three spell categories: Fire, Lightning, and Cold. Their clear distinction into three elemental types of magic makes build-creation a very straightforward affair even for complete ARPG noobs.
Almost every serious player has a Lightning Sorceress build on their character list. Why? Because it’s the fastest at clearing units in the game. For farming runes and other items, it’s handy to have one around, even if the runes will be going to benefit other characters.
1 Paladin
The Paladin is the epitome of a “video game good guy”. As such, many players may find using him to be quite a boring ordeal, but in fact, he is the most powerful one out of all playable Diablo 2 classes. The Paladin has access to a variety of magical and melee skills. On top of that, he is also adept at using ranged weapons and spells.
The most popular Paladin build by far is the Hammerdin. It deals high damage thanks to a lot of points invested in the Blessed Hammer skill and the associated Vigor and Blessed Aim abilities. On top of that, the Holy Shield perk ensures that the Paladin does not take too much damage when fighting off large groups of enemies at a time.
Diablo 2: Resurrected was released on September 23rd, 2021, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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