A Guide to the 5 Best Diablo 4 Builds to Start the Game With: Strengths and Weaknesses

Diablo 4 is finally here, and many players are eager to dive into the dark and gritty world of Sanctuary. Whether you’re playing as a Barbarian, a Rogue, or a Sorcerer, you’ll want to have a solid build that can handle the various challenges and enemies that await you.

I’ll share with you my personal picks for the 5 best Diablo 4 builds to start off the game with. These builds are based on my own experience playing the beta, as well as some research from various sources online. They are not meant to be definitive or optimal, but rather suggestions that can help you enjoy the game and explore its possibilities.

Note that these builds are designed for level 25 characters, which is the current level cap in the beta. They may change or become obsolete as the game evolves and new content is added. Also note that these builds assume you have access to all skills and aspects for your class, which may not be the case depending on your progression and choices.

Whirlwind Warrior (Barbarian Class)

The Whirlwind Warrior is a classic Barbarian build that focuses on spinning around with your weapon and dealing massive damage to multiple enemies at once. This build is great for clearing large groups of foes and staying mobile on the battlefield.

The main skill of this build is Whirlwind, which consumes Fury to spin around with your weapon and hit nearby enemies. You’ll want to max out this skill as soon as possible, as it will be your main source of damage. You’ll also want to invest in Death Blow, which deals a powerful strike that resets its cooldown if it kills an enemy. This skill is useful for finishing off low-health targets and keeping your Whirlwind going.

The strengths of the Whirlwind Warrior build are:

• High damage output: The build can deal massive amounts of damage to multiple enemies at once with Whirlwind. The damage is further increased by Frenzy, which grants bonus attack speed and damage for each consecutive hit. Battle Rage also boosts damage and critical chance for a duration.
• High mobility: The build can move around quickly and easily with Whirlwind, which does not consume stamina or interrupt movement speed. This allows the Barbarian to chase down enemies or escape from danger. War Cry also grants bonus movement speed and armor for a duration.
• High survivability: The build can sustain itself in combat with various sources of healing and defense. Whirlwind heals the Barbarian for a percentage of the damage dealt to enemies. Frenzy also grants bonus life leech for each consecutive hit. War Cry also grants bonus armor and resistance for a duration.

The weaknesses of the Whirlwind Warrior build are:

• Low single-target damage: The build excels at dealing damage to groups of enemies, but struggles against single targets such as bosses or elites. The damage output of Whirlwind is reduced when hitting only one enemy, and Frenzy loses its bonuses when switching targets.
• Low crowd control: The build lacks crowd control abilities that can stun, freeze or knock back enemies. This makes it vulnerable to enemies that can interrupt or disable the Barbarian’s actions, such as casters or ranged attackers.
• Low versatility: The build relies heavily on Whirlwind as its main skill, which limits its options for adapting to different situations or preferences. The other skills are mostly passive or supportive in nature, and do not offer much variety or customization.

The Whirlwind Warrior Barbarian Build is a fun and powerful build that can dominate large groups of enemies with ease. However, it also has some drawbacks that make it less effective against single targets or challenging scenarios. It is best suited for players who enjoy fast-paced and aggressive gameplay with minimal complexity.

Poison Archer (Rogue Class)

The Poisonous Archer build is a ranged Rogue build that focuses on applying poison damage to enemies with arrows and traps. It also uses shadow skills to create clones and shrouds for evasion and defense. The main advantages of this build are:

• High damage over time: Poison damage stacks up quickly and can melt through groups of enemies or bosses with high health.
• Crowd control: Poison damage also slows down enemies and can eventually dissolve them into goo. This makes it easier to kite them around or escape from sticky situations.
• Survivability: Shadow skills allow you to create clones that distract enemies or shrouds that make you invisible. You can also use shadow imbue to deal extra damage and heal yourself.
• Versatility: You can switch between different weapon types (bow, crossbow, dagger) depending on the situation. You can also use frost imbue to apply chill effects that can freeze enemies over time.

The main disadvantages of this build are:

• Low burst damage: Poison damage takes time to ramp up and does not deal much upfront damage. This can be problematic against enemies that have high resistance or immunity to poison or those that can heal themselves quickly.
• Reliance on cooldowns: Shadow skills have long cooldowns and require careful management. If you run out of clones or shrouds, you will be vulnerable to attacks.
• Lack of mobility: Unlike other Rogue builds that use skills like Blade Shift or Shadow Step to dash around, this build does not have many mobility options. You will have to rely on your movement speed and dodging ability to avoid damage.

To make this build work, you will need to invest your skill points into the following trees:

• Basic Tree: Blade Shift (1/5), Enhanced Blade Shift
• Primary Tree: Blade Shift (Core), Flurry (5/5), Enhanced Flurry, Improved Flurry
• Stutter Step Tree: Stutter Step (3/3), Agility
• Weapon Mastery Tree: Weapon Mastery (3/3)
• Subterfuge Tree: Dark Shroud (5/5), Enhanced Dark Shroud, Countering Dark Shroud
• Exploit Tree: Exploit (3/3), Malice (3/3)
• Imbuements Tree: Shadow Imbuement (5/5), Enhanced Shadow Imbuement, Blended Shadow Imbuement
• Precision Imbuement Tree: Precision Imbuement (3/3)
• Ultimate Tree: Shadow Clone

You will also need to choose the following aspects from the Codex of Power tree:

• Defensive Aspect of Disobedience
• Aspect of Might
• Aspect of Siphoned Protection
• Offensive Edgemaster’s Aspect
• Aspect of Retribution
• Aspect of Encircling Blades
• Vengeful Aspect
• Resource Ravenous Aspect

For stats, you will want to prioritize Dexterity for dodging and critical hit chance, Strength for weapon damage and armor penetration, and Intelligence for poison damage bonus.

The Poisonous Archer build is a fun and effective way to play as a Rogue in Diablo 4 if you like dealing massive poison damage over time while using shadow skills for defense. It requires some skillful management of cooldowns and positioning but rewards you with satisfying results when done right.

The Frost Nova (Sorcerer Class) Build

The Frost Nova build focuses on using frost spells to freeze enemies in place and shatter them with powerful bursts of cold damage. The core skill of this build is Frost Nova, which creates a ring of ice around the Sorcerer that freezes nearby enemies and deals high damage. The skill can be enhanced with runes that increase its radius, duration, damage or cooldown reduction. The build also uses other frost skills such as Ice Bolt, Ice Armor and Blizzard to complement Frost Nova and provide more crowd control and survivability.

The main strengths of this build are:

• High burst damage: Frost Nova can deal massive damage to frozen enemies, especially if they are vulnerable to cold or have low health. The skill can also crit for even more damage.
• Crowd control: Frost Nova can freeze multiple enemies at once, preventing them from attacking or moving. This gives the Sorcerer time to reposition or cast other spells without being interrupted or overwhelmed.
• Survivability: Frost Nova can also freeze enemies that are close to the Sorcerer, creating a defensive barrier that protects them from melee attacks. Ice Armor can also increase the Sorcerer’s armor and resistance to cold damage, making them more durable.
• Versatility: Frost Nova can be used in different situations and against different types of enemies. It can be used offensively to initiate combat or finish off weakened foes, or defensively to escape from danger or create breathing room.

The main weaknesses of this build are:

• Cooldown dependency: Frost Nova has a relatively long cooldown compared to other skills, which means it cannot be spammed constantly. The Sorcerer has to manage their cooldowns carefully and use other skills in between casts of Frost Nova.
• Single element reliance: Frost Nova and most of the other skills in this build deal only cold damage, which means they are less effective against enemies that are resistant or immune to cold. The Sorcerer may have trouble dealing with such enemies unless they switch to other elements or use items that reduce enemy resistances.
• Lack of mobility: Frost Nova requires the Sorcerer to be close to their enemies in order to freeze them, which exposes them to more danger than staying at range. The Sorcerer does not have many mobility skills in this build apart from Teleportation (which also has a cooldown), so they may have difficulty kiting or chasing enemies.

Overall, I found the Frost Nova build to be very fun and satisfying to play. It offers a unique playstyle that combines high burst damage with crowd control and survivability. It is especially effective against large groups of enemies that can be frozen and shattered easily. However, it also has some drawbacks that require careful planning and adaptation. It may not be suitable for every situation or enemy type.

The Shadow Build (Rogue Class)

The Shadow Rogue build is based on using skills that deal shadow damage, create shadow clones, and enhance your mobility and evasion.
The main skills for this build are:

• Shadow Imbuement: This skill allows you to imbue your weapons with shadow damage, which also infects enemies and makes them explode when they die, dealing area damage.
• Flurry: This skill lets you unleash a rapid barrage of attacks that can hit multiple enemies. You can also evade through enemies while using this skill, stunning them and increasing your damage.
• Shadow Clone: This skill summons a shadow clone that mimics your attacks and distracts enemies. The clone also explodes when it dies or expires, dealing more area damage.

The main advantages of this build are:

• High damage output: The combination of shadow damage, explosions, and Flurry makes this build very effective at dealing damage to both single targets and groups of enemies. You can also use other skills like Heartseeker or Barrage to increase your critical chance and attack speed.
• High mobility: The Rogue has many skills that boost your movement speed, such as Dash, Concealment, Momentum, Haste, etc. You can also use Flurry to evade through enemies and obstacles, making you hard to catch or pin down.
• High survivability: The Rogue has low defense but high evasion. You can use skills like Caltrops or Shadow Crash to slow down or stun enemies while you escape or reposition yourself. You can also use Shadow Clone to divert enemy attention while you deal damage from afar.

The main drawbacks of this build are:

• Low defense: The Rogue has no skills that grant fortify or absorb effects, which means you have to rely on your evasion and mobility to avoid taking damage. If you get caught by a strong enemy or a crowd control effect, you might die quickly.
• High energy consumption: The Rogue’s main resource is energy, which regenerates over time but can be depleted quickly by using skills like Flurry or Barrage. You have to manage your energy wisely and use skills like Heartseeker or Enhanced Stealth to regenerate it faster.
• High skill requirement: The Rogue is not an easy class to play well. You have to be aware of your surroundings, position yourself carefully, switch between melee and ranged weapons depending on the situation, time your evades and clones correctly, etc.

Overall, I think the Shadow Rogue build is one of the most fun and rewarding builds in Diablo 4. It requires skill and practice but it pays off with high damage output high mobility high survivability

Death Blow Build (Barbarian Class)

One of the most popular and powerful builds for the Barbarian is the Death Blow build, which focuses on using a skill that deals massive damage to enemies below a certain health threshold and resets its cooldown if it kills them. In this blog post, I will share my firsthand experience with this build, highlighting its main strengths and weaknesses.

How does it work?

The Death Blow build revolves around using the skill Death Blow as often as possible. This skill costs 20 Fury (the Barbarian’s resource) and deals 300% weapon damage to an enemy. If the enemy’s health is below 35%, the damage is increased by 1000%. If Death Blow kills an enemy, its cooldown is reset.

To make this build work, you need to use other skills that can lower enemies’ health quickly and generate Fury for you. Some of the best skills for this are:

• Whirlwind: This skill costs 10 Fury per second and makes you spin around with your weapon, hitting all nearby enemies for 100% weapon damage. You can move while spinning, making this skill great for clearing mobs of enemies and generating Fury.
• Battle Flay: This skill costs no Fury and makes you slash an enemy with your weapon, dealing 150% weapon damage and causing them to bleed for 300% weapon damage over 6 seconds. Bleeding enemies also take 25% more damage from all sources, making them easier targets for Death Blow.
• Rallying Cry: This skill costs no Fury and makes you shout, increasing your attack speed by 25% and your movement speed by 15% for 8 seconds. It also grants you and your allies 10 Fury per second while active, helping you sustain Whirlwind and Death Blow.

These are the core skills of the build, but you can also use other skills to enhance it further. For example:

• Leap: This skill costs no Fury and makes you jump to a location, dealing 200% weapon damage to enemies where you land and stunning them for 2 seconds. This skill is useful for mobility, escaping danger, or initiating combat.
• War Cry: This skill costs no Fury and makes you roar, increasing your armor by 50% and your damage by 15% for 8 seconds. It also taunts nearby enemies, making them focus on you instead of your allies.
• Call of the Ancients: This skill costs no Fury but has a long cooldown of 120 seconds. It summons three ancient warriors to fight by your side for 15 seconds, each wielding a different weapon type (sword-and-board, two-handed axe, or dual-wield). They deal 200% weapon damage with their attacks and have their own skills that they use randomly.

What are its strengths?

The main strength of the Death Blow build is its ability to deal massive burst damage to single targets or groups of enemies with low health. By using Whirlwind and Battle Flay to lower enemies’ health quickly, you can then finish them off with Death Blow, which resets its cooldown if it kills them. This allows you to chain multiple Death Blows in succession, creating a satisfying feedback loop of carnage.

Another strength of this build is its versatility in terms of weapon choice. Since Death Blow scales with weapon damage, you can use any type of weapon that suits your playstyle or situation. You can use two-handed weapons for more raw power, dual-wield weapons for more attack speed, or sword-and-board weapons for more defense. You can also switch between different weapons on-the-fly with the Barbarian’s unique mechanic, giving you more options in combat.

Finally, this build is also very fun to play, as it rewards aggressive gameplay and makes you feel like a true warrior who can take down any foe with one decisive blow.

What are its weaknesses?

The main weakness of the Death Blow build is probably its heavy reliance on killing enemies to maintain its buffs. This means that if you face a tough boss or a group of enemies that can survive your initial onslaught, you might lose your momentum and become vulnerable. Secondly, this build sacrifices some defense and survivability for offense. You will have less health, armor and resistances than other barbarian builds, so you need to be careful not to get hit too much or get caught in crowd control effects.

To make the most of this build, you need to choose your gear and runes wisely. You want to maximize your critical hit chance and damage, as well as your attack speed and movement speed. You also want to have some life leech or life on hit effects to sustain yourself in combat. For runes, you want to pick ones that enhance your killing power or give you some utility. For example, you can use the Bloodthirst rune for Blood Rage to heal yourself when you kill an enemy, or the Leapfrog rune for Leap to jump over obstacles and enemies.

Diablo 4 has a heavy focus on customization, making the possibilities of builds almost infinite. However, as we all know there is always “meta” in these types of games that just gives you an advantage. If you’re looking for a place to start try one of the 5 builds from this article.