When a big RPG comes out like Diablo 4, you might wonder what class you should pick. Between the five classes—Necromancer, Sorcerer, Rogue, Druid, and Barbarian—you have all kinds of playstyles to have fun with that fit what you want out of the experience. Blizzard’s fourth installment in the fantasy franchise delivers depth that will be a mix of fresh ideas and concepts from Diablo 2 and 3. Whether you are a newcomer or a veteran in slaying hordes of enemies, you will have plenty of choices to determine what class to pick and how you want to play that character. Even if you play with friends in the same class, they might differ depending on how they build their character.
Diablo 4 Class Breakdown
Necromancer
The last class to be announced for Diablo 4 was the Necromancer. It is easy to use with a variety of playstyles that can frontline the group due to their durability. Necromancers can use Essence as a regenerative material to cast some mighty spells. Another resource is bodies, which can be used for summons and other undead-centered spells.
You can pick up to four playstyles with Necromancer. You can have that supportive, damaging style to kill while maintaining your life with Blood magic. You can do immense damage with Bone using its various AoE spells, like Bone Spirit or Bone Prison. If you want straight damage, then Darkness will offer you powerful spells for damage and debuffs to weaken enemies. When you think of Necromancers, you might think about summoning, which comes from the Army, leading to hordes of undead to assist your dungeon crawling.
Sorcerer
For you fans of a magic-based class in Diablo 4 but are not interested in the haunting magic from Necromancer, then Sorcerer is for you. The elemental spells lead to devastating damage and crowd control, whether you need to keep them at a distance or escape. While Necromancer can be in the front of the battle, you will want to stay back as this has the least amount of health out of every class. On the upside, compared to Barbarian or Druid, Sorcerer regains magic passively to keep you engaged in combat as long as you pace yourself.
Sorcerers have two sides of their magic with minor and major destruction spells. With each of the elements with fire, frost, and lightning, you get additional perks out of using these elements to your advantage. Some spells will create lasting damage, like bleed. You can cause damage to a horde with the various lightning-based spells or something like Fireball, which explodes to deal AoE damage.
Rogue
If you want choices in how you play your class in Diablo 4, then Rogue might be for you. You can engage in long-range combat with bows, crossbows, and traps or get in close with lightweight weapons like daggers and swords. Depending on your build, you can balance the two different playstyles to fit any situation. Include the abilities from the stealthy Shadow Realm to elemental attacks; you can take down enemies to get new gear in any way you want.
The main skills include Shadow Realm, Exploit Weakness, and Combo Points, which let you deal damage safely for this lightweight class. Similarly to Sorcerer, you can use elemental damage by imbuing your weapons with acid, frost, or shadow. Set up some traps to help you from behind; then, you can hold your own when playing alone. When playing with others, you will help them by taking out enemies at a distance or up close without any witnesses.
Druid
Now we are onto Druid, which between this and Barbarian, are the two toughest to play in Diablo 4, so if you want a challenge, this shapeshifting class could be for you. The melee-based skills let you take on bigger, single enemies. You can also handle multiple enemies between your basic and Spirit skills. So, whether you are a werewolf or using the elements, you will be delivering death to your foes.
Balancing the skills can get challenging as you shapeshift and use other abilities. Each of the basic attacks generates Spirit, which lets you use Spirit spells, like Pulverize, which turns you into a werebear for an AoE attack. If you can hone in on Spirit, then that resource will come in handy to carry you through battles with shiny loot on the other end.
Barbarian
The final class in Diablo 4 might be the hardest to grasp, but it will be worth it. Tanks like the Barbarian can deal and take damage, which can be to their advantage. Having the enemies focus on you can also be challenging, so you need to pace yourself if playing alone or have support from anyone else playing with you. If you want a melee-based class that not only deals damage, but can build up to Fury to unleash deadlier attacks, then you will be cleaving, hammering, and slashing every enemy in your sight.
Barbarian is more rigid with less variety in playstyles. Not only are you more restricted with melee attacks, but some abilities are locked if you don’t have the right weapons. Basic attacks like Bash need a bludgeoning weapon or Flay’s requirement for a slashing weapon. The same goes when you go into Fury, as Rend requires a slashing weapon, and Double Swing needs you to dual-wield your weapons.
This should give you a good idea of which class suits you in Diablo 4. You have plenty to choose between the classes and their expansive skill trees. When you get your hands on the game, whether that is early or on the actual release date of June 6, you can curate your character to a preference to maximize your efficiency.
Diablo 4 is available on PS4 and 5, Xbox One, Series X|S, and PC. It is available on June 1 or 2, depending on your timezone if you have pre-ordered the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition. For regular pre-orders, it launches on June 6.