Diablo 4 Mid-Season 6 Power Rankings: Class Strengths Before the Patch
Now, while Pit runs aren’t the be-all and end-all for class balance (they tend to favor certain builds over others), they do provide an excellent snapshot of the current state. Let’s break down the top Pit tier clears, look at the builds that drive those numbers, and analyze the broader balance of Diablo IV Season 6.
Druid – The Underdog on the Rise (Tier 108)
Starting with the lowest clear among the classes, we have the Druid at a respectable tier 108. Despite being at the bottom of the Pit rankings, Druids have made noticeable progress. The top two Druid builds achieving this mark are the Boulder Druid and the Hurricane Druid.
· Boulder Druid is particularly exciting. After months of tweaking, it’s now a viable option, showcasing the powerful synergy between Boulder skills and the Dolmen Stone legendary aspect, which causes boulders to orbit you while you activate Hurricane. It’s a fun and flavorful build that’s finally starting to hold its own.
· Hurricane Druid, which previously dominated the class, remains strong but operates differently. Its primary advantage lies in using the Poison Creeper to generate a poison effect that stacks with Overpower snapshots. The build now competes closely with Boulder Druid for the top spot among the Druid builds.
· While the Druid still has some work to do in comparison to other classes, achieving tier 108 with two distinct builds is a solid win, and the class has definitely tightened up from earlier seasons.
Rogue – Rapid Fire and Potion Abuse (Tier 113)
Next up, we have the Rogue, which has cleared a tier 113 Pit with a Rapid Fire build that capitalizes on the quirky combination of the Ca Yak Runeword and potion use. This build isn’t the most comfortable to play, as it requires players to chug potions just right to activate buffs that double your primary resource damage. But when executed correctly, it results in some seriously high numbers.
· The biggest strength of this Rogue build lies in its ability to trigger massive bursts of damage after two potion activations, though it feels awkward and doesn’t feel entirely “clean” from a game design perspective. The build’s current power comes from exploiting the timing and mechanics of potions and Rapid Fire, rather than a well-rounded, smooth gameplay loop.
While this build has managed to secure a tier 113 Pit clear, many players would prefer to see a more straightforward and rewarding way to buff Rogue's power without resorting to potion chugging. Still, it’s clear that the Rogue can perform well in the Pit, but it’s not quite as polished as it could be.
Barbarian – Mighty Throw Exploits (Tier 118)
In fourth place, we have the Barbarian, whose Mighty Throw build has cleared a tier 118 Pit. This build relies heavily on snapshotting bugs, allowing players to stack massive damage buffs by casting Mighty Throw and activating buffs like Call of the Ancients, Overpower, and Hammer of the Ancients. The trick is that after casting Mighty Throw, the damage pulses that follow stay active as long as you keep throwing Mighty Throws in quick succession, multiplying the damage exponentially.
· While the Barbarian's gameplay loop is fun, it’s not without its issues. The snapshotting mechanics feel unintended and very "buggy," resulting in an odd playstyle. It's definitely effective, but whether it’s truly the ideal way for Barbarians to deal damage is up for debate.
For now, this build remains one of the most powerful Barbarian options, though it’s expected that the mid-season patch might address these unintended mechanics. A tier 118 clear is an impressive feat, but the class could still use a more consistent and intentional buff to bring its balance in line.
Necromancer – Bone Spirit Dominates (Tier 120)
Surprising many, the Necromancer has broken through to tier 120 with the Bone Spirit build. This powerful build takes advantage of Bone Spirit’s ability to crit and generate massive amounts of essence, while also using the newly introduced Soul Rift ultimate for additional power. Bone Spirit’s unique ability to reduce its cooldown with crits makes it a potent choice for high-level Pit pushes.
· The build itself is pretty stable at the top, though it can become a bit less effective outside the Pit, where it struggles due to lower health enemies and less synergy with other content types. Still, reaching tier 120 with a well-optimized Bone Spirit setup is a notable achievement.
Sorcerer – Firebolt/Firewall Shatter Shenanigans (Tier 121)
Coming in at second place, we have the Sorcerer with a tier 121 clear. Sorcerers were long considered one of the best classes for Pit pushing, and now, with a Firebolt/Firewall setup, they’ve adapted to the season’s quirks.
· The key to this build’s success lies in an old Firebolt and Firewall combo, which works beautifully in the Pit, especially when combined with Greater Fireball and Shatter. The interaction between Shatter’s explosion and Greater Fireball’s damage over time creates devastating bursts, especially in the high-health environments of the Pit.
However, while tier 121 is impressive, this build is only really effective in Pit content. Outside of the Pit, Sorcerers still need substantial buffs to remain viable in other aspects of the game.
Spiritborn – The King of Bugs (Tier 150)
And finally, we come to Spiritborn, the undisputed top contender with a staggering tier 150 clear, finishing just under 2 minutes. This class’s prowess comes from its Quill Volley build, which exploits multiple bugs and interactions to stack damage in crazy ways.
· Vicious Shield and Jaguar Spirit Hall are central to this build, as they allow for damage double-dipping across multiple interactions, making Spiritborn output some of the highest damage numbers in the game. The sheer scale of Spiritborn’s power comes from the way certain buffs multiply on top of each other, with Jaguar Spirit Hall triggering twice the damage each time.
· The class also benefits from some serious bugs that have been exploited by the community, including stacking maximum resolve beyond intended limits, which enables insane damage scaling. This combination of mechanics and bugs has resulted in runs that can clear the Pit in under 2 minutes, though not all of these clears are strictly legal in terms of game design.
· While the exploitations are disappointing, Spiritborn is still undeniably the most powerful class at the moment, with tier 150 clears across multiple builds, including Crushing Hand and Touch of Death. It’s safe to say that Spiritborn is busted—but how much of this is due to bugs versus intended mechanics is still up for debate.
Conclusion: Preparing for the Mid-Season Patch
As we head into Diablo IV’s mid-season patch, these power rankings highlight the strengths of current classes, showcasing a variety of builds from Druid to Ecstasy. While some builds shine by exploiting exploits, others rely on more concise mechanics to reach the top.
The mid-season patch is poised to address many of these discrepancies, so we can expect balance changes that could shake up the rankings. Whether the patch will adjust Ecstasy’s overwhelming strength or provide more reliable buffs to rogues and barbarians remains to be seen. Stay tuned to MMOEXP for the cheapest diablo 4 duriel mats to help players quickly adjust their builds after the game updates.
Until then, prepare for the changes, perfect your builds, and have fun!