Season 8 of Diablo 4 is bringing major class balance changes, including buffs, nerfs, and new unique items. Many top-tier builds focused on ultimates are being weakened, while new mechanics and gear pieces are introduced to shape the meta. The difficulty of high-tier content is also increasing, making strategic build choices more important than ever. Check out our Diablo 4 Season 8 Tier List for the 2.2 PTR, where we highlight the top classes and builds influenced by the updates and new content detailed in the patch notes!
Diablo 4 Season 8 PTR Tier List - Best Class & Builds in D4 2.1 PTR
Diablo 4 players, Season 8 brings a major update with class balance changes that will reshape the meta. These changes are currently on the PTR, so take them as early insights rather than final adjustments. The developers have introduced buffs and nerfs that will impact the top-tier builds, especially those relying on ultimate abilities.
One of the biggest adjustments is the introduction of an ultimate damage cap at 200%, along with a reduction in incidental crowd control effects. For example, Fist of Fate is being reworked to apply Vulnerability instead of a random crowd control effect. Additionally, damage-over-time effects are getting renamed.
With these general updates covered, let's break down the class changes and what builds might emerge as the strongest in Diablo IV Season 8.
1. Barbarian (S Tier)
Barbarian remains one of the strongest classes in Season 8, as its best build—Earthquake Barbarian—remains untouched by nerfs. Meanwhile, Mighty Throw and Steel Grasp are receiving massive buffs, including a new unique glove that grants multiplicative damage scaling instead of cooldown reduction. This allows Mighty Throw to deal up to 850x increased damage, making it a potential high-DPS ranged option. Double Swing and Whirlwind are also getting improvements, further solidifying Barbarian’s strength. Given that ultimates are being nerfed across the board, Barbarians dodging these nerfs makes them a top-tier class.
Main Changes to Barb in Season 8:
Mighty Throw & Steel Grasp now have multiplicative damage scaling instead of cooldown reduction.
New unique gloves boost Mighty Throw damage significantly (up to 850x).
Double Swing and Whirlwind buffs.
Earthquake build remains untouched.
Best Barbarian Builds Ranking for D4 S8 2.2 PTR:
HotA Earthquake Barbarian (S-Tier) – Still one of the best Barbarian builds, with new chest armor and buffs improving its performance.
Mighty Throw Barbarian (A-Tier) – Snapshot fix nerfs it slightly, but new damage buffs compensate.
HotA Whirlwind Earthquake Barbarian (A-Tier) – Weaker than pure HotA, but still strong.
Deathblow Barbarian (B-Tier) – Overpower mechanics make this a viable alternative.
Whirlwind Barbarian (C-Tier) – Minor buffs, but still not a top-tier build.
2. Necromancer (A Tier)
Necromancer is undergoing major shifts, particularly with minions getting a significant buff. A new two-handed sword improves Army of the Dead, doubling its damage and making Skeletal Mages more powerful (100x increased damage). However, because the sword occupies the two-handed weapon slot, players lose out on two aspect slots, limiting flexibility. Additionally, Skeleton Warriors now explode upon death, offering an alternative damage source. Unfortunately, Blood Wave—the dominant Necromancer build—is getting nerfed, and the new minion build’s reliance on Army of the Dead makes it questionable for high-end play.
Main Changes To Necro in Season 8:
New two-handed sword buffs Army of the Dead and Skeletal Mages.
Skeleton Warriors explode on death, dealing AoE damage.
Blood Wave build nerfed.
Best Necro Builds Ranking for D4 S8 2.2 PTR:
Blood Wave Necromancer (S-Tier) – Despite nerfs to Kesem’s Legacy, this remains the strongest Necromancer build, capable of clearing Pit 150 with its insane damage scaling.
Bone Spirit Necromancer (A-Tier) – Still a great burst-damage build, though not as dominant as Blood Wave.
Blood Spear Necromancer (A-Tier) – Benefits from buffs to Blood & Bone multipliers and Overpower mechanics.
Minion Summoner Necromancer (A-Tier) – Now benefits from all damage multipliers, making it much stronger.
Blood Lance Necromancer (B-Tier) – Overpower scaling makes it viable, but not as effective against bosses.
3. Sorcerer (A Tier)
Sorcerer might see a major resurgence thanks to buffs to Ice Shards, which now shotgun—allowing all projectiles to hit a single target. This makes Ice Shards significantly stronger for boss fights, addressing a long-standing Sorcerer weakness. The new unique helmet further boosts Ice Shards, increasing damage ramp-up to 75x when repeatedly hitting the same target. Additionally, Shivering Aspect increases enemy damage taken by 40x based on chill application, improving cold builds overall. If shotgun mechanics work as intended, Ice Shards Sorcerer could become one of the strongest builds in Season 8.
Main Changes To Sorc in Season 8:
Ice Shards can now shotgun, greatly improving single-target DPS.
New unique helmet grants additional Ice Shards and increased ramp-up damage.
Shivering Aspect increases enemy damage taken based on chill application.
Best Sorc Builds Ranking for D4 S8 2.2 PTR:
Firebolt Shatter Sorcerer (A-Tier) – Shatter double-dip mechanics and Firebolt Enchant buffs make this very strong.
Ball Lightning Sorcerer (A-Tier) – New offhand helps, but DPS is still mediocre.
Lightning Spear Sorcerer (B-Tier) – Still good despite nerfs.
Frozen Orb Sorcerer (C-Tier) – Cold buffs help, but not enough to make it top-tier.
Blizzard Sorcerer (C-Tier) – Same as Frozen Orb; buffs are minor.
4. Rogue (B Tier)
Rogue is shifting toward trap-based builds, particularly Poison Trap. A new unique glove increases maximum Poison Traps by two, removes its cooldown during Inner Sight, and allows it to benefit from combo points. Additionally, Aspect of Contamination boosts Poison Trap’s burst damage by 40x when it critically strikes. While Poison builds may have potential, there’s uncertainty about whether they will outperform existing Rogue builds. If Poison Trap mechanics synergize well with other abilities, Rogue could become a top-tier contender, but for now, its viability remains unclear.
Main Changes To Rogue in Season 8:
New unique gloves increase max Poison Traps and remove cooldown during Inner Sight.
Poison Trap benefits from combo points and deals 100x increased damage.
Aspect of Contamination boosts Poison Trap’s burst damage.
Best Rogue Builds Ranking for D4 S8 2.2 PTR:
Rain of Arrows Rogue (A-Tier) – One of the best Rogue builds, capable of clearing Pit 135.
Rapid Fire Shadow Clone Rogue (A-Tier) – Scoundrel’s Kiss makes this a powerhouse.
Death Trap Rogue (A-Tier) – Strong buffs make it much more viable.
Twisting Blades Rogue (B-Tier) – Shadow Clone synergy improves this build.
Dance of Knives Rogue (B-Tier) – Uncertain viability, but may work with Shadow Clone.
5. Spiritborn (B Tier)
Spiritborn introduces Storm Feathers as a new mechanic, functioning similarly to Crackling Energy, where players collect them to trigger buffs. A new unique amulet creates a Firestorm that grows stronger as more Storm Feathers are collected. Additionally, Rip and Tear Aspect buffs Rushing Claw, allowing guaranteed crits, overpower, and healing based on charge consumption. While these mechanics look visually impressive, the feather-collection system may be clunky in high-end gameplay, making Spiritborn’s potential uncertain.
Main Changes To Sporitborn in Season 8:
Best Spiritborn Builds Ranking for D4 S8 2.2 PTR:
Quill Volley Spiritborn (A-Tier) – Still crazy strong compared to most builds.
Razor Wings Spiritborn (A-Tier) – Received tons of buffs, making it top-tier.
Crushing Hands Spiritborn (B-Tier) – Fixes stacking nerfs but isn’t game-breaking.
Touch of Death Poison Spiritborn (B-Tier) – Big nerfs make this much weaker.
Evade Spiritborn (C-Tier) – Still good for PvP, but lacks PvE power.
6. Druid (C Tier)
Druid’s Cataclysm build is receiving nerfs, particularly by making snapshotting more difficult, which means players will need to carefully time activations. While snapshot mechanics remain intact, they are harder to maintain, making the build less accessible for casual players. On the other hand, Human Druid is getting buffs, with a new unique helmet granting attack speed bonuses and three key passives when specific conditions are met. However, requiring 200 critical strikes within 10 seconds to activate its bonus makes it unreliable in boss fights. Additionally, the Aspect of Impending Deluge boosts Storm Strike damage and increases the damage enemies take from other skills, potentially pushing hybrid builds forward.
Main Changes To Druid in Season 8:
Cataclysm snapshotting is harder to maintain, reducing its effectiveness.
New unique helmet buffs Human Druid, granting attack speed and key passives.
Aspect of Impending Deluge increases Storm Strike’s power.
Best Druid Builds Ranking for D4 S8 2.2 PTR:
Cataclysm Druid (S-Tier) – Still one of the best builds, despite nerfs to Runemaster snapshotting.
Shred Druid (A-Tier) – Blurred Beast Aspect rework makes Shred much stronger.
Landslide Druid (B-Tier) – Strong AK-47-style build, but not quite top-tier.
Hurricane Druid (B-Tier) – Still snapshots OP, making it a good pick.
Wolf Companion Druid (B-Tier) – Pets now benefit from all multipliers, making this an interesting alternative.
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