Diablo IV Beta Class Guide: Which Class To Play?

Diablo IV Beta Class Guide: Which Class To Play? – In this Diablo IV Beta Class Guide, we’re going to discuss the 5 Classes that’ll be available during the Open Beta this March. If you’re excited to get your hands on Diablo IV and you wish to know how each Class plays, then this Guide is for you!

Diablo IV Beta Class Guide: Which Class To Play?

Diablo IV’s Beta will feature all 5 Classes, namely the Barbarian, Sorceress, Rogue, Druid, and Necromancer. Each of them focuses on distinct damage types, specific playstyles, Stats and Attributes, as well as Unique Class Mechanics, all of which we’ll discuss in this guide. So without further ado, let’s start with the Barbarian!

Diablo IV Beta Class Guide – Barbarian

The Barbarian Class is suitable for players who wish to deal massive destruction in the melee range while being able to seamlessly switch from one Weapon type to the next. They’re much more Physical Damage oriented than any other Class in Diablo IV and are pretty straightforward when it comes to dishing out offensive and defensive moves.

Due to their Unique Class Mechanic, which is known as the Arsenal System, Barbarians can equip and swap about 4 Weapons at a time, allowing for better customization. These include the Main Hand, Off-Hand, Bludgeoning, and Slashing Weapons. Doing so allows you to freely assign specific Equipment to certain Skills based on your needs. For instance, Bash, which lets you stun and heavily damage targets, is well-suited using a Bludgeoning Weapon but if you wish to raise this ability’s stun duration even more, then you should opt to switch to a Two-Handed Bludgeoning Weapon instead. It’s also worth noting that upon the Skill’s activation, you’ll instantly equip the best Weapon in your loadout.

Furthermore, every Weapon the Barbarian uses has a corresponding Expertise stat, thereby leveling up their ranks accordingly. For example, if you wish to boost your Critical Strike Chance then wielding a One-Handed Axe will come in handy. Because of this, it’s highly recommended to collect and prepare a wide variety of melee Weapons in order to take advantage of this Class’s Build diversity and itemization progression. In terms of Stats, you’ll mainly want to invest in Strength to amplify your damage, Willpower for improved Fury regeneration, and Dexterity to increase the chances of landing critical hits.

Like in Diablo II and III, the Barbarian retains the ability to annihilate mobs of enemies extremely well. Fan-favorite skills such as Whirlwind, Double Swing, and Hammer of the Ancients make their way back into the game. Whirlwind, in particular, is quite popular and a staple of one of our Barbarian Builds. But Diablo IV pushes their capability even more by allowing them to consistently focus on single powerful targets such as Bosses by dealing Bleed damage. However, they continue to struggle with some of their Skills, which have long cooldown rates, thereby stalling their damage at times.

The Barbarian’s abilities are spread out. In some cases, you can opt to inflict Bleed, crowd control techniques, and team-based actions. Alternatively, you can also choose to enhance self-buffs in order to deal the most amount of Physical Damage possible.

Due to overwhelming fan feedback, the Barbarian also gets a passive flat-out percentage-based damage reduction as he is always in the thick of things.

If you’re far more comfortable obliterating enemies and challenging Bosses using a great assortment of melee Weapons, then the Barbarian is the right Class for you.

Diablo IV Beta Class Guide – Sorceress

The Sorceress is your typical high-risk, high-reward type of Class because although they’re very fragile, they deal excellent elemental damage by casting Fire, Cold, and Lightning Spells. Fire Spells synergize well with the Burning status effect to inflict damage over time but beyond this, they aren’t able to control the battlefield as effectively in the early game. The same couldn’t be said for Cold Spells where crowd control abilities shine the most. What you have here is a variety of Skills that will either Chill or completely Freeze your enemies, making it exceptionally potent against boss fights. Not only will you slow them down, but you can potentially freeze them in place when enough stacks are accumulated.

Finally, you have Lightning Spells that are well-balanced in terms of dealing a decent amount of damage and controlling encounters to your advantage. Some abilities that are tagged as “Crackling Energy”, leave behind a ball of energy that either inflicts damage against enemies or replenishes your own Mana.

Just like the Barbarian, many fan-favorite spells make their way into Diablo IV as well. Expect to see the return of Charged Bolts, Fireball, the almighty Frozen Orb, Frost Nova, Chain Lightning, and Hydra.

When it comes to Stats, you’ll want to allocate points into Intelligence to boost the damage of your Spells, Dexterity to raise Mana recovery, and lastly, Willpower to improve your crit chance.

The Sorceress’s Unique Class Mechanic called the Enchantment System, changes how a Skill works. In total, there are several active ability slots together with dedicated Enchantment slots. Should you decide to place a skill in an Enchantment slot, it can no longer be activated and will instead transform into a secondary passive bonus. For instance, you’re able to trigger Meteor to blast multiple targets with heavy Fire Damage while momentarily setting the ground on fire.

If you’ve been wanting to master the art of casting powerful elemental magic that not only deals great damage from any distance but also impairs targets, then the Sorceress Class is perfect for you!

Diablo IV Beta Class Guide – Rogue

The Rogue is a stealthy assassin who’s adept at moving swiftly. So they can choose to reposition themselves to gain the upper hand in Combat or retreat when things get too precarious. Unlike Barbarians, they can quickly switch between melee and ranged Weapons such as daggers, swords, and bows, making them extremely versatile. They are extremely fun to play in this regard, especially if you enjoy high APM classes.

Although at the start, bows don’t deal as much damage, these will allow you to stay at a safer distance with respect to your foes, thereby lowering the chances of frequently getting hit. You can think of Diablo IV’s Rogue as a combination of Diablo II and Diablo III’s Amazon and Demon Hunter, respectively.

Your primary Stats for this Class include Dexterity to amplify Skill Damage and improve dodge ability, Strength to enhance your Energy regeneration rate, and Intelligence to improve your crit chance and overall resistance.

The Rogue’s Unique Class Mechanic is known as Talent Specializations, which are divided into Combo Points, Inner Sight, and Preparation, each with its own questlines. Remember though that you can only use one Talent Specialization at a time, though they can be freely swapped around outside of combat. Additionally, Preparation hasn’t been tested since it only becomes available upon reaching Level 30.

Combo Points are accumulated by activating Basic Rogue Skills. You’ll then be able to consume these points with Core Skills to trigger additional effects. Meanwhile, Inner Sight allows you to fill up a gauge by attacking marked enemies. Doing so will allow you to make use of unlimited Energy for a brief period of time, and is proven to be effective against Bosses.

Now the Rogue’s versatility doesn’t end here since they can also imbue other attacks with specific effects such as Poison, Shadow, and Cold. These are usually applied to Core Skills and abilities that deal damage against multiple enemies such as Rapid Fire. Rogues also have powerful traps that can be used to control the battlefield. Caltrops can be dropped on the ground to slow and damage foes while Poison Traps can be laid down to deal area damage over time. This class also has some of the most powerful movement abilities such as Shadow Step and Concealment.

If you’re keen to play a lightning-fast Class that excels in dealing Physical Damage with melee and ranged Weapons, and you don’t mind shifting positions quickly to gain the advantage in Combat, then you should consider playing as the Rogue.

Druid

The next Class in Diablo IV is the Druid who has the uncanny ability to change their physical form from a human to that of a Werebear and Werewolf. Compared to Druids in Diablo II, Druids can now instantly transform when using their beast-themed Skills prior to executing the corresponding actions. Do note that your new form will only last for a short duration until you execute another move.

Moreover, this Class is also an adept wielder of magic, except that they specialize in casting Earth and Storm Spells to disable enemies while slaying forces of evil. For instance, you’re able to execute Crushing Blows to damage a target by a certain percentage of their total Life. A lot of Skills also leave them Vulnerable, which means they take a significant amount of additional damage from any succeeding hit.

Druids have Companions that do not need to be summoned but are automatically called out to attack on their behalf. They do have respective active Companion Skills to deal damage on certain targets. In terms of Stats, not much is currently known for this Class as well as the Necromancer.

Initial information suggests that the Druid’s Unique Class Mechanic is tied to acquiring special loot, which should be offered to spirit animals. Doing so will grant different passive bonuses based on the spirit’s type. It hasn’t been revealed how many types are available but each of them will grant up to 6 offensive and defensive passive effects.

Druids are usually considered a “jack-of-all-trades” type of character as they have so many diverse playstyles available to them. You can go full Toxic Werewolf if you wish, or even a Werebear who Summons things, or even a pure elemental shaman. If you’re the type of player who wants to experiment with various playstyles that allow you to transform to another form and unleash elemental fury, then the Druid Class is the best choice there is!

Necromancer

The final Class in Diablo IV is the Necromancer who is a renowned summoner, often resurrecting corpses to fight with them in battle. Like Barbarians and Rogues, a wide variety of Weapons are available to them such as swords, daggers, Wands, and more importantly, Scythes, which only they can wield. Diablo IV’s Necromancer will remind veterans of the Necromancer in Diablo III because of the Essence resource to activate potent Skills. Another useful resource is Corpses, which are created from the remains of fallen enemies or other Spell effects. In fact, you can even make use of the fan-favorite Corpse Explosion!

Necromancers have 4 distinct playstyles, namely, Bone, Darkness, Blood, and The Army. Bone Skills primarily focus on dealing Physical Damage while consuming the Essence resource. One of its most notable Spells is Bone Prison, which ensnares multiple enemies and can be used in conjunction with offensive-based Skills. Next is Darkness that makes use of dealing damage over time, making it the ideal choice for those who intend to torture foes who dare fight them.

Third is Blood, which allows the Necromancer to become a bloodthirsty vampire to restore their own Life. One notable Spell is Blood Surge, which not only absorbs the HP of enemies but also gains their strength. An explosion will soon follow to deal additional damage. Another favorite is the new Blood Mist, which is a key skill in our Necromancer Corpse Explosion Build. This ability turns the Necromancer into a swirling rain of blood, becoming unhindered and dealing damage to all nearby foes.

And last but not least is the Army, which lets you bring skeletons back to life as well as construct golems.

The Necromancer’s Unique Class Mechanic is the Book of the Dead. This lets them further customize their undead armies such as Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Mages, and Golems. For instance, Skeleton Warriors can become Skirmishers who deal greater damage but at the expense of maintaining a lower health pool, or Defenders who inflict lesser damage but are expert tanks. What’s more, is that you can choose to ‘Sacrifice’ a specific minion to gain a permanent buff to further improve your Build.

If you want to summon armies of corpses to destroy enemies effectively, then look no further because the Necromancer is certainly the right Class for you!

If you enjoyed this Diablo IV Beta Class Guide, stay tuned for more Diablo IV content this March! We have a ton of Diablo IV Guides available, such as Builds, Mistakes to Avoid, as well as the new Server Slam Beta Guide.

What did you think of this guide? What class are you most excited to try out first? Let us know in the comments below! For more content, check out the Wildhearts Beginner Guide and Hogwarts Legacy Talents Guide – Which Are The Best For Your Gameplay?