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Diablo 3 is an action RPG about the loop that starts once the story ends: pick a class, level it to the cap, farm the difficulty that drops the gear you need, and build around the set that lands. Our coverage follows that loop. Nine class pages give leveling, starter and endgame builds for all six classes, six systems pages explain leveling, farming, crafting, elite affixes and Followers, two item pages cover sets and the Hellfire Ring, and three standalone guides handle character development, the secret levels and PC performance. This hub is the map of all of it.
Where to start
| Stage | Read | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Before you create a character | Character Builds and Development, then the classes guide | How skills, runes and Elective Mode work, and which class suits how you play |
| Levels 1 to 70 | Power Leveling and your class's Builds page | Massacre bonuses, the Season opener, Kanai's Cube and what to gamble at Kadala |
| Fresh level 70 | Legendary Items Farming and Item Sets | Which difficulty pays, how the Safety Net works, and what the set bonuses do |
| Pushing further | Hellfire Ring and Monster Traits | A 45 percent experience ring, and the elite affixes that end Greater Rift runs |
Classes and builds
The classes guide compares all six by resource, strengths and weaknesses and then summarises every build we have. Each class has a Season 19 Builds page that runs from a leveling skill bar through the Haedrig's Gift starter set to an endgame set build; the Barbarian, Monk and Wizard also keep older Best Builds pages from the Inferno, Nightmare and Hell ladder.
- Barbarian Builds and Best Barbarian Builds: Whirlwind in Wrath of the Wastes, Immortal King's Call and Might of the Earth, plus the Whirling Revenge Inferno build.
- Crusader Builds: a Blessed Shield beginner build in Armor of Akkhan, a Blessed Hammer leveling build and the Aegis of Valor Heaven's Fury tank.
- Demon Hunter Builds: Chakram and sentries while leveling, then Unhallowed Essence Multishot or the Natalya Marauder Sentry build.
- Monk Builds and Best Monk Builds: Raiment of a Thousand Storms and the Shenlong generator build, plus the Daibo-first Inferno build.
- Witch Doctor Builds: dogs, Gargantuan and Haunt to 70, then Zunimassa's Haunt with the Carnevil Poison Dart build.
- Wizard Builds and Best Wizard Builds: Tal Rasha Explosive Blast farming, Vyr Archon for Greater Rifts, and the Critical Archon Inferno build.
Leveling, farming and crafting
The mechanics guide strings the systems together. Power Leveling covers the experience bonuses and a Season 19 opener from the Challenge Rift cache to Kadala gambling. Legendary Items Farming tables monster health and damage from Normal to Torment VI and explains why Expert is the sweet spot until you outgrow Master. Rare Items Farming ranks Treasure Goblins, Bandits, Seekers and Pygmies. Crafting and Plans lists salvage materials by difficulty, the four gem types and every Blacksmith plan, and Monster Traits decodes every elite affix by unlock level.
Gear
The items guide explains how set bonuses scale and tables every set on our Item Sets page, class by class and generic, before laying out the Hellfire Ring as a four-step checklist: four Keywardens, four Infernal Machines, the Uber Bosses, then the plan.
Companions, secrets and settings
Followers covers the Templar, Scoundrel and Enchantress: where each joins, the quest that recruits them, and the weapons and skills that make them useful in single-player. Secret Levels explains the Staff of Herding shopping list for Whimsyshire, from the Black Mushroom in the Cathedral to the Gibbering Gemstone from Chiltara and the 50,000 gold crafting fee, plus the fourth crypt that hides Development Hell and the one percent chance of the Quality Well. Best PC Settings walks through the D3Prefs file, from shadow and physics quality to the HardwareClass value and the 60 frames per second cap that keeps the game smooth.
Frequently asked questions
Which class is easiest to start with?
Our pages describe the Barbarian as forgiving to learn and the best balanced of the six, the Monk as very strong early, and the Witch Doctor the most powerful character in the early game thanks to its summons. The Wizard and Demon Hunter start weak and grow into the strongest late. Details are in the classes guide.
What difficulty should I farm at 70?
Expert, until Master packs die in a single hit, then Torment I, where the Reaper of Souls set items start to drop. The reasoning and the drop-rate numbers are in Legendary Items Farming.
Where is Kanai's Cube?
In the Elder Sanctum, reached through the Ruins of Sescheron in Act III. Our Power Leveling page puts fetching it right after the first Challenge Rift of a season.
How do I get into Whimsyshire?
Build the Staff of Herding from the Black Mushroom, Shibone, Liquid Rainbow, Wirt's Bell, Gibbering Gemstone and the plans from Izual, then talk to the Ghost of the Cow King on the Old Tristram road in Act I. The full list, and the Nightmarish version, are in Secret Levels.