Classes

Diablo 3 gives you six classes in our coverage, and each one is defined by the resource it spends and the set that carries it at level 70. Our build pages come in two generations. The Builds pages, written around Season 19, take a class from a leveling skill bar to the Haedrig's Gift starter set and on to an endgame set build for Greater Rifts or fast Rift farming. The older Best Builds pages for the Barbarian, Monk and Wizard come from the original game's difficulty ladder, with a full Inferno build and stepping-stone builds for Nightmare and Hell. This guide compares the classes, then walks through what each page gives you. If skill runes, Elective Mode or the action bar are new to you, start with Character Builds and Development, which explains the skill system and how many skills, passives and runes each class unlocks per ten levels.

The six classes side by side

Class	Resource	What our pages praise	What they warn about	Season 19 sets covered	Pages
Barbarian	Fury	Strongest melee, the tankiest hero, shouts with bonus effects, Whirlwind against hordes, Mighty Weapons	Fury builds slowly so key skills cannot be spammed; almost no ranged options	Wrath of the Wastes, Immortal King's Call, Might of the Earth	Builds, Best Builds
Crusader	Wrath	Blessed Shield keeps beginners safe at range, and the endgame build is an absolute tank	The endgame build only works with its specific gear	Armor of Akkhan, Aegis of Valor	Builds
Demon Hunter	Hatred and Discipline	Range, the fastest fire rate, the most agile hero, crowd control, screen-clearing skills	Squishy, acrobatics drain Discipline, both resources recharge slowly, Hatred skills depend on the weapon	Unhallowed Essence, Natalya's Vengeance with Marauder	Builds
Monk	Spirit	Very strong early, super fast, plenty of defensive skills, Mantras	Little range, few weapon and skill options, can be swamped late, Spirit must be rebuilt with primary attacks	Raiment of a Thousand Storms, Shenlong's Spirit	Builds, Best Builds
Witch Doctor	Mana	Powerful all game, a crowd of summons, the best area damage, strong self-healing, and it turns enemies into chickens	Mana hungry and defenceless when dry, squishy when surrounded, slow armor progression, long cooldowns	Zunimassa's Haunt with Carnevil	Builds
Wizard	Arcane Power	Range, crowd control, very strong late, the most skills and runes of any class, the fastest regenerating resource	Extremely weak early, slow, very squishy, needs a high-risk playstyle	Tal Rasha's Elements, Vyr's Arcana	Builds, Best Builds

Barbarian

The Barbarian is the class our writers call the easiest to start with and the most balanced, a melee tank that still deals heavy damage. Both of its pages agree that Whirlwind is the skill the class is built around; they differ on how you feed it Fury.

Leveling (Barbarian Builds): Rend (Bloodbath), Whirlwind (Wind Shear), Ground Stomp (Wrenching Smash), Leap (Iron Impact), War Cry (Charge) and Wrath of the Berserker (Insanity), backed by Ruthless, Superstition, Rampage and Nerve of Steel.
Fresh level 70: Wrath of the Wastes, the Season 19 Haedrig's Gift, starts with Rend, Whirlwind, Battle Rage, Sprint, War Cry and Wrath of the Berserker, then swaps in Ancient Spear, Ignore Pain and Threatening Shout for the endgame version built around the Bul-Kathos's Oath weapon pair.
Alternatives: Immortal King's Call turns Furious Charge, Whirlwind with Dust Devils and Call of the Ancients into a starter build, and Might of the Earth does the same with Earthquake, Ancient Spear with Boulder Toss and Leap with Death from Above. Both are starter builds only.
Inferno era (Best Barbarian Builds): the Whirling Revenge build pairs Frenzy with the Maniac rune and dual swords for Fury, Whirlwind with Volcanic Eruption for crowds, Revenge with Provocation for healing, and War Cry with Invigorate for 10 percent more health, with Wrath of the Berserker and Call of the Ancients held for elites. Brawler, Bloodthirst and Boon of Bul-Kathos are the passives, and the page wants Amethysts in armor sockets and Rubies everywhere else. It expects you to reach Nightmare around level 32 to 35 and Hell around 45 to 50.

Crusader

The Crusader page is the one written most explicitly for a new player. Its beginner build assumes a fresh level 70 wearing the Armor of Akkhan set and leans on Blessed Shield with the Combust rune because the shield bounces between targets on its own and keeps you out of reach. Everything is on Crusader Builds.

Beginner at 70: Blessed Shield, Steed Charge with Endurance, Laws of Valor with Unstoppable Force, Iron Skin with Steel Skin, Shield Glare with Zealous Glare and Akarat's Champion with Prophet, plus Heavenly Strength, Indestructible, Finery and Towering Shield.
Leveling: Blessed Hammer with Limitless and Condemn with Vacuum pull a screen of enemies onto you and delete them. The page maps the unlocks: Shield Bash at 2, Sweep Attack at 5, Blessed Hammer at 12, Steed Charge at 13, the Burning Wrath rune at 18, Limitless at 35, Endurance at 42 and Laws of Valor with Unstoppable Force at 45.
Endgame: the Aegis of Valor Heaven's Fury build, an absolute tank for solo Greater Rift progression. Heaven's Fury with Fires of Heaven does the damage, Fist of the Heavens with Fissure keeps the set bonuses stacked, and Judgement with Debilitate provides the crowd control that Bracer of Fury demands. It needs four Valor pieces, Captain Crimson's belt and pants, Convention of Elements, Obsidian Ring of the Zodiac, Pig Sticker and Shield of Fury, with Fate of the Fell, Stone Gauntlets and Ring of Royal Grandeur in the cube.

Demon Hunter

Our page describes the Demon Hunter as the Assassin and Amazon of Diablo 2 rolled into one acrobatic ranged class, and warns that it is squishy and weapon-dependent. Its two endgame builds sit at opposite ends of the skill floor. Demon Hunter Builds has all three.

Leveling: Chakram from level 12 for 380 percent weapon damage with a wide spread, the Spitfire Turret sentry for 280 percent over 30 seconds with two turrets up, the Wolf Companion for 500 percent more damage against elites, Vault for a 35-yard escape, Preparation with Punishment for Hatred, and Evasive Fire as the generator.
Unhallowed Essence Multishot: the solo Greater Rift build, boosted in patch 2.4 by Dead Man's Legacy. Multishot from level 22 hits everything around you for 360 percent, and Vengeance from level 61 adds 40 percent damage plus side guns and homing rockets for 20 seconds. The gear list runs from Accursed Visage to Yang's Recurve with Focus and Restraint as the rings.
Natalya Marauder Sentry: the build the page recommends to beginners for endgame after patch 2.6.1, a long-range sentry style that hits harder and takes less damage. Cluster Arrow deals 650 percent, Rain of Vengeance 1,500 percent over five seconds, and Sentry costs 20 Hatred a turret. It mixes three Marauder pieces with Natalya's set and Bombardier's Rucksack.

Monk

The Monk is martial arts plus the Paladin's holy power, and both of our pages stress speed: Spirit is spent like mana and rebuilt with primary attacks, so attack speed decides how often you can cast. The Monk Builds page covers Season 19; Best Monk Builds covers the Inferno ladder.

Leveling: Fist of Thunder from level 1 for 14 Spirit a hit and 400 percent on every third strike, Lashing Tail Kick at 2 for 755 percent, Dashing Strike at 9 for a 50-yard dash, Exploding Palm at 13 for 1,200 percent and a 2,770 percent detonation, Sweeping Wind at 21 for 75 Spirit, and Mantra of Healing.
Fresh level 70: Raiment of a Thousand Storms, the Season 19 Haedrig's Gift, runs Crippling Wave, Dashing Strike, Epiphany, Cyclone Strike (pulls up to 16 enemies from 24 yards), Exploding Palm and Mantra of Retribution.
Endgame: the Raiment Shenlong Generator build for patch 2.6.7, which the page rates viable for regular Rift farming at the highest levels. Crippling Wave generates, Breath of Heaven heals 69,000 to 91,000 life on a 15-second cooldown, and Mantra of Conviction with the Annihilation rune adds a 30 percent speed burst on kills.
Inferno era: Fists of Thunder with Thunderclap, Blinding Flash with Faith in the Light, Sweeping Wind with Cyclone, Breath of Heaven with Infused with Light, Serenity as the escape and Mantra of Healing as the only mantra worth taking, with Resolve, Seize the Initiative and One with Everything as passives. The page insists on a Daibo over a shield, Dexterity and Vitality on armor, and crit chance plus attack speed on jewellery.

Witch Doctor

The Witch Doctor is the Necromancer's heir: summons, damage over time and, our page notes, the best area damage in the game, paid for with a mana bar that runs dry fast. Witch Doctor Builds takes it from level 1 to a Greater Rift build.

Leveling: Zombie Dogs from level 4 (Rabid Dogs at 12, Burning Dogs at 40) and Gargantuan from 19 (Humongoid at 22) do the killing while Haunt with Resentful Spirits from 12 and Acid Cloud from 22 spread damage over time. Soul Harvest buffs, Spirit Walk repositions, and Spirit Vessel, Fetish Sycophants, Fierce Loyalty and Grave Injustice are the passives.
Endgame: Zunimassa's Haunt with the Carnevil helm, which makes your ten nearest Fetishes fire Poison Darts alongside you, piercing through The Dagger of Darts. Poison Dart with Spined Dart and Piranhas with Piranhado are the two skills you alternate, Fetish Army fills the field, and Big Bad Voodoo is saved for key fights. Simplicity's Strength, Enforcer and Bane of the Trapped are the gems.

Wizard

The Wizard is the Sorceress reborn, with the widest skill list in the game and, by our page's admission, the weakest early levels. Arcane Power regenerates fast enough that the Inferno-era build skips signature skills entirely. Wizard Builds covers Season 19 and Best Wizard Builds the original ladder.

Leveling: Disintegrate from level 21 ramping from 390 to 890 percent, Teleport at 22 for 50 yards, Explosive Blast at 19 for 945 percent in 12 yards, Magic Weapon at 20 for 10 percent more damage, Familiar at 22, and Storm Armor from 17 shocking anything nearby.
Rift farming: the Flashfire Explosive Blast build in Tal Rasha's Elements after patch 2.6.1, with Wand of Woh, Orb of Infinite Depth, Stone of Jordan and Avarice Band, running Electrocute, Teleport, Frost Nova, Explosive Blast, Diamond Skin and Storm Armor.
Endgame: Vyr Archon, the classic Archon playstyle in the full six-piece Vyr's Arcana, good for both solo Greater Rifts and speed farming because the set resets Archon quickly. Archon itself grants 30 percent damage, armor and resistance and 6 percent more power per kill while transformed, with Arcane Torrent, Black Hole and Magic Weapon around it.
Inferno era: the Critical Archon build opens with Disintegrate from range, Teleports in with the Wormhole rune, freezes the pack with Frost Nova and then goes Archon, with Diamond Skin and Energy Armor with Energy Tap keeping the glass cannon alive. Critical Mass, Astral Presence and Evocation are the passives, wand and orb or wand and shield the weapons, and the page begs you not to skip Amethysts because the Wizard's health barely grows on its own.

Which class should you start with?

Going only by what our pages say about the early game: the Barbarian is easy to start and forgiving, the Monk has a very strong early game and farms quickly, and the Witch Doctor is described as the most powerful character early on because its dogs and Gargantuan fight for it. The Demon Hunter is the opposite, hard to level before 25 because it depends on finding good hand crossbows, then exceptionally strong once Multishot, Cluster Arrow and Rain of Vengeance arrive. The Wizard is the slowest start of all, extremely weak early and very strong late. Class-by-class leveling skills are collected in our Power Leveling page.

Reading the two generations of build pages

What is Haedrig's Gift?

The seasonal set handed out for completing the season journey chapters, which our Season 19 pages use as the starting point for a fresh level 70: Wrath of the Wastes for the Barbarian and Raiment of a Thousand Storms for the Monk. Creating a seasonal hero is the first step in our leveling page's Season 19 opener.

Are the Inferno, Nightmare and Hell builds still relevant?

They describe the original difficulty ladder, where you reached Nightmare around level 30 to 35 and Hell around 45 to 50 on the way to the level 60 cap. The skill combinations still work, but the item advice in them predates Reaper of Souls and the removal of the Auction House. Read them for the skill logic and use the Season 19 pages for gear.

Where do the sets come from?

Set pieces drop at level 70 and, as our farming page explains, the expansion's sets only drop at Torment difficulty. The items guide lists the classic class sets and their bonuses, and the mechanics guide covers how to farm them.