Season 11 is a game-changer for Diablo 4. New sanctification, mythic reworks, big class nerfs, and unique items are changing the landscape. Power levels are dropping, monster difficulty is rising, and the meta is shifting. For those looking to get ahead in the 2.5 PTR, it is time to find out which classes and builds to play for the Season of the Infernal Chaos. With this updated Diablo 4 Season 11 Tier List, we are going to talk about the changes to each class and rank the best builds for leveling and endgame (The Pit & Tower) in the 2.5.0 PTR.
Diablo 4 Season 11 Tier List - Best Class & Builds
Season 11 introduces a host of updates that reshape both the journey and the endgame experience. Item crafting, defense, healing, and challenge content all see major updates:
Tempering & Masterworking: Players can now select specific affixes when tempering, making targeted gearing more accessible. Masterworking now progresses items from quality level 0 to 20, granting incremental upgrades and a final capstone bonus that can be rerolled without losing progress. This removes the frustration of constant resets and rerolls, making the process more streamlined.
Sanctification: This system allows a final legendary power or affix to be added to items, but with risks—it can also replace a valuable affix or make the item indestructible. The randomness and potential for bricking an item add a high-stakes layer to endgame gearing.
Monsters & Combat: Enemy packs are deadlier, with new affixes and champion packs that can slow progression but offer extra loot. Damage reduction now uses a toughness value, and armor/resistance caps are gone, replaced by diminishing returns. Healing sees a rework, with more emphasis on life on kill, regeneration, and fewer instant potions.
Lesser Evils & Divine Gifts: Random world events now feature classic Diablo bosses, and the new Divine Gifts system provides players with more loot and experience, but doesn’t impact build power directly.
Endgame Content: The Tower and new leaderboards provide timed, multi-floor challenges with random monsters and bosses. Season progression now uses seasonal ranks and capstone dungeons, with renown removed entirely.
These changes slow down early progression, reduce the flow of legendaries before level 40, and require more deliberate gearing and build planning.
So now let's sort out the new Diablo 4 Season 11 Tier List for the 2.5.0 PTR based on already known changes, and we will keep updating the ranking according to the testing from Season 11 PTR!
Diablo 4 Season 11 Best Class Tier List (2.5.0)
With so many adjustments, class rankings have shifted in Season 11. Here’s where each class stands based on performance, versatility, and endgame potential.
1. Druid (S Tier)
Druid could be the winner as a top performer in the new season, maintaining its reputation from previous seasons. Pulverize remains extremely strong, and the revamped Raven build offers new ways to deal tremendous damage. The class still benefits from the impressive Rotten Lightbringer and continues to deliver high results even without the chaotic perks that defined Season 10. While the recent changes to Grizzly Rage alter its uptime and the way stacking damage works, Druid continues to offer exceptional durability and flexibility. The Cataclysm build, Boulder setups, and the improved Bat Omen for lightning builds provide plenty of diversity. Druid’s tankiness, combined with strong damage reduction and massive amounts of life, ensures it retains a spot at the top of the list.
Main Changes To Druid in S11 (Nerfs & Buffs):
Fortify bonuses from skills and passives drastically reduced (by 80–90%).
Grizzly Rage: Can no longer be kept up infinitely; cooldown starts after effect ends; stacking bonuses changed.
Spirit generation: Nerfed across legendaries and passives.
New unique boots: Offer crowd control and unhindered movement, but are not build-defining.
D4 S10 Best Druid Builds:
Pulverize Druid (still top-tier, but less tanky and less spirit sustain)
Cataclysm Druid (Melted Heart OP)
Lacerate Druid (Melted Heart OP)
Bad Omen Druid (New Build based around Bad Omen dmg)
Ravens/Companion (mana/resource hungry, but strong damage)
Boulder (minor buffs, still niche)
Stormclaw (speed farming, but less meta)
2. Necromancer (S Tier)
Necromancer comes into Season 11 with several options for effective builds, though some established strategies see reductions in power. The Bone Spirit build, which previously thrived on frequent critical and overpower strikes, now faces challenges due to cooldown management, as the days of stacking masterwork cooldown reduction are gone. The Blight build also loses a fair portion of its damage potential because it can no longer stack ranks to Reaper’s Pursuit as easily, leading to a substantial drop in the number of darkness skills enhancing damage. However, minions are on the rise thanks to the new Grave Bloom unique, which transforms your single golem into three smaller golems, making certain aspects and eruptions much more potent. Leveling remains smooth, and the class offers fun minion builds that are more accessible than before, keeping Necromancer firmly in the high tier.
Main Changes To Necromancer in S11 (Nerfs & Buffs):
Golem changes: Respawn faster, active ability lets minions focus targets, new unique grants three small golems.
Corpse Explosion: Buffed.
Bone Spirit/Bone Spear: Damage bonuses capped (no more limitless resource spending for huge spikes).
Fortification: Heavily nerfed on all sources.
Minion builds: More viable, especially with Golem buffs.
D4 S11 Best Necro Builds:
Summon Golem Minion Necro build (using new unique mace)
Blood Wave / Blood Surge Necro
Corpse Explosion (buffed, especially for speed farming)
Shadow DOT (less competitive, but still usable)
3. Barbarian (A Tier)
Barbarian presents an interesting case for Season 11. After multiple rounds of nerfs, the class still demonstrates strength, with Pit 122 clears still possible. The addition of the Chain Scorched Male unique pants brings a new dimension to brawling skill rotations, amplifying damage based on how many skills are disabled and then re-enabled in sequence. This new playstyle encourages creative combinations, such as maximizing the impact of Kick and Leap, which now scale with attack speed and can be chain-spammed for big results. While the exact placement of Barbarian is hard to predict, it has the tools to perform very well, potentially landing in either the top or middle of the pack depending on how these new mechanics fare in high-end content.
Main Changes To Barb in S11 (Nerfs & Buffs):
Massive fortification nerfs across all skills, passives, and aspects.
New unique pants: Brawling skills, when cycled, refresh and get huge damage multipliers.
Kick: Damage doubled, new Power Kick mechanics, but capped resource bonuses.
Whirlwind: Minor buffs to crit/damage stacking, but dust devil focus remains.
Call of the Ancients: Longer duration, possible for pet builds.
D4 S11 Best Barb Builds:
HotA Barb (Melted Heart OP)
Kick Barbarian (“Piano Barb” with new pants and buffed kick)
Lunging Strike Barb (Melted Heart OP)
Charge Barb (Melted Heart OP + New Unique Pants Pog)
Whirlwind (still not S-tier, but improved)
Upheaval (easier to cancel, but not meta)
Call of the Ancients (pet build exploration)
4. Sorcerer (A Tier)
Sorcerer finds itself in a more challenging position for Season 11. The class identity centered around rapid teleportation has been disrupted, with the teleport enchantment now fixed at a 5-second cooldown that cannot be reduced. This change slows down Sorcerer’s movement and makes the gameplay feel less fluid for players used to constant blinking around. Hydra builds take a hit as well, since the number of Hydra heads and their associated damage bonuses are cut down due to the inability to stack masterworks as before. While Hydra and Ball Lightning builds still have potential, and Blizzard may see renewed interest, the class overall will feel slower and less explosive. Fireball builds, however, may become more prominent, offering a different playstyle for those willing to adapt.
Main Changes To Sorc in S11 (Nerfs & Buffs):
Teleport enchantment: Now has a 5s cooldown, cannot be reduced.
Cooldown reduction: Severely limited by loss of temper/masterwork stacking.
Oris Vain unique: Grants huge core skill damage if you give up defensive skills; all defensive enchantments active.
Skill ranks and passives: Heavily nerfed, especially for resource and cooldown stacking.
Overall survivability and speed: Down significantly compared to previous seasons.
D4 S11 Best Sorc Builds:
Frozen Orb Sorc (Loads of Buffs + GIGA new weapon)
Ball Lightning (still decent for AoE, but much slower)
Hydra (high single target, but less mobile)
Fireball/Chain Lightning (good for farming, but not pushing)
Ice Shards (viable but less meta due to speed loss and tankiness)
5. Spiritborn (B Tier)
Spiritborn, which was an unstoppable force in Season 10 thanks to triple masterwork and chaotic perks, faces a major decline in Season 11. The absence of double or triple masterwork removes much of the raw power and utility that made this class so dominant. The problems are compounded by the removal of bugged mechanics, like Jaguar Spirit Hall’s double-dipping damage, and the reduction in available powerful playstyles. The evade-focused builds remain, but are much less effective for pushing the highest content. Overall, Spiritborn suffers a substantial drop in power and is expected to struggle compared to the previous season.
Main Changes To Spiritborn in S11 (Nerfs & Buffs):
Path of Emissary unique: Auto-casts core skills as you move, hybridizing playstyles and enabling rapid debuff stacking.
Jaguar, Eagle, and Centipede Spirit Hall effects buffed for more damage, more attack speed, and more resilience.
Poison builds deal more total damage (over longer durations).
Flat resource generation values replace percent-based, making resource management a bit tougher.
D4 S11 Best Spiritborn Builds:
Jaguar Strike (high attack speed, stacking damage)
Quillspike (Quilli)
Poison/Back-off Swarm (longer poison, higher uptime)
Evade-centric builds
6. Rogue (B Tier)
Rogue lands in the lowest tier for Season 11, with several top builds losing effectiveness due to the new crafting limitations. Death Trap and Poison Trap builds were previously dependent on stacking masterworks for cooldown reduction and trap duration, and the absence of these options means much of the damage and resource efficiency is lost. The Orphan Maker build, while capable of massive burst, is now hampered by increased cooldowns and reduced synergy. The hit-and-run playstyle that allowed Rogue to stack damage bonuses through constant movement is less rewarding without the previous crafting flexibility. As a result, Rogue is expected to have the hardest time reaching the highest content tiers in the current PTR.
Main Changes To Rogue in S11 (Nerfs & Buffs):
Death’s Pain unique: Boosts Dance of Knives, giving it up to 60x damage and more dodge/move speed.
Rogue builds are less affected by fortification/resource nerfs.
Masterworking and tempering changes mean less ceiling for double/triple dipping, but Rogues pivot easily.
D4 S11 Best Rogue Builds:
Dance of Knives (with Death’s Pain)
Penetrating Shot (still very strong for bossing)
Flurry/Trapper (high mobility, good for speed content)
Shadow Clone (though hurt by additive stacking nerfs, still fast for T4 farming)
Diablo 4 Season 11 Best New Builds Ranked for Leveling & Endgame (The Pit & Tower)
New uniques, adjusted affixes, and build-enabling aspects are going to bring a new build meta situation in Season 11 of Diablo 4. Here are the new top meta builds that could dominate the 2.5.0 PTR for leveling and the endgame:
1. HOTA Barbarian Build (S Tier)
Hammer of the Ancients Barbarian stands out in Season 11 PTR as a ranged build that boasts both impressive tankiness and explosive power. Leveraging the crazy fury node, this version delivers huge overpower hits, easily hitting for 50 to 55 trillion, and can be played at range, allowing you to trigger earthquakes from a safe distance. The gameplay feels smooth, especially when pulling large enemy packs, and the build excels in high-density situations, making it possible to clear level 105-106 towers with just basic 1GA gear. This approach relies on dodging heavy hits rather than face-tanking, introducing a dynamic playstyle that rewards movement and awareness. The synergy between Melted Heart and high resource stacking allows for quick resource restoration if you avoid damage, and the build cycles between shouts, overpower, and ground stomp for control and burst. Defensive layers are robust, with gear like Mantle of the Mountains, Harlein Crest, and Starless Sky providing strong survivability. The paragon setup further amplifies strength and resource scaling, while companions and runes such as Alkin and T add resource sustain and attack speed. Even with only modestly upgraded gear, the build performs at a high level, ensuring both fun and reliability for pushing into challenging content.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The build is sturdy and effective early on, but really shines as gear and paragon investments ramp up.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Outstanding performance in high-tier content with enormous damage potential and a flexible, ranged approach to combat.
2. Lacerate and Cataclysm Druid (S Tier)
Both Lacerate and Cataclysm Druid builds rise to the top in Season 11 PTR, primarily due to their synergy with the newly redesigned Melted Heart of Selig amulet. This amulet fuels resources to extreme levels, enabling ancestral guidance to scale ultimate skills based on spirit at the time of casting, leading to multiplicative gains in damage that can reach up to 20,000% or more. Alkin’s Ember Gift further boosts resource generation, providing a surge of primal resource when standing in firestorm, which stacks with the Melted Heart effect. Cataclysm Druid benefits from exceptional lightning bolt scaling, now amplified by vast spirit pools, while Lacerate Druid combines resource scaling with powerful ultimates for devastating results. These builds take full advantage of endgame sanctification to push their power even higher.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Strong from the start, though their true potential is realized as resource scaling and endgame items come online.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Among the most powerful and explosive builds for high-tier content, combining unmatched burst with reliable sustain.
3. Golem Minion Necromancer Build (S Tier)
The new Grave Bloom mace gives three smaller golems (each dealing up to 60% damage), plus massive attack speed and faster respawn. Combined with buffs to golem targeting and Kalan’s Edict now granting 40% attack speed and damage, this is a huge upgrade for golem-centric builds.
Very strong for early game and leveling, as the new buffs and item make golem builds much more practical and damage-focused from the start.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Easy to start and rewarding as you gather pieces, with the golem focus shining early on.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Very strong, especially for players who enjoy minion-centric combat and sustained DPS.
4. Kick/Piano Brawling Barbarian (S Tier)
Kick Barb and Charge Barb both see massive gains this season thanks to the synergy between Melted Heart and the newly introduced unique pants. These builds tap into resource stacking for huge multipliers, and the new pants add fresh offensive options that push their damage into new territory. Lunging Strike Barb also benefits heavily from Melted Heart’s mechanics, allowing for rapid resource cycling and reliable high burst. Mighty Throw Barbarian rounds out this group by making use of six-second rotation windows, maximizing uptime on key buffs for steady, explosive attacks.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not ideal for casual players due to complexity, but offers strong burst damage and potential for new playstyles with the kick skill.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Potentially strong, especially with the new mythic reworks (like Melted Heart). Survivability is still a concern as fortification and defensive options are heavily nerfed.
5. Frozen Orb Sorcerer (A Tier)
Despite the loss of permanent teleport, the Frozen Orb Sorcerer finds new life with the introduction of OS Vein. This unique weapon grants all four defensive enchantments and five core skill ranks, greatly boosting both offense and survivability. The synergy between fractured winterglass and frozen orb further enhances scaling, and players can now set up a highly flexible skill bar with a wide range of active and passive effects. The build is robust for all content, though it may struggle at the very top without further improvements.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A strong choice for leveling, benefiting from flexible skills and improved survivability.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Performs very well in most scenarios, though not quite at the peak of PTR’s most explosive builds.
6. Crackling Energy Sorc Build (A Tier)
This Crackling Energy build stands out in Season 11 PTR for its speed, high burst damage, and satisfying mobility among lightning-focused setups. Leveraging the interaction between overflowing cameo and stacking ranks on your skill bar, each extra rank directly increases your crackling energy output, leading to rapid discharges that cut through packs of enemies efficiently. The playstyle revolves around chaining teleport and evades, using maximum evade charges on boots and teleport enchantment to keep moving, which not only boosts clear speed but also provides crucial survivability. The core of the build, Essora, allows you to deal tremendous damage as you rapidly discharge stored energy onto nearby enemies, especially when you maintain high crackling energy uptime. While the defensive capability is not as robust as some alternatives, you often rely on spamming teleport and lightning spear to keep protection active, once you ramp up the gear, sanctification, and paragon, the build can tackle content up to pit 95-97 with strong gear. With optimized gear, triple GA items, and fully-leveled glyphs, this build is one of the fastest and most enjoyable lightning setups for Sorcerer, excelling at both clearing packs and bursting down bosses before they can retaliate. However, early game and leveling can feel challenging due to high gear and glyph requirements, and survivability may become an issue in tougher content without strong defenses.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐
Strong, as the build gets a large flat bonus and many enchant effects, smoothing early gameplay. However, the loss of double-cast fireball (from previous sanctification) and changes to the enchantment system are felt.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Still likely to be highly used due to the sheer amount of power and enchantment utility, but it doesn’t reach the heights of what was possible in Season 10. The loss of perma-teleport and cooldown stacking is a significant blow.
7. Pulverize Druid (A Tier)
Pulverize Druid remains a staple in the meta, bolstered by the Rotting Lightbringer unique, which continues to provide impressive returns even after recent adjustments. This item allows for heavy sanctification and, with the right aspects, can push damage even further. Although the Grizzly Rage nerf has impacted the build slightly, Pulverize still ranks among the strongest, especially when lucky sanctification rolls land on key items.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Still solid, as Druid’s core build remains functional and straightforward to play, but less forgiving due to reduced spirit recovery and fortify.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Still likely to be viable, but no longer the powerhouse it once was. Survivability and sustain are much weaker, and the build doesn’t benefit from the new unique, which is viewed as underwhelming.
8. Bad Omen Druid (A Tier)
Bad Omen Druid is a new entry this season, built around the updated Bad Omen damage effect. It introduces a unique playstyle with lucky hit and weapon scaling, making it worth trying for those searching for something fresh among Druid options.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐
Viable with some gear, but more experimental and may require specific setups to shine.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Offers creative and potentially powerful options for advanced players willing to experiment with new mechanics.
9. Blood Wave Necromancer Build (A Tier)
Blood Wave builds remain viable, with minor buffs to blood surge damage while fortified. The chaos powers are removed, but the core mechanics are largely unchanged.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Solid and reliable for campaign and early endgame.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐
Not as explosive as golem minion builds, but remains a steady choice for high content.
10. Russian Claw / Jaguar Skills Spiritborn Build (B Tier)
Russian Claw and Jaguar-based skills receive a double DPS increase. However, these were not considered meta previously, so the buff brings them from the bottom to mid-tier potential.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Much more enjoyable for leveling, as the damage is now more competitive and resource generation is easier.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐
Still not a top contender, but these builds catch up somewhat thanks to the double DPS and new unique boots (Path of Emissary) that invoke core skills as you move, creating hybrid playstyles.
11. Quill Volley Spiritborn Build (B Tier)
Quill Volley builds see less drastic change. The loss in power is mainly from overall nerfs to gear and the removal of chaos perks. Still, with the right gear, remains a solid choice.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This build remains strong for leveling, with good movement and clear speed.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐
Performs well, though damage is lower than in previous seasons, and the build is less explosive compared to the new top-tier options.
12. Dance of Knives Rogue Build
Rogue receives some upgrades, particularly with Dance of Knives, making spin-to-win more effective for speed farming. While this build outpaces Barbarian in certain scenarios, it still faces challenges in high-end content, especially without access to master working and advanced tempers. Other setups like Death Trap are expected to struggle. Rogue is in an okay spot for lower-tier activities, but may fall behind in the most demanding content.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fast and efficient for speed farming and general leveling thanks to high mobility and dodge. However, this build has never excelled at boss or elite killing, and that's even more pronounced in Season 11 as elites have become more threatening.
Endgame: ⭐⭐
Historically, Dance of Knives has been a speed farming build, not a pushing build. The new unique boosts damage, but with monsters and elites buffed, it’s unclear if this is enough to make the build top-tier for high-end content.
13. Ravens/Companion Druid Build
Ravens and companion-based Druids are still strong, but they are now more resource-starved than ever. The loss of infinite spirit from the Minoric ring and nerfs to spirit restoration aspects make resource management a major challenge.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐
This build is Efficient at clearing and movement, but the lack of resource recovery slows progression.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐
Remains playable, but not as comfortable as previous seasons due to constant spirit issues. Its damage is still good for endgame, but the build feels clunkier.
14. Whirlwind Barbarian Build
Receives a buff where crit chance and damage ramp up each second, up to 50x. The bonus persists after channeling, enabling flexible play. However, survivability takes a hit with less fortify and damage reduction.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐
Easy to play and clear with, but suffers from the same survivability issues as other Barb builds.
Endgame: ⭐⭐⭐
Improved from previous seasons, but still not top-tier for pushing the hardest content.
15. Shadow Blight / DoT Necromancer (B Tier)
These builds were strong in Season 10 due to chaos powers and synergy, but Season 11's changes are not favorable. They lose key scaling and are not highlighted as winners in the new build environment.
Leveling: ⭐⭐⭐
Still usable, but overshadowed by golem and blood builds.
Endgame: ⭐⭐
Low-tier as the new meta does not favor DoT stacking and resource scaling in the same way.
16. Teleport Sorcerer Build (B Tier)
A build focused on perma-teleport with cooldown stacking. Season 11 removes the ability to infinitely reduce teleport cooldown; it's now fixed at 5 seconds. This hits Sorcerer’s speed and identity hard.
Leveling: ⭐⭐
Less attractive for leveling due to the loss of speed and flexibility. Mobility is much lower, making Sorc feel clunkier.
Endgame: ⭐⭐
Loses its main advantage (speed), and combined with the nerfs to power and cooldown stacking, struggles to keep up with other classes both in damage and utility.