With the launch of Diablo II: Resurrected - Reign of the Warlock, the game has added the first-ever new class, the Warlock, bringing a completely fresh style of play. Warlocks break from tradition with their ability to bind any demon, turning enemies into powerful companions, and then consume them, granting rare buffs and auras previously unseen in the franchise. Demonic Mastery and Consume form the backbone of the Warlock's gameplay, allowing for a dizzying array of strategic depth. Below, we'll navigate how to bind demons, how Demonic Mastery and Consume buffs function, give an overview of every demon you can bind, and examine which choices work best for your build.
How to Bind Demons in Diablo 2 Resurrected?
Inside the Warlock's Demon skill tree, there’s a cornerstone active: Bind Demon. Located at level 30, it lets you attempt to bind almost any injured demon as a pet. Injury is required, but the enemy must only receive damage, there’s no need to reduce their health to a specific threshold.
The odds of a successful bind are affected by Bind Demon skill points, as well as skill synergies like Death Mark. At higher skill levels, expect to see bonuses for your bound demon, such as aura enchantments, spectral hit, extra fast, and extra strong, along with increased flat and percentage-based damage. Some super unique demons, for technical reasons, cannot be bound, but the system covers a rich lineup of regular and unique foes.
Permanency is a striking element: once a demon is bound, it remains with your Warlock even after leaving and re-entering games, unless it’s killed or consumed for its secret buffs.
How Does Demonic Mastery Work?
Demonic Mastery is a passive in the Warlock’s specialty tree, amplifying the power and potential of your demon pets. The main draw for many is that at level 10 and 20, you gain an extra bound demon each time, for a maximum of three with sufficient investment. Therefore, those seeking a true demon army will want to aim for at least rank 20.
Investing points also keeps your bound demon’s stats and performance competitive, especially for companion types like Goatmen or Tainted. Levelling up Demonic Mastery does not affect Consume buffs; it specifically boosts the number and strength of your pets.
How Does Consume Buffs Work?
After binding a demon, Warlocks can use their Consume ability to absorb that pet, granting powerful effects for a limited duration. Each demon carries unique potential buffs: these can include elemental resistances, piercing (lowering enemy resists), crushing blow, auras, enhanced damage, physical reduction, and much more—many of which are not accessible by any other means in Diablo II.
The value (and sometimes duration) of buffs from Consume is driven by the total skill level of Consume, including gear boosts. There are also level caps for certain buffs, such as maximum resistance gain. Consume by itself, when no demon is bound, grants only basic bonuses like increased life and run/walk speed for a short time. But once you have a specific demon, an advanced array of boons becomes available, all listed in your skill description panel.
The duration of Consume's buff increases as you invest more points. With average mid-game bonuses (+9 all skills), you might expect around three minutes and 40 seconds per activation. Maxing out Consume can net you up to ten minutes, a wide window for treasure farming or endgame boss attempts.
Keep in mind: Consuming a demon removes it permanently, so you’ll need to re-bind if you want to use the same demon again in the future.
How Many Demons To Bind?
When starting with Demonic Mastery, you’ll only be able to bind a single demon. Advancing to level 10 gives you a second bound slot, and at level 20, you’re permitted a third. There is no way at present to go beyond three bound demons.
If focusing on Demon pets, allocating at least ten points to Demonic Mastery is suggested, and reaching rank 20 is required for the third pet slot. For most Warlock builds, especially pet-based or hybrid setups, investing up to these milestones is a practical decision.
Every Possible Demon You Can Bind
Here’s a roster of all possible demons that can be bound according to the game's database (demons.txt / the community-contributed sheet):
| Internal Name | Demon Type (Example) | Key Consume Stat(s) |
|---|---|---|
| bighead1–5 | Goatman (Tainted) | Lightning Resist |
| fallen1–5 | Fallen | Fire Resist |
| corruptrogue1–5 | Corrupted Rouge | Cold Resist |
| goatman1–5 | Goatman (various) | Fire/Lightning/Cold Resist |
| fallenshaman1–5 | Fallen Shaman | Fire Resist |
| vulture3 | Vulture Demon | Fire Resist |
| fetish1–5 | Fetish | Fire/Lightning/Cold Resist |
| cr_archer1–5 | Corrupted Archer | Fire/Lightning/Cold Resist |
| cr_lancer1–5 | Corrupted Lancer | Fire/Lightning/Cold Resist |
| blunderbore1–4 | Blunderbore (Frenzytaur) | Fire/Cold/Light Resist, Damage % |
| fetishshaman1–5 | Fetish Shaman | Fire Resist |
| vilemother1–3 | Vile Mother | Cold Resist |
| vilechild1–3 | Vile Child | Cold Resist |
| regurgitator1–3 | Regurgitator | Poison Resist |
| councilmember1–3 | Council Member | Fire/Lightning Resist |
| megademon1–3 | Megademon (Pit Lord) | Fire Resist |
| fetishblow1–5 | Fetish Blowdart | Various Resists |
| minion5,7 | Minion | Fire Resist |
| suicideminion5,7 | Suicide Minion | Fire Resist |
| succubus1–5 | Succubus | Fire/Poison/Light/Cold Resists, Damage Resist |
| succubuswitch1–5 | Succubus Witch | Fire/Cold Resists, Damage Resist |
| overseer1–5 | Overseer | Cold Resist |
| imp1–5 | Imp | Fire Resist |
| putriddefiler1–5 | Putrid Defiler | Poison Resist |
Special mention must be given to super unique demons and event monsters (e.g., Lister the Tormentor, Hephasto the Armorer, Bremm Sparkfist), which grant multiple or exceptional buffs, sometimes including high-level auras or rare stats like passive pierce and physical resistance.
Some 'internal' or warlock-summoned variants (listed with "war" or "elite" in their names) can also be bound and consumed for bonuses, but a couple of monsters in the database may not currently spawn in the live game.
Best Demons to Bind for Your Build
Choosing top demons depends on your build goals: are you focused on pet-based combat, self-buffing for endgame encounters, or mixing both approaches?
For Pet Army and Tanking
Hephasto the Armorer and Bremm Sparkfist are highly favored. Both spawn Aura-Enchanted, offering Conviction/other auras to your party, and upon spawning with additional random mods (like Stone Skin), they can become immune to physical or magic damage, serving as formidable tanks or support companions.
Ismail Vilehand is unique in that he spawns with a curse effect, providing value to physical-oriented builds
For Consume Buffs and Self Empowerment
Lister the Tormentor is prized: consuming him grants enhanced damage, 25% physical reduction (a rare property), and a level 15 meditation aura for fast mana regen—outperforming common mercenary auras.
Bishibosh is also notable, particularly for his mix of fire resistance, maximum resist, and passive enemy fire pierce, essentially acting like a free Facet jewel.
Tainted (bighead): offers lightning resistance, scaling easily at lower skill levels.
Defiler: unlocks magic resistance and pierce (useful for hybrid spellcaster builds).
Goatmen: grants crushing blow, a boon to melee and physical Warlocks.
Super-unique Frenzytaurs or special Pit Lords can offer rare aura combinations or unique support stats.
When and Why to Use Consume
Consume bonuses are temporary, lasting from just above three minutes (with moderate skill investment and equipment) to up to ten minutes with max level and buffs. This makes them ideal for fast farming runs, boss blitzes (e.g., Ubers, Colossal Ancients), or terrorized zone clearing. Binding a super unique and consuming it for heavy buffs right before one of these encounters can produce dramatic results for your damage or defense.