This Diablo 2 Resurrected tier list ranks all 8 classes in Season 13 and the Reign of the Warlock Expansion from best to worst. It focuses on Ladder reset speed, Hell difficulty clear efficiency, gear dependency, survivability, and endgame performance (including Uber fights and magic find farming).
D2R Season 13 Best Class Tier List (Ladder Start & RotW)
With the addition of new class, which character to choose for the new season of Diablo 2 Resurrected? Considering early game power, survivability, gear flexibility, endgame utility and some other factors, here is the latest D2R class tier list for S13 and RotW expansion.
1. Warlock (S+ Tier)
As the brand-new 8th class in the Reign of the Warlock Expansion, the Warlock stands above all other classes in Season 13 with almost no weaknesses. It excels in every game phase, from the start of Ladder resets to endgame Uber runs. In the early game, it can easily clear Normal and Nightmare difficulties with basic gear, thanks to its powerful AoE skills and built-in defenses. For survivability, it has unique mechanics like summoning tanky demons that take 99% of its damage via the Blood Oath skill, plus a built-in Psychic Ward bubble shield to keep it safe in Hell. In the endgame, it combines the best parts of other classes: the AoE power of a Sorceress, the tankiness of a Paladin, and the summoning safety of a Necromancer. It also has great gear flexibility—even cheap runewords like Leaf work wonders, and it can use almost any weapon or armor to boost its power. The only small downside is that you need to pay real money to unlock it, but its strength makes it well worth it. It also benefits from new magic and eldritch scaling in the expansion, pushing its clear speeds even higher.
Recommended Builds for Warlock:
Echoing Strike Build: The most broken build in the game right now. It lets you throw five ethereal weapons at once, deal 100,000+ damage per hit, and leech health/mana on impact. Pair it with a mercenary with Might aura and a bound demon with Fanaticism for unbeatable clear speed.
Chaos Fire Build: Uses Apocalypse and Flame Wave for massive AoE fire damage. It can pierce fire immunity, making it great for clearing Hell’s fire-resistant enemies. Works well with the cheap Leaf runeword early on.
Demon Binder Build: Focuses on summoning powerful demons to tank and deal damage. Use Blood Oath to make your demon take most of your damage, and bind strong enemies (like Histoer) to create an unbeatable team. Ideal for hardcore mode or casual play.
Eldrich Blast Build: A tanky spell-casting build with leech on spell hits. It’s the sturdiest spell build in the game and great for players who want safety without losing damage.
2. Paladin (S Tier)
The Paladin is still a top pick in D2R Season 13, thanks to its consistency, easy learning curve, and no bad build options. It performs well in every game phase, from ladder resets to endgame Ubers, and doesn’t need expensive gear to be effective. Its strengths include high survivability from skills like Vigor and Redemption, strong support abilities for party play, and versatile builds that can handle any enemy type. While its physical Zeal builds struggle against physical-immune enemies in Hell, its other builds more than make up for this weakness. It’s a great choice for both new and experienced players.
Recommended Builds for Paladin:
Blessed Hammer (Hammerdin) Build: The best build for Ladder resets. It deals high magic damage that ignores most resistances, and with basic gear (Spirit sword, Lore helm), it can clear Hell Chaos Sanctuary and Baal runs quickly.
Zeal (Smiter) Build: Perfect for Uber Tristram. Uses Smite with high attack speed and damage to take down Uber Diablo and Uber Baal reliably. Needs mid-tier gear but is worth the investment.
Holy Freeze Build: A hybrid build that slows enemies with Holy Freeze aura and deals melee damage. Great for solo play and has good survivability in Hell.
3. Assassin (S Tier)
The Assassin, especially with the Mosaic build, is the best non-Warlock class in Season 13 and the RotW Expansion. It’s fast, deadly, and flexible, with builds that require minimal gear to reach full power. Unlike other classes, it doesn’t need a mercenary and has huge backpack space (no heavy weapon swaps). Its only small weakness is that some skills use a charge-up mechanic, which can slow movement between fights. With the Mosaic runeword, it becomes a force to be reckoned with, able to clear all difficulties with ease.
Recommended Builds for Assassin:
Mosaic Assassin Build: The strongest non-Warlock build. Use two Mosaic runeword claws to get 100% chance to not consume charge-up layers. Focus on skills like Dragon Claw, Tiger Strike, and Phoenix Strike for massive elemental and physical damage. It can clear any area in the game quickly and is gear-flexible.
Trapsin (Lightning Sentry) Build: A solid build for magic find farming. Uses traps to deal safe AoE lightning damage, making it great for farming Mephisto and Andariel. Needs a bit more positioning than the Mosaic build but is still effective.
Kicksin Build: Focuses on fast single-target damage with Dragon Talon (kicks). Great for bosses and Ubers, and pairs well with the Mosaic runeword for extra power.
4. Sorceress (A Tier)
The Sorceress is the fastest class for Ladder resets in Season 13 and RotW, but she drops to A Tier because of her fragility in Hell. Her Teleport skill is the best movement ability in the game—letting her skip enemies, farm runes fast, and reposition in seconds. She has multiple strong builds for different playstyles, from magic find to rune farming, and works well with cheap early-game gear like the Leaf runeword. However, she has very low health, so one wrong step in Hell can kill her instantly. She also needs high resistances to survive late-game fights, which requires some gear farming.
Recommended Builds for Sorceress:
Blizzard Build: The best MF build in the game. With Cold Mastery, it melts cold-immune enemies (with lower resistance) and farms Mephisto, Andariel, and Ancient Tunnels fast. Uses the Leaf runeword early and transitions to better gear like Spirit shield later.
Fire Wall Build: S-Tier for early-game MF runs. Clears Normal and Nightmare cows quickly with the Leaf runeword, making it perfect for Ladder resets.
Nova Build: Good for Hell Countess runs and clearing groups of enemies. Works well with mid-tier gear (Spirit shield, Frostburn gloves) and has good AoE damage.
Lightning Sorceress Build: Benefits from FCR and skill damage synergy with breakpoint optimization in the expansion, making it a strong endgame choice.
5. Amazon (A Tier)
The Amazon is a strong ranged option, but she has slower movement (no Teleport) and higher gear needs than S-Tier classes. Her best build (Lightning Fury) deals massive AoE lightning damage to groups, making it great for Cows and Chaos Sanctuary. She’s safe to play because of her ranged combat, and she has good single-target damage for bosses. However, most of her bow builds (like Strafe or Multiple Shot) are weak for Ladder resets—they need expensive gear like the Faith runeword to be effective. She’s a good choice if you prefer ranged play but don’t mind slower farming speeds.
Recommended Builds for Amazon:
Lightning Fury (Javazon) Build: The only A-Tier Amazon build. Deals massive AoE lightning damage to groups, and is viable with basic gear (Spirit, Titan’s Revenge). Great for farming cows and Chaos Sanctuary.
Javazon Hybrid Build: Combines Lightning Fury with Jab for single-target damage. Works well in Hell and is more flexible than the pure Lightning Fury build.
Strafe Bowazon Build (Late Game): Becomes strong with the Faith runeword but is not recommended for ladder resets. Good for endgame magic find and boss farming.
6. Necromancer (B Tier)
The Necromancer a safe class in Season 13, but he’s slow, which puts him in B Tier. His Summonmancer build is perfect for new players—you summon skeletons, mages, and a Clay Golem to tank, then use Corpse Explosion to chain kills across entire screens. Skeleton mages got buffed in Season 13, dealing both physical and elemental damage to handle more enemy types. However, his clear speed is slow compared to S-Tier classes, and his skeletons die to strong AoE attacks in Hell. His Poison builds (like Poison Nova) are weak for ladder resets—they need the expensive Death’s Web wand to be effective. He’s a great choice for casual players who want a low-effort, safe experience.
Recommended Builds for Necromancer:
Summonmancer Build: Uses skeletons, skeleton mages, and a Clay Golem to tank. Corpse Explosion is the core skill for clearing groups, and it works well with basic gear. Ideal for new players.
Poison Nova Build (Late Game): Becomes strong with Death’s Web and other poison-boosting gear, but is not recommended for ladder resets. Good for endgame boss farming and Uber runs.
Bone Necromancer Build: A hybrid build that uses Bone Spear and Bone Spirit for single-target and AoE damage. Safe but slower than the Summonmancer build.
7. Barbarian (B Tier)
The Barbarian is a mixed bag in D2R—he’s the best party class but has weak solo performance early on. His Shock Wave build is A-Tier in parties, as it stuns enemies and buffs allies with Battle Orders (increases health) and Shout (increases defense). His Find Item skill lets him double loot from corpses, making him great for farming runes with a group. However, most of his melee builds (like Whirlwind or Double Throw) are weak for Ladder start—they need high attack rating and strong weapons early, which are hard to find. He also has no ranged options, making him vulnerable to flying enemies. A new Singer (War Cry) build with dual Void setups has emerged in the expansion, which dramatically increases casting speed and magic output, potentially redefining it as an S-Tier farmer.
Recommended Builds for Barbarian:
Shock Wave Support Build: Focuses on supporting allies with Battle Orders, Shout, and Shock Wave (to stun enemies). Great for group play and rune farming.
Berserk Build (Solo): Bypasses physical immunity and deals high damage, but needs good weapons to be effective. Viable for solo play in Hell once you have mid-tier gear.
Singer (War Cry) Build: Uses War Cry with dual Void setups to boost casting speed and magic output. A promising new build that may become meta for farming.
Whirlwind Build (Late Game): Becomes strong with expensive gear (like Grief runeword) but is not recommended for ladder resets. Good for endgame clear speed.
8. Druid (C Tier)
The Druid is the weakest class in D2R Season 13 and Reign of the Warlock, landing in C Tier. He’s the most flexible class (with shapeshift, summon, and elemental magic builds) and is fun for casual play, but no build excels at anything. His best builds (like Tornado) are slow and hard to aim, and they fall off in Hell. Shapeshift builds (like Fury or Maul) are weak for ladder resets—they need perfect gear to survive Hell’s tough enemies. His spells have awkward trajectories, and he lacks survivability compared to other classes. However, the new Void runeword in RotW benefits his Wind builds with magic scaling, giving them a slight boost in clear speed. He’s only recommended for players who love the Druid’s theme and don’t mind slower, less effective play.
Recommended Builds for Druid:
Wind (Tornado Hurricane) Build: Uses Tornado and Hurricane for AoE wind damage. Benefits from the expansion’s Void runeword, which increases magic damage scaling. Slow but viable for casual play.
Fissure Build (Early Game): Viable for clearing Normal difficulty but falls off in Hell due to split elemental damage. Works with basic gear but is not effective late-game.
Fury Shapeshift Build (Late Game): Becomes playable with perfect gear (like Beast runeword) but is still weaker than other melee builds in higher tiers. Good for players who love shapeshift playstyle.
Which Character to Pick for D2R Season 13 & Reign of the Warlock Expansion
For Ladder Reset Speed: Pick Warlock (Echoing Strike or Chaos Fire Build), Paladin (Blessed Hammer Build), or Assassin (Mosaic Build). These classes clear Normal and Nightmare fast, get to Hell quickly, and start farming gear/runes early.
For Magic Find (MF) Farming: Pick Sorceress (Blizzard Build) or Necromancer (Summonmancer Build). The Blizzard Sorceress is the fastest MF farmer, while the Summonmancer is safe and low-effort.
For Hardcore Mode: Pick Warlock (Demon Binder Build) or Paladin (Blessed Hammer Build). The Warlock’s demon tank and Psychic Ward make it almost unkillable, while the Paladin’s high survivability keeps you safe in Hell.
For Party Play: Pick Barbarian (Shock Wave Support Build), Paladin (Blessed Hammer Build), or Warlock (Chaos Fire Build). The Barbarian is the best support, while the Paladin and Warlock deal high damage and keep the group safe.
For Casual Play (Low Effort): Pick Necromancer (Summonmancer Build) or Warlock (Demon Binder Build). These builds let you set it and forget it, summon your minions, sit back, and watch them clear enemies.
For Ranged Play: Pick Amazon (Lightning Fury Build) or Sorceress (Blizzard Build). The Amazon is a pure ranged class, while the Sorceress uses ranged spells and Teleport for safety.
For Melee Play: Pick Warlock (Echoing Strike or Cleave Build), Assassin (Mosaic Build), or Paladin (Zeal Build). These melee builds are fast, deadly, and don’t need expensive gear to be effective.