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Diablo 4 Season 8 PTR Tier List - Best Class & Builds in D4 2.2.0 PTR

Diablo 4’s Season 8 brings a major shake-up to the game’s meta with significant class balance changes. These updates, currently available on the Public Test Realm (PTR), include nerfs, buffs, and Diablo IV Items mechanic adjustments that will undoubtedly reshape the way players approach endgame content. While these changes are not final, they offer a glimpse into the new meta and how each class will fare in the updated Season 8 environment. Let's dive into the details of the most important changes and take a look at the best class and builds emerging from the 2.2.0 PTR.

Major Changes in Diablo 4 Season 8 PTR

Before we dive into the class-specific tier list, let’s review the broad changes that will affect nearly every class and build in the game:

Ultimates Nerfed: Ultimate abilities now have a 200% damage cap, reducing their effectiveness for certain builds that previously relied on them for massive damage spikes.

Crowd Control Adjustments: Fist of Fate no longer applies random crowd control effects but now applies Vulnerability, affecting build strategies that leveraged crowd control for damage scaling.

DoT Mechanics Reworked: New scaling for damage-over-time (DoT) effects now offers fresh synergies for specific builds.

Boss Powers Buffed: Boss Powers, especially in higher-tier Pit levels, have been dramatically buffed, making bosses harder and more rewarding.

Increased Difficulty: Pit levels 75+ are now 17 times harder than previous 100+ Pit levels, pushing players to optimize their builds and strategies for even tougher challenges.

With these changes in mind, let’s explore how each class has been affected and which builds are rising to the top in Season 8.

1. Sorcerer (S-Tier)

The Sorcerer is the undisputed king of Diablo 4 Season 8, with Fire-based builds leading the charge. Despite some tweaks to certain abilities, the combination of new Boss Powers and the class's inherent scaling mechanics places Sorcerer firmly in the top tier.

Key Changes:

Ice Shards now have the ability to shotgun, greatly increasing single-target damage potential.

A new unique helmet grants extra Ice Shards and boosts ramp-up damage, adding to the Sorcerer’s ability to melt enemies.

The Shivering Aspect increases the damage taken by enemies who are chilled, synergizing well with Ice Shards and Firestorm builds.

Best Sorcerer Builds in Season 8:

Firestorm Ballerina Sorc (S-Tier): Known for its precise movement and positioning, this build leverages the power of Firestorm to obliterate enemies, excelling in both mobility and damage output.

Firebolt Shatter Sorcerer (S-Tier): Enhanced by Firebolt Enchant and Shatter mechanics, this build remains one of the most powerful in terms of sustained damage.

Ball Lightning Sorcerer (S-Tier): Although slightly less optimal in terms of damage per second (DPS), the Ball Lightning build remains strong with the help of new offhands.

Frozen Orb Sorcerer (C-Tier): Despite minor buffs, this build struggles to keep up with Fire-based builds in high-end content.

Blizzard Sorcerer (C-Tier): Like Frozen Orb, this build doesn’t benefit enough from the current buffs to compete at a top-tier level.

2. Barbarian (S-Tier)

The Barbarian is still a solid pick for Diablo 4 Season 8, particularly due to the strength of Whirlwind and Earthquake builds. These builds gain massive power boosts from the new Boss Powers and offer a lot of flexibility in high-difficulty content. While Barbarian struggles with some of the extreme DPS checks in boss fights, its raw power and resource generation abilities make it an excellent all-around choice.

Key Changes:

Mighty Throw & Steel Grasp now scale multiplicatively, providing a significant damage boost.

New unique gloves massively increase Mighty Throw damage, offering up to 850x damage scaling.

Whirlwind and Earthquake builds received buffs, making them even more potent for high-end content.

Best Barbarian Builds in Season 8:

Ultimate Barbarian (S-Tier): This build offers massive spam potential, rapid cooldown resets, and high mobility, making it perfect for handling content like Pit 100.

HotA Earthquake Barbarian (S-Tier): This tried-and-true build remains at the top with buffs to its chest armor and overall DPS.

Mighty Throw Barbarian (A-Tier): Although slightly nerfed by a snapshot fix, Mighty Throw still provides excellent burst damage.

Deathblow Barbarian (B-Tier): While viable, this build falls behind in terms of sheer power when compared to the S-tier HotA Earthquake and Ultimate builds.

3. Necromancer (A-Tier)

The Necromancer remains a top contender in Diablo 4 Season 8, particularly for minion-based builds. Boss Powers synergize well with the Necromancer’s mechanics, offering huge damage boosts to minions and hybrid builds. The Paragon system also adds an extra layer of scaling, helping the Necromancer deal with tougher content like Pit 150.

Key Changes:

New two-handed sword buffs significantly enhance the damage of Army of the Dead and Skeletal Mages.

Skeleton Warriors now explode on death, dealing AoE damage to enemies.

Blood Wave build has been nerfed, but it remains strong enough for high-level content.

Best Necromancer Builds in Season 8:

Minion Summoner Necromancer (S-Tier): This build now benefits from all damage multipliers, making it a powerhouse in both solo and group play.

Blood Wave Necromancer (S-Tier): Despite the nerf to Kesem’s Legacy, this build remains a dominant force, with insane scaling potential.

Bone Spirit Necromancer (A-Tier): While still strong in terms of burst damage, Bone Spirit is slightly overshadowed by Blood Wave’s scaling.

Blood Spear Necromancer (A-Tier): The synergy between Blood and Bone multipliers and Overpower mechanics gives this build a solid performance, though it can struggle in boss fights.

4. Spiritborn (A-Tier)

Spiritborn, with its unique Storm Feathers mechanic, provides players with an exciting new playstyle. Although its potential is somewhat uncertain due to the complexity of the feather-collection system, Spiritborn builds remain strong thanks to their raw power and synergies with new Aspects.

Key Changes:

New unique amulet creates Firestorms that grow stronger as more Storm Feathers are collected.

Rip and Tear Aspect boosts Rushing Claw with guaranteed crits and overpower.

Best Spiritborn Builds in Season 8:

Quill Volley Spiritborn (S-Tier): This build’s high damage output and versatility make it one of the best choices in Season 8.

Razor Wings Spiritborn (A-Tier): Buffs have made this build even stronger, pushing it into the top-tier category.

Crushing Hands Spiritborn (B-Tier): Although decent, Crushing Hands doesn’t have the same impact as Quill Volley.

Touch of Death Poison Spiritborn (B-Tier): Significant nerfs have reduced this build’s effectiveness.

Evade Spiritborn (C-Tier): While good for PvP, this build doesn’t perform well in PvE content.

5. Rogue (B-Tier)

Rogue’s shift toward Poison Trap builds has had mixed results in Season 8. The introduction of a new unique glove offers significant boosts to Poison Trap, but uncertainty about the build’s synergy with other abilities keeps Rogue in the mid-tier.

Key Changes:

New unique gloves increase the number of Poison Traps and remove cooldown during Inner Sight.

Poison Trap now benefits from combo points and scales with increased damage.

Best Rogue Builds in Season 8:

Rain of Arrows Rogue (A-Tier): One of the best Rogue builds, capable of clearing Pit 135 with ease.

Rapid Fire Shadow Clone Rogue (A-Tier): Strong thanks to the synergy between Scoundrel’s Kiss and Shadow Clone.

Death Trap Rogue (A-Tier): This build has received significant buffs, making it a viable option in high-level content.

Twisting Blades Rogue (B-Tier): Although decent, Twisting Blades lacks the synergy of top-tier builds.

Dance of Knives Rogue (B-Tier): Its viability remains uncertain, but it may find success with the right build adjustments.

6. Druid (C-Tier)

Druid’s Cataclysm build, which relies on snapshotting for high DPS, has been hit with nerfs in Season 8. While snapshot mechanics remain intact, the difficulty in maintaining them in high-end content has made the Cataclysm build less reliable. On the other hand, the Human Druid build has received buffs, though it struggles with boss fights due to its reliance on critical strikes.

Key Changes:

Cataclysm snapshotting is harder to maintain, reducing the build's effectiveness.

Human Druid buffs grant attack speed bonuses and new passives, but they require 200 critical strikes within 10 seconds to activate.

Aspect of Impending Deluge boosts Storm Strike damage, potentially aiding hybrid builds.

Best Druid Builds in Season 8:

Cataclysm Druid (S-Tier): Despite the nerf, the Cataclysm build still holds potential for high-end content.

Shred Druid (A-Tier): Significant buffs to Blurred Beast Aspect make this build stronger.

Landslide Druid (B-Tier): A solid but unspectacular build.

Hurricane Druid (B-Tier): Still works thanks to snapshotting but not as powerful as before.

Wolf Companion Druid (B-Tier): The pet scaling changes make this a viable alternative.

Conclusion

Diablo 4 Season 8 is set to introduce a highly dynamic shift in the meta, with new mechanics, nerfs, and buffs reshaping class viability. Sorcerer and Barbarian dominate the high-tier ranks, while Necromancer, Spiritborn, and Rogue provide strong options for different playstyles. Druids are struggling in comparison, especially with the Cataclysm build receiving significant nerfs. As the PTR progresses, players will need to adapt to Diablo 4 Items for sale these changes, testing and refining their builds to find the most powerful combinations in the upcoming season.