Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred tier list for the best class builds
Slay demons with the best of the best
With Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, there’s a ton of builds to choose from and this handy tier list of best class builds is a great place to learn about gear to chase and perks to spec into.
Of course, it’s entirely possible to play through much of Diablo 4 without needing the most decked-out builds, but as you push into the higher difficulty tiers of endgame and seasonal content, you’ll want to be prepared for the foes you’ll come to face.
Below you’ll find our tier list for the best builds in Vessel of Hatred, as well as a list of alternative builds worth considering for all classes.
On this page:
S-tier best builds in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred
Before delving into all the specifics and what makes each of the S-tier builds as good as they are, we'll provide a high-level view as to the best builds right now, along with some alternatives also worth looking into.
This will cover all six classes currently available in Diablo 4, and whilst the S-tier builds will of course be the most sought after, the additional options we've included are handy for those looking to try something new, or see what other combinations are out there.
Keep in mind however, as is the case with many live service games, the best of the best are always subject to change as time goes on with the rollout of balance patches, as well as new seasons, content, gear, and more.
Here are the best builds per class right now in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred:
| Tier | Build and Class |
|---|---|
| S-tier | Quill Volley Spiritborn, Frozen Orb and Lightning Spear Sorcerer, Dust Devils Barbarian, Landslide Druid, Blood Surge and Blood Wave Necromancer, Dance of Knives Rogue |
| Alternative | Touch of Death Spiritborn, Blizzard Sorcerer, Thorns and Bleed Barbarian, Cataclysm Druid, Soulrift Necromancer, Barrage Rogue |
If you're curious for details on the S-tier builds here and their strong alternatives, be sure to keep reading as we'll be running through the key ways in which players are crafting the most potent, demon-slaying builds in the new expansion.
List of best S-tier and alternative builds in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred
There's a lot that makes each of these builds tick in Diablo 4, and they each have different strengths and requirements to build. For example, some can be used through the levelling process, but others require more investment in the endgame via activities like Helltides, Dungeons, or the new co-op additions in Vessel of Hatred.
To get into the specifics, below we've given a quick rundown on a few of the details for each of the best builds, covering Skills, Aspects, and more that players are combining to make these various builds.
Here are the best S-tier and alternative builds you can create in Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred right now:
| Class | S-tier | Alternatives | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spiritborn | Quill Volley | Touch of Death and Centipede-focused builds | S-tier | The Quill Volley build is not just great in the early hours through the levelling process, it continues to excel in the endgame and is one that many players are looking towards. The approach we took in our build guide was emphasising evasion and mobility, leaning into some of the Eagle playstyle's more prominent skills and Spirit Hall options, though with a fix upcoming soon to prevent the ability to evade as often, this may prove to be less potent in the long run. With that in mind, we'd recommend focusing more on supporting the Quill Volley skill with higher uptime and perhaps a Mobility skill depending on your chosen Aspects. You might also want to think about picking the Ravager skill too, and more specifically its 'Measured' upgrade which make it so your Core skills - in this case, that's Quill Volley - 'dash to your target', whilst also giving a 30 per cent boost to Vigor generation. This will only further enhance the rate at which Quill Volley can be used, and you can read all the specifics about more ways to improve this on our Spiritborn build guide. Alternative | Generally speaking, there's a lot of good skills and builds worth checking out with the Spiritborn - to the point where we've even seen some people saying the other classes now need to be buffed to match the power of this new class - but builds centering on Centipede-based skills such as Touch of Death seem to be a close favourite right now. |
| Sorcerer | Frozen Orb and Lightning Spear | Blizzard | S-tier | Similar to how it's been in the past, you can make some effective builds focused on the Frozen Orb and Lightning Spear skills - slowing and freezing enemies with the ice-aligned skill, and chaining together damage through large groups of enemies with electricity. Alternative | One build I had a lot of success with in the levelling process for Sorcerer is one using the Blizzard skill. Paired with some of the other buffs you're able to get, you can mitigate damage whilst within your own Blizzard, whilst it's simultaneously slowing and freezing enemies. With the right skills, you can fire off multiple Blizzards whilst using your other skills for your damage output. |
| Barbarian | Dust Devils | Thorns and Bleeding | S-tier | Since the release of Vessel of Hatred, there's been some talk about a Barbarian build centred around Dust Devils that can be generated from various sources, such as Aspects like the Windlasher Aspect, or Aspect of Fierce Winds. We're counting it as an S-tier build, but it has admittedly gotten mixed opinions - with some giving it high praise and others that don't seem as keen on it. Either way, it's definitely possible for it to be an effective build perfect for various endgame activities. Alternative | One of the builds we've covered in the past revolves around a playstlye in which the focus is on the Thorns and Bleeding effects, leaning towards a more defensive playstyle. We run through all the specifics in our build guide, but it's pretty much all predicated on the idea of using skills that apply and gain bonuses from afflicting enemies with Bleed and Thorns, with a backup skill that can continue that central goal even without needing any of the Barbarian's Fury energy to use. |
| Druid | Landslide | Cataclysm - 'Storm Summoner' | S-tier | An action that has you quite literally use the earth against your enemies, the Landslide skill has been gaining some attention since the launch of Vessel of Hatred. With Aspects such as Aspect of the Aftershock and Aspect of the Trampled Earth, you're able to buff it further, with additional strikes from each earth pillar, and a set of Landslide pillars summoned when using the Trample skill. Sometime before the launch of Diablo 4, that second Aspect was key in a build that went on to garner the name of 'Trampleslide'. Alternative | A build listed by the website Wowhead as A-tier - one they've dubbed 'Storm Summoner' - makes use of a variety of skills to apply poison to enemies, whilst increasing overall damage dealt to poisoned enemies, with an increased damage output from Nature and Storm magic. Combining these equipped skills, Wowhead praises this build for its solid boss damage and survivability, whilst stating it's also good at adapting to the mid-late game. |
| Necromancer | Blood Surge and Blood Wave | Soulrift | S-tier | Necromancers seem to be living a good life right now going by some of the conversation. Not only do they have a new Ultimate skill that's risen up the charts as a popular build - which we discuss below - it seems builds focused on their Blood Surge and Blood Wave skills are top picks right now too. There's of course a ton of different ways to customise these builds and take them far into the endgame, but one of the ways we've seen for Blood Surge in particular is related to Cruor's Embrace, a pair of Ancestral Unique gauntlets that buffs the skill further. Alternative | The Soulrift Ultimate skill is actually new for Vessel of Hatred, and since its addition, while it may not have risen to the top of the podium in terms of builds, there's certainly chatter out there regarding its potency and it looks to be one to keep an eye on as time goes on. |
| Rogue | Dance of Knives | Barrage | S-tier | With the right upgrades and Dance of Knives equipped, this is on some level, a self-sustaining skill that can have you consistently moving, and consistently damaging. Specifically, if you have enough movement speed and the Enhanced Dance of Knives skill unlocked, you'll be given four charges every 30 metres travelled. Thanks to skills connected to Dance of Knives itself, as well as Dark Shroud and Concealment, you can get movement speed buffs which will help you obtain this. Another way to improve this skill even more is via the Aspect of Star Shards, which has a chance to shatter attacks from the skill into even more damage. Of course, these are just a few examples, but RageGamingVideos on Youtube has a more comprehensive breakdown of this entire playstyle. Alternative | As we outlined in an update to our Rogue guide from earlier in the year, the Barrage skill has risen in popularity alongside Penetrating Shot. Whilst the latter of the two doesn't seem to be as popular now, Barrage looks to be doing pretty well still with strong area-of-effect capabilities and more. |
Best builds in Diablo 4 explained
With an ongoing game like Diablo 4, there’s bound to be a variety of balance changes and updates pushed as part of hotfixes, updates, and entire new releases like seasons and expansions - like Vessel of Hatred.
As such, the best builds at any given moment will ebb and flow as time goes on, and this is especially true with the various season-specific features the game sees added to it over time. These may be available only for the duration of a season, but it can still shake up what’s worth checking out for the time it’s active.
That is to say, these recommended builds may sooner or later become less effective, but in the here and now, these are what’s best.
Additionally, all of the builds recommended are compiled from a mixture of playtime - checking out what’s new within Vessel of Hatred, such as the Spiritborn class - alongside what the community is saying and covering across various socials.
Since we’re still somewhat early in the launch window for the expansion, it’s worth trying out both what we’ve suggested above, but also what works for you. Who knows - you might be next in finding the next boss-melting, or ad-clearing setup that’ll dominate the meta to come!
For more on Diablo 4 and its latest expansion, Vessel of Hatred, be sure to check out our best build guide for the new Spiritborn class, as well as a slew of other pages covering classes such as Barbarian, Rogue, Sorceror, and more.