5 best builds to try in Diablo 4 Season 5

Diablo 4 Season 5 is on the way, and with the Public Test Realm (PTR) having been available to players, there are a lot of opinions out there on what could be the most powerful builds for each class. This is sure to change, even after the PTR, though. You also have to account for which builds are easiest to use, which require very specific setups, and which classes were bugged during the PTR. Sorcerers, in particular, were incredibly bugged in how they used a pair of the new uniques.

The two new Sorcerer uniques interact in a particular way that just dumps billions of damage on enemies, without any special effort. Druids are also said to be bugged during the PTR, but players will no doubt have something to look forward to in the future. With the initial changes and patch notes, we’re going to look at what builds we think will be worth playing in Diablo 4 Season 5.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the changes made in the PTR build of Diablo 4 Season 5. That does not guarantee these builds will be overpowered in the full launch of the upcoming season.

5 builds to try in Diablo 4 Season 5

1) Flay Barbarian

When in doubt, go with Flay (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Also read: 5 best Uniques for Barbarians in Season 4

It feels like no matter what you do to nerf Barbarians in Diablo 4, they’ll remain powerful in Season 5. Bash took a justifiable nerf, but the class has plenty of tricks at their disposal. This build will use Flay, Rupture, Steel Grasp, War Cry, Challenging Shout, and Iron Skin. This is likely thanks to how strong the new The Third Blade unique will work. Turning your Weapon Mastery skills into Core Skills that use Fury instead promises to be quite powerful.

I was torn between a few Barbarian builds, to be honest - there are a few Whirlwind builds that are viable, not to mention pure Rupture builds. However, I like the Flay/Rupture build the most. Heck, even Bash is still decent, even if it was nerfed.

2) Companion Druid

The Power of Friendship always works! (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Also read: Best Wind Shear build for Druids in Season 4

Despite Companion Druid being bugged in Diablo 4 Season 5 PTR, I think it’s going to be an incredible way to play. In certain situations, Poison Creeper was dealing somewhere in the neighborhood of 13 Trillion damage - which seems like it will definitely be fixed before the season goes live.

Shepherd’s Aspect grants additional damage per Companion out, and Aspect of the Alpha turns your Wolf Companions into Werewolf Companions. They deal a lot of additional damage and can spread Rabies, making the potential for the class very high. I think Landslide builds will also be strong, but I’m looking to the power of friendship in Season 5.

3) Bone Spirit Necromancer

Bone Spirit Necro promises to be very potent going forward (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Also read: Best Minion Necromancer build in Season 4

Sure, my immediate instinct is to say Summon Necromancer, but given the PTR changes and buffs to Bone Spirit builds, I do agree with the consensus - Overpower Bone Spirit is going to be nasty. Tons of multipliers, alongside two spirits at once? I’ll miss my Summon build, but it’s time to try out some other builds. Crown of Lucion is going to help lots of classes, and Necromancer is no exception.

Then you pair Bone Prison with the new Shard of Verathiel unique, to make all that extra damage go even farther. Another reason I’m excited about this build is the new Path of Trag’oul unique boots. They make Bone Prison trap a larger area, and fire 10-30 Bone Splinters. Moreover, Maximum Essence goes up by 2 for 10s, each time a Bone Splinter hits a target, so you can just melt enemies faster than ever in Diablo 4 Season 5.

4) Heartseeker Rogue

Will Victimizer be worth it in Season 5? Maybe not - but Rogues will still be fun (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Also read: 5 best Uniques for Rogues in Season 4

We’ll miss you, Victimizer. It got a serious (but warranted) nerf in Diablo 4 Season 5. That said, even if Victimizer feels unplayable, there’s still Precision as an option. I think Poison builds are going to go far for Rogue this season, but I love the idea of Heartseeker Rogue - especially with the crazy buffs to Andariel’s Visage.

That incredible Poison Nova and all-around great stats are going to make things very interesting. You also have The Umbracrux to go with your Subterfuge skills. It creates a Shade Totem anytime you use a Subterfuge skill and any damage it takes it is replicated onto nearby enemies at 30% effectiveness. You can only have two Shade Totems out at once, and they do count as Trap skill damage. It should be a really interesting time for Rogues - they’re going to have a lot of options.

5) Chain Lightning Sorcerer

Chain Lightning should still be pretty devastating after the bug fixes (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Also read: Best Chain Lightning build in Season 4

Even if the bugged damage is fixed from the Diablo 4 Season 5 PTR, I think Chain Lightning is still going to be quite strong. There’s a weird, bugged interaction between the Crown of Lucion and the Axial Conduit uniques, and it ultimately creates an absolute mountain of damage. I think if these are fixed, they’ll still be a devastating combo if you can get both.

Axial Conduit makes your Chain Lightning swap between orbiting and seeking, and it drains mana from you. Once it has drained 66 mana, the bolt explodes for extra Lightning Damage. You combine that with the Crown of LUcion’s 75% Resource Cost Reduction, and increased damage when you spend your Primary Resource on a skill.

It should be just non-stop lightning damage. Hopefully, it only gets fixed and isn’t nerfed into the ground. There’s also been some talk about Hydra Sorcerer, which I think could be a lot of fun going forward, too.

Check out our other Diablo 4 guides

Edited by Ritoban "Veloxi" Paul