Very few games have managed to achieve the iconic status of Diablo. With Diablo 2 Resurrected and Diablo 4 just around the corner, now is the perfect time to dive back into the franchise and get ready for the upcoming titles. Out of all the Diablo games, it is the second entry that has brought the series into the limelight and amassed a cult following all over the world. Despite the fact that it was released over 20 years ago, thousands of players continue to play it to this day.
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One of the factors that continues to drive the game's popularity is the high replay value, with seven character classes, each one with a unique skillset and multiple specifications players can choose to pursue. Disagreements regarding which class is the best rage on within the community to this day. It should come as no surprise since each character has its unique strengths and weaknesses. The Paladin excels where the Barbarian fails, and the Sorceress's magic is fundamentally different from the Druid's mastery of the forces of nature.
7 Barbarian
The Barbarian is probably the most "basic" class to use in Diablo 2. It doesn't necessarily mean that he's worthless, but there are some significant drawbacks to using this character. First of all, he is extremely reliant on gear, regardless of the build. His skill trees are definitely the least attractive ones among all of the ones players can find in the game, especially early on. Abilities such as the mastery of the basic weapons, i.e. swords, axes and maces, fade in comparison with the Necromancer, who can summon useful and quite powerful skeletons from the very first level.
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Nonetheless, players with the right amount of skill and dedication can create a powerful Barbarian build. His advanced abilities such as War Cry or Whirlwind allow the character to wipe enemies off the map almost effortlessly. Beginners embarking on their first playthrough might want to opt for a different class, if only because of the lack of powerful early level abilities that make the initial stages of the game more difficult than they should be. Experienced players who are up for a challenge can turn the Barbarian into a tank that rips into anything that comes his way.
6 Assassin
One of the two classes that were introduced to the game later on (with the Lord of Destruction DLC), the Assassin is a quite interesting character lore-wise, but she falls short when it comes to some of her in-game abilities. This character class specializes in sneaky combat tactics and diversion. It makes her fun to play around with, but players new to Diablo 2 should not expect to have an easy time defeating the Prime Evils as the Assassin.
The best Assassin skills to invest in early on are the Tiger and Cobra strike. They may not be as flashy as some of the low-level abilities of the stronger classes, but they're reliable and efficient ways to strike devastating blows. Experienced Diablo fans should spend some time upgrading the Assassin's traps, as they can prove to be an invaluable source of support in combat, especially against larger hordes of foes.
5 Amazon
The Amazon is a versatile class, highly skilled in using ranged weapons. It's quite popular among Diablo 2 newbies and veterans alike, as she is fairly easy to get used to, but proves a challenge to master. Aside from bows and crossbows, the Amazon can be highly effective as a spear-using build, as well. This gives players who prefer to engage in close-quarters combat the opportunity to try out this class.
While going for a Lightjab Amazon build that interchangeably uses spears and javelins is certainly a feasible option, the ranged variant with a maxed-out Bow and Crossbow skill tree can turn out to be much more satisfying and powerful, especially for newcomers. The Bowazon (as this build is referred to within the Diablo community) can wreak ranged havoc on a scale that other classes simply can't compete with.
4 Druid
Along with the Assassin, the Druid was added to Diablo 2 with the Lord of Destruction expansion. A lot of fans refer to him as the most well-rounded class in the game. On the other hand, the rest of the community deems Druids useless in the long run. There is some truth to both statements. Diablo 2's Druids are, in fact, the most versatile class in the game. They have the conjuring abilities usually associated with necromancers, combat spells comparable to those of the Sorceress, and they are quite skilled when it comes to using swords and maces. They also have the unique ability to shapeshift into a werewolf or a werebear.
Most of the popular Druid builds focus on that skill in one way or another, whether it be a Rabies Werewolf (werewolf that primarily uses the Rabies skill), or a Maul Bear (werebear with Maul as his primary attack). There are alternatives, such as the Natural Summoner or Beastmaster, that focus on summoning creatures and backing them up with melee weapon attacks.
It is worth noting that while one can successfully master the Druid class, his magical and summoning abilities are significantly worse than those of the Sorceress and Necromancer, respectively. Such is the price of versatility. For players who want to dabble in a little bit of everything, though, the Druid is the best class for a jack-of-all-trades type of build.
3 Necromancer
The Necromancer class is the most suitable one for players who are new to isometric ARPGs. The game allows Necromancers to summon skeletons from the start, laying down the groundwork for following the path of a Summonmancer build, one of the most powerful builds in all of Diablo 2. Once levelled up enough, the necromancer will have the potential to create a true army of the undead that will handle most of the dirty combat work.
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There is also nothing stopping you from taking the alternative route and creating a Novamancer build. It relies less on summoning creatures, but rather on the Poison Nova skill that creates a poison ring around the character, dealing damage to all enemies reckless enough to get close. Finally, all Necromancer builds will benefit from a few points invested in the Corpse Explosion spell -- as one of the most overpowered spells in the entire game, it is extremely helpful when clearing out some of the more crowded dungeons.
2 Sorceress
The Sorceress is an incredibly powerful class, and one of the most entertaining ones to play as. This is because of her versatile magic skill trees, which branch out to three spell categories: Fire, Lightning, and Cold. Their clear distinction into three elemental types of magic makes build-creation a very straightforward affair even for complete ARPG noobs.
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Sorceress builds based around a single element can deal substantial damage even in the final acts of Diablo 2. Whether it's the Fire Ball Sorceress or Cold-focused Frozen Orb Sorceress, this class makes for the perfect first playthrough choice. Advanced players who want to wreak havoc in the online mode might want to experiment with builds like the Blizzball Sorceress (Fire Ball + Frozen Orb), or take another route altogether and try their luck as the Melee Sorceress.
1 Paladin
The Paladin is the epitome of a "video game good guy". As such, many players may find using him to be quite a boring ordeal, but in fact, he is the most powerful one out of all playable Diablo 2 classes. The Paladin has access to a variety of magical and melee skills. On top of that, he is also adept at using ranged weapons, although if that is your preferred playstyle, then the Amazon would be a much better choice.
The most popular Paladin build by far is the Hammerdin. It deals insanely high damage thanks to a lot of points invested in the Blessed Hammer skill and the associated Vigor and Blessed Aim abilities. On top of that, the Holy Shield perk ensures that the Paladin does not take too much damage when fighting off large groups of enemies at a time.
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