D2R Reign of the Warlock Season 13 Class Tier List

With the release of the Reign of the Warlock Expansion, Diablo 2: Resurrected Season 13 introduces new mechanics, gear scaling, and, most importantly, the brand-new Warlock class. For players jumping into the ladder reset, choosing the right character is critical for early game speed, survivability, and endgame performance—including Uber bosses and magic find farming. This guide ranks all eight classes in Season 13 from best to worst, taking into account ladder reset speed, Hell difficulty efficiency, gear dependency, survivability, and endgame potential.

S+ Tier: Warlock

The Warlock, the new eighth class in Reign of the Warlock, dominates Season 13 with almost no weaknesses. From the start of ladder resets to endgame Uber fights, it excels in every phase of the game.

Early Game: Easily clears Normal and Nightmare with basic gear thanks to powerful AoE skills.

Survivability: Features tanky summoned demons through Blood Oath that absorb most damage and a Psychic Ward bubble shield for extra protection in Hell.

Endgame: Combines the AoE power of a Sorceress, the tankiness of a Paladin, and the summoning safety of a Necromancer.

Gear Flexibility: Cheap runewords like Leaf are effective; nearly any weapon or armor boosts its potential.

Recommended Builds:

1. Echoing Strike Build – Throws five ethereal weapons at once, dealing 100,000+ damage per hit while leeching health/mana. Pair with a Might-aura mercenary and bound demon for insane clear speed.

2. Chaos Fire Build – AoE fire damage that pierces fire immunity; excellent for Hell’s fire-resistant enemies.

3. Demon Binder Build – Focuses on summoning powerful demons to tank and deal damage; perfect for hardcore mode.

4. Eldrich Blast Build – Tanky spellcaster with spell-hit leech; ideal for safe, high-damage gameplay.

Verdict: Almost unkillable, extremely versatile, and arguably the strongest class in D2R Season 13.

S Tier: Paladin

The Paladin remains a top-tier choice thanks to consistent performance, survivability, and versatile builds. It’s beginner-friendly and effective without expensive gear.

Strengths: High survivability with Vigor and Redemption, strong party support, and versatile damage options.

Weakness: Physical Zeal builds struggle against physical-immune enemies in Hell.

Recommended Builds:

1. Blessed Hammer (Hammerdin) – Ideal for ladder resets; high magic damage that bypasses resistances.

2. Zeal (Smiter) – Reliable Uber boss killer with mid-tier gear.

3. Holy Freeze – Hybrid melee/aura build with solid survivability and crowd control.

Verdict: Consistent, versatile, and reliable in solo and party play.

S Tier: Assassin

The Assassin, particularly with the Mosaic build, is the best non-Warlock class for S13 and RotW. She’s fast, deadly, and flexible, requiring minimal gear.

Strengths: Huge backpack space, no mercenary required, and strong single-target and AoE damage.

Weakness: Some charge-up skills can slow movement between fights.

Recommended Builds:

1. Mosaic Assassin Build – Two Mosaic runeword claws enable full damage without consuming charges; excels in Dragon Claw, Tiger Strike, and Phoenix Strike.

2. Trapsin (Lightning Sentry) – Ideal for magic find farming; safe AoE lightning damage.

3. Kicksin – Fast single-target damage for bosses and Uber fights.

Verdict: Extremely fast, flexible, and deadly for ladder resets and endgame content.

A Tier: Sorceress

The Sorceress is unmatched in ladder reset speed due to Teleport, but her fragility drops her to A Tier.

Strengths: Fast farming, versatile builds, early-game effectiveness with cheap gear like Leaf.

Weakness: Low health and dependency on resistances for Hell.

Recommended Builds:

1. Blizzard – Best for magic find; melts cold-resistant enemies with Cold Mastery.

2. Fire Wall – Fast early-game MF build.

3. Nova – Good for Hell Countess runs and AoE damage.

4. Lightning Sorceress – Optimized for FCR and endgame scaling.

Verdict: Best ladder farmer, but requires caution in Hell due to fragility.

A Tier: Amazon

The Amazon is a strong ranged option, but slower and gear-dependent.

Strengths: Excellent AoE with Lightning Fury, safe ranged combat.

Weakness: Slower farming, bow builds require expensive gear to shine.

Recommended Builds:

1. Lightning Fury (Javazon) – Top AoE build for Chaos Sanctuary and cow farming.

2. Javazon Hybrid – Mixes Lightning Fury with Jab for versatility.

3. Strafe Bowazon – Endgame build with Faith runeword; not ideal for ladder resets.

Verdict: Great for ranged players but slower and gear-dependent.

B Tier: Necromancer

The Necromancer is safe and low-effort but slow compared to S-Tier classes.

Strengths: Summonmancer build allows passive play with skeletons and mages.

Weakness: Clear speed is slow; skeletons die to AoE in Hell.

Recommended Builds:

1. Summonmancer – Beginner-friendly, safe, and effective with basic gear.

2. Poison Nova – Strong late-game with Death’s Web; not ladder-friendly.

3. Bone Necromancer – Hybrid AoE and single-target; safe but slow.

Verdict: Perfect for casual play and low-effort farming.

B Tier: Barbarian

The Barbarian excels in party play but struggles solo at ladder start.

Strengths: Shock Wave stuns, Battle Orders buffs allies, and Find Item doubles loot.

Weakness: Melee builds are weak early; there are no ranged options.

Recommended Builds:

1. Shock Wave Support – Party-focused, great for rune farming.

2. Berserk – Solo Hell viability; requires good weapons.

3. Singer (War Cry) – Dual Void setup for magic farming; promising new build.

4. Whirlwind – Late-game, expensive gear-dependent.

Verdict: Strong in parties, weaker solo early; endgame potential with gear.

C Tier: Druid

The Druid is the weakest class in Season 13.

Strengths: Flexible with shapeshift, summon, and elemental builds.

Weakness: No build excels; slow, awkward skill trajectories, poor survivability.

Recommended Builds:

1. Wind (Tornado/Hurricane) – AoE damage; benefits from Void runeword.

2. Fissure – Early-game only; struggles in Hell.

3. Fury Shapeshift – Late-game melee build; requires perfect gear.

Verdict: Fun for theme-lovers but slow and ineffective for ladder resets or endgame.

Which Character Should You Pick?

Ladder Reset Speed: Warlock (Echoing Strike/Chaos Fire), Paladin (Blessed Hammer), Assassin (Mosaic).

Magic Find Farming: Sorceress (Blizzard), Necromancer (Summonmancer).

Hardcore Mode: Warlock (Demon Binder), Paladin (Blessed Hammer).

Party Play: Barbarian (Shock Wave), Paladin (Blessed Hammer), Warlock (Chaos Fire).

Casual Play: Necromancer (Summonmancer), Warlock (Demon Binder).

Ranged Play: Amazon (Lightning Fury), Sorceress (Blizzard).

Melee Play: Warlock (Echoing Strike/Cleave), Assassin (Mosaic), Paladin (Zeal).

For Season 13 and the Reign of the Warlock Expansion, the Warlock reigns supreme, followed by the reliable Paladin and Assassin. Sorceress and Amazon remain strong but require care, while Necromancer, Barbarian, and Druid are best for casual or party-focused play. You'll need to prepare a lot of D2R Gold and rare D2R Items to build and upgrade it, choosing the class that suits you. Your choice should align with playstyle—speed, survivability, or farming efficiency.

MMOexp Diablo 2 Resurrected Team