Diablo II: Classes Guide

Classes

A character class in Diablo II is a manifestation of a player's intent on how he wants to play the game. He could be a tanky Barbarian able to crush demons with his sword and ax, or a glass-canon Sorceress with mystic powers that can annihilate monsters from afar.

Diablo II started originally with five character classes. But with the release of the expansion set Lord of Destruction, two more characters where added, making a total of seven classes in the game.

Character classes in Diablo II limit the player to the kind of weapons and skill sets that he can use, hence creating a unique playthrough based on the decisions made while having the journey in the game.

Character Classes

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction allows you to begin your adventure using one of the five character classes: Amazon, Barbarian, Sorceress, Paladin, Necromancer, Assassin, and Druid. Each of these characters has his strengths and weaknesses and favors different kinds of playstyles. But what makes them truly unique and different from each other are the skills that they acquire and upgrade as they mature and improve in the game. The ability to enhance skills is limited, hence by the end of the game, a player can create a unique character based on the skills that he invested on.

For example, you can create two heroes starting with the Sorceress class. Based on the choices you make on the skill assignments, you can produce very different characters by the end of the game. One could be a master of Fire while the other is a lord of Lightning. This feature of Diablo II contributes to its longevity - both in playability and re-playability.

Every character class has three skill sets. Even if you max out the level of a hero, the gained points will still be not enough to upgrade all the skill sets fully. Hence, decision-making matters in creating a character that you like.

Choosing a Character Class

In playing the game, your first decision is to select which class you like to play with. Which class you choose will depend on several factors:

• What gender would you like to play in? Classes in Diablo II are gender-locked. That means you would not be able to play as a female Barbarian or a male Sorceress.
  
  • Amazon - female
  • Barbarian - male
  • Sorceress - female
  • Necromancer - male
  • Paladin - male
  • Assassin - female
  • Druid - male
• What armor and weapons would you like to use? Several armor and weapons in the game are class-locked. Orbs are limited to Sorceress, while shrunken heads are limited to Necromancer. Barbarians can use helms, while Druids can use pelts.
• What kind of skills would you like to use? Skill sets are unique to their classes. If you want an elemental hero, you have to use a Sorceress. If you wish to play as a Werewolf, you have to use a Druid. If you want to whirlwind in slaying demons, you have to use a Barbarian.
• How does your hero fights? Is he a melee fighter or a range warrior? If you want to use swords and axes, you might want to use a Barbarian or a Paladin. If you like to attack from afar, you might want to use an Amazon or a Sorceress.
• What is your end game? Diablo II is a collection game, meaning you play to get the best items in the game. Some of the most powerful armor and weapons in the game are class-locked. So if there is a specific armor or weapon that you want to acquire and play with, you must consider which classes can use it. Also, these powerful items often lead to unique builds. If you want to try a specific build, you must select a class.

The Amazon

The Amazon is the archetypal female warrior using bows, arrows, and spears. With Diablo II, they also added capability for using magic spells and magic arrows. The most powerful build of the Amazon even uses lightning.

She is the representative range warrior, dealing damage from afar. Although she is visibly by default a user of missile weapons, she can also fight in melee range using the spear. She is the nearest class in Diablo II to the Rogue class in Diablo I.

• Javelin and Spear Skills
• Passive and Magic Skills
• Bow and Crossbow Skills

The Barbarian

The Barbarian is the archetypal male warrior using swords, axes, and pure brute strength. This is the class you will choose when you just want to bash the face of a demon without kiting or running around, avoiding the monster. He also comes with skills of pure bloodthirst, like the Whirlwind and Leap Attack.

• Warcries
• Combat Masteries
• Combat Skills

The Necromancer

The Necromancer is the archetypal summoner class. He summons melee skeletons, ranged skeletons, bulky golems, and later on, even demons and monsters from the corpses of enemies.

This is a fragile class if you go for the summoner route. He could not do anything on his own. However, his strength lies in his summons. With them, the Necromancer is the most relaxed class to play in Diablo II, without too much worry of getting hit or attacked by enemies. It might not have the fastest kills in the game, but it is the safest to play.

It is the commander class, the project manager class, and the lazy class.

• Summoning Spells
• Poison and Bone Skills
• Curses

The Paladin

The Paladin is the archetypal holy knight using swords, shields, and auras. He is the class who have access to the best armor, shields, and weapons. Among the melee fighters, he is also the tankiest, if you build him right.

Unlike the Barbarian, the Paladin uses faith as a shield and holy auras to smite his enemies. If you want to roleplay an agent of justice, this character will give you the strength and goodness of the Light. He is a crusader that believes in all that is good, just, and holy.

• Defensive Auras
• Offensive Auras
• Combat Skills

The Sorceress

The Sorceress is the archetypal spellcaster using mystic arts to make elemental attacks with fire, lightning, or cold. She can summon blazing hydras, meteor showers, and throw fireballs, lightning bolts, and ice orbs to slay demons.

This is a powerful range class, the epitome of a glass-canon. As she was designed to be weak to melee attacks and close combat, she was given skills for teleporting, where she can disappear and quickly move to other places. She also have skills for turning mana into health, and to mitigate physical damage, she can freeze melee attackers.

• Coll Spells
• Lightning Spells
• Fire Spells

The Assassin

The Assassin is the archetypal shadowy character that is silent but deadly. She is a master of martial arts and uses traps and enchanted items to execute her enemies.

She is an expert in the art of killing, relying on stealth and skill, instead of brute force or fair combat.

• Martial Arts
• Shadow Disciples
• Traps

The Druid

The Druid is the archetypal earth-warrior who uses the power of nature and the elements to combat evil. He can transform into a Werewolf or a Werebear to maul and destroy his enemies. He can summon mystical animal companions, like the wolf, the raven, or the bear to do combat. He has control over nature as well and can attack with fire, wind, and vegetation.

In summary, the Druid is like a combination of a Sorceress, a Necromancer, and a Barbarian. Also, he is the only class that can transform into a mighty beast.

• Elemental
• Shape Shifting
• Summoning