Diablo 4 Helltide farm

As is well known, the developers significantly increased monster difficulty and reworked the character defense system in the Diablo 4 Season 11 PTR, increasing the overall challenge of endgames but impacting the player experience to some extent.

Therefore, following player feedback on the PTR, they decided to completely overhaul Season 11 class system. In addition to increasing the strength of all classes by 5-10 tiers of Pits, they also modified resource management and removed all damage caps.

Here, we'll discuss in detail the changes to the class system in Diablo 4 Season 11 and the balance adjustments for each class, helping you choose the best class based on your playstyle when the new season launches on December 9th.

Class System Overhaul

Overall, the class system in Season 11 has three major changes. Before delving into the individual classes, you need to understand these major changes, as they affect all builds in the game.

Reduced Pit Difficulty Scaling

The first change is a reduction in Pit difficulty tiers. According to developer interviews, the strength of all builds will increase by 5 to 10 Pit tiers in the new season. This means that players who can easily clear a 100-level Pit on PTR server could potentially reach 110 tiers on the live server. However, the final result remains to be seen.

Melted Heart of Selig

The second change is a complete balance overhaul of Melted Heart of Selig Unique Amulet. On the PTR server, this item provides thousands of resources, allowing Barbarian players to easily generate over 50,000 Fury.

However, the new version will only provide approximately twice as many resources. This means that if you normally have 400 Fury, Melted Heart of Selig will only provide 800 Fury. While this is still strong, it's far less than on the PTR server.

More importantly, the damage-to-resource conversion rate will also change. On the PTR server, damage is converted into 1 point of resource loss. However, in the live server, this ratio might be 1/100, or any other balanced ratio. This means that Melted Heart of Selig will be more defensively oriented compared to the PTR, even though it provides fewer resources. But given the higher threat level of monsters in Season 11, this defensive boost is crucial.

Damage Cap Removal

The last piece of good news is that the developers have announced the removal of the damage cap in the new season, including Ramaladni's Magnum Opus, Hydras' Serpentine, and Ancestral Guidance. This is excellent for the diversity and growth potential of class builds.

All Class Changes

Considering these two changes, let's analyze each class one by one to see their current state.

Barbarian

Let's start with the class most affected by Melted Heart of Selig changes.

On the PTR server, Barbarian, using Hammer of the Ancients, easily cleared 125 tier Pits with 50,000 Fury. Thanks to the combined boosts from Ramaladni's Magnum Opus and Hammer of the Ancients, this build was ridiculously powerful.

However, now that resource generation has plummeted from 50,000 to around 800, the build's power has drastically decreased. Ramaladni's Magnum Opus alone lost about 17 tiers of tier scaling; Hammer of the Ancients suffers an even greater loss, as it scales every 10 resources.

HOTA Barbarian build is about 35 tiers lower than on the PTR server. However, considering the 10-tier gain from the Pit difficulty adjustment, the build can still reach around 100 tiers. This is still very solid, placing it in the top 80% or even higher, but it's no longer the absolute king it was on the PTR server.

For Druid players, the changes to Melted Heart of Selig did have some impact, but not nearly as much as Barbarian build.

Previously, Cataclysm Druid could easily clear 106 pits on the PTR thanks to Ancestral Guidance buff and a large resource pool. However, with resources plummeting from 35,000 to around 750, this build lost approximately 16 pits. But with the introduction of an additional 10-tier boost, Cataclysm Druid's ceiling is now around 100 pits, remaining competitive.

However, the biggest unknown right now is whether Ancestral Guidance cap will be removed. Frankly, we can't be 100% certain of all the details until the patch is released.

If Ancestral Guidance has no cap and improves with the new Melted Heart of Selig buff, then Cataclysm Druid might be even stronger than we expect.

Necromancer

Necromancer performed exceptionally well in Season 11 and even has a strong potential to return to the meta.

So why is it so strong in the new season? This is entirely because most Necromancer builds don't rely as heavily on Melted Heart of Selig as other classes.

Even back on the PTR, many players had already developed various builds that could clear levels 100-105 without relying on unbalanced resource bonuses, not to mention that all of these builds will receive a 10-level boost on the live server.

For example, Shadowblight Necromancer could already clear level 105 during the PTR, and now they can even challenge level 115, which is absolutely top-tier.

While Shadowblight build is stable, reliable, and powerful, what's truly exciting is Golem Necromancer using the brand-new Diablo 4 item - Gravebloom. This build could already clear level 100 on the PTR, and since it's a completely new build, there's still a lot of room for optimization. With the 10-level boost, the target depth for this build is now level 110 and even higher. It's also worth mentioning that this is a summoner build, which is fantastic for players who like to use summons to assist in combat.

Therefore, Necromancer is definitely one of the strongest classes in Season 11. It boasts multiple build options, easily clearing 110 pits, and offers a rich selection of items and skills, along with reliable defenses.

If you want to maximize the power of your Necromancer build, then in addition to a proper skill tree setup, it is also important to get and equip the best gear. It's worth mentioning that to celebrate the Thanksgiving and Black Friday, IGGM is offering a massive lucky draw, with every registered user getting one chance daily and a 100% winning rate! This means you can easily buy Diablo 4 items at lower prices on IGGM!

Sorcerer

Getting back to the main topic, Sorcerer also looks very strong in the new season, with its strongest builds being Crackling Energy or Lightning Spear.

On the PTR server, Crackling Energy Sorcerer can even clear 105 pits without relying on Melted Heart of Selig. This build is inherently powerful and has excellent scaling. With the additional 10-pit boost, Crackling Energy build is expected to challenge 115 pits or even higher.

Even better, there are currently no plans to nerf Crackling Energy. The build is stable and balanced on the PTR server, so it will only receive a pure buff upon release.

Spiritborn

Spiritborn will receive some significant nerfs in the new season, but it will still be very strong.

During the PTR, Evade Spiritborn build had some serious bugs. Primary Eagle Hall damage would stack twice, and Loyalty's Mantle damage calculation, which should have been additive, was multiplicative and caused additional damage.

These bugs are now being fixed. As a result, Evade Spiritborn's strength was significantly reduced, losing approximately 9-11 tier scaling, but subsequently gained 10 tiers because of Pit level adjustments. The end result is that Evade Spiritborn's Pit level is around 108, which is still very strong.

However, it's important to note that since Evade's abilities heavily rely on Temerity shield bonus in the PTR, whether this bonus will be nerfed is crucial to the current strength of this build.

Rogue

Finally, but still worth mentioning, Rogue performed poorly on PTR servers. However, the key point is that Rogue didn't abuse Melted Heart of Selig, so it didn't lose anything due to the nerfs. This means the class simply benefits from the increased difficulty of the 10-level Pit adjustment.

Death Trap Rogue build is approaching 100 Pit levels on PTR server. With the additional 10 levels of buffs, Death Trap build is expected to reach 110 Pit levels; however, a build based on Heartseeker skills is also viable.

Overall, Rogue is understated yet powerful. If other classes are nerfed while Rogue is buffed, it could become a dark horse in the new season. So don't underestimate this class.

In short, the class balance is currently quite good, with multiple classes offering various viable builds, which is definitely beneficial for the long-term development of Diablo 4. However, this is based on what the developers have currently leaked, and there are still some significant unknowns. Are there any other balance changes we don't yet know about? We'll have to wait for the final Season 11 patch notes.

Around the time before a new Diablo 4 season launches, builds focusing on new unique items or seasonal mechanics often become popular in the community. However, some classic builds, while perhaps slightly nerfed, remain worth using.

With Season 11's release date fast approaching, you're probably considering which builds to choose for the new season. If you're used to playing Sorcerer in most seasons, consider continuing with Frozen Orb Build.

Below, we'll introduce how to craft this classic Sorcerer build this season, based on the known content and changes in Season 11.

Frozen Orb Build Overview

This build performed only moderately in the still-unfinished Season 10, perhaps because there were too many builds that could overshadow it with Chaos Armor. However, it's expected to continue its strength in Season 11.

This build primarily utilizes summoning skills, enabling it to deal extremely high AoE damage in combat. It also provides crowd control to manage large groups of enemies and gains an advantage in boss fights due to its high movement speed.

However, to maintain this build's effectiveness, you'll need to buy Diablo 4 items and ensure your mana regeneration is reliable. Therefore, the deeper you progress in the game, the more suitable Frozen Orb Build becomes.

How To Choose Skills?

In Season 11, to make this build work, simply choose enough summoning skills and continuously cast them. Generally, the following Sorcerer skills are recommended:

• Familiar: Summons a familiar with the same element as your last cast skill. For 8 seconds, it tracks enemies and periodically explodes, dealing 70% of its elemental damage. You can have up to 6 familiars active at a time.
• Lightning Spear: Summons a lightning spear that tracks enemies, dealing 15% damage to each enemy hit over 6 seconds. A critical hit will also inflict a 3-second vulnerability status on the target.
• Ice Blades: Summons a pair of ice blades that deal 23% damage with rapid slashes over 6 seconds, and has a 40% chance of inflicting a 2-second vulnerability status on the target.
• Frozen Orb: Releases a frozen orb that inflicts a 34% freeze effect and fires piercing shards at enemies, dealing 52% damage. The frozen orb explodes upon disappearing, dealing additional damage and inflicting the frozen effect.

If possible, it's best to unlock enchantments for all skills to maximize damage output. For example, with Frozen Orb, when enchanted, it has a 30% chance to fire an additional frozen orb at nearby enemies when you cast a non-basic skill.

Generally, the more summoning skills you have, the higher the damage your frozen orbs will deal. By continuously using summoning skills to fire more frozen orbs with each explosion, you can achieve near-perpetual damage output.

How To Pair It With Gear?

It's important to note that Season 11 significantly changed Tempering and Masterworking mechanics, which enhance gear affix effects more stable, and added a new Sanctification system.

These changes mean that after configuring your gear for your build, your affix upgrade choices will become more consistent as the season progresses. However, be aware that gear cannot be modified after Sanctification.

With these Season 11 tips in mind, you can start choosing gear for your Frozen Orb Build. We recommend Heir of Perdition first, as it increases your damage by 60% and offers a chance to steal Lilith's Favor from allies during combat.

Due to its unique effects and its irreplaceable nature in this build, you should continuously farm Tormented bosses after Season 11 begins until you obtain its drop.

The second recommended gear is Shroud of False Death. Its key effect is granting invisibility and a 40% movement speed bonus if you haven't attacked in the past 2 seconds.

Next, add Aspect of Frozen Memories to activate Avalanche Key passive an additional time, increasing damage against multiple enemies. Note that this item is only usable by Sorcerers.

If you want to use Sanctification on these gear for even greater benefits, you need to proceed with caution. Sanctification results are not only unchangeable but also random, meaning a bad buff could ruin your gear.

This is why the mechanic was initially popular, but PTR testing quickly revealed it wasn't as effective as expected. Perhaps Sanctification will be changed after Season 11.

Skill Tree Unlocking

First, you should allocate all points to Frozen Orb to maximize damage. Simultaneously unlock Elemental Dominance to further enhance Frozen Orb's damage and the build's overall resilience.

Elemental Dominance allows your core and mastery abilities to be cast when you have more than 50 mana, and increases their final damage by 3%.

Next, allocate some points to Frost Nova and Hydra to deal more damage. While the latter is a combustion skill and might seem out of place with this build, its burning effect provides resilience, increased damage, and cooldown reduction.

Notably, don't forget to enchant Frost Nova, which affects your Lucky Strike, giving summoning abilities a 30% chance to cast Frost Nova on hit.

Finally, don't forget to unlock Ice Blades and activate Lightning Spear to complement it.

How Effective Is This Build In Practice?

We first tested The Pit in 2.5.0 PTR as an example. With all gear maintaining normal upgrade effects, Frozen Orb Build can help you quickly reach level 75, but it starts to struggle after level 80.

However, this is also related to the damage nerf in Diablo 4, so if you only want to farm resources through The Pit, this level of depth is sufficient.

As for dealing with Tormented bosses, since Sorcerers have been weakened in terms of mobility and damage output, this class is inherently difficult. Frozen Orb Build is one of the best options to maximize its potential.

Overall, Sorcerers are not expected to be a dominant class in Diablo 4 Season 11, but Frozen Orb Build gives you the opportunity to continue experimenting with it. So if you're interested, you can try it out following our guide!