d3 Deadset's Guide Compendium for Season 14 / Patch 2.6.1

[Deadset 108]

Check out our latest guides for Season 14!

The latest season of Diablo, Season 14, launches today and we've prepared a list of all the best builds for you to get started with! Check them out and get ready for some greedy gearing with Deadset!

Greetings, fellow denizens of Sanctuary! The 14th Season of Diablo brings a thematic concept to the forefront, starting off with the Season of Greed. For the duration of Season 14, all Treasure Goblin spawns will be doubled. While this won't shake the foundations of the established endgame, it will surely provide a handy treasure burst right at the start of the Season, as well as a shortcut to populate any of the missing cosmetic pets in your collection.

-Deadset

Non-Meta Fun Builds

One of my side-projects during the Season 13 downtime was to investigate some of the more unorthodox build paths for all classes. This resulted in the addition of one extra, non-meta build per class - and more could come over the course of Season 14 if you find those diversions enjoyable!

• Seismic Slam Barbarian - a ruthless visual feast of a build, this cold-focused Barb spec is surprisingly tough and efficient;
• Shield Bash Crusader - your best bet if you want to pound demon heads in Greater Rifts, if a bit on the clunky side;
• Chakram Demon Hunter - the ninja star-throwing counterpart to multishotting builds, with comparable AoE and more fun visuals;
• Tempest Rush Monk - a fun and under-appreciated build that balances the fluidity of rushing through enemies with some carefully timed bursts;
• Generator Necromancer - a unique take on Inarius gameplay, focusing on lightning-fast scythe attacks and intensive resource interplay;
• Grasp of the Dead Witch Doctor - a no-cooldown, no-resource take on making corpses rain from the sky;
• Energy Twister Wizard - a surprisingly undervalued, but horrifyingly potent on the time-bending, whirlwinding destruction from seasons of yore.

Why is Patch 2.6.1 a Great Time to Come Back?

Patch 2.6.1 sees one of the biggest rebalancing efforts to the game since Patch 2.4, the strongest content Patch of the Reaper of Souls cycle. It builds on every good foundation set by it (class diversity, options for underused skills, the introduction of mechanically interesting items) and skyrockets it to post-2.6 damage standards. If you have ever craved a patch where multiple builds are considered top tier GR pushers and practically dozens of combinations are completely capable endgame farmers, this is the one.

Basics Guides and Conquest Guides

Before moving on to class impressions and recommendations, I just want to give a quick pointer to the new basics and conquest guides that I compiled recently. If you are new to the game, returning after a long break, or simply have friends that you want to get into Diablo, give those a read:

• Beginner Seasonal Guide - an introduction to Seasons, efficient leveling, crafting and gearing;
• Bounty Farming Guide - how, when, which bounties to do and the builds to do them with;
• Regular "Nephalem" Rift Farming Guide - quantity, quality, and methods for Torment rifting;
• Greater Rift Farming Guide - rewards, competition and strategic considerations for GRs;
• Conquest Guides for Season 14 - the fast track to the Seasonal Journey completion.

As a guide hub, Icy Veins receives a ton of messages on a regular basis for topics like these - I hope they are of use to the community and answer a lot of questions for Seasons to come!

Barbarians

• Beginner's Guide to Barbarians - Levels 1-70 and Guide with the Starting Set, Raekor - A guide that will take you through the leveling process efficiently and optimize your Season 14 Barbarian with the Haedrig's Gift free set.
• Immortal King (or Raekor) - Hammer of the Ancients Endgame Build  - A top tier, visceral build that emphasizes melee devastation and pulverizes his enemies to the ground with Hammer of the Ancients.
• Support Barbarian - Group-oriented build that the entire team depends upon for scouting, long-range monster pulls and protection from harmful crowd control affixes.
• Raekor - Furious Charge Endgame Build  - A spec that mixes the powers of two sets, combining the all-around utility of IK with the agile Furious Charge devastation of Raekor.
• Might of the Earth - Earthquake Endgame Build - This spec favors devastating large areas over precise shots, exerts a masterful control over the battlefield and sports a very satisfying rotation.
• Wrath of the Wastes - Whirlwind Endgame Build  - With a playstyle distilled to its simplest essence, the build opens runs with  Whirlwind and mows enemies down in endless, spinning destruction.
• Frenzy/Thorns Legacy of Nightmares  - More durable than most Barb builds, this spec nails the brutal hand-to-hand melee feel, slicing enemies at incredible speeds.
• Rend Immortal King  - Nearly forgotten, but certainly not powerless, this exotic build bleeds enemies dry with the DoT powers of Rend.

Crusaders

• Beginner's Guide to Crusaders - Levels 1-70 and Guide with the Starting Set, Akkhan  - A guide that will take you through the leveling process efficiently and optimize your Season 14 Crusader with the Haedrig's Gift free set.
• Akkhan - Condemn Endgame Build - This build is the embodiment of the melee spellcaster fantasy, exerting powerful crowd control over monsters and decimating them in waves of holy destruction.
• Akkhan - Blessed Shield Endgame Build  -  This build plays on the archetype of using the shield as a weapon, charging it with holy might and reaping an entire field of demons with a single, mighty toss.
• Akkhan - Holy Shotgun Endgame Build  - The Holy Shotgun Crusader is a tanky, impenetrable bulwark of steel that absorbs blows and retaliates in blasts of pure, radiant vengeance. 
• Blessed Hammer Seeker of the Light - The reigning champion of many Seasons, the Hammerdin build is still a beast in terms of AoE damage and solo GR pushing potential.
• Thorns Invoker  - Likely the tankiest build in the game that is able to push into GR110+. Tough, focused and dead simple, this build almost Thorns itself to the absolute endgame.
• Sweep Attack Rolands  - This Crusader build revels in high-density rifts, shredding demons to pieces with the highest attack speed possible to the class.
• Bombardment Legacy of Nightmares  - The Bombardment Crusader spec takes assorted legendary items into a highly mobile, auto aiming and visually spectacular Thorns combination.

Demon Hunters

• Beginner's Guide to Demon Hunters - Levels 1-70 and Guide with the Starting Set, Marauder  - A guide that will take you through the leveling process efficiently and optimize your Season 14 Demon Hunter with the Haedrig's Gift free set.
• Natalya/Marauder Sentry Endgame Build - This build focuses solely on the Sentries, providing Demon Hunters with a cold, calculating playstyle cloaked behind a wall of turrets and animal companions.
• Marauder - Cluster Arrow Endgame Build  - Requiring a deep understanding of DHs - the need for positioning and strategic companion placement - this build rewards you with great GR potential.
• Unhallowed Essence - Multishot Endgame Build  - This build embodies the lone, brooding archer that reaps entire screens worth of demons in massive, fiery bursts of arrows.
• Natalya - Rain of Vengeance Endgame Build  - This build transforms the elegance of Strafe into a potent tool that resets the cooldown of Rain of Vengeance, resulting in a potent, bursty playstyle.
• Shadow - Impale Endgame Build  - The Impale build emphasizes on singling out and bursting down priority targets, resulting in a ninja-like, elite hunting playstyle.
• Grenades Unhallowed Essence  - A deceptively simple build, whose sustained grenade damage and tanking potential outdoes many of its flashier counterparts.
• Fan of Knives Legacy of Nightmares  - One of the more exotic specs in the game, the LoN FoK build thrives at low health values and turns them to its own advantage - playing with permanent crits.

Monks

• Beginner's Guide to Monks - Levels 1-70 and Guide with the Starting Set, Inna - A guide that will take you through the leveling process efficiently and optimize your Season 14 Monk with the Haedrig's Gift free set.
• Sunwuko - Wave of Light Endgame Build  - This unique ranged Monk playstyle blows demons up in screen-wide, incinerating beams of searing light.
• Support Monk  - Group-oriented build that the entire team depends upon for healing, short-range monster pulls and damage reduction from regular attacks.
• Uliana - Seven-Sided Strike Endgame Build  - Widely regarded as the most satisfying build of the class, Uliana enriches the Seven-Sided Strike visual with Exploding Palm detonations.
• Raiment Shenlong - Generator Endgame Build  - The Monk's bread and butter, this build pummels enemies into the ground with the sheer might of the primary fist attacks.
• Sunwuko - Lashing Tail Kick Endgame Build  - Building on the classic Monk image, this spec jump in, whirlwind kicks the demons' teeth in, and jump to the next pack of monsters.
• Exploding Palm/Mystic Allies Inna  - In this Monk take on a summoner build, you rally spiritual fighters at your side that burst entire groups of enemies with Exploding Palms.

Necromancers

• Beginner's Guide to Necromancers - Levels 1-70 and Guide with the Starting Set, Pestilence - A guide that will take you through the leveling process efficiently and optimize your Season 14 Necromancer with the Haedrig's Gift free set.
• Pestilence or Trag'Oul - Corpse Lance  - This build alternates long scouting sessions while waiting on cooldowns with the utter devastation once Devour meets Land of the Dead.
• Rathma - Skeletal Mage - If you like to keep a tight rein on your minions with precise commands, leading the menagerie of undead at your side in a resource-fueled frenzy, this build is the one for you.
• Command Skeletons Inarius  - Turning the skeleton warriors into a vicious, unrelenting superior to Bane of the Stricken, this build is a Necromancer's one-way ticket to the absolute endgame heights.
• Skeletal Mages Trag'Oul  - This is the alternate take on the Mages build, specializing in extreme speed farming, while still offering capable GR pushes.
• Bone Storm Inarius  - While it took an undeniable nerf, this build is still one of the most relaxing, farming-appropriate melee builds of Necromancers.
• Corpse Explosion Inarius  - An underappreciated offshoot to the close range Inarius variants, this build is among the most visually appealing and satisfying Necromancer builds out there.

Witch Doctors

• Beginner's Guide to Witch Doctors - Levels 1-70 and Guide with the Starting Set, Zunimassa  - A guide that will take you through the leveling process efficiently and optimize your Season 14 Witch Doctor with the Haedrig's Gift free set.
• Arachyr - Firebats Endgame Build  - Requiring minimal upkeep, this build spins a circular, no-aiming-required wave of Firebats obliteration around you. Simple, neat, and utterly effective.
• Helltooth - Gargantuan Endgame Build  - This staple summoner build offers laid-back playstyle with automated minions, excellent sustain and protective options, and even some space for crowd control.
• Jade Harvester Endgame Build  - One of the oldest examples of interesting set execution, this melee spellcaster trades the safety of range and hexes for aggressive dives and DoT consumption.
• Zunimassa Gargantuan Endgame Build - This build thrives behind a thick wall of Fetish summons and is accompanied by lumbering, destructive Gargantuan brutes in a pure minion playstyle.
• Legacy of Nightmares Spirit Barrage Endgame Build  - Emerging from a convergence of obscure mechanics, this build offers a unique, spell-heavy, bursty playstyle that produces some of the most spectacular visuals of the class.

Wizards

• Beginner's Guide to Wizards - Levels 1-70 and Guide with the Starting Set, Delsere's Magnum Opus  - A guide that will take you through the leveling process efficiently and optimize your Season 14 Wizard with the Haedrig's Gift free set.
• Firebird (or Tal Rasha) - Meteor - Reaching for the heartstrings of Meteor lovers, this build channels torrents of arcane energy to conjure destructive, burning meteorites into a pure visual feast.
• DMO - Frozen Orb - Combining the Frozen Orb nostalgia of sorceresses past with the forgotten power of Slow Time wizardry, this build leaves enemies helpless, watching their frozen death creep ever closer.
• Vyr Archon - The oldest devotees to the Archon playstyle: Vyr and its complementary Chantodo sets got an awesome boost of power in Patch 2.6.1.
• Tal Rasha - Explosive Blast - Aside from its distinct cannonade of arcane blasts, this build is very attractive to Wizards due to its ability to include Sage's set for materials farming.
• Arcane Torrent Tal Rasha - Spawning off the addition of Manald Heal this guide offers not one, but three very fun, tanky, non-Archon lightning variants to build around.

Conclusion

In short, Patch 2.6.1 is one of the best times Diablo 3 has experienced in terms of build diversity and sheer endgame potential. A living proof that pure numbers patches can sometimes work wonders. Have fun and good luck in Season 14 - I leave you with my hour-long overview of some of my favorite builds in the latest patch!

[Kaelos 74]

However bad D3 may be, thank you for your great work as always. The community is awesome and full of love for the Diablo serie.  Thanks to it I found cool charismatic youtubers like Rhykker, Quin69. The guides are super useful and many ppl would probably not play without them. You keep the game alive better than Blizz..

[Yridaa 490]

1 hour ago, Kaelos said:

You keep the game alive better than Blizz..

While absolutely true, this goes for a lot of games. This goes especially for games with modsupport, which Diablo 3 obviously does not have (sad as it is)

 

If Blizzard would have kept working on the game more, it could have turned out to be something fantastic; something along the lines of "Remember that game we played 20 years ago? That was a fantastic game".

 

Very wishful thinking:

But perhaps they came across certain engine limitations in which they couldn't bring their creativity to life. Something which their next Diablo game might have.

 

[Rhondis 148]

22 hours ago, Yridaa said:

While absolutely true, this goes for a lot of games. This goes especially for games with modsupport, which Diablo 3 obviously does not have (sad as it is)

 

If Blizzard would have kept working on the game more, it could have turned out to be something fantastic; something along the lines of "Remember that game we played 20 years ago? That was a fantastic game".

 

Very wishful thinking:

But perhaps they came across certain engine limitations in which they couldn't bring their creativity to life. Something which their next Diablo game might have.

 

Yeaaaa.... I doubt it. Diablo 3 was a controversial game in which it divided the entire Diablo Fanbase right down the middle, I know countless of hardcore Diablo 2 players that refuse to go anywhere near Diablo 3 due to it's brighter atmosphere, lack of character customization outside of legendaries, insane power creep, and the awful awful story line. Did RoS fix many of the issues that D3 originally had? Yes. But due to the state of the vanilla game it left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouth. And yes, it did bring in many new players to the game which is great in itself but this game disappointed long-time Diablo fans.

Don't get me wrong, I love this game. But even I'll admit it is not as good as D2, there are a ton of glaring problems this game still has and even I don't believe another expansion would fix it. As much as I want the Diablo series to end (because they really are just beating a dead horse to begin with) it would be better in the long run for them to just create a whole new game that learns the mistakes of 3 and takes the best of both 2 & 3.

[Hakuna 0]

As usual, awesome breakdown thru all classes. Well done mate.