Every build works in Diablo 2: Resurrected. Well, kind of, anyhow. If the goal is to just quickly play through the game once on Normal difficulty, it's imaginable that about any build with any items could survive the run. They wouldn't all be pretty, but they would work.
But life gets different as players approach that maximum level of 99. Suddenly, enemies that once took damage from one sword don't even lose a visible sliver of life. A spell that was supposed to freeze enemies in place has them running right through it. Not all skills, sadly, are cut out to win during the endgame of Diablo 2: Resurrected, but every class does have at least one skill that carries them through the top-tier content.
Necromancer
- Corpse Explosion
Necromancers that invest all of their points into summoning will find that even maxed-out skeletons and golems don't put a dent in high-level monsters. But when they die, detonating their bodies creates a quantity of damage that surpasses anything they would have done when they were alive. This move is both magical and physical, so creatures immune to one or the other will still take damage. Poison Nova Necromancers will want to pick this up late as well.
- Amplify Damage
There are only four abilities in the game that cut through immunities and Necromancers have three of them. However, three of these skills (the Paladin's Conviction and the Necromancer's Lower Resist and Decreptify) require equipment that goes well above max level (as high as 30, low-level Runewords won't help). Conversely, Amplify Damage, even at level one, reduces physical resistance by 100% (more skill points increase radius and duration).
Sorceress
- Teleport
The is a reason that of all the Runewords in the entire game, the Enigma is widely considered the best. It's a chest piece that provides one single level of Teleport to any class. The Sorceress should consider herself lucky that instantly moving from one place to another will not take up an item slot.
- Warmth
Harder monsters can resist all kinds of magic but they can't do anything about the Sorceress' extreme Mana regeneration with Warmth. Unlike many abilities, this scales nicely with more points, all the way up to a staggering 258%, enough so that pro players would have to work very hard to run out of Mana.
- Energy Shield
Having to split points between Energy and Vitality is a tough break, but the Sorceress can avoid this split with Energy Shield. At level 20, the Mana pool takes 75% of the damage delivered. Combined with Warmth, this can make the Sorceress into a rather effective tank.
Amazon
- Valkyrie
With all due respect to the Necromancer, a stacked Valkyrie is the best summoned companion in the game. It feels like playing with a friend without having the difficulty increase. The clone also gains benefits from Critical Strike, Dodge, Avoid, and Evade, so the companion is a handy tank as well as a damage machine.
- Critical Strike
Checking over the items atlas, there are lots of ways to increase damage, but only the Amazon gets a skill that allows for static double damage after the total damage is calculated. With just a few points in the skill, the Amazon immediately becomes the one to reckon with on the damage charts.
Barbarian
- Double Swing
This skill might already be on the list just for attacking twice with every hit. But at level 20, it also increases attack rating by 110% and refunds 1.3 Mana per swing. Any enemy standing in between the Barbarian and the solution to the Cairn Stones is going to get shredded.
- Battle Orders
The warcries of the Barbarian make him one of the most feared support characters in the game. Even at first level, adding 35% to the team's Life, Mana, and Stamina is a ridiculous bonus for the cost of a single button. With more points, the cry gets even more preposterous.
- Shout
Shout has been the signature move of high-level Barbarians single day one and it remains a top-tier skill. Adding between 100% (level one) and 290% (level 20) Defense makes the party feel like titanium, shrugging off enemy hits that don't make a visible ding in the Life meter.
Paladin
- Fanaticism
Paladins are blessed (pun intended) with lots of great aura selection but cursed by only being able to use one at a time. When they are all stacked up, Fanaticism is the best value because it boosts a grand total of four attributes: party damage, Paladin damage, attack rating, and attack speed.
- Holy Shield
An increase of up to 310% Defense is no joke and the extra Smite damage and Block chance are out of this world, especially at the end of the game. This can help push the Block chance to that magic maximum of 75%. Using this skill and turning on legacy mode means hearing lots of that signature "clank" as enemies hit the character unsuccessfully.
Druid
- Maul
High-level enemies are difficult for a very good reason. They are hard to hit, have high resistances, up to two immunities, armor as thick as steel, and hit like trucks. Very few mechanics exist that get around all of this, but the werebear's stun with the Maul skill can incapacitate an opponent between 0.9 seconds (level one) and 3.6 seconds (level 20). That's to say nothing of the extra 300% attack damage and 260% attack rating boost.
- Hunger
Caps on blocking and resistance make it so that no build can truly count on tanking all the damage possible. Maxed-out Evade skills can't guarantee avoiding damage either. But by sucking back Life and Mana with Hunger, druids can roll their defense right into their offense.
Diablo 2: Resurrected was released on September 23rd, 2021, and is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.