One Diablo 4 Class Gets the Short End of the Stick in Season 12

As Diablo 4 players prepare for the Season of Slaughter to begin, deciding on which class to play is the first stop on their Season 12 journey. This new season is set to feature some interesting mechanics, such as the return of Killstreaks from Diablo 3 and the ability to transform into the Butcher and delve into Slaughterhouses. However, there is one Diablo 4 class that players may want to avoid in Season 12 if they want to take full advantage of the seasonal mechanics on offer.

Diablo 4 Season 12 comes at a pivotal time in the game’s life, sandwiched between the release of the Paladin class in Season 11 and acting as the final season before the Lord of Hatred expansion releases and overhauls many of the game’s major systems. Despite this apparent lull, players still have great reason to check out the Season of Slaughter, especially with Diablo 4 crossing over with Doom: The Dark Ages. With many players likely waiting to experience the Warlock in Lord of Hatred, the Necromancer may be a popular choice in Season 12, since it also has an emphasis on summoning minions. Playing a Necromancer in Diablo 4 Season 12 may be a mistake, as there are far better options for builds this season.

Diablo 4 Season 12 is also offering a free trial of the Paladin from March 11-18, so players who haven’t pre-purchased Lord of Hatred yet may want to start with this class while they can.

How Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred’s Warlock Compares to Diablo 2: Resurrected’s Version

While the Warlock is set to appear in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred after debuting in Diablo 2: Resurrected, the class takes on a somewhat different form.

Necromancers May Struggle to Compete in Diablo 4 Season 12

Historically, the Necromancer has been one of the more reliable options for Diablo 4 builds season after season. Players can usually find one or two solid Necromancer builds for a given season of Diablo 4, with few options being entirely unviable. However, the Necromancer isn’t getting many useful new tools in its kit for the Season of Slaughter, and its playstyle doesn’t seem to have much synergy with the Killstreak mechanic that is set to inform most meta builds in the new season.

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Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)

Diablo 4 Season 12’s New Uniques Won’t Move the Needle Much for Necromancers

Blood-Mad Idol—Unique Amulet (All Classes)
Wendigo Brand—Unique Ring (All Classes)
Rustbitten Dirk—Unique Dagger (Sorcerer, Druid, Rogue, Necromancer)
Wyrdskin—Unique Gloves (All Classes
Thousand-Eye Reaver—Unique One-Handed Axe (Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Paladin)

Despite having access to every new Unique in Diablo 4 Season 12, there aren’t many Necromancer builds that can really take advantage of them. Sure, Uniques like the Wendigo Brand and Wyrdskin can be solid options on just about any Diablo 4 build, but they don’t necessarily provide synergy with the Necromancer’s build mainstays. The Thousand-Eye Reaver could be a decent option for Necromancers looking to increase their attack speed with stacks of Ferocity, but there are likely better Uniques specific to certain builds, like the Gravebloom for Golem Necromancers or Bloodless Scream for Bloodwave Necromancers.

The Season of Slaughter’s Killstreaks Favor a Faster, More Aggressive Playstyle

diablo-4-season-12-butcher-lord-zir — A Diablo 4 Barbarian fighting the Butcher and Lord Zir in Season 12.

The biggest knock against Necromancers in Diablo 4 Season 12 is the class’s playstyle, which largely clashes with the season’s emphasis on fast, efficient kills and building up a Killstreak. Necromancer builds tend to come in two different flavors: dealing damage over time to a large group or dealing high-volume single-target damage. Builds like Minion Necromancer and Shadowblight Necromancer excel at keeping the class alive and whittling down enemies for the player to finish off, but do so at a slower pace than other classes. On the other hand, builds like Bone Spear Necromancer and Blood Wave Necromancer are fantastic for fighting Diablo 4‘s Lair Bosses, since they focus on empowering single-target skills to maximize damage against powerful foes like bosses.

diablo-4-season-12-druid-killstreak — A Druid getting a Killstreak in Diablo 4 Season 12.

Unfortunately, neither of these player styles is conducive to the mechanics of Bloodied weapons and their effects that are triggered by Killstreaks in Diablo 4 Season 12. Compared to classes like Barbarian, Rogue, and Spiritborn, which can all output serious damage with great movement speed, the Necromancer will likely struggle to carve out a niche in the Season of Slaughter.