The Season of the Malignant is well underway in Diablo 4, and with lots of folks trying out new classes — as well as the much-discussed Patch 1.1.0 hitting right beforehand — it seems like a fine time to ask: How the season is treating you?
In the various betas leading up to the release of the game, I had tried a Sorcerer and a Necromancer. Then when the game went live, I spent the entirety of the preseason on the Eternal Realm playing a Druid — a class that I really got into, for their flexibility, power, and ludicrous survivability. But I still had been feeling the itch to try something new, and when Season 1 launched, I literally flipped a coin to decide between Barbarian and Rogue (I ended up rolling a Rogue).
It’s been an interesting experience, because while Druids can be described (especially while leveling) as slow and methodical, Rogues are fast and — in some of the builds I tried — extremely squishy! I’ve tried melee Rogue, I’ve tried ranged Rogue, I was running a ludicrous ‘rainbow’ spec that cycled rapidly through all three Imbuement abilities firing them off with Barrage, I tried a trap-heavy Rogue reminiscent of the Diablo 2 “Trapsin,” and I’ve finally settled into something with a nice mix of melee and range skills that feels survivable and also still fast as heck. I’m now up in World Tier 3 and settling into the familiar flow of Nightmare Dungeons and Helltides, although now with Malignant Tunnels thrown into the mix — gotta farm those Malignant Hearts!
So what say you, reader? How is Season 1 treating you? Did you try something totally new, or are you sticking with something familiar? Have you found any fun new builds?