It’s no secret that upon its initial release, Diablo III was, shall we say, underwhelming. It wasn’t the game long-time fans of the series thought they would get, and it definitely had its problems. Fortunately for those of us that purchased it, Blizzard listened to us, and decided to make some drastic changes to the game. It has steadily improved over time since then, and I truly feel that the 2.2 patch is the best state the game has ever been in.

 

Double tornado is back!

 

In vanilla D3, the first class that I was able to play the highest difficulties with was the Barbarian. Utilizing the famous double tornado build, “spin to win” was in style, and was a very powerful spec. While Whirlwind Barbs in Diablo II were more for fun and had real weaknesses, it was the go-to build in Diablo III. However, later patches either killed the build entirely, or at least made it sub-optimal. This actually caused me to start looking at other classes, and after Reaper of Souls came out, Barbarian was the last class that I leveled to 70.

Now, spin to win has made its triumphant return! The new Wrath of the Wastes set gave a whole lot of love to Whirlwind, and made it (along with the 4 piece bonus from the Immortal King’s set) the best possible build for Barbs. It’s not that the Barbarian class was weak before this, as the Raekor’s build was certainly strong. However, (at least in my opinion) it was nowhere near as fun as a Whirlwind build. Now, all I do is spin, spin, spin, and my love for the class has been re-ignited all over again.

 

With Doctor diversity

Just be very specific when telling people that you have a lot of Fetishes

 

While some classes have “one build that’s good, and everything else sucks in comparison,” the Witch Doctor actually has 3 different builds that can all get through higher level greater rifts when geared properly. There are a few different ways to do a standard pet build, and the re-worked Zunimassa’s set also turned the Carnevil build from “fun thing a Witch Doctor can do” into “holy cow this build is really, really good.” To top it off, the Jade Harvester’s set is still 100% viable, and still provides some of the most satisfying nukes in the game.

The downside to this is that the WD relies heavily on specific weapons, and they’re not easy to find. The pet build needs a Starmetal Kukri, while the Carnevil build demands you have a Dagger of Darts if you want to push higher greater rifts. With the high blood shard costs of weapons, it can take quite a lot of time to complete a build (I’m still searching for DoD myself.) However, if you can pick up one of these weapons, it can become extremely rewarding to play the Witch Doctor.

 

Dexterity-based classes have never felt so good

This is what it can feel like to play the Monk now

 

The Unhallowed Essence set is easily one of the best things to ever happen to the Demon Hunter. For a long time, the Marauder’s set meant that you just put down a few Sentries, wait for everything on the screen to die, and move on. It was an effective playstyle, but not exactly the most engaging one. The new UE build means that Demon Hunters take a much more proactive approach, and it’s both entertaining and extremely effective. The set synergizes beautifully with the new Focus and Restraint rings, making GR 50+ a very attainable goal for anyone willing to get the gear together.

Speaking of the Bastions of Will rings, the Monk also benefits greatly from them, with the Raiment of a Thousand Storms set. For a very long time, the Monk was relegated to being a zero DPS support-only class. It was effective at what it did, but disappointing for those of us that wanted to play it as a solo class. The Sunwuko set went a long way towards helping with that, but the re-worked Raiment set plus Bastions of Will have turned the Monk into a blazing fast bringer of death to any that dare oppose. The build is a ton of fun, and completely changed the Monk’s playstyle for the better.

 

Why can’t I hold all these spells?

Credit to "Crucial" on YouTube, this image is fantastic

 

There has been no better time to be a Wizard than right now. Just like the Witch Doctor, there are 3 perfectly viable builds to choose from. The brand new Delsere’s Magnum Opus set allows us to combine crowd control with large amounts of damage, buffing up a skill that was rarely used, Slow Time. This build does demand ancient gear and weapon to really get through higher level greater rifts, but can be extremely effective when you have it, and if you like to party play, the people you’re running with will love you.

The Firebird’s set has been changed slightly, but can still work quite well with the right gear. If you enjoy raining fiery death from the skies down on your enemies, Firebird’s is still the way to go for you. Perhaps the biggest change was to the Tal Rasha’s set, which can now put out crazy amounts of damage when played correctly. For those looking for a Focus/Restraint build, or like to use multiple elements, or just like to watch Meteors come crashing down, this set gives you all of that and more.

 

(The Crusader is the one class I haven’t played in this patch, so I’ll omit it for now. I do intend to come back to the class at some point.)

 

For all of these reasons, I have never had more fun with Diablo III than I have after the 2.2 patch. It brought so many new things to the game, and I’ve been enjoying it immensely. I intend to put out some guides and videos for a few different things that can be done for most classes, ranging from high level greater rift builds, to speed farming, to just plain fun ways to play each class. I hope you’ll check them out, and that you’re enjoying the game as much as I am!


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Diablo III Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

A longtime fan of competitive gaming, Jeremy got his first chance to work in the field as a writer for eSportsMax. Now eSports Editor for TenTonHammer, he looks to keep readers aware of all of the biggest events and happenings in the eSports world, while also welcoming new fans who aren't yet sure where to go to get the most relevant information. Jeremy always looks to provide content for new fans and veterans alike, believing that helping as many people as possible enjoy all the scene has to offer is key to its growth.

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