Diablo 4’s long-awaited Tower endgame mode officially launches tomorrow, and players are gearing up to see how this new activity compares to the existing Pit system. After extensive testing on the PTR, the Tower appears to offer a similar tiering structure to the Pits, but with new mechanics, streamlined pacing, and a much smoother gameplay loop. Ahead of the release, we now have a clear picture of which builds will excel in the Tower—both for solo push and group play.
While every class enters the Tower with at least one viable option, Paladins and Barbarians stand out as the strongest overall performers. The Paladin in particular received zero nerfs heading into the Tower launch, leaving its top builds substantially ahead of the pack. Below is a detailed breakdown of the best builds across all classes, with special emphasis on Paladin and Barbarian performance, PTR results, and expectations for Tower scaling.
The Tower: What to Expect
The Tower is Diablo 4’s latest high-end progression system, mirroring the Pit in structure but offering its own pacing and mechanical twists:
- 10-minute time limit (vs. the Pit’s 15 minutes).
- Reworked pylons and overall progression flow.
- High density and smoother combat rhythm compared to the Pit.
- No ad-summoning bosses—all bosses are pure single-target encounters.
- Boss HP parity with Pit bosses, according to Blizzard’s notes.
This last point significantly impacts build viability. Since players cannot generate add-based resource loops or cheese mechanics, pure single-target DPS becomes more important than ever.
S-Tier and Top Builds by Class
Paladin: The Undisputed Tower Champion
Paladin enters the Tower with an overwhelming number of highly competitive builds. No class has more viable options at the top end, and several Paladin builds are positioned to push 135–140+ tiers immediately with proper gear. Below are the strongest options.
- Judgment Paladin – The King of Kings
There is no surprise here: Judgment Paladin is the best build in the game for the Tower.
- Already clearing Pit 140 on live.
- Expected to reach Tower 140–145 with optimal Diablo 4 gear.
- Exceptional area damage and strong enough single-target despite the lack of ad-summoning bosses.
- Proven PTR performance: players have defeated 140 bosses like Bramble in ~6 minutes with non-optimized gear.
Judgment’s core mechanics—multiplicative stacking, high baseline damage, and powerful synergies—remain untouched. With no nerfs, its dominance continues.
- Oradin – Best in Group Play
The Oradin is the strongest group DPS build and the clear #2 solo option:
- Easily cleared 130+ on PTR even on first attempts.
- Scales massively with party size, making it the premier group pusher.
- Still strong in solo push, but unable to surpass Judgment’s raw output.
- Hammerdin, Blast Shield, Avatar Wingstrike – Strong Alternatives
These remain high-ceiling Paladin builds:
- Hammerdin: solid, consistent, and A/S-tier depending on gear.
- Blast Shield: thorns buffs were not fixed, but its single-target performance remains potent.
- Avatar Wingstrike: competitive mid-S tier.
- Payback Spiritborn – Rising Fast
The Payback Spiritborn build is the surprise contender of this patch:
- Now clearing Pit 130.
- Buffed significantly—estimated 3–4 tier power increase.
- Current Hell Tide clears show remarkable performance and consistency.
This pushes Spiritborn up into S-tier alongside the main Paladin lineup.
Barbarian: Hoda Remains the Staple
Barbarian enters the Tower with a strong showing, particularly with Hammer of the Ancients (HOTA).
Hoda Barbarian – Top 3 Overall
- One of the few non-Paladin builds capable of pushing 130+.
- Benefits from double-damage tempering against bosses.
- Much stronger than Lunging Strike in single-target scenarios.
Given that Tower bosses do not spawn adds, this double-damage modifier becomes critical. Barbarians will feel significantly better in the Tower than on PTR, though boss HP remains a legitimate concern.
Rogue: Hardseeker Builds the Only Viable Top Option
Rogue enters the Tower with effectively one top-tier pushing build:
Hardseeker Rogue
- Extremely high damage output.
- Strong in push scenarios but impractical for general farming or casual play.
- Paladin and Barbarian still outperform Rogue in consistency.
Expect Rogue to sit around Tier 125–130, depending on gearing quality.
Druid: Pulverize Still Endures
Pulverize has been meta for nearly two years in some form, and that continues into the Tower.
Pulverize Druid
- Capable of pushing Tier 125–130 with optimized sanctification and Starfall setups.
- Strong AoE, good mobility, limited single-target.
- Still one of the most reliable builds for mid-S to high-A tier content.
Sorcerer: Crackling Energy (Crack Sork)
Sorcerer maintains strong single-target potential but lacks top-end AoE.
Crackling Energy Sorc
- Great boss damage.
- Limited ceiling in AoE and density settings.
- Expected to stop around Tier 120–125.
Necromancer: In Need of Mid-Season Help
Unfortunately, Necromancer is in the weakest position heading into Tower launch.
- Lowest mobility of all classes.
- Insufficient damage in both AoE and single-target.
- Unlikely to push beyond 115–120 in current form.
Blizzard will likely need to provide mid-season tuning to keep the Necromancer competitive. Still, Necro players will have their own class leaderboard, which should provide meaningful competition within the class ecosystem.
Group Meta: How to Push Tower 150
The biggest question: can Tower 150 be cleared?
Yes—in group play.
PTR groups have already demonstrated 150 Pit clears. Assuming Tower difficulty is comparable, coordinated teams will realistically reach Tower 150.
Expected Best Group Compositions:
- 2-Player: Judgment + Support Paladin
- 3-Player: Oradin + Z-Paladin + Flex Support
- 4-Player: Oradin + Z-Paladin + Z-Druid + Z-Barb
Sorcerer and Necromancer unfortunately, do not fit well into current group meta structures.
Why Paladin Dominates Groups
- Best offensive scaling.
- Best support toolkit (Z-Paladin).
- Highest boss DPS in the game (Oradin).
Even if Tower 150 is beaten, players worry about the mode becoming a speedrun environment similar to Diablo 3’s fixed GR150 cap. If this occurs, higher Tower tiers (e.g., 200+) may be needed in the future to preserve progression integrity.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
As the Tower launches, players can expect: A smoother, more enjoyable endgame loop than the Pit. A highly competitive environment for Paladins, Barbarians, and Spiritborn builds. Early concerns about boss HP scaling in 10-minute runs. Class leaderboards offer fair competition even for weaker classes. Heavy reliance on Mythics like Grandfather and Shako for top pushes.
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