In Diablo 4, each class boasts an exclusive feature that enhances the build customization and total power of that particular class. For instance, Sorcerers can utilize the essence of their abilities to generate formidable passive benefits, while Barbarians can skillfully handle four distinct weapons, mastering a broad array of skills. Regardless of your chosen class, its feature is bound to astound.
However, like most aspects in Diablo, you first need to prove your worth. The class features in Diablo 4 are tied to quests and necessitate a succinct tutorial for complete comprehension. Fortunately, this guide serves as your ally. We delve into each unique class feature in Diablo 4, elucidating how they operate, the process of unlocking them, and providing comprehensive analyses on their utilization.
Understanding Class Features
Class features represent exclusive mechanics that are only accessible to a specific class. Every class unlocks a single unique class feature, which could vary from passive bonuses to a distinct combo system. The class features are categorized as follows:
Barbarian:
Technique Slot – bestows a weapon-specific passive to all attacks. Druid: Spirit Boons – provides potent passive enhancements based on the chosen spirit animal. Necromancer: Book of the Dead – permits you to modify how your minions operate. Rogue: Specializations – select one of three gameplay enhancements to boost your abilities. Sorcerer: Enchantments – lets you channel the power of your abilities to initiate strong bonuses.
How to Unlock Your Class Feature
In Diablo 4, all class features are unlocked via class-specific quests. These quests become available at varying levels for each class, but generally, by level 15 or earlier, you should gain access to your fundamental mechanic.
Once you reach a particular level, a new quest, marked with a white cross on your map, becomes available. Completing this quest allows you to unlock your class feature.
Barbarian’s Arsenal and Technique System
By level five, Barbarians will automatically access the Arsenal System, empowering the Barbarian to equip up to four weapons simultaneously. They can skillfully handle a two-handed bludgeoning weapon, a two-handed slashing weapon, and a pair of one-handed bludgeoning or slashing weapons concurrently.
Your skill will automatically switch to the appropriate weapon type, providing a specific enhancement based on the weapon you wield. For instance, the Double Swing skill will automatically engage your dual-wield weapons. If you’re armed with two swords, you’ll enjoy the advantages of using one-handed swords while employing Double Swing — in this case, gaining a chance to accrue Fury on a fortunate strike against crowd-controlled targets.
At level 15, you’ll access the “Masters of Battle” quest. Upon completion, you unlock your Technique Slot. This feature allows you to allocate a passive weapon bonus to all weapons. Using our Double Swing example, you could slot one-handed swords into your Technique Slot, so each skill now bestows Fury on fortunate strikes against CCd targets. Utilizing a Technique with a corresponding weapon archetype does not result in double benefits; you won’t receive the same bonus twice.
How Does a Barbarian Swap Weapons?
The weapon swapping process is automated upon skill use, with no additional input needed. If you wish to employ a specific weapon for a skill, you can select it through the Arsenal menu. However, bear in mind that the skill must support the weapon class you’re aiming to use. For instance, you cannot use slashing weapons for bludgeoning skills.
Weapon Technique Advantages
As you vanquish monsters with the Barbarian’s weapons, you’ll amass XP for that weapon type. Upon reaching level 10 with a specific weapon class, you receive an additional bonus while using that weapon class. For example, achieving R10 with one-handed swords will result in them bestowing bonus attack speed for vanquishing stunned targets.
Harnessing Spirit Boons – Druid
Upon reaching level 15 and accomplishing the “Spirits of the Lost Grove” quest, Druids can connect with spirit animals. These spirit animals bestow Spirit Boons, which deliver potent passive effects accessible via the Spirit Boons menu. Four spirits are available for boon offerings:
Deer: Bestows survivability passives.
Eagle: Imparts offensive passives.
Snake: Provides strong buffs for each elemental type.
Wolf: Awards conditional buffs through fortunate hits and skill usage.
By visiting Tur Dulra in Scosglen, you can align with these spirits. Initially, you can choose one boon from each spirit. Druids can enhance this limit by forging a bond with a specific spirit, which allows you to acquire an additional boon from a spirit of your choice. This implies that you can have a maximum of five Spirit Boons at any one time.
To unlock each boon, you will need Spirit Offerings, a distinctive currency that occasionally drops from defeated monsters. You can present this currency to the spirit you prefer to unlock its unique boons. Each Spirit Boon costs 25 Spirit Offerings to unlock, and boons are unlocked in the order they appear in the Spirit Boon menu. It’s noteworthy that the Snake Spirit requires 100 Spirit Offerings at once to bestow its boons, unlike the other Spirits which unlock one boon at a time.
Book Of The Dead – Necromancer
Upon reaching level 5, the Book of the Dead is immediately unlocked for Necromancers, with no quest required. This book enables you to modify your minions’ functionality, allowing you to change their skill set and passive bonus. Alternatively, you can opt to sacrifice your minions to gain a stat bonus for your character. Necromancers command three types of minions: Skeletons, Mages, and Golems. The first two types are unlocked as you progress in levels, but to unlock Golems, you’ll need to complete the “Call of the Underworld” quest, available at level 15.
Skeletons and Mages can only be created through the Raise Skeleton ability. If you remove this skill from your skill bar, any summoned minions will perish immediately. The same applies to Golems and the Golem ability. You’ll need to open your skills tab (default S on PC, accessed via the skill tree menu on a controller) to add this to your skill bar. To raise skeletons or Golems, you will need corpses. Any enemy you defeat will leave behind a corpse you can use, and some Necromancer abilities generate corpses for you.
By default, you can create up to five skeleton warriors, three skeleton mages, and one Golem at any given time. Alternatively, you can choose to sacrifice your minions by selecting the last column options in the Book of the Dead, providing a powerful boon when active. You can only have one augment allocated in your Book of the Dead per minion type.
How to Summon Golems as a Necromancer?
Once you’ve completed the “Ghosts of the Underworld” quest, slot the Golem skill onto your skill bar. You can access your skills by opening your skill panel (S on PC, left thumbstick click on controller while in the skill tree menu). Once you’ve slotted the skill, you’ll require a corpse to summon the Golem. Upon summoning, the Golem will stay by your side until it perishes.
Embracing Specializations – Rogue
The Rogue’s Specialization system is unlocked upon completing the “True Potential” quest at level 15. It unveils three unique combat styles – Combo Points, Inner Might, and Preparation – that the Rogue can freely interchange at any moment, even during combat.
The Combo Point Specialization introduces three pips to your HUD. Each use of a Basic Skill adds one pip to your combo point meter. A Core skill, on the other hand, consumes all three pips and augments the ability, allowing it to inflict additional damage and consume zero Energy. Certain skills also grant bonuses when used in this way, such as delivering a bonus movement speed or lucky hit chance for a brief duration. This feature is highly beneficial for Rogues progressing through the campaign and those builds focused on using Basic skills.
Next in line at level 20 is the Inner Sight Specialization. It allows your attacks to tag a specific target with a purple eye icon. Striking marked targets will accumulate Inner Sight which, when maxed out, provides unlimited Energy for four seconds. This Specialization comes in handy when you need to rapidly eliminate a tough Elite or boss.
Lastly, the Preparation Specialization unlocks at level 30. While active, casting your Ultimate skill resets the cooldown of all non-Ultimate abilities. In contrast, spending 100 Energy reduces the cooldown of your Ultimate abilities by four seconds. It’s advisable to use this Specialization with builds that have high Energy sustain to reduce your Ultimate cooldown as often as possible.
How Do Rogues Switch Weapons?
In the same vein as Barbarians, Rogues will automatically shift to the necessary weapon. If you’re using a bow skill, your bow will be equipped immediately; similarly, using a melee skill will arm your daggers automatically. No further action is required on your part.
Enchantments – Sorcerer
Upon reaching level 15 and accomplishing the “Call of the Magi” quest, Sorcerers are granted access to the Enchanting system. This system lets you harness the power of any learned skill to obtain a potent passive effect. These effects range from guaranteed bonus damage to a rare chance of triggering a skill for free. Each skill comes with a pre-set passive effect. To use a skill as an enchantment, you must know the skill. However, skill ranks earned through affixes can bypass this requirement.
Accessing the Enchantment screen (Shift + S on PC, open the skill menu on a controller) allows you to slot one skill into an Enchantment slot. A second Enchantment slot automatically unlocks at level 30, permitting the use of two Enchantments simultaneously. Enchanted skills can still be used as usual, so feel free to socket any skills with intriguing Enchantments.