Diablo II/Classes

In the original Diablo II, the player could choose between five different character classes. Two more were added in the Lord of Destruction expansion. The character class is chosen at the start of the game; which class is chosen heavily influences the game play.

Within each class, specialization is possible with the acquisition of a new skill at each level; depending on the skills chosen classes can further be broken down into subcategories with potentially wildly different game play and strategies. Classes also receive different benefits from each stat type, as well as having different weapon proficiencies. Each class has a specific type of equipment (weapon or armor) unique to that class, which usually provides skill bonuses.

The five original classes are Amazon, Barbarian, Necromancer, Paladin, and Sorceress; the expansion added on the Assassin and Druid classes.

Skills
Skills are what make your character in Diablo II. A Sorceress wouldn't be a Sorceress without the ability to summon the elements to her finger tips; in the same respect a Barbarian wouldn't be the same if he couldn't wield mighty axes and swing them as if they were nothing. Each character type's skills are set up into three trees, with each tree focusing on a different set of skills.

With each new level, a single skill point is given to the character to invest in an available skill; certain quests also give skill points (4 total over the course of the game). Up to 20 points may be invested in each skill. Each skill has a level requirement and many have prerequisite skills - only a single point must be invested in the prerequisite to unlock the higher-level skill. From the 1.10 patch onward, skills have had "synergies" as well, such that a point invested in one skill may give a bonus to other skills as well; 1.10 also introduced much harder monsters at nightmare and hell difficulty levels so that without good use of synergies the game will become very difficult or unwinnable.

The skills that are chosen and focused upon are what make your character; for example by choosing mostly fire skills as a Sorceress, you become deadly with that element while weak with others. Your choice of skills is your "build." Character builds are what determine how you will play the game and what your strengths and weakness are. Usually trying to have a broad focus of skills, i.e. using all three skill trees will end up making your character a jack of all trades and weak in every respect rather than strong in one, and weak in another. On the other hand, since monsters at higher difficulty often receive immunities to certain types of damage, single tree/element strengths will fail in solo mode.

As the game difficulty advances, the selection of a good build becomes more crucial. At level 80-90 a character will have about 100 total skill points as he approaches the end of hell difficulty; any wasted skill points at this point will be crippling. A good build, therefore, needs to have a general plan for investing about 100 skill points such that each of them contributes to the final goal.