One of the most intriguing segments in Rhykker’s April 2025 interview with buy diablo 4 itemsGame Director Brent Gibson centered around class balance and what the team calls a shift from “buff-and-nerf whack-a-mole” to build identity reinforcement.

If you’ve ever watched your favorite build become irrelevant after a patch — or felt like every class was starting to feel the same — this is the blog you’ve been waiting for.

Rethinking Balance: “Asymmetrical Class Design”

Gibson made it clear: Diablo IV is not trying to make every class equal in every activity. Instead, the team is embracing what he called “asymmetrical strengths.” That means:

  • Barbarians might dominate melee burst and shout synergies.

  • Sorcerers thrive in long-range AoE and elemental control.

  • Rogues excel in mobility and trap layering.

  • Druids master shapeshift fluidity and battlefield manipulation.

  • Necromancers control the field with minions, curses, and life-trade mechanics.

This pivot means Blizzard is no longer chasing 1:1 damage parity, but rather trying to ensure each class offers something unique that shines in specific situations — be it bossing, crowd control, soloing, or PvP.

Build Identity: Buffing Depth, Not Just Numbers

A key moment in the interview came when Rhykker asked about underperforming builds like Fire Sorcerer or Pulverize Druid. Gibson acknowledged they weren’t where the team wanted them — but instead of just increasing damage values, the team is adding build-defining mechanics.

Example Changes:

  • Fire Sorcerers are getting a passive that increases critical strike chance for every enemy currently burning — making DOT builds scale with crowd control effectiveness.

  • Pulverize Druids will be able to generate a shockwave on kill that hits in a cone, enabling better trash clearing and positional strategy.

  • Bone Spear Necros will soon be able to impale enemies into walls, dealing increased crit damage — giving a new reason to fight in tight dungeon corridors.

The philosophy? “Make the playstyle satisfying first, then tune the numbers.”

Legendary Reworks and Synergy Patches

Gibson revealed that over 30 Legendary Aspects are being reworked in the next two seasons to better support specific archetypes. This means that builds which felt “half-finished” might finally get their missing pieces.

Rhykker mentioned one fan-favorite example: a Sorcerer aspect that causes Critical Hits to re-cast a mini Fireball at a nearby enemy — effectively rewarding skillshot aim with chain-AoE.

Additionally, set bonuses are rumored to return in a new form, but rather than gear-based sets, “spiritual sets” will exist through passive node clusters in Paragon boards, encouraging more intentional build planning.

Class-Specific Events and World Interactions

In 2025, each class is also getting exclusive content opportunities tied to Sanctuary’s evolving world. For example:

  • Druids can now attune with wild spirits to unlock hidden side quests and shapeshift variants.

  • Necromancers gain access to “The Ossuary,” a class-specific dungeon with corpse-management puzzles.

  • Barbarians will have faction-specific bounties in the Dry Steppes — a nod to their ancestral homeland.

These additions aim to increase class flavor and replayability while breaking up the monotony of repeat endgame grinds.

PvP Balance: Not Trying to Please Everyone

When asked about PvP, Gibson was candid: “We know it’s not going to be perfect — but we want it to be fun and expressive.” Instead of stripping classes down to the same toolkit, Diablo IV’s PvP in 2025 is focused on strategic expression:

  • Rogues remain dominant in one-on-one duels due to speed and traps.

  • Druids are being tuned for zone control in large engagements.

  • Necromancers, with the Fog of War system from Season 8, become terrifying ambush predators.

To support this, PvP-specific affixes are being introduced on gear, allowing you to craft builds tuned for competitive zones without breaking PvE content.

The Role of Community in Class Development

Finally, Gibson highlighted the value of the Class Feedback Councils, where top theorycrafters, PvP players, and modders are invited to test builds before patches go live. Rhykker praised this transparency and the regular feedback cycles as a much-needed change from the more secretive balance updates of the past.

Conclusion: Identity Over Symmetry

The takeaway from this segment of Rhykker’s interview is clear: Diablo IV’s class rebalancing is no longer about trying to flatten the playing field. Instead, it’s about amplifying what makes each class unique, providing new tools to define playstyles, and making sure each player feels like their build has a purpose — not just a damage number.