Top 10 Ladder Starter Builds

In this informative guide, we will tell you the 10 most effective characters and builds to begin a ladder season and permit you to progress with the game quickly and start farming items and runes. Each class has its very own strengths and weaknesses, and specific areas in Hell that it'll farm efficiently to begin building up in-game currency. You can either continue to climb the ladder to 99 with this particular character or just use it like a starter to construct your main ladder character with end-game gear!

10: Corpse Explosion Necromancer

First on our list may be the Corpse Explosion Necromancer. Corpse Explosion is a strong skill in Hell difficulty, it deals a mix of Physical and Fire harm to enemies in line with the life from the enemy’s corpse you're exploding. The build shines within the Cow level, where Hell Bovines have considerable amounts of life (and for that reason when they explode, they deal considerable amounts of area damage!). The trick with this particular build gets the first 2-3 kills, which could sometimes be slow, however after you have them simply cast the Amplify Damage curse around the remaining cows and spam Corpse Explosion before the screen of cows disappears! The Corpse Explosion skill may be used alongside a few different Necromancer builds, my favorite may be the Poison Nova build (however this could take some time and gear to work in Hell) or even the Summon Necromancer which is an effective way of progressing with the game safely.

The initial playthrough of this character could be slow, which is why the build isn’t nearer to the top end of the list. There are a few tricks that may be used to make this smoother which are commonly used by speed runners. The main method is, to begin with, the Teeth skill and put as many points as possible here before the Bone Spear skill can be obtained, then change to this. Once you're in Nightmare and farm The Countess for any Tir, Tal, and Amn Rune you may make the “Edge” Runeword inside a bow and change to some Summon build. “Edge” will give you your Summoned minions using the Thorns Aura and cause monsters to consider damage once they attack them. This is an extremely effective method to complete Hell's difficulty and could be maintained when you start farming.

9: Singer Barbarian

Barbarians are a difficult class to commence a Ladder season with because they are the slowest to progress with the game solo. If you can look for a group to experience with they become much more viable, and you will support all of them with your warcries. This Barbarian build focuses on the Warcries skill tree especially the War Cry skill which stuns surrounding enemies whilst dealing damage simultaneously. The build is a superb support character but additionally an extremely powerful Travincal farmer. Travnical is a popular early ladder farming location because the Council Members possess the highest possibility of dropping a High Rune than anything else within the game, but additionally, the levels of gold they drop allow you to gamble some additional items. The Singer build is protected as the Council Members are going to be stunned and not able to attack you, they'll still initially cast their Hydra ability however so it's important to improve your Fire Resistance. Once they are dead you should use the Find Item capability to give yourself an extra possibility of finding Runes, Items, and Gold.

I mentioned that playing with the game like a Barbarian is difficult, and I would always recommend trying to look for a group to experience with to get you to definitely Hell Act 3 to be able to farm Travincal. If you're unable to look for a group, then the most effective playthrough technique is using Mace Mastery and also the Double Swing ability before you reach Level 30 and Whirlwind opens up. The Singer build only really becomes viable at higher levels when you can max the skill and synergies to find the most damage.

8: Pitzerker Barbarian

The Pitzerker is a building designed for farming The Pit in Act 1. The Pit is a really popular area to farm because of the low life from the monsters contained within (due to being in Act 1) but additionally, the Area Level is high enough to ensure that Champions and Elites can drop any item within the game. The Pitzerker build focuses on the Berserk capability to deal damage, whilst utilizing the Howl capability to scatter enemies and also the Find Item capability to boost our likelihood of finding loot. Berserk converts your Physical harm to Magic damage and it is guaranteed to hit, so powerful and consistent damage-dealing spell. When farming The Pit you simply want to kill Champion or Elite monsters as they possess the highest likelihood to decrease valuable items, we, therefore, make use of the Howl capability to scatter all non-champion and non-elite monsters and allow us to focus around the primary target. Once they happen to be killed, make sure to Find Items around the corpse.

The build isn’t viable early game so an alternate is required to progress with the game, check out the final portion of the Singer barb for an ideal way of getting to Hell and allowing you to begin farming.

7: Fist of Heavens Paladin

The Fist of Heavens Paladin is a build that has recently been made viable through the change to Holy Bolt now dealing harm to both Undead and Demon kinds of monsters, whereas previously it only dealt harm to one of those. The build is a superb Chaos Sanctuary and Travincal farmer with budget gear and shines in high-density areas with Undead and Demons. The only reason it doesn't appear higher within the list is a result of the slower playthrough with damage restricted to these kinds of monsters, if you want to experience this build as soon as possible you will require to look for a group to experience with. As you may have guessed the build focuses around the Fist of Heaven's skill that can bring down a bolt of Lightning which separates until multiple Holy Bolts on impact, the greater monsters around the greater Holy Bolts, and for that reason the more damage you deal!

If you haven’t got a group to experience with you will need an alternate build to progress with the game with. The most effective method of leveling and progress would be to maximize the Holy Fire Aura with 1 reason for Zeal through Normal difficulty. When you reach Nightmare you reset your talent and stats and change to the Hammerdin build that will see you with the rest of your playthrough into Hell. Once you finish the sport you can again reset your talent and visit the Fist of Heaven build to commence farming.

6: Trap Assassin

Excluding the Sorceress, the Trap Assassin is among the fastest builds to progress with the game and finish Hell difficulty – progress does start to slow in Hell with a lot of Lightning Immunes to beat, but this is still possible having a Lower Resist wand. The build focuses on the Lightning Sentry trap because the main damage-dealing spell, supplemented through the Death Sentry trap cast Corpse Explosion when the Lightning Sentry traps did their work. The build plays inside a similar way towards the Corpse Explosion Necromancer, for the reason that you have an initial spell to kill 2 – 3 enemies then your Death Sentry trap to cast Corpse Explosion and conserve the rest. The build shines in high-density areas and also the goal would be to complete Hell difficulty as quickly as possible and farm Hell Cows before you gain enough currency to obtain an Infinity for the Mercenary. As soon as you build this Runeword you are going to be able to farm anywhere within the game.

Progressing through Normal and Nightmare difficulties having a Trapsin is very fast. Focus your points whenever possible into the Wake of Firetrap, and also the Fire Blast skill for that early levels like a synergy. This trap deals huge levels of damage within the early game and can allow you to cast traps and tell you the game. Once you reach Nightmare Travincal in Act 3 you will require to change to the Lightning Build and focus around the Lightning Sentry trap. You will also have to purchase a wand with Lower Resist charges, you can get this from the wand vendor however, you may have to reset their inventory several times. Use the Lower Resist wand on any monster who's Immune to Lightning to allow you to kill them!

5: Javazon

The Javazon is yet another very efficient farmer in high-density areas and you'll spend much of your time within the Cow level after you have completed the sport. The build is focused around the Lightning Fury ability, which launches lightning-powered javelins into categories of enemies and releases lightning bolts in all directions. You can combine this using the Pierce skill within the Passive and Magic skill tree to permit this skill to hit multiple times and cause devastating damage. With early-game gear, the build is extremely restricted to the cow level given there aren't any lightning-immune monsters there, however, it is extremely efficient and can allow you to generate currency at a good rate.

Playing through like a Javazon is rather straightforward, the Power Strike ability can be obtained early on and does good damage having a few points inside. You can then obtain Charged Strike a little further which provides a good boost, and lastly, Lightning Fury at Level 30 takes care of monster packs very quickly! Similar to the Trapsin you'll need a Lower Resist wand for the journey through Hell difficulty, this is easily obtained from the wand vendor after a couple of resets.

4: Fire Sorceress

The Fire Sorceress may be the first of 3 Sorceress builds to appear on this list and also the only reason it doesn’t place higher is a result of the quantity of Fire Immune monsters in Hell difficulty. This will significantly reduce the number of areas you can comfortably and efficiently farm. There are two main builds available for the Fire Sorceress – Fire Ball and Hydra. The most common is Fire Ball because the skill can be obtained at a reduced level, and may achieve high levels of damage by having a fast cast rate. Hydra can also be strong, nevertheless, the skill isn’t available until Level 30 and you’ll therefore have to be a little more patient before utilizing it. The farming locations for both builds are the same and can primarily be Andariel, Mephisto, and Stony Tomb in Act 2. Both Andariel and Mephisto are incredibly popular farming locations because of their likelihood of dropping valuable Unique items. Stony Tomb is a lesser-known farming area, however, doesn't contain any Fire Immune monsters and it has a high enough Area Level to decrease any item within the game from Champion and Elite Monsters.

Progressing with the game like a Sorceress is a breeze and it is by far the quickest way to obtain into Hell difficulty and start farming. The most effective method is to begin as a Lightning Sorceress initially using the Charged Bolt skill, then swapping to a mix of Static Field and Nova. This build will progress you through Normal difficulty without any problems whatsoever. Once you enter into Nightmare and you're level 30 – 40 you need to swap towards the Blizzard build for more efficiency, alternatively, you can progress using the Fire Ball or Hydra build from here onwards however is going to be less efficient.

3: Hammerdin

The Hammerdin is a strong early Ladder character given his capability to farm almost anywhere within the game with budget gear, the only real reason it falls behind the two Sorceress builds is a result of the mobility they get from Teleport. The most popular locations are a mix of The Chaos Sanctuary and Travincal, both areas are very well known for dropping High Runes and Champions / Elites in The Chaos Sanctuary, in addition, have a good possibility of dropping quality value unique items. The build simply takes a “Spirit” sword and shield to work well, which could be obtained as soon as Nightmare Act 1 after farming The Countess and finding bases. The build focuses on the Blessed Hammer skill because the primary damage dealer uses the Concentration Aura at whatsoever time to use a damage boost. The character has good mobility with the use of the Vigor aura, you can also buy stuff with teleport charges to allow you to get towards the entrance of The Chaos Sanctuary even faster. The playstyle is extremely easy, simply find packs of monsters and cast Blessed Hammer (with Concentration Aura on) until all of them die!

Playing with the game like a Hammerdin can also be very easy. The Blessed Hammer ability isn’t available until Level 18 so another strategy is required initially, however when you reach Level 18-20 you can reset your skills and start your hammer journey. For the early levels concentrate your points into the Holy Fire aura whenever possible and obtain a single reason for Zeal. The Fire damage in the Aura is great for Normal difficulty and can carry you through effortlessly.

2: Nova Sorceress

The second Sorceress builds to create an appearance around the list is a Lightning build and focuses on the Nova ability. Lightning builds are fantastic Key farmers early inside a Ladder season, with only Nihlathak (who drops Destruction Keys) able to be immune – and when he is, simply skip and look at a new game. Survivability has historically been an issue for that Nova Sorceress, however, with recent changes to mechanics from the Energy Shield skill this really is greatly improved and it is now extremely viable. Focus your skill points on the Nova ability and its synergies, then your synergies for Energy Shield and you'll have a powerful early Ladder character. Alongside key farming, the Nova Sorceress shines within the Arcane Sanctuary where there aren't any Lightning Immune monsters. The ghosts within the Arcane Sanctuary possess a small loot table they drop from, within that loot table are Runes which makes it a really good spot to farm for High Runes! One thing to create sure of when you're farming this location would be that the ghosts are standing over paths, if they're over the black abyss whenever you kill them they'll not drop any loot.

The most effective early playthrough build for any Sorceress is applying the Nova ability, therefore this build could be played quickly. Start using the Charged Bolt and Static Field skills, then dump all your points into Nova when it opens up. The playthrough will decelerate slightly whenever you get to Hell, however, according to other Lightning builds you can buy a Lower Resist wand to assist. With the Sorceress’s excellent mobility, you can also just skip Lightning Immune monsters altogether!

1: Blizzard Sorceress

Number 1 on our list may be the Blizzard Sorceress – early inside a ladder season, you will notice plenty of these builds progressing with the game! The Blizzard sorceress doesn't have real weakness early inside a ladder season. The Blizzard skill itself deals huge levels of damage with hardly any investment into gear and combined using the Cold Mastery skill the boss damage can also be plentiful. With the build, you are going to be able to farm probably the most lucrative regions of Hell difficulty with as little as a “Spirit” sword as well as an “Ancients Pledge” shield. Focus all your points in to the Blizzard skill, Cold Mastery, and Blizzard synergies whilst also gaining 1 reason for Teleport and Static Field. The build is most popular for Boss farming (Andariel and Mephisto) however can also be extremely efficient within the Cow level, Travincal as well as the Chaos Sanctuary when you obtain a Cold Sunder charm – so really you can farm wherever you would like!

The playthrough on the Sorceress can also be extremely fast and efficient, when you hit Level 18 and gain the Teleport skill you fly with the game gaining levels as you go. The most effective early game build is described both in the Fire and Nova Sorceress sections, switching to Blizzard in Nightmare difficulty and not looking back!

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