Season 9 of Diablo IV, titled “Season of the Damned,” has brought a wave of new mechanics, balance changes, and Witch Power synergies that have completely reshaped the competitive landscape. With powerful new Mythic Uniques, class reworks, and an overhaul to Ultimate skills, some builds are surging to the top of the leaderboards — crushing Tormented bosses, speed-clearing Nightmare Dungeons, and dominating PvP zones.

In this article, we highlight the builds that are not only thriving in solo and group endgame, but are also dominating the Season 9 leaderboards across multiple class categories.

1. Eye of the Damned Necromancer (Minion-Corruption Hybrid)

The Eye of the Damned Necromancer is a top-tier hybrid build that fuses powerful minion scaling with damage-over-time corruption effects. What sets this build apart in Season 9 is the synergy between Mythic Unique "Eye of the Damned", which causes your minions to deal corruption damage, and Witch Power passives that amplify DoT effects.

Key Highlights:

Core Skills: Blight, Corpse Tendrils, Army of the Dead (Ultimate)

Mythic Uniques: Eye of the Damned, Grasp of the Bone Warden

Witch Powers: Toxic Blood (increased DoT), Plague Surge (enhanced Corruption explosion)

Gameplay Style: Stack minions, spread Blight on enemies, detonate corpses for massive AoE corruption bursts.

This build excels in AoE boss encounters like the Tormented Echo of Lilith and the Infernal Hordes, and thanks to scaling Witch passives, the longer a fight drags on, the more damage it deals.

2. Arc Lash Stormcaller Sorcerer

Returning from previous seasons, the Arc Lash Sorcerer is supercharged in Season 9 thanks to buffs to Unstable Currents and the Mythic Unique Azeroth's Spark, which now grants stacking lightning amplification per critical hit.

Key Highlights:

Core Skills: Arc Lash, Teleport, Unstable Currents

Mythic Uniques: Azeroth's Spark, Serpent's Coil

Witch Powers: Overcharged Essence (chain lightning triggers), Static Instincts (crit chance during mobility)

Gameplay Style: High-speed teleportation, chaining crits for devastating lightning storms, excels in mob-dense Nightmare Dungeons.

This build's unmatched clearing speed makes it a leaderboard staple for Nightmare Dungeon speed runs and PvP ambushes in the Fields of Hatred.

3. Earthquake Barbarian (Hammerquake Build)

Few builds embody raw destructive power like the Earthquake Barbarian. With Ground Stomp triggering multiple overlapping earthquakes via the Quaking Rage aspect and Hammer of the Ancients delivering massive nukes, this build is tearing up Torment 4 content.

Key Highlights:

Core Skills: Hammer of the Ancients, Ground Stomp, Iron Skin

Mythic Uniques: Mountain's Wrath, Girdle of the Trembling Earth

Witch Powers: Seismic Fury (earthquake DoT scaling), Echoing Aftershock (Ground Stomp cooldown reduction)

Gameplay Style: Chain CCs, stack Earthquakes under elite packs, burst them with HOTAs.

The build is not only top-tier for damage but also has exceptional survivability thanks to layered Fortify and Barrier mechanics. This makes it ideal for solo pushing high-tier dungeons and Tormented Boss runs.

4. Shadowstep Demon Hunter (Rogue PvP King)

With stealth, speed, and absurd burst damage, the Shadowstep Rogue has reasserted its dominance in Season 9, especially in PvP. The key change this season is a buff to Shadow Imbuement, now applying a stacking Vulnerable debuff — perfect for assassinations.

Key Highlights:

Core Skills: Shadowstep, Twisting Blades, Dash, Shadow Imbuement

Mythic Uniques: Cloak of Endless Shadows, Ring of Sudden Death

Witch Powers: Umbra's Echo (gain stealth after kill), Shadow Mastery (bonus crit damage in stealth)

Gameplay Style: Dash into combat, nuke a target in under a second, and vanish before retaliation.

It's no surprise that this build tops the Fields of Hatred leaderboard, particularly with the new stealth-related Witch Powers that allow for infinite ambush loops.

5. Wolfstorm Druid (Werewolf Storm Shifter Build)

The Season 9 buffs to Storm Strike and Shapeshifted Ultimate skills have made the Wolfstorm Druid a leaderboard contender. This build combines Werewolf ferocity with lightning-based AoE and high Spirit regeneration, making it a jack-of-all-trades in PvE.

Key Highlights:

Core Skills: Storm Strike, Grizzly Rage, Claw, Hurricane

Mythic Uniques: Wolf King's Mantle, Tempest Claws

Witch Powers: Lupine Channeling (reduced cooldown while shapeshifted), Eye of the Storm (bonus lightning damage when surrounded)

Gameplay Style: Enter Grizzly Rage form, spam electrified melee abilities, and melt elites with chain lightning claws.

Its balanced output across single-target and AoE encounters, paired with innate tankiness from Fortify effects, makes it one of the most stable builds for leaderboard pushing.

6. Firebrand Crusader (Templar Burn Paladin)

Introduced in Season 9 as part of the new Mythic Paladin archetype, the Firebrand Crusader uses fire-based holy skills to apply intense burning effects and massive burst via Divine Judgment.

Key Highlights:

Core Skills: Holy Fire, Judgment, Consecration

Mythic Uniques: Brand of Aegis, Flame of the Martyr

Witch Powers: Searing Faith (burn damage scales with Resolve), Judicator's Will (bonus holy fire pulses on block)

Gameplay Style: Control enemies with Judgment, burn them down over time, and trigger fire novas on kill.

Still relatively new to the meta, this build is climbing fast, with several top 50 leaderboard players showcasing its power in Torment content and team PvE events.

Final Thoughts

Season 9 has dramatically expanded the diversity and viability of endgame builds across all classes. Whether you're pushing Tier 100 Nightmare Dungeons, farming Tormented Echo bosses for Mythic loot, or crushing PvP in Fields of Hatred, these builds have proven they can go the distance.

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