Season 9, known as the Season of Horadric Powers, brings a ton of changes, including revamped nightmare dungeons, a new boss, Asteroth, and a bunch of balance tweaks. With n, ew unique Diablo 4 Items and seasonal powers introduced, it's a fresh landscape for leveling builds.

This guide covers some of the strongest leveling builds across different classes for the early game (levels 1-60). These builds are designed for fast XP gain and survivability on normal to hard difficulties, with notes on essential legendary aspects and seasonal powers to maximize your experience.

6. Pulverize Druid - Big Bear

Overview

The Pulverize Druid excels with solid AoE damage and survivability, but has a slower movement speed due to its melee slam nature. This build shines with early game power and scales well into the endgame, especially with the upcoming Rotting Lightbringer unique.

Skills

·Pulverize (5/5) - Core slam attack

·Wind Shear (1/5) - Mobility and utility

·Blood Howl (1/5) - Sustain

·Poison Creeper (1/5) - Damage over time

·Trample (1/5) - Mobility and AoE

·Cataclysm (1/5) - Ultimate

Key Passives

·Feral Aptitude

·Quickshift

·Ursine Strength

·Mending

·Provocation

·Neurotoxin

Gear/Aspects to Aim For

·Quicksand (Helm)

·Disobedience (Chest)

·Crashstone (Gloves)

·Ursine Horror (Pants)

·Retaliation (2H Weapon)

·Calm Breeze (Amulet)

·Changeling's Debt (Ring)

·Umbral (Ring)

Best Seasonal Power

Celestial Surge - Pulls enemies together, synergizing well with Pulverize's slam. Note that the cooldown is long (~10 seconds), so consider swapping for a more consistent pull eventually.

Playstyle Tips

·Position carefully before slamming Pulverize.

·Use Blood Howl to sustain through encounters.

·Prepare for a slower pace compared to ranged or mobility-heavy builds.

5. Upheaval Barbarian - Solid Strikes

Overview

Upheaval Barbarian is a fast-paced, active melee build with strong crowd control and decent mobility through Leap and Lunging Strike. While resource management is challenging. Conan can be tricky early, but it is highly rewarding for players who enjoy micromanagement.

Skills

·Upheaval (5/5) - AoE primary attack

·Lunging Strike (1/5) - Gap closer

·Ground Stomp (5/5) - Crowd control

·Iron Skin (1/5) - Defensive buff

·Leap (5/5) - Mobility

·Mighty Throw (5/5) - Damage burst

Key Passives

·One-Handed Mace Expertise

·Walking Arsenal

·Imposing Presence

·Belligerence

·Swiftness

Gear/Aspects to Aim For

·Earthstriker's (Amulet)

·Relentless Arms Master (Ring)

·Bul-Kathos (Chest)

·Numbing Wrath (Helm)

·Sundered Ground (2H Weapon)

·Blood Boiling (Ring)

·Encroaching Wrath (2H Weapon)

Best Seasonal Power

Cosmic Anomaly - Short cooldown helps with Fury generation and crowd control.

Playstyle Tips

·Use Leap and Lunging Strike to stay mobile.

·Manage Fury carefully; don't spam skills unnecessarily.

·Swap weapons for buffs on the fly, and assign different weapons for different skills.

·Requires active engagement - timing and positioning are key.

4. Dance of Knives Rogue - Spin From One to Sixty

Overview

One of the fastest leveling builds due to its channeling nature, combined with mobility. This build uses Dance of Knives alongside Shadow and Poison Imbuements to quickly clear mobs with high DPS and strong area damage.

Skills

·Dance of Knives (5/5) - Core damage skill

·Shadow Clone (5/5) - Adds damage and utility

·Poison Imbuement (1/5) - Increases poison damage

·Shadow Imbuement (1/5) - Adds AoE explosions

·Dark Shroud (1/5) - Damage reduction

·Concealment (5/5) - Stealth and mobility

Key Passives

·Preparation

·Momentum

·Sturdy

·Trick Attacks

·Weapon Mastery

·Malice

Gear/Aspects to Aim For

·Star Shards (1H Weapon)

·Arrow Storms (2H Weapon)

·Vengeful (Amulet)

·Corruption (1H Weapon)

·Wild Striker's (Boots)

·Protector (Pants)

·Enshrouding (Chest)

Best Seasonal Power

Disintegrate - A tether that follows the Rogue and damages enemies, great synergy with fast movement and channeling.

Playstyle Tips

·Channel Dance of Knives while moving for max efficiency.

·Switch Imbuements based on situation (Shadow for mobs, Poison for bosses).

·Keep up Concealment to avoid damage.

·Great for players who like a high-speed, mobile playstyle.

3. Hydra Sorcerer - The Path to Power

Overview

Hydra Sorcerer is a strong caster build that relies on passive damage and elemental synergies. Teleportation ensures survivability, while Hydra clears groups efficiently. Good for those who like ranged spellcasting with some tactical positioning.

Skills

Hydra (5/5) - Main damage skill

·Spark (1/5) - Additional AoE

·Flame Shield (1/5) - Defense

·Ice Armor (1/5) - Defense

·Teleport (1/5) - Mobility

·Familiar (5/5) - Pet synergy

Key Passives

·Enlightenment

·Glass Cannon

·Primordial Binding

·Mana Shield

·Elemental Synergies

Gear/Aspects to Aim For

·Serpentine (2H Weapon)

·Disobedience (Helm)

·Snowveiled (Chest)

·Control (Amulet)

·Shredding Blades (Ring)

·Battle Cas (Gloves)

·Storm Swell (Ring)

·Everliving (Boots)

Best Seasonal Power

Disintegrate - Great synergy for movement-based damage tethering.

Playstyle Tips

·Use Teleport to stay out of harm's way.

·Rely on Hydra and Familiar for continuous AoE damage.

·Use Flame Shield and Ice Armor to mitigate damage.

·Manage mana carefully; aspects and Arcana can help with sustain.

2. Minion Necromancer - Passive Playstyle

Overview

Ideal for players who prefer summoning and controlling minions rather than direct combat. The build revolves around Skeletal Warriors, Mages, and Golems to clear mobs and bosses, offering a safe and steady leveling experience.

Skills

·Reap (1/5) - Basic attack

·Sever (3/5) - Increases corpse yield

·Decrepify (1/5) - Debuff enemies

·Corpse Explosion (1/5) - AoE damage

·Soulrift (5/5) - Minion summon

Key Passives

·Skeletal Warrior Mastery

·Skeletal Mage Mastery

·Golem Mastery

·Fueled By Death

·Necrotic Fortitude

Gear/Aspects to Aim For

·Reanimation (Amulet)

·Damned (2H Weapon)

·Great Feast (Ring)

·Frenzied Dead (Ring)

·Apothic (Helm)

·Blood Getter's (Chest)

·Hardened Bones (Pants)

·Occult Dominion (Boots)

Best Seasonal Power

Disintegrate (though build is less reliant on active skills).

Playstyle Tips

·Summon minions to tank and damage enemies.

·Position yourself safely behind minions.

·Use Corpse Explosion and Decrepify strategically.

·Manage corpse resources to keep minions flowing.

1. Rapid Strike Rogue - Fast & Furious

Overview

Rapid Strike Rogues are top-tier leveling machines that excel at quick kills and high mobility. This build revolves around rapid melee strikes and chaining combos with great survivability and damage output.

Skills

·Rapid Strike (5/5) - Core attack

·Dash (5/5) - Mobility

·Shadow Imbuement (1/5)

·Poison Imbuement (1/5)

·Smoke Grenade (1/5) - Utility

·Smoke Bomb (1/5) - Crowd control

Key Passives

·Lethal Strikes

·Preparation

·Stutter Step

·Trick Attacks

·Momentum

Gear/Aspects to Aim For

·Razor's Edge (Weapon)

·Vicious (Chest)

·Whirling Blades (Gloves)

·Nimble (Boots)

·Deadeye (Ring)

·Predator's Mark (Amulet)

Best Seasonal Power

Celestial Surge or Disintegrate, depending on preferred playstyle.

Playstyle Tips

·Maintain constant pressure with Rapid Strike.

·Use Dash to reposition and avoid damage.

·Combine Imbuements for extra damage and utility.

·Very high skill ceiling, but fastest for aggressive players.

Final Thoughts

Season 9's leveling meta is diverse, with viable builds for every playstyle:

·Melee tank: Pulverize Druid and Upheaval Barbarian.

·Ranged caster: Hydra Sorcerer.

·Pet-focused: Minion Necromancer.

·Agile melee: Dance of Knives and Rapid Strike Rogue.

Pair these builds with Diablo 4 materials for sale that Nightmare Sigils with the Forgotten Wisdom affix for max XP gains, and keep an eye out for the new legendary aspects that will turbocharge your leveling speed.