It’s pretty easy to level a Warlock in Diablo 2 Resurrected, as it’s a wildly powerful class, just in general. You’ve got a few options when leveling, but if you’re going for pure speed, I’d recommend going with a Fire Build instead of a Summoner build. It might be useful in the late game to respec some skill points into Magic skills though, because you might start running into enemies you can’t deal with due to Fire Immunity/resistance.
Fire Warlock isn’t reliant on gear, but there are a couple of Runewords you might want to have to be as safe as possible in Diablo 2 Resurrected. Here are some tips and things you might want to keep in mind as you level up your Warlock, now that Reign of the Warlock is live.
General tips for leveling a Warlock in Diablo 2 Resurrected
If you’re going to level a Warlock in Diablo 2 Resurrected, Fire Warlock is honestly the easiest for any skill level. You have tremendous power thanks to skills like Ring of Fire, Apocalypse, and Flame Wave, and are capable of shredding bosses without the use of any of your demons. While personally, I prefer a demon build, I acknowledge that it’s not the fastest.
There is something to keep in mind, that you may not be familiar with, because it’s new in this update! Warlocks can wield two-handed weapons of any variety, in one hand, and still wield one of their unique Book off-hands. That means you can grab a Rare Two-Handed Sword, Staff, or Thresher, and still get the benefit of a Book. Those books often give you +Ranks in Warlock skills, so just find one that fits your build.
You really don’t need any specific gear for this build, either! There is one or Runewords I highly recommend, but you’re free to wear the items you want. It’s not a gear dependant design, which is certainly nice.
There are two schools of thought I’ve come across in Diablo 2 Resurrected, as a Warlock player: Either save your Skill Points until level 6 and start spamming Ring of Fire, or pick a few points in Miasma Bolt, and then start building up Ring of Fire. Both are fine, but I personally prefer a few points in Miasma Bolt, just for the damage increase.
Another option for dealing with Fire Enemies is simply having a powerful, well-geared Mercenary. They can help deal damage when you’re struggling, so having a good Mercenary is always a bonus.
What talents should you pick as a Warlock leveling build in Diablo 2 Resurrected?
As a Warlock in Diablo 2 Resurrected, you’re going to be dumping your skill points into very specific skills, to get as much damage as humanly possible. If you plan on pushing into Hell, you’re probably going to want to respec into a Magic build, with Miasma Bolt, to deal with Fire Resistant enemies, but it’s not necessarily a hard requirement.
It really depends on if you’re geared well enough to push past enemy resistances. Below is our recommendation on where you should start putting your skill points, once you hit level 6, and can start pumping skill points into Ring of Fire.
Most important skills
- Ring of Fire (Req. Level 6): 15-20 skill points
- Flame Wave (Req. Level 18): 15-20 skill points
- Apocalypse (Req. Level 30): 20 skill points
These are your primary combat skills. As you can see, all three are powerful AOE attacks, with Apocalypse in particular being your boss-shredder. You can alternate between Apocalypse and Flame Wave with relative ease, as well. As far as utility options, if you feel you need them, a few points in Levitation Mastery, and a point here and there in summoning skills certainly cannot hurt.
That’s really up to you, though. There are also some bonus skill points you get throughout the game. You can use them in the ways suggested below, or use them for other utility skills/passives that you think you need.
- Den of Evil: Miasma Bolt
- Radament: Sigil: Lethargy
- Izual: Sigil: Rancor and Death
- Nightmare Difficulty Den of Evil: Apocalypse
- Nightmare Radament: Flame Wave
If you are struggling, around level 49, it’s not a bad idea to respec into a Magic type build. In this case, here is what I recommend:
- Miasma Chain: 20 Ranks
- Miasma Bolt: 9 Ranks
- Enhanced Entropy: 1 Rank
- Abyss: 20 Ranks
- Summon Goatman/Tainted/Defiler/Demonic Mastery: 1 to all
- Blood Oath: 1 Rank
- Consume: 1 Rank
From there, you’ll max Miasma Bolt, then Enhanced Entropy. Since these are Magic abilities, you don’t have to stress about elemental resistance or immunity. This becomes much more important as you breach into Hell difficulty.
Stat goals for a Warlock in Diablo 2 Resurrected
Our stat goals as a Warlock in Diablo 2 Resurrected are going to be remarkably simple, with Vitality as the most important stat. We want to survive, after all. Put simply, you’re going to invest just enough Strength for equipment requirements. You can put up to 10 points in Energy, but it’s not a must. Other than needing points for gear, everything else goes into Vitality. Here is our rough breakdown:
- Strength: 25-30
- Dexterity: 0
- Vitality: Everything that isn’t Strength
- Energy: 0 (Maybe 10, if you feel it’s necessary)
Ideal equipment and Runewords for a Warlock leveling build
As this is a Warlock leveling build in Diablo 2 Resurrected, you don’t really need specific gear that you’re going to have to hunt down. As you push into Nightmare and Hell, you might want to look out for the really rare, good stuff like Stone of Jordan or Bull-Kathos’ Wedding Band, but that’s entirely up to you. However, there are a few Runewords/gear combos that we do recommend you try and trade/farm:
- 2-Handed Staff with Leaf Runeword (Tir+Ral): +Fire Skills.
- Stealth Runeword (Tal+Eth): More movement speed.
- Insight (Ral+Tir+Tal+Sol): Mana regeneration, so it’s a must-have.
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Edited by Jason Parker
