Best D2R Season 16 Starter Builds: Patch 3.4 Picks
A pre-launch pick list for Season 16: the same top starters as our ladder start ranking, how Patch 3.4 items like The Salamander, Serpent Lord and Silks of the Victor change an early start, and a pick by goal for solo, team and casual play.
Sorceress, Trapsin and Fishymancer should still make the best Season 16 starter builds, with Fissure Druid and Frenzy Barbarian as the underrated picks. Patch 3.4 adds early weapons rather than new classes, so it changes how you gear a start more than which class you pick.
This is a pre-launch list. Season 16 hasn't started, so nothing here comes from play, and when a patch item "helps" we mean on paper. Per Blizzard's Season 16 announcement, the item changes cover Reign of the Warlock on Online Ladder and Offline. The list agrees with our existing ladder start ranking, and we flag the one place where Patch 3.4 adds an option.
Best Season 16 Starter Builds: The Short List
- Sorceress. Historically the fastest class to gear cheaply. A Blizzard Sorceress is the safe pick, and Patch 3.4 adds a Fire Ball option we cover below.
- Trapsin. Safe and low on gear needs, with nothing in the patch to change that. She is the pick for a stressful launch lobby.
- Fishymancer. The summoner Necromancer is still the lowest-stress leveler. Gravenspine, a wand with +2 Necromancer skills, picked up +10% FCR in Season 15.
- Fissure Druid. Underrated, and nothing in the patch touches its leveling skills. Earthshaker sits at level 43 and is too late to matter.
- Frenzy Barbarian. Still the trade-dependent start. Patch 3.4 gives it more early weapons, but the cost of entry stays high.
For casual play, Hammerdin, Wind Druid and Bone Necromancer remain the relaxed alternatives from our starter class guide. Nothing in Patch 3.4 argues for changing that list.
What Patch 3.4 Adds to an Early Start
The Salamander is the biggest change for a caster. At level 21 it gives +3 Fire Skills, +4 Fire Ball and +10% FCR, a stack of +7 on Fire Ball. That makes a Fire Ball start worth considering, though we would still take Blizzard as the safe default because fire immunity will cut a pure Fire Ball build short.
Serpent Lord is a level 9 staff that steals 100% of damage as mana, with +15% IAS and +40-80% ED. A melee start that runs dry should like it, and casters get nothing from it. Silks of the Victor picks up +30% IAS, +50-100% ED, +20% FRW and +15% MF at level 28, but the Ancient Armor needs 100 Strength. A Barbarian can plausibly get there. A Sorceress cannot.
Melee starts, the Frenzy Barbarian included, should get the most from these, since swing speed matters most to them. The Tannr Gorerod at level 27 and The Atlantean at level 35 add real melee options. The Atlantean's +2 Paladin skills help any Paladin start, Zealots included. Our leveling unique ranking rates each one.
Several Season 15 items are also live on Ladder: Bane Ash (+20% FCR, level 5), Pluckeye (+25% IAS, level 7), Blinkbat's Form (+30% FRW, level 12), Manald Heal (+10% FCR, level 15) and Gravenspine (+10% FCR, level 20). They are cheap and early, and worth picking up if they drop.
Pick by Goal: Solo, Team or Casual
Solo. Trapsin or Fishymancer. Both farm without a geared teammate, as the older start guide argues. The Salamander makes a Fire Ball Sorceress a stronger solo option than last season, but Blizzard is still the safer one.
Team. Pick the role the roster is short on. Sorceress and Trapsin stay the speed picks, and our older guide has the Barbarian trading for Grief once high runes land. Look at the team compositions before you lock a class.
Casual. Fishymancer, Hammerdin or Wind Druid. None of them need patch items to work, and a relaxed player is better off with a build that doesn't depend on a single unique dropping. See the launch night plan for what to do in the first 24 hours.
What Not to Plan a Start Around
Do not build a day-one plan around an endgame drop. Eternity, Ethereal Edge and Veil of Steel are level 63 or higher, and none of them is a starter item. Treat them as week-three goals. The Impaler is a fair Amazon pickup at level 31, but Amazon leveling is still slow.
Where This List Could Be Wrong
Three things could make it wrong. First, we haven't ranked the Warlock as a starter, because there is nothing from play to base it on. Second, Season 15's Terror Zone changes, including better odds of Rare or higher items from Herald Tier 3 and up, are now the baseline, so farming routes may pay differently than older guides assume. Third, a team's needs beat any ranking. If your roster is short on one role on day one, take that role, then use the free-agent pool to find the rest.
FAQ
What is the best class to start Season 16 with?
Sorceress, going by gear needs and clear speed in our older ranking, with Trapsin and Fishymancer close behind. That's the same answer as before Patch 3.4, because the patch buffed items and not classes. We'll know more after launch.
Does the Salamander make Fire Ball Sorceresses a better start?
On paper, yes. It gives +7 levels to Fire Ball and 10% FCR at level 21. Fire-immune monsters in Hell still make Blizzard the safer long-term pick, and we haven't seen either in play.
Which Patch 3.4 item helps a melee start the most?
On paper, The Tannr Gorerod for raw damage, and Silks of the Victor for a Barbarian who can reach 100 Strength. Both are drops, not guarantees, and neither is a reason to switch class.
Find Your Start With a Team
A starter you level with company beats one you grind alone. Registering at /register and saving your Ladder Setup puts you in the free-agent pool, and the D2 Hustlers Discord is quicker if you only need one more player tonight.