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Greetings, ladies and gentlemen of all ages! Diablo 4's Season 7 Public Test Realm (PTR) has been in full swing for the past few days, and it's been a whirlwind of experimentation, discovery, and, of course, bugs. Players have been diving deep into different builds and playstyles for their favorite classes, pushing the limits of what’s possible. However, with balance issues plaguing some classes—leading to certain builds being way too powerful while others struggle to keep up—this review will focus on the popular builds being tested and optimized for each class.

It’s important to note that the numbers and performance we’re seeing on the PTR might change drastically by the time Season 7 officially launches. Nevertheless, it’s fun to see where the meta stands at this moment, especially since we’ve witnessed wild shifts before, like with the Barbarian’s Dust Devils during a past PTR. Let’s dive in and look at the best builds and potential powerhouses for each class as of now.

Necromancer: Blood Wave and Army of the Dead Dominate

Right now, the Necromancer is the talk of the town, with some truly outrageous builds that are breaking damage meters. One of the biggest changes in Season 7 is the buffs to Ultimate skills, which now gain additional effects once they reach rank five. For Necromancer, these upgrades are making two particular skills shine: Army of the Dead and Blood Wave.

Army of the Dead at rank five increases all damage from the skill by 125% based on your skeleton mage and golem damage bonuses. This is a scaling machine that can hit for trillions of damage, making it a force to be reckoned with. But it’s the Blood Wave build that’s really catching everyone’s attention. With the introduction of a new item, the Kesm Legacy unique pants, Blood Wave can now cast two waves per activation and apply a stacking debuff to enemies, increasing their damage taken. When scaled properly, this ability is hitting absurd numbers.

The rank five upgrade for Blood Wave makes it gain damage equal to 100% of your health and fortified damage bonuses, which can be multiplied to truly outrageous amounts. While we can expect some balancing before Season 7’s full launch, this build is poised to be a dominant force—albeit at more reasonable damage numbers.

Druid: Boulder Builds and Cataclysm in the Spotlight

The Druid is another class causing chaos in the PTR, but not for all the right reasons. Some Druid builds are hitting numbers so high that they’re breaking the damage cap on screen. This is largely thanks to a bug in the interaction between Survival Instincts and Overpower. When in bear form and at full life, Survival Instincts is stacking damage bonuses in a way that isn’t respecting the game’s damage caps. This means Druids are outputting vastly more damage than intended—something that will likely be fixed before the official release.

Despite this bug, two builds are standing out: Cataclysm and Boulder. Cataclysm, especially with the new changes to how lightning bolt effects interact with the skill, is looking strong. On the other hand, the Boulder build, which relies heavily on the Survival Instincts synergy, is still performing incredibly well, even with the known bugs. Once the bug is patched, the build will still be strong, but it won’t be nearly as overpowered.

Razor Wings Spiritborn: Ridiculous Damage Scaling

Another Druid build that’s making waves on the PTR is the Spiritborn build using the Razor Wings skill. This build has been scaled to insane levels due to a bug with the new Endless Talons legendary aspect. This aspect increases Eagle skill damage with bonus stacks from critical hits. The scaling is so extreme right now that players are seeing thousands of stacks, causing damage to shoot through the roof. Although this is clearly a bug, it highlights the power of Razor Wings when properly scaled. Expect this to get toned down before the season’s launch, but even with a nerf, Razor Wings is a build to keep an eye on in Season 7.

Rogue: Rain of Arrows Shines

The Rogue class is bringing some surprising results with Rain of Arrows ultimate builds. Unlike other classes with massive scaling issues, the Rogue’s Rain of Arrows has simply received a quality-of-life buff in Season 7. The base damage of Rain of Arrows has been increased, and the delay between the arrow impacts has been reduced. Additionally, its lucky hit chance has been improved. At rank five, Rain of Arrows benefits from an infinitely scaling bonus, making it a potent pick for the Rogue.

This is a big improvement over past seasons, where Rogue builds around Rain of Arrows were fun but underwhelming. With the buffs, Rain of Arrows is now scaling much better and could be a top-tier build for Season 7. While it’s not quite breaking the game, it’s certainly looking like the go-to option for Rogues in the new season.

Barbarian: Mighty Throw and Iron Melstrom

Barbarians are seeing some interesting developments in Season 7. The Hammer of the Ancients build, which causes earthquakes to explode from the ground, shows promise but isn't quite game-breaking yet. However, the Mighty Throw build from last season still remains a strong contender, with improvements to Diablo IV Items and skills likely pushing it to even higher levels in Season 7.

The real attention grabber, however, is the Iron Melstrom build, which scales with 80% of your damage based on injured and healthy stats. This makes the skill a viable option to build around, and with proper gear, it could push high-tier content in Season 7. It’s one of the few ultimate skills in the game that is seeing this kind of scaling, making it a great option for Barbarians looking for power.

Sorcerer: Fireball and Firewall Still Strong

The Sorcerer class is seeing a more stable experience in Season 7, with Fireball and Firewall still being the top contenders for high-tier runs. These builds have maintained their strength due to the inherent synergy in their abilities, and despite some bugs with Ball Lightning and Strike of Storm Horn, Fireball and Firebolt remain the best options for pure efficiency.

Inferno, paired with Incinerate, is another build getting attention in Season 7, especially since it now has a genuine place in the meta. Players can use this combo to clear content with less-than-perfect gear, making it a fun alternative to the usual Fireball builds.

Conclusion: A Messy But Exciting PTR

As you can see, the PTR for Diablo 4 Season 7 has been full of exciting discoveries—and a few bugs along the way. From Necromancer’s insane Blood Wave build to the Druid’s scaling disaster with Overpower, this season is shaping up to be full of surprises. While balance issues still need to be addressed, it’s clear that the developers are testing out a lot of different possibilities to keep each class fresh and engaging.

Of course, the final numbers will likely change by the time Season 7 officially launches, but for now, these are the builds to watch as we head into the new season. Keep an eye out for further updates, and until then, happy testing!