Diablo II: Resurrected players have found another peaceful topic to discuss.
Just kidding. They are arguing about casters, melee, bow builds, attack rating, Spirit, weapon damage, Warlock balance, and whether the entire game has been quietly kneeling before the altar of +skills for too long.
A fresh Diablo II: Resurrected forum thread argues that caster builds have become the “golden children” of D2R, while weapon-based builds like melee characters and Bowazons still need much stronger support.
And honestly, that is one of the oldest Diablo II arguments in the book.
The book is dusty. The book is angry. The book probably has a Spirit sword in it.
Casters Get The Easy Scaling
The core complaint is that caster builds often scale cleanly through +skills, faster cast rate, and strong spell mechanics, while weapon builds have to deal with a much uglier pile of requirements.
Melee and bow builds need weapon damage. Attack rating. Leech. Attack speed. Crushing Blow. Deadly Strike. Survivability. Good runewords. Good bases. Usually a small mountain of gear before they start feeling properly dangerous.
Meanwhile, a caster can often slap on enough +skills and startMeanwhile, a caster can often deleting screens like the laws of physics filed a resignation letter.
That does not mean casters are brainless.
Several replies point out that strong caster builds still need breakpoints, survivability, positioning, and proper setup.
But the perception remains: if you want to farm fast, casters usually get to the good part sooner.
Weapon Builds Feel Too Gear-Dependent
The thread keeps circling back to the same pain point: weapon-based builds need more help.
Some players specifically call for stronger low and mid-tier runewords, bigger buffs to Barbarians, Whirlwind improvements, throwing support, and better damage scaling for melee and bow characters.
That is not a small ask.
Diablo II’s itemization is legendary, but it can also be brutally uneven. If your build depends heavily on weapon damage, bad gear does not just slow you down. It makes the entire character feel like they brought a butter knife to a demonic workplace dispute.
That is why the caster-vs-weapon divide never really goes away.
Attack Rating Is Still A Sacred Headache
Attack rating also takes a beating in the thread.
One player argues that attack rating should not even exist anymore, while others push back, saying it is part of Diablo II’s old identity and should be adjusted rather than removed.
This is where Diablo II gets dangerous.
Every mechanic is both outdated and sacred. Every rough edge is either bad design or cherished texture, depending on who you ask and how many high runes they found this week.
Remove too much friction, and players say the game lost its soul.
Leave too much friction, and melee players wonder why their character needs five stats, three prayers, and a spreadsheet just to hit something.
The Warlock Has Made The Debate Louder
The newer Warlock discussion adds more fuel to the fire.
Some players in the thread argue that Warlock-level power should not become the new balance target, because boosting every class to that level could destroy the game’s difficulty curve. Others think weaker classes and weapon builds need real skill and damage overhauls instead of tiny kit adjustments.
That is the whole balance problem in one cursed sentence.
Do you nerf the strongest builds, buff the weakest ones, or accept that Diablo II has always been a glorious pile of uneven monsters?
D2R Needs Buffs That Respect The Old Monster
The best answer is probably not “make every build equally good at everything.”
Diablo II works partly because classes have different strengths. Some farm faster. Some survive better. Some clear bosses. Some need gear before they become monsters. That identity matters.
But identity should not become an excuse for half the weapon-based roster feeling like a historical reenactment of suffering.
Casters can stay strong.
But melee, Barb, bow builds, Fury Druid, and other weapon-heavy setups need reasons to feel exciting without requiring a treasure vault, a perfect runeword, and divine intervention from the stash tab.
Because Diablo II players do not need perfect balance.
They have never had that.
They just want the golden children to share the loot table a little.
For more Diablo coverage, check our latest posts on Diablo II and Diablo 4.
