Barbarians nowhere to be seen on Diablo 4's most popular classes of 2023
Barbarians ruled the early days of Diablo 4, but they're no longer among the most popular classes in Diablo 4.
A lot has changed in Diablo 4 since its release in June. This goes for things like the amount of content, the strength of its endgame, and the often controversial subject of itemisation and loot.
As a reflection of that evolution, the classes Diablo 4 players tended to prefer has also changed.
Just before 2023 called it quits, Blizzard shared a bit of an insight into some of the things Diablo 4 players have spent their days doing, and a few of the things the game did to them. The news came in the form of an infographic posted to Twitter, and though it sufficed, we hoped it was accompanied by a longer, more detailed post.
It revealed that Diablo 4 players killed over 1 trillion monsters since launch. Hardcore characters, which do not respawn after dying, have apparently met their demise 2.4 million times. Everyone's favourite ambushing monster - The Butcher - has killed players a whopping 37 million times.
The Butcher is known for showing up at the worst times, but players have figured out over time that you can actually tell when you're about to run into it if you pay attention to some subtle sound cues.
Perhaps the most important statistic, however, is that the two most popular classes are Sorcerers and Necromancers. This is quite a change from the Barbarian-led early days.
Barbrians were, of course, the first to reach level 100. The builds/grind methods used may have been a bit extreme, so much so that Blizzard had to tone them down, which would later cause the developer to release one of Diablo 4's most poorly-received patches ever.
Things have improved significantly since then, however, with more and more powerful builds being allowed to exist as Blizzard shifts its focus instead on making different builds and play styles viable, rather than limit the strongest meta builds.
Looking ahead, Diablo 4 has a very promising year in 2024. Season 3 is kicking off sometime later in January, so we expect a full reveal in the coming days. Later on in 2024, the game's first expansion - Vessel of Hatred - is set for release towards the end of the year.