Diablo 2: Resurrected
Guides
The Top 5 PvE Warlock Builds
1. Apocalypse Warlock
The top pick goes to the Apocalypse Warlock. Apocalypse Warlocks have a percentage of their damage taken go to their summons making them very strong defensively and they can receive Amplify with Fanaticism or Conviction from their Bind Demon skill.
Recommendation: Apocalypse Warlock
Stats: 156 Strength for equipment, enough Dexterity for equipment, all remaining points in Vitality, no Energy
Build:
20 Apocalypse
20 Flame Wave
20 Ring of Fire
20 Blood Oath (transfers a percentage of your damage taken to your summons)
10 Demonic Mastery (needs to be at least level 10 with plus skills for a second minion)
1 Bind Demon
1 Summon Defiler
1 Consume
1 Hex: Siphon
1 Levitation Mastery
1 Psychic Ward
All remaining points in Demonic Mastery which improves the damage of your minions.
Note: Apocalypse Warlocks have screen wide clear and once fully optimized they completely evaporate screens of enemies. They do well with Key of Hate, Key of Terror, and Key of Destruction farming and they're also one of the best builds for the Secret Cow Level. This build becomes the best PvE Warlock build once you have a sunder charm to break fire immunities and very high plus skills.
2. Echoing Strike Warlock
The second place spot goes to the Echoing Strike Warlock. Echoing Strike Warlocks deal the highest damage of the Warlock builds against nearby enemies and Echoing Strike can also spread in an area of effect cone in front of you for very high AoE damage.
Recommendation: Echoing Strike Warlock
Stats: Enough Strength for an eBotD Thunder Maul, enough Dexterity for equipment, all remaining points in Vitality, no Energy
Build:
20 Echoing Strike
20 Mirrored Blades
20 Levitation Mastery
20 Blade Warp
10 Demonic Mastery (needs to be at least level 10 with plus skills for a second minion)
1 Hex: Bane
1 Consume
All remaining points in Blood Oath to improve your demon minions' survivability.
3. Abyss Warlock
Abyss Warlocks have high single target damage but they don't have a huge area of effect like Apocalypse Warlocks. However, Abyss Warlocks can use Sigil: Death to corpse explode enemies for more AoE damage. Abyss Warlocks are great on a budget because there are very few magic immune enemies in the game and Bind Demon can also be used to kill magic immune enemies.
Recommendation: Abyss Warlock
Stats: Enough Strength for gear, enough Dexterity for gear, all remaining points in Vitality, 0 Energy
Build:
20 Abyss
20 Miasma Chains
20 Miasma Bolt
10 Demonic Mastery (needs to be at least level 10 with plus skills for a second minion)
10 Blood Oath (around 10 points where you start seeing diminishing returns for improving minion survivability)
1 Sigil: Death
1 Levitation Mastery
1 Hex: Siphon
1 Bind Demon
All remaining points in Enhanced Entropy to increase the area of effect of your Abyss skill.
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4. Blood Boil Summoner Warlock
Blood Boil Summoner Warlocks use Blood Boil as their main attack which has a somewhat large area of effect that is hidden on the screen. Blood Boil Summoner Warlocks also have synergies that improve your summons with every point spent.
Recommendation: Blood Boil Summoner Warlock
Stats: Enough strength for gear, enough Dexterity for equipment, all remaining points in Vitality, 0 Energy
Build:
20 Blood Boil
20 Blood Oath
20 Engorge
20 Bind Demon
10 Demonic Mastery (needs to be at least level 10 with plus skills for a second minion)
1 Levitation Mastery
1 Hex: Siphon
All remaining points in Demonic Mastery to improve the damage of your summons.
5. Summoner Mirrored Blades Warlock
The fifth place spot goes to the Summoner Warlock which can easily complete all content and is still a top build in Diablo 2. The build should also be combined with Mirrored Blades to add additional melee damage or bow damage to the build mix.
Recommendation: Summoner Mirrored Blades Warlock
Stats: Enough Strength for gear, enough Dexterity for gear, all remaining points in Vitality, 0 Energy
Build:
20 Demonic Mastery
20 Bind Demon
10+ Blood Oath (enough points until you see diminishing returns on minions' defenses)
10 Levitation Mastery (enough points until you see diminishing returns on weapon critical strike)
1 Sigil: Death
1 Hex: Bane
1 Engorge (enough points until you have diminishing returns from plus skills)
1 Summon Defiler (one or more points if you don't have high plus skills)
1 Consume (one point increased with plus skills until there are diminishing returns)
All remaining points should go in Mirrored Blades for a secondary melee or bow attack followed with points in Levitation Mastery.
Gearing Guide
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Weapons:
Will vary based on the Warlock build...
1. Apocalypse Warlock - Spirit Crystal Sword (Tal Thul Ort Amn) is the budget option and an Obsession Runeword Staff (Zod Ist Lem Lum Io Nef) is the high end option.
2. Echoing Strike - Ethereal Insight (Ral Tir Tal Sol) is the budget option because ethereal weapons don't degrade durability with Echoing Strike. It has solid damage and faster cast rate which is used to increase Echoing Strike's attack speed. The high end option is ethereal Breath of the Dying Thunder Maul for the highest damage.
3. Abyss Warlock - Spirit Crystal Sword (Tal Thul Ort Amn) is the budget option for +2 skills, Obsession Runeword Staff (Zod Ist Lem Lum Io Nef) is the high end option for +4 to skills, and a Void Dagger (Thul Zod Ist) is the max damage option.
4. Blood Boil Warlock - Spirit Crystal Sword (Tal Thul Ort Amn) is the budget option and an Obsession Staff (Zod Ist Lem Lum Io Nef) is the high end option.
5. Summoner Warlock - Mist Bow (Cham Shael Gul Thul Ith) for +3 to skills and the Concentration aura for you and your summons or Ethereal Zod'd Ribcracker for low requirements, high damage, and Crushing Blow if you are use Mirrored Blades as a melee attack.
Offhands:
Will vary based on the Warlock build...
1. Apocalypse Warlock - Ars Al'Diabolos should be used for very high +Skills to Apocalypse along with increased fire skill damage.
2. Echoing Strike - Use Phoenix Monarch (Vex Vex Lo Jah) for up to 400% enhanced damage and the Redemption aura.
3. Abyss Warlock - Use Ars Dul'Mephistos for reduced enemy magic resistances, a Spirit Monarch (Tal Thul Ort Amn) for +2 skills, up to 35% faster cast rate, and resistances, or a Rhyme (Shael Eth) runeword Warlock book with +3 Abyss for increased magic find.
4. Blood Boil Warlock - Ars Tor'Baalos should be used for +2 to Demon Skills, up to +4 to Blood Boil, up to +3 to multiple other helpful skills, up to 10% reduced physical damage taken, and high life per level.
5. Summoner Mirrored Blades Warlock
If you're using a melee attack you can use Ars Tor'Baalos for +2 to Demon Skills with great defensive modifiers but if you're using the Mist Runeword Bow (Cham Shael Gul Thul Ith) for +3 Skills and Concentration you'll need to equip arrows in this slot instead.
Amulets:
For melee or bow Warlock builds you should use Angelic Amulet and Angelic Ring for a massive life and attack rating increase or the Metalgrid amulet for high attack rating and high all resistances.
For all other Warlock builds; Mara's Kaleidoscope amulet is recommended for +2 Skills, 5 to attributes, and up to all resistances +30%. You can also look for +2 Skills amulets with high resistances, high life, and optionally faster cast rate if it helps the build.
Rings:
For caster Warlocks a Wisp Projector ring can be used for lightning absorb, magic find, and Oak Sage which increases your life with a Stone of Jordan ring for +1 to all skills and increased mana. You can also use two Stone of Jordans which helps a lot with mana.
For Echoing Strike, melee, or bow Warlocks use Raven Frost for cannot be frozen and attack rating with Angelic Ring and Angelic Amulet for very high attack rating or the Metalgrid amulet for high attack rating and all resistances with a Raven Frost ring.
Helms:
Harlequin Crest (aka: Shako), a Warlock Circlet with +2 skills, all resistances, and optionally faster cast rate, or Flickering Flame (Nef Pul Vex) on Apocalypse for +3 Fire Skills, -15% enemy fire resistances, and a Resist Fire aura when using a sunder charm like a Renewed Flame Rift because it lowers your fire resistances by a minimum of -70% fire resistance.
Armors:
All builds will want to work up to using the best in slot runewords like Fortitude (El Sol Dol Lo) for 200% enhanced damage, Chains of Honor (Dol Um Ber Ist) for +2 skills and all resistances +65%, and/or Enigma (Jah Ith Ber) for +2 skills, high strength, and Teleport.
Belts:
String of Ears for Warlock builds that benefit from life leech, Verdungo's Hearty Coil if you meet its strength requirement for reduced damage taken and Vitality when you don't need life leech, Gheed's Wager or Arachnid's Mesh if you need faster cast rate, or Thundergod's Vigor for high Strength, high Vitality, lightning absorb, and increased maximum lightning resistance.
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Gloves:
Attack speed gloves like Laying of Hands for melee and bow Warlocks, 20% faster cast rate gloves like Magefist or Trang-oul's Claws for casters, Chance Guards for 40% magic find, or you can use rare gloves with resistances and magic find as a budget option.
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Boots:
Tri-res run walk faster hit recovery boots, War Traveler boots for magic find, or crushing blow boots like Gore Rider or Goblin Toe.
Mercenaries:
Act 2 Might Mercenaries are recommended for every Warlock build in Softcore to increase your demon minions' physical damage.
Weapon: Ethereal Infinity (Ber Mal Ber Ist) for the Conviction aura which lowers the resistances and defenses of enemies.
Armor: Ethereal Fortitude (El Sol Dol Lo) is best in slot for your mercenary.
Helm: Andariel's Visage (Ral'd or a high fire resistance jewel with increased attack speed) - Gives +2 to all skills and life leech.
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Top 5 Tips for Diablo 2: Resurrected
1. Enemies target the character or npc that is closest to them. This also means if your mercenary can't survive a tough boss you can just move closer to the boss than your mercenary and the boss will target you instead.
2. Antidote Potions and Thawing Potions cure poison and chill, but they also have the added effect of raising your poison resistance and cold resistance by 50 and your maximum poison resistance or cold resistance by 10 for a duration. This works great for bosses like Andariel, Radament, The Summoner, Lilith, Duriel, Act 2 Baal's Minions, and PvP and it also works for your mercenary.
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3. If you become overwhelmed by Baal's Act 5 minions which have knockback, consider taking them to the poles on the side of the room to let a few through to single them out. This will also take you out of range of Baal's Decrepify curse which slows you.
4. Baal summons a copy of himself making him much more difficult to defeat early on but Baal's copy has a chance at disappearing when you use a town portal and then return to the Worldstone Chamber.
5. Mephisto can be easily defeated without excellent gear by bringing him to the river and teleporting to the other side of the river. Mephisto will stand defenseless at the right range allowing you to easily unload your abilities on him without risk of dying.
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That's all for the Top 5 PvE Warlock Builds Guide. Thanks for reading and playing Diablo 2: Resurrected. Best of luck in Diablo 2.
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