Diablo4 - State of Spiritborn & DRUID - MY HONEST Opinion about Season9

As Diablo 4 barrels toward Season 9, a lot of buzz is swirling around the new class Spiritborn and the state of our old favorite, the Druid. With the Public Test Realm (PTR) giving us a clear look at how both are shaping up for the upcoming season, it's time to be honest about what's working, what's not, and where these classes stand in the shifting meta of Sanctuary. Here's my no-filter take on both Spiritborn and Druid heading into Season 9.

Spiritborn: A Strong Debut — Maybe Too Strong?

When Spiritborn was first announced for the upcoming Vessel of Hatred expansion and Season 9 prelude, I wasn't entirely sold. A spirit-infused warrior from the jungles of Nahantu sounded cool on paper — but would it actually deliver unique, effective gameplay? After spending time on the PTR, my doubts are gone. Spiritborn is not only good — it's dangerously good.

Quill Volley, the ranged rapid-fire spirit shard skill, is easily one of the strongest skills currently in the Diablo 4 Items. It fires out a barrage of spirit bolts that not only deal significant physical and poison damage, but can be modded to hit multiple enemies, pierce, and even deal increased critical strike damage. On the PTR, I saw players clearing Nightmare Dungeon levels 90–100 with relative ease using a Quill Volley-focused build.

Poison Thorns Spiritborn is another powerful archetype, combining the new Toxic Claws passive and gear that enhances Thorns damage while applying Poison on hit. It's an aggressive melee build that shreds elites and bosses and thrives in dense mob packs. Combined with Spiritborn's excellent mobility tools like Evasive Pounce and Nature's Surge, it makes for a dynamic, enjoyable playstyle.

Itemization for Spiritborn is also in a good place. Several new uniques introduced for the class grant powerful synergies. Mantle of the Thorned Predator, for instance, turns Thorns procs into guaranteed poison bursts, while Quillcaller's Band doubles the number of projectiles for Quill Volley for a short time after evading. The synergy is tight, rewarding both ranged and melee playstyles.

But here's my concern — Spiritborn might be too strong. Compared to other classes on the PTR, Spiritborn's baseline survivability and burst potential put it comfortably in the S-tier for high-end PvE content. The community is already calling for nerfs to Quill Volley and adjustments to Thorns scaling. If the devs don't reign it in before Season 9 launches, Spiritborn may dominate the meta and choke out build diversity, much like Ball Lightning Sorcerer did in earlier seasons.

Druid: Still Stuck in a Struggle

Now let's talk about Druid — my favorite class thematically and one I always root for. Unfortunately, even with minor improvements this PTR cycle, Druid remains in a rough spot heading into Season 9.

While Fleshrender Druid (using Pulverize and Overpower mechanics) can still perform decently in mid to high-end content, it lacks the consistency and burst potential of Spiritborn or Barbarian. Pulverize was lightly buffed on the PTR, but not enough to make it a reliable top-tier contender. Its reliance on Overpower procs, which are still tied to chance and specific health thresholds, makes its damage output swingy and unreliable in difficult Nightmare Dungeons or The Pit.

Werewolf and Shred Druids also saw slight improvements, with new affixes increasing Poison DoT duration and Critical Strike bonuses while in Werewolf form. But in practice, these buffs don't do enough to help these builds keep up with the power creep happening elsewhere in the game. Werewolf builds are still too squishy for Pit content above tier 80, and Shred struggles with sustained single-target damage.

Companion Druids remain niche. While it's fun to summon a pack of wolves and a poison raven, their scaling is still mediocre, and their AI pathing issues persist even after several patches. It's hard to recommend this build for serious players looking to push endgame content.

Most disappointing, though, is that Druid continues to lack clear identity in the meta. Every other class has a standout high-end build: Ball Lightning Sorc, Double Swing Barb, Twisting Blades Rogue, and now Quill Volley Spiritborn. Druid doesn't have a universally viable option for both solo and group play. You either settle for mid-tier success or grind for perfect Fleshrender setups and Overpower timing — neither of which feel great in a season where other classes are getting massive quality-of-life buffs and new high-performing builds.

Final Thoughts: My Honest Verdict

If you're planning to jump into Season 9, here's my advice:

Play Spiritborn if you want to experience the most polished, high-performing new content Diablo 4 materials has to offer. Whether you prefer machine-gun ranged combat with Quill Volley or poison-heavy Thorns melee builds, Spiritborn is fast, deadly, and well-supported by new uniques.

Avoid Druid for now if your goal is endgame Pit pushing or competitive leaderboard content. It's still a solid class for casual Nightmare Dungeon runs and solo farming, but it can't reliably compete with the current top-tier options.

I genuinely hope Blizzard takes the PTR feedback seriously. Spiritborn needs a slight tune-down, and Druid desperately needs a Season 9 endgame build that isn't so heavily dependent on chance mechanics like Overpower. Sanctuary deserves a truly feral, nature-driven powerhouse — not a relic stuck chasing old metas.