With Diablo 4 Season 9: Sins of the Horadrim launching this July, players are already theorycrafting around which builds will rise to the top. While Blizzard has thrown a few curveballs with nerfs and buffs, including adjustments to classic favorites like Minion Necromancer, the Season 9 changes-especially those tied to Horadric Spells and new Uniques-have opened the door for some incredibly fun and powerful builds.

Here are 7 of the best builds you should try in Diablo 4 Season 9-whether you're looking for an easy leveling path, a Pit-scaling powerhouse, or just something explosive and satisfying to play.

1) Hydra Sorcerer - The New King of Burn Builds

Why it's strong: Hydra Sorcerer has all the makings of the next meta-defining powerhouse. Season 9 introduces a new Unique that makes this build incredibly reliable, granting stronger, faster Hydras that scale beautifully with Horadric Spell enhancements like Blazing Rune or Ashen Amplifier.

Combined with Sorcerer's innate defensive tools and relatively low gear demands early on, Hydra builds offer safe, consistent, and devastating fire damage that melts bosses and mobs alike.

· Key Skills: Hydra, Flame Shield, Teleport

· Best Uniques: Serpentine Path, Flamescar, Raiment of the Infinite

· Ideal For: Solo players, endgame pushers, dungeon runners

2) Poison Volley Spiritborn - Toxic and Terrifying

Why it's strong: Spiritborn are Season 9's breakout stars, and Poison Volley in particular is utterly devastating. The synergy between Poison Barrage and Spiritborn passives like Noxious Resonance creates a tidal wave of AoE poison damage. A new Unique also buffs Thorns and Poison, further reinforcing this build's DPS ceiling.

A bug involving Double Jaguar Spirit Guardians currently makes this build even stronger, though it may be patched soon. Still, with or without the exploit, this build melts everything green.

· Key Skills: Poison Volley, Spirit Step, Root Cage

· Best Uniques: Venomfang Totem, Jaguar Claws

· Ideal For: AoE lovers, fast clearers, high-speed players

3) Blood Wave Necromancer - A Classic That Won't Die

Why it's strong: Despite receiving several nerfs over recent seasons, Blood Wave Necromancer remains one of the easiest and most effective builds in the game. It's simple to set up, thanks to Kessime's Legacy, and doesn't rely on high-end Diablo 4 Items to function.

You clear dungeons with powerful tidal waves of blood and keep yourself alive through passive healing and corpses. While Minions are still solid for leveling, Blood Wave is better suited for endgame and high Pit tiers.

· Key Skills: Blood Wave, Corpse Explosion, Blood Mist

· Best Uniques: Kessime's Legacy, Blood Moon Plate, Ring of Mendeln

· Ideal For: Beginners, casual players, dungeon farmers

4) Whirlwind Barbarian - The Spin-to-Win King Returns

Why it's strong: Whirlwind remains one of the most satisfying and durable builds in Diablo 4, and it thrives yet again in Season 9. The build focuses on generating massive AoE with Dust Devils, allowing you to carve through mobs with ease.

Whirlwind Barbarian doesn't need Uniques to shine, though items like Gohr's Devastating Grips and Ramaladni's Magnum Opus elevate it further. Add in the right Horadric Spell modifiers and you'll feel like a desert tornado of death.

· Key Skills: Whirlwind, Rallying Cry, Challenging Shout

· Best Uniques: Gohr's Devastating Grips, Overkill, Ramaladni's Magnum Opus

· Ideal For: Low-maintenance grinders, AoE farmers, melee mains

5) Flay Barbarian - Bleed Like Never Before

Why it's strong: Flay Barbarian is a hidden gem with serious endgame potential, especially thanks to Hooves of the Mountain God, a Season 9 Unique with a possibly broken interaction that allows you to dish out massive bleed bursts using Basic Skills.

This build cleaves, stacks Bleed quickly, and converts sustained attacks into huge explosions of damage. Even if Blizzard patches the bug, the core of the build-boosted Basic Skills and cleave mechanics still holds immense potential.

· Key Skills: Flay, Rend, Rallying Cry

· Best Uniques: Hooves of the Mountain God, Razorplate

· Ideal For: Bleed-lovers, damage-over-time specialists, Fury generators

6) Death Trap Rogue - Crowd Control Meets Burst Damage

Why it's strong: Death Trap builds aren't new, but in Season 9, the synergy between crowd control, trap resetting, and burst is elevated by Horadric Spells. This Rogue build focuses on dragging enemies into a central point before unleashing explosive damage and status effects.

When paired with Poison Imbuement or Shadow Imbuement, this build scales fast and is incredibly satisfying to play. You'll want Condemnation or Skyhunter to push it into overdrive.

· Key Skills: Death Trap, Caltrops, Dash, Imbuement (Poison or Shadow)

· Best Uniques: Condemnation, Skyhunter, Grasp of Shadow

· Ideal For: Trap-heavy players, crowd control experts, flashy combat

7) Lightning Spear Sorcerer - Shockingly Good Mobility Build

Why it's strong: Lightning Spear builds offer high burst and auto-targeting potential. With the right setup, which you buy Diablo IV Items-Raiment of the Infinite, Tal Rasha's Iridescent Loop, and Tibault's Will-you'll chain stuns, zoom across maps, and melt packs before they can move.

While this build demands more Legendary/Mythic Uniques like Harlequin Crest or Ring of Starless Skies to peak, it's still an electrifyingly strong contender for mid-to-late Season 9.

· Key Skills: Lightning Spear, Teleport, Unstable Currents

· Best Uniques: Raiment of the Infinite, Tal Rasha's Loop, Harlequin Crest

· Ideal For: High APM players, stun-lockers, late-game grinders

Final Thoughts

These seven builds are shaping up to be some of the most fun, potent, and meta-friendly choices in Diablo 4 Season 9. Whether you're pushing Pit levels, climbing World Tiers, or optimizing for speed farming, you'll find great success with any of these options.