Since its launch, Diablo 4 has boldly pushed the boundaries of what an action-RPG can be, and with Season 9 — titled Sins of the Horadrim — it continues to evolve in bold and unexpected ways. With a heavier lean into MMO-style features, an always-online infrastructure, and a plethora of fresh seasonal activities, Diablo 4 finds itself standing at the intersection of tradition and transformation. Whether you’re a longtime Diablo veteran or a newcomer stepping into Sanctuary for the first time, Season 9 offers one of the most diverse and accessible gameplay experiences the series has seen yet.
The MMO Evolution of Diablo 4
From the very beginning, Diablo 4’s developers at Blizzard Entertainment have positioned the game as more than just a standard dungeon-crawling hack-and-slash. Its always-online requirement, seamless world events, and open-world exploration have drawn unmistakable comparisons to massively multiplayer online games cheap D4 materials. And while this shift has divided some fans of the traditionally solo-focused franchise, there’s no denying the strategic potential and sense of community that these MMO elements bring to the table.
In Season 9, these features are more prominent than ever. Whether players are delving into shared world bosses, tackling nightmare dungeons, or exploring the new Horadric Strongrooms, it’s increasingly common to see other players roaming the same landscape, forming impromptu alliances, or simply providing backup in battle. Even in solo play, the presence of other adventurers creates an atmosphere of a living, breathing world under siege — a Sanctuary in chaos.
Co-op and Solo Play: Allies in All Forms
One of the most notable aspects of Season 9 is the increased focus on cooperative gameplay. While Diablo 4 has always offered the option to team up with friends, the new seasonal content — particularly Horadric Strongrooms and Escalating Nightmares — practically begs for cooperation. These high-intensity challenges often feature waves of powerful enemies, environmental hazards, and tightly timed objectives that can quickly overwhelm unprepared players.
However, Blizzard has cleverly designed Season 9 to ensure that even solo players don’t feel left behind. This is where the season’s theme truly shines: minions.
Rather than relying on human allies, players can now lean more heavily into builds that summon AI-controlled companions to fight alongside them. These “strength in numbers” builds allow players to surround themselves with a deadly entourage of summoned beasts, spirits, and undead minions — each capable of drawing aggro, dishing out damage, and absorbing hits, providing a strategic buffer between the player and the enemy hordes.
Minion Builds: The Unsung Heroes of Season 9
Minions have always had a place in the Diablo series, particularly in the Necromancer class. But in Season 9, minion builds are not just viable — they’re dominant. Thanks to a suite of new seasonal affixes, Horadrim boons, and gear synergies, summoning builds have ascended from niche curiosities to some of the most powerful and flexible playstyles in the game.
This shift has made Season 9 particularly attractive to new players. Instead of struggling with positioning and split-second dodges, beginners can rely on their minions to tank enemies and apply steady damage. It’s a forgiving and intuitive way to learn the game’s mechanics, explore content, and build confidence.
But make no mistake — these builds aren’t just for rookies. High-level players have discovered ways to optimize minion-centric strategies into late-game powerhouses. With the right combinations of gear, talents, and seasonal modifiers, players can unleash terrifying armies that rival even the most well-coordinated co-op groups. For endgame activities like Tier 100 Nightmare Dungeons or world events like the Fields of Hatred, minions aren’t just helping — they’re dominating.
The Variety of Minion Builds
What makes minion builds so interesting in Sins of the Horadrim is their diversity. These are not cookie-cutter strategies; each build offers its own playstyle, strengths, and quirks.
- The Classic Necromancer Army
This is the build most people think of when they hear “minions.” It’s an army of skeleton warriors, mages, and the hulking golem — all carefully specced to maximize durability and damage. Season 9 has introduced new enhancements to Bone and Shadow damage, allowing Necromancers to fine-tune their undead forces with surgical precision. Items like the Ring of the Dead Host or Gravecaller’s Robes supercharge minion health and aggression, turning every encounter into a siege.
- The Druid’s Bestial Horde
The Druid’s companion-focused build leans heavily on wolves, ravens, and vine tendrils — each offering unique effects and control tools. While traditionally more of a hybrid support class, the new season introduces powerful synergy for Druids who go all-in on companions. With buffs to their AI responsiveness and enhancements through seasonal powers, the Druid’s menagerie becomes a deadly wall of nature’s fury.
- Hybrid Sorcerer Familiar Builds
Less common, but no less deadly, are Sorcerers who exploit minion-like behavior from familiars such as Firebolt’s Hydras and summoned constructs via seasonal powers. By investing in cooldown reduction and elemental bonuses, players can maintain multiple active familiars, effectively creating a storm of magical entities that deal constant AoE damage and crowd control.
Each build has its advantages, and experimenting with the right one for your class and playstyle is one of the season’s most rewarding experiences.
The Clunky Yet Charming AI
It’s worth noting that despite their effectiveness, Diablo 4’s AI-controlled minions aren’t always the brightest. They may sometimes prioritize the wrong enemy, lag behind during fast travel, or misposition themselves during high-mobility fights. However, Blizzard has made quiet improvements over previous seasons, tightening response times and cleaning up pathing issues.
More importantly, the clunkiness rarely detracts from their usefulness. Most minion builds are designed to be resilient and spammy — they overwhelm enemies with numbers rather than finesse. This means even when an individual minion misbehaves, the overall effectiveness of the build remains intact.
Horadric Strongrooms & Escalating Nightmares
The new seasonal activities — Horadric Strongrooms and Escalating Nightmares — are central to Sins of the Horadrim’s appeal. These dungeons are tailor-made for strategic, sustained combat. Enemies attack in waves, elite bosses spawn with unique mechanics, and modifiers change from room to room, making each run unpredictable and demanding.
Minion builds thrive here. Their sustained presence ensures constant pressure on enemies, allowing players to focus on mechanics, movement, and strategic positioning. In group play, minion users can even serve as off-tanks or crowd control supports, adding further team value.
Escalating Nightmares, in particular, scale in difficulty the longer players survive, much like Endless Dungeon modes in other games. Minions help manage this increasing pressure by thinning enemy numbers early, snowballing the player’s momentum into later rounds.
A Balanced Playground for All
One of the biggest accomplishments of Season 9 is its overall balance. While minion builds are strong, they don’t completely overshadow other archetypes. Pure DPS builds like Crit Rogues, Firewall Sorcerers, and Pulverize Druids still hold top-tier positions in the meta. However, the viability of minion strategies provides a crucial alternative for players who prefer a more tactical or indirect approach to combat.
By elevating these builds without making them mandatory, Blizzard has struck a delicate balance: empowering new players without alienating veterans. It’s a sign of thoughtful game design and a promising direction for future seasons.
The Future of Diablo 4’s Seasonal Model
With each season, Blizzard seems to refine Diablo 4’s identity. Season 9 in particular feels like a turning point — a demonstration of how far the game has come since launch, and a preview of the flexibility it can offer moving forward. The incorporation of MMO mechanics, the robust seasonal progression system, and the spotlight on alternative playstyles like minion builds show that Diablo 4 is far from stagnating.
As players look to the future, questions remain: Will the game continue to double down on MMO elements? Will we see raid-style content? PvP expansion? Cross-class synergy builds?
Whatever direction Blizzard takes next, it’s clear that Sins of the Horadrim has laid solid groundwork for continued innovation.
Conclusion: The Season of Summons
Season 9 has made Diablo 4 Gold feel both fresh and familiar. By reintroducing beloved mechanics through a modern lens and encouraging creative solo play, Blizzard has built a season that is not only accessible but also surprisingly deep. Whether you’re marching into the fray with a battalion of skeletons or commanding a wild menagerie of beasts, there’s never been a better time to experience the strategic satisfaction of strength in numbers.
In the ever-shifting battle for Sanctuary, allies come in many forms — and sometimes, the most loyal ones are summoned from beyond the grave.
