Skills and buildcraft
The rebuilt skill tree
The 3.0 skill tree overhaul changed how every build is made. This page explains the structure, what it means for old advice, and why we link to a planner instead of publishing one.
Where the passives went
Many Passive and Key Passive nodes moved onto reimagined Legendary Aspects and Uniques. Going the other way, some Aspects moved into the tree so that the choices that define a build sit in one place. Blizzard says more than 200 Legendary Aspects were overhauled. Official
Practically, that means an old build guide's skill point list is not just out of date; it describes nodes that no longer exist. Pre-3.0 gear may also have changed powers, and affixes that stopped working were converted to a Legacy version.
Season 15 continues to reshape tags. In Spiritborn's case, variants that used to swap a skill's Spirit now add the new Spirit as an extra tag, so hybrid skills work more consistently with Spirit Hall bonuses. Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer and Warlock have their own changes below. Patch
Two classes changed the most
Both are explained on their class pages too.
Druid: shifting choice nodes
Many skills let you choose a form: Werewolf, Werebear or Human. Those shifting choice nodes cost no skill points. Companion skills and Earthen Bulwark, Cyclone Armor and Hurricane do not change your form. Storm skills can be Human or Werewolf; Earth skills can be Human or Werebear. You cannot shift into Human from a skill that is natively Werewolf or Werebear. Choosing a skill's native form always gives a bonus. Official
Necromancer: minions in the tree
Raise Skeletons split into Skeletal Mages, raised with Essence, and Skeletal Warriors, which rise passively from corpses and can be commanded. Skeletal Mages, Skeletal Warriors and Golems are now in the skill tree. The Book of the Dead still defines minion type and upgrades, and Sacrifice was reworked so it can be used with active minions. Official
How a build is assembled today
The order most guides work in. Each step has a page here.
Choose the main skill and its variants
The Core skill and the Bonus Skill Variant on it usually decide the build. See Builds for what defines each one.
Add Aspects, Uniques and Mythics
These carry the powers that used to be passives. See Gear and itemization.
Set up the Talisman
A Seal plus up to six Charms adds set bonuses and lets you wear Unique powers as Charms. See Talisman and Charms.
Craft toward the stats you need
Tempering, Masterworking and the Horadric Cube let you aim at specific affixes.
Season 15 extras
Soul Splinters in your jewelry, an equipped Splinter of Evil, and for some builds classic Runewords.
Why there is no planner here
A skill planner that gets the current tree even slightly wrong is worse than none, and the tree changes with patches. Maxroll and others maintain planners that follow the game; each build card links to a guide with its exact skill allocation. If CGN ever ships its own planner it will use data verified against the live tree, and will say so.
Related: classes · tier lists · sources and method