Two Diablo 4 classes are dominating the level 100 race as it hits the halfway mark

The Diablo 4 race to level 100 has reached its numerical halfway point, and two classes have emerged as serious frontrunners.

After Diablo 4's early access launch last night, players are racing to hit its level 100 level cap, with the first 1,000 to hit the Diablo 4 max level mark set to be immortalised on a huge statue of Lilith. As the first players begin to pass the level 50 mark, however, it's become clear that choice of class might be a major factor in players' eventual success.

For softcore players, the top ten (as outlined by Diablobuilds on Twitch) is currently dominated by two classes: four of the top ten are Barbarians, including spots four, six, and seven, as well as the overall leader, who's sitting 75% of the way to level 57 at time of writing. Close behind is the Rogue, who's sitting in second place, as well as eighth and tenth. The Necromancer, Druid, and Sorcerer have one player each in that top ten, with Necro furthest ahead in third place.

It's a slightly different story in the hardcore race, however. The Necromancer is nowhere to be seen, while The Barbarian, Rogue, and Druid all have two representatives in that top ten. Sorcerer seems to be the class of choice at the moment with four players towards the top of the table, but it's interesting to note that a Rogue player - acclaimed streamer Wudijo - is way ahead of their competition. While the rest of the hardcore top ten is currently either level 50 or 51, Wudijo is already halfway to level 56, even putting them ahead of almost all of the softcore players.

Skill is a factor here, especially in the brutal Hardcore mode, but it's worth pointing out that so is play time. Even the denizens of Hell have to sleep sometimes (probably), so the leaderboard stands to change as different players take breaks. 

It's also worth noting that the Rogue, Sorcerer, and Barbarian were all nerfed in the Diablo 4 patch 1.02 hotfix that dropped this morning. Those tweaks were pretty small, but could definitely affect the race as it nears its conclusion. And remember, level 50 is just the numerical halfway point - higher levels require much more XP to clear, and current leaders could be slowed down later on. 

Want to stage a late comeback? Here's how to level up fast in Diablo 4.