Diablo IV Season 10 – Spiritborn Guide
Season 10 of Diablo IV, Infernal Chaos, introduces the Spiritborn as the newest playable class, and its potential in endgame content is immediately obvious. With access to flexible Spirits, devastating Core abilities, and the scaling of Chaos Powers, the Spiritborn thrives as a sustained damage dealer that also layers defense into its toolkit. This guide focuses on the Payback build, a setup that takes advantage of the Rod of Kepeleke and Chaos Armor to transform a straightforward skill into one of the most relentless playstyles in the game. For a complete summary of all new systems this season, don't miss our Diablo IV Season 10: Infernal Chaos Overview.
Core Concept
The Spiritborn is built around adaptability. With Spirit Hall providing customization through Primary and Secondary Spirits, every build can be tailored for damage, sustain, or control. In this setup, Payback serves as the centerpiece, turned into a free, endlessly spammable Core attack by Rod of Kepeleke. Centipede is the preferred Primary Spirit, infusing skills with Poison and control, while Jaguar works as the Secondary to build Ferocity quickly in boss fights and large pulls. The build is about non-stop pressure: pull enemies together, weaken them, and hammer them down with Payback until the screen clears.
Skills and Rotation
The main bar balances offense, control, and defense. Payback delivers constant damage and never runs dry on resources when properly geared. Vortex pulls enemies into position, Scourge keeps groups suppressed and applies steady damage, and Ravager builds Ferocity while boosting output. Armored Hide ensures survivability in the thick of combat, while The Protector ultimate adds a burst window that doubles as crowd control insurance.
The rotation flows naturally: use Vortex to set up the fight, trigger Ravager to boost Ferocity, activate Armored Hide to stay alive, and then spam Payback as your core loop. The Protector comes out for elites or bosses, while Scourge ensures enemies stay weakened long enough for Payback to finish the job. The goal is to always be casting, always applying pressure, and never letting downtime drag your damage curve.
Gear and Aspects
Gear defines this build as much as skills do. Rod of Kepeleke is non-negotiable, reshaping Payback into the spammable engine that makes the class so effective. Sepazontec multiplies Basic attacks, Sunstained War-Crozier pushes Potency scaling, and Harmony of Ebewaka ties Spirit choices together with powerful synergy. Banished Lord's Talisman boosts crit and Overpower scaling, while the Aspect of the Moonrise keeps crit buffs rolling.
Chaos Armor in Season 10 makes these Uniques even stronger, breaking slot restrictions and letting you layer multiple required pieces at once. Stat priorities emphasize raw multipliers first—damage to Core, Basic, or Potency—then critical chance and crit damage. Cooldown reduction and resource efficiency smooth out the rotation, while life, armor, and resistances keep you alive when Chaos Powers cut into your sustain.
Paragon Boards
Paragon progression for Spiritborn leans into both damage and survival. Early boards like Prime, Skillful, and In-Fighter deliver immediate Core damage scaling. Legendary nodes such as Spiney Skin, which grants Thorns after cooldowns, add hybrid offensive and defensive layers. As you expand, weaving in defensive nodes like Tenacity and Vitality becomes critical for high-tier Pit progression and Infernal Hordes. Glyphs should focus on reinforcing Core and Basic damage while sharpening critical multipliers. The mix ensures your output remains consistent while your defenses shore up the risks introduced by Chaos mechanics.
Chaos Powers
Chaos Powers define Season 10, and the Spiritborn interacts with them beautifully. Crazy Brew is the most explosive option, turning your healing flask into an offensive buff that removes resource costs and accelerates attack speed, but it comes with the risk of leaving you exposed. Beast Cornered rewards aggressive, low-health play with more damage and damage reduction, while Marred Guard trades healing for stronger barriers and resistances. Alacrity smooths gameplay with faster basics and better mobility, keeping you fluid when Chaos shifts disrupt your rhythm.
The key is finding combinations. Crazy Brew paired with Alacrity transforms you into a rapid-fire machine, while Marred Guard stabilizes the build for more defensive players. The more Infernal Warps you invest into upgrading these powers, the more their strengths outweigh their drawbacks.
The Spiritborn's mystical arsenal takes on new layers when paired with these seasonal abilities. Get the full breakdown in our Diablo IV Season 10 Chaos Power Guide.
Playstyle
In action, Spiritborn feels like controlled chaos. You dive into fights by pulling enemies together, layering Scourge and Ravager, and then unleashing Payback until nothing moves. Unlike some classes, you do not rely on massive cooldown bursts but on continuous pressure, with Payback scaling endlessly as gear and Chaos perks stack up. Healing is often unreliable with Chaos Powers, so barriers, Fortify, and resistances replace potion spam as your primary sustain. Positioning matters: you want to be close enough to pull enemies into Payback's range, but ready to dodge out when Chaos effects trigger or bosses wind up lethal mechanics.
Boss fights highlight the strengths of the build. With Ferocity stacks rolling, Centipede's Poison ticks applied, and Payback hammering without pause, you can grind down health bars faster than many burst builds. The key is discipline—holding defensive cooldowns for when Chaos drawbacks spike, and aligning ultimates with perk windows like Chaos Unleashed or Crazy Brew surges.
Progression
From 1 to 60, Spiritborn levels easily with Quill Volley or Stinger until the necessary Uniques appear. Once Rod of Kepeleke drops, Payback becomes viable and scales naturally into endgame. In early Torment, chase crit and Core damage gear first, then build into Paragon nodes that multiply those bonuses. As Chaos Powers unlock through the seasonal reputation system, restructure your loadout to align with the perks you prefer—riskier players can chase Crazy Brew, while safer players may prefer Marred Guard. By the time you unlock your Unique Chaos perk after defeating Bartuc, the build feels complete and ready to take on Pit 100 and beyond.
Closing Thoughts
The Spiritborn in Season 10 thrives on sustained output and layered defenses, not on short bursts. By combining Rod of Kepeleke with Chaos Armor and carefully chosen perks, the Payback build delivers constant damage that cuts through even the hardest endgame content. It is a class built to live in the storm of Chaos—controlling its risks, embracing its volatility, and turning every fight into a steady march toward victory.
Other Diablo IV Season 10 Class Guides
Want something different from primal mysticism? Take a look at the other class guides:
