Season 14 Week 2 (Post-Patch 3.1.1): The meta has solidified but player sentiment is souring.
Spiritborn (Counterswarm) remains untouchable at #1 despite the Stinger nerf — the build's core loop is simply too efficient.
Sorceress & Necromancer hold comfortable S-tier with multiple viable archetypes each.
Rogue & Barbarian sit at A-tier — strong but require more investment/APM for similar results.
🚨 THE PALADIN CRISIS 🚨
The Paladin community is in open revolt. Multiple 50+ upvote posts declare the class "castrated," with mathematical evidence showing Zeal doing 200-400x less damage than WW Barbarian at equivalent gear investment. Survivability in T12+ is near non-existent without Auradin cheese. This is the biggest class balance failure since launch.
Mythic Item System remains the #1 systemic complaint — the combination of 1-equip limit, pure RNG acquisition, and no target farming creates a "feels bad" loop that even top content creators (Rob, Wudijo) are publicly condemning.
Verdict: Play Spiritborn/Sorc/Necro for power. Play Rogue/Barb/Druid/Warlock for variety. AVOID PALADIN until Blizzard addresses the massive power gap. Mythic system needs fundamental rework — targeted crafting or bad-luck protection mandatory.