Sorceress using Blizzard in Diablo 4.
Screenshot by The Escapist.

Diablo 4 Primary Resource, Explained

Essence and Energy.

Cooldown timers and your Primary Resource are two gameplay elements that you need to constantly be aware of in Diablo 4 if you want to successfully slay some demons. This guide will explain how resources work across all the classes in Sanctuary.

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What Is Your Primary Resource in Diablo 4?

Primary Resource counter on the Sorceress in Diablo 4.
Screenshot by The Escapist.

Your Primary Resource is what determines how many core abilities you can use and can be seen at the bottom left of the screen. If an ability doesn’t have a cooldown, then it has to consume some of your resources which can always be seen in the orb underneath your health. However, the color of the resource and how it is generated will change across all classes. There are even separate names for these resources on each class but they all serve the same general purpose no matter where you are in Diablo 4.

Diablo 4 Primary Resource for Each Class

  • Rogue – Energy
  • Necromancer – Essence
  • Druid – Spirit
  • Barbarian – Fury
  • Sorcerer – Mana

Classes such as the Necromancer, the Rogue, and the Sorceress will all start a fight with full Primary Resources. Each core ability will cost a portion of that and then it will passively regenerate. On the other hand, the Druid and the Barbarian always start at zero for their resource and it needs to be built up through abilities or attacks alone. Every class in the game will earn some kind of resource by attacking enemies or utilizing special cooldowns.

Some of the best Affixes in Diablo 4 are tied to resource regeneration or management in general. By late game, you want to find stats that reduce the cost of your abilities or increase what you get in return for your attacks. Whether you find those Affixes or not, you always want to pay full attention to how much resource you have left.

Diablo 4 is available to play now on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.


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Author
Dan Wenerowicz
Dan has been writing gaming guides, features and news for four years after graduating with a BA in writing. You can find him endlessly covering COD, Diablo 4, and any major releases. Otherwise he's cooking up another opinion piece.