Diablo 4 Season 9: Balazan's Poison Rake Spiritborn Build Guide

Diablo 4 Season 9 has introduced several powerhouse builds across every class, but Diablo 4 Items one of the most surprising is the Jaguar Spiritborn with Balazan's Maxtlatl. This Poison-focused Thorns setup isn't part of the "standard meta" - yet with the right gear, Paragon boards, and Spirit Hall synergy, it rivals (and often outpaces) more conventional builds. It excels in AoE mob clearing, Poison DoT stacking, and late-game Thorns scaling, making it a dark horse for one of the best builds of the season.

In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to master Balazan's Poison Rake Spiritborn build - from skills and leveling progression to gear, Spirit Halls, Paragon, spellcrafting, and endgame optimization.

Pros and Cons of the Poison Rake Spiritborn

Pros

Explosive AoE damage via Poison DoT and Thorns procs
Jaguar Spirit synergy grants insane mobility
Spirit Hall bonuses stack beautifully with key uniques like Razorplate
Perfect for mob packs: Vortex + Catalyst combo melts enemies

Cons

Squishy without Barrier stacking
Relies heavily on Uniques (Balazan's Maxtlatl, Razorplate)
Needs 150%+ Attack Speed for endgame scaling
Demanding cooldown and Ferocity management

How to Play the Build: Skill Rotation

1. Open with Vortex → Pull mobs together and knock them down.
2. Spam Rake → Each hit builds Ferocity and triggers Thorns via Balazan's Maxtlatl.
3. Pop defensives/offensives → Armored Hide, Toxic Skin, and Ravager to boost Thorns, Poison DoT, and durability.
4. Summon the Jaguar Spirit (The Hunter) → Dash between enemies for burst Poison strikes.
5. Fight inside Mystic Circles (Aspect of Plains Power) → Massive Ferocity and damage multipliers.
6. Catalyst + Corrosive Vapor + Ocular Rune combo → Your nuke button for deleting grouped mobs.

Leveling Guide - Skill Point Progression

The leveling path focuses on stacking Thorns and Poison DoT, while gradually unlocking Jaguar Spirit scaling.

Early Levels (2-15)

Thrash → Enhanced Thrash
Vortex → Enhanced + Replenishing Vortex
Start building Mirage, Unrestrained Power, Focal Point, and Apex

Mid Game (16-32)

Ravager → Enhanced Ravager
Toxic Skin → Enhanced + Replenishing Toxic Skin
Nodes: Endurance, Patient Guard, Auspicious, Bastion

Pre-Endgame (33-60)

Nourishment, Potent, Resolution, Supremacy
Unlock The Hunter + upgrades (Harmonious, Exalted)
Key Passive: Noxious Resonance
Unlock Rake → Advantageous Rake

Endgame Tuning (61-72)

Perseverance, Velocity, Furnace
Armored Hide, Measured Ravager

Spirit Hall Setup - Jaguar Focused

Primary Spirit: Jaguar

Every 15th Jaguar Skill attack echoes 15% of the last damage.
Converts all skills into Jaguar skills → insane synergy with Rake + Hunter.

Secondary Spirit: Jaguar

Increases Ferocity cap and stacking from buy D4 Gold kills/boss hits.