Having departed significantly from its predecessors mechanics, no one will blame you for asking how to switch weapons in Diablo 4. Blizzard’s much-loved series brings plenty of fresh changes to the series. Among the biggest is how weapons and skills work. If you’re a series veteran, know that how to switch weapons has changed in Diablo 4. And if you’re new to the series, all the more reason to learn. Unlike in previous titles there’s no longer an assigned key to cycle through weapons and have different skill sets.
In this guide, we’ll demystify this new system and explain how to change weapons in Diablo 4. This’ll be vital information if you’re planning to make the most of the server slam beta before the full summer release, and want to explore all the Fractured Peaks dungeons while you have the chance.
How to switch weapons in Diablo 4
Out of the gate, it’s important to understand that weapon switching isn’t an instantaneous, player-controlled mechanic in Diablo 4 like it was in previous games. Instead, the game swaps weapons automatically based on the skill used, but you can also select what weapon to use if a skill is compatible with different weapon types.
For example, perhaps you’ve been carefully crafting the best rogue build. You have the Twisting Blade skill assigned to key 1 and the Barrage skill assigned to key 2. When you press 1, your character will use the daggers or swords you have equipped, while if you press 2, the switch is automatically made to the bow or crossbow equipped in your inventory.
As you can see, weapon switching is both skill dependent and automatic. Basically, Diablo 4 switches weapons per the skill’s requirement without any need for input from the player. You character will automatically pull out the weapon that’s relevant to the skill used. This means that the closest you get to switching weapons for most skills is swapping your hotbar skills to others that use a different weapon.
How to switch weapons for a specific skill in Diablo 4
You’re afforded a few more options for skills compatible with different weapons, notably many Barbarian and a few Rogue skills, but there’s still no on-the-fly weapon switching.
To switch weapons, tap S to bring up the skill tree, then hover over an equipped skill in the hotbar at the bottom of your screen. You can then cycle through all compatible weapons using the scroll wheel/middle button on your mouse. There’s also an Auto-Select option if you’d rather stick to what the game considers the best weapon for a particular skill.
That’s how to switch weapons in Diablo 4. There are plenty of other changes in this game though, so if you’re wanting to get a taste for yourself, consider checking out how to download the server slam beta for PS5, Xbox, or PC, and committing the fresh mechanics to memory in preparation for the full release in June.
How to switch weapons in Diablo 4
To switch weapons in Diablo 4, open up the skill window, hover a skill in the hotbar then choose a weapon by clicking the middle mouse scroll wheel.
