It's no surprise that a lot of the hottest debate and speculation around Diablo 4 has been about its classes. The playstyle that a player locks into at the start of the game defines their experience, so it makes sense that Diablo fans have wanted to know what all of their options are in Diablo 4 ever since the game was announced. Little by little, Blizzard has made that picture clearer. Now there's only one last class that Blizzard has yet to reveal, and with any luck, it won't wait much longer to reveal it. The Diablo community is eager to see how Diablo 4's class roster gets rounded out.
There's a side effect to knowing most of Diablo 4's classes, though. Fans can now get a sense for a theme running through them that Blizzard might be aiming for on purpose. So far, every class in Diablo 4 is an old one. Blizzard hasn't come up with anything new or even majorly broken the mold on any of Diablo 4's highly traditional classes. It seems that Blizzard has decided that, if there's any experimentation going on in Diablo 4, it won't be taking place in the class department. Why do all signs indicate that Blizzard wants to play it safe with the new game's classes?
The History of Diablo 4's Classes
The first three classes revealed for Diablo 4 were the Barbarian, the Sorceress, and the Druid. That trio was warmly received from the start, seeing how they already offered a good variety of playstyles. However, it didn't take long for Diablo fans to notice that all three of these classes have existed in Diablo since Diablo 2. Blizzard didn't whip up anything new from the get-go, instead opting to play on nostalgia. Whereas Diablo 3 broke from player class archetypes a little bit with things like the Witch Doctor and Demon Hunter, Diablo 4 is immediately backing away and settling into tradition.
Ironically, the greatest amount of class experimentation in Diablo 4 comes from its oldest class so far. The Rogue is almost unrecognizable compared to her Diablo 1 counterpart, but of course, that's largely out of necessity. The first Diablo game was completely different from the class-intensive dungeon crawling fare that fans are familiar with today. Even so, Blizzard didn't come up with a new class to host the Rogue's totally new moveset. It seemed to feel the need to couch all of the Rogue's abilities in a class archetype that was familiar and comfortable.
Why Diablo 4 Might Be Careful
Blizzard not focusing on adding new classes to Diablo 4 is a pretty significant break from tradition. Generally the Diablo games have done pretty well in introducing new, unique ideas for player classes that contribute a lot to the experience. Why, then, does Blizzard feel the need to play it safe with the classes? It could have something to do with different customization elements. For instance, maybe Blizzard wants to focus on the Rune and Runeword combinations that players can equip instead of leaning heavily on unique classes. That'd make some sense; overly flashy and elaborate classes might clash with the Rune system and make for a big learning curve.
Another possibility is that it has something to do with Diablo 4's plot. The game seems to be going in a pretty new direction in terms of story thanks to its focus on Lilith. Diablo developers have also said before that Diablo 4 is only the beginning of a new Diablo story, rather than some sort of conclusion to Diablo's overarching plot. It could be that Blizzard felt highly traditional classes would contribute to a new beginning for Diablo, restarting somewhere simple so that the franchise can grow anew.
Why Diablo 4 Needs a New Class
Even if sticking to traditional classes adds something to Diablo 4's storytelling, there's something that the game loses if Blizzard opts out of adding a new class entirely. Diablo has built up such good momentum of class innovation. The past games really benefitted from giving players unique, powerful class options from Monks to Necromancers to Demon Hunters. If Blizzard suddenly decides to go without adding anything new to the game, it'll risk clashing with any new things that Blizzard tries in other areas of the game.
If a new chapter is opening up in Diablo's overarching plot, then a totally new and very creative final class would be the perfect way to tie Diablo's past to Diablo's future. A very new class surrounded by updated takes on several old classes would do well to show how things are changing and where Diablo is going. A new class could embody Diablo 4's themes and even give suggestions of how Diablo's world might change with the emphasis on new characters and new stories. At the end of the day, though, the need for change is perhaps the most important reason to include a new class. Even if the returning classes are great, the class roster won't feel nearly as fresh if there isn't a single new archetype among them.
Waiting for Diablo News
Blizzard is taking its time revealing the last couple classes for Diablo 4. It took a great many months for the Rogue to make a debut, and it's looking more and more like the last class will take just as long. Unfortunately, Blizzard isn't attending E3 2021, so fans can't expect any announcements around there. In a sense, the long wait for announcements isn't surprising, since Diablo 4 is still pretty early in development. The game won't come out in 2021, so Blizzard still has room to take its time unveiling Diablo 4 news.
With that in mind, the content of Diablo 4 news is more important than the frequency. If there's no rush to get the game out, then it'll do best to get attention by making splashy announcements. Although any final class reveal will draw attention to Diablo 4, a totally new class would easily turn more heads than one more repeated class like a Paladin or Crusader. In spite of all the merits of a new class, though, it looks more and more likely that Diablo 4 is going back to basics. Blizzard surely has its reasons for sticking to these old classes, but it doesn't seem to be telling anyone what exactly they are yet. One thing is for sure, though: the last class will go a long way in shaping fans' final perspective on Diablo 4.
Diablo 4Â is in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
