Blizzard is taking its time revealing the last two release classes for Diablo 4. For all fans know, that could be because it has a couple brand new classes in the works and wants to make sure they're as impressive as possible once they're revealed. However, it's just as plausible that Diablo 4 will exclusively feature returning classes, and that Blizzard is biding its time to build up hype for the possibilities. There's certain qualities that the last two classes will have to fulfill, like adding a little more durability and Dexterity to the roster, but that doesn't narrow down the options too much. After all, Blizzard has a lot of past works to choose from.
With that in mind, what if it isn't making a new class or reviving an old one -- but sort of doing both at the same time? Although it sounds contradictory, Blizzard could decide to bring back a class so old that a new version would be unrecognizable compared to the first version. The plausible candidate for this kind of rework would come from the very first Diablo game, and the one with the most unique design space left for Diablo 4 is the Rogue. She's a deep cut in Diablo history, but there's certainly room for a classic RPG class like this in the next game's lineup.
Reworking the Rogue
The best way to understand how much work Blizzard would have to do on this class is to consider just how different Diablo games are now compared to when the series started. Back in the day, there were no class specific skill trees or locked in playstyles assigned to any class. Instead, classes were more flexible than ever, more supportive guidelines for a playstyle than the definitive way to play a tank or a caster. The first Diablo game had two classes besides the Rogue, which were the Warrior and the Sorcerer. The Warrior had the best physical stats for using weapons, while the Sorcerer was the best at learning magic.
In contrast, the Rogue was a jack of all trades, with decent middling stats for both weapons and magic. She also had particularly good Dexterity, making her the best with bows. A Rogue could be anything the player made of it. Although that was clever for the time, it clearly wouldn't work in Diablo's more rigorously defined modern skill system. The Rogue would have to find a niche to fill in Diablo 4, providing unique sets of abilities and offering a playstyle that would set her apart from the crowd. Rewriting a class entirely might sound a little difficult, but it's also full of potential.
Nimble and Talented
The key to a Rogue for the modern age might lie in Blizzard not completely abandoning the original class's identity as the jack of all trades. For instance, while a Dexterity class like a Rogue would surely have the option to use ranged weapons like bows and crossbows, she could also use lightweight weapons like daggers and shortswords. Supporting those options with passive talents would give players some great flexibility in playstyle. The active skills could take a similar path too. A Rogue's abilities might range from mobility and stealth tools for tricking enemies to get an advantage to using clever gadgets and traps like the Demon Hunter, whether they're mundane or magical in nature.
Above all a Rogue ought to be fast and slippery, but beyond that there's a lot of ways to interpret the model. A Rogue could have abilities befitting an Assassin, for instance, striking best when an enemy is caught off-guard by a distraction, but it could also have abilities that encourage a sniper-style archer, accurate and deadly. Blizzard would be wise to give the Rogue a lot of options like these. There isn't anyone in Diablo 4 that professes to have this kind of mastery of ranged weapons or high mobility on the battlefield. With a little bit of creativity, a Rogue would fit in just right.
Diablo 4Â is in development for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
