There are plenty of ways for Diablo 4 to go in terms of class design, as Lead Live Class Designer Adam Jackson sat down and discussed what players could expect for Vessel of Hatred and beyond. The opening ceremony at BlizzCon 2023, and the subsequent Diablo panel, offered fans a first look at the long-term future of Diablo 4, though it very much felt like Blizzard wasn't quite ready to discuss the next expansion or the upcoming Season 3 just yet. The community has a general idea of what to expect from Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, which takes place in the Torajan Jungles and the city of Kurast, but the new class still remains a mystery.

If recent Diablo 4 expansion leaks are to be believed, then the new addition to the campfire would appear to be the Spiritborn, a glaive-wielding class that will cover the other side of the Nature coin opposite Druids. Though many fans were hoping for Paladins or Crusaders due to the lack of a knight archetype in Diablo 4, Adam Jackson had a few words to share that may allay their anxiety.

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Any Class Archetype Is In Play for Diablo 4, Even Immortal's Blood Knight

In a group interview at BlizzCon 2023, Jackson discussed how his team handled class balance for a live-service title, always being mindful of which skills worked, which ones didn't, and how they could be buffed or redesigned without falling into a "pretty tight box" where classes start to feel too similar. However, when asked about the new classes that could come to Diablo 4, Jackson had more to say: "Without giving anything away in the future, because I don't want to promise things like that, but I don't think there would be any, I personally, and this is me speaking for myself, I don't see a hurdle to bringing something like the Blood Knight or anything new that Diablo Immortal or other games make into [Diablo 4]."

While Jackson stated that the team was more focused on making archetypes that fit into the world and narrative of Diablo 4, instead of just bringing classes back from Diablo 2 or Diablo 3, the developers had an opportunity to do something new. "When is the right time to bring something that we know people want? And when is the right time to really challenge the norms of even the ARPG space and try to push it, push the genre forward with something new? And I think our game needs to do both really well."

Players can expect at least two Diablo 4 expansions as part of the game's post-launch support. Given that Vessel of Hatred is set for a late 2024 launch, the developers seem to be aiming for an expansion launch every 18 months. While Spiritborn is all but confirmed for Vessel of Hatred's Kurast setting, Blood Knights and Crusaders would be an easy win for Blizzard once the narrative crosses the Twin Seas.

Diablo 4

Franchise

Diablo

Platform(s)

PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

June 6, 2023

Developer(s)

Blizzard

Genre(s)

Action RPG , Hack and Slash