With the most recent Diablo 4 beta, fans got to try all the classes in the game, but many felt there was something missing. It has long been speculated that Diablo 4 would inevitably include more than just five classes. After all, if Diablo 4 were to stop at just five, it would mean that it featured the least choices out of a mainline game—if one counts the Hellfire expansion for the original Diablo.
The consensus most likely class to join Diablo 4 is the Paladin. As the game has already pulled the Barbarian, Necromancer, Sorcereress, and Druid from the class choices in Diablo 2, it seems to most that the Paladin is an inevitability. Much like its Diablo 2 contemporaries, the Paladin could slot right into Diablo 4 with only a few minor tweaks and changes needed to bring it up to speed.
What Skills Could The Paladin Bring to Diablo 4
The four classes pulled from Diablo 2 are relatively unchanged in their Diablo 4 iterations. The Necromancer in Diablo 4, for instance, maintains its core summoning abilities as well as familiar spells from the Bone and Curse skill trees. While the idea of a Blood specialization was new to Diablo 4, within the Blood tree, many of the spells and ideas are derived from the Necromancer's original appearance in Diablo 2.
If the Paladin were to round out the class choices in Diablo 4, it seems exceedingly likely that it would bring a lot of its old repertoire along with it. The safest bet would be that Paladins would bring back Blessed Hammer—arguably the most well-known skill in all of Diablo 2. With Diablo 4's tendency towards larger crowds of monsters, a skill similar to Blessed Hammer seems like a no-brainer, and Blizzard could even add an ability to shoot the Blessed Hammer linearly for the tight, cramped dungeon sections of Diablo 4.
Another easy prediction if the Paladin joins Diablo 4 as the sixth class would be Holy Shield. As it currently stands, the only class that can equip a shield is the Necromancer. If the Paladin shows up, it's a sure-fire bet that the class will be able to equip shields and will have skills related to them in some fashion. The only skills that might be questionable to be carried over from Diablo 2 would be niche, less popular skills like Holy Bolt, Conversion, and perhaps the Resistance auras.
Where The Paladin Would Fit With The Other Diablo 4 Classes
Durability would be the name of the game for the Paladin. As the Barbarian's role in Diablo 4 shifts with their inability to use shields, the Paladin would likely slot into the role of an ultra-durable, single-target specialist. There's absolutely zero chance that the Paladin would come in without the ability to wear heavy armor and shields, meaning that it would undoubtedly feature the highest base armor stats out of any class. Combined with the likelihood that the Paladin would bring in auras and defensive abilities, fans would finally have their hands on a genuine damage-soaking tank class.
In PvP scenarios in Diablo 4, the Paladin would likely excel in single-target, close-range scenarios where it would be able to stun enemies, but would struggle against the innate mobility of classes like the Sorceress and Rogue. For PvE experiences, the Paladin would probably outpace other classes in the endgame due to its resistances and armor, much like in Diablo 2. If the Paladin brings auras back into the game, it would make a perfect pairing with the Necromancer, as a buffed army of skeletons would be a tall order for any enemy.
Diablo 4 will release on June 6 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
