It’s no surprise that a lot of the hottest debate and speculation aroundDiablo 4has been about its classes. The playstyle that a player locks into at the start of the game defines their experience, so it makes sense thatDiablofans have wanted to know what all of their options are inDiablo 4ever 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. TheDiablocommunity is eager to see howDiablo 4’s class roster gets rounded out.
There’s a side effect toknowing most ofDiablo 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 inDiablo 4is an old one. Blizzard hasn’t come up with anything new or even majorly broken the mold on any ofDiablo 4’s highly traditional classes. It seems that Blizzard has decided that, if there’s any experimentation going on inDiablo 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?
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The History of Diablo 4’s Classes
The first three classes revealed forDiablo 4werethe 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 forDiablofans to notice that all three of these classes have existed inDiablosinceDiablo 2.Blizzard didn’t whip up anything new from the get-go, instead opting to play on nostalgia. WhereasDiablo 3broke from player class archetypes a little bit with things like the Witch Doctor and Demon Hunter,Diablo 4is immediately backing away and settling into tradition.
Ironically, the greatest amount of class experimentation inDiablo 4comes from its oldest class so far.The Rogue is almost unrecognizablecompared to herDiablo 1counterpart, but of course, that’s largely out of necessity. The firstDiablogame 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 toDiablo 4is a pretty significant break from tradition. Generally theDiablogames 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 needto 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 hassomething to do withDiablo 4’s plot. The game seems to be going in a pretty new direction in terms of story thanks to its focus on Lilith.Diablodevelopers have also said before thatDiablo 4is only the beginning of a newDiablostory, rather than some sort of conclusion toDiablo’s overarching plot. It could be that Blizzard felt highly traditional classes would contribute to a new beginning forDiablo,restarting somewhere simple so that the franchise can grow anew.
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Why Diablo 4 Needs a New Class
Even if sticking to traditional classes adds something toDiablo 4’s storytelling, there’s something that the game loses if Blizzard opts out of adding a new class entirely.Diablohas built up such good momentum of class innovation. The past games really benefitted from giving players unique, powerful class options fromMonks 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 inDiablo’s overarching plot, then a totally new and very creative final class would be the perfect way totieDiablo’s past toDiablo’s future. A very new class surrounded by updated takes on several old classes would do well to show how things are changing and whereDiablois going. A new class could embodyDiablo 4’s themes and even give suggestions of howDiablo’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 forDiablo 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, sinceDiablo 4is still pretty early in development. The game won’t come out in 2021, so Blizzard still has room to take its time unveilingDiablo 4news.
With that in mind, the content ofDiablo 4news 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 toDiablo 4,a totally new class would easily turn more heads than one morerepeated class like a Paladin or Crusader. In spite of all the merits of a new class, though, it looks more and more likely thatDiablo 4is 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 onDiablo 4.
Diablo 4is in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
