Five familiar Diablo 4 classes simply aren’t enough for diehard players, with multiple theories already circulating online as to what the next one will be.
The Diablo 4 popularity continues to boom, especially now that full details regarding Diablo 4 Season 1 were revealed in a live stream by Activision Blizzard last week and update 1.0.4 brought even more balance changes to how certain rewards drop. One element the game’s debut season, Season of the Malignant, won’t be bringing, however, is a new Diablo 4 class. But that hasn’t stopped many online players from trying to work out which of the Diablo franchise’s classic character classes will be next.
When we asked art director John Mueller about the prospect of Diablo 4 new classes coming in future prior to launch, he responded with a coy “there’s always toom around the campfire” – subtly hinting that one is coming; it’s just a matter of when this will be. Fortunately, there’s been a handful of clues littered around the internet, which fans think are more than just breadcrumbs.
Of course, on the same live stream in which Diablo 4 Season 1 was unveiled, Activision Blizzard announced the first new class in the franchise’s history for 10 years in the Blood Knight (as detailed in a follow-up blog). Unfortunately, though, this is coming exclusively to free-to-play mobile title Diablo Immortal, with there seemingly being no plans to bring it into Diablo 4. At least yet, anyway.
Diablo 4 new class: Paladin or Crusader could be next
The main indication that either the Paladin or Crusader will be the first Diablo 4 new class players get a hold of relates to a piece of pre-launch artwork, which depicts (amongst the five starter classes) some sort of holy knight. It’s not like Activision Blizzard has been subtle about it either, as the figure in question isn’t buried amongst the demon hordes or particularly hard to see, clearly seen raising a shield and spear at the top of the pack. It’s sent players in this Reddit thread into a frenzy ever since.
This has led some Diablo 4 players to believe that the Paladin or Crusader – classes that have typically been presented as angel-like figures able to wield light magic – that a sixth class was scrapped in time for launch. Couple this with the fact that Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson told the Kinda Funny Xcast in an interview that “we're working on expansion one, we're kicking off expansion two… we're working on that now, confirming two Diablo 4 expansions are coming, with a new class expected in at least one of those.
A sixth Diablo 4 class hasn’t officially been confirmed by Activision Blizzard, but it’d almost guaranteed when you consider past precedent. In Diablo 3, for instance, its first and only expansion Reaper of Souls saw the addition of a new class in the form of, rather tellingly, the Crusader. Via an expansion or otherwise, hopefully it won’t be too much longer until either the Crusader or Paladin arrive, because it’s these that fans on Reddit want to see most.
