What you need to know
- The Spiritborn is the first new class being added to Diablo 4 since launch. It is a dexterity-based martial class that draws its power from the Spirit realm.
- The class will launch with the Vessel of Hatred expansion on October 8, 2024, but some people will be able to play it at Gamescom 2024.
- A live stream took place today with developers to deep dive into the class, its lore, skills and class mechanics as well as a sneak peek of its weapons.
- The class draws on powers from Spirit Guardians, powerful creatures from the Spirit Realm.
Since the Spiritborn was announced at the Xbox Games Showcase, Diablo 4 fans have been hotly anticipating today's deep dive into the first new class being introduced to the current roster.
The Spiritborn is a dexterity-based martial class that draws upon the natural and Spirit realms to unleash its power to devastating effect. We got to sit down with the devs for an exclusive interview earlier this week, but today, the deep dive went into more minute detail on what we can expect from this exciting new addition to Sanctuary.
Community director Adam Fletcher, game director Brent Gibson, narrative designer Eleni Rivera-Colon, art director Nick Chilano, and game designer Bjorn Mikkelson sat down to show players the new class in action, detailing its lore, skills, class mechanic, itemization, and more about what to expect when Vessel of Hatred, the first expansion for Diablo 4, launches on October 8. Here's everything we learned in today's Spiritborn deep dive.
The essence of the Spiritborn
A new class, the Spiritborn, will soon join the fight against darkness in the Diablo series. Originating from the jungles of Nahantu, the Spiritborn uses the strengths of Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, and Centipede Spirit Guardians to battle the forces of the Burning Hells. The "that's my spirit animal" meme just became a reality.
Spiritborn are versatile warriors who combine three-hit combo attacks and acrobatic moves. They excel in hand-to-hand combat, using spirit energy and a glaive to deal close-range damage. Their physical skills let them block or dodge attacks, absorbing or redirecting the power back at their enemies.
The Spiritborn and where they fit in the lore of Diablo 4
The first Spiritborn was Akarat
We already know from the Vessel of Hatred trailer that there is a connection with Neyrelle's journey into Nahantu, and the Ancient Akarat, as she mutters his name repeatedly throughout the trailer. Thanks to today's deep dive, we now know that the Spiritborn is also connected the prophet.
Akarat, a prophet from Xiansai with roots in Nahantu, spoke of the inner conflict between humanity's angelic and demonic sides. He believed humans could overcome darkness using a special light within them. Akarat traveled across Sanctuary, spreading these beliefs.
He vowed to return to his mother's homeland and discovered a veil between the Spirit Realm and Sanctuary, free from angelic and demonic influence. Recognizing its need for protection, Akarat and his trusted acolyte, Ysevete, studied the Spirit Realm. Akarat became the first living person to cross into the Spirit Realm.
While Akarat explored the Spirit Realm, his acolytes continued their studies in the jungle. In his twilight years, Akarat explored the Spirit Realm's uncharted territories. When it was time for him to cross into the Spirit Realm permanently, Ysevete's cries of sorrow were met with support from the spirits. Ysevete, also from Nahantu, established the Spiritborn based on the tenets she and Akarat created.
The Spiritborn are dedicated to Akarat's and Ysevete's mission to protect the Spirit Realm and its spirits and ensure harmony between the Spirit Realm and Sanctuary. They believe that transferring their soul to the Spirit Realm upon death is the highest honor. While alive, Spiritborn can visit the Spirit Realm, though it's a dangerous task usually reserved for elders who have mastered their skills. Those not yet initiated can still experience glimpses of the Spirit Realm through visions, dreams, and intuitions. The Spiritborn are loyal, striving to honor their traditions, the jungle, and the powerful Spirit Guardians.
Spirit Guardians will be the Spiritborn class mechanic
What is the Spirit Realm?
The Spirit Realm is a place where spirits reside. When Inarius and Lilith created Sanctuary and altered the Worldstone, their magic released energy that formed the Spirit Realm. This realm is a sacred plane shaped by human beliefs, mirroring Sanctuary but serving a unique purpose. Here, spirits of the jungle have roles beyond life, protected by ancient Spirit Guardians from the influences of angels and demons. The Spirit Realm is home to various spirits, including certain human spirits drawn to it, and animal, insect, and plant spirits that evolve over time. Spirit Guardians grow powerful by absorbing concentrated magical energy.
What are the Spirit Guardians?
Spirit Guardians symbolize the bond between humans and the natural world. Beings that the Spiritborn summons from the Spirit Realm. The warrior draws strength from the Gorilla, the hunter gains speed from the Jaguar, the strategist finds vigilance in the Eagle, and the apothecary sees her craft in the Centipede and the decay it consumes. In times of need, the Spiritborn call upon the most suitable Guardian, utilizing their unique abilities. This adaptability, along with their devotion to the Guardians, makes the Spiritborn agile and flexible jungle warriors.
The Spiritborn introduces a new Skill Tag: Incarnate. When equipped, the Spiritborn gains a passive bonus from the associated Guardian's traits. Activating the skill unleashes the Guardian's full power.
Below is a sample of the Skills available to the Spiritborn, including the Ultimate Skill for each Spirit Guardian. Experimentation, mixing and matching of skills is encouraged. Note that [%] refers to a percentage of your weapon's damage.
Jaguar (Rezoka)
The Jaguar is relentless and violent, attacking repeatedly with blinding speed and fury. Constantly ramping up in lethality and keeping its fire burning in between kills.
The primary focus of the Jaguar Spirit Guardian will be attack speed, with a stacking 'Ferocity' buff.
Example skills:
- Rake: Conjure claws that rake through enemies in front of you, dealing [20%] damage before exploding for an additional [40%] damage.
- Ravager: (Passive) Minimum Ferocity increased by 2. (Active) Unleash a savage roar, causing all your attacks to trigger additional strikes dealing [60%] damage for 6 seconds.
- Rushing Claw: Slash a short distance through an enemy, striking all enemies along the way twice for a total of [50%] total damage.
- The Hunter: (Ultimate) Bound across the battlefield with the Jaguar Spirit, dealing [50%] damage upon landing and then rapidly slashing enemies in the area for [200%] total damage over 7 strikes.
Gorilla (Wumba)
The embodiment of resilience and retaliation, the Gorilla not only shrugs off incoming damage but ensures their reprisals are brutal, swift and final. This Guardian embodies pure dominance and efficient resolution to protect its own at all costs.
For fans of more 'tanky' builds, the Gorilla has a defensive playstyle, with a core mechanic of damage reduction and blocking. With a stacking buff of 'Resolve'. "Anyone who's been looking for tank, this is the one you want."
Example of skills if you choose this Spirit Guardian
- Rock Splitter: Rush at a target and clobber enemies in front of you, dealing [15%] damage. Your third attack strikes enemies around you, dealing [28%] damage.
- Concussive Stomp: Stomp in front of you, releasing a shockwave that deals [15%] damage and Knocks Down enemies for 3 seconds.
- Payback: Smash enemies in front of you, dealing [100%] damage. When attacked, you have a 35% chance to reduce Payback’s active Cooldown by 1 second.
- The Protector: (Ultimate) The Gorilla Spirit protects an area for 6 seconds, continuously smashing surrounding enemies for [80%] damage and granting you Barrier for 15% of your Maximum Life every 1.5 seconds.
Eagle (Kwatli)
The Eagle is lethal and attacks its prey with pinpoint precision. Its movement speed and amplified Evade, combined with extendable mid-ranged attacks, come together to deliver a concentrated burst of pain upon your foes.
The core stat is movement speed, which concentrates on aggressive and fluid movement and amplifies the Evade skill.
Example eagle skills:
- Soar: Fly into the air, creating a cloud which makes enemies at your target location Vulnerable for 5 seconds before you crash down upon them dealing [50%] damage.
- Quill Volley: Hurl 5 feathers that pierce through enemies, each dealing [14%] damage.
- Razor Wings: Whirl out a cluster of razor-sharp feathers that rebound back, dealing [50%] damage each way.
- The Seeker: (Ultimate) The Eagle Spirit swoops down and deals [20%] damage. After a short delay it blasts off dealing [300%] damage.
Centipede (Balazan)
Draining the strength of foes to sustain itself, the Centipede is a manifestation of the inescapable cycle of death. Wield debilitating Poison damage and disruptive crowd control to reduce any opposition to a lifeless husk.
The Centipede's core mechanic is damage over time poisoning and crowd control, draining your enemies.
Example Centipede skills:
- Withering Fist: Dart at and jab an enemy, dealing [5%] damage and applying [30%] Poisoning damage over 6 seconds. Your third attack bursts on your target, damaging surrounding enemies and Slowing them by 30% for 3 seconds.
- Scourge: Call forth a wave of insects that bite enemies, Fearing and Slowing them for 3 seconds and applying [100%] Poisoning damage over 6 seconds.
- Stinger: Strike a small area, dealing [70%] damage to enemies within as well as all surrounding Poisoned enemies.
- The Devourer: (Ultimate) The Centipede Spirit emerges, blasting enemies in a line for [140%] damage and splitting at others for [40%] damage. Lasts for 15 seconds.
Spiritborn Key Passives
Each Key Passive is crafted to align with different fighting techniques, offering open-ended design and added flexibility to refine your build.
Adaptive Stances: The Base Spirit of a Skill cast grants:
- Eagle: 30% Movement Speed
- Gorilla: 30% Damage Reduction
- Jaguar: 30% Attack Speed
- Centipede: 30% Life Steal
Casting a Skill of a different Base Spirit:
- Swaps to the new bonus
- Increases Core Stats by 50% for 5 seconds.
Noxious Resonance: Your Critical Strikes cause enemies to burst 100% of the Poisoning on them as Poison damage to those around them.
Prodigy’s Tempo: Every third consecutive cast of the same Basic Skill increases all Skill Ranks by 2 for 5 seconds. Every third consecutive cast of the same Core or Potency Skill reduces all Skills’ active Cooldowns by 10%, increased by 2% for each of their Skill Ranks.
Vital Strikes: You deal 100% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. After making an enemy Vulnerable, your next Direct damage dealt to them:
- Heals you for 2% of your Maximum Life
- Generates 5 Vigor
- Removes the Vulnerable effect
Unlock the Spiritborn's potential in a class quest at level 15
Multiple mysterious killings have occurred across Kehjistan, leaving carnage that suggests an otherworldly beast is responsible. Once you reach Level 15 as a Spiritborn, seek out Tarka, a Spiritborn emissary in Gea Kul. Together, you'll embark on a quest for your destiny, becoming more attuned to the ways of the Spirit Guardians. Completing the Sacred Hunt quest unlocks the Spirit Hall—the Spiritborn’s Class Mechanic.
Deepen Your Connection in the Spirit Hall
Using the Spirit Hall, Spiritborn can deepen their connection to the Spirit Guardians. Choose one of the 4 Guardian Spirits as your Primary Spirit to receive a special bonus. This also adds the Spirit's Skill Tag to all your Skills, ensuring Spirit-based bonuses apply to each one. Upon reaching Level 30, you can select a secondary bonus from the same Guardian or another, enhancing your bond or blending mechanics from different Guardians. This flexibility allows you to shape your Spiritborn in the direction that suits you best. For example:
Selecting the Gorilla as your Primary Spirit will grant you this bonus
-Casting a Gorilla Skill deals 100% Thorns to enemies you hit and grants a Barrier for 10% of Maximum Life, up to 40%, for 3 seconds. All Skills are now also Gorilla Skills.
Now, let’s say you select the Jaguar as your Secondary Spirit. It will grant you this bonus:
-Maximum Ferocity is increased by 1. Gain 1 stack of Ferocity whenever you kill an enemy or damage a Boss.
Choosing the Gorilla as your Primary Spirit infuses each of your attacks with Thorns and generates a Barrier, enhancing your durability significantly. Pairing the Jaguar as your Secondary Spirit grants you access to Ferocity, a new Class Resource that boosts Attack Speed with each stack. By combining these two Guardian Spirits, not only does your Attack Speed increase, but you also enhance the effectiveness and frequency of the Gorilla's bonuses.
Each Guardian brings a unique flavor to inject into your build, fostering new synergies that breathe life into your Spiritborn. The devs encourage players to theory craft until they find the perfect Primary and Secondary combination that best suits their playstyle.
Defend Nahantu Using New Legendaries and Uniques
Of course with a new class, must come all new gear! The Spiritborn is launching with Legendary and Unique items tailored to it. Each of the items below showcases a different direction you can take your build in.
Hybrid Augmentations Examples
This category of Legendary items is designed to enhance the different playstyles of the Spirit Guardians. Each item promotes a specific Guardian combination to further elevate your build. These items are essential for any Spiritborn aiming to integrate the strengths of their Guardians.
Power Augmentations
The next category of Legendary items enhances and amplifies your Skills. Playstyles that use Spirit Skills from the same Spirit Guardian will greatly benefit from these items.
Subpowers
The final category of Legendary items for the Spiritborn is highly utilitarian. You can mix and match these items to create the best combination for your build.
Uniques
We got a first look at two new Uniques designed exclusively for the class.
Community Q&A
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Following the in-depth reveal for the Spiritborn, the community understandably had some questions to ask of the developers. The first question, which will surprise nobody, was about the Paladin, which we spoke to Rod Fergusson about in our previous interview. Why no sword and board class? I've listed as best I can here. Please note that these answers may be paraphrased for simplicity.
Q: Why not a Paladin?
A: We wanted to make sure the class was from the place we are going (Nahantu) and doing something new was a great opportunity to inject some fresh gameplay. Building something from the ground up, from Nahantu, was the driving factor.
Q: Where have the Spiritborn been in previous Diablo games, lore-wise?
A: This is a religion that has been building up over time. They are a little more secluded. The Spiritborn are scattered throughout Nahantu, hidden in the jungle, and don't necessarily want to be seen. It takes much devotion to be a Spiritborn.
Q: What are the new weapon types?
A: First, we have the glaive and then the quarterstaff (2-handed weapons)
Q: Whats the difference between the Druid and the Spiritborn?
A: With the Spiritborn, you aren't turning into the animal. Depending on your belief, ' you are channeling a spirit from the spirit realm. With the Druid, you encompass the entire animal.
Q: We've seen four Spirit Guardians, were there others that were considered?
A: Yes. We play around with a lot of concepts. When thinking about protection and strength, we initially thought of the Elephant. We compared this with the Gorilla and went with the best representation of those powers and what works with gameplay.
Q: How does the resource for the Spiritborn work?
A: The resource is Vigor, it does not generate passively. You will customize your build around building your resource, and get Uniques later to help with this.
Q: Does the Spiritborn have ties with the Witchdocter from Diablo 3?
A: No they are not connected. We wanted to bring in things that would feel familiar lore wise, but the Spiritborn is its own thing.
Q: How much has the Monk inspired the gameplay?
A: We can always look back and find references to things we have played, but when you play the class, you will find it's very different. We know what mechanically works in the game so we do look at existing classes for inspiration and then take that in a different direction.
More excited than ever for the new Diablo 4 expansion
The stream finished with a little back-and-forth with the developers over their favorite Spirit Guardian, and understandably, they couldn't agree. There's no hope for the rest of us. As a staunchly Rogue player, I'm way more excited for this class now than I ever have been, having seen the movement speed alone, so of course, I'm going to be experimenting with those Jaguar skills.
We already confirmed in our exclusive interview with the developers that there will be no public beta or Public Test Realm for the Spiritborn or Vessel of Hatred, but the developers did reveal today that they will be sharing more about Vessel of Hatred at Gamescom 2024 on August 20, and there will be the opportunity to play the game at the Diablo booth there.
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred launches on October 8, 2024 and you will need to purchase the expansion to access the Spiritborn class. The base DLC is $39.99, but there are higher-cost bundles for extra cosmetics.
