Diablo 4 Warlock: Check out the four subclasses of Apocalypse

In the ruins of a city deep in the forest, I search for the source used to prepare the deadly poison. I’ve been fighting my way through waves of pestilential insects, humans, and other creatures, summoning arcane magic to sculpt their powers. As I approached the stinking flowers used to make poisons, I was greeted by Darem, Bloom’s Guardian, a massive figure wielding two axes, each the size of my wizard.

The moment his health bar appears, I summon a wave of smoking claws from the abyss to tear him apart. Even though he was injured, he still lumbered towards me, raising his ax above my head before slamming it into the ground, creating three poisonous flowers separating us. I could take the time to remove every flower, or conjure a demonic eye to shoot him from a distance. Both approaches are perfectly fine. But it wasn’t quite as fun as I had in mind.

Instead, I disappear in a flash of flame, flying forward as a shadow, dodging plant poisons, until I reincarnate in the intersection of smoke and shadow behind Darem. There, I returned to the Abyss, closing in on the Bloom Warden as another volley of claws sent his lifeless body crashing to the ground.

The monster killing occurred at Blizzard’s California campus in late January, shortly before Diablo’s 30th anniversary light show. Media from around the world have been invited to test out Diablo 4’s new Warlock class before its official launch in the future Master of Hate expansion On April 28th.

While a warlock has just been added Diablo 2: Resurrection Last month, Diablo 4 got a different version of the class, as did Diablo Immortal this summer. Collectively, the games aim to showcase the evolution of the class, starting with its origins in Diablo 2.

I spoke with class designers Steven Trinh and Björn Mikkelson at Blizzard in a group interview about the new heavy metal-inspired class. Trinh said the core identity of the warlock is hell and demons, “but I think what sets each of the warlocks apart is that they cater to each of the different games,” with each version of the warlock being built around the game’s specific design philosophies.

The wizard in Diablo 2 is a scholar who has just begun to accept the role of outcast in order to defend the world, while Diablo 4’s version of the class is a powerful and experienced arcane scholar on the front lines, ferociously summoning and casting spells to turn back the tides of Hell, no matter the cost. These warlocks have spent many years in battle, their clothing and armor burned away by the hellfire they summon.

The Sorcerer, presented in a new way Developer updatean important element in Lord of Hatred, is one of two new classes that have been added alongside a host of other gameplay changes such as deeper skill trees and overhauled endgame options. The expansion marks the end of the story’s conflict with Mephisto, the titular evil boss, and the concepts behind the warlock are a large part of its themes. I’ve played a few different wizard builds in Blizzard, and while I didn’t get to see any of the Skovos setups coming from Lord of Hatred, I still got a feel for what players can expect from the expansion.

“A big satanic grief party.”

Diablo 4 warlock is for players who want to explore the dark and demonic side of Diablo and use those powers to their advantage. Sorcerers use two resources in combat: Domination, which you use to summon demons, and Rage, the source of your spellcasting. It’s a great choice for players who spend the game wading through hordes of demonic monsters and think “this could use more demons.” The developers described the class as “devil first” with many ways to customize how you use your demonic powers.

The wizard views those demons strictly as tools, Mickelson said. “These demons are not your friends. They are not your little helper pets. You don’t love them. You hurt demons along with the demons you hurt. It’s just one big demon pity party.”

The specific ways you use these demons will vary depending on the subclass you choose. If you want to maximize the number of demons on the battlefield, you can summon a large variety of them to do your bidding. Or if you’re more interested in power than the demons themselves, there are subclasses that keep the action focused on you, and others that let you control the demons directly. Or if you really want to feel a rush of power, why not turn yourself into a demon?

I spent most of my time playing Mastermind subclasswhich allows you to micro-manage your daemons. For me, the attraction was more about the magical, mystical imagination, summoning power from the abyss and gaining the ability to reposition or slip in and out of stealth. I cleared a stronghold with this build and enjoyed the gameplay loop of maneuvering myself around the battlefield to better position the next wave of dark magic I would use to surround my enemies.

I made sure to spend some time with each of the different subcategories and was surprised by how distinct they were from each other. I haven’t played enough of the other classes to compare apples to apples, but these pre-loaded versions created by the Diablo team feel like very different classes from one another. The Mastermind subclass made me feel like a wandering Dark Lord controlling the battlefield.

Subclass Vanguard It lets you ride into battle aboard a fiery inferno and summon monstrous abilities like fire-breathing demon heads. Or if you’re tired of demons having all the fun, you can make your inner demon your outer demon, enhancing and transforming your abilities.

A subclass of Legion It will appeal to people whose first question is usually “What is the maximum number of recalls with this version?” If you’re the type who enjoys conjuring up a wall of demons to divide and attack hordes of enemies, raining down explosive demons from the sky or simply directing a massive demon in the general direction of your enemies, you’ll want to build in this subclass.

Ritual subcategory Made for people who can’t get enough fires and explosions. The ritual revolves around using demons to empower catastrophic abilities such as trapping enemies in dark prisons and then destroying them with lava-filled eruptions. You can also summon a demon to fuel your resources and overpower your abilities, using them as a personal source of magical power.

For me, the warlock’s ultimate abilities were the highlight of the playtest. Even for abilities that are supposed to represent the pinnacle of class power, Sorcerer’s ultimates seem particularly exciting and powerful.

When I asked about the design philosophy for Warlock Ultimates, Mickelson said the process is “taking the imaginations and playstyles and things we’re working on and just asking ourselves what would happen if we cranked that up to 11.”

This power really showed in the gameplay. Whether it’s a Mastermind sending a wave of dark energy across the battlefield, a Sorcerer Legion summoning a kaiju-sized demon to slice up enemies or a scorching earth-and-sky ritual with Apocalypse Ultimate, casting an ultimate ability always felt like a game-breaker, in the best way possible.

Raise your horns

While I enjoyed the heavy metal feel of the Wizard, he’s not the only class joining the roster in Lord of Hatred. Paladin who uses light He also joins the fight, and is instantly unlocked if you pre-order the upcoming expansion.

The two categories have very different identities. Paladins are holy martial warriors who act with certainty and fervor, while Warlocks are spellcasters who harness the darkness to defend the Sanctuary.

Trinh said the juxtaposition was intentional. Master of Hate focuses heavily on the themes of eternal conflict between Heaven and Hell, and the developers wanted an opportunity to “explore that duality between the two different worlds” with the two new subclasses.

The Sorcerer and Paladin open up a lot of new gameplay options for Diablo 4 players. I enjoyed the blitzkrieg with the Paladin earlier this year, and I’m very much looking forward to traversing the ebbs and flows of Hell as a Sorcerer later this year.

If you’ve ever thought that the concept of fighting fire with fire should also apply to demons, I highly recommend the Sorcerer class, which also benefits from the deeper, more customizable skill trees introduced in the expansion.

Mickelson told me there’s plenty of room for players to come up with “wacky designs” for the warlock. The deeper you delve into customization, the more you settle on how you want to play the class.

“It’s a demon class, so we wanted to explore all the different ways you can interact with demons,” Trinh said.