Diablo is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new Warlock class, which will be available in 3 games this year

The paladin had his time to bask in the light Diablo 4. In Wednesday’s Diablo Spotlight stream, Blizzard showed us a new warlock class that has emerged from the shadows of the action RPG to battle the fires of Hell with the fires of Hell… and demons.

While the Paladin was the fan-favorite Holy Warrior class that first appeared in Diablo 2, the Sorcerer is an entirely new creation. With a mix of horrific spells and the ability to summon demons, the newest class gives players a heavy metal option to take on Prime Evils.

Not only does the Sorcerer appear in the final battle for Sanctuary, he’s coming Diablo 2: Resurrection Today, it’s Diablo 4 in April and the mobile-focused Diablo Immortal later this summer. This is an unprecedented collection of extras that introduce the Sorcerer into the history and future of the series.

I was at Blizzard’s campus in Irvine, California, in late January to take a look at the Diablo 2: Resurrected class and talk with developers about the wizard, as well as the upcoming Diablo 4 expansion. The new class was created with a sense of progression in mind: the warlock class appearing in Diablo 2 represents its origins, while versions in Diablo Immortal and Diablo 4 will show how daemonic spellcasters have evolved over time in Sanctuary.

“There was also this room for each warlock to have their own expression and their own personality for each game,” Diablo 4 narrative designer Matt Burns told media in a group interview.

Spotlight has revealed details about the new Reign of the Warlock expansion for Diablo 2: Resurrected, which became available today. We’ve also gotten more details about the new area, endgame features, and other updates coming to Diablo 4 in the Lord of Hatred expansion in April. The wizard will also be coming to Diablo Immortal in June, along with a return to the city of Lut Gholein (the desert port that first appeared in Diablo 2), which is now under the control of Andariel, one of the lesser evils.

Watch the Sorcerer’s Origins in Diablo 2: Resurreged

The Sorcerer is the first new class added to Diablo 2 in a quarter century, and uses its powers to summon, bind, and even consume demons. I was able to play the warlock briefly in Blizzard’s playtest last month before the spotlight came to light. Granted, it was my first experience with the popular D2 (launched in 2000), but the vision and imagination of the warlock class was immediately apparent, even to my novice eyes.

Summoning demons, binding them, and then consuming them to fuel your own power fits seamlessly into the overall Diablo universe. I found myself devouring demons frequently just for the fun of getting around the map at the extra speed. The Hexblade design I played seemed like a natural way to adapt the wizard concept in Diablo.

Diablo 2’s warlock is an “idealist” who has spent his life studying the secrets of creation, but jumps into the fire when things go wrong in Sanctuary, game designer Tim Vasconcelos said.

“(The warlock) descends from this life of luxury because he sees the world descending into madness once again with the return of basic evils… and he decides to become an apparent outcast instead of (staying) in the life of luxury he lives,” Vasconcelos said.

Adding a new class to a decades-old game, even if it’s a remaster, is a bold move, and the developers realize that not everyone wants to follow the game down this path. This is part of the reason why the Sorcerer was included in the expansion, allowing people who love classic Diablo 2 to feel like keeping it separate from the newer content.

When asked if the Reign of the Warlock expansion was the first of many updates for Diablo 2: Resurrected, the developers said they wanted to make sure they got this launch right and take feedback from there.

Diablo 4’s new expansion promises more classes, more end-game activities, and more viable designs

Warlocks will also be coming to Diablo 4 in the Lord of Hatred expansion in April. Blizzard is keeping mum on details for now, but it looks like this version of Warlock has jumped from the devil’s frying pan into the fires of hell. Spotlight Gallery said more information about the Diablo 4 warlock will be coming as early as March.

The Lord of Hatred expansion takes players to Skovos, the cradle of the Sanctuary civilization, where Inarius and Lilith first created humanity. Nick Chilano, Diablo 4’s art director, told media it’s a large and diverse area, but said the team wanted to look into how to give the settings an identity, even though the areas change radically over the course of the expansion.

“There’s a lot to (Skofos). Where it starts and where it ends…it’s a bit of a journey and it ties in well with the story,” Celano said.

Lord of Hatred also revamps the skill trees for all classes, providing players with more variety and customization in how they build their characters. I asked game designers Colin Finer and Aislyn Hall about the philosophy behind the new skill trees and what the goals would be when redesigning them. The main goal is for players to use more diverse combinations of synergistic abilities and equipment (called “builds” in player parlance).

“The main goal is that we want more diversity in building. We want a much deeper and broader set of designs in the game,” Viner said. He noted the usefulness of many different Paladin builds, where customization occurs in the skill tree, compared to classes like the Barbarian skill tree, which are narrower in their ability to customization.

New features like the Horadric cube will make it easier for players to chase the specific build or character silhouette they want in the game.

War Plans is another major feature added in Lord of Hatred, designed to answer the question “I’m done with the game, what do I do now?” Warplans allows you to queue up a series of end-game activities such as Whispers, Helltides, or Nightmare Dungeons and complete them in succession without having to wander around the map. Completing War Plan activities will earn you rewards that you can use to enhance your seasonal builds.

When asked if there will be a definitive ending to the game, Viner said it’s not about directing players towards a single event – ​​instead, they want players to be able to jump between different activities: “Functionally, we’re trying to create a lot of different victory points for you to feel good about.”

Season Rankings are one example, as are War Plans, giving players the opportunity to leave when they feel satisfied or continue working to take on tougher challenges.

Overall, the new expansion brings two new classes to the game, the new Skovos region, revamped end-game features like war plans and the new endless Echoes of Hatred events, overhauled skill trees and other system updates that help you manage and even upgrade items.

The Lord of Hatred is also bringing hunting to Diablo 4, but journalists at Spotlight have had a hard time getting answers about what’s actually going on. We’re told it’s a Diablo spin on a classic gaming activity, and it’s a good way to see some of the game’s beautiful level designs that you may have missed while deep in the bowels of demons.

We were also told: “Do not eat.”

Celebrating 30 years of terrorism… and many more?

Just like Overwatch celebrates its 10th anniversary With a new ongoing story and 10 new heroes, Diablo takes a big step in its 30th anniversary with a new class for three different games.

Diablo 2: Resurrected’s Reign of the Warlock paves the way for transformative changes to the game, though purists can keep things separate by not opting for DLC.

Lord of Hatred seems to be the end of Mephisto’s story, but it also seems to be a new beginning for the game and how it engages players. As Finer puts it, “We’re really excited about the exposure we’ve added to the game, and we hope it pays off.”