Diablo Celebrates 30th Anniversary With New Warlock Class, Coming To 3 Games This Year
The paladin had its time to be happy in the light of Diablo 4. On Wednesday’s Diablo Spotlight broadcast, Blizzard showed us a new class of warlock that appeared in the action RPG’s shadows to fight hellfire … and demons.
While the paladin was a fan-favorite holy warrior class that debuted in Diablo 2, the warlock is an entirely new creation. With a mix of apocalyptic spells and the ability to summon demons, the newest class gives players a heavy metal option to take on Prime Evils.
The warlock isn’t just showing up in the latest Sanctuary battle — instead, he’s coming to Diablo 2: Awakened today, Diablo 4 in April and the mobile-focused Diablo Immortal later this summer. That’s an unprecedented range of additions that introduce the warlock to the series’ history and future.
I was at the Blizzard campus in Irvine, California, in late January to get a glimpse of Diablo 2: The Awakened class and talk to the devs about the warlock, and the upcoming expansion for Diablo 4. The new class was created with the concept of progression in mind: The warlock class from Diablo 2 represents its origins, while the versions in Diablo Immortal and Diablo 4 will reflect that how demonic publishers have evolved over time in Sanctuary.
“There was also this room for each warlock to have their own expression, their own personality in each game,” Matt Burns, Diablo 4’s narrative designer, told reporters in a team interview.
Spotlight revealed details about the new Reign of Warlock expansion for Diablo 2: Awakened, available today. We also got more details about the new region, endgame features and other updates coming to Diablo 4 in April’s King of Hate expansion. The warlock also arrives in Diablo Immortal in June, and returns to the city of Lut Gholein (a desert port that first appeared in Diablo 2), now under the control of Andariel, one of the lesser evils.
Witness the origins of the warlock in Diablo 2: Awakened
The warlock is the first new class added to Diablo 2 in the quarter century, and uses its power to summon, bind and even exterminate demons. I got to play as a warlock briefly in a playtest at Blizzard last month before the spotlight. Admittedly, it was my first experience with the legendary D2 (introduced in 2000), but the vision and lore of the warlock class was immediately apparent, even to my new eyes.
Summoning and binding demons and using them to unleash your power seamlessly permeates the Diablo universe. I found myself devouring demons many times just for the fun of hurtling through the map at extra speed. The hexblade layout I played felt like a natural way to adapt the warlock concept to a Diablo game.
Game designer Tim Vasconcellos said the Diablo 2 warlock is a “brilliant scholar” who has spent his life studying the mysteries of creation, but jumps into the fire when things go wrong at the Sanctuary.
“[The warlock is] he descends from this life of luxury because he sees the world descending into madness and the return of super evil … and he decides to become a visible recluse instead of [remaining] in his glamorous life,” said Vasconcellos.
Diablo 2’s warlock is all about summoning, binding and devouring demons.
Adding a new class to a decades-old game, even a reminder, is a bold move, and the devs know that not everyone wants to follow the game down that path. That’s part of the reason the warlock will be included in the expansion, allowing people who liked the old Diablo 2 to keep it separate from the new content.
When asked if the Reign of the Warlock expansion was the first of many updates for Diablo 2: Awakened, the devs said they wanted to make sure they got this launch right and take the feedback from there.
The new expansion of Diablo 4 promises more classes, more missions, more active construction
Warlocks are also coming to Diablo 4 in April’s King of Hatred expansion. Blizzard is keeping quiet on the details for now, but it looks like this version of Warlock has stepped out of the demonic frying pan and into hellfire. The Spotlight show said that more information about the Diablo 4 warlock is coming in early March.
The Lord of Hatred expansion takes players to Skovos, the center of the Sanctuary civilization, where Inarius and Lilith began to create humanity. Nick Chilano, art director on Diablo 4, told the press that it is a large, diverse region, but said that the team wants to explore how to give settings to who you are, even though the regions change a lot during the expansion.
“There is a lot to be done [Skovos]. Where you start and where you end … it’s a little bit of a journey and it ties in well with the story,” Chilano said.
How did it start…
…and how is it going?
Lord of Hatred also overhauls the skill trees for all classes, giving players 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 were when redesigning them. The main objective is for players to use very different sets of synergistic skills and resources (called “buildings” in gamer parlance).
“The main goal is that we want to build diversity. We want the deepest, widest set of builds in the game,” Finer said. He pointed out the performance of many different Paladin builds, where customization takes place in the skill tree, compared to classes like the Barbarian skill tree, which is reduced in its ability to customize.
New features like the Horadric cube will make it easier for players to chase a specific plot or character legend they want in the game.
The redesigned skill trees will give players more powerful options on how to build their characters.
Warplans are another key feature added to Lord of Hatred, designed to answer the question, “I finished the game, so what do I do now?” Warplans allow you to line up a series of end-game missions like Whispers, Helltides or Nightmare Dungeons and complete them in sequence without having to track the map. Completing warplan tasks will earn you rewards, which you can use to upgrade your seasonal builds.
When asked if there’s a specific goal, Finer said it’s not about targeting players at any event — instead, they want players to be able to jump between different activities: “Actively, we’re trying to create more victory points so you feel good,” he said.
Seasonal levels are one example, like warplans, which give players the option to leave whenever they’re satisfied or continue grinding to take on tougher challenges.
Overall, the new expansion brings two new classes to the game, a new region of Skovos, improved game features such as battle systems and new Endless Echoes of Hate events, adjusted skill trees and other system updates that help you manage and improve things.
Warplans allow you to set up a variety of end-game missions to play in sequence in pursuit of loot and power.
Lord of Hatred is also bringing fishing to Diablo 4, but reporters at Spotlight struggled to get answers about exactly what’s going on. We’ve been told that it’s a Diablo spin on the classic game, and that it’s a great way to see some of the game’s beautiful level design that you might have missed while knee-deep in demonic captivity.
We were also told, “You can be eaten.”
The warlock class has a different look in each of the three games.
Celebrating 30 years of fear… and more?
As Overwatch celebrates 10 years with a new ongoing narrative and 10 new heroes, Diablo takes a big turn in its 30th year with a new class of three different games.
Diablo 2: Reign of the Warlock Awakens sets the stage for some revolutionary changes in the game, though purists can keep things separate by not picking up the 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 the way it engages the players. In Finer’s words, “We’re really excited about the scope we’ve added to the game, and we hope it pays off.”
