Diablo 4
Diablo 4 is out now Vessel of Hatred Here’s a full look at the new Spiritborn class, complete with a hands-on tech demo, trailer, interviews, and more. While I wasn’t able to attend the demo in person, I did have a chance to speak with Game Director Brent Gibson and Class Designer Bjorn Mikkelson about the key questions everyone was asking when Spiritborn was announced.
Why this class? Why make an entirely new class at this point when many fans are still calling for the return of older classes, from Paladin/Crusader to Amazon, Monk, etc.? Well, fans have a lot to say, mainly about the freedom that an entirely new class offers, not having to carry over old roles and movesets despite them using those in the base game.
“When we started, the base game was still in development, but what was interesting was that we were really happy with the direction of the original five classes and knew we could really fulfill the archetypes that the existing classes represented in the previous game,” Gibson says.
“There were a few things we wanted to ensure,” Gibson continued. “First, we wanted it to be fresh and new, rather than rethinking what we’d done before. This was a chance to see what was missing in our combat style, explore power fantasies we hadn’t done yet, and develop something fresh to rival the original classes. Second, we wanted it to be born from where we were heading. We knew we were going to the jungle… and that set us on a journey to create something entirely new.”
Diablo 4
They say that spiritborn will play a key role in Vessel of Hatred’s actual storyline, rather than just being handed to them and relegated to a supporting role. Low-level specialty quests also unlock the ability to combine spirit bonuses for the four main spirits summoned: the fire-wielding jaguar, the physical gorilla, the venomous centipede, and the lightning-shooting eagle. These spirits will aid the player in combat, rather than transforming like druids.
One of the main points of making a new class like the Spiritborn was so they could make exactly what they wanted, rather than taking over from an old class – in this case, they wanted it to be good at “hybridizing”.
“It’s kind of an excuse to say the roles we’re trying to fill are ‘flex’ roles that represent all the slots,” Mickelson said, “but the big experiment was thinking about what would happen if we created characters that could truly hybridize, and what could we do if we started at the top. A lot of our classes are a little more ‘stick to your lane,’ they can do one thing or the other, and they all have their place.”
“Your relationship with spirits is truly a personal choice and it’s different for everyone and it’s a truly self-expressive choice,” Mickelson continued. “Being able to choose your own spirits and their combinations felt like a very natural link between making this very personalizable and also having the option to hybridize.”
Diablo 4
There’s a ton of footage of the Spiritborn floating around the internet, and Gibson says Monk fans will be pleased that it at least has a martial arts focus, but it certainly does have something unique to offer the class, with giant spirits that it can summon in combat.
It’s possible that previous classes missing from Diablo 4 could be added in future content, including expansion packs, but there’s very little confirmed information. They’ve suggested that creating an entirely new class from concept to execution would take longer than revisiting an older class, but either way, I wouldn’t expect more than one per year.
Blizzard has shown a lot of interest in new Diablo classes lately between this class and the Blood Knight in Diablo Immortal. I think I’ll go back to an older class next time (I’m still betting on Paladin), but if Spiritborn overpowers everyone, maybe not. Vessel of Hatred is releasing on October 8th, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Follow me please On Twitter, Youtube, Facebook and Instagram.
Pick up my science fiction novel Hero Killer Series and Earthborne Trilogy.
