Diablo IV has recently announced plans on releasing a new character called the Spiritborn for its upcoming expansion. The expansion is titled Vessel of Hatred, and it is heading for an October 8 release date. While it is nice to see the game is getting an update on its character roster, it wasn’t the class that I wanted to play as.
There was a part of me that expected the Spiritborn to be somewhat of a successor to the Paladin or Crusader from the previous Diablo games. After the Spiritborn reveal, that is definitely not the case.
I’ve always enjoyed the Paladin’s archetype. It’s generally a character that’s focused on either going for a melee or caster direction. I generally love playing both melee and caster builds in action-role playing games, and that’s why the Paladin is such an appealing class.
In Diablo IV’s current state, my favorite classes are both the Barbarian and Sorcerer. As fun it is to play those classes, I honestly wish there was a Paladin spiritual successor.
For this article, I am going to give you five convincing reasons of why Diablo IV should include the Paladin. I’m hoping maybe the Paladin will be included for the next expansion or maybe a future title update. Time will tell, but here are the main reasons why this iconic class should return to the latest Diablo installment.
You want more Diablo IV content, check them out here:
- Diablo IV – Beginner’s Guide for The Pit
- What Can Diablo IV Learn From Diablo II
- Is Diablo IV Worth Playing Again?
Iconic and Memorable Builds
The Paladin from Diablo II has definitely spawned some iconic builds. Zealots and Smiters are iconic builds for those who enjoy the hack and slash gameplay of Diablo II. The Hammerdin is widely regarded to be one of the best classes in the game. In Diablo III, the Crusader did have various sets that paid tribute to those iconic builds from Diablo II. If the Paladin does return in Diablo IV, it’ll be interesting to see how some of the fan favorite classes would play with Diablo IV’s systems.
With melee builds being very fun to play in Diablo IV, I would love to see how a Zealot would perform. Zealots were my first Diablo II build when I first played the game. As someone who is nostalgic for that class, I want to play a character that harkens back the feel of a Zealot.
Since Diablo IV is more of a return to Diablo II’s focus on depth and complexity, it’ll be interesting to see what the Paragon board would look like for the Paladin. I also believe there is a chance of possibly trying to create some new builds that can fit the Paladin fantasy that Diablo players have yet to see.
The Return of More Familiar Faces
One of the interesting things about Diablo IV’s itemization is there are items that are build defining for certain builds. If the Paladin does exist, there would also be items that can potentially make a certain build come online. But in Diablo II, there are some items that are fairly iconic for the Paladin. It’ll be cool to see familiar items like the Herald of Zakarum or Heaven’s Light return to the game.
In Diablo II, the Paladin themed shields have always looked stylish.
Diablo IV has already returned some items from Diablo II, and I think it’ll be cool if they continue that trend. But this time around, they should return items that are more designed for the Paladin in mind.
Embracing the Shield
As of right now, it’s kind of shocking that there aren’t many characters that specialize in using a shield in Diablo IV. It’s only the Necromancer that has the ability to use a shield. There should be more characters that do have the ability to use a shield. On top of that, it’ll be interesting if there are passive skill choices in the Paladin’s skill tree.
This would encourage the class to use shields because at the end game, Necromancers generally prefer using a focus over a shield. You’d think a game that takes place in the medieval setting would embrace more builds to use shields. But in reality, that’s not the case, and the Paladin should be the class that rectifies that issue. This would make the Paladin the only class that can give players the “sword and board” experience.
The Paladin’s Territory
One thing I noticed while watching the reveal of the Spiritborn was the new areas seemed to have a theme around the class itself. I do think if there is a Paladin class, there should be an entirely new area that represents the Paladin’s home.
This would make the game more interesting to play because of new content. But it’ll just be cool to be able to experience it whether it’s for a new season or expansion update. This is also a good opportunity to expand the lore or new quests for the player to engage in. Hopefully, Blizzard is writing down some notes while reading this article because this seems like a decent idea.
Hammerdin Galore
I saved probably the main reason why people want to see the Paladin return. There’s no doubt that any Paladin main that first played the Hammerdin will remember it for life. The class is so powerful, and it’s just a great hybrid of a melee and caster experience. There are a lot of interesting mechanical ideas that Diablo IV can explore for the Hammerdin. I think there should be a Legendary Aspect that can make the Paladin telestomp onto demons. This will be a mechanic that is a throwback to the iconic runeword that gives the Hammerdin its biggest power boost: Enigma. Also, it’s truly the build that defines the Diablo series as a whole.
A beautiful fan art of the Crusader from Diablo III.
Personally, I’m just wondering if Diablo fans will ever see a Hammerdin again. It’s definitely the class that’s never going to get old playing, and Diablo IV needs to bring it back someday. Those are my five reasons of why Diablo IV needs to resurrect the Paladin.
There’s no clue whether there will be another expansion that could follow the same procedure of Vessel of Hatred. But I am aware that Blizzard will continue to make more meaningful updates for Diablo IV. Hopefully, one of those updates will include bringing the fan favorite Paladin back. I guess I’ll be maining both Sorcerer and Barbarian for a while.
