In the ruins of a city deep in the jungle, I'm searching for the source used to brew a deadly poison. I've been battling my way through waves of pestilent insects, humans and other creatures, summoning shadowy magic to carve through their forces. As I approach the fetid blooms used to create the poisons, I'm greeted by Darm, the Bloom Warden, a hulking figure wielding two axes, each one the size of my warlock.
The moment his health bar appears, I summon a wave of smoky claws from the abyss to tear through him. Though he's hurt, he still lumbers toward me, raising his axes overhead before slamming them into the ground, producing three toxic blooms that separate us. I could take the time to remove each bloom, or conjure a demonic eye to fire at him from range. Both perfectly fine approaches. But neither quite as fun as what I had in mind.
Instead, I disappear into a flash of flame, flying forward as a shadow, dodging the plant toxins, until I rematerialize in a confluence of smoke and shadow behind Darm. There, I reach back into the abyss, dooming the Bloom Warden as another volley of claws send his lifeless body crashing to the ground.
My monster slaying happened at Blizzard's California campus in late January, shortly ahead of Diablo's 30th anniversary spotlight showcase. Media from around the world were invited to playtest the new warlock class in Diablo 4 before its official launch in the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion on April 28.
While a warlock was just added to Diablo 2: Resurrected last month, Diablo 4 is getting a different version of the class, as will Diablo Immortal this summer. Collectively, the games intend to showcase the class's evolution, beginning with its origins in Diablo 2.
I spoke with class designers Stephen Trinh and Bjorn Mikkelson at Blizzard in a group interview about the new heavy metal-inspired class. The core identity of the warlock is Hell and demons, Trinh said, "But I think what's special about each of the warlocks is that they cater to each of the different games," with each version of the warlock built around its game's specific design philosophies.
Diablo 2's warlock is a scholar just beginning to accept the role of outcast in order to defend the world, whereas Diablo 4's version of the class is a powerful and experienced occultist on the frontlines, desperately summoning and spellcasting to turn back the tides of Hell, no matter the cost. These warlocks have spent many years in the fray, their clothes and armor scorched by the hellfire they're summoning.
The warlock, showcased in a new developer update, is an important element in Lord of Hatred, one of two new classes being added along with a suite of other gameplay changes like deeper skill trees and overhauled endgame options. The expansion signals the end of the story about the conflict with Mephisto, the titular Prime Evil, and the concepts behind the warlock are a big part of its themes. I played a few different warlock builds at Blizzard, and while I didn't get to see any of the upcoming Skovos setting from Lord of Hatred, I still got a feel for what players can expect from the expansion.
"One big demon sadness party"
The Diablo 4 warlock is for players who want to explore the dark, demony side of Diablo and to use those powers to their advantage. Warlocks use two resources in combat: dominance, which you use to summon demons, and wrath, the source of your spellcasting. It's a great choice for players who spend the game wading through legions of demonic monsters and think, "This could really use more demons." The devs described the class as "demon-first" with plenty of ways to customize how you use your demonic powers.
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