Diablo 4 has been in a bit of a lull lately – that is, if it ever hasn’t been since its rocky launch. Season 1 has been underwhelming and hardcore players have already exhausted its content. While players are waiting for the arrival of Season 2, many are discussing the possibility of a sixth class within Diablo 4 as a way to inject much needed novelty into the stumbling title.
Even before launch there’s been speculation about a sixth class, but most recently user SheWhoHates on the Diablo 4 subreddit asked players if they think that Blizzard “initially planned 6 classes at launch?” The post has gotten hundreds of replies with many gamers believing that Blizzard planned more classes but these would be released as part of the expansion.
“Of course they did. It’s the paladin for the expansion,” user Mejormayor said. Many of the previous rumors point towards a Paladin or Holy Knight class being added to the game. Players speculate that a Sword or Spear and Shield class would be implemented.
Others believe that Blizzard may not have had enough time to implement a sixth class at launch given the state that the game was released. There are plenty of issues with the current five classes in the game already, most notably with the Sorcerer class being very weak while Barbarians and Druids seemingly being too overpowered – a sixth might have broken balance even more.
“I do. I think they planned 6, and cut 1 due to time. Given the state of the classes for season 1 I think there’s evidence to back this up,” user Hawkwise83 replied.
Comparing the character lineup from Diablo 3 with the current game, the Witch Doctor, Monk, and Crusader are the classes not in Diablo 4. It is extremely unlikely that Blizzard will reintroduce the Witch Doctor given its similarities to the Necromancer – though they coexisted in the previous title. The Demon Hunter is also very similar to the Rogue class currently in Diablo 4.
This leaves us with the Crusader which is an iteration of the Paladin class. The Crusader uses a one handed weapon – usually depicted as a mace – paired with a shield and is able to cast holy magic to heal or buff itself and its allies. Introducing a Paladin-type class would make total sense but it is unlikely that the new character will come soon.
Blizzard has confirmed that a planned expansion is in the works for Diablo 4. Blizzard’s Rod Fergusson previously said that Diablo 4 players should expect annual expansions for the game. The studio will likely add a new class in one or two of those expansions to keep things fresh down the road.
For now, we are waiting for the upcoming season 2 which kicks off on October 17. Titled Season of Blood, the second season will see players team up with a Vampire Hunter against the forces of Lilith. Blizzard has promised a slew of updates coming with season 2 including much-needed upgrades for the existing classes in the game.
Diablo 4 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
