It’s been a couple months now since the reveal of the Rogue class forDiablo 4, and fans are getting hyped for the next revelation. The Rogue was the fourth of five classes to be announced for Blizzard’s upcoming action-RPG, joining the Barbarian, Druid, and Sorceress. All four of these classes are returning favorites from previousDiablotitles, but that doesn’t mean the fifth will be the same.
The reveal of theRogue as the fourth class inDiablo 4opens up some interesting possibilities. As a result, speculation in the community over the fifth class is at an all time high. The identities of the other four classes has really helped to narrow down what kind of character players can expect for the fifth, and the Rogue pretty much confirms that some classicDiabloclasses won’t be returning.
Why The Rogue Is Important
Blizzard first announced the Rogue as the fourthDiablo 4class at Blizzconline back in February of this year. The dexterous killer filled the last remaining niche among theDiablo 4classes, and this is why her reveal is so important. The Rogue is a swift, high-skill character that combines melee and ranged abilities with exceptional mobility and trickery skills.
Based on the Rogue’s reveal trailer, she’ll be inheriting a few ofDiablo 3’s Demon Hunter’s magical archery abilities, as well as a few skills from the original Rogue. This unique combination is what makes her the last piece of the puzzle. AlreadyDiablo 4has a melee tank character in the form of the Barbarian, a vulnerable but devastating caster in the form of the Sorceress, and a hybrid of the two in the form of the Druid.
When it comes to the core pillars of class themes in theDiabloseries, all that the game was missing was a high-dexterity ranged or close-combat fighter. Now the Rogue has filled that gap, it leaves Blizzard room to get creative with the final class. The question is, what doesBlizzard think thatDiablo 4is missing?
Another Returning Character?
Although the addition of theRogue class toDiablo 4has ruled out certain other high-dexterity fighters from the series, there are still a couple of classic classes that have a chance. Foremost amongst these is probably the Necromancer, a caster class that has been around sinceDiablo 2. WhileDiablo 4already has a magic-focused class in the Sorceress, the Necromancer has always had a very different approach in the series.
While the Sorceress and her equivalents focus on blasting enemies apart with elemental powers, the Necromancer is all about summoning minions and debuffing enemies. The Necromancer has appeared alongside more-traditional casters in bothDiablo 2andDiablo 3. In fact, inDiablo 3there are two classes that fill the minion-summoning role: theNecromancer itself and the Witch Doctor.
The only other classic class that may yet be returning inDiablo 4is the Paladin/Crusader. Appearing in bothDiablo 2andDiablo 3, the Paladin archetype is a heavy-armor melee class with a combat style focused around shields, survivability, and holy magic. InDiablo 4the Paladin would give players another tanky character to take into close-combat, though his mix of magic and melee does overlap with the Druid.
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Something Entirely New?
Whileall of theDiablo 4classesthat have been announced so far are returning classics, that doesn’t mean that Blizzard are only going to re-use old classes. After all, there hasn’t been aDiablogame yet that hasn’t featured at least one new class. This makes it highly likely that the fifth class will be something new, though what that might be is still up for debate.
There’s certainly room in thecurrentDiablo 4class line-upfor a heavy-armor class, one that doesn’t overlap with the Barbarian. While the Paladin and Necromancer have been done, it might occur to Blizzard to combine them into some kind of Death Knight. This would be a class capable of both tanking it out on the frontlines and doling out dark magic. Blizzard hasn’t shied away from darker schools of magic in the past, and the Death Knight is a popular class in its MMORPGWorld of Warcraft.
Another archetype that theDiablogames have never fully explored is the dedicated healer. Making a support-focused class didn’t make much sense in the early days of theDiabloseries, when multiplayer was more of a side-feature than a core aspect of gameplay. However, with the increasing co-op focus inDiablo 3andDiablo 4, Blizzard may decide that it’s time to give players an option that works best in a team. This class could take the form of a cleric, using the same kind of holy magic as a Paladin but without the heavy armor. It could also take the form of a technician-style class, likeDungeons and Dragons' Artificer. An Artificer-like class could also fulfil the minion-summoner role, with mechanical servants and automated turrets at their disposal.
