Diablo 4’s segment in the big Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight was among the biggest, even if the reason most of us tuned in was somewhat spoiled earlier in the same livestream. Blizzard unveiled the Warlock, the second of two classes coming to the game with the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion.
The first class, being the Paladin, is already available to play for anyone who pre-ordered the expansion, but the Warlock won’t be accessible until the expansion arrives in late April.
The Warlocks are positioned as the opposite of the Paladins, in that they don’t mind utilising forbidden knowledge, drawing on the powers of Hell itself to fight its own overlords. The Warlock is the edgy, antihero counterpart to the Paladin’s purity and devotion to the Light.
The livestream did not show off any Warlock gameplay, but Blizzard is planning a dedicated livestream to show off the new class’ gameplay, and dig deeper into its lore and abilities. That show is scheduled for March 5.
What we did get to see was our first look at Skovos, the expansion’s new region. This Mediterranean-inspired location is where the new story arc will unfold, but it’s also being positioned as the endgame destination for Diablo 4 once the credits roll.
Lord of Hatred, of course, as previously revealed, introduces two new endgame modes in War Plans, and Echoing Hatred.
War Plans lets you create a custom playlist of up to five endgame activities to target specific rewards and create your own experience. There’s a new activity tree that works with all endgame activities, and creating War Plans is how you earn progression there.
Echoing Hatred, on the other hand, is a rare event that pits you against legions of Mephisto’s minions. It’s triggered through a rare lootable item that unlocks access. It’s essentially horde mode; where you’ll face unending waves of enemies, though not without a couple of twists.
We also got a bit more colour on the expanded class skill trees, which all players will benefit from when the expansion arrives. The Talisman system, which unlocks set bonuses, was also shown off. And, of course, the return of the iconic Horadric Cube, which gives you control over Affixes.
The Anniversary Spotlight should’ve had a Year of the Warlock subtitle, because the class is also making its way to both Diablo Immortal, as well as Diablo 2: Resurrected. The showcase revealed the Reign of the Warlock DLC, which adds the aforementioned Warlock to D2R – its first new class in 25 years.
Reign of the Warlock, which is available now in D2R, also makes a few updates to the game, such as new quality of life features, the Colossal Ancients endgame encounter, updated Terror Zones and more. You also get some cosmetics in Diablo 4 if you purchase this expansion.
