A Surprise Warlock Class For Diablo Tests A New Future

Blizzard Entertainment has brought a new playable character to Diablo 2: Resurrected, the first new class the game has seen in twenty-five years. The developer shadow-dropped the warlock as part of a paid expansion release and a wider 30th-anniversary celebration for the Diablo franchise. This release serves as a test; should the warlock be well-received, Blizzard will interpret it as a green light to explore further active development for the classic game. The move was unexpected and represents a significant moment for the long-running series.

The announcement came during a Diablo Spotlight video, with further context provided in an interview with Eurogamer at Blizzard headquarters. The development team is carefully watching the community's reaction to determine the future of Diablo 2. They are balancing the preservation of the original game's legacy with the potential for new content, a process they describe as an intricate dance.

"We are excited for the opportunity we have right now to see what the community says about what we're making. And if we're trusted with that legacy and if it's a positive reception and they say: no you guys actually did do this very intricate dance preserving the 1999 game, then maybe we can think about how we pursue those opportunities in the future. But we have to nail that, otherwise we kill the game in trying to progress it forward."

— Timothy Vasconcellos

Lead producer Matthew Cederquist emphasized the continued dedication of the game’s large player base.

"We still have millions of people who play Diablo 2 - millions of them,"

— he stated.

The 30th anniversary of the franchise was seen as the right moment to deliver something unexpected. Cederquist hopes the reveal of the Warlock Gameplay Trailer is as epic for players as it was for the team to create. He confirmed that player feedback will determine if this marks a new declaration for the game's future development path.

The team at Blizzard is acutely aware of the risks involved in altering a beloved game.

"We don't want to mess up the Mona Lisa,"

— Cederquist said.

"We're not going to give her some sunglasses and a new hairdo. But at the same time, does it feel weird? No. Do we have to honour that legacy? Yes."

To my eyes, the warlock feels at home in the game. Blizzard invested significant effort into making the class feel as if it were designed in 1999, and I think it does.

The warlock is not limited to one title, appearing with different interpretations in Diablo 4, Diablo 2, and Diablo Immortal. A connected story runs through all three versions, starting in Diablo 2 and continuing through Diablo 4 and then Immortal. The Diablo 2 version pulls on the game's hardcore appeal with a unique demon-taming skill tree. This mechanic allows a player to tame demons for use as pets or to consume them for temporary bursts of power, adding a fiddly but satisfying layer of micro-management.

Should the community respond positively, Blizzard may explore more changes, such as reworks of existing classes. Cederquist noted that such a change would not be a surprise release. He stated that any potential changes to a class like the Barbarian would be made by working hand-in-hand with the community and listening to their feedback directly.

To address concerns about altering the classic experience, the development team has effectively created two versions of Diablo 2: Resurrected. One is the progressive version, titled Reign of the Warlock, which is the paid expansion. The other is the classic version that millions still enjoy. "Resurrected is going to time-stamp. If you don't want to play a warlock for whatever reason and you hate loot filters, you can still have Resurrected, and it's going to stay there," Cederquist explained. All future changes to classes will occur within the Reign of Warlock space, preserving the original game.

The warlock's arrival coincides with Diablo 2's release on Steam and Game Pass, although the Reign of the Warlock expansion is not included with Game Pass. Other notable Diablo 2 announcements include Enhanced Terror Zones and quality-of-life features such as loot filters, advanced stash tabs, and a loot-tracking database called the Chronicle.

For Diablo 4, the Lord of Hatred expansion launches on April 28th on PC and consoles, introducing the warlock as the dark complement to the light-wielding paladin. Other major Diablo 4 announcements are:

• A fishing mechanic,
• A skill-tree overhaul, which significantly expands what's there by adding new skills and potential for customisation
• A new endgame pursuit called War Plans, whereby you can make bespoke lists of activities you want to do, modify them, and earn rewards for carrying them out. To me it seems like an evolution of Adventure Mode - a new pursuit to keep you busy once the game's campaigns are done
• A "hyper-rare" event called Echoing Hatred, which throws infinite waves of enemies at you and gives you loot depending on how long you survived
• The Horadric Cube, which lets you combine materials and items
• Loot filters
• And the return of Charms and Sets

Back to the previous Diablo update, the Lord of Hatred expansion was first announced during The Game Awards 2025 show. The cinematic trailer introduced Mephisto as the central antagonist and also gave a first look at the new Paladin class. At that time, Blizzard had confirmed it was working on an overhaul to the endgame system, a level cap increase, fishing as a side activity, and the return of the Horadric Cube.