Blizzard says Diablo 4's new Spiritborn class can't be defined "by a classic tabletop RPG archetype," and that means there was "a layer of additional pressure" to its development

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The Pale Hand is here to help you loot hell

Diablo 4's new Spiritborn class races through the jungle
(Image credit: Blizzard)

Blizzard says it felt a greater sense of pressure when developing the new Diablo 4 Spiritborn class because it doesn't fit into the conventional tabletop RPG model like the action RPG's existing classes.

Diablo 4's current available classes include Barbarian, Sorceress, Druid, Necromancer, and Rogue, and despite being unique visually and mechanically, they aren't at all specific to the Diablo franchise. Spiritborn, however, is a Diablo invention – jungle predators that can summon Spirit Guardians that take the shape of jaguars, gorillas, eagles, and giant centipedes to aid you in combat.

Players will be able to make a Spiritborn build when Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred launches on October 8. Ahead of that, we caught up with game director Brent Gibson at Gamescom 2024, who says Blizzard is relieved the new class is finally in a playable state.

"Honestly, it's like a weight lifted off from our shoulders," said Gibson. "The idea of adding a new class is a layer of additional pressure, right? Because the [Spiritborn] class, you can't really define it by a classic tabletop RPG archetype or anything like that. So to get it to a spot where we're able to actually do a hands-on is huge, and everybody who's played it absolutely loves it. It's super fast, super customizable. I think it's the type of thing that the fans have been looking for since the launch."

While the new class is undeniably the biggest highlight of Diablo 4's first DLC, there's also a new jungle-themed region called Nahantu that plays host to all sorts of new enemies, a new quest in which you seek to unravel Mephisto's evil plans, a new PvE co-op dungeon that sounds like a full-blown raid, and the return of a feature that originated all the way back in Diablo 2: hirable mercenaries. 

The original 1996 Diablo is now fully playable inside your browser, and it's still a vibe unmatched by the best action-RPGs ever.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.