Summary
Diablo 4’s new Vessel of Hatred expansion has gifted fans with what is arguably one of the most polished and powerful classes in the series in the form of the Spiritborn, which has a lot of potential combos to take advantage of and as many good builds to make. The base game classes inDiablo 4got new active and passive skillsto improve their arsenals, and while these are good additions, they hardly shake the status quo all that much when taking into account how strong the Spiritborn is. Plus, a lot of players will inevitably gravitate toward the newest class. With several balance issues in the game’s past and the current state of the meta, it could be a good idea forDiablo 4’s next expansions to skip new classes in favor of something else.
Additional playable classes as the game evolves are a huge staple ofDiablo, so it may seem abrupt to end this tradition after oneDiablo 4expansion as the game will get more, but it may be in Blizzard’s best interest in order to add more replay value to the title. This could be done by adding two or more subclasses for each class to specialize into instead of a separate seventh class, as it only risks overshadowing all others like the Spiritborn is doing now.
Path of Exile Offers a Recipe For Success if Diablo 4 Implements Subclasses
Diablo 4’s Spiritborn Proves That New Classes Over Subclasses Are a Double-Edged Sword
This may be easier said than done, and it’s a big change in terms of design philosophy that Blizzard may not be able to pull quickly, so if it ever happens, it may need more time in the oven. Still,Path of Exile’s class systemcould be exactly whatDiablo 4needs. Namely,Path of Exileemploys a system called Ascendancy that features three specializations for each base class, with the exception of the Scion only having one Ascendancy.
With seven base classes and 19Ascendancy classes,Path of Exilehas plenty of build diversity that makes for an interesting model when paired with plenty of balance updates throughout the year, essentially giving fans a lot of good reasons to come back to the game after a League ends. Since each Ascendancy class provides the base classes with new, diverse power-ups, and not all of them can be unlocked at once, players can potentially make the same character over and over and still have new builds to try. This can’t really be said aboutDiablo 4’s classes all that much, and subclasses would address this issue in the best way possible.
Baldur’s Gate 3, Path of Exile Are Proof That Character Customization Helps Replayability
As games likeBaldur’s Gate 3have proven, character customization has to be three-dimensional to fully engage fans, and the RPG’s subclasses help in that department. The same holds true forPath of Exile, which has had over 10 years of continued support to become one of the pillars of the ARPG genre, but when it comes to subclasses, it still has a lesson to teachDiablo 4. TheSpiritborn builds inDiablo 4are great, and they’re proof that with more dedication, classes can be enough.
Path of Exile 2 also features the same system, so fans can look forward to a lot of classes and subclasses to choose from.
However, it’s hard to completely innovate on five existing classes with each expansion, with the number growing to six with Vessel of Hatred. The best way to do it would be to add subclasses that offer unique and interesting power-ups, but also force some choice on players, meaning that they won’t unlock everything at once. This makes for a great recipe for a live-service title, andDiablo 4already uses the model - all it needs is for some of the series' tenets to get a shake-up in order to offer more replayability. WhetherDiablo 4’s Vessel of Hatred endgame contentwill prove to be enough to retain players remains to be seen, but this option is something Blizzard shouldn’t dismiss.
Diablo 4
WHERE TO PLAY
Diablo® IV is the ultimate action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or explore an expansive end game and shared world where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle world bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play, cross-progression, and couch co-op on Xbox.This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon.
