Diablo 4’s latest expansion, Lord of Hatred, is now out, and with it comes two new classes to explore: the Paladin and the Warlock. If you’re anything like me, you’ll spend way too much time fixating on which of these new classes to try out first, instead of actually spending your time enjoying them. So, to save you some time, here’s an overview of what to expect from Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred’s two new classes.
The Warlock
If you preordered Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, you should have already had time to try out the new Paladin class ahead of the Diablo 4 expansion’s official release date, so with that in mind, let’s start with the Warlock.
The Warlock isn’t your typical spellcaster, so if you’re hoping for something similar to the Necromancer, you might be disappointed. Unlike the Necromancer, which summons companions to fight alongside them, the Warlock prefers to use summoned demons as a tool, rather than the usual companion you see in Diablo games.
Instead of the usual mana we have come to expect from spellcasters in RPG games, the Warlock uses two separate resources to rain down hell on their enemies.
Wrath: This is used for spell casting, and is generated both over time and when using certain skills. Wrath is considered the primary resource as it’s used to fuel your primary and core skills.
Dominance: While your dominance will regenerate much more slowly than wrath, it’s used for controlling demonic entities and offers the chance to use high-impact spells that generally deal much more damage.
This two-tier approach to spellcasting makes the Warlock one of the most unique classes, as it requires players to build a rhythm to use the class to its full potential.
The Paladin
One of the things that makes Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred such a great expansion is just how different the two new classes are. The Paladin in Diablo 4 is similar to previous iterations of the class from the rest of the Diablo series.
The Paladin is a durable, solid class that can take a hit, protect itself, and also deal a decent amount of damage, all at the same time. Using holy damage, the Paladin is one of the coolest classes in the game, as it launches its shield around at enemies and glows with holy radiance on the battlefield.
The Paladin’s oath system gives players multiple ways to play. You can take a more defensive approach, absorbing massive amounts of damage, making you the perfect tank. Go for a more aggressive playstyle and dish out tons of damage. Or finally, the Paladin has a wide range of AOE attacks, which can make it perfect for crowd control.
While the Paladin is an awesome class, and certainly one I will be playing more of, so far, I have found the Warlock to be the most interesting of the two new classes. It requires skill to balance your spells and get the right rhythm, and genuinely feels like a class I could sink way too many hours into.
