The dataminers were right, there is a warlock class coming to Diablo 4, as part of the The Lord of Hatred expansion that arrives in April. I played it at Blizzard a couple of weeks ago, and although I can’t tell you in detail about it yet, I can say it’s the dark complement to the light-bringing paladin class that’s also in Lord of Hatred – the yin to its yang, if you like.

But there are more reasons to be excited about the warlock. One, it’s a brand new class for the Diablo series, meaning the warlock has never appeared in any previous games. But two, and this is the show-stopping bit, it’s coming to two other Diablo games as well: Diablo Immortal and Diablo 2 Resurrected. To emphasise the show-stopping bit there: this is the first new character class Diablo 2 has had in 25 years, and it’s being released today in a paid Reign of the Warlock expansion for the game. It costs $25.

The warlock’s arrival in Diablo 2: Resurrected begins a new era for the game whereby it will progress beyond its classic state with additional ongoing development. There will effectively be two instances of the game, one known as Diablo 2: Resurrected, the time-locked classical version of the game, and a second modern version called Reign of the Warlock, which will push the game on. Is that a dangerous road to walk? Yes, but as Blizzard told a group of press I was in, “We don’t want to mess up the Mona Lisa.” I will write more about this in a subsequent article.

Blizzard announced the warlock triple-drop in a Diablo Spotlight video today. The other notable 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

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred launches 28th April on PC and consoles.

The other notable Diablo 2 announcements are: Enhanced Terror Zones for the game, and new quality of life features including much-desired loot filters, advanced stash tabs, and a loot-tracking database called the Chronicle, which notes everything you’ve found and where you found it, thank god.

Each of the three games’ warlock interpretations are different, by the way, tailored to their various gameplay styles. Diablo 2’s is perhaps the most fiddly – I have played it too – particularly in the demon taming skill tree, which lets you dominate demons you face and either use them like pets or consume them for power. It’s another layer of micro-management.