30 years ago, Diablo players descended into Tristram Cathedral for the first time to face the Lord of Terror. The game has come a long way in 3 decades, and we’ve been waiting with bated breath to see what’s next for the franchise during Blizzard’s anniversary celebrations.
During the official Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight, Blizzard delivered the news fans have been waiting for: a brand-new class, The Warlock, is officially joining the ranks of Diablo 4, Diablo Immortal, and, in a reveal nobody saw coming, Diablo 2: Resurrected.
The Warlock is now officially confirmed as the "heavy metal" new class coming to Diablo 4’s second expansion, Lord of Hatred, launching April 28, 2026.
But the real jaw dropper is that Reign of the Warlock shadowdrops TODAY for Diablo 2: Resurrected players. This marks the first time in 25 years that the game gets a new playable hero. Adding more to the surprise, Diablo 2: Resurrected also launches on Steam today for the first time. SIDE NOTE: The base game is available on Xbox Game Pass Premium from today.
The Reign of the Warlock: A new era for Diablo 2: Resurrected
The Warlock is described as a “demon-summoning class” of high discipline and knowledge, who has honed his skills in the shadows for years studying secrets mortals shouldn’t know. Oh, and he’s voiced by none other than Rahul Kohli (Midnight Mass, Haunting of Bly Manor).
Diablo 2: Resurrected's new DLC costs $24.99 and is available now. Here’s a brief overview of the Warlock mechanics, you’ll be able to:
- Summon: Call forth from 3 demons, Goatman, the Tainted, or the Defiler.
- Bind: Tether yourself to a single demon to inherit its unique passive abilities. (Only one demon at a time)
- Devour: Consume your minions to absorb their lifeforce, gaining temporary power buffs and traits based on the demon sacrificed.
More huge updates for Diablo 2: Resurrected
Blizzard isn’t stopping at a new class. Diablo 2 Resurrected has had a huge makeover with the drop of ‘Reign of the Warlock’. Here’s what you can look forward to if you jump in today:
Enhanced Terror Zones: Players can now use tradeable consumables to manually choose which acts are terrorized, meaning the zone will become more difficult and, in tandem, offer better rewards.
The Colossal Ancients: In Hell difficulty, players can hunt "Heralds of Terror" to collect five mystical statues. Combining these in the Horadric Cube unlocks a punishing new endgame boss battle against the Colossal Ancients.
Built-in Loot Filters: No mods required! Players can now create, share, or download community-preset loot filters directly in-game.
Stackable Stash: For the first time in Diablo 2 history, items in the stash can be stacked, with dedicated tabs now available for materials, gems, and runes.
The Chronicle: One for the completionists, you’ll now be able track every item you have ever collected and where you found it. This includes runewords and sets (and the devs told me will count items found by your party too)
Another interesting addition will be the Heralds of Terror. These demons will appear at random in Hell difficulty, stalking the player and getting progressively more difficult to defeat (if you encountered the Nemesis Demons on Diablo 3 console edition, it sounds similar to this).
RELATED: Diablo 2: Resurrected Developer Interview
Diablo 4: The Lord of Hatred and the Skovos Isles
Looking ahead to April 28, Diablo 4 fans will travel to the Mediterranean-inspired Skovos Isles in the Lord of Hatred expansion. This expansion also introduces its own "heavy metal" version of the Warlock, defined by chains and hellfire. (You'll see what I mean by heavy metal when you see this guy's spell names).
If you play the class across all three games (2, Immortal and 4) you should feel a considerable difference and evolution in the Warlock.
More details about the Diablo 4 Warlock will be revealed in a developer update on March 5 at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET, and will join the Paladin as the second playable class introduced in the expansion.
While we wait for more information on how the Warlock will fare in Diablo 4, here’s everything we know the Lord of Hatred expansion will bring so far:
- War Plans: A revolutionary endgame system where players create a "playlist" of activities (like Helltides and Nightmare Dungeons) to progress toward custom skill trees.
- The return of charms and sets: The new Talisman system brings back Charms and Set bonuses. While Charms can be of any rarity, Set Charms have the greatest potential, offering Set Bonuses for equipping multiple of the same set.
- System overhauls: Every class will receive a completely expanded skill tree with over 40 reworked choices and over 80 additional options. Lord of Hatred owners will also get over 20 additional skill choices.
- Horadric Cube: Our fave box from Diablo 2 is back, and will let you combine materials and forge new items.
- Loot filters for Diablo 4, too! Hallelujah.
- FISHING: In a franchise first, players can now engage in Fishing between demon-slaying sessions.
Diablo Immortal also gets the Warlock and some familiar territory
In a trifecta of content, Diablo Immortal is also getting the Warlock in Summer 2026. The Immortal version of the class is able to open Hell portals, summon demonic weapons, and command the demons themselves.
Her secret weapon, the Soulgorger, will devour other demons to absorb their traits. While physical weapons held will be a demon skill, and a sacrificial blade. There'll be a Warlock origin quest for Immortal players later this year to explore the new character's backstory.
Additionally, we return to Lut Gholein in a tribute to Diablo 2: Resurrected to reclaim the city from an old enemy, Andariel.
The Diablo Immortal team has shown a comprehensive roadmap of everything you can expect from Summer 2026 onwards in the mobile title.
The Road to BlizzCon
The 30th Anniversary is a year-long event. While Diablo 2: Resurrected takes centre stage today, Diablo 4 will get its next expansion, and later, Diablo Immortal will receive its own version of the Warlock.
We’ve already had a bunch of announcements this month for Blizzard's other flagship franchises like Overwatch, Hearthstone, and World of Warcraft, which leaves me wondering, what on earth do they have up their sleeves for BlizzCon 2026?
I also had the pleasure of sitting down with Blizzard President Johanna Faries during my time at the campus. You can read the full interview, all about Blizzard's big year, here.
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