Classes

34:26 Diablo 4 has eight playable classes as of Oct 21, 2026: the Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue and Sorcerer in the base game, the Spiritborn from Vessel of Hatred, and the Paladin and Warlock from Lord of Hatred. A ninth, the Amazon, joins as a paid Class Pack in the first half of 2027. Every class plays the same campaign and endgame; what changes is the resource it spends, the class mechanic it unlocks while leveling and the skills on its tree. At the Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight on Feb 11, 2026, Blizzard promised that the skill tree overhaul coming with Lord of Hatred would reach every class, "alongside the Paladin and the Warlock", and would be "available to all players, regardless of Lord of Hatred ownership".

Quick facts

All classes compared

The table sets out what each class spends, the mechanic it unlocks while leveling and its Ultimate skills, from Blizzard's class pages, reveal posts and patch notes and PC Gamer's guide to the class mechanics.

Sources for the table: Blizzard's class list, the 2.0 PTR guide, Blizzard's 1.x patch notes, the Spiritborn reveal, the Paladin reveal and the Warlock deep dive.

The five base-game classes

The Barbarian "has unparalleled strength and expertly wields an entire arsenal in battle, with a weapon for every occasion", in Blizzard's words. He builds Fury with his attacks and carries four weapons at once, two two-handers and a pair for dual wielding, assigning each skill to one of them. War cries, slams and Whirlwind are his signatures.

The Druid is "a savage shapeshifter, fluidly transforming between the forms of a towering bear or a vicious werewolf", who also "commands the power of earth, wind, and storm". He spends Spirit, and his class mechanic trades the boons of four spirit animals in Scosglen for offerings he collects from monsters.

Necromancers are "cunning summoners that conjure vengeful hordes of the undead", whose "Essence flows into three powerful bastions of Bone, Blood, or Shadow". Skeletal Warriors, Skeletal Mages and a Golem fight for them; the Book of the Dead decides what each minion does, or sacrifices it for the Necromancer's own power.

The Rogue is "an adaptable, agile warrior who can specialize in ranged or close quarters combat", with imbued weapons, combo attacks, poisons and shadow magic. She spends Energy and picks a Specialization: Combo Points, Inner Sight or Preparation.

The Sorcerer "shapes the elements into whatever form is necessary to ensure victory", with lightning, ice spikes and meteors. Blizzard called the class the Sorceress when it revealed the Necromancer, the fifth and last launch class, on Jun 12, 2022; the class list now says Sorcerer. Mana pays for spells, and Enchantments turn a spell into a passive effect.

The expansion classes

3:25 Each expansion brought new classes. The Spiritborn, Vessel of Hatred's class, is the "apex predator of the Nahantu jungle", fighting with glaives, quarterstaves and polearms and channeling four Spirit Guardians. Lord of Hatred added two. IGN's review of the expansion calls the returning Paladin what "you'd expect" from Diablo 2's, with protection abilities and powerful aura builds, and the Warlock "completely new to the series", claiming Hell's power through a wide variety of builds; the reviewer preferred the Warlock. Blizzard sums the Warlock up in one line: "They do not serve Hell, they weaponize it." The Paladin was playable early, from Dec 11, 2025, for anyone who pre-purchased Lord of Hatred.

Buying any edition of Lord of Hatred also unlocks Vessel of Hatred, so one purchase opens all three expansion classes. Both expansions need the base game.

The Lord of Hatred skill tree rework

1:34 Lord of Hatred's launch trailer gives the change its own title card, "Major skill tree updates for all classes", over a branching tree of skill nodes. Blizzard's notes put numbers on it: over 40 reworked choices and 80 new options per class, up to 83 Skill Points, and no more passive nodes on the tree, with some old passives moved into Legendary Aspects and Uniques. Each active skill now has three branches; the first two hold general upgrades, and the third holds Bonus Skill Variants that only owners of the expansion fully unlock.

4:41 IGN's review explains what changed for the six classes that already existed: instead of "highly attractive passive perks" that simply raised damage or toughness, the trees are now built around "more meaningful choices", such as turning the Sorcerer's fire Hydras into ice. The reviewer also notes that a skill can now take up to 15 points instead of the previous five. Some classes gained more than options: every Druid skill got a free node that sets its form (Human, Werewolf or Werebear), and the Necromancer's summons moved out of the Book of the Dead into the tree, Blizzard Watch reported on Apr 27, 2026.

The Amazon (first half of 2027)

47:05 Blizzard revealed the Amazon at the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony on Sep 12, 2026, as "one of Diablo's most iconic warriors". She will wield the bow and bring a weapon Diablo 4 has never had, the javelin, in a Class Pack due in the first half of 2027. She comes from Skovos, the island Lord of Hatred visits, and is a female-only class.

39:59 At the "What's Next" panel the next day, her designers described a versatile class: melee, mid-range and fully ranged combat, "a disciplined warrior first", using poison, cold, fire, lightning and physical damage. Unlike the Sorcerer, they said, she does not conjure magic out of thin air; her power comes from her ancestors and is "rooted in sisterhood". Blizzard named four archetypes: the Champion, the Skirmisher (javelin), the Ranger (bow) and the Commander (Valkyries). Blizzard has not announced her price or exact date, as of Oct 21, 2026.

How to choose a class

Blizzard publishes no ranking of its classes, and the strongest builds change with every season's balance patch (the Season of Hell's Legacy notes of Sep 12, 2026, for example, weakened the Barbarian, which had "been strong for the past couple seasons", and raised the damage of the Druid, Necromancer, Paladin and Sorcerer). Tier lists come from guide sites and creators, and change with each patch. Choose by play style:

• Up close and sturdy: the Barbarian (weapons and shouts), the Paladin (hammer, shield and auras) or the Druid in Werebear form.
• Minions and summons: the Necromancer, or the Warlock's Legion demons, which IGN calls "Necromancer-like".
• Ranged: the Rogue's bow or the Sorcerer's spells; the Amazon will add a second bow class in 2027.
• Hybrid and new: the Spiritborn, whose skills mix four spirit animals, or the Warlock, which Blizzard Watch described as "combining Sorcerer and Necromancer into one class".

Blizzard Watch's suggestions for Lord of Hatred's launch were Whirlwind's "Winding" variant for the Barbarian, Werewolf form with Wind Shear for the Druid, the summoning rework for the Necromancer, Barrage's "Multishot" for the Rogue, the "Frigid Hydra" for the Sorcerer and Wall of Agony for the Warlock. Reported builds are collected on Builds, and each class's page covers its skills and seasonal changes.

Frequently asked questions

How many classes are in Diablo 4? Diablo 4 has eight classes as of Oct 21, 2026: Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue, Sorcerer, Spiritborn, Paladin and Warlock. The Amazon will be the ninth, in the first half of 2027.

Which Diablo 4 classes need an expansion? The Spiritborn needs Vessel of Hatred, and the Paladin and Warlock need Lord of Hatred. Every edition of Lord of Hatred includes Vessel of Hatred, so it unlocks all three.

What is the newest class in Diablo 4? The Warlock, which arrived with Lord of Hatred on Apr 28, 2026 (Apr 27 in the Americas). The next class, the Amazon, comes as a paid Class Pack in the first half of 2027.

What is the best class in Diablo 4? Blizzard does not rank its classes, and balance changes every season. Blizzard said in its Season of Hell's Legacy notes that the Barbarian had been strong for several seasons and toned it down, while raising the damage of the Druid, Necromancer, Paladin and Sorcerer.

Is the Amazon an expansion? No. The Amazon comes to Diablo 4 as a paid Class Pack in the first half of 2027; Blizzard says no more expansions are currently planned.

Can I change my class in Diablo 4? No, a character keeps its class. Players make another character to try a different class; account-wide progress such as Paragon on a Realm and Season Rank rewards carries over to it, and the Leveling Guide covers how to level it quickly.

Did the skill tree change in Diablo 4? Yes. With Lord of Hatred every class got a reworked skill tree, free for all players, with passive nodes removed, more than 40 reworked choices, over 80 new options and up to 83 Skill Points.

Sources

• Diablo IV official site, Blizzard Entertainment, read Oct 20, 2026
• Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred, Blizzard Entertainment, read Oct 20, 2026
• All Hell Breaks Loose in 2023: Diablo IV Is Coming, Blizzard Entertainment, Jun 12, 2022
• Diablo IV Patch Notes, Blizzard Entertainment, Jun 6, 2023
• The 2.0 PTR: What You Need to Know, Blizzard Entertainment, Aug 29, 2024
• Awaken the Ferocity of a New Class: Spiritborn, Blizzard Entertainment, Jul 18, 2024
• Wield Divine Might as the Paladin, Blizzard Entertainment, Dec 11, 2025
• Master Hell Itself with the Warlock, Blizzard Entertainment, Mar 5, 2026
• Prepare for the Reckoning: Lord of Hatred Draws Near, Blizzard Entertainment, Apr 23, 2026
• Celebrate 30 Years of Diablo in Season of Hell's Legacy, Blizzard Entertainment, Sep 12, 2026
• Diablo IV: What's Next Panel Recap, Blizzard Entertainment, Sep 13, 2026
• Diablo 4 class mechanics explained, PC Gamer, Mar 17, 2023
• Which class should you play in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred?, Blizzard Watch, Apr 27, 2026
• Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight, Diablo, Feb 11, 2026 (video)
• Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred - Launch Trailer, Diablo, Apr 21, 2026 (video)
• Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Review, IGN, Apr 2026 (video)
• BlizzCon 2026 - Opening Ceremony, Blizzard Entertainment, Sep 13, 2026 (video)
• Diablo IV - What's Next Panel - BlizzCon 2026, Diablo, Sep 13, 2026 (video)