Spiritborn

38:42 The Spiritborn is the class that Diablo 4's first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, added on Oct 8, 2024: an "apex predator of the Nahantu jungle" who fights up close with glaives, quarterstaves and polearms and calls on four Spirit Guardians, the Jaguar, the Gorilla, the Eagle and the Centipede. It was the first class Blizzard Entertainment made for Diablo 4 rather than bringing back from an older game, and its movement sets it apart: at the BlizzCon 2026 What's Next panel, the designers comparing it with the coming Amazon say the Spiritborn moves very quickly but fluidly, "almost more dance-like". Today it is one of eight Classes, playable by anyone who owns Vessel of Hatred, which every edition of Lord of Hatred now includes.

Quick facts

Who the Spiritborn are

Blizzard's Spiritborn reveal of Jul 18, 2024 ties the class to the prophet Akarat, the founder of the Zakarum faith. Born in Xiansai to a mother from Nahantu, Akarat returned to his mother's homeland and found a veil there between Sanctuary and the Spirit Realm, a sacred plane "shaped by human beliefs" and untouched by angels and demons. With his most trusted acolyte, Ysevete, he studied it until he became the first living person to cross into it. After his death Ysevete built the tenets they had written into the culture the Spiritborn still follow: protect the Spirit Realm and its spirits, and keep harmony between the two worlds. Joining the Spirit Realm at death is their highest honor.

The class fights in three-hit combos with acrobatic dodges, and Blizzard's post calls the glaive its "favored demon-slaying implement". Akarat himself returns in the Story of Vessel of Hatred, where Neyrelle seeks his tomb.

The four Spirit Guardians

Every Spiritborn skill belongs to one Guardian, and each Guardian has its own damage type and its own Ultimate. Blizzard describes them this way (Jul 18, 2024):

• Jaguar (Rezoka), Fire: relentless, fast attacks that ramp up "in lethality". Skills such as Rake, Ravager and Rushing Claw; Ultimate The Hunter, which bounds across the battlefield and slashes everything in the area. Jaguar skills feed Ferocity.
• Gorilla (Wumba), Physical: resilience and retaliation. Rock Splitter, Concussive Stomp and Payback; Ultimate The Protector, which guards an area, smashing enemies and granting a Barrier.
• Eagle (Kwatli), Lightning: speed, a stronger Evade and mid-range bursts. Soar, Quill Volley and Razor Wings; Ultimate The Seeker, which swoops down and then blasts off.
• Centipede (Balazan), Poison: Poisoning, Slows and Fear. Withering Fist, Scourge and Stinger; Ultimate The Devourer, which blasts enemies in a line for 15 seconds.

The class also brought a new skill tag, Incarnate: an Incarnate skill gives a passive bonus of its Guardian while equipped and the Guardian's full strength when used. Its launch Key Passives were Adaptive Stances, Noxious Resonance, Prodigy's Tempo and Vital Strikes.

The Spirit Hall and the Sacred Hunt

The Spirit Hall is the Spiritborn's class mechanic. At level 15 a Spiritborn meets Tarka, a Spiritborn emissary in Gea Kul, to investigate a string of killings across Kehjistan; finishing that quest, the Sacred Hunt, unlocks the Hall. There the player picks one Guardian as the Primary Spirit, which grants a bonus and adds that Spirit's tag to every skill, so its bonuses reach the whole kit. At level 30 a second bonus opens, from the same Guardian or another one. Blizzard's own example pairs a Gorilla Primary Spirit (Thorns and a Barrier on every Gorilla skill) with a Jaguar secondary that raises maximum Ferocity, so the attack speed bonus speeds up the Gorilla's effects too.

Since Lord of Hatred

34:26 Lord of Hatred rebuilt every class's skill tree, the Spiritborn's included, and the free part of that rework reached all players whether or not they bought the expansion. Blizzard said in its Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight on Feb 11, 2026 that each class would get more than 40 reworked choices and over 80 new options, with more than 20 extra transformative choices for owners of the expansion. Passive nodes left the tree, and each active skill now branches three ways (Blizzard, Apr 23, 2026).

4:41 IGN's review of Lord of Hatred found the six existing trees "completely reworked" around meaningful choices instead of passive perks. For the Spiritborn the biggest change is in the Ultimates: each now has a variant that mixes two Spirits. Blizzard Watch, recommending the class on Apr 27, 2026, named The Protector's "The Infected Forest" (Gorilla and Centipede), The Seeker's "Tag Team" (Eagle and Jaguar), The Hunter's "Push and Pounce" (Jaguar and Gorilla) and The Devourer's "Sky and Soil" (Centipede and Eagle).

The current season, Season of Hell's Legacy, gave the class a new Paragon board, Swarm of Storms, whose Legendary node makes skills that create Pestilent Swarms and Spirit Storms deal 80% more damage. The same patch, 3.2.1 on Sep 15, 2026, fixed a Tzic Rune bug that "incorrectly gave a massive damage increase" and, to offset it, buffed the Spiritborn's Paragon boards, Core and Potency skills and Unique weapons. Variants that used to change a skill's Spirit now add the new Spirit as an extra tag instead.

How the Spiritborn compares

37:50 Blizzard's designers use the Spiritborn as a yardstick for the class that comes next. Describing the Amazon at BlizzCon on Sep 13, 2026, they place her balance of armor and mobility "somewhere in between" a Spiritborn and the heavily armored Paladin.

Which Spiritborn setup is strongest changes every season. German outlet Mein-MMO's endgame tier list of Oct 1, 2026, built from Maxroll's list and d4builds.gg, put two Spiritborn builds in its top tier for Season 15: Counterattack of the Swarm and Stinger. Builds named by other outlets are collected on Builds.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Vessel of Hatred to play the Spiritborn in Diablo 4? Yes. The Spiritborn comes with Vessel of Hatred, and Blizzard lists it as "Available with Vessel of Hatred expansion". Vessel of Hatred is no longer sold on its own in the US stores, but every edition of Lord of Hatred includes it.

What are the Spiritborn's spirits in Diablo 4? The four Spirit Guardians are the Jaguar (Fire), the Gorilla (Physical), the Eagle (Lightning) and the Centipede (Poison). Each has its own skills and its own Ultimate: The Hunter, The Protector, The Seeker and The Devourer.

How do I unlock the Spirit Hall? Reach level 15 as a Spiritborn and talk to Tarka in Gea Kul to start the Sacred Hunt quest; finishing it unlocks the Spirit Hall. A secondary Spirit bonus opens at level 30.

Is the Spiritborn good in Diablo 4 Season 15? Mein-MMO's tier list of Oct 1, 2026 placed two Spiritborn builds, Counterattack of the Swarm and Stinger, in its top tier for Season 15. Blizzard's patch 3.2.1 also buffed the class's Paragon boards, Core and Potency skills.

What weapons does the Spiritborn use? The Spiritborn uses glaives, quarterstaves and polearms. Blizzard calls the glaive its favored weapon.

When was the Spiritborn added to Diablo 4? The Spiritborn arrived with Vessel of Hatred on Oct 8, 2024 (Oct 7 at 4 p.m. PT in the Americas), after Blizzard revealed it on Jul 18, 2024.

Sources

• Awaken the Ferocity of a New Class: Spiritborn, Blizzard Entertainment, Jul 18, 2024
• What You Need to Know for Vessel of Hatred's Launch, Blizzard Entertainment, Sep 2024
• Diablo IV official site, Blizzard Entertainment, read Oct 20, 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 (with the 3.2.1 patch notes), Blizzard Entertainment, Sep 12, 2026
• Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred on Steam, Valve, read Oct 20, 2026
• Which class should you play in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred?, Blizzard Watch (Liz Patt), Apr 27, 2026
• Diablo 4 Tier List: Beste Builds im Endgame von Season 15, Mein-MMO (Nicole Wakulczyk), Oct 1, 2026
• Diablo IV | What's Next Panel | BlizzCon 2026, Diablo, Sep 13, 2026 (video)
• Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight, Diablo, Feb 11, 2026 (video)
• Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Review, IGN, 2026 (video)