By Drew Swanson
As exciting as the announcement of the Paladin for Diablo 4 Season 11 was, the fact that a second new class would be released alongside the Lord of Hatred expansion lets fans have their cake and eat it too. While the surprise shadow drop of the Paladin allowed Diablo 4 players to jump in right away and explore everything the new class had to offer, Blizzard has been tight-lipped about what this second class could be. Given the setting for Lord of Hatred, one classic class seems like a shoo-in and would give two of Diablo 4's most requested classes their chance in the spotlight.
When the Paladin was announced for Diablo 4, the dev team highlighted the fact that Paladin was the most requested Diablo 4 class among fans. While it's possible that Lord of Hatred's second new class could be something entirely new, like the Spiritborn was in Vessel of Hatred, this expansion would also be the perfect time for Blizzard to double down on fan-favorite classes from the series' past. The Skovos setting for Lord of Hatred makes the Amazon seem inevitable, and would bring the game's Diablo 2 inspirations full circle.
Why Amazon is the Most Likely Second Class for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred
At this point, Diablo 4 has almost every class from Diablo 2 represented (with the exception of the Rogue replacing Diablo 2's Assassin class):
- Amazon
- Assassin
- Barbarian
- Druid
- Necromancer
- Paladin
- Sorceress
The major exception on this list is the Amazon, which has yet to appear in Diablo 4. While the Spiritborn shares some features of Diablo 2's Amazon, such as passive Evade-trigger skills, it's different enough that the Amazon could justifiably be its own class in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred.
Lord of Hatred's Skovos Setting is Home to the Amazons
Other than completing the entirety of Diablo 2's class roster, the Amazon's deep ties to the region of Skovos make it a perfect choice for the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion. The Askari are an ancient civilization native to Skovos with a matriarchal government that sees Amazons as its order of female warriors. Amazons have been trained to withstand the harsh environments of Skovos, making them the perfect class for an intense clash with Mephisto in the island region.
Note
Although only women can become Amazon warriors, there have been groups of male warriors called Death Ravens in Askari society, which could be used to justify a playable male option for the class in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred.
After the Popularity of the Paladin, Another Highly-Requested Diablo 2 Class Makes the Most Sense
It's clear that Diablo 4 wants to recapture the popularity of Diablo 2 with features like Mercenaries and the region of Nahantu returning in Vessel of Hatred, and the Paladin already joining the fray ahead of features like the Horadric Cube set to return in Lord of Hatred. With how popular the Paladin's addition has been, it would make sense for Blizzard to try and keep this streak going with another popular Diablo 2 class in the Amazon, since it is the only class missing from Diablo 4 so far. The upcoming expansion could pull a Spiritborn and introduce a brand-new class, but the Amazon already offers something missing from Diablo 4 that should be
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
