Diablo 4’s next character class could be hiding in plain sight

Diablo 4’s early artwork may hold the answer to which character class could be coming to the game at some point in the future.

With Diablo 4’s first expansion adding the Spiritborn to the game, a new spin on the older Witch Doctor class, players are now wondering who’ll be next. With Diablo 4’s next expansion on the way, possibly coming in late 2025, there are a range of contenders.

As we’ve seen before in Diablo games, Blizzard could technically add another class without it being part of a major expansion. This is something Diablo Immortal has done twice. Or it could choose to make the new class a separate DLC, like Diablo 3 did with Rise of the Necromancer.

However, now a piece of early Diablo 4 artwork has players wondering if Blizzard already has plans for a new class, and it’s one that would be returning from Diablo 2, 3, and Immortal – the Holy Warrior, aka the Paladin or Crusader class.

Is the Crusader the next Diablo 4 class?

The art in question, seen at the top of this article, shows the various Diablo 4 classes battling demons together, but among them is a figure so far unseen in the game. Prominently featured in the middle of the artwork is a Holy Warrior brandishing a shield and a spear.

While nobody knows if this is a Paladin, a Crusader class, or another variant of the Holy Warrior archetype in Diablo, the art suggests that Blizzard once had plans to bring this character to the game – and could still have these plans.

With the Vessel of Hatred expansion returning to the region of Nahantu, it made sense for a variant of the Witch Doctor class to be added along with it. As the summoner roles were already taken by the Necromancer and Druid, Blizzard needed to effectively reboot the class into something fresh.

Could this also be the case with any Holy Warrior classes they add? After all, while both the Paladin and Crusader classes are known to use shields, neither is really associated with a spear. This suggests that the class could be a new character design and an evolution of the Crusader, which was itself a new spin on the Paladin.

YouTuber Osterberg501 was the first to point out this theory, explaining that this artwork was once an official Diablo 4 Displate before Blizzard quietly pulled the design.

This could mean that Blizzard changed its mind about including the class, or they were saving the reveal for a later date, so didn’t want the image drawing attention to it.

This new Holy Warrior class could also fit in nicely with the Diablo 4 universe, especially now that the Cathedral of Light has become such a focal point of the story.

With their over-zealous splinter group being defeated in Vessel of Hatred, it would make sense for a new Holy Warrior class to rise, one that is determined to redeem the church.

We believe it’s only a matter of time until Diablo 4 adds a Holy Warrior to its ranks, and this image could be our first clue as to what they could look like.