Summary
- Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion introduces the powerful Spiritborn class with unprecedented complexity.
- The Spiritborn class offers 4 unique skill types through Spirit Guardians, providing diverse gameplay options.
- Spiritborn's hybrid design allows for seemingly endless build possibilities, unlike traditional Diablo classes.
Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion introduces a wealth of content to the base game, including an original story in which players follow Neyrelle through the new Nahantu region on her mission to destroy the Prime Evil Mephisto. Vessel of Hatred has also opened the door for countless updates to the overall Diablo 4 experience, changing major aspects of the game from its progression system to its endgame content. However, while these additions are welcome, the debut of the new Spiritborn class might be the cherry on top of it all.
The Spiritborn class isn't just another Diablo 4 class, it has been intentionally designed not to behave like one. Instead, Vessel of Hatred's new Spiritborn class breaks a major series tradition in its mechanics, offering players an unprecedented amount of freedom in their playstyle.
Diablo 4 Season 6’s Difficulty Changes Explained
With a new season and a new expansion heading to Diablo 4, Blizzard is making some major changes to the game's difficulty options.
Vessel of Hatred's Spiritborn Class Boasts Unprecedented Complexity
Vessel of Hatred's Spiritborn Class Has Four Different Skill Types
What makes the Spiritborn class in Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion such a powerhouse is its build-crafting potential, as it has four different skill types to choose from. These skill types are contextualized in four Spirit Guardians (the Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, and Centipede), each of which offers a unique approach to gameplay. Through the Spirit Guardian Rezoka, the Jaguar, players have access to more aggressive combat skills that prioritize things like raw damage, attack speed, critical hits, and minor survivability to support that aggression.
Wumba, the Gorilla Spirit Guardian, is quite the opposite of the Jaguar in that it provides more defensive skills like blocking, dodging, and barrier. Then there's Kwatli, the Eagle, whose skills are performed from mid-range and fall somewhere between Jaguar skills and Gorilla skills. Specifically, Eagle skills use the element of Lightning to land critical hits but also grant players more survivability than Jaguar skills can offer. Furthermore, the Eagle's Ultimate skill, The Seeker, is the first Ultimate skill that has multiple charges.
Finally, Balazan, the Centipede Spirit Guardian, offers Spiritborn players skills that apply damage over time, game-changing debuffs, and plenty of crowd control. Poison Spiritborn builds have already become some of the most popular builds for Vessel of Hatred's endgame content, especially given that Centipede skills also offer healing and support. That's not to say the other Spirit Guardians are inferior, however, as Jaguar skills have proven to be among the best skills to use for leveling, Gorilla skills are perfect for cooperative play, and Eagle skills can quickly get players out of a pinch.
Most Diablo Class Builds Have Much Less to Work With in Terms of Skills
Where Vessel of Hatred's Spiritborn class ultimately separates itself from the rest of the Diablo franchise's classes is in its complexity, and the number of different potential builds it offers. For the most part, Diablo builds generally focus on utilizing one or two different skill categories. The Spiritborn class, on the other hand, was intentionally designed to encourage players to mix and match different skills from its four Spirit Guardian categories, which can potentially double the number of possible builds in comparison to Diablo's other classes.
Spiritborn's hybrid nature is a first of sorts for Diablo, and that's likely due to how game-breaking such a design can be.
In a sense, the Spiritborn class takes elements of multiple different Diablo classes and rolls them into one to produce what is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most overpowered classes in Diablo history. None of this is to say that anyone can just come in and benefit from the Spiritborn's advantages without even trying, as it still takes a considerable amount of thought to make a cohesive build in which every unlocked skill synergizes with the rest. However, the possibilities are there, and they are seemingly endless at the moment.
Diablo 4
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
WHERE TO PLAY
Diablo® IV is the ultimate action-RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot.
Embark on the epic campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through a gripping story in a beautifully dark world, or explore an expansive end game: battle iconic bosses for powerful loot, fight back the encroaching onslaught of Hell in Helltides, master the Forge to create your ultimate weapons and progress powerful characters, with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms.
Discover the critically acclaimed franchise that defined the Action RPG genre. As the battle between the High Heavens and Burning Hells rages on, hatred devours Sanctuary as evil spreads and a new wave of cultists and worshippers arise to embrace Lilith’s coming. Only a brave few dare to face this threat and bring light to the all-consuming darkness.
Expansive Open WorldForge your own path through the corrupted lands of Sanctuary, an ever-growing, fully explorable world teeming with challenges, quests, enemies, and loot. Join your fellow adventurers, rescue and retake besieged towns, delve into nightmarish dungeons and uncover lost secrets as you fight back evil. The many zones of Sanctuary are yours to explore, and with rotating areas of extreme peril like World Bosses and Helltide, danger lurks at every turn.
Immersive Character DevelopmentCreate and customize your character to face the encroaching darkness. Choose from one of five classes and build your hero with skills, abilities and cosmetics, creating a champion that is uniquely your own. Grow stronger as you progress through powerful Skill Trees and develop even more unique end game specializations with Paragon Boards.
Legendary Gear, Epic BattlesDiscover and experiment with a vast arsenal of powerful weapons, armor and more to fight back against the demons threatening Sanctuary. Explore unique combinations, create your own upgrades and collect a plethora of powerful tools to battle in immersive, action-packed combat against the deadliest of enemies.
Seasons & EventsThe tales of Sanctuary continue to unfold. Create Seasonal Characters and join in fresh adventures - master new mechanics and take on the latest threats in each new Season. Complete harrowing feats of the Season Journey and earn new Battle Pass rewards. Plus, sharpen your swords and get in the spirit of the seasons when Limited-Time Events sweep through Sanctuary.
End Game UndertakingsThere’s even more Diablo® IV to explore as you reach higher levels and more fearsome World Tiers. Face the greatest challenge yet as you take on the most powerful demons in The Pit, steel yourself against Uber Bosses to reap uber unique rewards, fight back overflowing armies of Hell as Helltides emerge across Sanctuary, battle larger-than-life World Bosses, and master the Forge to create the mightiest weapons fit for a hero.
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Cross Save
- All platforms
- Franchise
- Diablo
- Number of Players
- 1-2 players
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 158.25 GB
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 players (console only)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
