The Vessel of Hatred expansion for Diablo IV was announced earlier this year with the promise of the addition of the first new class to enter Sanctuary. While many might have been expecting a more standard Paladin to return to the fray we were instead teased the Spiritborn – an apex predator from the jungles of Nahantu.
Very little was known at that early stage but now Blizzard has revealed the Spiritborn in all their glory in an hour-long livestream, hosted by presenters in Spiritborn t-shirts. This is truly big time. But who are the Spiritborn? What will they bring to Diablo IV and when can we start creating our new class? Here’s what we know at this point.
“Before this question can be answered, you must first understand the Spirit Realm and Akarat’s discovery of it.” cue Blizzard mysteriously slipping into story-telling mode.
There is a huge amount of lore here and if you want to immerse yourself in that, then have a full read here, but suffice to say for our purposes, they are a band of warriors who have sworn to protect the Spirit Realm, but on to the cool stuff.
A Spirtborn can call upon one of four Spirit Guardians in times of need- the Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, or Centipede and champion their prowess.
With the Spiritborn comes a new Skill Tag: Incarnate. While equipped, the Spiritborn embodies the traits of the Guardian associated with the Incarnate Skill, providing you with a passive bonus. When activated, you take on the Guardian’s full strength.
The Spiritborn are described by Blizzard as thusL “Spiritborn are versatile warriors who fuse devastating three-hit-combo attacks and acrobatic fluidity into a potent display of their ferocity. They are masters of hand-to-hand combat, doling out lethality at close range through the ability to extend their wrath with the aid of spirit energy and their favored demon-slaying implement, the glaive. Their physical prowess allows them to block or dodge incoming strikes, absorbing this power for themselves or redirecting it back at their aggressors.”
The Jaguar is relentless and violent, attacking repeatedly with blinding speed and fury. Constantly ramping up in lethality and keeping its fire burning in between kills.
The embodiment of resilience and retaliation, the Gorilla not only shrugs off incoming damage but ensures their reprisals are brutal, swift and final. This Guardian embodies pure dominance and efficient resolution to protect its own at all costs.
The Eagle is lethal and attacks its prey with pinpoint precision. Its movement speed and amplified Evade, combined with extendable mid-ranged attacks, come together to deliver a concentrated burst of pain upon your foes.
Draining the strength of foes to sustain itself, the Centipede is a manifestation of the inescapable cycle of death. Wield debilitating Poison damage and disruptive crowd control to reduce any opposition to a lifeless husk.
The Spiritborn will arrive in D4 on October 8 as part of the Vessel of Hatred expansion. Pre-purchasing the Ultimate edition of the expansion will also get you some cool SB cosmetics to get you up and running.
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