After playing Diablo 4’s new Spiritborn class, I’m glad it’s coming before Paladin

polygon.com:

Rumors of a Paladin or “sword-and-board” class have been circling around Diablo 4 since before it was released. Of the five original classes, the “holy warrior” archetype is the one that the acclaimed ARPG has truly felt like it’s been missing.

As a huge Crusader fan in Diablo 3, and an enjoyer of Paladin archetypes, I was hopeful about getting a Paladin-like character with Diablo 4’s first expansion. Instead, Blizzard announced that the brand-new Spiritborn would beDiablo 4’s first new class, coming in the Vessel of Hatred expansion on Oct. 8.

At first, I have to admit my reaction was “What a bummer.” After all, this means waiting another year at least until I can embody an updated version of a Crusader in Diablo 4’s open-world Sanctuary. But on July 11, I was able to visit Blizzard and get a preview of the Spiritborn to learn what it is, how it plays, and perhaps most importantly, why it isn’t a Paladin. And after speaking to one of Blizzard’s game designers, Bjorn Mikkelson, and associate class designer Stephen Stewart, I’ve changed my tune. I’m glad that the Spiritborn will be the first new class in Diablo 4 instead of a holy warrior.

The pitch for the Spiritborn is that they’re agile warriors who use melee strikes to deal with their foes. While attacking, they can also call on their Spirit Guardians to decimate their enemies. There are four Spirit Guardians to choose from, and each has their own identity: Gorilla, Jaguar, Eagle, and Centipede.

Each Spirit Guardian has their own set of abilities in the ability tree — typically one per primary, core skill, ultimate, etc. — that fits into their theme. Jaguar abilities are all about speed and fire, whereas Gorilla abilities focus on protecting themselves and others while dealing physical damage. Eagle abilities have far more range than the other Spirit Guardians and focus on precision and lightning damage. The visually grossest and flashiest of the four is the Centipede, which is all about poison and the earth.

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