Paladins or Crusaders in Diablo 4?

[JCarrill0-1742]

@Helios-1923

Having something like subclasses or different skill paths to follow would be definitely interesting. However, it would also be a lot more work for the developers, so I am afraid that they will just pick one archetype, holy or dark, and stick with it and its relevant skills.

Now, considering how many people miss the Paladin/Crusader class from previous games (me included), I personally think we’ll see the return of a holy class, whatever the name will be. Quite frankly, I suspect it will be exactly “Paladin”, based on some leaks we have seen and also on the fact that crusaders have recently lost the source of their power, Akarat.

As someone pointed out, even if paladins had almost disappeared, some must have survived. On top of that Blizzard can make new lore to make anything work.

That being said, I hope it will NOT be a copy-paste of the D2 paladin, since I found that class a bit boring to play. The crusader from D3 was a lot more fun, so I hope the new class will be more similar to it, but with most skills reimagined if not brand-new.

Regarding old skills, it may be interesting to bring holy auras back, they may be difficult to balance but perhaps not more difficult than the necromancer’s army of minions was. Either way, holy auras are not a deal-breaker for me if it’s too hard to make them work.

In terms of weapons, I hope we get at least sword & board and a TH sword. But if we can choose any one-handed to go with the shield and any two-handed, that would be a huge plus.

@Helios
Yeah, I can see the concern about development scope — subclasses or branching paths are definitely more work than locking a single fantasy in place. I just really hope they don’t narrow it too much, because holy warriors in Diablo kinda evolved in three different directions based on the era, not just one.

And I’m with you: I don’t really want a 1:1 Paladin remake or a D3 Crusader copy either. If anything, taking Crusader-style combat flow but building a new thematic twist (or even an internal “faith crisis” tone) could be a nice middle ground.
Holy auras returning in some form would be hype, but yeah… Blizzard has shown they’re not scared to redesign staples if needed.

As for weapons, totally agree — sword & board feels iconic, but giving access to multiple weapon identities would open way more build creativity than “knight only.”