Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred’s Spiritborn class: Everything we know

Diablo 4 will get its first new class since launch when Spiritborn arrives alongside the Vessel of Hatred expansion.

The Diablo 4’s Vessel of Hatred expansion introduce a new region, story, and a new class – the Spiritborn. This voodoo practitioner will also be playable in Season 6 of Diablo 4, which launches at the same time as the DLC.

Officially revealed alongside Vessel of Hatred during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, the Spiritborn class is the first new character to be added to Diablo 4 since launch. Here’s everything we know, so far.

When will Spiritborn become available in Diablo 4?

The Spiritborn Class will release as part of the Vessel of Hatred releases on October 8, 2024.

Players will need to purchase the expansion to play as the new class. Those playing Season 6 will only have access to the Spiritborn if they have the expansion installed.

Spiritborn class reveal

Blizzard revealed Spiritborn gameplay footage on July 18 in a stream where developers broke down the “class design, gameplay, lore, and much more.”

A gameplay trailer for the character class also accompanied the broadcast.

What do we know about Diablo 4’s Spiritborn class?

Taking inspiration from Diablo Immortal’s trend of creating a new class rather than recycling an older one, the Spiritborn will be native to the new Nahantu region in the DLC and serve as part of a warrior sect who’ve risen up to defend their land from Mephisto.

When designing the agile Spiritborn class, Blizzard developers took inspiration from martial arts and Diablo’s Nahantu jungle. As opposed to overbearing themselves with armor, these characters have certain elements of nature imbued into their being.

Without lots of armor weighing them down, it should come as no surprise that Spiritborn counts as Diablo 4’s fastest class, one that will primarily revolve around dexterity.

Similarities to the Witch Doctor

Like the Witch Doctor, the Spiritborn will have a voodoo priest vibe, so it will be interesting to see if the classes share any similarities. As the Necromancer is the master of death, and the Druid is the master of nature in Diablo 4, there might not be much space for the Witch Doctor class – one that embodies both of these traits in Diablo 3.

This could be why Blizzard has created a different class for the Kurast region in Vessel of Hatred, one that leans into the Aztec theme a little more and less on Voodoo. The class may also take some inspiration from the new classes added to Diablo Immortal in recent years, such as the Tempest.

In terms of the lore, the Spiritborn class will be defending their homeland from Mephisto, one of the Prime Evils, Lilith’s father, and Diablo’s brother. Mephisto ravaged Kurast in Diablo 2 and is returning to his old stomping ground.

In Diablo 3, this is what encouraged the Witch Doctors to join the fight, so we imagine the same will be true of the Spiritborn class in Diablo 4 when they arrive with the DLC

What to expect from Spiritborn class’ gameplay

In terms of gameplay, Spiritborn will be a mixture of the Witch Doctor and the Monk, with developers describing it as a class that can “best any foe with their imbued weapons, perform powerful combo attacks, and augment their arsenal with deadly poisons and shadow magic to slay demons with impunity.”

As noted in the reveal stream on July 18, Diablo 4’s new class will have the ability to summon spirit guardians that include a Centipede, Eagle, Gorilla, and Jaguar. Each guardian adopts the qualities of different forms of martial arts, as well.

Centipede will deal power damage, as well as offer crowd control, and life-stealing abilities. For the Eagle spirit, players can expect an emphasis on movement speed, ranged damage, and precision attacks.

The Gorilla spirit will focus on damage reduction, damage reflection, and defense. And, lastly, Movement, AoE damage, and attack speed will prove central to the Jaguar spirit guardian.

Using these guardians in combat will both fend off enemies and empower the Spiritborn character. While players will have the option to focus their efforts on upgrading one spirit guardian, learning skills from various spirits constitutes another viable option, the developers said.

During the broadcast’s Q&A section, developers told viewers the new class will only wield two-handed weapons and use a resource called Vigor that’s obtained by employing Basic Skills.

The team also noted that what separates the Druid from Spiritborn is that the latter channels guardian spirits, while the former morphs into and summons animals.

In addition, Blizzard confirmed Vessel of Hatred will further mix up the gameplay by adding two new weapons – a Glaive and Quarter Staff.

Spiritborn will be available to everyone who purchases the DLC and can be used to play through the original campaign.

Spirit Guardians deep dive

A deep dive video shared by Blizzard details how each one of the Spirit Guardians will augment the action. Narrative Designer Eleni Rivera-Colon explains that these kinds of spirits have been growing and “changing with the Spirit Realm over millennia.”

As such, the most powerful Guardians can be called upon by Spiritborn to function as an extension of their skills in martial arts.

The Jaguar form is known as Rezoka, the Hunter, a spirit “fueled by fire” who can jump into combat and claw at enemies with ease.

Kwatli, the Seeker manifests as an Eagle, using its incredible mobility to drop into battle with devastating lightning strikes. As seen in the brief glimpse at gameplay in the video below, it can even teleport the Spiritborn short distances during combat.

Wumba, the Guardian is the Gorilla spirit, its form representing a “beacon of protection and strength.” This Guardian’s dominating might allows him to slam enemies around in a manner that would give the Hulk pause.

Finally, the Centipede – Balazan, the Devourer – exemplifies the cycle of life. However, its skillset specifically emphasizes the decay that occurs in death, so the poisonous-looking bile it spews in battle eats away at targeted foes.

Developer comments on the Spiritborn class

Spiritborn is an ancient breed of warrior with clear Mesoamerican influence that hails from the Nahantu region. These warriors draw power from ancestral spirits and the magic of the deep jungle they inhabit.

Game Director Rod Fergusson revealed in an interview with Windows Central that Spiritborn’s playstyle is relatively unique for Diablo.

“We wanted to do something that was completely different,” Fergusson explained. “And so that’s what you see with the Spiritborn. It’s a recognition that we’re going to a new place with Nahantu, and we wanted to have a class that was part of that design.”

That’s everything we know about the new Spirtborn class for now, ready for when it’s released alongside the DLC and Season 6.