When Diablo 4 was released over two years ago, I was very, very excited. I’ve spent hundreds of hours with the franchise, digging into its deep, engaging gameplay since the very first one debuted from Blizzard in the 90’s. So when the “Diablo Team” laid out everything they were planning to do and appeared to be making this a massive, ongoing game, I was right there with them!
It was a good start to the year, but not a great one. After about a year, the first expansion Vessel of Hatred arrived, improving what was already a decent foundation. Gameplay-wise, we had a new class and some more to do on the map, while story-wise, things continued from the base game’s dark and bloody adventure. Both of these were fun, but the long-term pull wasn’t there, and the first foray in making Diablo 4 a successful live service game seemed to be in trouble.
By the end of 2025, Blizzard said a new expansion was on the way, a big update would arrive with a new season, and, of course, a new Paladin class was here. So let’s dive into what all this means, especially the Paladin, as it’s bringing a whole new look and feel to the game and the franchise. I’ve spent dozens of hours with my character so far, and I have some thoughts.
A certain population of Diablo fans and players have been speculating and hoping for the return of the Crusader class from the last game, but instead, we’re now equipped with the Paladin. I was skeptical at first, but once I found my groove and got used to the updated systems in Diablo 4, I was having a blast!
If you don’t know, a Paladin class (in many games and forms) is a holy light-wielding, semi-support class bruiser or tank. They’re often hard to defeat and lead the charge in engaging with bosses or elites. But all in all, what really matters here is how the class feels. And I’m happy to report that it feels excellent!
My holy tank Uther (yeah, named after the co-Blizzard Warcraft character) began as a sword and shield-wielding hero with some agility skills. Over time, I found my groove with a two-handed weapon most of the time.
This evolved as I played around with the four sub-classes of the Paladin, each with their own playstyle and buffs that will help your build be optimized for those epic Torment difficulty dungeon runs. There’s the more head-on tank approach with the Juggernaut, a quick sword-loving Zealot, a transformation and jump-friendly Disciple (or Arbiter), and the Judicator who benefits from tossing and smashing with a hammer build.
Eventually, I landed on a build that had a solid mix of close and mid-range abilities. This felt optimal with my habits and worked well with the loot I was often using. Being swarmed by demons sometimes feels impossible early on in Diablo 4, but once I reached end-game stages and Paragon buffs, my class was crushing!
I may not be the expert voice on exactly what to build as you progress in the game, but my Paladin often holds a shield and mace and a Disciple sub-class. Even though both of those key points have changed a couple of times, I’ve found the combination of transformation abilities, a bit of agility, and thorns to fend off close attackers has really worked for me.
At this moment, Season 11 is the current version of the game you’d be playing. With about two more months until the next one kicks in, there’s lots of time to dig into what it has to offer. I’ll admit, as fun as things get in Diablo 4, I’m often overwhelmed with what there is to do and how many systems there are to manage. I highly doubt I’m a fully optimized Paladin at the moment, but as I sit dozens of levels into my Paragon points build, I still feel powerful and I’m still enjoying myself.
There are at least four ways to crush demons and various enemies in the Pit, Infernal Hordes, what feels like countless lair bosses, and the Undercity. Again, this can all get pretty overwhelming. But on the plus side, it never feels like there’s nothing to do. The challenge is there, and for the most part, so is the reward. For anyone who’s looking for more hellish fights and epic bosses, there are a lot of them in Season 11. The lesser evils are back, and so is Mephisto. We last saw them in various forms in Diablo 3, and they’ve returned bigger than ever, ready to spill layers of loot.
For the time being, the Paladin is an exciting and meaningful way to keep the current game interesting. In the spring of 2026, we’ll be able to get our hands on the next expansion, Lord of Hatred.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
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