17 January 2026

Diablo 4’s second Lord of Hatred class is predictable, but you won’t see its gameplay loop coming

By newsgame

The fact that Diablo 4‘s Lord of Hatred expansion would release in 2026 didn’t catch fans by surprise, but the fact that it would feature not one, but two classes, was quite unexpected. On top of that, Diablo 4‘s Paladin builds in Season 11 became all the rage with the early release of the class, offering new gameplay avenues that other classes didn’t really allow, or not as in-depth, such as the Auradin build. Now that the Lord of Hatred expansion is slated for release in just a little over three months from now, there’s a lot of anticipation for what it will bring, as well as what kind of second class it will add.

Even before the Lord of Hatred expansion was revealed, it was predicted and even expected by many that either the Skovos Isles or the Amazon class (or both) would be back. The expansion confirms that Skovos is indeed the setting for Lord of Hatred, but Diablo 4‘s Amazon class may not be exactly what Blizzard has in store for the new release, if ever. Thematically, the Amazon would be perfect for several reasons:

Diablo 4 is a Diablo 2 successor more than it is Diablo 3, and ever since it came out, it tried to emulate the highs of the beloved ARPG.
Diablo 2: Resurrected‘s Amazon builds made fans of the franchise wish for a more in-depth take on the class with the visual upgrades Diablo 4 can offer.
The Amazon Caste originates from the Skovos Isles, making it the perfect setting for the class to return.

Why Diablo 4’s 8th Class is Not The Amazon

Yet, many fans have pointed out that the most plausible candidate is not the Amazon. This is due to a few key reasons:

Diablo 4‘s classes have gendered options, and due to lore reasons, there are no male members of the Amazon.
The current selection of classes has only Diablo 4‘s Druid as a Willpower class, whereas each of the other main stats has two representatives. The Amazon would be the third Dexterity-based class in the game.
- Strength: Barbarian, Paladin
- Dexterity: Rogue, Spiritborn
- Intelligence: Sorcerer, Necromancer
- Willpower: Druid
The Skovos Isles feature two main Castes, the Amazons and the Oracles, born from the same story about two twin sisters seeking the Sightless Eye. The Sightless Eye eventually gave the Oracles their divination powers, which they retain even after the artifact was stolen.
A silhouette of the eighth class in Diablo 4 has been shown, and it doesn’t resemble the Amazon.
The Spiritborn and the Paladin, the two most recent classes, are melee-based with some ranged abilities. The Amazon would follow the same pattern, whereas the Oracle would be the first new caster since the game launched.

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Diablo 4’s Best Possible New Class is Sitting Right Under Fans’ Noses

While very little is currently known about Diablo 4’s next expansion, the game may be gearing up to bring back an unexpected classic class.

What to Expect From Diablo 4’s Second Lord of Hatred Class

Since Diablo 4‘s Paladin follows the same patterns as every other class in terms of how many skills it can choose from and how builds can be made, it’s safe to assume that the new class in Lord of Hatred will follow all these principles. However, if that class is indeed the Oracle, which would make perfect sense given the context and the setting, the gameplay loop may be something quite different from other classes:

The Oracle’s divination powers may include skills that deal damage after a short delay, but with greater payoff.
Their psychic and magical abilities may provide options similar to Shadow Priests in World of Warcraft, much like the Paladin shares some key abilities with the same class in WoW. These could include:
- Madness-related or vision-related damaging abilities
- Words of comfort or pain to heal allies and damage foes, much like Holy Word and Shadow Word
- A way to provide Fortify to oneself and allies, which can interact with the Willpower stat’s Overpower bonus
Forseeing the future could give the Oracle an Ultimate Skill in Diablo 4 that can be used on death, or maybe a passive, that allows the Oracle to cheat death on a cooldown
The Oracle could be the first healer in Diablo 4, allowing for more options in multiplayer activities

Since Blizzard owns both World of Warcraft and Diablo 4, and since the two have crossed over multiple times, even sharing class names and abilities, it makes sense for the Oracle to be inspired by WoW’s Priest class.

These traits would create a refreshing and unique gameplay loop in the game, and they would also introduce a brand-new class that is not a staple of the franchise. Beloved classes from past games would still get their representation with the Paladin, whereas the Oracle would be a great new first, leaving the door half-open for Amazons in the future.