Diablo 4's newest class barely made a splash with Lord of Hatred, but it's shaping up to be king of the next season

Diablo 4's latest class, warlocks, generated minimal buzz upon their introduction alongside the Lord of Hatred expansion this year. Unfortunately, they were found to be significantly underpowered compared to other classes, which had received substantial skill tree upgrades. Warlocks faced additional challenges due to their skills requiring them to stand still, hindering the fluidity of combat.

Although paladins, the other new class introduced during the Lord of Hatred expansion, did not perform as well as expected, warlocks' shortcomings were more pronounced. The developers have assured fans that warlocks will receive a resurgence in the upcoming season. According to creator MacroBioBoi, skills have been refined and the class now boasts immense power on the public test realm (PTR).

Warlocks can now clear the toughest dungeon tier in the game, even with subpar equipment, a feat previously only achievable through exploiting bugs. Blizzard introduced a variety of buffs that enhance warlock damage and a new seasonal gem that increases strength based on the number of enemies defeated. Although a bug nerf might reduce the gem's impact, MacroBioBoi believes warlocks will still be one of, if not the, strongest classes in the game.

The newfound strength of warlocks is evenly distributed across their skills, allowing for diverse builds to excel once the season begins. Blizzard plans to address other missing elements from the PTR before the official release, with expectations of a seasonal story tying into the main narrative potentially unveiled at BlizzCon.