Sanctuary knows no peace, only the misery wrought by the most vile and sinister demons Hell can muster. Every couple of decades or so, the Lords of Hell reemerge after having been beaten back by the latest Horadrim or Nephalim hero, and this cycle seems to repeat itself incessantly. In Diablo 4, the situation has only worsened since Lilith returned from the Void, and a darkness has washed over the hearts and minds of the poor souls who were cursed to be alive during this time. Although you may take on Lilith with one of the five classic Diablo classes, there are two not present that desperately need to make a comeback, be it through DLC or future updates: the Paladin and the Monk. Either would complete the Diablo 4 cocktail by adding the missing light-wielder ingredient.
Who better to push back the darkness than a hero that can wield the light? In Diablo 2, the Paladin was one of the best classes to play, and it would be a gift from the Blizzard gods if it were to return in Diablo 4. Equipped with a plethora of Holy skills, the Paladin excelled at inflicting uninterrupted damage to the hordes of hell, especially against the undead. You don’t have to get very far into Diablo 4 to see how powerful the Church of Light can be, and it would be sacrilege to not get the chance to wield it ourselves.
As a Paladin, there’s no shortage of Holy skills to choose from. Surrounded by enemies? Simply throw a light hammer (or 10) around you and pulverize them into dust. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, then maybe just Smite them with a holy shield bash. In addition to an array of combat skills, the Paladin also came equipped with some customizable aura skills that could be used to heal or buff themselves and nearby allies—something that none of the five starter classes in Diablo 4 are capable of. Beyond that, being a Paladin justlookscool. It’s maybe not the strongest reason for them to make a return, but you do feel like a badass wielding a shield and flail while glowing with the light of the heavens.
I’d also see one of Diablo 3’s maverick classes make a return. The Monk was an expert at hand-to-hand combat and agility. Equipped with hands literally blessed by the heavens, the Monk could channel their energy and momentum into powerful attacks that would cause the target enemy to bleed out before exploding all over their friends, and I miss those times. They were also one of the fastest classes in any Diablo game, capable of getting into the action, laying down a dozen hits, and then getting out before the enemy could react.
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Beyond that, the Monk was a perfect hybrid of a physical and magic damage dealer. Capable of summoning a Wave of Light to blast their enemies with holy damage, the Monk had spell-like abilities that would rival that of the Sorcerer. Like the Paladin, they also were equipped with healing abilities like the Breath of Heaven, a powerful skill that would call down holy energy to heal you and nearby allies.
While there are still countless hours of fun to be had with the current classes available in Diablo 4, I hope it isn’t too long before we get a true light-wielder class. Whether a Paladin, Monk, or even a Crusader of some sort, Diablo 4 would seriously benefit from adding a holy warrior to its roster. Maybe, just maybe, if I make a big enough fuss about it, the Blizzard Gods will hear me and answer my prayers.
