Blizzard Adds First New Diablo 2 Class in 26 Years

The Warlock joins the iconic RPG with the 'Reign of the Warlock' expansion, but the team is cautious about changing the 'Mona Lisa'.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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Blizzard is launching a new class called the Warlock in Diablo II: Resurrected, the first new playable character added to the nearly 26-year-old RPG. The team is aware that some fans may view this as sacrilegious, so they are being very careful to make the Warlock feel like a natural fit that could have been in the original game. The Warlock was one of a few classes considered, but the development team was most excited about it. Blizzard is open to adding more new classes in the future, but that will depend on how players respond to the Warlock.

Why it matters

Diablo II is considered a classic and beloved RPG, so Blizzard is walking a fine line between preserving the original experience and introducing something new. Fans have high expectations, and the team is concerned about 'painting over the Mona Lisa' by making changes to the iconic game.

The details

The Warlock class blends melee and ranged abilities through its summon-based playstyle, filling a gap in Diablo II's existing class lineup. Blizzard looked at ways to make the Warlock feel like it could have been in the original game, including adding subtle references to Diablo I in the skill tree. The team considered a few other potential new classes but ultimately went with the Warlock because the developers were most excited about it.

  • The 'Reign of the Warlock' expansion launches on February 11, 2026.
  • Diablo II was originally released in 2000, making this the first new playable class added in 26 years.

The players

Matthew Cederquist

Game producer at Blizzard working on Diablo II: Resurrected.

Tim Vasconcellos

Game designer at Blizzard working on Diablo II: Resurrected.

Blizzard

The video game developer and publisher behind the Diablo franchise.

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What they’re saying

“We started with maybe, I don't know, three or four [classes] that were top of mind, but then we kind of shopped that around to the team, and the team was most excited about two specifically out of those, but then we thought, 'All right, we're gonna rock out the Warlock just because the team was so excited about it.' They're like, 'oh yeah, we can make this amazing.'”

— Matthew Cederquist, Game producer (Kotaku)

“We looked at the warlock and said, 'Okay, so what would make this feel as if we were coming out of Diablo I and this is a class that would have launched with Diablo 2?' So you'll find references […] Did you notice the Diablo I icons in the skill tree? Subtle hints like that try to make it feel familiar, as well as something that's new still in the game.”

— Tim Vasconcellos, Game designer (Kotaku)

What’s next

Blizzard said they would like to add more new classes to Diablo II: Resurrected in the future, but that will depend on how players respond to the Warlock. The team has nothing further to announce at this time.

The takeaway

Blizzard is walking a fine line with the addition of the Warlock, the first new Diablo II class in 26 years. The team is being very careful to preserve the iconic feel of the original game while introducing something new, aware that some fans may view any changes as sacrilegious. The success of the Warlock will likely determine if Blizzard continues to expand the Diablo II experience with additional new classes.