Diablo 4 has received new playable classes with Lord of Hatred, including the Warlock. MyMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has been playing this since before release and hasn’t had this much fun in a while. He just presses buttons that look nice… more or less.
I have certainly invested over 1,000 hours into the various Diablo installments – possibly even more, but I wouldn’t admit that. Normally, I only play one class that I enjoy the most every season/ladder:
- Diablo 2 captivated me back then with the Amazon.
- In Diablo 3, I played the logical successor, the Demon Hunter.
- With Diablo 4, to my surprise, the Sorceress became my main, not the Hunter.
This is usually only broken briefly like with the Crusader in D3 and some attempts at the other classes in Diablo 4. Now, with Lord of Hatred, the Warlock has appeared and has already kept me busy for 10 hours in the test.
10 more hours later, I’m sure that the Warlock has achieved what no other class has before: I’m switching my main. I have no idea what the hell I’m doing.
What Diablo does simply: Effect storm par excellence
Playing the Warlock is just a satisfying feeling. I summon tentacles to impale enemies, call demons that just smash everything that moves in their frenzy, or create seals in which I annihilate foes to trigger effects.
It not only feels good to make enemies explode, it also looks damn good, and that’s something Diablo has always done well: killing monsters with style. One of the reasons why the Sorceress has been my main so far is that Blizzard builds just look impressive when they bathe the screen in a storm of ice.
However, with the Warlock, I feel that the possible builds differ significantly more than in most other classes – and they even look so good that I try things I normally wouldn’t like.
Builds that I actually hate suddenly become fun
Right from the first play session, I tried a horde build, summoning as many demons as possible. I hate this playstyle with a passion. After all, I want to deal damage myself and be the cool hero, not watch minions having fun. One reason why I will never play Necromancer.
But with the Warlock, it’s different because I need to maintain the rituals. My demons want food, and I have to keep sacrificing them to summon new ones. Even the minion builds are dynamic. I’m not just watching anymore; I’m controlling.
What I noticed while playing and scrolling through the skill tree of the Warlock – which has been overhauled alongside the skills of all classes – is the sheer amount of possibilities. I know different elements from my Sorceress, but the Warlock offers:
- Fire builds, where I become a super demon or simply perform rituals
- Shadow builds, where I stealthily backstab foes or buff my demons
- Minion builds with a few very strong or many small demons that wildly beat on enemies
The variety is… not necessarily overwhelming, but still astonishing. On one hand, this is great for discovering and experimenting with the class. On the other hand, it leads to a point where you hardly understand the Warlock without an intense study.
The builds work – But I have no idea why
Blizzard has been following the principle for decades: “easy to learn, hard to master” – mostly at least. Just through conversations with Diablo expert Rob, I knew that the Warlock would be the most complex class in the game. Only how much I have underestimated that until now.
While leveling and in the endgame, I have tried various builds: Minions, shadow summons, metamorphosis. And they all work, very well actually, at least up to the torment levels. But why? I can’t tell you.
The Warlock has received a ton of new keywords or effects, such as “hexed” or “disembowel.” I have followed the community’s advice not to use builds but just to play and just go by these keywords, choose suitable skills that look cool, and do it.
At the moment, I’m running around as burning evil and igniting enemies. It works great, but where my damage really comes from, I can’t tell you. Once I get to higher torment levels, I will need builds from people who are deeper into the matter than I am. I simply don’t have the time to calculate exactly why what I’m doing works.
This may sound a bit disheartening right now, but: I want to play Diablo 4 at higher levels and torments. Not everyone has that ambition, and those who just want to see demons explode can build whatever they want – somehow it works. If you want any support while leveling, here you can find 3 Warlock level builds to complete the Lord of Hatred campaign easily
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