With the first expansion for Diablo 4, Vessel of Hatred, a new class enters the game: the Spiritborn. Which skills and legendaries it brings, you can find out here.
Vessel of Hatred will be released on October 8, 2024 and not only brings new story content and a new area to Diablo 4 but also a new class. Recently, some experts had a chance to try out the Spiritborn, play it themselves, and test its abilities.
One of the experts is Rob2628, who was able to share some details about the class with the community in a YouTube video – including the skills of the Spiritborn and the legendary aspects that the class brings to the game. We summarize the most important information for you below. However, keep in mind that some changes to the class, skills, and aspects may occur before the release.
What defines the Spiritborn? The Spiritborn is an ultimate predator from the jungles of Nahantu, the new area that comes with Vessel of Hatred in Diablo 4. He has a connection to the “Spirit Guardians” and can call upon them to use their skills.
The spirits represent the special class mechanic of the Spiritborn. In the “Hall of Spirits,” you choose the spirit to which you swear allegiance and receive a special bonus for the character as a whole as well as for all abilities. For a second bonus, you choose another spirit.
Here you can see gameplay of the Spiritborn, including commentary and conclusion:
This is how the Spiritborn plays, the new class in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
Spiritborn: Spirits & Class Mechanics
Which spirits can I choose? The “Hall of Spirits” is located in the overview where you can also find your skill tree. You can choose from a total of four spirits:
- The Jaguar uses a high attack speed and combo attacks. Attack is the best defense for him. He acts aggressively and is roughly oriented towards hunters.
- The Eagle relies on precision and skill, can add more range to attacks, and makes enemies vulnerable. He plays similarly to the Sorceress.
- The Gorilla is essentially a type of tank with thick muscles that offers strength and protection. The playstyle resembles that of the Barbarian.
- The Millipede breaks down enemies with poisons and swarms of insects, healing the Spiritborn in the process. His playstyle is reminiscent of the Necromancer.
What is the class mechanic? The class mechanic involves choosing spirits that provide your character with certain bonuses but also influence all your skills. You select a “Primary Spirit” and at level 30, a secondary bonus from the same or another spirit. You receive the following bonuses from the spirits:
- Jaguar:
- Primary Bonus: Every 4th time you deal direct damage to an enemy with a Jaguar skill, you unleash additional strikes that deal 100% of the damage of the 4 hits. All skills are now also Jaguar skills.
- Secondary Bonus: Maximum Wildness increases by 1. Gain 1 stack of “Wildness” when you kill an enemy or deal damage to a boss.
- Eagle:
- Primary Bonus: Casting an Eagle skill grants 2 storm feathers, up to a maximum of 8. If you dodge, all storm feathers are unleashed, dealing 100% lightning damage and making targets vulnerable for 3 seconds. All skills are now also Eagle skills.
- Secondary Bonus: For every 4 meters you move, your critical hit chance increases by 4%. This bonus resets 2 seconds after a critical hit.
- Gorilla:
- Primary Bonus: Casting a Gorilla skill deals 100% thorns to enemies you hit and grants a barrier for 10% of maximum health for 3 seconds, up to 40%. All skills are now also Gorilla skills.
- Secondary Bonus: Maximum Resolve increases by 2. With 5 stacks of “Resolve”, you become unstoppable.
- Millipede:
- Primary Bonus: If you hit an enemy with a Millipede skill, their damage is reduced by 2.5% and they are slowed by 10% for 3 seconds, stacking up to 8 times. All skills are now also Millipede skills.
- Secondary Bonus: Healing for 1% of maximum health for each enemy nearby that has been poisoned in the last 3 seconds, up to 5%.
Spiritborn: All Skills
What skills does the Spiritborn have? The spirits influence your skills, which is reflected in the skill tree. On d4builds.gg, you can already take a look at the tree and view all skills in detail. Below, we summarize the active skills of the class.
The German names of the skills will be added/adjusted as soon as they are available to us.
Basic Skills
- Thrash (Basic, Jaguar, Mobility) – Fire Damage
- Dives at an enemy and slashes them, dealing 10% damage. The 3rd attack unleashes a fast series of strikes around the target, dealing a total of 25% damage.
- Withering Fist (Basic, Millipede, Mobility) – Poison Damage
- Charges at an opponent, pushing them and dealing [5%] damage along with [30%] poison damage over 6 seconds. Your third attack explodes on the target, damaging all nearby enemies and slowing them by 30% for 3 seconds.
- Thunderspike (Basic, Eagle) – Lightning Damage
- A swift thrust with a piercing strike that deals 15% damage. The 3rd attack continues forward, dealing 23% damage and reducing your dodge cooldown by 5 seconds.
- Rock Splitter (Basic, Gorilla, Mobility) – Physical Damage
- Charges at a target, beating opponents in front of you and dealing [15%] damage. Your third attack hits enemies nearby and deals [28%] damage.
Core Skills
- Rake (Core, Jaguar) – Fire Damage
- Summons claws that carve through the enemies in front of you, dealing [20%] damage, before exploding for an extra [40%] damage.
- Spike (Core, Millipede) – Poison Damage
- Hits a small area and deals [70%] damage to enemies within it as well as all poisoned enemies in the vicinity.
- Spike Salvo (Core, Eagle) – Lightning Damage
- Launches 5 feathers that pierce enemies, each dealing [14%] damage.
- Crushing Hand (Core, Gorilla) – Physical Damage
- Strikes beside you and creates two shockwaves on both sides that overlap and each deal 25% damage.
Focus Skills
- Whirl (Focus, Eagle) – Lightning Damage
- Creates a whirlwind that pulls enemies inward, followed by a devastating downdraft that deals them 35% damage.
- Sail (Focus, Eagle, Mobility) – Lightning Damage
- Soars into the air and creates a cloud that makes your enemies at the landing site vulnerable for 5 seconds before you dive down to deal [50%] damage.
- Toxic Skin (Focus, Millipede, Incarnate) – Poison Damage
- Passive: Enemies that attack you become poisoned and take 30% damage over 3 seconds. Active: Poison flows over, leaving a trail of poison and making you unstoppable for 5 seconds.
- Ravager (Focus, Jaguar, Incarnate) – Fire Damage
- Passive: Minimum wildness increases by 2.
- Active: Unleashes a wild roar, causing all your attacks to trigger additional hits that deal [60%] damage for 6 seconds.
Defensive Skills
- Shattering Stomp (Defensive, Gorilla) – Physical Damage
- You stomp in front of you and unleash a shockwave that deals [15%] damage and knocks down enemies for 3 seconds.
- Counterattack (Defensive, Jaguar, Incarnate) – Fire Damage
- Passive: Gain 20 %[+] dodge chance and automatically parry nearby enemies, dealing 80% damage when you dodge attacks.
- Active: Dodge all direct attacks for 2 seconds.
- Scourge (Defensive, Millipede) – Poison Damage
- Summons a wave of insects that bite enemies, instilling fear for 3 seconds and slowing them while dealing [100%] poison damage over 6 seconds.
- Armored Hide (Defensive, Gorilla, Incarnate) – Physical Damage
- Passive: Gain 1 resolve every 5 seconds. Active: Envelops yourself and becomes unstoppable while gaining 100 %[+] block chance for 3 seconds.
Potency Skills
- Touch of Death (Potency, Millipede) – Poison Damage
- Strikes an enemy and infects them, causing 5% damage and applying 300% poison damage over 9 seconds. When the infection ends or the host dies, a swarm hatches and seeks enemies for 9 seconds, dealing 10% damage per hit. Up to 3 swarms can be active at the same time.
- Raging Claw (Potency, Jaguar, Mobility) – Fire Damage
- Slashes through a foe over a short distance and deals [50%] damage to all enemies in your path with two hits.
- Cutting Wings (Potency, Eagle) – Lightning Damage
- Launches multiple sharp spirit feathers that bounce off and deal [50%] damage in every direction.
- Homecoming (Potency, Gorilla) – Physical Damage
- Smashes opponents in front of you and deals [100%] damage. When you are attacked, there is a 35% chance to reduce the active cooldown of “Homecoming” by 1 second.
Ultimate Skills
- The Devourer (Ultimate, Millipede) – Poison Damage
- The Millipede spirit appears and deals [140%] damage to enemies in a line while spitting on others and dealing [40%] damage. Lasts for 15 seconds.
- The Predator (Ultimate, Jaguar) – Fire Damage
- You chase across the battlefield with the Jaguar spirit, dealing [50%] damage upon landing and quickly slashing enemies in the area for [200%] damage over 7 hits.
- The Seeker (Ultimate, Eagle) – Lightning Damage
- The Eagle spirit swoops down and deals [20%] damage. After a short delay, it ascends again and deals [300%] damage.
- The Guardian (Ultimate, Gorilla) – Physical Damage
- The Gorilla spirit protects an area for 6 seconds, permanently smashing nearby enemies. It deals [80%] damage to them and grants you a barrier of 15% of your maximum health every 1.5 seconds.
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Spiritborn: All Legendary Aspects
Below, we list all aspects available to the Spiritborn. You can find and equip them on legendaries or add them to your Codex of Power by dismantling the items.
Defensive (Helmets, Chest Armor, Leg Armor, Shields, Amulets)
- Aspect of Evasion: Each time an enemy hits you, your dodge chance against that enemy increases by [4 – 7%]. Successful dodging resets this bonus.
- Aspect of Defense: While active, “Counterattack” reflects incoming “Razor Wings” back. Other small projectiles are also thrown back, dealing [25 – 30%] of the base damage of “Counterattack” upon impact.
- Aspect of Stamina: Resolve has a chance of [2 – 5%] to not be lost for each stack of Wildness when you take damage.
- Aspect of Forest Strength: Lucky hit: Up to 25% chance to create a Mystical Circle for 10 seconds. Casting a Gorilla skill within a Mystical Circle strengthens it, causing it to regularly grant a barrier equal to 25% of your maximum health and increasing your armor and maximum resistances by [5 – 15%] during activation.
- Aspect of Prevention: Gain [1 – 10%] block chance per stack of Resolve.
- Aspect of Vital Will: Upon losing a stack of Resolve, there is a 10% chance to heal [5 – 10%] of maximum health.
- Aspect of Kinetic Suppression: Casting a non-basic mobility skill grants [1 – 6] Resolve and makes the next “Stomping Impact” hit in a circle.
- Aspect of Layered Walls: Block reduction is increased by [25 – 40%] while you have a barrier.
- Aspect of Temporal Cuts: Casting “Raging Claw” extends the duration of active effects of Incarnate skills by [0.5 – 2] seconds.
- Aspect of Tenacity: You gain Resolve for every [30 – 15] power you gain over 100.
- Aspect of the Butcher: Gain [5%] increased armor and [7 – 60] thorns for every [1%] missing maximum health.
- Aspect of the Robber: Heals for [1 – 16%] of maximum life when you poison a healthy enemy.
Offensive (Gloves, One-Handed, Two-Handed, Rings, Amulets)
- Aspect of Stormy Wrath: “Homecoming” now echoes forward, adding an additional [100 – 130%] to your thorn damage to enemies.
- Aspect of Combined Strikes: Each other cast basic skill increases total damage by [10 – 25%] for 10 seconds.
- Aspect of Falling Feathers: When you move with a mobility skill or dodge, ghost feathers follow you that deal [X] lightning damage upon impact.
- Aspect of Infestation: Lucky hit: Millipede skills have a chance of up to 35% to spawn a plague swarm from the target, dealing [X] poison damage per hit. Swarm creatures also deal 100% of their base damage as poison damage over 6 seconds.
- Aspect of Plague: “Spike” creates a plague swarm at its target location that deals [35 – 65%] of the base damage of “Spike” per hit. Plague swarms now last 100% longer and spiral outward.
- Aspect of Plane’s Power: Lucky hit: A chance of up to 25% to create a Mystical Circle for 10 seconds. Casting a Jaguar skill within Mystical Circles keeps Wildness at maximum and increases damage by [3 – 6%] per stack as long as you are inside.
- Aspect of Potent Exchange: Gain 1 Resolve when you dodge an attack. Potency skills consume 2 Resolve to deal [10 – 25%] increased damage.
- Aspect of Collection Reversal: A chance of [25 – 100%] to gain 1 Wildness when an enemy is under control effects.
- Aspect of Recurring Feathers: Casting a focus skill summons ghost feathers nearby that deal [X] lightning damage to enemies in their path. If there are no ghost feathers nearby, 10 random ones will be cast around you instead.
- Aspect of Diverting Force: Increases critical hit damage by [50 – 190%] of your block chance. Blocking doubles this bonus for 10 seconds.
- Aspect of Simple Retribution: If you cast the 3rd attack of basic skills, there is a chance of [10 – 25%] to trigger “Homecoming”.
- Aspect of Unyielding Hits: Casting a Gorilla skill adds [21 – 36%] armor to all attacks for 3 seconds.
- Aspect of Wild Claws: “Rake” manifests a spirit Jaguar that also casts “Rake” on a random enemy, dealing [35 – 45%] base damage.
Resource (Rings)
- Aspect of Agility: The cooldown of your skills is [10 – 40%] faster while moving.
- Aspect of Strengthened Feathers: Lucky hit: Eagle skills have a chance of up to [25 – 30%] to summon a spirit feather. Collect spirit feathers to reduce the cooldown of mobility skills by 0.5 seconds.
- Aspect of Ecstasy: Lucky hit: If you hit a vulnerable enemy, you have a chance of up to [25 – 32%] to reduce dodge cooldown by 5 seconds. Each stack of “Wildness” you have increases this chance by 5%.
Versatility (Helmets, Chest Armor, Gloves, Boots, Shields, Amulets)
- Aspect of Concern: Once an enemy is slowed by at least 80%, they also suffer fear for 3 seconds. You deal [25 – 40%] increased damage to enemies under fear.
- Aspect of Binding Swamps: Indirect damage dealt to an enemy progressively slows them by [5 – 20%] for 3 seconds, up to 80%.
- Aspect of Reactive Armor: Increases block chance by 10%. If an attack from a nearby enemy is blocked, there is a chance of [30 – 60%] to cast a free “Concussive Stomp” on them.
- Aspect of Ground Power: Lucky hit: Up to 25% chance to create a Mystical Circle for 10 seconds. Casting a Millipede skill within Mystical Circles grants them the ability to regularly deal [X] poison damage to enemies within the circle for 6 seconds and simultaneously extend all “Crowd Control” effects affecting them.
- Aspect of Turbulence: “Sail” creates “Whirl” at its landing site and deals [15 – 30%] increased damage.
- Aspect of the Duelist: Maximum wildness increases by [1 – 4].
- Threatening Aspect: “Scourge” continuously affects enemies around you for [3 – 6] seconds.
Mobility (Boots, Amulets)
- Aspect of Swift Wings: “Razor Wings” is now also an Incarnate skill. Passive: You are unstoppable. Active: You gain [15 – 30%] increased movement speed for each active “Razor Wing”.
- Aspect of Haste: Gain a bonus of [10 – 25%] to movement speed for 2 seconds, up to [30 – 75%], for every second you are moving.
- Aspect of Impulse: After dodging, your next main skill rushes towards your target and deals [5 – 20%] increased damage.
- Aspect of Sky Power: Lucky hit: A chance of up to 25% to create a Mystical Circle for 10 seconds. Casting an Eagle skill within Mystical Circles causes them to move with you and explode for [X] lightning damage when you dodge.
MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus was able to play the Spiritborn at a major Blizzard event in advance. He had about two hours to play and experiment with the skills. He is “cautiously enthusiastic” about the new class: Diablo 4: I was at Blizzard and played the new class of Vessel of Hatred – This is what the Spiritborn can do
