What you need to know
- Developer and publisher Blizzard Entertainment is continuing to share quarterly updates on Diablo 4, going over the gameplay, world design, sounds, art direction, and more.
- In the June 2022 quarterly update for Diablo 4, Blizzard shared more about what players can expect from the Necromancer, the final launch class revealed for the game.
- Diablo 4 is currently scheduled to launch at some point in the first half of 2023.
Continuing its blog posts over the last couple of years, Blizzard Entertainment has shared more on Diablo 4, with this quarterly entry focusing entirely on the recently-revealed Necromancer class.
The Necromancer was revealed at the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, alongside Xbox Series X gameplay footage of Diablo 4. In the June 2022 quarterly update, Blizzard shared details on what makes the Necromancer unique in the next mainline entry for the Diablo franchise.
In Diablo 4, Necromancers have two resources: Essence and Corpses. The former regenerates slowly, the latter requires dead bodies from fights. For equipment, Necromancers can use Swords, Daggers, Wands, Focuses, and Shields, as well as being the only class capable of using Scythes.
Blizzard explains that Necromancer playstyles are divided into four different kinds of skills and abilities, summed up as Bone, Darkness, Blood, and the Army (summons).
Skills like Bone Spirit and Bone Prison allow Necromancers to control the flow of combat on the battlefield. Darkness skills debuff enemies and help to generate Essence. Blood abilities buff the Necromancer and their summons while draining the health of enemies. Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Mages, and Golems make up the summons pool. This army of Undead followers can be further enhanced and customized through the Necromancer's unique Book of the Dead.
Necromancers join the Barbarian, Druid, Sorceress, and Rogue in making up the five launch classes for Diablo 4.
Diablo 4 is currently slated to launch at some point in the first half of 2023. When it launches, it'll be available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, PS5, and PS4.
