At gamescom 2024, we were able to speak with Rod Fergusson, the Diablo boss, and Gavian Whishaw, the executive producer of Vessel of Hatred. The interview covered, among other things, the new class that will be introduced into Diablo 4 with Vessel of Hatred and which ghosts are the developers’ favorites.
With Vessel of Hatred, Diablo 4 gets a new class – the Spiritborn. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus had the opportunity to test the spiritborn and his spirits in advance in July 2024. At gamescom 2024, he was able to talk to Diablo boss Rod Fergusson and Gavian Whishaw, the executive producer of Vessel of Hatred, about the new class for MeinMMO.
As a fan of the wizard class, the Eagle Spirit was the natural choice for Benedict Grothaus. In the interview, he explains that he was also impressed by the Jaguar, but especially by his ultimate. The developers also have their own favorites – and sometimes rely on surprising combinations of spirits.
Blizzard explains the Spiritborn, the new class in Diablo 4 and its spirits
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“I love the versatility of this class”
Vessel of Hatred is the first expansion for Diablo 4 and brings a new class into the game. The Spiritborn has a connection to the “spirit guardians” and can call them to use their skills. The spirits represent the special class mechanics of the Spiritborn.
In an interview, Rod Fergusson says that it feels like four classes when playing the spirits of the Spiritborn. He says: “[…]But then comes the moment when you remember: no, wait, it’s just one class, I can have so much variety with this class.” For him, the most exciting thing about Spiritborn is that the class allows for so many combinations.
He says:
Some focus entirely on the jaguar, or mix jaguar with centipede or eagle or whatever. I love the versatility of this class.
Diablo boss: “I am Mister Non-Meta”
Of course, we wanted to know which ghosts the two developers’ favorites were. While testing the new class, they were surprised to find that they also found ghosts that were not their first choice cool.
Rod Fergusson says:
Actually, I’m starting to change my mind on that. Originally it was the Centipede because I’m a big fan of poison damage over time, I was a Necro main. I played the Centipede but in a few playtests I tried the Jaguar for a change and I’m really starting to love the Jaguar. So it might end up being me playing a hybrid of Jaguar and Centipede.
When we comment that this is a strange combination, Fergusson replies with a laugh: “Hey, […] I’m Mr. Non-Meta; if I can make a build, I’ll make it!”
Gavian Whishaw, the executive producer of Vessel of Hatred, is always surprised by how fast the Spiritborn is. He says: “There are so many skills that cover distances so quickly – that’s why I don’t go all Jaguar, it’s too fast, it’s too much.” His plan is to combine the Jaguar and the Gorilla as ghosts. But he’s not quite sure yet:
This happens all the time. At the beginning of the season everyone says this will be the meta […] and then you see players start to explore the depth of the system. Other builds start to emerge. When I started I was very fixated on Gorilla and then added the Jaguar, but when I played the demo and just went with Centipede I thought, “Oh, there’s something there.” So I don’t know yet, I’ll have to work my way in and try mixing and matching.
We asked the developers how they ensure that not everyone plays the Eagle Spirit to trigger Vulnerability – an important aspect for many builds. According to Fergusson, it won’t just be the Eagle that enables Vulnerability. He’s “not too worried” about that.
MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus was also featured in this year’s FYNG live stream. You can also see MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski on the gamescom weekend:
The developers are also more relaxed about overpowered skills and builds. Fergusson emphasizes that the team has realized that it’s okay if certain things are “overpowered” or work differently than originally intended. Balancing the five – soon to be six – classes is a central theme in Diablo 4, and we spoke to the two developers about exactly that. The head of Diablo 4 told us what is most important when balancing the classes.
Webedia Gaming (GameStar, GamePro, MeinMMO) accompanies the major gaming event as the official media partner of gamescom 2024.