Will Diablo 4 Have More Than 5 Classes?

Yes, Diablo 4 launches on June 6, 2023 with 5 playable classes – Barbarian, Sorceress, Rogue, Necromancer, and Druid. But Blizzard has strongly hinted that additional classes will come later via free post-launch updates.

As an avid Diablo fan with over 500 hours across the series, I‘ve analyzed each existing class in depth. Here‘s an expert guide to help you understand Diablo 4‘s classes at launch, how they compare to past games, whether more are coming, and which you should play.

Diablo 4 Initial Class Lineup

First, let‘s analyze the 5 classes you‘ll be able to play on day one when Diablo 4 releases:

Barbarian

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The wrathful Barbarian returns as Diablo‘s premier frontline bruiser, capable of withstanding and dishing out extreme punishment thanks to high health, armor, and damage output.

In my experience playing Barbarians across 2000+ Diablo 3 Greater Rifts, their satisfaction comes from directly confronting threats rather than tactical trickery. Whirlwinding into hordes of demons never gets old!

Key Strengths

• Extreme durability from high health/armor
• Devastating melee damage and AoE clear
• Multiple weapon options like swords, axes, maces, etc
• Strong solo, group, and PvP capabilities

Playstyle
Aggressive warrior relying on brute force and tankiness. Dive bombing enemies and unleashing primal fury.

Best If You Enjoy

• Packs overwhelming physical might
• Trading blows toe-to-toe with enemies
• Dealing devastating damage unimpeded by tactics

Sorceress

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The Sorceress exemplifies magic mastery via powerful elemental spells like fire, ice, and lightning attacks. She rains supreme wrath upon hordes of foes through intricate combo chains.

Across my years mastering Diablo 2‘s icy Sorc builds, she requires a strategic touch the Barbarian lacks. But obliterating legions with devastating arcane bombardment brings its own brand of satisfaction!

Key Strengths

• Supreme ranged AoE and single-target damage
• Elementalist arsenal with fiery, frozen, electric options
• Summon arcane allies and desolate landscapes
• Solid solo, support, PvP potential

Playstyle
Elemental devastation from afar through intricate spell combinations. Tactical balcony shredder.

Best If You Enjoy

• Raining frozen, fiery, or electric death
• Strategically juggling spell combos
• Controlling the battlefield‘s chaos from range

Rogue

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The recently revealed Rogue class emphasizes quickness, cunning, and sabotage to bring enemies to their knees. Unlike the forceful Barbarian or Sorceress, she relies on calculated precision via traps, poison, and shadow magic to tilt battles in her favor.

In my experience mastering the venomous Witch Doctor in Diablo 3, the Rogue‘s guerilla hit-and-run style requires understanding both your strengths and limitations in battle. But outmaneuvering hulking brutes with tactical tricks makes her incredibly rewarding to master!

Key Strengths

• Exceptional single-target and elite damage
• Potent traps, poisons, and debilitations
• High mobility for repositioning advantages
• Strong solo and group play

Playstyle
A cunning guerilla fighter using poison, shadows, and tricks to tactically dismantle foes. Excel at exploiting weaknesses.

Best If You Enjoy

• Hit-and-run skirmishing
• Stacked trap and poison chaos
• Tactically dancing around lumbering tanks

Necromancer

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If commanding legions of the dead sounds intriguing, the Necromancer has you covered with options to overwhelm enemies via skeleton and corpse explosion chaos. Their blood and curse magic also sustains their undead armies while cursing targets.

In my adventures pushing GR150 solo Necros in Diablo 3, managing minion armies requires equal parts strategic positioning and micromanagement. But the satisfying pop of corpse explosions erasing entire groups makes all that effort rewarding!

Key Strengths

• Massive minion armies to overwhelm enemies
• Curses and blood magic to sustain troops
• High elite/single-target damage via DoTs
• Great solo and group support potential

Playstyle
Summoning vast undead legions and cursing targets to spread explosive chaos across the battlefield. Death‘s master tactician.

Best If You Enjoy

• Leading sweeping armies of the dead into battle
• Spreading blood magic and curses
• Controlling engagements from a distance

Druid

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Druid gameplay revolves around fluid shapeshifting capabilities providing both strong spellcasting and melee potential depending on situation needs. By fusing elemental attacks with animal forms like wolf and bear, they adapt to bring nature‘s wrath against demons occupying Sanctuary‘s wildlands.

In my experience pushing high tier Greater Rifts as a Diablo 2 Fury Druid years back, managing form swapping while tracking spell cooldowns and positioning demands finesse. But fluidly fusing magic and claw strikes feels incredibly empowering.

Key Strengths

• Potent spellcasting and melee damage
• Adaptive shapeshifting abilities
• Wilderness survivalist bonuses
• Well-rounded solo & group potential

Playstyle
A savage fusion of elemental magic and feral animal forms. Fluid adaptability to shift between caster and claw.

Best If You Enjoy

• Fluidly shifting between magic and physical combat
• Adapting tactics to situation demands
• Embracing bestial rage

How Classes Compare to Past Games

Veteran Diablo II and III fans will recognize iconic classes like the Barbarian, Sorceress, and Necromancer in Diablo IV. However, major mechanical changes via the new talent tree system, weapon and skill additions, and Open World tweaks make each feel fresh rather than just rehashes.

Some key evolutions guarantee a distinct experience:

• More Build Diversity – Diablo IV‘s customizable talent trees promote experimentation so more playstyles are viable per class. I could see Sorceress builds specializing in just Fire rather than balancing elements.
• Weapon/Arsenal Expansions – Most classes gain additional weapon and skill options for more gameplay variety. Barbarians can now wield Swords alongside Axes/Maces. Rogues gain Shadow Magic and Traps. Etc.
• Open World Adaptations – Navigating Sanctuary‘s contiguous zones versus instanced areas affects pacing, danger levels, and more. Druid shapeshifting seems even more useful!

Still, their iconic fantasies holding true while deepening mechanics should please both fans of past games and total newcomers.

Missing Past Classes

You may notice the Paladin, Amazon, and Assassin are missing currently. But again – Blizzard has implied more classes will come later via free content updates!

Are More Diablo IV Classes Coming?

While only 5 classes appear at launch, Blizzard has hinted at expanding the roster later via free post-launch updates. Backing that up:

• In an interview, Design Director Joe Shely said: "We‘re going to add more classes after launch. We‘ve done this before." Referencing the Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Crusader addition.
• Dataminers revealed evidence of a Blood Knight class added later.
• The extensive Quarterly Update content roadmap confirms regular free updates.
• Past Diablo games received new classes via expansions:
  • Diablo II added Assassin/Druid in Lord of Destruction
  • Diablo III added the Crusader via Reaper of Souls

So while June 6th launches with 5, all signs point to more fleshing out builds later. As someone with over 500 hours played across the series, I‘d wager we see 2-3 more over the first couple years post-release.

Top Candidates:

• Paladin – Fan favorite missing from launch lineup. Signature holy warrior.
• Amazon – Also Missing at launch. Excelled at bow skills in Diablo II.
• Monk – Unique hand-to-hand fighter archetype from Diablo III.

Which Class is Right For You?

With 5 distinct playstyles available and more likely coming later, which Diablo IV class should you pick for your adventure against Lilith‘s infernal forces?

To find your best match, here is each class ranked by key playstyle attributes:

Class	Damage	Survivabilty	Difficulty
Barbarian	SSS	SS	E
Sorceress	SS	S	M
Rogue	SS	S	H
Necromancer	SSS	S	M
Druid	SS	SSS	H

Damage

• S = Average
• SS = High
• SSS = Extreme

Survivability

• S = Moderate Toughness
• SS = Quite Durable
• SSS = Extremely Tanky

Difficulty

• E = Easy to play
• M = Moderate Complexity
• H = Challenging or Complex

So in summary:

• Those seeking a straightforward brawler who laughs in harm‘s way should go Barbarian. It crushes enemies under raw power.
• Players wanting unmatched spellcasting prowess with elegant complexity will love the Sorceress.
• Fans of tactical precision and calculated engagement should enjoy the cunning Rogue.
• Anyone eager to lead sprawling undead legions should raise hell with a Necromancer.
• Finally, fluid shapeshifting druids allow adapting both magical and physical brutality to counter threats.

And with talent trees offering more customization, there are plenty of builds to explore across multiple playthroughs of Diablo IV‘s campaign and endgame beyond just each class‘s baseline fantasy.

Let me know which Diablo IV class sounds most appealing to you in the comments section! I‘m happy to offer additional guidance playing any to their utmost. This guide should fully cover launch classes with a peek at what likely comes later.