Luis Barriga (game director): Ever since we announced Diablo IV at the last BlizzCon in 2019, we’ve been sharing updates with you guys through our blog, whether it’s items, skills, zones, even user interface updates. You guys seem to have really enjoyed that.

Diablo IV: What’s Next Transcript

LUIS: Today, to mark the special occasion of BlizzConline on Blizzard’s 30th anniversary, rather than doing a blog, we’re going to share lots of videos, introduce a new class, like we saw in the Opening Ceremony, and cover some open world topics, including mounts, camps and PvP.

  • Mounts
  • Camps
  • PvP

John Mueller (art director): This is the ultimate blog post. We get to hand deliver it. This is the dream. It’s all finally out there and we can talk about all of it. Just in case some of you missed it during the Opening Ceremony, let’s take a look at the Rogue announcement video.

PRIEST: Your prayers do not fall on deaf ears.

(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)

Just know they are being heard. There is justice within the Light…
but you have to be patient. Now, pray with me. May Akarat guide and protect me.

WOMAN: May Akarat guide and protect me.

PRIEST: May he shepherd my soul…

WOMAN: May he shepherd my soul…

PRIEST: …and grant it mercy.
.
ROGUE: ..and grant it mercy.

PRIEST: What are you doing here? This is not the time.

ROGUE: But this is confession. And I have sinned. I was a thief…
who stole from those more fortunate. I strayed from your Light…
and found my trade in the Shadows. They call it murder. I say job well done.

PRIEST: Enough!

ROGUE: I am a thief… a heretic… a murderer, Father. Will Akarat save me?

(CHUCKLES)

PRIEST: You mock our Light… but those monsters were a scourge upon my flock. And you… you were the answer to their prayers.

WOMAN: Then we are settled. And you owe me.

PRIEST: The name you seek is… Thank the Heavens for you.

ROGUE: Heavens? I assure you, Father… the Heavens didn’t send me.

ROGUE INTRO

JOHN: Wow, I love that ending. (CHUCKLES) There’s two things. There’s the Rain of Arrows off the mount for the win. Then, when the guy takes the ear and he stretches it onto that hook right at the end. It’s like… (SHUDDERS AND CHUCKLES)

LUIS: That ear box never gets old. I always wondered where those ears from Diablo II, when you kill other players went.

JOHN: Now you know. There’s some creepy guy in a church collecting ears
and putting them in a box. Just what we always thought.

LUIS: No spoilers, but we’re going to be hearing a little bit more about world PvP later in the segment, but ears are definitely making a comeback.

Let’s go back to the class, because there’s nothing more exciting to be able to introduce to a Diablo game than another class for players to check out.

JOHN: This is a pretty cool thing. We don’t get to do this very often.

LUIS: I think it was you that said: “There’s always room around the campfire.”

JOHN: Always a little room.

LUIS: We had our very core archetypes to begin with. The brute strength of the Barbarian, the arcane knowledge of the Sorceress, a return of a shape-shifting classic with the Druid. No RPG line-up is complete without that dexterity class that’s defeating enemies with finesse, with speed.

We kept coming back to the idea of bringing it to the godfather of all dexterity-based archetypes, the Rogue, that we saw in Diablo I.

JOHN: You’ve got to be excited to have the Rogue back. I know that when we were exploring different classes, you would talk about some of your experiences with Diablo I. Right?

LUIS: For sure. One of the things that’s super cool is the Rogue was always able to adapt their playstyle. Fans of the Diablo I, Diablo II Rogues will be able to create very archetypical Rogues, starting with the weapons selection.

On the melee weapons side, Rogues can use swords and daggers, as well as bows and crossbows on the ranged side.

JOHN: The dagger attacks mixed with bow attacks, it just looks great on screen. With all the classes having this strong identity as far as the animations and what they do, you think about the Druid and shape-shifting
or the Barbarian with his leap attacks, there’s all these great things you discover with the Rogue that you can’t really do with other classes.

LUIS: I love that you can start cosmetically from such an iconic place where you’re wearing the red armor, you look like a part of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye from the original games.

You can maybe even add some tattoos into the mix, some scars,
make that Rogue your own. Or if your fantasy of the Rogue is a more traditional RPG outlaw, you’re definitely able to create that and put on your hood and half mask and be more of a shadowy character.

NEXT: SPECIALIZATION

BLIZZCONLINE 2021 - DIABLO IV: WHAT'S NEXT TRANSCRIPT
1. Rogue Intro2. Specialization3. Weapons & Imbues
4. Open World5. Diablo IV PvP
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