BlizzConline 2021: Diablo IV: What’s Next Transcript

ROGUE SPECIALIZATIONS

JOHN: The character customization, you mentioned it, being able to craft the class of your dreams or your nightmares, was a feature that I was nervous about when we started, because we’d never had this in a Diablo game.

But seeing where it is now, it’s one of those things I’m super excited about,
with where we’re at. There’s a lot of creativity and fun looks. You can be that tattooed, criminal outlaw or you can be a more noble-looking
thief with good morals.

One of the things that we kept running with, beyond the cosmetics,
was customization. We had this niche to fill in the class line-up that spoke to the finesse player, to the dexterity player.

Everyone’s idea of what that could be was a little bit different, whether it leaned more on range or melee, but we took that a little bit of a step further. We really wanted to have each class in our game have that one thing that makes you go, “That’s bullshit!” when you see a player use it, so it makes you want to re-roll that class, because no other class gets it.

For the Rogue, it’s the class specialization. The 3 specializations are Combo Points… Shadow Realm… and Exploit Weakness.

JOHN: I like Shadow Realm, because I can take the problem and make it smaller. I just pull 3 guys into the Shadow Realm and duke it out. Then I come back in and I’m like, “All right, smaller problem.”

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LUIS: I love the idea of Exploit Weakness. The way it works is, during some of the enemy attacks, players will see an icon flash over the enemy’s head during which time they will be get to retaliate with much more damage than an ordinary attack.

If you’re quick on the draw, this is the specialization for you. I’m a little bit skill-capped there. Every time I try to make it work, I’m just a little bit shy of the skill level that’s required for that.

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JOHN: It’s almost like you’re a surgeon. It requires a really strong ability to assess what’s happening around you.

LUIS: My personal favorite is the Combo Points specialization. As you might expect, this ability lets you build multiple combo points, which enhance your spender’s effectiveness in combat. Basically, you get into this rhythm of combat of 3 builders to a spender. It lets you build up to these big, big moments. It almost makes a rhythm game out of combat, which I really enjoy.

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The way the class specializations work is you will work with one of the world groups of Rogues around the world in Sanctuary that you will find and do class-specific quests that no other class can do.

Whether it’s the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye, the remnants of that Order, that you choose to work with, or the mercenaries of Kehjistan, or the outlaw smugglers of the Swamps of Hawezar. Depending on what speaks to your class fantasy, or depending on which specialization speaks to you
or you find more powerful, you’ll be able to complete that questline and activate that specialization, which you can mix and match with any of the playstyles.

You could be a Combo Points, ranged or melee player, but you can also be an Exploit Weakness, ranged or melee, or hybrid player. It just gives the class such huge variety and builds and playstyles.

NEXT: WEAPONS & IMBUES

BLIZZCONLINE 2021 - DIABLO IV: WHAT'S NEXT TRANSCRIPT
1. Rogue Intro	2. Specialization	3. Weapons & Imbues
4. Open World	5. Diablo IV PvP