Three Diablo V character classes have been revealed.
Blizzard Entertainment had an unexpected announcement to drop during BlizzCon 2026 this weekend: the next entry in the Diablo franchise, Diablo V, is officially in the works. The upcoming action-RPG sequel was shown in more detail during a developer talk at BlizzCon, wherein Blizzard confirmed three classes for the game: the Demon Hunter, Monk, and Plague Knight. The game will take place in Westmarch, and bring back procedurally-generated environments (including the overworld) to the franchise.
Additionally, it was revealed that Diablo would be featured as a fleshed-out villain in the game, with a unique connection to the player.
Diablo V
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Release date: Spring 2029
Platforms: TBA
What are Diablo V’s playable classes?
A new developer panel held during BlizzCon 2026 has revealed more details for Blizzard Entertainment’s upcoming sequel to Diablo IV. Diablo V will be set after the fall of Sanctuary, amid the rise of its most fearsome threat: Diablo himself. Players will have to rise from the ashes of Sanctuary to battle Diablo, and they’ll be able to do so as some newly-revealed classes.
During the developer panel, the following character classes were confirmed for Diablo V:
- The Demon Hunter
- The Monk
- The Plague Knight (new class)
The Demon Hunter is a ranged character who has been featured in both Diablo III, with the ability to dual-wield crossbows, place traps, launch explosives, and more. The Monk has thus far only been playable in Diablo III, with a play style that heavily favours speed and agility with melee attacks.
The Plague Knight, however, is an all-new character class. Blizzard stated that the new class would be a heavily-armoured class described as a “walking death” on the battlefield. The class attacks enemies by spreading disease before consuming it to gain power.
More classes are in the works, as Diablo V is set to launch with more classes than any other mainline instalment in the franchise.
What is Diablo V’s story about?
The developer panel also confirmed that Diablo would be featured in Diablo V’s campaign as a “fully-developed” character, and that the villain would speak more in this sequel. The developers decided to build an entire game around the villain, rather than relegate him to final boss status.
A teaser for the game has shown crucified angels and a burning Westmarch. The game will eventually show players that Sanctuary’s heroes attempted to stop Diablo, and ultimately failed. The player character will have a unique connection to Diablo, much like the player had a connection to Lilith in Diablo IV’s Lord of Hatred expansion. Players will then spend the campaign trying to figure out how that connection came to be.
The game will also take place in the continent of Westmarch where the player serves as its heir, but there are no towns left in the region. Sanctuary has become a “brutal place to be”, and most of humanity has devolved into following hell as cultists. Some humans will act as enemies. For example, hell-corrupted humans called Dread Commanders can corrupt the environment, and change it drastically.
What is Diablo V changing from Diablo IV?
Itemisation is getting touched up in Diablo V. Item tiers will evolve akin to Diablo II, and some items will be multi-slot. There will also be a new belt slot, and gear-based sets are returning to the game.
Diablo V will also feature procedurally-generated dungeons and an overworld, unlike Diablo IV. Players will have no safe zones, and will instead serve as their own travelling safe zone with their followers in a caravan; this imitates the feel of Diablo II's Rogue Encampment.
Check out everything you missed from BlizzCon 2026’s Opening Ceremony here.
