Community Predictions: Speculating the Future of Diablo 4 at Blizzcon

Blizzcon is right around the corner, and with the recent announcement of theBlizzcon 2023 floorplan, many players have been wondering: with all that space dedicated to Diablo, what's next for Diablo 4? While we won't know for sure until Blizzcon begins, we can definitely speculate - and the community has certainly been doing that in droves. We're taking a look at some of the more reasonable community predictions as we wait for Blizzcon!

Diablo 4's First Expansion

The one thing that much of the community is in agreement on is that Blizzcon is likely to bring us news of Diablo 4's first expansion. Blizzard has previously confirmed that they are aiming to have annual expansions for Diablo 4, which means that this Blizzcon, approximately 5 months after launch, would be the perfect time to announce the first major update to the game outside of Seasons. In fact, with the recent release of Diablo 4 on Steam, players have discovered unreleased zones in the localization strings, feeding further rumors of expanded content.

What remains to be seen, however, is just where this expansion may take us. While the localization strings indicate heading south, into the jungles surrounding the well-known area of Kurast, other sources could indicate several other previously unexplored lands. Blizzard's newest Diablo 4 book, the Book of Lorath, details Neyrelle and Lorath's journeys after the events of the Diablo 4 campaign, which seem to point towards Xiansai and the Skovos Isles as potential locations for us to journey to. Several cosmetic sets from Tejal's shop have also included tidbits of lore from locations yet to be seen, including Skovos and the Torajan Jungles. Some players have taken a different view and have called for us to return once again to Hell - after all, the final act of the game placed us in a haunting corner of Hell that would be a shame to only experience once!

Naturally, any new expansion would also come with expansion features - many of which have been predicted to be callbacks to Diablo 2. Numerous Reddit threads and other Games Media outlets have speculated that the ever-popular Mercenary system may return, as well as calls for a return of some variation of the Horadric Cube. The biggest change that players expect to come with an expansion, however, is one of the most hotly debated - if a new playable class will make its debut.

A New Playable Class: The Return of Paladins?

It is widely speculated that with the expansion announcement will come the announcement of a new playable class in Diablo 4. Players have been theorizing everything from the return of the Diablo 3 Monk and Demon Hunter to some longing for a resurgence of the Diablo 2 Assassin - but the class that is receiving the most predictions for a glorious return is the fan-favorite Paladin. Diablo 4 finally let us know what happened to the playable Paladin in Diablo 2 through various clues surrounding the Zakarum ruins in Hawezar. However, there have been numerous hints at a new class being based in the Light or otherwise Holy, including this widely-used promotional image for Diablo 4.

In this image, all five playable classes are clearly visible, with the sixth figure standing out quite starkly in comparison. While they look somewhat angelic, many questlines in the game imply that Inarius has lent his power freely to those in the Cathedral of Light, allowing them to perform exorcisms, holy rituals, and otherwise utilize the power of the Light in many ways - and this theme, especially given new quests which were released in Season 2, is clearly a theme that Blizzard has not given up on in terms of the story. While Paladin is certainly the most popular theorized class, recently there have been rumors of other class possibilities as well, detailed on both Reddit and by other outlets. We'll just have to wait and see what Blizzcon reveals!

Will Diablo Make an Appearance?

One last question that has been on many players' minds is how can Diablo not make an appearance in a Diablo game? While Mephisto has certainly been the forefront until now in terms of Prime Evils, we all know that the Lord of Terror isn't through with Sanctuary yet - although now may not be the time for him to reveal himself.

Many have speculated that due to Mephisto's prominence in both the storyline and his unresolved plot point of currently being ferried around Sanctuary by Neyrelle, we'll be focused on wrapping up loose ends with the eldest of the Prime Evils in this first expansion. The Bloodied Wolf certainly doesn't look happy in the Epilogue, after all, and narratively Mephisto needs to reach a conclusion before Diablo can be properly reintroduced.

That being said, some players have insisted that now is the time for Diablo to make his return - what do you think? Will we see the Lord of Terror soon, or will we have to wait a while longer for plans to unfold? Do you think the community predictions for Blizzcon and the future of Diablo 4 are accurate? Let us know in the comments below!