Diablo 4 doesn't have an announced released date as of yet, but with Diablo: Immortal and Diablo 2: Resurrected coming later in 2021, it would be safe to presume Diablo 4 will release sometime after 2021 or 2022. Until Diablo 4's release, however, all fans can do is speculate with the information given as to what sort of Diablo game it will be.
Diablo 4 will continue the legacy of the Diablo series into the future, and thankfully for fans, it looks as dark as every Diablo game should look. Comparatively to Diablo 3 and its more cartoonish look, Diablo 4 seems to give players who have wanted that gritty call back to Diablo 2 something to look forward to.
Diablo 3 missed the mark for many fans, but despite all of this, Diablo 3 was a very successful launch with tens of millions of copies sold by 2015. Over the years since its release, Diablo 3 has gone on to improve some of its mechanics, fleshing out the items, and even reworking some of the more outdated mechanics like the follower system. One thing Diablo 4 aims to improve over Diablo 3 is the dynamic nature between each of the playable classes, which will be important if the anticipated sequel wants to do things differently while also staying true to the source material.
Diablo's Barbarian Legacy
The Barbarian debuted in Diablo 2 as one of the main starting classes, though some fans might be familiar with the Barbarian as a Diablo series staple. Diablo 1 did not officially have a Barbarian class, instead, it was available in Diablo 1's Hellfire expansion as a test class that needed to be enabled outside of the game. What differentiated the Barbarian in Diablo 2 from all other classes was its ability to successfully wield many different weapons, use ferocious warcries as buffs for itself and its allies, and combat masteries improving both offensive and defensive capabilities. Many of these initial traits of the Barbarian made a return in one way or another in Diablo 3.
The Barbarian has always fit right in as the brutal raw damage character with many accessible weapons to choose from. Diablo 2's Barbarian has a wide variety of different builds it could specialize in. These range from the classic melee Whirlwind, Frenzy, and Berserk builds to the more lucrative Dragoon, Horker, and ranged Throw builds. Suffice to say the Barbarian was a jack of all trades and a master of all forms of fighting. Despite the Barbarian's ability to utilize many different kinds of weapons, once players find a build they like, their Barbarian will generally stick with one kind of weapon throughout the entirety of the game.
Diablo 3 weapons were less about their weapon type and more about what Legendary or Set bonuses it could provide the player. Aside from the affixes that could roll on a weapon, a one-handed Mace and one-handed Sword comparatively did the exact same thing. No weapon type enabled the use of a specific skill or playstyle as every skill in a Barbarian's arsenal in Diablo 3 could be used freely with any weapon a player chose to wield. This makes the search for better equipment an incredibly narrow process of hoping the next drop is identical to the Set or Legendary pieces players would have already equipped, only with bigger numbers.
How Diablo 4 Changes the Barbarian Formula
Diablo 4 introduces new class-specific mechanics within each of the available classes. For Diablo 4's Sorceress, Blizzard has introduced an Enchantment System that allows players to slot their Sorceress spells into either the Active Slot or Enchantment Slot, giving Sorceress players a unique level of customization. For the Barbarian, Blizzard has mentioned an Arsenal System allowing Barbarians a similar level of customization. This new Arsenal System will hopefully let Barbarians in Diablo 4 feel more unique than ever before. This is because through the Arsenal System Barbarians will be able to equip up to 4 different weapons and swap between them at any given time.
Barbarians in Diablo 4 will have access to skills that may require weapons of a specific type in order to be used. As such, if a player wants to use both a skill that requires a bludgeoning Mace and a skill that requires a slashing weapon like a Sword on their skill bar, they will need to equip the appropriate weapon types. When a Barbarian uses said skill, he will automatically switch to the weapon that is the best fit for that skill. Players will also be able to save weapon pairings so that instead of using a skill that requires a sword switching to a single sword, players can choose to have it switch to dual-wielding the two swords they might have equipped in their Arsenal.
This is a big deal for a class such as the Barbarian as weapon mastery has been a major theme for him. Diablo games have always had a weapon swapping key so that players, no matter the class, could swap between two sets of weapons and offhand they have equipped. What seems to be different for the Barbarian in Diablo 4 is the Arsenal System does not limit the player to just two sets of weapons, but simply 4 weapons in total. This could potentially be 4 Legendary two-handed weapons for example. When swapping between weapon sets in past Diablo games, the character loses the benefits of the affixes on the weapons that were swapped out, but it sounds like the Barbarian will retain all the affix stats rolled on each weapon in their Arsenal.
If Diablo 4 wants to truly set itself apart from the rest of the Diablo entries thus far, creating a unique gameplay mechanic for each class is a huge step in the right direction. The Arsenal System seems to give Barbarians a unique flavor that ties in with their overall theme and lore of being weapon masters. Players now who want to hunt down strong weapon upgrades may have to be on the lookout for more than just one or two, to fill out their Arsenal for optimal Barbarian builds.
Diablo 4 is currently in development, with PC, PS4, and Xbox One as confirmed platforms.