Diablo 5 is ditching Diablo 4's "dad bod Druid" and adding more class customization
Blizzard also discussed set items, Diablo 2-inspired loot, and community feedback.
Diablo 5 is taking a different approach to character customization, and that means the infamous "dad bod Druid" could be a thing of the past, at least for those who do not want that.
In a new interview with Rhykker, Diablo 5 game director Joe Shely and art director John Mueller discussed some of the team's plans for the upcoming sequel, including character creation, itemization, and lessons learned from Diablo 4.
There is still a long wait ahead, with Diablo 5 currently targeting Spring 2029, but some of these early details are already pretty interesting.
No More Being Stuck With Your Class's Body Type
Diablo 5 will separate character customization from class selection.
In Diablo 4, picking a class also determines your character's general body type and appearance. That is how we ended up with the bulky Druid, and it sort of became a running joke among players who wanted a different look. We also had the very "dead" Necromancer look, and no real possibility to make a funny chunky Rogue still being ultra speedy, or a bodybuilder Druid if you wanted to. But you will have way more freedom in Diablo 5. You will be able to make a character that looks the way you want before choosing the class.
All I ask is more and better hairstyle options... please, Blizzard.
Diablo 5 Is Learning From Diablo 4's Mistakes
The interview also revealed how Blizzard wants to approach development. Shely acknowledged that he previously argued against adding an overlay map to Diablo 4, only for the feature to arrive later because of community feedback. He openly admitted that he had been on camera explaining why players supposedly did not want one. The team's philosophy has since changed. They are done telling players why they should not want certain features, and they want to build the game alongside the community.
So things like overlay map and loot filters are planned for Diablo 5 from day one, and you will not have to beg for it after launch.
Set Items Are Coming Back, With a Different Purpose
If you enjoyed getting gear sets in Diablo 2, there is more good news. Diablo 5 will bring back traditional gear-based set items, so you will not have to rely on the Talisman approach used in Diablo 4. They are aware of the problems that sets can create, though. They can become so powerful that they dominate the entire meta, or feel pointless compared to other gear.
The goal is to make sets a sort of progression path for players. Finding one piece gives you a reason to look for the rest, and completing the set can introduce you to a build you might not have considered otherwise. Ideally, sets will expand the range of viable builds instead of forcing everyone into the same thing. They are still working out exactly how powerful they should be.
Loot Should Feel More Meaningful Again
Diablo 5 is also taking inspiration from Diablo 2 when it comes to itemization. An item's name should tell you something meaningful about its power level. Basically, they do not want you to stand there inspecting a pile of random modifiers to figure out if it is worth keeping.
They also mentioned two additional small changes:
Stat requirements
Some items will have requirements you need to meet before you can equip them
Item tiers like Diablo 2
The overall idea is to make loot easier to understand and give different items a real identity.
A More Unpredictable World
Diablo 5 will have a procedural world, and the developers want to push it further than before.
Areas could look really different between visits, and the presence of a Dread Commander could change both the environment and what happens there. A ruined church might appear in one visit, disappear in another, or become part of a different encounter.
The campaign will also explore how Diablo conquered the western continent, and you will discover parts of that story through environmental storytelling as you explore. So we will most likely not see that in Diablo 4.
They also teased that there will be a really small gap between pre-rendered cinematics and in-game cutscenes.
Shely reiterated that Diablo 4 and Diablo 5 have separate development teams and that both games have a future. Diablo 4 still has its upcoming Amazon class and seasonal updates. They will share more details about Diablo 5 early next year, so there is plenty we still do not know.