Rumours surrounding the potential introduction of a Paladin or “sword-and-board”-style class have persisted since before the game’s inception. Among the five authentic classes, the “holy warrior” archetype is one that the celebrated action RPG had long felt was missing in action.
I’ve long been enamored with the Paladin archetype and eagerly anticipated the possibility of a similarly themed character in the first expansion. Blizzard has announced the arrival of the Spiritborn, a fresh new class debuting in an upcoming expansion set to drop in October. 8.
Initially, I was disappointed by my response: “What a letdown.” Despite all this, it means I’ll have to wait at least another year before I can integrate an updated version of a Crusader into the game’s open-world Sanctuary setting. On July 11, I had the opportunity to visit Blizzard and gain insight into the Spiritborn, studying its capabilities, performance, and most crucially, what sets it apart from a Paladin. After conversing with a Blizzard game designer, Bjorn Mikkelson, and associate class designer Stephen Stewart, I’ve revised my approach. I’m delighted that the Spiritborn will serve as a pioneering alternative to traditional holy warriors.
The pitch for the Spiritborn is that these agile warriors rely on swift and precise melee strikes to swiftly dispatch their adversaries. While launching a fierce assault, warriors call upon their revered Spirit Guardians to unleash devastating retribution upon their foes. Here is the rewritten text:
Four Spirit Guardians are available for selection, each boasting a unique identity: Gorilla, Jaguar, Eagle, and Centipede.
Each Spirit Guardian boasts its unique set of talents within the expansive skill tree, featuring distinct abilities at various tiers: primary, core, and ultimate. That aligns with its tone. While Jaguars excel in speed and ferocity, their abilities focus on rapid assault and blazing destruction. In contrast, Gorillas prioritise safeguarding themselves and their allies while inflicting physical harm through sheer strength. Eagles’ talents exhibit far greater diversity than their Spirit Guardian counterparts, focusing intensely on precision and rapid, high-damage strikes. While the most audaciously lurid of the four is undoubtedly the Centipede, its preoccupation with venom and terrestrial themes is undeniable.
With The Spiritborn’s core class mechanism, you have the ability to commit to up to two distinct Spirit Guardians simultaneously, or recommit to a single Spirit Guardian. By combining the skills and expertise from various courses, you’ll be able to generate innovative synergies that go beyond individual capabilities.
Your Spirit Guardian bestows upon you a novel passive ability, reconfiguring all existing abilities to incorporate its distinctive key phrase. Should you choose to pledge yourself to the Jaguar, all of your abilities in this tree will evolve and transform into powerful Jaguar skills. Your second Spirit Guardian will grant you their secondary passive ability, which introduces a novel effect that can significantly alter your build.
Upon learning about the category’s mechanics, I found myself drawing parallels with the Druid class. As each course pledges itself to the animating force of animal spirits, they collectively conjure forth the primal energy to wreak havoc. As I attempted to combine the two courses during the interview, I caught a subtle “I’m not convinced” glance from Mikkelson and Stewart, an intuition reinforced by my fleeting experience just minutes later. The Spiritborn bears little resemblance to the typical Druidic archetype. The Spiritborn plays similarly to the Paladin in many aspects.
For me, the allure of playing as Monk was always tempered by my inability to fully commit to their complex support builds; it wasn’t until I encountered the Spiritborn that I found a similar sense of delight. It seemed as though I’d always required the guidance of Monk to truly understand myself. Each of my primary skills propelled me towards my objective, with each one featuring a powerful three-hit combination. With my arsenal of abilities, I could strategically command the battlefield, deploying a move that effortlessly sucked up adversaries surrounding me, as well as leveraging other tactics to unleash devastating damage. As I possessed an uncanny aptitude for gorilla-like behavior, I found myself instinctively slapping my palms down onto either side of me, leaving a pair of distinct handprint impressions in their wake. With each adversary, I could inflict significant damage; however, by luring them into the sweet spot where my spheres of influence converged, the potential for maximum devastation was exponentially greater. Within minutes, I was adept at navigating the battlefield with ease, effortlessly traversing its terrain.
Blizzard provided four distinct iterations of the Spiritborn, each reaching level 30 and revolving around a unique Spirit Guardian. During my brief tenure, I was consistently impressed by the vastly diverse atmosphere that permeated each session – akin to a multifaceted experience, comprising four unique modules in one. These were the refined iterations, engineered to amplify the agility of Jaguars and the imposing bulk of Gorillas. Within the confines of a player seeking a straightforward yet engaging experience, Spiritborn is poised to deliver a compact and intuitive pleasure that requires minimal cognitive investment. For those inclined to theory-craft, Spiritborn proves an intuitive fit.
Despite the developer’s delight in the Spiritborn, the lingering presence of the enigmatic Paladin cast a long shadow over my odyssey. During our roundtable discussion with fellow journalists, the topic was broached openly and freely, with Mikkelson referencing it spontaneously during his conversation with me and Stewart. However, all of those mentions served a purpose. Without clarifying the reason why there isn’t a universally recognized holy class, it’s crucial to emphasize that this distinction ultimately promotes a healthier understanding of spiritual hierarchies.
“When considering the creation of Paladin, a request with a distinct historical connotation in our game’s narrative is likely to have specific expectations.” If you’re convinced it’s the Spiritborn, what do you envision happening next? Proper? You may never have encountered this name before, which doesn’t necessarily mean anything to you. As we dive into the concept of innovative thinking, let’s explore what people would ideally gain from this process. How can one effectively bring that vision to life? There are countless possibilities.
The phrase “It’s a double-edged sword” resonated from Stewart’s lips. Since the world is completely open, you have the freedom to do anything you desire? But are you trying to distill down what would make the category truly shine? You’re operating without boundaries, correct? Constraints often prove invaluable by keeping creatives focused within a specific sphere where they’re aware of the expected parameters. What’s the foundation upon which we’ll build and innovate from here? When determining our course of action, we aim to honour the lessons learned from those that have preceded us, with a newfound appreciation.
The terms “paladin” or “crusader” carry a significant amount of historical and cultural connotation, often burdened with negative associations. For fans of these characters, the anticipation has been building for over a decade – it’s only natural that gamers eagerly await their return with meticulously crafted builds tailored to satisfy each player’s unique preferences. Without the signature abilities of a specific playstyle or class, a Paladin’s effectiveness is severely diminished? The unique aesthetic of the Spiritborn offers a rare chance for innovators to push creative boundaries. When I reflect on the situation, I sense a glimmer of optimism that these developers will one day approach their work with fresh perspectives and renewed enthusiasm.
Until Blizzard creates a Paladin-like class, I’ll rely on the Spiritborn to guide me through. As I peruse what’s available, I’m excited to discover a plethora of captivating structures waiting to be attempted while I wait.
