Diablo 4’s next class could be the long-awaited Paladin, if the name of an internal build recently spotted on Blizzard’s servers is to be believed.
As originally spotted by Spanish site DiabloNext (via Icy Veins), an internal build for Diablo 4 named “2.5.Xpaladin.67961” allegedly made its way to Blizzard’s servers, seemingly hinting that a Paladin class could be in the works.
The 2.5 numbers in the build name appear to be referring to patch 2.5, which would line up with Diablo 4 Season 11, since Season 9 is currently on patch 2.3. Though it seems unlikely Blizzard would release the Paladin before a major expansion (which would see the build number jump to the 3.0 designation), it’s possible some part of a Paladin class might be included as part of the patch 2.5 update, even if the class isn’t fully playable or is only included for testing purposes.
As explained by Wowhead, previous Diablo 4 builds have used the codename Fenris, making the build name change to Paladin even more curious. The name change could simply be another codename that has no actual bearing on in-game content, like Fenris. Until Blizzard makes an official announcement, it’s impossible to know for sure.
Paladin is one of two original Diablo 2’s classes that have yet to appear in Diablo 4, and as such is by far the most-requested class among the game’s community. It would hardly be surprising then if Paladin does show up as part of the game’s next expansion, which is set to arrive sometime in 2026.
Diablo content creators have been hyping up Diablo 4’s future in recent weeks, with some having attended a secret meeting to learn more about what’s next and others even being flown out to Blizzard HQ to give hands-on feedback on a new feature. Might they be testing the Paladin? That’s unclear, but what is clear is that Blizzard certainly seems to be gearing up for some bigger announcements.
Blizzard’s Diablo team has been shaking things up in more ways than one recently. Diablo franchise head Rod Fergusson left Blizzard after five years, and the studio announced it would be making big changes to how it talks to the Diablo 4 community, doing away with its Campfire Chat livestreams and instead hosting a live chat through Discord. Diablo 4 is also being prepped to release in China, having received government approval last month. Blizzard even seemed to tease new content for Diablo 2 to celebrate the game’s 25th anniversary, though nothing has officially been announced.
