Diablo 4 - Warlock Full Reveal Guide

The new Warlock class coming with Vessel of Hatred, which releases April 28st, has finally been revealed in the most recent Developer Livestream! This article will break down everything revealed in an easy to follow step by step guide.

Make sure to check out our Tier List when the class launches for all the best up to date build Warlock build guides.

Warlock is a caster/summoner focused class that uses demons as tools to slaughter their foes. This section will cover all the basic you need to know.

Class Resource: Wrath & Dominance

Warlock is a class with two unique resources, Wrath and Dominance.

Skills consume Wrath, while summoning Demons and using their abilities cost Dominance. Learning to balance and use these two resources is vital for Warlock.

New Keywords:

• Hex
• • Increases Abyss skill damage taken against enemies, based on their missing Life. Stacks up to 3 times.
    
• Eviscerate
• • Eviscerated enemies instantly lose a portion of their Bleeding Life and then Bleed for additional damage.
    
• Shadowform
• • Shadowform grants Unhindered and any movement grants Stealth but consumes stacks.
    
• Demonform
• • Increases your Maximum Life. While active, kills increase the damage of Demonology Skills.
    
• Volatility
• • Randomly Empowers Hellfire Skills when you attack with them. Empowered skills deal increased damage on their next cast.

Basic Skills

Doom
Burst a sigil on your enemies, Hexing them and dealing damage.

Molten Bomb
Lobs volatile lava at an enemy, dealing damage in a small area.

Command Fallen
Summon a Fallen Lunatic that charges your target and explodes, dealing damage.

Hellion Sting
Whip a demon tail forward, dealing damage with a chance to Eviscerate enemies.

Core Skills

Bombardment

Smash down demons into the ground, each dealing damage.

Blazing Scream

Send forth a Demon Skull, dealing damage as it travels.

Hell Fracture

Summon the fires of hell to fracture the ground, dealing damage to enemies in the area.

Dread Claws

Burst forth shadowy claws, dealing damage on impact.

Umbral Chains

Send for a shadowy chain, dealing damage and linking enemies for a short duration.
(No gif is current available for this Core Skill)

Defensive Skills

Dark Prison

Create a Shadowy Totem for a duration that chains enemies, Tethering them to the area and preventing them from escaping.

Tortured Wretch

Summon a tortured demon on your enemies, dealing damage and Taunting them.

Wall of Agony

Summon and bind several frenzied demons into a line for a duration. The demons block enemies and flail wildly, dealing damage per hit to those in front of them.

Nether Step

Step through the shadows of Hell to emerge at the target location, gaining Shadowform and a decaying Movement Speed bonus.

Archfiend Skills

Rampage

Summon a rampaging brute for a duration that smashes wildly, dealing damage with a chance to Eviscerate.

Infernal Breath

Summon a demonic head for a duration that breathes fire on enemies dealing damage per hit.

Profane Sentinel

Summon a demonic eye for a duration that focuses upon enemies with a beam that makes them Vulnerable and periodically blasts them.

Tyrant's Grasp

Summon a Demon hand that Pulls enemies away from you, dealing damage.

Sigil Skills

Sigil of Chaos

Create a destructive ritual for a duration that grants you Volatility while within. Killing fuels the ritual's chaotic hellfire, increasing the chance for each enemy to explode on death.

Sigil of Subversion

Create a subversive ritual for a duration that Hexes enemies. Killing fuels the ritual to send forth shadow trails that periodically grant you Shadowform.

Sigil of Summons

Create a binding ritual for a duration that extends the duration of your Summons. Killing fuels the ritual to summon demons that attack nearby enemies.

Ultimate Skills

Apocalypse

Create a massive Sigil that detonates after a delay, dealing damage to all enemies within.

Fiend of Abaddon

Summon a massive fiend for a duration that attacks enemies.

Terror Swarm

Summon a terror from the depths that deals damage and spews a voracious swarm that deals damage for a duration.

Metamorphosis

No description is currently available for this ultimate.

The Warlock class has 4 different archetypes of Class Specialization as the class mechanic, allowing for a wide range of playstyles that alter the way you play the game.

• Legions - summon relentless fodder to overwhelm their prey
• Vanguards - become monstrous front-line terrors
• Masterminds - seize the battlefield through oppressive shadowcraft
• Ritualists - weave doom through blood-etched rites

Soul Shard Fragments

After reaching Level 30, the Warlock’s Class Mechanic unlocks. Select one of four Soul Shards to infuse yourself with that power, imbuing your summoned demon with precise fervor.

Each Soul Shard will define which demon is linked to you and establishes the core of what your Warlock focusses on.

Soul Shards are made up of two components:

• Primary Shards:
• • Grant a transformative playstyle passive which alters your core gameplay loop. Summoning demons, controlling them, how effects are chained together.
• • Binds a specific demon to you.

Legion Shard

Summoned Greater Demon: Ae’gron

• Summon Ae'grom, the Demon of Legions. Ae'grom cleaves its enemies for damage. While summoned, this skill becomes Command Ae'grom. Command Ae'grom causes Ae'grom to summon a swarm of Vile Child Lesser Demons to fight for you.
• Passive: Ae'grom has a Claw attack that deals damage. Vile Child demons have a claw attack dealing a portion of that damage.
  

Soul Shard Fragment Bonuses:

• Spawn: Ae'grom now spawns a Vile Child Demon passively. Summoning a Greater Demon increases this spawn rate temporarily, up to a maximum. Additional stacks do not refresh this duration. Command Ae'grom no longer spews Vile Children and instead causes all of your Lesser Demons to explode, dealing damage.
• Sacrificial: You are Unstoppable as long as you have active Lesser Demons. When you would become Crowd Controlled, 1 of your Lesser Demons is Sacrificed to prevent it.
• Evisceration: While an enemy is Eviscerated, your Summoned Demons prioritize them and gain increased Movement Speed. Demonology Skills gain a chance to Eviscerate enemies that are already Eviscerated.

Vanguard Shard

• Summoned Greater Demon: Abodian
• While in Demonform, Casting Archfiend Skills additionally Summons the Archfiend Demon:
• • Rampage summons a brute for that temporarily follows you and swipes at enemies, dealing damage.
• • Infernal Breath summons a demonic head that temporarily orbits you and spews flames, dealing damage.
• • Tyrant's Grasp summons additional demon hands that each deal damage.
• • Profane Sentinel summons an additional eye that temporarily follows you and blasts enemies, dealing damage.
    

Soul Shard Fragment Bonuses:

• Hellguard: Abodian gains increased Cast Speed and Movement Speed and cleaves on its attacks. Abodian erupts Brimstone during Command Abodian, launching them periodically while moving and when dismounting. Each Brimstone deals damage.
• Warden: While in Demonform, lose Dominance per second Close Summons Greater Demon to extend their durations. Demonform also increases the damage of Hellfire Demonology Skills.
• Inferno: While you are Volatile in Demonform, Hellfire Skill damage causes you to emanate fire temporarily, dealing some of that damage to Close enemies periodically over a duration.

Mastermind Shard

Summoned Greater Demon: Laalish

• Recast Skills no longer break Shadowform Stealth at the cost of a few stacks of Shadowform per Cast. While you have Shadowform, Abyss skills deal increased damage, and you gain increased Movement Speed per stack.

Soul Shard Fragment Bonuses:

• Unfathomable: Laalish also Weakens enemies. Laalish deals increased damage and Executes enemies. When an enemy is Executed, the Cooldown of Command Laalish is reduced.
• Blasphemous: Recast Skills Hex enemies on hit and increase the damage they take from your Abyss Demonology Skills.
• Subjugation: Summoning a non-Soul Shard, Abyss Great Demon consumes all Dominance increasing its damage per Dominance consumed. Losing stacks of Shadowform grants Dominance.

Ritualist Shard

Summoned Greater Demon: Vollach

• Summon Vollach, the fallen one. With Vollach active, siphon it's lifeforce to increase your maximum Overpower. With several stacks of Overpower, Occult Abyss skills apply additional Hex to enemies on hit, and Occult Hellfire Skills have a chance to grant Volatility temporarily when Cast. Occult skills deal increased damage per stacks of Overpower and gain increased Size.

Soul Shard Fragment Bonuses

• Abyssal: Hex Stacks up to a maximum. When a target gains stacks, a portion of the damage dealt to the target echoes after a short duration and removes all stacks of Hex. Command Vollach also causes Occult Abyss skills to apply 1 additional stack of Hex to enemies while you've siphoned its power.
• Scorching: Occult Hellfire Skills are always empowered and consume a portion of your Maximum Life. Volatility can now stack up to a maximum, increasing the damage of empowered Skills and the Life they consume by per stack. Command Vollach also siphons its life to Fortify you for a portion of your Maximum Life and causes Vollach to pay a portion of Life Costs instead while you've Siphoned its power.
• Twisted: Occult Hellfire Skills consumes stacks of Hex on targets hit to increase its damage against the target by a portion. Occult Abyss skills can be empowered by Volatility and cause explosions, dealing damage when hitting an enemy for the first time

As with every new class, Warlock will launch with a number of new and powerful Uniques.

It is not currently known where these uniques drop or what type of item they are, so be sure to check out our Boss Loot Table at launch to find out where where to get all the new uniques.

Anathema of the Primes
Hitting enemies with a Core Skill increases the damage they take from you per Skill, up to a maximum. Archfiend Demonform Skill Variants are Core Skills and cost Wrath.

Cage of Madness
Your Evade transforms you into an angry Lunatic for a limited duration, then explodes for 2,500% of Command Fallen’s damage.

While you are an angry Lunatic, your Movement speed is increased and you spawn a Mini Lunatic every half-second that seeks enemies.

Command Fallen deals increased damage.

Litany of Sable
Dread Claws deals increased damage and additional claws fire out when you gain a stack of Shadowform.

Cowl of Malefic Torment
Hex dooms enemies below a threshold of Life, maintaining the Hex and dealing a portion of Doom’s damage every second until they die. Doom deals increased damage.

Lurid Pact
Rampage deals increased damage. Each enemy or demon killed by Rampage increases the size of the brute and its smashes.

Seal of the Ophanim
Profane Sentinel deals increased damage and summons an additional eye that follows you for 10 seconds.

The Eightfold Idol
Blazing Scream leaves Sigil of Subversion Shadow or Lava trails behind. Sigil of Subverision deals increased damage.

Ae'grom's Schism
Ae’grom and its summons deal increased damage. You additionally summon Ae’grom’s other half and gain a second Charge of Command Ae’grom.


Hellhound’s Sabatons
Abodian deals increased damage. After Command Abodian ends you are connect with a fire chain that deals Command Abodian’s Drag damage periodically and grants you increased Movement Speed for a limited time.

Rictus of Terror
Taz’rauth deals increased damage. Command Taz’rauth’s Terror Realm is an Ultimate Skill that lasts longer, and while active your Abyss Skills Execute enemies.

Disciple of the Forbidden Class Quest

After reaching level 15, visit Ked Bardu to begin the Disciple of the Forbidden quest. Nothing else is currently known about the class quest at this time.

Warlocks are dark, relentless casters who bend demons and the powers of Hell to their will. Hell itself is the source of their power, conjured through ritual, alchemy, and spellcraft. The Warlock is not a servant of Hell; they are its bane, using its unholy fruits against itself.

Not everyone has the ability to become a Warlock. It takes natural-born insight, exceptional willpower, and rigorous training to resist the temptation of corruption. Even the best can fail. They roam the world as ragged outcasts, scavenging their forebears’ knowledge—some seeking mastery over their inner demons, others hunting demons where they rise.

The Vizjerei: Origins of the Warlock

Birthed from forbidden knowledge that ignited The Sin War, the original demon summoners were Vizjerei who sought this power in secret. The discovery of this blasphemous craft tore the mage clans into civil war. In the aftermath, demonology was outlawed once again, and its remaining practitioners—branded “Warlocks”—were hunted across Sanctuary.

Nearly 15 centuries later, underground enclaves keep this knowledge alive, believing it essential to humanity’s survival. Few Warlocks are raised in the practice; many are simply born with demonic insight, a cursed gift that often leads to rejection by society.

The more fortunate ones find old, accursed seals, driven by voices they appear to hear from within. These seals are tenets of their study, guiding their practice. The knowledge within is often incomplete and varies by discipline.

These are sources of inspiration for how the Warlock exudes their power, influencing how they understand the world and shape it to their will. These are not their skills, but a foundation of their ceaselessness.

• Force of Will – Above all, Warlocks must strengthen their will against opposition, striving to purge fear, doubt, and weakness.
• Demonology – The history, taxonomy, physiology, psychology, summoning, and subjugation of demons. From the lowest maggot to the Prime Evils.
• Hellfire – Theory, conjuration, and application of Hell’s destructive elements.
• Shadow – Tools of deception, inception, and manipulation, useful both in combat and subterfuge.
• Martial Weaponry – Symbolic and literal extensions of the Warlock’s will.

Once a Warlock has begun their practice of tearing open the veil between worlds, they cannot stop. Their hunger for power and purpose is insatiable, stronger than any pain they endure.

Now, after centuries of working in secret, many Warlocks believe Mephisto’s return signals their ultimate test is at hand. They rise from the shadows to meet this challenge.

Pre-purchase Lord of Hated and Unlock New Rewards

Battle Mephisto in sinful garb fit for a dark prince of Sanctuary. Alongside this closer look at Diablo IV’s most fiery class comes the unveiling of three new cosmetic offerings, yours for the taking with the Lord of Hatred Expansion.

Battle Mephisto in sinful garb fit for a dark prince of Sanctuary. Alongside this closer look at Diablo IV’s most fiery class comes the unveiling of three new cosmetic offerings, yours for the taking with the Lord of Hatred Expansion.

Pre-purchase Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred Ultimate Edition and unlock two new Warlock-inspired cosmetics starting on March 11 with Patch 2.6.0.

• Avel’hud, Nucleus of Perdition Reactive Back Trophy
• Embrace of Evil Town Portal

Plus, with the Lord of Hatred Deluxe or Ultimate Edition, you will unlock a cosmetic bundle for the Warlock class when the new expansion launches on April 28.

• The Infernal Apostle Back Trophy Cross-Class Armor Bundle