Grab your sword and shield, Wanderer -- the Paladin is coming to Diablo 4 next year alongside the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion. But if you're dying to wield the power of the Light, you can preorder Lord of Hatred ($40) and gain immediate access to the class. The announcement came at this year's Game Awards, with the Paladin announced as one of two new classes in the expansion. Paladin is one of the playable classes from Diablo 2, and a much-requested class for Diablo 4. 

The action RPG was released in June 2023, just a few months before Xbox-maker Microsoft closed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In October 2024, Blizzard launched the first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, which included the new Spiritborn class and took players to the jungles of Nahantu. 

The new Lord of Hatred expansion is set in Skovos -- the oldest region in Sanctuary, and the former home of Lilith and Inarius. Players will battle their way through forests, coasts and ruins in a battle against Mephisto, the expansion's titular greater demon that Diablo series veterans first fought in the third act of Diablo 2. 

Here's what we know so far.

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Diablo 4 expansion release date

The Lord of Hatred expansion will be released on April 28, 2026. 

New classes in Lord of Hatred

The expansion will come with two new classes. One of them remains a mystery, and we'll likely have to wait until closer to launch to find out what it is. 

But the headliner here is the Paladin class. 

Paladins augment medieval armor and heavy weaponry with the holy power of the Light. As a Paladin, you can channel powerful auras, summon Holy weapons to fight enemies and become an indomitable guardian on the battlefield.

Paladins will be able to choose among four oaths, each supporting a different style of play.

Juggernaut: This shield-focused style turns defense into offense and supports tankier tactics.

Zealot: A sword-based oath that focuses on an updated Zeal mechanic and a holy blade ultimate ability.

Judicator: The premier option for inflicting divine punishment through holy conjurations such as Blessed Hammer and Heaven's Fury.

Disciple: If you want to transform into an angel, spearing through the legions of darkness on wings of holy light, take this oath.

Diablo 4 endgame upgrades

D4 has been criticized for its endgame, particularly for the limited number of activities available to a fully geared character with optimized stats. Lord of Hatred promises to revamp the endgame around player choice with higher challenges and, uh… fishing? I guess even Wanderers need to chill sometimes.

Lord of Hatred will introduce War Plans, which allow players to select preferred activities and enable modifiers as they push for rewards. 

The big challenge will be Echoing Hatred, a post-game gauntlet specifically designed to challenge the most optimized builds. Plan your build, grind for loot and see if you can survive the onslaught. 

Beyond those additions, the expansion will also rework Diablo 4's skill trees by expanding level caps and providing variants specific to each of the game's classes. The game's crafting system will be upgraded with the Horadric Cube, a legendary artifact that allowed you to transmute items in Diablo 2 to other items via specific recipes. A new Talisman mechanic will add set bonuses to items that can be equipped.

Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred editions

Lord of Hatred will be available in three editions:

• Standard ($40): Includes the earlier Vessel of Hatred expansion, which featured the Spiritborn class.
• Deluxe ($60): Both expansions, plus a mini chimera pet, a mount bundle, a cosmetic bundle and a premium battle pass bundle.
• Ultimate ($90): All of the above, plus 3,000 Platinum (can be used for cosmetics and battle pass), an armor bundle for six classes, a trophy, town portal skin and more.

Preorders of any edition grant immediate access to the Paladin class.