Diablo 4’s Warlock Could Be Poised to Dominate the Next Season

Diablo 4’s Warlock may not have made the strongest first impression when Lord of Hatred launched, but Blizzard appears ready to give the demonic summoner another chance in the spotlight.

Early testing of the upcoming season suggests the Warlock is receiving substantial improvements, with several previously struggling builds suddenly capable of pushing some of Diablo 4’s most difficult content.

Warlock Had a Rough Start

Warlock arrived as one of the two new classes included with Lord of Hatred, joining the returning Paladin when the expansion launched in April.

While the class brought an entirely new archetype to Diablo, allowing players to command demons and embrace darker forms of magic, its launch performance struggled to match the rest of the roster. Several abilities required players to remain stationary while casting, making combat feel awkward compared to Diablo 4’s normally fast-paced gameplay.

Damage was another problem. Other classes benefited heavily from the skill tree changes introduced alongside Lord of Hatred, leaving many Warlock builds feeling noticeably behind.

PTR Buffs Could Completely Change the Class

That situation appears very different on the upcoming season’s PTR.

Blizzard has reportedly delivered extensive buffs across the Warlock’s toolkit while providing additional ways for players to scale their damage. Content creator MacroBioBoi has demonstrated Warlock builds clearing the game’s highest dungeon tier despite using considerably less-than-perfect equipment.

One showcased setup surrounds the Warlock with burning skull-like minions capable of tearing through high-level enemies. More importantly, the improvements don’t appear limited to a single overpowered interaction.

According to the testing highlighted by PC Gamer, power increases are spread across several Warlock abilities, potentially leaving players with multiple competitive builds instead of one obvious meta choice.

Seasonal Jewels Make Warlock Even Stronger

Some of that strength comes from one of the upcoming seasonal jewels, which increases player power as enemies are defeated.

However, early testers believe the jewel isn't solely responsible for Warlock’s newfound strength. Even with the seasonal effect reduced, the class could potentially remain among Diablo 4’s strongest options when the update goes live.

Players should naturally treat PTR performance with some caution. Blizzard can still adjust balance before the season reaches live servers, especially if certain builds are dramatically outperforming expectations.

Still, after spending much of Lord of Hatred’s early life overshadowed by Diablo 4’s other classes, Warlock finally looks ready to live up to its potential.

If these changes survive testing, the next Diablo 4 season might belong to the Warlock.