As I was thinking about a new Diablo game, it was impossible not to wonder what new class it might offer. Classes are one of the most important ways to satisfy the player’s power fantasies, and they serve as the tip of the gameplay spear that is so important to the Diablo experience. So what new class could you play in Diablo: Unholy Alliance?
My answer to this question was the Horadrim. Anyone (like me) who geeks out about Diablo lore knows about this mysterious order that once saved the world from the Prime Evils. Deckard Cain, one of the most well-known characters in the franchise, is often described as “the last of the Horadrim” - but what if he wasn’t? Featuring unique weapons, armor, and an arsenal of arcane skills, I wanted players to be able experience what it feels like to play as one of these legendary heroes. Take a look at some of the details.
CLASS OVERVIEW
Horadrim are the staunch champions of justice and light. These legendary mages use their forbidden knowledge of demonology and alchemy to subjugate, imprison and weaken their enemies, sending the legions of hell screaming back into their fiery abyss.
The Horadrim’s true power comes from the ancient knowledge of their order. Using their impressive array of arcane skills, the Horadrim can engage dozens of hellspawn enemies at once, incapacitating them or turning them against one another with powerful Horadric Banes.
Horadrim do not flinch when the battle rages near them. Protected by enchanted armor, the Horadrim wield spiked morning stars to finish off their weakened foes, while using powerful alchemical infusion and transmutation to protect themselves and strengthen their allies. Where the Horadrim leads, death and destruction will follow.
KEY FEATURES
RESOURCE - HORADRIC FIRE: The Horadrim draw upon Horadric Fire to fuel their raw arcane power. Their reserves are replenished by the death of demons, transforming the very flames of Hell into the vessel of their destruction.
DEMONIC BANES: The Horadrim’s strength lies in their vast knowledge of demonology and the occult. When in battle, they invoke powerful demonic Banes to weaken, incapacitate and subjugate the twisted minions of the Burning Hells. By controlling the tide and flow of battle, the Horadrim ensures victory in each and every encounter.
ALCHEMICAL POWER: For centuries, the Horadrim have studied the ancient secrets of alchemy, and can unleash that power in combat by transmuting the flesh and bone of allies and enemies alike. This power also translates to the very battlefields on which they fight, where they can transform stony ground to acidic pools or burning lava.
BACKGROUND
During the Dark Exile of the Prime Evils, the Archangel Tyrael gathered the most powerful mages of the age to rid Sanctuary from their corrupting influence. Known as the Horadrim, they relentlessly hunted Mephisto, Baal and Diablo across the Eastern deserts. Although the Horadrim paid dearly in blood, they eventually imprisoned these Lords of Hell.
Once this task was complete, the Horadrim faded into the mists of history. Centuries later, when the Lord of Terror reemerged from his long imprisonment, only Deckard Cain, last of the Horadrim, was there to meet him. And when Cain died, the true legacy of the Horadrim died with him.
Despite their storied past, the Horadrim are now reviled by the inhabitants of Sanctuary, painted as heretics by the Zakarum Inquisition. But Gavilan Blackheart, a distant relative of Deckard Cain, has rediscovered the ancient disciplines of the Horadrim - and he must heed the ancient duty of his family and revive the order before Lilith and the Harbingers exact their terrible vengeance upon humanity.
EQUIPMENT
The Botherhood of the Horadrim was originally created to fight the most powerful Lords of the Burning Hells, and their armor and weapons still reflect that. Protected by enchanted armor meant to repel the most violent attacks of the demonic hordes, the Horadrim are trained to fight with both one- and two-handed weapons - but one of the most powerful talismans that the Horadrim can wield is the Cube, an object which can focus and amplify Horadric Fire for use in arcane spells.
Although the Cube requires the use of one hand, when used in conjunction with the powerful Horadric Morning Star it can be deadly on the battlefield. The Cube can also facilitate alchemical reactions, allowing the Horadrim to transform themselves and their allies into walking bastions of stone and metal, or melting the flesh and bones of their demonic enemies and then smashing them into a quivering pulp.
