Diablo IV

Season 14 · Patch 3.1.2

News June 11, 2026

Blizzard has released the first major player statistics for Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred expansion, and the numbers reveal a clear class preference among the community. The new Warlock class has attracted nearly twice as many players as the Paladin since the DLC launched just weeks ago.

According to data shared by Blizzard on Twitter, players have created 2.1 million Warlocks compared to 1.4 million Paladins during the Lord of Hatred period. The expansion, which serves as Diablo 4's first major class content update, has seen players collectively slay approximately 392 billion monsters. Meanwhile, Mephisto—the titular antagonist of the expansion—has managed to defeat 704,000 players.

What Changed

The Lord of Hatred expansion introduced two new classes that represent distinct playstyles within Diablo 4's ecosystem: - Warlock: A spellcasting class featuring summons, shards mechanics, and skill synergies - Paladin: A heavily armored holy warrior with a melee focus and more passive playstyle These additions mark the first major class expansion since Diablo 4's launch.

What This Means for Players

The class disparity reflects broader ARPG community preferences for flashy, summon-based spellcasters over traditional tanky melee warriors. For players still deciding on their main: - Warlock builds currently dominate the meta conversation, with high skill ceilings and complex buildcrafting options - Paladin appeals to players preferring straightforward, passive damage output and survivability - Group composition will likely skew toward Warlocks in Nightmare Dungeons and Helltide content The 2-to-1 ratio suggests Blizzard's class design team may need to evaluate Paladin balance adjustments if player engagement begins favoring the spellcaster.

What's Next

Blizzard has not announced specific plans to address class popularity disparities. However, based on historical patch patterns following Diablo 4's launch, the development team typically monitors class performance metrics closely and releases balance updates every four to six weeks. Players can expect potential Paladin buffs in upcoming seasonal patches if current trends continue. The next major content update for Lord of Hatred is expected later this summer.