Spiritborn

"Something powerful stirs in the jungles of Nahantu."

- Class blurb^(src)

The Spiritborn

The Spiritborn is a class for Diablo IV. It became playable in the Vessel of Hatred expansion, which players will have to purchase in order to play as the class.

Lore

"Only a few among my people can become Spiritborn. As children, the most promising face judgment in the nest. Our trial begins and ends with pain. Those who are not called are culled. For the weak, all paths end here. For the worthy, that path leads to power beyond compare and a sacred charge to wield it well. Though the mortal world was designed to break us, our hearts, our minds, our bodies, there is another which makes us...bold. We are without fear. We are without equal. We walk with the ancient guardians of the Unformed Lands. Their power...is our power. There cause...is our cause. We forge unbreakable bonds in the spirit realm to defeat the horrors of this one. For we...are Spiritborn."

- A Spiritborn^(src)

A Spiritborn

Ranked amongst the apex predators of the jungle, Spiritborn are members of an ancient Nahantu civilization. They are entwined with ethereal spirits from the Spirit Realm.

Abilities

"To commune with spirits, listen to whispers unseen. Root yourself unto the earth and let its pulse still the mind. Hear the ancient guardians – they rise to aid you."

- Ysevete, the First Spiritborn^(src)

Spiritborn are versatile warriors who fuse devastating three-hit-combo attacks and acrobatic fluidity into a potent display of their ferocity. They are masters of hand-to-hand combat, doling out lethality at close range through the ability to extend their wrath with the aid of spirit energy and their favored demon-slaying implement, the glaive. Their physical prowess allows them to block or dodge incoming strikes, absorbing this power for themselves or redirecting it back at their aggressors. In times of need, Spiritborn will call upon the most suitable Spirit Guardian for the task at hand, championing their prowess. It is this adaptability, coupled with their devotion to the Guardians, that makes the Spiritborn the agile and flexible jungle warriors they are.

Spiritborn aspirants being sent into the jungle

As children, prospective Spiritborn are sent into the jungle to be judged by the spirits, in a ritual known as the Trial of Mists. Only a few are deemed worthy to become Spiritborn, and those who are not called by the Spirit Guardians are culled. The chosen children are granted power beyond compare through their unbreakable bonds with the Spirit Guardians, and have a sacred charge to wield their power well.

Spiritborn can visit the Spirit Realm while alive, although it is a dangerous, honor-laden undertaking usually reserved for elders who’ve mastered every other facet of their skillset. The uninitiated can still experience vestiges of the Spirit Realm in the form of visions or dreams, whispers from the other side of the veil, and unsolicited intuitions.

Culture

"High on the cliffs, against the clouds, a lion's form catches the waning sun."

- A good omen for Spiritborn hoping for a bloodless night.^(src)

Spiritborn

The Spiritborn are a loyal people who endlessly strive to honor their rich traditions, the jungle, and the powerful Spirit Guardians. Spiritborn believe they must devote their lives to Akarat's and Ysevete's tenants to protect the Spirit Realm, its spirits, and ensure harmony between it and Sanctuary. The highest honor in Spiritborn culture is to have their soul rejoin the Spirit Realm upon their death. Some Spiritborn can travel to the Spirit Realm while alive, though this is seen as an honor-laden and dangerous endeavor, reserved mainly for elders who have mastered every other facet of being a Spiritborn. Those who cannot visit the Spirit Realm itself are instead visited by it and will experience aspects of the Spirit Realm in visions, dreams, whispers from the other side of the veil, and through unsolicited intuitions. Spiritborn believe that if they devote themselves to the Spirit Guardians sufficiently in life, that once they cross the veil after death, they will become Spirit Guardians themselves.

In Spiritborn culture, it is believed that is through one's blood that the soul flows into being, that one's blood carries the voice of one's ancestors, along with their emotions.

History

Upon returning to his mother's homeland of Nahantu, Akarat discovered a veil between the Spirit Realm and Sanctuary which was outside the influence of both angels and demons. Akarat and Ysevete, a Nahantu native who was his most trusted acolyte, spent many weeks studying the Spirit Realm, and Akarat became the first living being to cross the veil into the realm. Akarat's acolytes would continue to study the Spirit Realm as he resumed his travels throughout Sanctuary, and Akarat himself would return in his twilight years to continue exploring the Spirit Realm.

When Akarat's life was at its end, he made one final crossing into the Spirit Realm. Ysevete's cries of sorrow reached even into the Spirit Realm and she gained the support of the spirits. Ysevete would go on to form the basis for the Spiritborn culture, which was based upon the tenets that Akarat and herself had created.

When the Zakarum became corrupted by Mephisto, Spiritborn rebels buried dead drops of coin and supplies in the deep jungle as part of their efforts to resist the Hatred infecting Nahantu.

When Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal held a dark gathering at Travincal, a Prime Evil let loose an inhuman scream which echoed throughout the jungles and caused the Spirit Realm to shudder. Many Spiritborn took up arms and raced to Travincal to confront the evil which dwelled within, however they were waylaid by Baal and became the unwilling servants of the Lord of Destruction known as the Claws of Baal.

The Spiritborn were still operating during the Great Enmity. In 1336, Neyrelle entered Nahantu, and through the soulstone containing Mephisto, inadvertently spread the Lord of Hatred's corruption into the river and jungle, killing flora, and leading to the rise of the Hollows. Spiritborn engaged in battle with the newly created monsters.

Gameplay

The Spirit Guardians' gameplay themes

The Spiritborn are versatile warriors who call upon the unique strengths of four Spirit Guardians (the Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, and Centipede) and can fuse devastating three-hit-combo attacks and acrobatic fluidity into a potent display of their ferocity. The Spiritborn are perhaps the most complex class in the game (as of Vessel of Hatred) in that while most classes tend to focus on a build based around 1/2 skill categories, Spiritborn are designed to be played through mixing and matching skills from all four Spirit Guardians.

Spiritborn can only use two-handed weapons, and can wield the quarterstaff, polearm, and glaive. They can shift between physical and elemental attacks. Vigor is the class' primary resource.

Balazan, the Centipede

The Centipede Spirit Guardian's skills are a manifestation of the inescapable cycle of death, and focus on damage over time, crowd control, debuffs, thorns, healing, and Vulnerability. Centipede skills use the element of Poison.

Kwatli, the Eagle

The Eagle Spirit Guardian's skills are lethal and precise, and focus on movement, enhancing the Evade skill, critical hits, barrier, and Vulnerability. Eagle skills are mid-ranged and use the element of Lightning. The Eagle ultimate skill, The Seeker, is the first ultimate with multiple charges.

Rezoka, the Jaguar

The Jaguar Spirit Guardian's skills are relentless and violent, and focus on aggression, attack speed, killstreaks, critical hits, dodge, and healing. Jaguar skills use the element of Fire and feature a new Class Resource called Ferocity, which provides additional attack speed with each stack.

Wumba, the Gorilla

The Gorilla Spirit Guardian's skills are the embodiment of resilience and retaliation, and focus on defenses, blocking, barrier, dodge, thorns, and retribution. Gorilla skills deal Physical damage and feature a new Class Resource called Resolve, which provides 20% damage reduction while you have a stack. Resolve can stack up to 8 times by default, and taking direct damage will consume a stack.

Spirit Hall

The Spirit Hall in-game

The Spiritborn's Class Mechanic is the Spirit Hall, which allows the player to choose a Primary and a Secondary Spirit. Primary Spirits provide a unique bonus and tag all of the player's skills as that Spirit Guardian type in addition to their base type. Secondary Spirits provide or enhance a mechanic based on that Spirit Guardian, such as Ferocity stacks from Jaguar or Resolve stacks from Gorilla.

Primary Spirit Effects

• Centipede - Hitting an enemy with a Centipede Skill reduces their Damage by 2.5% and Slows them by 10% for 3 seconds, stacking up to a maximum of 8 times. All Skills are now also Centipede Skills.
• Eagle - Casting an Eagle Skill grants 2 Storm Feathers, up to a maximum of 8. When you Evade, all Storm Feathers are fired dealing 100% Lightning damage and making targets Vulnerable for 3 seconds. All Skills are now also Eagle Skills.
• Gorilla - Casting a Gorilla Skill deals 100% Thorns to enemies you hit and grants a Barrier for 10% of Maximum Life, up to 40%, for 3 seconds. All Skills are now also Gorilla Skills.
• Jaguar - Every 4th time you deal direct damage to an enemy with a Jaguar Skill, unleash additional slashes dealing 100% of the damage of the 4 hits. All Skills are now also Jaguar Skills.

Secondary Spirit Effects

• Centipede - Heal for 1% of your Maximum Life for every Nearby enemy you’ve Poisoned in the last 3 seconds, up to 5%.
• Eagle - For every 4 meters you move, your Critical Strike Chance is increased by +4%. This bonus is reset 2 seconds after you Critically Strike.
• Gorilla - Maximum Resolve stacks are increased by 2. When you have at least 5 stacks of Resolve, you are Unstoppable.
• Jaguar - Maximum Ferocity stacks are increased by 1. Gain 1 stack of Ferocity whenever you kill an enemy or damage a Boss.

Development

"There were a couple of things we wanted to make sure of. The first thing was that we wanted it to feel fresh, we wanted it to feel new, as opposed to continuing to reimagine what we’d done before. Here’s an opportunity to take a look at the gaps we have in our combat style, take a look at the power fantasies we haven’t done yet and develop something that was fresh that could stand next to those original classes. The other thing was that we wanted it to come from the place we were going, and we knew we were going to the jungle...and that led us on the journey to creating something brand new."

- Brent Gibson on the origin of the Spiritborn^(src)

Early concept art which became the "cornerstone" of the class design

The positive reception of the Blood Knight, and later, the Tempest, in Diablo Immortal gave Team 3 the confidence to commit to creating a new class and experience "that's not instantly understood as a classic archetype of the D&D world." Another reason for choosing the Spiritborn was because of the expansion's Nahantu setting, which led to the creation of a class that fit the game's theme. A third consideration was that the launch classes of Diablo IV were all pre-existing classes, hence the need for a unique one. By extension, the developers didn't want to reimagine a pre-existing class. One of the main points of making the Spirtborn was that the would be able to make it exactly as they wanted rather than needing to draw from older classes. In this case, they wanted the Spiritborn to excel in hybridization.

Inspiration for the Spiritborn was taken from martials arts and Mesoamerican cultures. While inspiration was taken from said cultures, the developers did not want to "copy and paste from them." While the inspiration is there, it is intended that the Spiritborn be a version of how these cultures would exist in Sanctuary.

The developers did not want to create a "pet class—rather than having the Spirit Guardians accompany the Spiritborn, the idea was that they would emerge from the Spiritborn's 'core.' The developers intended that the player's emotions would translate into what the spirits were doing, depicting a sort of back and forth between the human and spiritual sides of the class.

60 skills were prototyped for the Spiritborn. Some skills were cut, but could be implemented in the future.

In October 2023, the alpha build of Vessel of Hatred was datamined and indicated the existence of the class, which would be nature-themed and use glaives as its primary weapon. The Spiritborn was fully revealed on July 18, 2024. The reveal was met with controversy, as players had been clamoring for a "sword and board"-type class since the release of Diablo IV, represented in classes such as the Paladin and Crusader.

The Spiritborn was first playable at Gamescom 2024.

Known Spiritborn

Spiritborn

• Ysevete, the First Spiritborn (founder)
• Elder Eru
• Ebewaka
• Etzlek
• Maka
• Tarka
• Xipil (mythological)

Trivia

This section contains facts and trivia relevant to this article.

• The Spiritborn's aesthetic bears resemblance to the Aztec Jaguar warriors.
• The difference between Druids and Spiritborn is that Spiritborn merely channel Spirit Guardians from the Spirit Realm to manifest them, whereas a Druid is more connected to nature and actually becomes a bear or a wolf.
• A Spiritborn-themed cosmetic set is available in Diablo Immortal.
• As of November 2024, 60% of Diablo IV players play as a Spiritborn.