How to master the new Spiritborn class in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred?

Experts of Diablo 4, AnnacakeLIVE, Rob2628, and Wudijo, along with assistant designer Stuart Stefan of the Vessel of Hatred characters, reveal the most important tips for transforming Spiritborn into a formidable force.

With the release of the Vessel of Hatred expansion, fans of Diablo 4 worldwide will be introduced to the entirely new class, Spiritborn, which is a unique blend of self-defense arts and mysterious powers derived from the Spirit Realm. The new and unique class provides players with entirely new ways to destroy and eliminate anything standing in the way of Spiritborn.

What are the key features or elements that players should focus on when shaping a Spiritborn character in Diablo 4?

AnnacakeLIVE:

“It depends on the player’s style of character building in the game, and the Spiritborn class certainly relies on skillful play as the basis of progression. There are many inspirational ways that allow players to add elements that destroy their enemies.”

Stuart:

“One of the notable elements that benefit players, alongside the main Spirit Guardian, is the ability to collaborate with the Spirit Guardian. Each Spirit Guardian character generally includes prominent elements that increase as the player progresses in the game, such as movement speed and powerful strikes against enemies. However, the effectiveness of these lines is enhanced further with the help of other Spirit Guardians (such as Centipede and Noxious Resonance Key Passive), especially when starting to use the Spirit Hall to enhance skill elements in the player’s character.”

What is the best balance between offense and defense for Spiritborn that can be employed to increase the effectiveness of both individual and group gameplay?

Stuart:

“Although class building in Diablo 4 is designed for solo combat, with an open world for cooperative play and features like Dark Citadel, our aim was for players to have enjoyable moments, so we provided some classes that make it easier for them to overcome enemies. When discussing Spiritborn, I would like to emphasize that the Centipede skills are the best for dealing with and controlling enemies, providing a different defensive approach as well. Players will suffer less damage if they control hordes of enemies, as their movements will be slowed down and they will be afraid.”

What are the most important automatic abilities or alliances that players should focus on to cause the most damage in critical moments?

Wudijo:

“Spiritborn has many ways to excel and control a wide range. In my opinion, one of the great sets at the beginning of the game for most versions lies in choosing the main Vital Strikes, stocking vulnerable sources like Soar and The Seeker, and utilizing Accursed Touch for resource usage and quick recovery. As for direct damage-causing standard versions, there are many Jaguar alliances, such as the core Spirit Jall bonus and automatic abilities like Potent and Furnace.”

“For multi-hit abilities like Thrash or Quill Volley, the Jaguar Hall bonus contributes significantly to its overall effectiveness because it evolves with increased attack speed and enhances the value of attack speed bonuses. As players progress further, unique abilities like Rod of Kepeleke and Ring of the Midnight Sun allow players to use their basic abilities permanently with powerful and precise strikes.”

Stuart:

“We have been developing absolute abilities for Spiritborn for the importance of these skills when the Spirit Guardian reaches its maximum potential. We have sought to develop and diversify these skills by allowing players to use more than one skill, giving them more time with game charges, reducing player downtime with certain mechanics, innovating opportunities to customize absolute abilities with an additional skill, providing automatic features, and other means to enhance the fun of using those abilities.”

Can you tell us a little about Spirit Guardian sets that suit specific playstyles and cause the most damage to enemies with tanks and long-range gameplay?

Rob2628:

“My experience with long-range gameplay styles revolves around the Quill Volley skill and constant dashes using Ravager, and the Gorilla Spirit Hall has strengthened my power with all its barriers. I excelled in gameplay and caused significant damage by using a setup focusing on Poison Centipede and relying on Touch of Death as a core skill. This enjoyable game has many inspiring options.”

Stuart:

“Although all Jaguar multi-hit abilities come with unlimited movement Soar and Eagle moving passives, leading to fast and aggressive progress during gameplay, in higher gameplay levels, like attempting to push enemies into the pit, combining Gorilla and Centipede becomes most effective.”

How can Spiritborn players maintain survival for longer periods? What is the best strategy for rotations or specific defensive periods that support endurance capabilities better?

Wudijo:

“The main defensive mechanics for most Spiritborn editions are Resolve, Block, and Dodge. Players in Diablo 4 can rely on one of these or form any combination between them. In the early game, simple healing mechanics from effects like Scourge, Touch of Death, and Vital Strikes, or the bonus from the secondary Spirit Hall Centipede help players easily and effectively. As players progress to advanced stages.”

“Players can benefit from unique features like Loyalty’s Mantle, Jacinth Shell, and Harlequin Crest, or reset effects like the Intricacy passive, to play for the longest possible duration, possibly reaching permanence for most defensive skills like Counterattack or Armored Hide, thus reducing the need for recovery and improving survival ability in general.”

Stuart:

“My advice in critical moments is for Diablo 4 players to enhance Gorilla’s capabilities, and that doesn’t mean choosing Gorilla will reduce the required damage amount, but we aim to align the Spirit Guardian fantasy with the game mechanics, considering Gorilla as the ‘protector’ and the spearhead of defense reinforcements. For example, Gorilla’s skills like Armored Hide make it easy to reach Resolve, making it a suitable defensive choice to reduce enemy damage.”

Do you recommend any crowd control abilities or mechanisms that help in survival during higher levels of Spiritborn?

AnnacakeLIVE:

“Spiritborn excels in many forms of cooperation between crowd control skills and gameplay elements. For example, the Scourge skill slows down enemy movement and scares them, and this applies to all kinds of character enhancement bonuses that players can acquire from the special enhancement item, helping to inflict significant damage on enemies controlled by the crowd.”

Stuart:

“The core power of Centipede in the Spirit Hall is one of the most useful elements. It continuously slows down enemy movement and automatically works to minimize their harms. I prefer Aspect of Apprehension, which puts enemies under the influence of the crowd. If the player integrates these two features together, they will slow down crowd movement thanks to Centipede’s power, making the enemy afraid and easily defeated afterward.”

What are the end-game equipment and legendary items that you believe provide the greatest advantage for Spiritborn players?

Stuart:

“I recommend players to use the two unique helmets, Harmony of Ebawaka and Loyalty’s Mantle. Although the helmets have the same titles, they differ significantly in the unique strength they give to players. The use of Harmony can open up the benefits of Spirit Guardians. If players start their adventure in Spiritborn with Thrash and then move on to Rake before falling in love with Jaguar, they may become the perfect candidate for Loyalty’s Mantle.”

Have you encountered any surprises when using Spiritborn? Like using multiple skills at once or employing different applications for specific skills?

Rob2628:

“Of course, when I first obtained the Centipede Ultimate skill in Diablo 4, I headed to the dungeon boss, and the Spirit Guardian outperformed the boss completely.”

Stuart:

“One of my favorite combinations to apply is pairing Counterattack and Razor Wings. In the game, there is a legendary aspect when activating Counterattack, and if Razor Wings return to you, they bounce back. The game becomes a sequence of interactions and seizing the reward of these details that I feel are very important for the overall Spiritborn gameplay.”