Introducing the Newest Diablo Immortal Class: Blood Knight
Out of the shadows that cling so desperately to Sanctuary steps an accursed ally, the Blood Knight! Beginning July 13, you can play as this elegantly dark Class in Diablo Immortal. In the meantime, browse this article’s contents for a showcase of the Blood Knight’s origin, Skills, Legendary Items, and more.
The Blood Knight is a mid-range Class with hybrid attack options that are either melee or ranged depending on your proximity to the target. This vanquisher of vampires feeds on enemies’ life, entraps them in deadly shadows summoned with cursed strength, and relies on their trusty polearm to maintain distance from danger. And if all else fails, they may just succumb to the unholy abomination within themselves that’s vying for control of their humanity. Watch the below video on the Blood Knight to get a taste of who they are.
The release of the Blood Knight marks a special moment for the Diablo universe as it is the first new Class since the release of the Crusader in 2014. We are extremely proud to offer you the opportunity to harvest the blood of demons to your benefit. Your continued support and love for Diablo Immortal is something this moment couldn’t be achieved without, thank you! On July 11, we will release a content update which will announce everything else releasing alongside the Blood Knight on July 13. Stay tuned!
Codex
Suspended in Limbo—the Tragic Origin of Blood Knights
Assume the Mantle of Blood Knight
Use These Skills to Make the Night Obey You
Shred Through your Opponents with Class-Specific Legendary Items
“Instincts” Short Story by Ryan Quinn
Catch Up on the Diablo Developer Update Livestream
Suspended in Limbo—the Tragic Origin of Blood Knights
According to tomes quilled by Sanctuary’s scribes centuries ago, the first Blood Knight was a man named Fernam. He was assigned to protect a lord in the city of Gea Kul who was infatuated with vampires and their immortality. One day, a vampire imprisoned in the lord’s keep broke free, killed the lord, and gravely wounded Fernam during the escape. Fortunately, the lord’s top mage—a premier scholar on the subject of vampirism—had performed a ritual on Fernam to stop the spread before he was transformed into a feral, mindless thrall. The mage was successful in keeping him alive, but instead of granting immortality, Fernam unexpectedly inherited some of the vampire’s power.
The mage had been mortally wounded in the scuffle, and with his dying breath, taught Fernam how to perform the ritual that saved his life. At any moment, Fernam could succumb to his newfound darkness and transform indefinitely into a vampiric thrall—the destiny all Blood Knights must grapple with. After cheating fate, Fernam took his lord’s wealth and moved into the catacombs below the keep. This would become the first training ground for future Blood Knights. He passed on knowledge of the curse-suspending ritual that saved his life along with the way of his preferred weapon, the polearm.
Today, the ranks of the Blood Knights have grown from solely Fernam. Blood Knights use their powers to locate bite victims and perform the ritual on them before they fully transform into a thrall, but the swiftness at which the curse takes hold often claims the life of the afflicted before the saving ritual can be performed. In keeping with sacred tradition, Blood Knights offer the afflicted a choice: take Ferman’s pledge in blood—all that remains of my life, weighed against the darkness—or meet a merciful end by polearm.
Fernam himself has mysteriously disappeared, and has since been replaced by an even-handed council of Blood Knights who maintain the lifeblood of their order and work tirelessly to stockpile magical artifacts. While Blood Knights prefer to exist in the shadows, the order was shown a series of visions by an artifact depicting the cataclysmic potential of the Worldstone.
The Blood Knights refuse to relegate Sanctuary to their own doomed fate—it is their home too, and they will fight till the bitter end for it. They must.
Assume the Mantle of Blood Knight
Starting on July 13, there will be three ways you can pick up a polearm and impale your way through the Burning Hells’ legions as a Blood Knight.
- Create a new character and select the Blood Knight class. There are unique character customization options available for the Blood Knight and their campaign dialogue is fully voiced.
- Using the new and improved Class Change, you can transfer your character from its existing Class to the Blood Knight. We’re removing the Class Change cooldown for the first 3 weeks after the Blood Knight’s release, so everyone has a chance to harvest blood and become an abomination (more information on this coming July 11).
- Enter the Crimson Plane, a three-week-long event like the Fractured Plane, but everyone plays as the Blood Knight. You’ll earn a Blood Knight cosmetic and Legendary Items from completing it (more information on this coming July 11).
Use These Skills to Make the Night Obey You
Combine your mastery of the polearm with supernatural strength and vampiric powers to overwhelm the demonic foot soldiers of the Burning Hells. The Blood Knight can unleash devastating attacks to dispatch groups of foes and dole out exquisite death with signature life steal attacks. And if added carnage is needed, their Abomination skill lets the animalistic fury of the curse briefly transform you. Below you will find a complete list of the Blood Knight’s skills to demonstrate how you’ll strike from the shadows.
Primary Attack Skills:
Ravage: Unleash a barrage of polearm thrusts and sweeps, dealing damage to an enemy and 25% as much to all other enemies.
Annihilation (Ultimate of Ravage): Enhance Ravage for 12 seconds, gaining an additional polearm in your off hand that increases your range and causes the final attack to knockback enemies. While empowered, Annihilation deals increased damage. You also gain a shield that absorbs damage equal to 20% of your maximum Life for 3 seconds.
Shadow’s Edge (Unlocked at Level 34): Wield a blade of pure shadow energy that can be used to slash at nearby enemies, dealing damage. If there are no nearby enemies the blade will be thrown a short distance, dealing damage.
Shadow’s Embrace (Ultimate of Shadow’s Edge): Enhance Shadow's Edge for 12 seconds, throwing a volley of 5 shadow blades that penetrate enemies, dealing damage for each blade that strikes an enemy. You also gain a shield that absorbs damage equal to 20% of your maximum Life for 3 seconds.
Additional Skills:
Spear Flurry (Unlocked at Level 1): Channel a flurry of polearm attacks, dealing damage to enemies in front of you. Upon activation, if no enemies are nearby, you will dash forward a short distance before the onslaught begins. Using Spear Flurry slowly consumes its energy, which recovers while Spear Flurry is not in use.
Wave of Blood (Level 1): Expel a wave of blood that knocks back enemies, dealing damage. Maximum 2 charges.
Tendrils of Blood (Level 3): Shoot bloody tendrils into nearby enemies, dealing damage. Activate again to pull all afflicted enemies to you, dealing additional damage.
Siphon of Blood (Level 8): Continually siphon blood from the prey around you, dealing damage to all nearby enemies while also healing yourself for 15% of the damage done. Using Siphon Blood slowly consumes its energy, which recovers while Siphon Blood is not in use.
Sanguinate (Level 15): Liquefy into a bloody form for 2.5 seconds, increasing your Movement Speed by 50%. Activate again to coagulate your being and rush forward, dealing damage to enemies you pass through.
Umbral Lance (Level 20): Hurl a lance of pure darkness that penetrates through enemies, dealing damage. Charging longer increases range, and damage.
Swarm of Bats (Level 28): Call a cloud of bats to attack enemies for 8 seconds, continually dealing damage. The cloud of bats will pursue enemies and can be redirected by activating this skill again.
Whirling Strike (Level 38): Whirl your polearm around you multiple times, dealing damage to nearby enemies. Maximum 2 charges.
Mephitic Cloud (Level 44): Release a toxic cloud around you for 6 seconds that confuses enemies, causing monsters to attack each other and restricts targeting for players.
Skewer (Level 44): Skewer an enemy with your polearm and then slam the enemy into the ground, dealing damage to all other nearby enemies and Stunning them for 3 seconds.
Shroud of Night (Level 47): Shroud yourself and nearby allies in darkness for 8 seconds, causing shadowy apparitions of yourselves to emerge every 1.5 seconds to unleash a Primary Attack against your enemies.
Abomination (Level 50): Consume all your Anger to transform into an unholy abomination for 15 seconds, increasing your damage done and replacing your skills with Blood Rush and Shattering Fists. Generate Anger each time you damage an enemy with your Primary Attack or use a Skill.
Blood Rush: Shed your mortal flesh and move forward a short distance, dealing damage to enemies in your path.
Shattering Fists: Unleash a series of massive blows, dealing damage to all nearby enemies, with every third attack causing a knockback.
Transfusion (Level 53): Fortify yourself or an ally with enriched blood, granting a shield for 3 seconds that absorbs damage. Additionally, harmful effects will be removed from the target player and they will become immune to harmful effects for the duration of the shield. Targeting an ally with Transfusion causes you to rush to their aid and cast Transfusion on both of you. Transfusion can be activated again one additional time within 5 seconds of the first cast.
Shred Through your Opponents with Class-Specific Legendary Items
60 new class-specific Legendary Items are being released alongside the Blood Knight! We wanted to give players a variety of Items to tinker with so they can get a complete sense of what the Class can do upon release. It is always enjoyable to see the creative builds the community cooks up and we can’t wait for you to surprise us.
Chest:
- Dereliction: Wave of Blood also reduces the Movement Speed of any enemies hit by 40% for 3 seconds.
- Chiropteran Trade: Swarm of Bats damage increased 10%.
- Count of the Eves: Whirling Strike also grants 5% damage reduction per enemy hit for 3 seconds. This effect stacks up to a maximum of 6 times.
- Influencer: Shroud of Night now only empowers you, causing every other Primary Attack to conjure a shadowy apparition to attack enemies.
- Layered Aims: Shroud of Night now empowers you and nearby allies, causing your Primary Attacks to mark enemies for death. The marks explode upon reaching 5 stacks dealing damage to the marked enemy.
- Momentary Comfort: Shroud of Night now periodically conjures shadowy apparitions that grant shields to you and nearby allies.
- No More Bygones: Sanguinate now also shatters enemy armor, increasing the damage they take by 10% for 3 seconds.
- Rootvein Mail: Tendrils of Blood now tethers you to an enemy, Immobilizing you and Stunning them for up to 3 seconds. The blood tether continually deals damage to the linked enemy and can be broken at anytime by activating the skill again.
- Ruin's Bindings: Tendrils of Blood now throws enemies to a targeted location, dealing damage and Stunning them.
- Warmth and Likability: Wave of Blood maximum charges increased by 1.
Helm:
- Cousin to Wildcats: Siphon Blood now Slows and binds nearby enemies to you. When Siphon Blood expires you expel a wave of blood, damaging and Stunning all nearby enemies that were still bound to you.
- Gorger's Yawn: Wave of Blood range increased by 20%.
- Heir of High Regions: Spear Flurry deals 15% increased damage to enemies suffering loss of control.
- Horns of the Hexed: Siphon Blood is no longer Channeled and now moves with you, dealing damage and draining the life of nearby enemies.
- Hush: Shroud of Night's duration increased by 30%.
- Pain is Purpose: Siphon Blood now instantly drains the life of nearby enemies to grant yourself or an ally a shield that absorbs damage, but it no longer heals you. Shielding an ally will also grant you a shield.
- Siren's Grin: Whirling Strike maximum charges increased by 1.
- Voice of the Crescent: Shroud of Night also increases your Evasion Rating by 12%.
- Vow of Trickery: Whirling Strike also blocks incoming projectiles.
- Wightveil: Siphon Blood now absorbs the power from nearby enemies reducing their damage. Each affected enemy provides you with increased damage.
Main Hand:
- Bardiche of Below: Whirling Strike now unleashes a blast, dealing damage to enemies caught in the path.
- The Besalver: Skewer now causes you to leap into the air and slam into the target location, knocking enemies up and stunning them.
- Blotniffe: Umbral Lance deals up to 20% increased damage, the further you are from the target.
- Broken Corseque: When Siphon Blood damages the same enemy 3 times it causes them to hemorrhage, dealing additional damage.
- Coiled Course: The final strike of the Ravage combo unleashes a wave of energy that deals damage to enemies.
- Dire Calling: Whirling Strike is now infused with frost, Chilling enemies, reducing their Attack and Movement Speed.
- Red Concord: Whirling Strike now combusts, causing enemies to Burn.
- Reverent Hunter: Siphon Blood also slows enemy Movement Speed by 30%, absorbing their vigor, and increases your Movement Speed by 10%, up to 30%.
- Sawtooth: Skewer now causes you to sprint forward while dragging your spear. Release the skill to knock your enemy up in the air.
- Toothdrinker: Whirling Strike now sweeps your polearm in front of you, damaging, Slowing and pulling enemies to the side.
Off-Hand:
- Ageless Cross: Umbral Lance now causes shadow spears to randomly fall from the sky within an area, dealing damage to enemies.
- Blood Theriac: Umbral Lance now throws a shadow lance forward into the ground, damaging enemies in its path. Activate again to rush the polearm, Stunning and dealing additional damage to any enemies in your path.
- Hanging Chalice: After Shadow's Edge hits an enemy, two blades ricochet out randomly targeting nearby enemies, dealing damage to them.
- Idol of Opulence: Wave of Blood now releases a bloody explosion, damaging, knocking back and Stunning enemies within the area.
- Mercy's Plight: Shadow's Edge now marks enemies, causing them to erupt for additional damage, when reaching 4 marks.
- Peer of the Cursed: Wave of Blood now creates a well of death that Slows enemies within until they are Immobilized.
- Pinch Point: Wave of Blood now unleashes an eruption of blood around you, dealing damage and knocking up nearby enemies.
- Sprig of Hawthorn: Skewer also increases your damage done by 10% for 4 seconds.
- Wardstone: Umbral Lance now conjures a giant void spear that falls from the sky, damaging, knocking back and Stunning enemies within the area.
- Woundwell: Umbral Lance now throws multiple spears in an arc.
Pants:
- Castellatia: Sanguinate's second activation now causes you to burst into the air, damaging, knocking up and stunning nearby enemies.
- Faces of Fading Mirth: Swarm of Bats now also poisons enemies, causing them to take continual damage for 3 seconds.
- Journey's End: While Abomination is active, defeating an enemy heals you for 5% of your Life, up to a maximum of 80% Life restored during your transformation.
- Lianor's Misgivings: Mephetic Cloud duration increased by 30%.
- Made to Wander: Spear Flurry now causes you to Dash forward, damaging all enemies in your path. Spear Flurry can be activated again up to 2 additional times.
- Nightflayer: While you remain inside Mephitic Cloud, your Attack and Movement Speed are increased by 10%.
- Overrun: Spear Flurry now knocks enemies into the air.
- Oversight: Swarm of Bats now also heals you for 15% of the damage it deals.
- Relent Not: Spear Flurry now causes you to run forward, damaging and knocking back all enemies in your path.
- Reliable Peril: Abomination also conjures an unholy aura around you for the duration of your transformation, dealing damage every second to nearby enemies.
Shoulders:
- Bats and Men Both: Swarm of Bats now unleashes a barrage of bats, damaging enemies in their path.
- Bright Arrival: While Abomination is active, defeating an enemy increases the remaining duration of Abomination by .4 seconds, up to a maximum increase of 4.8 seconds.
- Consent to Ecstasy: While Abomination is active, defeating an enemy grants you Abomination's Might increasing your damage done by 3%, up to a maximum of 15% during your transformation.
- Dismal Figure: Mephitic Cloud also causes harmful effects to last 30% longer.
- Empress Pariah: Siphon Blood also converts 6% of the damage done into an absorb shield.
- Evil Thoughts: Umbral Lance maximum charges increased by 1.
- Fernam's Birthmantle: Spear Flurry also causes enemies to Bleed for 3 seconds, dealing additional damage.
- The Numbing Edge: Siphon Blood now also deals 20% increased damage to enemies suffering from continual damage effects.
- Solemn Snare: Swarm of Bats now shrouds you in a fog of blood mist, increasing your Movement Speed and making you untargetable while also dealing damage to nearby enemies.
- Swarmspeaker: Swarm of Bats now engulfs you in a cloud of bats, continually damaging to nearby enemies.
Spiteful Blood Legendary Gem
Hunting Sanctuary’s vampires and thralls requires unrelenting dedication and the right equipment. In celebration of the Blood Knight’s release, we’re introducing a crimson-coated Legendary Gem for all Classes. The below values reflect the gem’s power at Rank 10.
- Spiteful Blood (Five-Star Gem): Taking damage while below 50% Life causes Spiteful Blood to surge through you for 4 seconds, increasing your damage done by 30% and making you invulnerable to Primary Attacks from other players. In addition, when Spiteful Blood triggers you gain an absorb shield equal to 160% of your base damage. Spiteful Blood cannot trigger more often than once every 20 seconds.
“Instincts” Short Story by Ryan Quinn
Cruelty, calculation, and detachment are all Alodie has ever learned from her cutthroat smuggling family in Kingsport. But when her only friend, Linn, falls awry of the family, Alodie reluctantly embarks on a quest to save Linn from her vicious cousins . . . and the insatiable evil lurking in the Solterwood.
Read “Instincts” by Ryan Quinn now!
Catch Up on the Diablo Developer Update Livestream
Multiple planes of Hell converged during the Diablo Developer Update Livestream on July 6. We sat down with developers from both Diablo Immortal and Diablo IV to get a taste of what’s coming for each game and answer questions from the community. To watch the video on demand of the livestream, visit this article.
May you stave off the curse forevermore.
-The Diablo Immortal Team