Diablo 4 is on the horizon, however distant that horizon may be.
While fans of the series await its latest installment, they will have Diablo 3 Season 24 to look forward to.
Still, players are eager for something new, and Diablo 4 is teasing players with the return of Druids and Rogues.
While that is exciting, I would rather see the return of an unfinished character class from the Diablo: Hellfire expansion.
I want to see the Bard in Diablo 4.
The Unfinished Bard
The Bard was originally planned to be a playable class in Diablo: Hellfire, an expansion for the original game.
While unfinished, players could technically play as the Bard by modifying their command.txt file in Hellfire's installation folder.
Using the character sprites for the Rogue (hence the cringy title pic of this article), the Bard was a jack-of-all-trades, able to dual-wield weapons and cast spells.
Basically, they could do everything every other character in the game did, just not as well.
Being unfinished, the class has some serious flaws, like their attack speed.
They attacked way too slow to be a melee character, so dual-wielding was not really that much of a great thing.
While the Bard from Diablo: Hellfire did not actually feel traditional like a Bard, it was a good start.
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Would Bards Work in Diablo 4?
Diablo is a pretty dark series, and the thought of a traditional bard may not fit well in the game's overall theme.
Still, the idea of a character class that can handle its own with a weapon and casts spells using long-lost lore could easily be adapted to a series with deep and rich lore already.
While the heroes of Diablo tend to be a bit more somber, there have been NPCs to lighten the mood a bit.
Why not let the Bard do the same?
No one says they have to be a clown or overly cheerful.
Still, a more optimistic character who tries to raise the spirits of those around them could be a breath of fresh air for players looking for something other than grim and gritty heroes spouting the same lines of despair, hatred, revenge, and battle.
Give me a Bard that I can specialize in the way I choose.
Let me focus more on magic, if I like, or on dual-wielding weapons.
Let me focus on buffing myself or my allies or hanging back and firing foes from a distance.
Let me choose to change my specializations on a whim, switching from one set of abilities to another, maybe allowing me only a few at a time, so Bards do not seem too overpowered.
A jack-of-all-trades, but a master-of-none.
Bards do not need to be stronger than a Barbarian or more magically skilled than a Sorceress.
Still, having them be flexible would create an experience no Diablo player has experienced so far.
Come on, Blizzard.
Give us a proper Bard, and not just some new mechanics with the look of a Rogue.
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