The leader of the Crusaders sensed Mephisto’s taint in the Zakarum faith, though it had not yet been uncovered, and independently/secretly founded and sent the Crusaders off on their mission. They were founded at about the same time Rakkis set out to conquer the west. So Crusaders were formed around the time of Rakkis or after the events of Diablo 2? (I may be guilty of giggling incessantly when using this ability…) It’s called Falling Sword, and you can take a peek of it in action here. When designing the Crusader, our lead designer, Kevin Martens, asked the question “What if a modern armored division tank was a medieval warrior?” There’s loads of fun mid-ranged skills, including one that literally turns you into a divine artillery shell, whistling in to obliterate the hordes of demons below. That is definitely the design intent of the Crusader. Firing shells of holy artillery sounds boss. I just want the Crusader to have some “tank-esque” skill. Update: Nevalistis added more answers in a subsequent post: The Crusader is going to be interesting also for the “same story, new character” aspect just seeing how a different class reacts to the story events of Acts 1-4 that we already know so well. Like most players, I found that aspect of Diablo 3’s story pretty enjoyable, partially due to the complete absence of lecturing holographic pumpkinheads. I’m looking forward to playing a new Crusader through the content and learning about the character through all the dialogue and interactions with the NPCs and followers.

You can expect to find some good juicy historical tidbits on several of the orders, the Crusader’s included.

However, if you really dig that sort of lore, definitely keep an eye out for the Book of Tyreal. More specific details on the Crusader will, naturally, be covered in Reaper of Souls (as well as in Acts I-V). Very experienced, a little easy going on the surface, but doesn’t fool around when stuff hits the fan.) (To give you perhaps a more relatable image, if you were put a Crusader in space, he’d probably be a lot of like Hicks in Aliens. Whereas the Paladin might meddle in a town’s affairs - settling disputes, converting new followers, burning some witches - and then move on, the Crusader, despite brandishing a similar level of intimidation, would quietly enter the town, ask a few questions, restock their supplies, and then depart, leaving little more than confusion in their wake. Their only goal is to find a way to save their faith any other objectives will fall to the wayside should it ever threaten to impede their quest. To put it a different way, think of the Crusaders as the “veterans of the veterans.” They take zealotry to an entirely new level, finding comfort and strength in their unshakable confidence in their cause. Unlike the Paladins, the Crusaders have never been corrupted, and in their journeys abroad have honed new skills and talents that set them apart on the battlefield. Meanwhile, the Crusaders – an elite group of fighters who rallied under a different Zakarum leader – headed east on a secret mission to search for a way to cleanse their faith of the perceived taint left behind by Mephisto. Rather, they have risen from the ashes of the Paladin order after it fell to corruption, and they view themselves as the new, pure continuation of that faith.Īs for Paladins and Crusaders: A long time ago, the Paladins headed west under the command of Rakkis seeking conquest, a historic march which ultimately ended in the founding of Westmarch. Though the Templars profess a dedication to the Light and seek to rid Sanctuary of demonic corruption, they are not officially sanctioned by the Zakarum church, while the Paladin and Crusader orders were founded within it. Nevalistis : The Templar order remains an enigma to many on the outside, and there are rumors abound regarding their exact founding and purpose. Are they both from the same order? They both follow Zakarum right? And how will they interact in game? Will they personally know one another or something? As I understand it, they are both holy warriors fighting demons and what not. The newest member of the Diablo 3 CM family showed off her Diablo 3 story and lore talents via a mini-essay on the differences between the Paladins and the Crusaders.

Diablo 4 paladin