The history behind the Wardens of the Light, Diablo 4’s newest order of Paladins

The prayers of the player base have finally been answered and Paladins have finally arrived as a new class in Diablo 4! As the world of Diablo has seen many versions of the light-wielding warriors, what’s the backstory on the Paladin this time around? How do they differ from what we’ve seen before with the original Paladins, the Templar, and the Crusader? Let’s look at what Blizzard has told us about the lore behind the latest Paladin class.

Looking into the background of the current Paladin order — the Wardens of Light — we have to first look back to the events of Diablo 2 and what happened to the previous Paladin order: the Hand of Zakarum, which was part of the Zakarum Church. During the 11th century (for reference, we are currently in the year 1337), the Paladins who would go on to become the Hand were tasked with guarding Mephisto’s soulstone; this led to the building of the temple of Travincal in the jungles of Kehjistan, in what would later become Kurast.

A century later, the Paladin order led a crusade who went scorched earth on the lands of Khjistan as the Zakarum Inquisition. It would be during this time that the Paladins would take on the name Hand of Zakarum, hunting down demons and smiting them. Unfortunately, anyone who was not a believer would be considered heretical and was purged as well; this was great for the demonic forces of Hell, who spent plenty of time attempting to turn the people against the Church. And occasionally a Paladin would cross the line into zealotry, and the demons would corrupt them. Some Paladins rebelled against this behavior, but they were outnumbered by the Zakarum faithful.

And all the while, in Kehjistan, Mephisto corrupted the Zakarum from within. From his soulstone, he was able to corrupt the High Council and eventually took the body of Que-Hegan Sankekur, the Zakarum’s leader. Players all but wiped out the Zakarum during the events of Diablo 2 when they defeated Mephisto. Only shattered fragments of the church remained.

What was left of the Hand of Zakarum splintered. Some went on to form the Templars of Diablo 3, while others headed west to become the Wardens of the Light. All hoped to overcome the corruption that had taken their order.

The Wardens of Light use the history of the Hand to guide them forward: they view the corruption of their former brethren as a mistake that must be corrected. In this, the Wardens will take in even former criminals who wish to repent for their past. The Wardens of Light require all recruits to go through intense physical training to become masters of combat; and once this training is complete, they are sworn to become protectors of Sanctuary, living their lives by a series of creeds, known as “Virtues.”

• Valor: Face and overcome any evil or hardship with courage.
• Justice: Protect the innocent and the oppressed.
• Hope: Be a beacon of hope in a world of despair.
• Fate: Acceptance of the Paladin’s role as an eternal protector of Sanctuary.
• Wisdom: Be balanced in mind, body, and spirit, and do not fall under the sway of any institution.

It would appear that our new Paladins, the Wardens of Light, are quite similar to the other Paladins that split away — the Templars, the Crusaders, and other former Zakarum Paladins who sought the light beyond the order. Where we now sit in the timeline of Diablo, part of the Templar Order fell to corruption of the Grand Maester during the events of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls, with Kormac hunting down those who were still loyal to the Church of the Holy Order. The Crusaders were weakened and disheartened after a long and fruitless search for Akarat’s tomb when we met them in Diablo 4, and their ranks were further decimated during Vessel of Hatred, as Mephisto’s corruption seeped from the soulstone that Neyrelle carried through Nahantu.

I suppose the question remains: will the Wardens of Light manage to do what the Hand of Zakarum, the Templars, and the Crusaders all failed to do — ward off the influence of the Lords of Hell and bring safety to the people of Sanctuary? We’ll find out when the Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred expansion releases on April 28, 2026.