'Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls': Is The Crusader Just A Watered Down Paladin From 'Diablo 2'?

When Blizzard revealed "Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls," the first expansion for "Diablo 3," we were excited to learn that a new character class would be added. Frankly, we found the initial five character classes that came with "Diabo 3" to be a little bland, especially since its predecessor, "Diablo 2," had awesome classes like the Necromancer.

That new class coming with "Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls" is the Crusader, a warrior who can wield magic to help friends or foes. However, once we got a quick peek at gameplay footage of the Crusader in the first "Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls" footage that Blizzard released, we couldn't help but think that he reminded us quite a bit of the Paladin from "Diablo 2."

Those who played "Diablo 2" and "Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction" know that, like the Crusader, the Paladin was a warrior who could use magic not only to hurt enemies but help allies, mainly with auras that did everything from increase defensive stats to increase resistances to elements and more.

So at this point, both the Crusader and the Paladin are warriors who can use magic to fight and to assist allies. Just based on that, the two character classes seem similar enough.

Then came the revelation that one of the Crusaders' abilities will be called "Fist of the Heavens."

Wait, Fist of the Heavens? That spell sounds familiar. Oh right, First of the Heavens made its debut in "Diablo 2" as an ability for, guess who! That's right, the Paladin.

We love that "Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls" looks really dark and gothic. That's exactly what we expect from a game series that calls itself "Diablo." However, if "Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls" is going to recycle a character class from "Diablo 2," then why not just bring back the Paladin altogether? In fact, the character classes in "Diablo 3" are pretty boring compared to what was available to you in "Diablo 2." Why not just bring back the Necromancer or the Amazon? After all, Blizzard brought back the Barbarian, arguably the most boring class in "Diablo 2." Why not bring back some of the cooler ones?

It's great that "Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls" seems to take the "Diablo" series back to its dark roots, but the last thing the "Diablo" fanbase needs is a retread of a good character class like the Paladin. If Blizzard is going to give the Crusader some of the Paladin's spells, it might as well just bring back the Paladin altogether.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.