BioWare Vet Jennifer Hepler Reveals Diablo 5s Caravan System Adds Baldur's Gate DNA

Diablo 5, the upcoming action role-playing game (ARPG) from Blizzard Entertainment, has made its first major announcement at BlizzCon 2026. The game's narrative director, Jennifer Hepler, a veteran of BioWare's Dragon Age series, revealed that the new caravan system will bring some of the best elements of traditional RPGs into Diablo's ARPG format.

Hepler joined game director Joe Shely and executive producer Matt Zitterman at a panel during BlizzCon 2026. Specifically, she says it's that caravan system that adds just a little bit of Baldur's Gate and Dragon Age DNA to Diablo 5. "The caravan brings some of the best elements of traditional RPGs into Diablo".

They're not going to be Dragon Age followers where you level up their skills and give them clothing and stuff. However, they will be followers with personalities... so reports suggest that my experience with traditional RPGs has definitely been a strength in building that out."

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Confirmed Classes and Gameplay Mechanics

Diablo 5's first confirmed classes are the Demon Hunter, Monk, and the all-new Plague Knight: Blizzard says the sequel has "more classes than ever before".

Key Background and Context

The newly announced Diablo 5 is a significant departure from series convention in a number of ways. Chiefly, the game won't feature any towns or safe zones and will instead offer adventurers the lesser but still cozy comforts of a team of followers that form a caravan around the player, acting as something of a moving barrier between the myriad monsters creeping and crawling around Sanctuary.

This idea comes directly from the influence of Diablo 5's narrative director. Jennifer Hepler, a BioWare veteran and key writer on Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. Hepler joined game director Joe Shely and executive producer Matt Zitterman at a panel during BlizzCon 2026.

Attended Specifically, she says it's that caravan system that adds just a little bit of Baldur's Gate and Dragon Age DNA to Diablo 5. "The caravan brings some of the best elements of traditional RPGs into Diablo's ARPG format "They're not going to be Dragon Age followers where you level up their skills and give them clothing and stuff, but they will be followers with personalities...

so reports suggest that my experience with traditional RPGs has definitely been a strength in building that out." The Diablo and Path of Exile-style ARPG is a distinctly different. Even diametrically opposed, experience compared to conventional RPGs like Dragon Age and Baldur's Gate, so it's interesting to hear how Hepler's lead role on the narrative team is influencing more fundamental design decisions like the caravan system.

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I'm curious to see which other elements of Diablo 5 are changing due to her involvement. Diablo 5's first confirmed classes are the Demon Hunter, Monk, and the all-new Plague Knight: Blizzard says the sequel has "more classes than ever before" Hepler joined game director Joe Shely and executive producer Matt Zitterman at a panel during BlizzCon 2026, attended Specifically, she says it's that caravan system that adds just a little bit of Baldur's Gate and Dragon Age DNA to Diablo 5.

"The caravan brings some of the best elements of traditional RPGs into Diablo's ARPG format "They're not going to be Dragon Age followers where you level up their skills and give them clothing and stuff, but they will be followers with personalities... so reports suggest that my experience with traditional RPGs has definitely been a strength in building that out." Diablo 5's first confirmed classes are the Demon Hunter, Monk, and the all-new Plague Knight: Blizzard says the sequel has "more classes than ever before" Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side.

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