Caravan

17:31 The caravan is what Diablo 5 has instead of towns: a traveling band of survivors who go with your hero through the campaign and serve as its merchants, craftspeople, companions and quest givers. "Survival is no longer tied to towns or conquered strongholds", Blizzard says. With Sanctuary under Diablo's rule there is "literally no safe place", so the team asked how to represent a town at all, and settled on "the idea that the player is the point of safety": the player and their followers are the last remains of humanity, "the light in the darkness", and a traveling caravan of wagons and followers goes with them through the campaign.

Quick facts

How the caravan works

18:13 "Everywhere you stop, there's going to be a new part of the world to explore," the panel explained, and as you move through it and meet new survivors, "that caravan is going to grow. They're going to become your merchants, your crafts people, and your companions."

19:21 In earlier Diablo games, "you would go town to town and there would always conveniently be a blacksmith there". In Diablo 5 "all the towns are destroyed", so when a blacksmith joins your caravan he is the only one, and you learn how he survived and why he chose to join you. The working name given on stage, "Bob Prime", is "not final".

4:44 Senior production director Tiffany Wat told IGN that there are "no more towns because Diablo and his Dread Commanders have completely destroyed Sanctuary", and that the caravan moves "from region to region", which lets the game show what Sanctuary looks like under the Lord of Terror.

Who joins

Blizzard has named two of the first companions. Its BlizzCon article lists "a former Sister of the Sightless Eye", from the order of rogues whose encampment opened Diablo II, and "a stranded Treasure Goblin searching for meaning in a world where greed has lost its purpose". On stage the team added a blacksmith, under the working name "Bob Prime", as an example of a craftsperson who joins.

The campfire

18:41 The idea reminded the team of Diablo II's Rogue Encampment. The encampment "stays in one place", but it "sets the tone of the whole game": humanity "eking out a corner of safety", with "the campfire at the center of it" standing for its hope. The caravan, they said, "is really going to take that to the next level".

Companions and side quests

20:40 One of the first companions is a Treasure Goblin. Senior production director Tiffany Wat said Diablo players all have a love and hate relationship with treasure goblins, chasing them across the map; in Diablo 5 you get to know one "as more than just a loot piñata for once". He is a demon, motivated by treasure, and the campaign reveals why he joins you and what his role might be in defeating Diablo. Blizzard describes him as a stranded Treasure Goblin "searching for meaning in a world where greed has lost its purpose".

21:32 Can you trust him? Narrative director Jennifer Hepler: "absolutely", because he understands "that you are much easier to steal from than Diablo". She added that there are "no normal civilians left", so you will never meet "a quest giver standing at the side of the road". Your caravan characters "become the source of all of your side content", each one someone "you chose to bring into your caravan, into your life".

22:27 Every side quest "matters because it matters to someone who matters to you", or, in her shorthand, "the real hell is the friends you make along the way."

Something to lose

DayOne's group interview with the team reported that the caravan is meant to be "a point of light" and to give players "something to lose": a community you built, in a world where the darkness settles back in once you leave an area.

What is still unknown

As of Oct 21, 2026 Blizzard has not said how many companions there are or how they are recruited beyond meeting them on the road, whether the caravan can be upgraded or moved at will, how it works when several players play together, or whether companions fight beside you. Nobody outside Blizzard has played the game; it is due in Spring 2029 (see Release and Development).

Frequently asked questions

Does Diablo 5 have towns? No. Diablo and his Dread Commanders have destroyed them, so a caravan of survivors travels with you instead and provides your merchants, craftspeople and companions.

What is the caravan in Diablo 5? A traveling camp of wagons and survivors that goes with your hero from region to region. It grows as you meet survivors, and each one becomes a vendor, craftsperson or companion with a story of their own.

Who are the first caravan companions? Blizzard names a former Sister of the Sightless Eye and a stranded Treasure Goblin. The panel also described a blacksmith, under the working name "Bob Prime".

Where do side quests come from in Diablo 5? From the caravan. Narrative director Jennifer Hepler said there are "no normal civilians left", so side quests come from the people you chose to bring into your caravan.

Can you trust the Treasure Goblin? "Absolutely," Hepler said on the BlizzCon panel, because he understands "that you are much easier to steal from than Diablo".

What inspired the caravan? Diablo II's Rogue Encampment, with the campfire at its center as a symbol of humanity's hope. The difference is that the caravan moves with you.

Sources

• Diablo 5: Forging the Next Era, Blizzard Entertainment, Sep 12, 2026
• Diablo 5 Has a Clear Vision, and the Devs Are Confident in 2029, DayOne, Sep 15, 2026
• Diablo 5 | Forging the Next Era Panel | BlizzCon 2026, Diablo, Sep 13, 2026 (video)
• Diablo 5 To Launch With More Classes Than Any Other in the Franchise, IGN, Sep 13, 2026 (video)