The gates of Hell opened a bit later than expected, but Diablo IV‘s highly anticipated expansion, Vessel of Hatred, has finally arrived. The launch, originally scheduled for October 7 at 7:00 PM ET (2:00 AM local time), was temporarily delayed by a few hours due to what Blizzard called a “small technical issue.”
Adam Fletcher, Diablo‘s global community head, broke the news on the Blizzard forums just hours before the planned release. “We are still expecting Vessel of Hatred to launch this evening,” Fletcher reassured fans, “but we will need some additional time to ensure we have every player start at the exact same time across all platforms.”
Thankfully, most players took the news in stride, with one commenting, “I’m cool with delays to get it right and have a smooth release for the expansion.” Some, however, were less forgiving, dubbing the situation “comical” and pointing out that Blizzard “literally had months to figure this out.”
Now that the expansion has arrived, let’s break down what this $40 DLC includes:
- New Spiritborn Class: A battle-hardened mystic described as an “apex predator of the jungle.” This melee class draws power from animal Spirit Guardians, reminiscent of the Diablo 3 Monk.
- New Region: Nahantu: This jungle area, last visited in Diablo 2, features new Dungeons, Strongholds, and the standard assortment of Sanctuary’s terrors.
- Story Continuation: Players will search for Neyrelle, leading them to Nahantu, where Mephisto was once imprisoned.
- Dark Citadel: A unique co-op dungeon requiring more player cooperation than standard Nightmare Dungeons.
- Kurast Undercity: A new Rift-style activity reminiscent of Diablo 3‘s Greater Rifts.
- Mercenary Companions: Customizable allies to aid in your battles, each with unique personalities and skill trees.
- Return of Runewords: Unlock powerful Runewords that grant access to other classes’ skills.
- Expanded Character Progression: Ten more skill points and a hundred more paragon points, with new skills, paragon boards, and glyphs.
- Party Finder Tool: A long-awaited feature to help players group up.
- Tenants of Akarat: New collectibles for those who enjoyed hunting Lilith statues.
Even players who haven’t purchased the expansion will notice some major changes with patch 2.0.2. The base game’s level cap has been reduced to 50, with the expansion offering 10 additional levels. The Paragon system has been redesigned to share points across your account, similar to Diablo 3. New difficulty levels have been introduced, including four base difficulties and four Torment levels unlocked through progress in The Pit.
Alongside Vessel of Hatred comes Season 6, the Season of Hatred Rising. This new season introduces Realmwalkers, massive heralds of hell that spawn across Sanctuary. Defeating these massive creatures grants access to the Seething Realm, a new dungeon type that rewards players with Seething Opals – new elixirs that boost experience, loot drops, or reputation gain.
Vessel of Hatred is a huge leap in the evolution for Diablo IV. The expansion, along with the massive changes to the base game, has elevated the Diablo experience for all fans. With varied end-game activities, extra difficulty levels, and a continuation of the riveting story, the dungeon crawler now offers a more complete and satisfying experience for both new and veteran players.
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred is available to play on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
