Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred

A little over a year and four months ago, Diablo IV debuted with a bang, and since then Blizzard Entertainment has been tweaking the game, focusing on the endgame and itemisation. Now, with Vessel of Hatred, the first expansion for Diablo IV is on the horizon, with lots of new content and major revisions, although this time the itemisation has already been overhauled.

Diablo IV earns more than $666 million in its first five days, setting a new Blizzard record. Other than that, no further sales figures have been released, although a LinkedIn post by Harrison Froeschke (Senior Product Manager) revealed that, unsurprisingly, the game has grossed over a billion dollars, with more than $150 million of that coming from microtransactions. While the game's story campaign, visuals, and powerful combat system were widely praised, in the weeks following the game's release, critics were quick to point out the (unnecessary) open world, itemisation, and varying quality of seasons, which were nowhere near as creative as Path of Exile. Blizzard Entertainment responded to the criticism and made many adjustments, especially in the area of itemisation, with Season 4 in May 2024. With the release of Update 2.0 and Vessel of Hatred on 8 October, the level cap will be lowered to 60, Paragon points will be increased to 300, world levels will be converted to difficulty levels, new difficulty systems (Torment) will be added, and classes will receive new active and passive abilities.

So much for the system changes that affect all Diablo IV players, but Vessel of Hatred brings even more content, while still retaining the core hack-and-slash action RPG gameplay and superbly paced combat. The expansion will pick up where the story of Diablo 4 left off, with Neyrelle's journey across Sanctuary while in possession of the Soul Stone that houses the prime evil, Mephisto. The journey takes players to the new Nahantu region, a dark jungle world to the south of Sanctuary. Familiar features such as new dungeons, local events, strongholds, and more will be available in the new zone. Players will visit familiar locations such as Travincal and parts of Kurast, some of which are featured in Diablo II. As they uncover Mephisto's plan, players will also undertake local quests and discover the role of Neyrelle's soul in all of this. There will be side quests as well that showcases things that happen to everyday people in this region.

The new playable class, the Spiritborn, also comes from this new region. This class has not been seen before in the Diablo franchise and is somewhat reminiscent of the Monk from Diablo 3. Spiritborn are masters of melee combat, but can also use ranged attacks as they can call upon the powers of four Spirit Guardians: Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, and Centipede. For example, the Centipede Spirit grants poison damage, the Eagle Spirit increases agility, and the Gorilla Spirit increases strength for more damage and survivability. This makes the Spiritborn versatile and flexible. That said, the Spiritborn still lacks a connection to the Diablo franchise; many players would have been more excited by a Paladin/Holy Crusader archetype.

Mercenaries are also new. These allies fight at the player's side, becoming stronger as the adventure progresses and assisting in combat. They also have their own skill trees with a variety of choices to make them more supportive, combat-oriented, or a mix of both. Mercenaries can be recruited as reinforcements and will come to your aid at regular intervals to carry out attacks. New items are also up for grabs.

Endgame activities are also expanding, with some welcome additions to the existing endgame treadmill. First up is The Dark Citadel, a new co-op PvE endgame experience for two to four players. Together, players will battle bosses that require coordination and combined forces, while progressing along separate paths. Players will be able to communicate with each other using a new marker system.

"The defining feature of Dark Citadel is its focus on multiplayer. It is designed so that two players can complete the challenges together, making it a social experience where mutual helping and problem solving are essential. This cooperative element is what sets Diablo apart from all other games. (...) The Dark Citadel offers a wide range of challenges, from visual puzzles to mechanics that require precise timing and skill. Some parts of The Dark Citadel will test your reflexes, such as when you need to block a boss' shot at just the right moment. Other challenges require a high level of communication and teamwork to ensure that players and teammates are always in the right place at the right time. The variety of mechanics ensures there is always something new to master and keeps the gameplay fresh and exciting." - Rex Dickson (Lead Game Designer), Blizzard Entertainment

Then there is the Undercity of Kurast, a multi-stage time attack dungeon designed for both leveling and farming items later in the game. Players can influence the type of loot by using special keys called Spirit Tributes, and improve the quality of the loot by completing challenges in the dungeon and defeating one of the bosses in the Undercity. Finding a party has been made easier. The party finder, also introduced in the base game, allows you to find companions for various activities, including the nightmare dungeons, the Dark Citadel and the final bosses.

In addition to the system improvements mentioned above, players who purchase Vessel of Hatred will have access to runes and runewords. These come in two types: Runes of Ritual and Runes of Invocation. Runes of Ritual define actions you must perform to trigger them, while Runes of Invocation grant you a effect when you fulfil the trigger. Combining the two runes creates a runeword that can only be used when both runes are placed in an item with two sockets. This unlocks even more ways to improve and customise your character. Runes and runewords did not exist in Diablo 3. Instead, they originated in Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction.

These are the main new features of the expansion. Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred will be released on 8 October 2024 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Battle.net and Steam). The expansion will not be available in retail stores.

Conclusion

Even without the addition of a Paladin or Crusader, Blizzard Entertainment has put together a massive content package with Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, while continuing to work on improving the core game.

Features

• Continuation of the story in a new region with a new class
• Extensive overhaul of many elements and systems from Diablo IV
• New end-game activities, including a co-op dungeon