Say goodbye to your free time

I spent an exorbitant amount of time with Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo 4 when it first launched in 2023. As a lifelong fan of the top-down dungeon crawler franchise, I was captivated by what the new entry provided. With a rich, devilishly enthralling story, rewarding progression systems and loot grinding, Diablo 4 was one of my favorite gaming experiences of 2023. After basking in Sanctuary, enjoying a few seasonal content drops, I held out for the big one: the Vessel of Hatred expansion.

Diablo 4’s Vessel of Hatred expansion is what core fans of the game have been waiting with bated breath for. While the seasonal updates give players new reasons to return, grind the battle pass and check out quality-of-life updates, Vessel of Hatred is what’s supposed to usher in an exciting new year for Diablo 4. Pushing the core narrative forward, Vessel of Hatred takes players to a brand-new region in Sanctuary. We’re also given the new Spiritborn class to experiment with. There’s also new endgame content, in-game systems, and, of course, loot to discover. On top of all the new content to pour over, Blizzard Entertainment once again delivers some of the more cutting-edge delivery of cinematics and art design. I was continually astounded throughout every narrative beat and every corner I turned through Nahantu.

The question on every Diablo 4 fan’s mind right now is whether Vessel of Hatred was worth the wait.

Price, availability, and specs

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred launches on October 8th on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The expansion costs $40 across the board, with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers able to save $4 on their purchase. The expansion offers 12-15 hours of core story to experience. There are also supplemental quests and activities to complete. The launch of Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is coupled with the introduction of Season of Hatred Rising and a brand new battlepass.

What I liked about Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred finally gives me story content to chew on

I know for a lot of Diablo players, the game serves as a means to party with friends, hit some dungeons and unleash hell on some horrid creatures. The leveling system and loot grind in Diablo 4 hit new heights during Season 4, so it’s understandable. However, since I was young (far younger than I should have been playing Diablo), I’ve been captivated by the lore and stories of this franchise. Diablo 4 ended on a major cliffhanger. With Lilith defeated, Neyrelle fled with Lord of Hatred Mephisto’s soulstone following the Battle of Hell. This conclusion felt like the season finale of a gripping TV series where I just wanted another episode.

Vessel of Hatred opens up sometime following the core story. As The Wanderer, I began to hear murmurs of Neyrelle’s appearance. Following the Battle of Hell, the Cathedral of Light uses its political position in the Sanctuary, creating an autocratic governance. To locate Neyrelle and Mephisto’s soulstone, I found myself traveling to the new jungle region, Nahantu. Filled to the brim with new characters to interact with, enemies to slaughter and dungeons to explore, Nahantu is an interesting local. Longtime fans will remember exploring this region during Diablo 2. It’s roughly the same size as the Fractured Peaks from the core game. Tensions and mystery abound as you race to find Neyrelle alongside new characters Eru and Raheir. With so much at stake given the circumstances, I was locked in, gunning towards the finish line. However, throughout every story beat, Blizzard Entertainment continues to flex its narrative chops. There are some high-level concepts thrown around, but delving into the lore given by Vessel of Hatred is a rewarding experience. By the time the explosive conclusion came around, I was dazzled by how the dust settled. Suffice it to say, Diablo 4 still has a lot of juice left in the tank.

Also introduced in Vessel of Hatred is the new Spiritborn class. Admittedly, I was a little let down by its concept when it was revealed earlier this year. However, putting some time in with the class, I think it shows some real potential. The Spiritborn class uses a mix of acrobatic melee moves and Spirit-based moves. Embodying the traits of Guardians, Spiritborn can master claw swipes from a Jaguar, poison abilities from a Centipede, tanky Gorilla or Eagle Guardian’s attacks. I’m all for a fresh new content experience, especially since I’ve had my hand playing all the classes up to that point. Vessel of Hatred launches with a ton of fundamental changes, affecting even the base game. The max character level is now 60, meaning scaling and Paragon Board systems have been tweaked. Each class is given a new Paragon Board as well as a Legendary Node to unlock. Classes all have five new passives and one new skill to unlock through the increased level cap. Once the Season of Hatred Rising truly kicks off, I’ll be eager to see how these progression systems pay off once I’m able to experience endgame content more holistically.

What I didn’t like about Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

Vessel of Hatred introduces a Mercenary system that feels underbaked

On the topic of the Spiritborn class, it took me far longer than I’d have liked to warm up to the new class. Spiritborn has many options to spec out your build with defensive abilities or go for something more agile. Unfortunately, it took far too long for me to feel like I had any power with the character. It wasn’t until I was level 30 with a good chunk of the skilltree ticked off that I felt like I began to understand the nuances of the class. For me, a mix between the long-ranged Eagle ability and poisonous Centipede attacks feels fruitful. I also believe it’s a matter of the meta not being readily established. I also felt as though sought-after Legendary equipment only began dropping at the tail end of my experience. There’s potential with the Spiritborn, but I need far more time to consider whether it’ll usurp my beloved Necromancer.

Blizzard Entertainment

During the questline in Vessel of Hatred, I unlocked a new POI known as The Den. Acting as a hideout for Pale Hand Mercenaries, this new system lets players rally with NPC characters during battle. Think of these as reinforcements that’ll join the player during battle. Each player can assign one to their party. Mercenaries can offer shield protection, crowd control and other unique abilities. I feel Mercenaries are best used if playing Vessel of Hatred as a solo player. However, even then they seem somewhat unnecessary and inconsequential. With each Mercenary, you can gain Rapport with them after hiring them from The Den. Once in your party, a Mercenary will emerge during combat to perform a skill. Each Mercenary has a skill tree to level up. You’ll also be able to barter with each one, offering the chance to get some Legendary items. What’s unfortunate is that, despite the emphasis on Mercenaries during Vessel of Hatred, I was never incentivized to chase Rapport or invest in this system. Perhaps deeper in the endgame and seasonal update, my feelings will change. Unfortunately, Mercenaries felt like busy work during my time with the expansion.

Should you play Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred?

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is a great point of entry for new and returning players

Blizzard Entertainment

Diablo 4 has truly never been in a better state than it has. The upward swing began with the overhaul of loot and progression in Season 4: Loot Reborn. With all systems carrying over and new meaningful story content through Vessel of Hatred, Year 2 of the game is pristine. Outside the core narrative and new gameplay systems, Vessel of Hatred introduces the Realmwalkers World Events. As part of the Season of Hatred Rising content drop, defeating these gigantic monstrosities opens a portal to new Seething Realms where I feel like a kid in a candy shop with treasure chests galore. Diablo 2 fans can also rejoice in knowing that Runewords will return after a 24-year hiatus. Collecting 17 Runes of Ritual and 28 Runes of Invocation, experiment and combine these to enhance abilities and states in new ways.

Diablo: Vessel of Hatred feels like a fresh restart for the game. Whether or not you played at launch, ran through the subsequent seasons, or came in for the very first time, there’s so much quality content to delve into. Despite what I feel are some shortcomings to some of the expansion systems, there’s a genuine push to further the gameplay experience. I hope that when Season of Hatred Rising begins, everything will coalesce in a beautifully diabolical way.