‘There will be no salvation in light’ – Mephisto

Well Mephisto, as I boot up my PC to play the new Diablo IV expansion ‘Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred’ by acclaimed developers, Blizzard, this might be the salvation needed to refresh the now ‘year-and-a-half-old’ story. There is a definite light at the end of the demon-infested tunnel.

The first thing you will notice when you load into the nearly revamped home screen is the inclusion of a new class, the ‘Spiritborn’. With a martial arts fighting style, like a Druid they use the power of nature via spirit empowerments instead of familiars. Unlike Druids though, this class is very nimble, quick, and agile. Attached to the Spiritborn is also its mission, ‘The Sacred Hunt’. I used the Spiritborn for my first play with no particular ‘no life’ build but it was extremely fun to mix a combination of Centipede, Jaguar, Eagle, and Gorilla infused attacks. It should be noted, that you do not have to finish the base campaign before you dive in, but I do recommend it to get all the nuances and connections to the characters.

This then takes your character back into the world of Sanctuary. The Horadrim continue to try and protect the lands in the shadows of Lilith’s previous torment but the eternal creators continue to try and reclaim humankind. We follow along with the pragmatic Neyrelle, who bears the burden of carrying the Soulstone that contains the essence of a Prime Evil; Mephisto. Angered by his entrapments his anger seethes through the land in the form of a thick black ichor infecting everything it touches. Meanwhile, the Cathedral of Light is in its civil war between the survivors of the war at Hell’s Gate, in particular, the Reverend Mother Prava and a burnt Knight called Urivar.

The story for this new expansion slots in perfectly after the campaign of the condemnation of Lilith and it was just as engrossing, if not more interesting and gruesome than the base narrative as this uses pre-establish characters even amongst the range of new endearing ones. It was an epic ride, and I was thoroughly impressed at how it all linked together while feeling fresh and new.

Dropping October 8th 2024, the Vessel of Hatred expansion in alignment with Season 6 ‘Season Of Hatred’ will bring tonnes of new features and quality-of-life upgrades. These are welcomed as the Diablo content is needed for some desperate refreshment. Much like a world boss, Realmwalkers are a new inclusion and have a few stages to kill. These demons open portals to Seething Realms, a dungeon ending with Seething Opals as rewards depending on what material you are willing to sacrifice.

Iron will reward you with loot while 25 Obols will give you equipment and 5 Obols a plethora of materials. Seething Opals themselves are powerful consumables that will give a buff of your choice. You will also see the return of Runewords that can be socketed into gear to make them imbued with even more power. These add a little bit of differentiation from the usual gameplay but they didn’t make me want to particularly seek them out.

Another massive inclusion is the extension of the map into the new area of Nahantu. I loved this area as it contrasts the look and style of most of the original map. Nahantu is an overgrown tropical jungle full of carnivorous-looking plants and leeching vines, a stark difference from the reds and yellows of deserts and barren lands.

With a very Mayan/Aztec feel it is a refreshing addition to the landscape. The look and even feel of the minions and new bosses are also very creative, with some being downright invigorating to battle as they look so badass and move in more distinct attacks.

This time around they have thought about improving the end game with a PvE co-op activity. Introducing the ‘Dark Citadel’, a dungeon with loads of loot and rewards. Promised as being challenging and requiring a team, I can’t wait to dive into this as at the time of writing my review build was empty of teammates.

Some more minor but noticeable changes to fans will also bring a smile. The game finally has Torment levels in the difficulty selection, starting with normal up to Torment IV at this stage. I also noticed in the cupboard that you can edit your character’s gear with new colour palettes. The inclusion of Mercenaries with their storylines and missions means you often or not get thrown into a few cutscenes and I must say, I am still blown away by the effort put into the artwork and graphical presentations and the voice acting is impeccable to boot.

This expansion is incredibly good. It is so good, that I think the narrative is much more polished and intriguing than the base game’s ever was. It is so visually impressive with some captivating end-game scenes and bosses that I couldn’t get enough of it. Blizzard seems to be to comeback kings as this was a truly impressive experience, too back it is incredibly expensive and will probably be skipped upon by a large audience.

Written by: Stacey