Diablo 4 developers have assured users they won’t be punished for playing the expansions yet skipping the seasonal stories.
The first paid expansion for Diablo 4 – Vessel of Hatred – won’t arrive until sometime in late 2024. Most notably, the DLC will mark the return of Mephisto; it’s also possible the adventure will take place in the Kurast location from Diablo 2.
But by the time wanderers embark on this particular adventure, Diablo 4 will have gone through several seasons of content. The first and second seasons alone have ushered in a whole host of changes, as well as explored new narratives within Sanctuary.
What about D4 users interested in the Vessel of Hatred despite ignoring the seasonal updates? According to Blizzard developers, they’ll have nothing to worry about when the time comes.
Diablo 4’s expansions and seasonal stories won’t be connected
In an interview with GamesRadar, Quest Designer Nathan Scott clarified whether or not D4’s seasonal content will tie into expansions such as Vessel of Hatred. The simple answer is that they won’t have any connection at all.
Scott told the publication Blizzard aims to ensure that each season works independently of the others. If a player skipped, say, Season 2, they won’t have any problem jumping into Season 3. Thus far, the thinking is that seasons and expansions will similarly avoid talking to each other.
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“So far, the philosophy has been to approach each season separately. One thing we feel strongly about is, if you miss a season, it’s okay… we don’t want you to feel like you’re missing out on important story chunks,” the developer explained.
Scott continued, “So it’s unlikely we do any related things later down the line. But that being said, we’re always looking at ways to make seasons feel unique and a good experience.”
At the time of writing, Diablo 4 developers have yet to lay out specific plans for future expansions. Though Vessel of Hatred is a known quantity, details such as an official release date and the content coming to it remain shrouded in mystery.
But that much should change in the not-too-distant future since the DLC’s slated for a late 2024 rollout. When it does arrive, at least players won’t have to worry about missing pertinent information if they steer clear of the seasonal updates.
