The cinematic for the much-awaited Diablo 4 DLC Vessel of Hatred was revealed at Xbox Games Showcase 2024 and focuses the story on the Prime Evil known as Mephisto – Lilith’s father and the brother of Diablo himself.
While Diablo 4‘s seasons mostly offer a new way to play the same game, Vessel of Hatred will be a brand new chapter in the story, offering a new region to explore, a new class, and a variety of new features to enjoy. It will also be the first of Diablo 4’s annual expansions.
Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred release date
Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred will be released on October 8, 2024.
The expansion takes place after the original Diablo 4 campaign and will continue Neyrelle’s quest as she travels with Mephisto’s soul stone.
Vessel of Hatred platforms
Like the base game, the Vessel of Hatred expansion to Diablo 4 will be available to play on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PS4 & PlayStation 5.
Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred trailer
The official release date trailer and cinematic for Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred was released on June 9, 2024, at Xbox Games Showcase 2024.
The 3-minute trailer showed Neyrelle suffering with the fate of her choice to imprison the Prime Evil Mephisto in the stone and seek a means to destroy him in the new region of Nahantu.
She is called by a vision of her mother Vhenard who consoles her as she carries the stone to Akarat’s tomb to destroy it.
As it turns out, the vision is actually Mephisto in disguise trying to take over Neyrelle and break free. However, Neyrelle breaks out of the vision and carries on with her quest.
Vessel of Hatred new Spiritborn class
Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred will introduce a new class known as the Spiritborn. Taking inspiration from Diablo Immortal’s trend of creating a new class rather than re-using an older one, the Spiritborn will be native to the new region in the DLC, part of a warrior sect who’ve risen up to defend their land from Mephisto.
In terms of gameplay, the Spiritborn will be a mixture of the Witch Doctor and the Monk described as a class who can “best any foe with their imbued weapons, perform powerful combo attacks, and can augment their arsenal with deadly poisons and shadow magic to slay demons with impunity.
It will be interesting to see if the Spiritborn inherits any of the Witch Doctor‘s voodoo and summoning abilities, or if the Necromancer and Druid classes will remain the only ones who dabble in this form of offense. The Spiritborn class will be available to everyone who purchases the DLC and can be used to play through the original campaign.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred new features
The Vessel of Hatred trailer confirms that players will be heading back to the jungles of Kurast as well as exploring new regions. This is fitting, as Kurast was the location Mephisto stalked in Diablo 2, so we expect the DLC to tie back to that game.
After adding pets to Diablo 4 during Season 4, the Vessel of Hatred DLC will also see the return of Mercenaries. This is a feature from Diablo 2 that will work a lot like the Follower system in Diablo 3. Players will be able to hire Mercenaries and equip them with armor weapons and more.
During Gamescom: Opening Night Live, Blizzard showcased Mercenary companions in action. Vessel of Hatred Game Director Brent Gibson explained that these ally characters from the Pale Hand constitute “ordinary people with extraordinary skills.”
As for the identities of all four Mercenary characters, players will be able to hire: Raheir the Shieldbearer, Aldkin the Cursed Child, Varyana the Berserker Crone, and Subo the Bounty Hunter.
Trained by Iron Wolves, Raheir will prove an indomitable force thanks to his devastating Shield effects and blocking abilities. Varyana is a former cannibal and a butcher-turned-Mercenary whose hand-to-hand combat prowess greatly benefits her Massacre meter. The meter itself builds strength the longer that fresh blood coats her blades.
As a half-child, half-demon, Aldkin can shapeshift into a formidable Demon that many players will want to fight alongside. And, finally, the disgraced archer Subo will unleash volleys of arrows to beat back demonic hordes.
See the Pale Hand take up arms in the teaser trailer below:
While on stage at Opening Night Live, Gibson additionally mentioned Kurast Undercity, “an all-new multilayered dungeon” that lets players decide the kinds of challenges they’ll face and the rewards they may earn.
Vessel of Hatred fans can additionally look forward to the Dark Citadel, a cooperative PvE dungeon that “challenges everything [players] know about combat in Diablo” through a gauntlet replete multiplayer puzzles and mechanics.
Finally, the DLC will allow the player to equip some new mounts that are native to the jungle regions. Those who pre-order the expansion will also be able to unlock some exclusive pets, mounts, and gear.
While we’re waiting for Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred, you can check out of build guides for each class, the Barbarian, Necromancer, Rogue, Druid, and Sorcerer.
