The biggest names in the Diablo 4 community are singing praises for the Vessel of Hatred expansion, claiming it finally tackles the game’s most nagging problems. Rhykker and Raxxanterax think it’s a major upgrade that seriously amps up the gameplay.
The launch of Vessel of Hatred is a game-changer for Diablo 4 – and not just because it’s the franchise’s first expansion.
While some of the biggest content creators got an early look at Diablo 4 Season 6 and the Vessel of Hatred expansion during the PTR, the embargo just lifted a couple of days ago, unleashing a torrent of their opinions.
Both creators highlighted the game’s evolution, comparing this updated version of Diablo 4 to previous iterations in the franchise.
In his video review, Rhykker stated, “I’ve seen it improve dramatically.” He praised how the expansion enhanced the pacing and difficulty, saying, “The pace of the game has now been sped up. It’s snappier.” To him, this change made it feel more modern and engaging, reminiscent of Diablo 3.
New features, like the Spiritborn class, received acclaim from them. Rhykker called it “the best designed class” and acknowledged improvements in class balance and design.
The revamped leveling experience also felt rewarding to them, with Rax stating, “The leveling progression is actually better” in his video review. Players enjoyed the enhanced item drops, noting that legendaries dropped more frequently. However, some affixes still felt lacking in excitement.
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Both also expressed satisfaction with the expansion’s campaign content. Rhykker felt the amount of story content was greater than in previous expansions. “If you’re going to play Vessel of Hatred for the campaign experience, I think you will be happy,” he said.
Endgame activities, like the challenging Dark Citadel raid, provided a new level of engagement. Rax noted, “This is the first time I’ve actually seen Blizzard have you do some real mechanics.”
On the downside, Rax criticized the new Runeword system, calling it too simplified compared to Diablo 2. “Runewords currently are just absolutely not doing it for me,” he lamented.
Rhykker confidently stated, “This is Diablo 4 in its ultimate form.” With these updates, Blizzard has rekindled enthusiasm for the franchise and left players eager for what comes next while Rax took another step further and said the expansion makes Diablo 4 “feel like a game that’s not completely broken.”
Despite a 5-hour late launch, Vessel of Hatred is earning a lot of praise from the community. At Dexerto, we gave it a 4/5 and called it “exactly what Diablo 4 needed” in our review.
