Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred is the first major expansion for Blizzard’s excellent action RPG, serving up throngs of awful new beasts to blast through and piles of shiny gear to gather. It ventures into the corrupted jungle of Nahantu, and a new storyline picks up from the base game’s colossal cliffhanger ending. It’s largely concerned with the Lord of Hatred himself, Mephisto, but the real star of the show here is the excellent new Spiritborn class, which, quite frankly, makes the others feel underpowered in comparison.
Taking place after the events of Diablo IV’s campaign, Blizzard wisely allows newly created characters to jump straight into the Vessel of Hatred story. Obviously, you do you, but the storyline seems especially suited to the Spiritborn class (which involves the Spirit Realm and the powerful animal Spirit Guardians, which serve as its skills) and it’s an absolute blast to play. Able to mix and match between Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, and Centipede abilities, it allows for a huge amount of build variety, focused on fire and physical damage, defence and endurance, attack speed and critical damage, and movement speed and poison, respectively.
Vessel of Hatred is designed to bring a character to the endgame, and you get a sped-up sort of levelling experience. Fans of the series’ in-depth lore will likely find a lot to sink their teeth into in the narrative department; Diablo IV ends on a genuinely compelling cliffhanger, and Vessel of Hatred follows this thread to a genuinely surprising conclusion. Being Blizzard, it all looks and sounds phenomenal, but if you’re not so interested in the complicated machinations and pantheon of Heaven and Hell, you may find yourself glazing over during some of the more indulgent story sections.
Companions have received a robust overhaul in the form of the Mercenaries system, introduced throughout the campaign questline. These NPC allies are surprisingly capable and get their own skill trees, allowing further customisation and gameplay options. For example, Subo, the Drunken Archer, can mark enemies, and killing them in a timely fashion will reduce ability cooldowns.
The Dark Citadel has been built up to be the series’ first “raid”, offering a cooperative experience for up to four players. A party finder rounds out the MMO-light experience, allowing players a way to easily gather a group and farm for powerful new gear.
While unlikely to convert any new adherents, Vessel of Hatred provides plenty of reasons to return to the dark world of Sanctuary. The Spiritborn class is the biggest draw here, but exploring Nahantu and delving into a dark new storyline make Vessel of Hatred worth the entry price.
