Depending on who you ask, the road to this next stage in Diablo 4 could be seen as a bumpy one. Similar to what Diablo 3 brought to the table at its launch, Blizzard’s team put together a solid game, but it still had some work to do to become something truly beloved.
So here we are, years after its initial release with numerous seasons, tweaked loot and reward systems, and more story content with the Vessel of Hatred expansion nearly two years ago. The developers have once again promised a slew of new gameplay changes, another new class, along with an epic story, and an expanded endgame.
In an AMA with the press during review, Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred was being described as “the best Diablo 4 has ever been.” And after a busy week defeating demons, playing the expansion’s campaign, and crushing some new endgame material, I think the team is on point with this one notion.
Off the top, I’ll let you know this is a completely spoiler-free coverage of the Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred expansion. If you want to see and hear where things go next in the story of Sanctuary, stay tuned! This review is based solely on the new mechanics and systems and how they played and felt during the review period. On top of that, I’ll include quotes from the development team detailing questions and answers shared during that time. So let’s dig into it!
The New, Dark, and Bold Direction for Diablo 4
Let’s start with one of the first decisions you’ll have to make as you jump into Diablo 4 for the first time, or once again for this new season and expansion: your class.
As you may have seen earlier this year, the Paladin has been introduced to the roster as a pre-order Lord of Hatred reward. I spent a lot of time in that class and truly enjoyed what it offered, including great teamwork skills and some really beefy tank builds that were always exciting to use! But this time around, it was all about another class that I dug into: Warlock.
If you’ve been around the Blizzard and Diablo worlds over the years, you know this dark magic class is a staple. Whether it’s in this franchise or others like Warcraft. In Lord of Hatred, I was able to put the class through its paces and experiment with dozens of skills, a massive skill tree, and crush thousands of enemies in the campaign and end-game content. I’ve always been a huge fan of the Wizard or Sorcerer in Diablo games, and the Warlock, to me, felt like the next evolution of what I love about magic-based classes in this franchise.
I’d also add that if you’re a fan of the Necromancer, there are some really interesting and powerful builds on the Warlock’s skill tree that will help you summon massive beasts to aid you in your fight. I think this can be a massively successful class and one that could shoot up to the top of the fan-favourite Diablo 4 list. Warlock is also able to launch and create fire-based attacks and buffs, walls of demons, and hex enemies as they become vulnerable, slowed, and knocked down by what feels like some pretty intense and fun power combinations.
Zaven Haroutunian from the development team says more matters, which one you choose to try, “the Paladin, as everyone knows, is the MOST requested class, and alongside Warlock, it helps support the overall design vision of this expansion being focused on the Eternal Conflict that is so core to the series.” This is the first time since Diablo 2’s Lord of Destruction that two classes have been released to all players at the same time.
Versatility, choice, and experimentation have also been expanded this time around. And that’s largely due to the fully reworked skill tree across the board. As I’ve said in the past, I’m not usually playing a Diablo game to “break the game” or be the love wolf, the most powerful character on the battlefield. Instead, I like to find the fun and experiment with a build that works for me. Sure, I want to be powerful, that’s part of the fun, but I actually don’t mind tweaking my hero on the go.
What’s great about the skill tree updates is that they help tailor to both build approaches. Skills themselves in the original lineup of classes are largely the same, but point distribution and skill combinations have changed in a number of ways. My time in review was spent with the Warlock, and building out what worked and felt best was a complete blast! The level cap has also grown to 70, giving you more points to distribute.
Diablo 4 Endgame Feels Great to Play
War Plans are a core endgame addition that feel like the development team has really listened to players’ criticisms and responded positively.
Colin Finer from the Diablo Team says War Plans “always gives you an answer to ‘what should I be doing?’ in a fun, rewarding way. It’s easier than ever to hop in for any amount of time and progress your character.” And I’d have to agree with this notion. Hell Tides, for example, have been in Diablo 4 for some time. I have always found them enjoyable and a great way to take down thousands of enemies in a short time, but they have become a little repetitive. So far, War Plans do not feel that way.
In War Plans, you’ll be able to choose a certain path of tasks to complete. These are checked off after ventures into The Pit, Infernal Hordes, tasks in Helltides and Nightmare Dungeons, defeating Lair Bosses, and playing through the Kurast Undercity. These are all activities that existed in the past, but they’ve been updated and, in my experience, feel far more rewarding because they act as quests with progression rewards. In a way, War Plans reminded me of Diablo 3’s rifts.
Echoing Hatred is another post-campaign addition. The devs describe it as “The new, hyper-rare event deploys infinite waves of enemies and escalating difficulty. The further players last, the more difficult it becomes, and the better rewards drop.” I had minimal experience with this during my time, as a rare drop was necessary to unlock it.
A Familiar Friend and a New One
No spoilers here, promise! But the friend I mentioned isn’t a person or even a divine being. It’s an item!
The Horadric Cube is back! This is an epic piece of the Diablo franchise puzzle that immediately takes me back to playing Diablo 2 on dial-up internet in the early 2000s on my parents’ fax line. Unlocked during the campaign of the Lord of Hatred campaign, the Cube is more powerful and multifaceted. I was not only surprised to see that this powerful artifact of lore was back in action, but how it returns and how it is used is just as epic!
Colin Finer from the dev team chimes in once again, adding: “You can remove affixes, add affixes, TUNE the outcomes with Tuning Prisms… however, there are a few higher risk recipes, like Transfiguration, which have incredible outcomes, but also terrible ones.”
But that’s not all! One of the earlier additions introduced during Lord of Hatred is the Talisman. With this, you’ll be collecting charms that will add more bonuses to your build. The drops happen frequently, and the variety feels broad enough to cover whichever playstyle you choose. This is also another great chance to play around with Sets. Just like with wearable loot like armour, you can combine these sets to unlock some truly exciting potential and multipliers. This is another aspect of the expansion that really worked for me! Think of it as a customizable amulet: one that can be added to, expanded, and worked on on the fly. It’s a great addition!
Throughout all of this, you will also be welcomed to a new region in Diablo 4. One that has been talked about and one that many fans of Diablo lore will recognize: Skovos. This is where humanity was created and where hatred has now expanded its reach. Here you’ll find new and familiar faces to interact with, help, and fight. The landscape is beautiful and feels like it arrives with some fantastic dungeons and diversity. Playing through it, it feels like the right place to continue the story, offering solid new experiences in a region that will see the end of a major piece of the Diablo 4 puzzle.
Barry Morales from the Blizzard team adds, “We have fought the different enemies within the Diablo franchise multiple times, including the prime evils. However, we are looking at this as the end of the age of hatred and the players journey with Mephisto.”
Add all this to the set dressing of what I felt were some excellent high-quality story beats and cinematics, epic orchestral music, and some solid writing, and you have yourself a pretty damn great expansion to a game that felt like it was searching for a new direction for some time.
Verdict
The latest expansion for Diablo 4 really does put the game in the best place it’s been since it was launched a few years ago. You may have heard that before, but I do think that the focus on a more cinematic campaign with some engaging twists and turns and a fresh endgame system takes it in an exciting direction.
Almost any Diablo or ARPG fan can find something to enjoy in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred: more story, updated levelling systems and mechanics, two new classes, and cool new endgame. Returning players have something novel to dig into, and newer players or any that have stepped away for a while will have deep systems and skill trees to experiment with for hours and hours.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: PC
