Over the last year and a half, the Diablo 4 community has been up and down. The initial announcement and release were a huge deal. Even we here at Console Creatures felt like the product was in a fantastic place and was a lot of fun when it launched in June 2023.
Quickly, the game became Blizzard Entertainment’s fastest-selling game of all time, all while the world watched Microsoft buy Activision-Blizzard-King in a years-long process.
But later in the year, Diablo 4 lost some of its lustre, partially due to some design decisions but also because 2023 was a hell of a year for top-tier games. So when the developers announced they would be going with their patented expansion route a year later, ears were perked up, and we heard more and more about the design process and why the content was more substantial than a “traditional” piece of DLC.
We were lucky to get hands-on with the new expansion Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, digging into the story, new class, loot, new gear mechanics, and, of course, the end game. It was a pre-release build, but it was nearly complete and felt like a whole new game that long-time fans will surely enjoy and appreciate.
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Goes Back to the Good’ol Days of Diablo
Diablo 2 is likely the game that stands above the rest for many franchise fans. In many ways, it revolutionized the way games were played online. Twenty-four years ago, even a teenager like me who lived in the middle of nowhere with dial-up internet could connect with friends and strangers to slay demons and loot what were cracked and modded weapons and gear.
Those were also the days of expansion packs for games. Now, most titles go the DLC route. It’s not always a massive distinction, but DLCs are often smaller doses of content. With Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, there is a whole lot to play and experience. This is a full-fledged, well-oiled machine of darkness!
I’ve followed much of the development process through developer AMAs and updates, but I didn’t expect so much new material to be introduced. And it doesn’t just come in the form of a continued campaign. That is just the beginning.
The New Class in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
First and foremost, there’s the new class of Spiritborn. They’re a mix of martial arts and spirit conjuring. They move fast and fluidly through the battlefield with movement abilities and a new Skill Tag called Incarnate, allowing them to embody creatures like a Jaguar, Gorilla, Centipede, or Eagle.
Each of these tags comes with its own play style and combat approach. For example, the Gorilla-focused build will be more tank-like with defensive, blocking, and damage reduction abilities. In the meantime, if you favour the Centipede, expect to go heavy on poison attacks, reduction, and crowd control. I found something enjoyable and unique about each, and I think you will too, no matter your choice.
I usually experiment with my skill tree, go through a season or a character with that approach, and then hit up the forums and Discord servers for more finely tuned builds. Experimenting was a lot of fun here. I respecced my Spiritborn several times and eventually landed on a Gorilla and Jaguar mix. Was it perfect? Probably not. But it was a lot of fun!
Unfortunately, it did take some time for me to feel like I was swiftly taking out the demons around me. I felt underpowered in the early game (until about level 25-30). It’s likely due to several factors: my early build and my mercenaries were also low levels, but more importantly, I think some of the loot was lacklustre. I did not acquire a whole lot of exciting or powerful weapons. Other gear like rings and helms were dropping all over the place, but my two-handed weapons need for the Spiritborn didn’t become more effective until several hours into my time with Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred.
It did improve; it just took longer than I would have liked. Blizzard did say that there will be a day one patch, some of which will address balance and gameplay tweaks.
The Dark Story Continues
The expansion picks up where the base game leaves off. You’re trying to track down Neyrelle and figure out what is happening with this “rot” appearing in a new area that is now playable in Sanctuary. I’ll refrain from further spoilers, but I will say that the dev team has created a more extensive map to discover within the Nahantu region.
In the early hours of Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, I was slightly underwhelmed as I explored familiar locations. But once the campaign ramps up, the Spiritborn’s home region becomes part of the focus, and I found it a blast to play! It took me to the Diablo 2 days of that game’s Act 3: Flayer Jungle. New characters will help you traverse the area and travel to new realms to track down Neyrelle.
The only reservation I had with how Nahantu was handled was its enemies. Many of them are the same as you’ve fought and crushed in the base game. Eventually, that changes, but fighting off new and more varied hordes of creatures and demons would have been a welcome change a little earlier on to keep things fresh.
More New and Updated Systems in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
The Mercenary system is one of the most significant additions to Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred. As you might expect, it involves hiring NPCs to fight alongside you. What’s great about it is that it not only adds to the solo experience, but each character can also be upgraded with their skill tree.
You’ll unlock the ability to hire these new heroes during the Vessel of Hatred campaign. After a few hours and a pretty epic series of fights, you’ll have access to the Den, a new place to camp out and hire these mercs.
At launch, there are four Mercenaries, including a shieldbearer, a bounty hunter, a half-child-half-demon, and a berserker. I was able to use three of the four during my playthrough. I landed on using the shieldbearer and child-demon. Another great mechanic is that you can use two at a time. One will be actively by your side, while the other can be used to enhance your abilities. They can be switched at any time and upgraded to your liking. This was one of my favourite new additions to the game and one that could be expanded upon in the future. An exciting prospect!
Runewords have returned from the days of Diablo 2. These were an item favourite among players 24 years ago, taking your powers to a new level. Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred has 17 Runes of Ritual and 28 Runes of Invocation to collect. When combining these, you can enhance your abilities or stats. I had a limited chance to experiment with these, but the ones I did craft and use elevated my Spiritborn into an even more exciting fighter.
Oh, and we can’t forget about our little pet friends! Dogs and cats join the fray to help you nab gold and resources. Gone are the days of walking in circles to pick these items up! It sounds like a small change, but it quickly became one I truly appreciated.
New World Events and Base Game Changes
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred has expanded on the World Boss idea with a new, massive creature called a Realmwalker. These timed events will pop up on your map and encourage players to drop what they’re doing and engage this massive beast that brings in what is quite literally hundreds of enemies in a few short moments.
These things are enormous. The developers went all out on these events’ scale and epic feel. Playing it solo was a little too harsh and took a little too long, but once I was finally through the hour-plus event (I died quite a few times…) I sat back, pretty damn satisfied.
Progression has also been changed, and it is noticeable! Part of that is due to the team’s alterations in Season 4: Loot Reborn. They heard the community then and took the loot drops and progression in a different direction. It felt better then, and it feels even better now. There are some new class-based legionaries and uniques in the item pool, and many existing ones have been updated.
Regarding character progression, that function moves a lot better now. From my experience of levels l 1 -67, I noticed just how much better and faster it felt to level up, especially during what used to be a lull of advancement that was hit around the 30s and 40s.
In addition, the added Paragon glyphs and board are a nice bonus to end-game play. That time with the game will likely expand as well, something else the developers have communicated is a key feature they’ll be growing over time.
Verdict
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is undoubtedly an improvement on the base game. Nearly a year and a half later, the expansion was worth the wait!
The Diablo team at Blizzard put their heart and soul into this dark adventure, adding a fantastic new class and several new systems and weaving them into new, more exciting changes to the base product. If you’ve been waiting to dive back into Diablo 4, I think there is no better time than now with what Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred offers.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
