Diablo IV Vessel of Hatred Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Top Features

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, the first major expansion to the base game hit from last year, arrives with massive expectations.

The super successful action role-playing game (ARPG) and looter set the stage for those expectations not just because of what is promised within said expansion, either.

Since launch, Diablo IV has enjoyed fantastic updates on a seasonal or otherwise basis, layering atop the base game with new systems, quality-of-life features and listening to community feedback.

A massive expansion, then, that introduces a new region, class, long-requested endgame features, and so much more naturally stands as one of the year's biggest releases.

Graphics and Gameplay

Diablo IV is the king of synergy in its space, matching themes and additions to the world of Sanctuary in lore-natural ways.

So while Vessel of Hatred doesn't go overboard upgrading the graphics or sound design from last year's release, the big mover in change, then, is the innovation poured into new areas.

Chief among those is the new region Nahantu, a jungle besieged by the dark corruption of Hatred, seen in the wilting and putrefying of the ailing fauna and overall vibe. Scattered throughout this beautiful environment are remnants of civilizations and a day-and-night cycle that impacts enemies and challenges encountered.

That's not to say the tried-and-true stuff doesn't look or sound great. There are fun new animations during attacks and abilities, plus a variety of new enemies with their own flair and behaviors, to name a few of the many subtle new details oozing throughout the experience.

By far the biggest new feature to gameplay is the new Spiritborn class. This acrobatic, martial-arts-styled combatant is refreshingly different from the rest of the classes in the game.

Spiritborn impressively offers different play styles within the one overarching class. The guardians include a Jaguar (fire-based with speed boosts, etc.), Gorilla (damage reduction), Eagle (movement-based and assassin-esque), and Centipede (poison and damage-over-time effects).

Players can mix and match as they see fit with the abilities, oftentimes benefiting from the abilities and sometimes even summoning them for help.

Beyond sheer build crafting opportunities here, what's impressive is that Spiritborn doesn't feel underpowered despite all it can theoretically do. It is not a proficient at all, master of none sort of thing. And for players who want to build into one area at a time or per character, each spirit is distinctive enough to make it feel like Spiritborn actually adds four classes to the game.

Gameplay and build freshness doesn't stop there. Mercenaries, found within The Den, are a smart expansion of companions (like that cute little spider-robot) from past seasons.

Each mercenary has their own little bit of lore players can explore, which can influence their behaviors and skills. Not to mention, players can barter with their mercenaries as their bond grows, perhaps opening the door to better loot and items.

This isn't an X-COM-styled system with a never-ending stream of new helpers, though. There are four who specialize in different areas, with one being defensive, another providing ranged support and one who even toys with the dark arts.

Also majorly overhauling the gameplay experience are the new Runes, which filter into Ritual and Invocation categories. The former are specific actions players must take to receive the benefit of the latter. These abilities can overflow if the former does more than the latter requires. They must go together on items that have two sockets, including a helm, the item slot upgraded with this expansion to feature more than one socket.

Sounds basic, but there are double digits of each that can be combined. Then, adding those to a specific class or build, alongside all of the possible other items, loot, and effects, and well, the possibilities indeed feel endless.

That's not a criticism by any means, though, as it is always fun to build craft and experiment with combinations, especially while grinding for that max level.

Rest assured players won't be trying all these new builds in the well-trodden base game areas. The game's new region provides a heavy influx of new enemy types, dungeons and strongholds to conquer, similar to the rest of the base game's areas.

The expansion is an impressive feat of unity on these fronts. The new region, its inhabitants, look of the armor, the mercenaries and guardians and enemies all just fit neatly into its own theme, which likewise fits style and lore-wise into Sanctuary.

Story and More

Vessel of Hatred isn't going to reset the bar for narrative in live-service looter games, but it gets players to the new area and exploring quickly.

As mentioned, though, it is impressive just how smoothly it all fits into the established world and overarching lore. Some of the characters encountered, including the mercenaries, are memorable and the setting itself stands out in its own right.

Like the base game, this expansion does a good job of sprinkling on progression wrinkles that keep players invested.

Kurast Undercity becomes available after level 15 and is a fresh-feeling time-based area clearly aimed at players attempting to level quickly and farm specific items and rolls.

Like other looters such as Destiny 2, this area comes with the ability to tweak what types of loot tend to drop based on inserting specific items. Completing challenges can impact the quality of said loot, too.

Later, Dark Citadel is the huge thing players have long requested.

Available once players progress to Torment I, Dark Citadel is a co-op endgame activity for two-to-four players that comes with its own prestigious-feeling cosmetics and weekly caches of loot.

The onslaught of enemies, bosses and otherwise encountered there will put the chemistry and synergy of party members to the test often.

There is an infusion of loot throughout the progression experience, of course. We're talking new items, including Legendaries and Unqiues. Similarly, max level is now 60 and there have been additions to Paragon Board nodes, items and skills and passives to each class, among other expected expansion-type upgrades.

Alongside the expansion comes the Season of Hatred Rising. One of the big features is the presence of giant bosses in the open world called Realmwalkers. Defeating those lets players portal to Rupture, which boasts dungeons atop the typical overarching seasonal questline.

Little quality-of-life upgrades include a marker system so players who don't want to hop on a mic don't have to, yet can still point things out. More important on that front is the new Party Finder system, which is exactly what it sounds like and seems to work well enough.

Conclusion

Diablo IV enjoyed a strong launch, quality foundation and player-centric updates over its first year.

Fittingly, Vessel of Hatred is a culmination of that hard work and emerges as one of the best live-service expansions of the last decade.

The new class is a blast to experiment with and holds its weight. Sanctuary expanding to the jungle is engrossing, and it's just plain fun to return and do the level grind while enjoying the droves of player-requested features and additions, whether it's rune and glyph tweaks, new loot or fantastic endgame additions.

Simply, Vessel of Hatred is Diablo IV at its peak—so far. It's the best possible jumping on point and does enough to justify players with even hundreds of hours in the game since launch to make a return to Sanctuary.