Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Expansion Review – A Tradition Continues

Diablo is one of those franchises with a storied history and quite a long tail. No doubt the demon-laded series took the loot-centric gameplay loop to the masses and Blizzard continues to iterate on it with each subsequent release.

Despite a somewhat stable launch, Diablo 4 had a rocky start. A lack of a cohesive end-game experience, quality-of-life issues, class nerfs, and poor itemization left players falling off quickly shortly after launch. Blizzard continued to adjust the game to entice its end-game and improve its overall loot itemization. However, as with tradition, the expansion represents an opportunity as a reset for the latest entry in the long-running ARPG looter. Vessel of Hatred continues this tradition in all the right ways, if you buy it of course.

Developer & Publisher // Blizzard, Activision
Platforms // Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4|5, PC
MSRP & Release Date // $39.99, October 8th, 2024
Reviewed On // PC

Saving Sanctuary from Mephisto this Time

Picking up directly after the events of Diablo 4, Vessel of Hatred pits players in Act VII. The expansion opens up with Neyrelle traveling south by boat. In her grasp, she holds the soulstone with Mephisto contained inside. Neyrelle continuously chants enchantments calling on Akarat’s protection from the soulstone’s corruption. She is traveling south to reach Akarat’s tomb to contain the soulstone. However, Mephisto continuously tries to manipulate her throughout her journey, gradually chipping away at her will. Eventually, Neyrelle makes her way to the jungle area of Nahantu. 

Without going into spoilers, it’s clear where the narrative is driving towards. Players shouldn’t be surprised where the expansion takes players. For the most part, the story was well-paced and intriguing enough to warrant my attention.

Seeing Neyrelle on her journey and the toll the Mephisto soulstone takes on her is saddening. More specifically, since the soulstone can manifest corruption that threatens the people around her. By the end, I respected Neyrelle for taking on this burden especially since she was a controversial character in the base game because of her naivety. 

Vessel of Hatred: Nahantu Adds Biome Diversity

Nahantu is quite unique from the rest of the Sanctuary. Lush, dynamic, and filled with vegetation, it’s quite the opposite of the cold and desert locales that graced the base game. A lot of the buildings are reminiscent of Aztec/Mayan ruins that are usually overrun by twisting vines. Nahantu has its own dungeons, cellars, and events as expected.

My favorite location was the capital city of Kurast. It is a sprawling Aztec-inspired city filled with overpasses and levels that made me feel as if I were walking through the streets of the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. Though Nahantu doesn’t feel or operate too differently from other areas, no doubt the biome diversity is growing and is most welcome. 

New Demons and Recolors as Well

There were some new enemies for players to fight. This includes new giant insectoids, jungle rendition of Fallen Ones, and different types of spirit enemies. The new enemies are consistent with the Nahantu jungle aesthetics and spirit realm themes.

In particular, the Dregs line of monsters had a lot of variety to them. From imposing giant Dregs to ones carrying half a Dreg in a sack that would throw poisonous bombs, there was a lot of diversity to this particular monster line. No doubt, it just expands Diablo 4‘s already impressive bestiary of demons.

In contrast, some of the enemies did not receive that same attention to detail. Some of the enemies were just recolored green to match the jungle aesthetic. This includes the humanoid knight-type of enemies.   

Spiritborn Leads the Charge

It wouldn’t be a Diablo expansion without a new class. Now, it’s still clear that many fans are still hankering for the return of the Paladin, though the new class that Vessel of Hatred introduces is indeed a breath of fresh air.  Enter the Spiritborn, a class that Blizzard themselves say is completely unique from all their previous Diablo entries. Fitting nicely with the Nahantu jungle motif, the Spiritborn class is graceful yet adept at crowd control and versatility.

Four animal spirits comprise the Spiritborn class: Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, and Centipede. Each spirit has its unique skills and passives. For example, the Jaguar relies on fire attacks with skills that focus on attack speed and cooldown reduction. The Gorilla focuses on defense and physical skills that mitigate damage. Eagle focuses on lightning and fast attacks, buffing movement, and evading traits. Lastly, the Centipede focuses on poison damage and debuffs. 

Once you reach level 15, players can access the Spirit Hall and can begin combining two spirits for some interesting build combinations. However, the second spirit is accessible at level 30. As a traditionalist, I went for the Centipede spirit at first, poison is generally a safe choice across different video game genres. However, the class presented two initial challenges I had to contend with. 

First, the Centipede had an issue managing vigor which required more skill points allocated towards vigor generation skills. However, the poison AoE created was extremely fun, especially with fear tacked on that sends enemies running as they get poisoned to death. Though difficult at first, the Centipede build was a fun and unique way to crowd control. I expect the class to be buffed a lot during release to entice players to check out the class. However, don’t be surprised if Blizzard decides to nerf the Spiritborn class in a future update, especially if other classes are ignored.

Mercenaries Make Their Appearance in Vessel of Hatred

One of the new features released in Vessel of Hatred is the Mercenaries system. There are a total of four mercs that players can unlock -Varyana, Aldkin, Subo, and Renheir. Mercs are unlocked through special questlines that provide their backstory. In addition, each merc has its own unique abilities, skill trees, and loot rewards for players to unlock. Earning rapport with each merc unlocks rewards and skills. Moreover, building rapport with a merc opens up a barter system in which you collect barter currency that can be traded in for some nice loot.

One of the first mercs you’ll get is Renheir. His shield ability is the perfect tank and agro support you need when taking on mobs. But if you want him to dish out some hurt, you can tweak his build by adding more AoE damage. Don’t worry though, you won’t have to manage any merc gear. For the most part, mercs are useful and their AI appears competent for the most part. Overall the merc system is a nice addition that will help complement your builds and provide more content to unlock.

Solid Additions of Endgame Content in Vessel of Hatred

Vessel of Hatred introduces some nifty new end-game content for players to sink their teeth into. The Dark Citadel is a raid-like mode that pits two to four players. Dark Citadel involves fighting bosses requiring team coordination and diverging paths for players to traverse on their own.

Of course, if you don’t have a mic, you don’t have to worry as Diablo 4 has introduced an all-new Marker System to help non-verbal communications. More specifically, you can ping points of interest or highlight commands/requests to your teammates. Completing Dark Citadels will net players with weekly caches that include valuable loot and even some Dark Citadel cosmetics.

Kurast Undercity is a Welcome Addition

Another quality-of-life feature coming in Vessel of Hatred is the Kurast Undercity. The undercity becomes available naturally in the main campaign. However, it will only be accessible once players reach level 15. It’s here that they can level and farm for specific gear by wagering tribute and bargains to customize loot rewards. 

During runs, you can extend your time limit by slaying specific mobs and upgrade rewards by activating attunement points such as beacons, so you’re incentivized to explore a little bit more. A run in Kurast Undercity is capped off with a boss fight. All in all, it’s a great addition that helps guide the endless farm that Diablo 4 and other live-service games are known for.

No Base Game Left Behind, Well Sort of

Historically, Blizzard goes all out on their Diablo expansions. In some instances, it offers a point for fundamentally changing the game’s systems. I’m happy to report that Vessel of Hatred continues this tradition. The level cap has been scaled to Level 60, while the Paragon and Character levels are now split. Each class has one additional new Paragon Board and each board now comes with a new Legendary node to help boost some stats.  

These under-the-hood changes continue the pedigree of updates since the Loot Reborn update in Diablo 4. Blizzard is clearly not resting on their laurels and it continuously strives to make the grind better in D4. Although these updates are accessible to anyone who owns the base game, players will potentially miss out on a ton if they don’t purchase Vessel of Hatred. Especially with the new end-game content that will undoubtedly be new sources to get better rewards. 

Performance

Vessel of Hatred ran just as well as the base game. With a Radeon RX 6950xt GPU and a 5700x CPU with FSR 2 set to Quality mode, I was averaging well above 100 FPS. Though in some of the most crowded and hectic fights, there will be a stutter here and there. Though luckily, these hiccups were few and far apart.

Solid Accessibility Options

Diablo 4 was already heralded for its impressive accessibility options and features. From text sizes to colorblind filters and tons of different audio cues, the game is highly customizable to make it the most accessible Diablo title yet. There are eight difficulty settings from Normal all the way up to Torment IV. Though the better loot drops will obviously be available in the higher Torment difficulties, this helps players to continue the grind at their own pace. On the whole, Blizzard continues its fantastic job in making Diablo 4 highly accessible.

Final Thoughts on Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred

Make no mistake, Blizzard continues its strong pedigree in Diablo expansions with Vessel of Hatred. The new campaign, location, class, and content will keep veterans busy for a long time. Once again, the expansion serves as a soft reset for Diablo 4 and will undoubtedly set the foundation for future improvements. 

Note – Access to the expansion was provided for the purpose of this review.

Final Score: 8.2 / 10

Pros:

• Spiritborn is a Fun Class with Tons of Build Options Potential
• Nahantu Adds to the Game’s Biome Diversity
• Mercs are Fun 
• New End Game Content is Enjoyable

Cons:

• Base Game Owners Will Likely Feel Left Behind in End-Game
• Some Enemies are Simply Recolored Green 
• Expect a Spiritborn Nerf Sooner Rather than Later