Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred DLC review – welcome to the jungle, we got everything you want

Vessel of Hatred brings welcome changes, an exciting story and a versatile new class to Diablo 4.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred / Activision Blizzard

Diablo 4 launched in great shape compared to its predecessor, with vastly improved gameplay over Diablo 3, an interesting story, great visuals, and improved open-world design. However, it took a few seasons for the developers to figure out the best post-game content.

Following on the success of Loot Reborn and the current Season of the Infernal Hordes, the first Diablo 4 expansion, Vessel of Hatred, brings the most ambitious set of additions to the game since launch, with a new story, region, and class, but also big changes to the game’s systems.

Vessel of Hatred’s story picks up right where Diablo 4 left off, focusing on Neyrelle, who journeys with the burden of Mephisto’s soulstone into the jungle region of Nahantu. Your task is to find Neyrelle and help her tackle the Lord of Hatred’s growing influence that’s corrupting the region and Neyrelle’s mind.

Nahantu's jungles feel both fresh and creepy. / Activision Blizzard

Without spoiling anything from the story, you can expect the same level of polish and cinematic quality Blizzard is known for, with a narrative that is much more cohesive and focused than the base game. Vessel of Hatred does a great job of honoring Mephisto, who wasn’t even present in Diablo 3 and had a supporting role in the base game’s story, so fans of the oldest of the Prime Evils will be pleased.

Although not recommended, the DLC lets players skip most of the base game’s story and jump right into Vessel of Hatred with a brief cinematic outlining everything they’ll miss.

The new region of Nahantu has a very distinct look from other areas on the map, with lush jungles and settlements inspired by Aztec and Mayan architecture. It’s a return to a region we’ve seen in Diablo 2, so long-time fans of the series will notice familiar locations, such as Kurast Bazaar, which serves as the new area’s hub, much like Kyovashad in the base game. It’s still Diablo, and Mephisto’s Hatred is corrupting the place, so there’s blood and monstrous abominations everywhere. The change of scenery feels fresh and Nahantu adds brand-new monster families with their own attack patterns, greatly increasing variety. 

Vessel of Hatred is back in Kurast, which we first visited in Diablo 2. / Activision Blizzard

Nahantu also comes with a new class, the Spiritborn. Blending elements from the Monk and Witch Doctor from Diablo 3, these warriors are very much their own thing and one of the most versatile classes in Diablo 4. The Spiritborn is a swift melee class that can call upon the powers of four Spirit Guardians, Eagle, Gorilla, Jaguar and Centipede, that unleash powerful attacks.

Each of your spirit animals specializes in different elemental attacks and brings attributes that help different playstyles. The Jaguar is all about fire damage and attack speed, the Gorilla is slower but deals a lot of physical damage, the Eagle is great for lightning damage and evasion, and the Centipede deals poison damage and slows down your enemies. What’s great about the Spiritborn’s kit is that you can mix and match skills tied to different spirits freely, to create your own unique build, or swap them based on what you need at any time.

The Spiritborn can mix and match skills tied to four very different Spirit Guardians. / Activision Blizzard

Vessel of Hatred brings back a new version of the Runewords we’ve seen in Diablo 2. These socketable runes can be combined in pairs into gear that has two sockets. Each pair consists of a condition rune and an effect rune, and the effects are well worth sacrificing two gem sockets, while the possibilities to combine them are endless.

If you’re like me and enjoy playing both solo and in a party with friends, you probably noticed that the base game was heavily focused on co-op, and solo play felt somewhat inferior. Vessel of Hatred remedies this in two ways, by adding Mercenaries and Party Finder.

The Mercenary Den, where you can hire unlocked companions. / Activision Blizzard

Mercenaries can fight alongside you after you unlock them by completing their quest. Unlike Diablo 3’s followers, Mercenaries in Vessel of Hatred cannot be equipped with gear, and offer a more streamlined progression with their own skill tree. The four Mercenaries are a great way to complement your playstyle and build, and they are available both in solo play and as Reinforcements to your party in multiplayer.

Mercenaries have their own skill trees. / Activision Blizzard

Party Finder is another new feature that will help players who are struggling with finding (or coordinating with) friends to play together. With advanced filters and the ability to search for parties based on the endgame activity you want to do, it’s like Tinder for Diablo 4 players, helping you find the perfect match.

Vessel of Hatred also comes with a new season, called Hatred Rising, which brings a ton of permanent changes to the game. Endgame progression through the revamped Paragon boards feels much more meaningful now, with nodes that are more useful for any build.

Expansions that introduce a new class often neglect the old ones, making them less desirable to play. This is definitely not the case with Vessel of Hatred, as it brings a number of changes that keep all classes, mechanics, and activities viable. As the level cap has been increased by 10 levels to 60, each existing class is getting new skills, passives, and items, to keep them relevant.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred / Activision Blizzard

New changes to the difficulty system also cater to more dedicated players by adding four Torment tiers, with Torment 4 aimed at the most hardcore players looking to min-max their builds and face the toughest enemies. All story difficulty levels before Torment 1 are now available early in the game and don’t require completing Capstone Dungeons to unlock, allowing for a more efficient run as soon as players feel ready to increase the challenge. The new difficulty system also means that no activity or area of the map becomes obsolete and too easy once you reach a certain level, keeping more of the game content relevant throughout your playthrough.

All the changes to progression, the raised level cap and skills, new class items, and difficulty levels are coming to all players, and it’s great to see that the developers are not leaving behind those who won’t purchase the expansion, while still giving players compelling reasons to upgrade.

With its story, new class, and the permanent changes it brings, Vessel of Hatred improves on an already very good base game that has been refined over the last five seasons since launch. Striking a delicate balance, it succeeds at tweaking the systems and gameplay to please both casual and hardcore players.

Score: 9/10

Platform tested: PC