Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred Review

Diablo IV has come a long way since its release not too long ago. While it had a fairly rocky start, the game has seen a lot of progress. Much of it has come to a head in Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, a new leap that steps away from demon-slaying and fighting gods to explore an old location that many might remember.

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred continues where the main game left off, giving you the option as a new player to skip the main game and get right into the DLC.  Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred gives you access to a new zone: Nahantu. You get sent off there, looking for a missing companion right after the events of the main game.

A lot of Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred’s story revolves around the new class as you interact with spirits, get into spirit form, and so on. You revisit areas seen back in Diablo II, and for many, this is a nostalgic trip with a new experience attached to it. This new jungle zone adds many dungeons that give spiritborn aspects and give you access to two new end-game activities; the Kurast Undercity and the Dark Citadel. 

The undercity lets you enter a portal and a 4-level dungeon where you clear three of them within 100 seconds, and to top it off, you have to beat a boss based on your tier. Do not worry, however, as killing enemies gives you small time boosts that add up. You can use items to ensure you get certain affixes on the legendary items you get, and in general, the loot received from the dungeon is pretty neat. Your objective here is basically to deal out bogus amounts of damage, all the while staying alive. The longer you go on, the better the reward.

The Dark Citadel is basically a Diablo raid; you need a group of at least two to play, and it has a lot of co-op mechanics that involve the groups splitting off into different areas to accomplish certain objectives, which often rely on one another's success. You have tiered wings that you unlock progressively, and you get different rewards for each wing.

The Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred Expansion comes with much rework to classes, new mechanics, general gameplay additions, and the launching of Season 6. The new class is somewhat of an offshoot monk named the Spiritborn. You rely on agility and, as your stat, dexterity and dealing out fast-hitting damage, with the easiest explanation being 'Witch Doctor + Monk' with your main gameplay leaning towards the monk.

You can summon the power of spirit guardians, essentially big, cool, ghostly animals. You have the Eagle, the Centipede, and the Jaguar as your spirit guardians, each fulfilling various niches. These let you focus on being fast, having a lot of damage, and more, making you incredibly versatile. You can take multiple skills from any of these spirit guardians to your active slots.

As for the class mechanic, you get the spirit hall. You get to basically choose a passive from one of the spirit guardians to augment yourself further. Along with the Spiritborn, you get two new weapons, the glaive and quarterstaff. You also get new legendary affixes. All of these give you lots of variation and fun builds to work with and explore. 

You also have access to Mercenaries, who are essential companions that have different recruitment processes and help you on the battlefield. One of them becomes permanently attached to you, and another, you can call for every now and then with an ability. The different mercenaries themselves are a diverse crew and fun characters.

These are the demon-kid Aldkin, Subo, the bounty hunter, the cannibal [former] Varyana, and your first mercenary companion, Raheir. They don't really talk a lot but are pretty unique regardless. The more you fight while you have them, the higher level they get; you also get skill points for their skill trees, which let you unlock armor and upgrades available at the mercenary den. 

Doing these lets you get coins that you can exchange for gear, legendary ones at that, and other useful items. You also get some buffs and abilities that are accessible when you have them as your companion. The new mercenary system kind of leaves you wanting more, however, as it is more of an afterthought rather than an essential element.

There is now a rune system in Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, almost entirely torn out of Diablo II. You can find runes that you use to form Runewords that can give you different buffs and boosts. You do this by adding to weapons, and overall, the system is well-built. You have a lot of options and a great deal of depth in choosing between them, essentially turning an already complex build system into a new tier of complexity.   

The Expansion has a lot of storytelling crammed into it. From the small-town dialogues to side quests, you will have lots to learn and explore, and most of it is rarely forced. The overall immersive experience of Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred is incredible as you explore all of Nahantu. While the worldbuilding is great, the plot falls a little flat.

This doesn't mean that the story is bad; however, as Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred continues, the great storytelling that has accompanied most of the Diablo games continues. The story is intense and important to the overarching plot of Diablo IV but ultimately fails to come to any conclusion. 

At the end of Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, you are basically left at a cliffhanger that leaves you going, 'Huh, that's it?' This, obviously, probably is to leave more room for another expansion, but for the DLC alone, it's a disappointment.

The new class feels fresh, even though it's blatantly comparable to other classes from previous games. The synergy and creative combinations and uses of the many skills you get access to are nice. The four spirit guardians are amazing, and their ultimates let you summon them. They give incredible visuals as the eagle swoops in from the sky or the centipede burrows out of the ground, spitting acid at some poor enemy. The Hall of Spirits is really good, and it's unlocked by one of the best quests in Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, giving you access to even more versatility and synergies.

Nahantu looks brilliant, offering a variety of area types as you get to travel through both lush jungles as well as caves and arid regions. Of course, traveling through the place will leave you with some mild annoyance as every corner is filled to the brim with enemies directly from Mephisto's corruption. This means that for every narrow corner you turn, you are met with a dozen monsters you have to avoid and dodge. Furthermore, the new regions aren't too unique, given the presence of arid deserts, swamps, and jungles in Sanctuary.

As for the content in Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, there are quite a few additions, all good ones that add a lot to the game. The bosses are difficult and demanding but never too far. The difficulty is never tedious, though, and the late game is really fun. The expansion should last you about 8-10 hours, excluding anything you might find from season 6. And to complete everything, you could easily find yourself devoting more than 30 hours to the game.

The voice acting is great, keeping up with the series' tone, and the sound design and music are pretty standard for the game and series. Of course, this also means that they are not inherently noteworthy.

Despite its big price tag, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred sells itself. It has lots to offer and vastly improves the Diablo experience. While the class might not be exactly what players have wanted, it definitely didn't disappoint. 

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred helps the base game touch up on almost every element and make the game all the better. It also establishes the new direction for Diablo IV and has set up a lot to come. A great addition to an already good MMORPG. With a great continuation campaign, quality of life changes and many, many new items and activities. You will find yourself truly immersed and enjoying yourself in Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred.