Dark, intense and Diablo at its finest.
Disclosure: Xbox provided the code for review.
Vessel of Hatred is a must-play for any Diablo fan. We played the whole expansion in co-op, starting on PC and switching to Xbox, and it worked seamlessly. Whether you’re a series veteran or new to Diablo, it’s dark, intense and Diablo at its finest.
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Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred Review: Not Just an Expansion, an EvolutionWant to play it? Grab it on the Xbox Store or see Where to buy.
Story
Vessel of Hatred continues the main game’s story, centering on Neyrelle. It explores solitude and the lengths someone will go to protect what they cherish. It’s darker and more introspective than you might expect, and it will have you gasping at times, so expect the unexpected. It’s intense and thrilling and keeps you hooked to the end. The expansion raises the level cap to 60, and both of us finished the main storyline at level 51.
The new mercenaries feature is awesome. You recruit Raheir the shieldbearer, Aldkin the cursed child, Varyana the berserker crone and Subo the bounty hunter through their own recruitment quests and origin stories, each with motivations we won’t spoil.
Gameplay
The action is tight and responsive, challenging but fair. The new Spiritborn class is fantastic, with quick, powerful attacks built on four Spirit Guardians, and it really changes how you approach fights. It’s fast, aggressive and fun. Jaguar focuses on aggression and fire, Gorilla on defense and physical attacks, Eagle on lightning and speed, and Centipede on poison and debuffs. Mix and match skills from each to create your own monster of a build.
The dungeons are insane, challenging but satisfying, and the combat is raw and intense. As you upgrade, you feel stronger and stronger, and the game is so well balanced that every player can create a wildly different build. Runewords and gems add powerful stats to your gear, and in multiplayer everyone gets their own assigned loot. Later, the Kurast Undercity opens up, a multi-stage time-attack dungeon for leveling and farming gear. The Dark Citadel adds co-op PvE endgame dungeons and boss battles designed to keep you playing long after the story ends. Between exploring a new zone, discovering item combinations with runewords and mowing down enemies as a Spiritborn, it brings back that one-more-run feeling.
Visuals
It’s captivating from the start, and the intense opening shows why Blizzard does some of the best CGI in the business. You can almost feel the despair in the air. Cloth moves, trees sway, foliage reacts naturally to the wind, and trinkets hang on ropes in incredible detail. Character costumes, armor, weapons and jewelry are a visual delight. The new region of Nahantu brings new towns, strongholds, dungeons and enemies across lush jungles and demon-filled deserts, and the jungle’s dense foliage, eerie lighting and shadow play are stellar. Towns like Kurast are detailed and immersive, the visuals telling you how people live there. Blizzard blends the dark, gritty look of past Diablos with a more vibrant feel, and the water is top notch.
Sound
The voice acting is stellar from the leads down to the smallest side character. The jungle ambience, creature cries and new soundtrack add so much depth, and each area has its own signature sound, so exploring is an audio treat as well as a visual one. In combat, every hit and spell feels impactful, like the audio is another weapon in your arsenal.
Verdict
Vessel of Hatred enhances Diablo IV in every way, from visuals to gameplay, making it not just an expansion but an evolution. The new content, lore and gameplay changes come together into something both familiar and refreshingly new.
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
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The verdict: Amazing
Dark, intense and Diablo at its finest.
Pros
- The Spiritborn is fast, aggressive and flexible
- Lush, detailed new region in Nahantu
- Mercenaries with their own stories
- Runewords, Kurast Undercity and the Dark Citadel add depth
- Seamless co-op across PC and Xbox
Platform played: PC and Xbox (co-op, cross-progression)
