Everything you need to know about Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, the first expansion for the latest Diablo game

While previous Diablo games have typically had a single expansion a year or two after the initial launch of the game, Diablo 4 promises annual expansions, the first of which is Vessel of Hatred. Considering how the main game’s story ended, it’s no surprise that in the expansion we’ll be searching for Neyrelle, which leads us to the jungles of Nahantu, which we last visited in Diablo 2.

Mephisto was once imprisoned here, under the city of Travincal, where he was guarded by the Zakarum. It didn’t go well: Mephisto corrupted the High Council of Zakarum, and even imprisoned in the soulstone, Mephisto twisted the whole of the Zakarum to his will. In the latest Diablo 4 season, you can fight the former High Council — now the Fell Council — for loot and rewards. It’s unclear why Neyrelle would seek this place out… or if Mephisto’s influence is driving her there.

As I’ve been wanting to know what happens next since the moment I first finished the campaign, I’m looking forward to diving into the next chapter. So it’s fortunate that the game is due out this year, so there isn’t long to wait: the Vessel of Hatred release date is October 8, 2024.

Here’s what you need to know about the Vessel of Hatred expansion.

New features in Vessel of Hatred

• New class: Spiritborn. The game’s newest class is a battle-hardened mystic and, as Blizzard describes it, an apex predator of the jungle. This new melee class feels a lot like a the Diablo 3 Monk, drawing power from animal Spirit Guardians.
• New region: Nahantu, which will have new Dungeons, Strongholds, and the standard assortment of Sanctuary’s terrors.
• New co-op PVE Dungeon: Dark Citadel: We don’t have details, the expansion will feature a new multi-level dungeon where you’ll have to work together to defeat a boss.
• Hire Mercenaries to help you fight through the jungle. Mercenaries have been a feature of the game since the very first Diablo game, giving you a combat companion to back you up.
• New class abilities. You’ll earn ten more skill points and a hundred more paragon points in the expansion, with new skills, paragon boards, and glyphs to expand your playsyle.

Changes to the base game in patch 2.0

New content isn’t just for the expansion: the base game is getting a lot of changes too. In fact, so many changes that it almost feels like a brand new game — a game that feels a lot more like its sibling, Diablo 3. Here are the big changes coming to Diablo 4 in patch 2.0, the Vessel of Hatred patch:

• Reduced level cap. The base game will now only have 50 levels, with an additional 10 levels in the expansion. Current level 100 characters will become level 50 characters with 200 paragon points, while level 50 characters will remain level 50.
• Redesigned Paragon system. The new system will share paragon points across your account, so all of your characters have all of your paragon points — with separate pools for your eternal and seasonal realm characters. It’s much more like how Diablo 3 handles Paragon, though the Paragon boards will remain.
• New difficulty levels. Instead of four different World Tiers, the game will have four base difficulty levels (Normal, Hard, Expert, and Penitent) an four Torment difficulty levels, which are unlocked by clearing higher levels in The Pit.
• Runewords are back. You’ll be able to unlock powerful new Runewords that give your class access to other classes’ skills, among other things.

Seasons and Vessel of Hatred

Season 6 will launch with the expansion, which makes the upcoming Season schedule look like this:

• Season 4: May 14 to August 6
• Season 5: August 6 to October 8
• Season 6: October 8 to January — though the end date isn’t confirmed, January fits the typical schedule

That will make Season 5 the shortest season to date. Let’s hope it’s a good one.

How to pre-order Vessel of Hatred

You can pre-order Vessel of Hatred now on PC (Battle.net or Steam), Xbox, or PlayStation. There are four editions to buy:

• Diablo 4 expansion bundle ($70): Includes D4 and Vessel of Hatred for people who are just getting started with the game.
• Vessel of Hatred standard edition ($40): Just includes the expansion.
• Vessel of Hatred deluxe edition ($60): Also adds Nahantu Veilwalker Spiritborn Armor, Hratli canine pet, Nahantu War-Cat Mount and Armor Bundle, one Premium Battle Pass Token.
• Vessel of Hatred ultimate edition ($90): Also adds 3,000 Platinum, Natalya tiger pet, Nahantu Unearthed Armor Bundle​, Wings of the Faith Cosmetic, and Nahantu Themed Town Portal​.

Pre-orders for any edition will get the snow leopard Alkor as a pet, and I can certainly say I will do a lot of things for a cute pet. Maybe not spend $90, but Alkor is cute and also affordable.

There’s a lot of content coming in Vessel of Hatred, and we should learn more as we get closer to the October release date. We’ll be updating this post when we find out more details!

Originally published June 13, 2024; updated September 3, 2024.