The last time we checked in on Diablo IV was over the summer when Blizzard added the excellent Loot Reborn season to the title. Unlike previous seasonal content releases, Loot Reborn affected everyone, adding new endgame content and vastly improving the loot system with character-specific customizations that allowed players to better craft their perfect demon-battling warrior.
As I mentioned during the review of Loot Reborn, the sometimes-monotonous nature of Diablo’s endgame loot capture at the time was starting to get a bit boring for me and my couch co-op partner, especially since we only play in the eternal realm and had finally grinded up to level 100 with our primary characters. As such, Loot Reborn was a truly refreshing addition to the action-packed RPG.
However, the announcement about a brand new campaign with Vessel of Hatred was even better, especially since it meant new single-player and couch co-op content outside of a temporary seasonal release.
Because of that, I preordered Vessel of Hatred and got some nice bonuses like Alkor the snow leopard, a cute pet who runs around and grabs gold and other small objects like gem fragments or herbs when they drop (although not any bigger items which would have made it even more helpful). Even those who did not buy Vessel of Hatred got a new canine pet that functions the same way as Alkor. I will review what Vessel of Hatred offered in just a moment, but it was also pretty shocking (and not fully in a good way) to discover that Blizzard also redid a lot of Diablo IV’s core mechanics again, just like they did with Loot Reborn, but to an even greater extent. And those changes now affect everyone who plays Diablo IV and not just those who bought the Vessel of Hatred DLC.
The biggest shock in terms of the core gameplay is that all characters that had reached level 100 (or anything above 50) had their levels reset back to 50. That was quite a shock, and not a fun one, to discover. Suddenly my skill tree was no longer maxed out, and my character was half as powerful as before. The reason for this, however, is a good one. The title has been rebalanced so that most enemies are not quite as powerful, and more importantly, so that players can earn levels extremely quickly. That alone makes Diablo IV much less of a grind. When starting a new character, I was able to level them up to 20 or so in a single night of gameplay, with the first five or so levels happening just with the tutorial type quests right there in Kyovashad. I made it up to level 50 in about two nights of gaming, something that took me weeks before Vessel.
Your character can also now add a point into their skill tree each time they advance all the way up to level 60, instead of shuffling you off to the rune board after 50. For complicated builds like what can happen with the Sorcerer class, those extra 10 skill points can be a huge help. After level 60, you get paragon levels now, which are shared across an entire account and can buff characters in subtle but powerful ways to improve individual builds. Having shared paragon points can be shocking too because as soon as you unlock the rune board with a new character, you could have hundreds of points to spend that you earned with previous characters.
The new quicker leveling system combined with more skill points makes Diablo IV much less grindy, especially at later levels. Prior to the Vessel changes, it took me almost as long to go from level 90 to level 100 as it did for me to make it to 90 in the first place, with only very small rewards for late game leveling anyway. Now, trying out a new character type or build is pretty easy, as you can level up to about 20 or beyond in just a few hours to see if you like it. Honestly, these changes might even convince me to finally start playing the seasonal content, since I would not need to invest hundreds of hours into becoming powerful yet again every season with a new character.
As for the new Vessel of Hatred campaign, it’s quite good as expected. If you liked the main story, then you will certainly enjoy Vessel. When making a new character, you have the option of playing a new main campaign or you can start with the Vessel of Hatred one. I chose to start a new character, one of the new Spiritborn, while my couch co-op partner became a barbarian. Regardless of what you choose to play, you pick the starting point, which is nice. And you don’t have to start a new character at all if you don’t want, as you can just continue using your existing characters and begin the Vessel of Hatred story.
The plot of Vessel follows the hapless Neyrelle from the first campaign. Having lost an arm, her mother and a good deal of sanity, she decides to punish herself further by taking the crystal holding Mephisto south into an uncharted jungle region. Of course Mephisto, being arguably one of the most powerful of the Prime Evils, has his aura leak out of the crystal and poison both the physical land and the spirit realm, which is highly important to the people who live in Nahantu, the name of the new jungle region. Your characters are tasked with finding and following Neyrelle, both to help her out and to try and save Nahantu by devising a more permanent home for Mephisto.
Nahantu is a pretty large realm, almost half as large as the rest of the Diablo IV map. It features a jungle environment and a people who seem to be based on the ancient Maya or Aztec civilizations. They are deeply spiritual, and you will even get to meet some god-like spirits as you adventure there. The focus on the spirit realm goes great with the new character class, the Spiritborn. And with the newly released quick leveling system, there is no reason not to try out the new class.
The Spiritborn play a lot like the monk class in that they are all about melee and close quarters attacking. Where they differ is that the Spiritborn can call upon nature spirits to unleash devastating attacks against their foes. There are four types of sprits that characters can call upon. They include the Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle and Centipede spirits, with each one having unique abilities. For example, the Eagle powers are all quick and some feature ranged attacks or electric charges, while the Centipede focuses mostly on deadly poison damage. Spiritborn don’t have to pick just one spirit guardian either. They can mix and match them to great effect. For example, maybe their core punching skill is enhanced by powerful Gorilla powers, while their defensive skill tosses up a barrier from the Jaguar or Centipede. In general, there seems to be a lot of possibilities for builds within Spiritborn characters, almost as much as with the Sorcerer class. They are fun to play, especially for those who like to get up close and personal to do devastating damage.
You also don’t need to be a Necromancer anymore in order to have a small entourage. Mercenaries are back in the form of several new NPCs who will adventure alongside you when you are playing solo. Each needs to be recruited by helping them out with a personal quest. And then you can join up with them in a secret den in Nahantu that you unlock as part of the main story. Like the mercenaries in Diablo III, each has a personality and contributes help in different ways, from defensive shielding to powerful firestorms, so you can pick the mercenary who best compliments your playstyle. They level up by earning affinity with you as they travel by your side, which unlocks better special abilities for them and even special gear for your own character, which is available for sale in the secret den’s store.
Unfortunately, when you are playing couch co-op or with a group of online friends, mercenaries are not able to be used, although you can still have them come along as so-called reinforcements. That basically lets them manifest every so often for a few seconds to help you out, almost like a spell. You still earn affinity with them, but at half the rate compared to if they were actually traveling with you.
In addition to the new adventure, the steamy jungle environment, Spiritborn characters and the mercenaries, Vessel of Hatred also offers a dungeon run called the Kurast Undercity. It’s located in Kurast, which is the capital city of the Nahantu region. The dungeons are a bit different from other randomly-generated instances in Diablo IV in that they consist of four levels, the first three of which are always timed. You start with so many seconds on the clock, normally about 120, and can kill elite monsters to add a few seconds to the time. You can also beef up the potential rewards by activating special shrine-like lamps and killing the small gang of monsters that spawn in response. But if you don’t make it to the final level before the timer runs out, you lose. So, there is a balance between rushing to the last level and taking time to improve the potential reward quality. On the final level, the timer stops, and you can relax as you make your way to the final boss. The rewards for the Undercity runs are normally pretty good. I got quite a few artifacts down there, so it’s a good choice for farming, if tricky before you get a feel for the mechanics.
Finally, Vessel of Hatred has a brand new soundtrack which helps to set the mood almost as much as the new landscapes. In fact, I would say that the quality of the music is better in Vessel than with the core title. It’s not only thematic but interesting enough that it does not fade into the background completely while you are playing.
Diablo IV Vessel of Hatred is on sale for $39, with deluxe editions that offer better cosmetics priced higher, although all of the extras are optional. That’s a really good price given that it’s $10 less than the core game (which is of course also required) but offers about the same amount of single-player content that was in the main title. Those who enjoy the eternal realm will especially enjoy it, although the new speedy leveling mechanic might also make seasonal gameplay more attractive and accessible too. In short, this is a really perfect way to introduce a new DLC while also revamping and rejuvenating the core title. Diablo IV is as hot as ever, and it’s still the king of the action RPG.
Developers: Blizzard Entertainment
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X