During a panel at BlizzCon 2023, Blizzard shared the first details about the first expansion of Diablo 4 “Vessel of Hatred” and much more.
In case you missed the news announced yesterday, Vessel of Hared will be released in late 2024.
Players will get the option to start with the main campaign of the game or directly with the expansion. They will also be able to enjoy a recap of the story.
Keep in mind that there is a big spoiler in the following paragraph so if you have not played the main game, please skip to below the image.
At the end of the main campaign, Neyrelle is traveling south with Mephisto trapped in the Soul Stone. Neyrelle is traveling south in the footsteps of the Prophet of Light to find a way to deal with the stone and Mephisto himself.
The expansion is set in a new region named Nahantu, which is actually Torajan (which is the name the region is called by outsiders, while Nahantu is the native name).
Everything starts at the river gate. a monolithic monument that has been closed for several decades. Yet, it’s now open.
Below you can check out more artwork of the jungle, which developers developed as a living and breathing character.
Below you can check out architecture from Kurast, an iconic and sprawling city that sits in the heart of the jungle.
This artwork shows the docks of Kurast, which players visited in Act 3 of Diablo 2. 72 years have passed since then, so players can look forward to discovering how things have changed and if anyone is still around.
We also take a look at the Temple City of Travincal, where the Horadrim originally imprisoned Mephisto in his Soul Stone.
Incidentally, the new class that will be included in the expansion is brand-new and it’s not the Witch Doctor as some argued. We also learn that when the expansion launches there will still be seasonal content coming as it is now.
About the current game, below you can see a roadmap for Season of Blood including update 1.2.2 and the Midwinter Blight event leading to the next season, of which the developers are not ready to share the title.
The new unique Malignant Rings are coming not only for Season of Blood but also for the Eternal Realm. You can see them below and they’re coming on November 7.
On December 5th we’re getting the Occultist update and you can check out the affix preview below.
More endgame is coming with the Abattoir of Zir event, a season endgame event. Below you can see the flow of the event and the new unique glyphs it awards. It can be leveled up 200 times.
The Midwinter Blight seasonal event will start on December 12. It’ll be set in Fractured Pass where we’ll meet a bard named Gillian.
In the area, we’ll meet some monsters built by Blight Fiends and named Frigid Husks that are wreaking havoc under the orders of their leader, the Red-Cloaked Horror.
Of course, there are a number of cosmetic rewards that you can earn with the event and you can check them out below.
Speaking of the third season of the game, it will include more endgame content and leaderboards-driven trials. When players reach World Tier 4, you’ll be able to compete in The Gauntlet, a non-linear dungeon that will be the same every time you enter.
Loot drops at the end of the timer. Killing monsters and opening chests drop “Proof of Might.” You have to collect as many as possible to increase your score within the time limit. The leaderboards will reset weekly and can be reset in several ways.
Below you can check out examples of the leaderboards.
You can also earn seals and frames, which you can see below.
Incidentally, the developers mentioned at the end of the Q&A that they’re starting work on a change that will change the Aspect Crystals so that they will be stored in the Codex of Power. This should come after Season 3.
Diablo 4 is available now for PC, PS5, PS4 Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One ( and you can purchase a physical copy on Amazon if you so wish).
You can check out our Austin Suther’s enthusiastic review of the game, which awarded the game with a 9.5 out of 10.
During the first day of Blizzgon, we also heard about the next hero for Overwatch 2 and three expansions for World of Warcraft. Earlier today we took a look at the first of these expansions and more details about what’s coming for Overwatch 2.
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