3 Big Changes Coming To Diablo IV In Its First Major Expansion

The Vessel of Hatred, the first expansion to Diablo IV, is set to release on October 8 and Blizzard dropped a ton of new information about it at Gamescom. That includes more details on the game’s new class, new region, and a few surprise announcements to get players even more excited.

Vessel of Hatred will continue the story of Diablo 4, in addition to bringing an all new co-op mode and the return of mercenaries to the series. Here are the most interesting things we learned about the upcoming expansion.

Mercenaries are back, baby

A fan-favorite feature from past Diablo games is the ability to call upon allies to fight for you. These NPC soldiers for hire were originally introduced in Diablo II, and Diablo III had its own version of the system with Followers, who were more fleshed-out characters with stories of their own. Diablo 4’s version of mercenaries seems more in line with Diablo 3, as all four summonable allies have names and detailed backstories Blizzard has already revealed.

You’ll unlock the NPC allies during the main quest and summon them in two ways. You can hire one mercenary to be your main companion to follow you around and designate a second mercenary as reinforcement who will emerge during combat to unleash a special skill when you activate a skill of your own. Each mercenary is unique with their own set of skills. There is the drunken archer Subo, the cursed child Aldkin, the berserker crone Varyana, and the shieldbearer Raheir. With a variety of builds to choose from, you’ll be able to form a party that compliments your own character in combat.

Take on the Dark Citadel with a friend

Image: Blizzard

Described by game director Brent Gibson as a “multi-layered dungeon” during Gamescom, the Dark Citadel is a new co-op PvE mode that sounds like a full-blown raid. This is an endgame dungeon meant to test players in (ideally in a full group of four).

The Dark Citadel is three areas long and includes tough-as-nails boss battles featuring unique enemy mechanics. One example given during a Vessel of Hatred trailer includes gathering a special item to reflect boss attacks in the midst of combat. That item needs to be used once by every team member, so it evokes the traditional MMO raid design of managing boss patterns while also dealing out constant damage.

There will be a special vendor for the Dark Citadel with some incredible loot to earn if you are up for the challenge. Furthermore, Blizzard is introducing a party-finder that makes grouping up with friends and strangers all the easier. It really sounds like the Dark Citadel will amp up the MMO aspects of Diablo 4, but it’s not the only the only interesting dungeon in Vessel of Hatred, as the new time-attack challenge Undercity is also being introduced.

Nahantu looks stunning (and dangerous)

Image: Blizzard

The Vessel of Hatred will take players to the new region of Nahantu, which is the southernmost area of the eastern continent (that’s the setting of Diablo 4 if you didn’t know, because I didn’t). To date it’s the only part of the continent players haven’t visited in Diablo 4—though it was featured in Diablo 2—so there are sure to be some discoveries, new and old.

Within the region are six areas, four of which are jungle-themed and two of which are canyon-themed. But the jungle isn’t well, as an infection has turned it into a dying area full of new enemies called Hollows and Dregs. Both the jungle and canyon areas of Nahantu look to be incredibly layered, with canyons opening into caverns and massive trees letting you walk on the floor or across large branches in the air.

If you want to dip your toes into Diablo 4 ahead of Vessel of Hatred’s release in October, you can try it for free on Steam this weekend.

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