Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Review – Into Spiritual Territory

In Diablo 4, Lilith may have met her maker, but the story in Blizzard’s new epic is far from over. With the release of the paid DLC Vessel of Hatred, players are in for a bigger and more threatening foe, Mephisto, as well as diving deeper into the fate of Neyrelle. Claims may be made that these are spoilers, but anyone reading it is likely a fan and already eager for the continuation of this story. And what does this expansion brings? Ultimately, more of the same acclaimed hack and slash gameplay with a few twists thrown in for good measure.

Mercenary Life

Vessel of Hatred features a new region called Nahantu, which is divided into six areas, mostly comprised of jungles and canyons. It’s not terribly diverse and you’ll see yourself often tired of galloping past hordes of monsters without a care in the world but to get to the mission objective; however, there are always some sparks of brilliance in architecture and gloom and doom, which fits the overall tone of the game. There’s a feeling of exploring a vast place, but if you didn’t enjoy the expansive but fairly empty – apart from the hordes you find every 10 steps – this one isn’t going to change your mind.

Then we have the new class coming with this expansion, the Spiritborn. For the sixth class, Blizzard has chosen what is described as the apex predator of the jungle. It’s fair to say that the Spiritborn class is somewhat akin to the Monk, so it will seem familiar to players who are used to the Diablo series, but still stands up as it’s very own thing. This is a fun and clever class, striking a balance that is commendable and suited to any type of player, no matter their preferences. Don’t expect any sort of heavy armor or anything like that, as this class is meant to channel the spirit guardians and privilege a fast and acrobatic kind of combat mastery, which in other words means that they will have a lot of skin to show – naturally still with several gear pieces to equip, but closer to the cliché of endgame armor than anything else.

Capable of delivering melee attacks but also featuring enough skills to provide complementary ranged and AoE damage, it’s all rounded up by an appreciable mobility, with a dodge move that is both enjoyable and effective while in the middle of countless foes – and you will find yourself in the middle of them several times. The Spiritborn channels the skills of four spirits that you can mix and match to create devastating builds, with the traditional depth and fun of the Diablo series: Jaguar, Gorilla, Eagle, and Centipede, respectively close to aggression, tank, movement, and poison, among other attributes, each path also coming with a unique ultimate skill.

As you can see, there is plenty of potential for extremely varied builds as you mix different spirit guardian skills. It is an exciting class with tons of potential for experimentation and respec, and by far one of the most unexpected and original classes to ever appear in the Diablo series, instead of another rehash from a familiar class, even though comparisons to the Monk will be heard.

Another feature that is coming (back from Diablo 2) with Vessel of Hatred is mercenaries. You can unlock and recruit various mercenaries by completing quests, to help you out on your own bidding, as a sidekick of immense value. These characters will help you in every tough moment, bringing their own skill trees and abilities that increase the mix and match potential of your own class. There are four mercenaries in total, with very different styles that range from berserkers to archers. With them comes a relationship system, giving you valuable buffs the longer you interact and progress with a specific mercenary, useful for the bartering that you can do to get your hands on some good offerings.

The other standout feature is an endgame coop dungeon, Dark Citadel, introduced for the first time in the series. Far larger than the regular dungeons, this will require a minimum of two players but the sweet spot is four players for this challenge. You have to complete a quest to unlock the dungeon, and you are able to exit and return at a later time, which is perfect given that it takes longer to complete and requires the help of other players.

Familiar Holy Ground

Vessel of Hatred doesn’t break any new ground and surely won’t make any new converts to Diablo 4, but it offers a nice compromise between familiarity and novelty, while pending more to the former. It’s still the same quality hack and slash game, now with a new and interesting class, a natural progression to the story with a new villain, and many moments of the addictive gameplay fans know, love, and will certainly probe for all the details that can only be found after several hours of playing.

Score: 8.5/10

Pros:

• The Spiritborn class is a successful melting pot of styles
• Mercenary system sees a welcome return
• New coop dungeon should add some spice to endgame
• Continuation of the story is welcome and exciting

Cons:

• The new region has lots of “dead” space
• The gameplay feels very classic, even with twists like the mercenary system

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.

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