Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred

Lord of Hatred's campaign brings various storylines to an epic conclusion in a very satisfying way. The new mechanics are just as fun as you might expect, and exploring how to maximize the new character types is as deep and fun as you want it to be. The complexity on display here is staggering, but well worth figuring out, as this franchise continues to deliver exciting and satisfying action and progression in a way that simply cannot be found elsewhere.

Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred lands almost three years after the launch of the base game. As you may recall, Blizzard initially committed to annual expansions, which they almost accomplished with the first one, Vessel of Hatred, launched sixteen months after Diablo IV.

After the disappointing Vessel of Hatred, Blizzard redeems itself with Lord of Hatred, delivering an expansion that serves up a very enjoyable campaign, two new character classes, and some new features that truly enrich the Diablo 4 experience. There's a sense of completeness and finality to the this expansion that makes it a must for Diablo 4 fans.

I love expansions that really go above and beyond and Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred is one such piece of DLC that I loved playing through.

Lord of Hatred offers a grim, emotional, and satisfying conclusion to the Age of Hatred saga that began in Diablo IV’s original campaign. A gripping narrative paves a perfect playground to explore the newly introduced Skovos region as the expansion’s entertaining new classes: Warlock and Paladin. Tack on new endgame systems designed to simplify and further incentivize post-story activities, and Diablo IV has another strong argument to dive back into Hell.

As the conclusion to Diablo 4’s narrative, Lord of Hatred excels. It tells a tighter, more personal story, and features an incredibly satisfying and powerful final act.

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A confident expansion that refines the grind, delivers a strong narrative payoff, and doubles down on accessible ARPG design.

Lord of Hatred is a more robust expansion than Vessel of Hatred, and its mechanical changes and new modes are noteworthy. The Warlock class is a winner even if the Paladin is a bit of a bore, and the Isles of Skavos are an occasionally sunny change of pace. Long-time players stuck swirling around the endgame will enjoy the War Plans mechanic, even if it’s not adding much new content but remixing what’s already there. As with all expansions, playing the base game’s campaign first is recommended, but it’s also possible to jump almost directly into Lord of Hatred and enjoy the new classes. For an...

Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred closes the book on Mephisto’s arc, but not on the future of the game. Instead, it points the game in a clearer direction, and for the first time in a while, that direction feels like progress.

You can feel it in your soul that evil is once more making your life more miserable than it is. But even so, are you ready to take on a Prime Evil once more, wanderer? From the moment Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred begins, Sanctuary feels like it’s already losing, crumbling under the creeping weight of Mephisto’s influence, darker and more desperate than anything the base game dared to attempt. He will stop at nothing to take everything and make it his from Litlth’s death to Eru betraying Ne...

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred surprised me with its sunlit setting and stronger narrative focus.