If You Haven't Played Diablo 4 in a While, Here's What to Know About Lord of Hatred

Returning Diablo 4 players jumping back into the game after a hiatus have a lot of new content to experience in Lord of Hatred. Alongside Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred‘s new story, region, and classes comes some significant changes to the game’s core gameplay. As such, players who haven’t checked out the game in some time will want to familiarize themselves with all the new features and mechanics Lord of Hatred is introducing.

Diablo 4 looks very different today than it did at launch back in 2023, after 13 seasons and two major expansions have drastically changed the look and feel of the game. Even if the last time a player booted up Diablo 4 was when Vessel of Hatred launched, Lord of Hatred will still feel like a brand-new experience. However, it may be overwhelming to jump right into the new expansion without being fully prepared for the changes it offers.

Diablo 4’s Worst Class is Finally Viable in Lord of Hatred

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred brings some important buffs to the game’s worst class, finally making it viable in the upcoming expansion.

Skovos is an Entirely New Region with a New Storyline

A major draw of the Lord of Hatred expansion is the new Skovos region that is being added to Diablo 4‘s map. Coming with this new region is the conclusion to the Age of Hatred storyline that sees players battle against Mephisto’s corruption at the heart of where Lilith and Inarius created humanity and civilization in Sanctuary first emerged. For Diablo 4 players who enjoyed any of the prior story campaigns the game offered, this conclusion will bring together the narrative threads that Diablo 4 has been creating since launch.

Diablo 4 players should ensure they have completed the Vessel of Hatred story campaign before diving into Lord of Hatred in order to get the most out of its story.

The Warlock and Paladin Classes Make their Diablo 4 Debut

It may be tough for returning Diablo 4 players to choose which new class to play when Season 13 and Lord of Hatred go live, since the expansion brings with it two new classes in the form of the Warlock and the Paladin. The Paladin has been available since the start of Diablo 4 Season 11 for players who pre-purchased Lord of Hatred, but the Warlock will be playable for the first time with the launch of Lord of Hatred. These two classes offer very different playstyles, with the Paladin focusing on defensive buffs and holy damage, while the Warlock leans into the demonic side with demon summons and Hellfire skills. The Warlock is also introducing split resources for the first time in Diablo 4, with Dominance used for summoning larger demons, and Wrath used for casting other esoteric skills.

Skill Trees Are Completely Different in Lord of Hatred

No more passive nodes
Skills have different upgrade paths
Some class mechanics have been changed

Probably the most notable change returning Diablo 4 players will notice when Lord of Hatred launches is the rework that the Skill Tree system has undergone for all classes. Passive nodes on the Skill Tree have been removed completely, and are now mostly relegated to the new Talisman and Charms feature. Instead, the active skills for each class have been expanded, adding multiple tiers of upgrades with build-altering potential that will likely result in a much broader diversity in meta Diablo 4 builds. Some classes, like the Necromancer and Druid, have also had their class mechanics changed, with the Necromancer’s skeletal summons now being a part of its Skill Tree rather than solely governed by the Book of the Dead, and the Druid’s shapeshifting abilities no longer tied to specific skills and instead allow the class to choose which form it takes when using a skill.

This Skill Tree update will be free for all Diablo 4 players, even those who haven’t purchased Lord of Hatred.

Gear Can Be Reworked Using the Horadric Cube

diablo-4-lord-of-hatred-horadric-cube — The Horadric Cube in Diablo 4.

Add Affix
Chaotic Reroll
Focused Reroll
Remove Affix
Transfigure Item
Unique Power Reroll

As Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred players reach the endgame, they’re likely to notice how drastically the great progression system has changed thanks to the addition of Diablo 2‘s Horadric Cube to Diablo 4 in Lord of Hatred. Previously, non-Legendary and Unique items were virtually worthless in Diablo 4, making it a chore to farm gear when unwanted items keep dropping. In Lord of Hatred, the Horadric Cube lets players modify their gear to get precisely the item they want. Players can add, remove, and reroll affixes, as well as upgrade the quality of an item. This change potentially makes all gear drops valuable, since nearly all pieces of gear can be modified with the Horadric Cube.

War Plans Provide a Clear Path for Endgame Progression

For Diablo 4 players who may have bounced off the game due to the lack of direction in its endgame content, War Plans will be the answer to their prayers. With War Plans, Diablo 4‘s endgame progression becomes much more streamlined, since players can map out the activities they want to participate in and get rewarded for doing so. As players participate in these activities, they will unlock points to spend in an upgrade tree, adding new twists and challenges to activities like the Pit of the Artificer, Infernal Hordes, Nightmare Dungeons, and more.

Scratch & Peek

Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.

Scratch & Peek

Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as possible.

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New Quality of Life Features like a Loot Filter and Automap Overlap

Lord of Hatred is also adding several highly-requested quality-of-life features that returning Diablo 4 players are sure to appreciate. One of these new features is a loot filter, which is a much-needed addition to the game’s endgame loot grind. Loot Filter features include the ability to hide item text, change item text color, and change the conditions for when these filters activate. The classic automap overlap from Diablo 2 is also now an option that Lord of Hatred players can toggle. Rather than having a mini-map in the corner of the screen, players can toggle a translucent map over their character to better navigate the map of Sanctuary. The combination of these features should make Lord of Hatred much more accessible to players jumping back in for the first time in a while.