Lord of Hatred Intro Gameplay Revealed

Spoilers for Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred follow.

Diablo 4 has revealed nearly 12 minutes of Lord of Hatred gameplay, featuring cunning deception, new enemies, and, of course, gratuitous violence. Mephisto has the upper hand in this Diablo 4 expansion, which arrives on April 28, 2026.

By the end of Vessel of Hatred, Mephisto was free to walk Sanctuary once more in the body of Akarat, the blessed prophet of the Zakarum church. In the story of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, “Akarat” heads to the ancient island of Skovos, where the first Nephalem arose, in order to corrupt the Pools of Creation and flood the world with Hatred.

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The First 12 Minutes of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Look Amazing

To build hype for the new expansion, Blizzard has revealed just under 12 minutes of gameplay footage from the start of Lord of Hatred. The Wanderer meets Lorath Nahr on the docks as they book passage to Skovos. While there, they find a Hand of Akarat preacher heralding his master by proclaiming a coming omen in the form of an eclipse. Lorath and the Wanderer discuss Mephisto and his plans in Diablo 4, but they are interrupted by the same priest, who besieges their ship. The Wanderer fights through a host of new enemies, including merfolk, water aberrations, crabs, and sea serpents, before confronting the Hand of Akarat, who transforms into a horrifying Hateborn Abomination after being briefly possessed by Mephisto himself.

This isn’t the first teaser Diablo 4 has given players ahead of Lord of Hatred. It released a cinematic called “The Queen and The Saint” about a week earlier, featuring Akarat and Adreona, the Amazon queen of Skovos. Lorath tries to warn his old friend, whom he met in the Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred prequel novel The Lost Horadrim, but is deceived by Mephisto’s magic. The Great Evil fools Lorath into killing Adreona, only for “Akarat” to miraculously resurrect her in front of the crowd and then urge the queen to spare the Horadrim.

Clearly, Mephisto is an enemy unlike any other in Diablo history. The Lord of Hatred’s ability to manipulate and deceive the masses makes him a dangerous foe; using Akarat’s face, he has droves of followers willing to die for him, even if only his inner circle knows the truth of his nature. As gamers journey to Skovos in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, they will not only need to deal with the minions of Hatred, but also the mortals Mephisto has tricked into believing he is truly the Shepherd of Light reborn.

Lord of Hatred will finally bring an end to the Age of Hatred in a climactic confrontation against Mephisto – and players will even need to work with Lilith herself in order to do so. Beyond this new story and the zone of Skovos, Lord of Hatred adds two classes: the Paladin, which is available to play right now, and the Warlock when the Diablo 4 expansion releases on April 28. Reworked Skill Trees for every class, a Loot Filter, the War Plans customizable progression system, the Echoing Hatred endless game mode, a fishing minigame, and the return of the Horadric Cube are just a few of the major features fans can look forward to in this expansion. From an exciting story to a rebuilt endgame, it appears as if Lord of Hatred will have something for everyone.