The Age of Hatred is approaching its conclusion when Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred launches at the end of the month. As Diablo 4 players prepare for this climactic showdown with Mephisto, it’s important to recognize all the ways that Lord of Hatred is changing the game when it releases. Lord of Hatred is set to be an even bigger expansion than Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, and promises to deliver some highly anticipated features to Blizzard’s ongoing ARPG.
As a Necromancer Fan, Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred’s Warlock Might Be My New Favorite Class [Hands-On Preview]
GameRant went hands-on with Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred’s Warlock class for a preview of what to expect from the upcoming expansion.
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Features at a Glance
- New story campaign
- New map: Skovos
- Two New Classes: Paladin and Warlock
- Skill Tree rework
- Level Cap increased to 70
- Horadric Cube
- Charms and Talismans
- War Plans
- Echoing Hatred
- Fishing
- Loot Filter
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Brings a New Story Campaign to Sanctuary
The headlining feature of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is its brand-new story that is set to wrap up the current Age of Hatred arc. Following the events of Vessel of Hatred, Mephisto has returned to Sanctuary and is manipulating the followers of Akarat, the Zakarum prophet, leaving corruption in his wake. Lord of Hatred also heralds the return of Lilith for the first time since Diablo 4‘s base game campaign, reluctantly teaming up with the Wanderer to stop her father’s twisted schemes.
Skovos Debuts as a New Playable Region in Lord of Hatred
The Wanderer’s quest to stop Mephisto takes players to the island region of Skovos for the first time in Diablo series history. Skovos is the ancient land where Lilith and Inarius created the nephalem, the precursor to humanity in Sanctuary, and the birthplace of the Askari civilization. The Mediterranean-inspired aesthetic of Skovos extends to its environments and major cities, featuring everything from lush forests to volcanic coasts.
Diablo 2 fans might recognize Skovos as the homeland of the Amazon, one of the two major factions of the Askari.
Two New Playable Classes: Paladin and Warlock
Included in Lord of Hatred are the two new classes joining Diablo 4: the Paladin and the Warlock. The Paladin can be accessed immediately by pre-purchasing the Lord of Hatred expansion, but Diablo 4 players will have access to both of the two new classes once the DLC drops. These two classes offer very different playstyles, and represent a thematic mirror between the holy warrior of the Church of Light, and the exiled demon summoner of the Vizjerei.
Diablo 4’s Paladin Reimagine’s the Classic Diablo 2 Class
The focus of the Paladin class in the Diablo series is its Aura abilities, and while there are far fewer Auras in Diablo 4 than in Diablo 2, the Paladin has greater customization of its four core playstyles based on the selected Oath, which can be iterated upon using the Skill Tree. The Juggernaut Oath emphasizes survivability, giving the Paladin access to shield-based attacks. The Zealot Oath is ideal for a fast playstyle, rewarding players for aggressive attack combos. The Judicator Oath scales holy damage and allows the Paladin to explode enemies by stacking Judgment. The Disciple Oath grants the Paladin the power to transform into their Arbiter form, giving them increased movement speed and damage.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Diablo 4’s Warlock is a Demonic Summoner
The Warlock builds upon the summoner archetype of Diablo 4‘s Necromancer, but takes its gameplay in an entirely different direction. Rather than using summons like allies, the demons summoned by Diablo 4‘s Warlock are used as tools to be sacrificed in battle. To this end, the Warlock can utilize one of four different Soul Shards to center its build on. The Legion Shard focuses on repeatedly summon demons to send into battle, including the Greater Demon Ae’gron. The Vanguard Shard allows the Warlock to transform into their demonform, and ride into battle alongside the Greater Demon Abodian. The Mastermind Shard emphasizes attacking enemies from the shadows, with the Greater Demon Laalish lurking and attacking enemies from below. The Ritualist Shard lets the Warlock access Hellfire skills and summon the Greater Demon Vollach to increase their maximum Overpower.
Gameplay Changes Coming in Lord of Hatred
Lord of Hatred is Reworking Skill Trees and Increasing the Level Cap
In addition to the new story, map, and classes coming to Diablo 4 with the launch of Lord of Hatred, players can also expect a variety of other gameplay changes as well. Skill Trees are getting a major overhaul in Lord of Hatred, expanding the number of skill nodes available while removing Key Passives as a whole. Along with the level cap being raised to 70, these changes should allow Diablo 4 players to have even greater control over their build customization than ever before.
Diablo 4‘s Skill Tree changes will be a free update that affects all classes, not just the Warlock and Paladin.
The Horadric Cube Returns
Diablo 2‘s fan-favorite Horadric Cube is making a comeback in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, and it seems like a very helpful quality-of-life feature. In Lord of Hatred, the Horadric Cube will allow players to adjust aspects of their gear, such as adding or removing affixes, improving stats, or transforming it into a stronger version. These features should make honing in on that ideal piece of gear that much easier, without leaving gear progression up to the randomness that comes with farming drops.
Charms and Talismans Offer Set Bonuses
Another returning Diablo 2 feature in Lord of Hatred is the set bonus mechanic. Rather than having to collect specific gear pieces to complete a set, bonuses are earned by placing Charms of a set in a Talisman. Individual Charms will offer their own benefits from being placed into the Talisman, but completing a set grants an even more desirable effect.
New Endgame Activities Coming in Lord of Hatred
War Plans Provide New Endgame Direction
One of the struggles of Diablo 4‘s current endgame is determining which activities are most relevant to the player’s needs. Lord of Hatred’s War Plans feature aims to help streamline the endgame process by giving players a structure of activities to follow, complete with different modifiers that can affect the rewards they earn from these activities. The goal of War Plans is to give Diablo 4‘s endgame more direction for players unsure of how to navigate all the game’s activities, while also rewarding them for sticking to the plan.
Echoing Hatred Offers a New Challenge
Echoing Hatred is a new, incredibly rare event that is spawned by the rare Trace of Echoes item drop. Players who find this item can delve into Echoing Hatred to face an infinite onslaught of enemy waves, featuring a wide range of potential foes, including Diablo 4 bosses. The longer the player survives these echoes, the greater the rewards will be.
Fishing Lets Lord of Hatred Players Find Respite
While the world of Sanctuary doesn’t feel like it would have time for relaxation, Lord of Hatred offers players a brief respite from its demonic hordes with the addition of fishing. Blizzard hasn’t gone too deep into what players can expect from Diablo 4‘s fishing mechanic, but it sounds like it will be designed to be a quaint mini-game for players to engage in while waiting for a friend to come online or for the next Helltide to spawn.
- Released
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June 5, 2023
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
