Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: Release Date, Spiritborn, Mercenaries, Kurast, and Dark Citadel

The cinematic for the much-awaited Diablo 4 DLC Vessel of Hatred was revealed at Xbox Games Showcase 2024 and focuses the story on the Prime Evil known as Mephisto – Lilith’s father and the brother of Diablo himself.

While Diablo 4‘s seasons mostly offer a new way to play the same game, Vessel of Hatred will be a brand new chapter in the story, offering a new region to explore, class, and features to enjoy. It will also be the first of Diablo 4’s annual expansions.

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred release date

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred will be released on October 8, 2024. You can pre-download the game ahead of launch so you’re ready to dive in.

The expansion takes place after the original Diablo 4 campaign and will continue Neyrelle’s quest as she travels with Mephisto’s soul stone.

Vessel of Hatred platforms

Like the base game, the Vessel of Hatred expansion to Diablo 4 will be available to play on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PS4 & PlayStation 5.

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred trailer

The official release date trailer and cinematic for Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred was released on June 9, 2024, at Xbox Games Showcase 2024.

The 3-minute trailer showed Neyrelle suffering with the fate of her choice to imprison the Prime Evil Mephisto in the stone and seek a means to destroy him in the new region of Nahantu.

She is called by a vision of her mother Vhenard who consoles her as she carries the stone to Akarat’s tomb to destroy it.

As it turns out, the vision is actually Mephisto in disguise trying to take over Neyrelle and break free. However, Neyrelle breaks out of the vision and carries on with her quest.

Vessel of Hatred new Spiritborn class

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred will introduce a new class known as the Spiritborn. Taking inspiration from Diablo Immortal’s trend of creating a new class rather than re-using an older one, the Spiritborn will be native to the new region in the DLC, part of a warrior sect who’ve risen up to defend their land from Mephisto.

In terms of gameplay, the Spiritborn will be a mixture of the Witch Doctor and the Monk described as a class who can “best any foe with their imbued weapons, perform powerful combo attacks, and can augment their arsenal with deadly poisons and shadow magic to slay demons with impunity.

The Spiritborn class will be available to everyone who purchases the DLC and can be used to play through the original campaign. In the Campfire Chat for Season 6 and Vessel of Hatred, it was revealed that the Spiritborn has three shiny new passive skills designed specifically for core, potency, and focus skills. Plus, the Jaguar Primary Spirit Hall has received a slick makeover, focusing on multi-attack skills and blistering attack speeds.

It was also revealed that the Spiritborn class boasts six unique rings for players to tailor their resource generation, alongside standout armor pieces like the Scorn of the Earth boots that morph swords and the Crazed of the Dead God armor, which turns incoming damage into delightful poison.

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred new features

Kurast and Undercity

The Vessel of Hatred trailer confirms that players will be heading back to the jungles of Kurast as well as exploring new regions. This is fitting, as Kurast was the location Mephisto stalked in Diablo 2, so we expect the DLC to tie back to that game.

While on stage at Opening Night Live, Gibson additionally mentioned Kurast Undercity, “an all-new multilayered dungeon” that lets players decide the kinds of challenges they’ll face and the rewards they may earn.

During the Campfire chat, it was revealed that in the Undercity, players race against a countdown to defeat the district boss while maximizing rewards through a system called attunement. Here, where slaying the afflicted monsters grants precious time bonuses.

To spice things up, there’s a tribute system that lets players opt for basic dungeon runs or tackle more challenging tributes for juicier rewards, like the Tribute of Radiance, which guarantees legendary loot if you score high enough.

Players kick off their adventure from a hub, picking tributes before navigating diverse floors, keeping an eye on the timer and their attunement meter, and upon facing the boss, they can focus on the fight without that countdown. There are also different tributes for every playstyle, with some benefiting the entire party, promoting teamwork.

For an extra thrill, players can chase down the Portal Prankster, who opens portals for a frantic race that rewards you with bonus loot.

Mercenaries

After adding pets to Diablo 4 during Season 4, the Vessel of Hatred DLC will also see the return of Mercenaries. This is a feature from Diablo 2 that will work a lot like the Follower system in Diablo 3. Players will be able to hire Mercenaries and equip them with armor weapons and more.

During Gamescom: Opening Night Live, Blizzard showcased Mercenary companions in action. Vessel of Hatred Game Director Brent Gibson explained that these ally characters from the Pale Hand constitute “ordinary people with extraordinary skills.”

As for the identities of all four Mercenary characters, players will be able to hire: Raheir the Shieldbearer, Aldkin the Cursed Child, Varyana the Berserker Crone, and Subo the Bounty Hunter.

Trained by Iron Wolves, Raheir will prove an indomitable force thanks to his devastating Shield effects and blocking abilities. Varyana is a former cannibal and a butcher-turned-Mercenary whose hand-to-hand combat prowess greatly benefits her Massacre meter. The meter itself builds strength the longer that fresh blood coats her blades.

As a half-child, half-demon, Aldkin can shapeshift into a formidable Demon that many players will want to fight alongside. And, finally, the disgraced archer Subo will unleash volleys of arrows to beat back demonic hordes.

See the Pale Hand take up arms in the teaser trailer below:

During the Campfire Chat, the team unveiled two more systems about the Mercenaries: Rapport and Bartering.

The Rapport system is the key to leveling up your Mercenaries, letting players boost their abilities and unlock cool new perks as they build relationships. As rapport grows, players snag skill points and unlock features in the bartering system, which opens up even more chances to trade for valuable items, including legendary gear, at the hideout.

Speaking of bartering, this system lets players swap items with Mercenaries, enhancing the gameplay with the opportunity to grab legendary loot and other resources as they advance. Each Mercenary aligns with a specific aspect category, so finding items that match your build is a breeze. Plus, players get a daily free re-roll for their inventory.

Dark Citadel

Vessel of Hatred fans can additionally look forward to the Dark Citadel, a cooperative PvE dungeon that “challenges everything [players] know about combat in Diablo” through a gauntlet replete multiplayer puzzles and mechanics.

The Campfire Chat had a specific section dedicated to the Dark Citadel, which unveiled that it’s designed for seasoned players looking to refine their builds. To access this challenging content, players must complete the main campaign and unlock Torment 1 difficulty.

Once players reach Torment 1, they gain access to the Ancient Nexus, a dedicated town space with a waypoint. Here, they can tackle three dungeons, each featuring multiple boss fights that require time and skill to conquer. Cooperation is crucial; players must form teams of at least two to engage in boss fights and handle intricate mechanics.

And much more

An early version of the patch notes for Vessel of Hatred revealed that Nahantu, much like all other regions in the game, will have Dungeons, Strongholds, and side quests. But there will also be new legion events and Nahantu Monster Families, one of which will appear in the new seasonal content.

These patch notes also teased Runewords, and the Kurast Undercity, as well as a feature that allows for trading Vessel of Hatred-specific resources.

Finally, the DLC will allow the player to equip some new mounts that are native to the jungle regions. Those who pre-order the expansion will also be able to unlock some exclusive pets, mounts, and gear.

While we’re waiting for Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred, you can check out of build guides for each class, the Barbarian, Necromancer, Rogue, Druid, and Sorcerer.