Diablo is an interesting franchise, both on a surface level and deep in the weeds of its fandom. The first two entries in the series were beloved for their innovation and helping create the formula of the action RPG genre, and while many saw Diablo III as “too arcade-like”, Diablo IV bridged that gap a bit when it was launched in 2023. Since then, Diablo IV has undergone massive changes through its seasonal progression and tons of content has been added, making for a remarkably different experience now than the game’s launch 3 years ago. Now, with the release of the latest expansion, Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred, even the most grumpy of fans are singing its praises. By all accounts, Lord of Hatred is possibly the best that Diablo has been in decades, offering tons of content and an ever-expanding endgame that will keep you slaying unholy creatures for hundreds of hours on end. Rejoice, fellow demon slayers, as Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred lives up to the hype.
Skovos Welcomes You
For the truly hardcore Diablo fans, the campaign and story missions of a given expansion are simply the cherry on top of their proverbial sundae; a nice way to sweeten up an already awesome dose of dopamine. Still, Lord of Hatred offers one of the strongest story lines since Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, acting as a climax for a plot that’s been building since the vanilla release of Diablo IV, all while paying homage to deep aspects of previous Diablo games. To avoid spoilers, I’ll dance around specifics, but Lord of Hatred picks up right where the previous expansion, Vessel of Hatred, left off. After a tragic death, our heroes learn that Mephisto, the lord of hatred himself, has begun amassing followers and is seeking a way to regain his ultimate power, sweeping us away to a brand new land to explore: Skovos.
The birthplace of humanity, Skovos stands in stark contrast to other Diablo IV areas, and to great success. Whereas the rest of Sanctuary is demon-infested from brim to brim, Skovos offers a bright, tropical vibe, at least in the spots where the demons have yet to breach. A nice change of pace visually, exploring Skovos is as fun as ever, as you trot from mission to mission on your trusty steed, defeating enemies and completing tasks where they pop up. All in all, the story campaign section of Lord of Hatred only takes around 8 to 10 hours to complete, but it’s quality content, thanks to the evocative setting, a fantastic musical score, and Blizzard’s signature cinematics.
Two New Challengers Emerge
Apart from the new missions, weapons, and overhauled systems, Lord of Hatred offers two new character classes, making it very hard not to spin up a new character when you launch the game. For starters, you have the Paladin, a burly, protective brute that, when kitted correctly, can face-check mobs with reckless abandon. Imbued with holy defensive powers, the Paladin is a great tank and perfect for players who don’t want to worry too much about their abilities, but rather steamroll enemies with pure force. To be fair, it’s a bit similar to the Barbarian, with a lot of smash and grab gameplay, but the differences within potential builds make it stand out.
Then, there’s the Warlock, a brand new class for Diablo, and one that offers a variety of playstyles, all of which are a blast. A master of magics, the Warlock uses powerful spells and summons to smite his foes, echoing the Necromancer class of Diablo games past, while maintaining a unique tinge of darkness. It’s tons of fun to stroll up to a pack of demons and summon an army of your own, watching as your allies overrun the demons en masse, leaving only blood and loot on the battlefield. Of course, you can choose to pump up your Warlock personally instead of relying on summons, making for another ultra-powerful magic class for Mage fans to experiment with.
More Content Than You Can Kill
In Diablo, oftentimes the endgame content is the real focus, and Lord of Hatred doubles down on that idea with tons of new systems, meant to encourage dozens of hours of replayability. First and foremost, there are now 12 new difficulty tiers to climb through, each one challenging your buildcrafting and ability to deal out damage more and more. To that end, upgrade trees have been completely overhauled, with an emphasis on more active class changes than passive bonuses. These new trees allow you to alter your elemental effects and more, with plenty of room for experimentation.
Plus, playing endgame content has never been easier, thanks to the new War Plan feature. In short, the War Plan lets you select from a suite of endgame activities, creating a playlist of sorts. Then, you can modify these activities to be more challenging, offering more rewards in the process. Once set, you can simply start your War Plan and your character will be whisked away to each activity in order, with no need to travel to each point of interest. This lets you jump into the action quickly, while simultaneously offering new ways to engage with endgame content and further your character.
Overall, Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred is an excellent addition to an already addictive game, and one that makes Diablo IV much better in the long term. While it’s true that the game is bogged down with tons of menus and mechanics, once you take the time to learn its many quirks, your investment will be greatly rewarded. Sure, there are plenty of other ARPGs out there, but to be frank, none do it quite as well as Diablo, and with Lord of Hatred, Diablo IV is the best it’s ever been.
