The first expansion for Diablo 4, Vessel of Hatred will be released on Oct. 8, 2024. Blizzard first revealed the upcoming expansion at the Xbox Games Showcase. Blizzard announced the expansion back at BlizzCon 2023, where we learned it would include a new region, new class, seasonal play, and more.
The opening cinematic for the game teased a devious scenario where a floating crystal talks to a character named Neyrelle, who is on a quest to reach Akarat’s Tomb. However, all is not well with the adventurer. The short clip shows her being infected by the stone and ends up trapping her in a very fleshy cavern at the center of a giant demon.
According to a press release distributed after the trailer debut, the new Diablo 4 class is the Spiritborn, an entirely new class that has yet to show up in any prior Diablo title. The Spiritborn are deeply tied to the jungles of Nahantu, using the Spirits within the ancient civilization to bolster their own martial power. We’ll learn more about the Spiritborn during a reveal on July 18, where Blizzard will give players an in-depth look at this new class and its capabilities.
The story of Vessel of Hatred picks up after the end of Diablo 4 and takes us to a new region in the south of Sanctuary known as Nahantu, or Torajan to outsiders. This landmass is thick with jungle, but still as dark and ominous as the rest of the regions players have seen so far. Players haven’t seen this region of the world since Diablo 2. If you haven’t completed the main campaign, Vessel of Hatred will start with a recap and then let you play on from there.