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HomeยปFeaturesยปOne Dungeon From Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is the Most Fun I had in ARPGs, Too Bad Itโ€™s Wasted

One Dungeon From Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is the Most Fun I had in ARPGs, Too Bad Itโ€™s Wasted

Are you afraid of the dark?

Sid NatividadBy Sid NatividadOctober 15, 20243 Mins Read
Diablo 4 dungeon image, festering dark
Image Source: Blizzard Entertainment via The Nerd Stash

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  • The Diablo 4 Dungeon That Made You Think
  • Itโ€™s Also Similar to Path of Exileโ€™s Delve Dungeons

Itโ€™s understandable why Diablo 4 can feel like it doesnโ€™t take big creative risks. Out of all old game franchises, it has one of the widest spectrum of fans. You have old and conflicting Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 fans looking for a worthy sequel, casual Xbox Game Pass gamers, the hardcore PC/Steam crowd, those coming from other isometric APRGs, and even gamer dads who have 16 children and can only play for 15 minutes each week.

Diablo needs to play it safe. Thatโ€™s why I was pleasantly surprised by one dungeon in the Vessel of Hatred expansion. The dungeon not only experimented away from the established conventions but was also the most fun I had out of all the ARPGs this decade.

Sure, technically, itโ€™s a Stronghold in the Vessel of Hatredโ€˜s Nahantu region called the Festering Dark. Itโ€™s located in the bottom right corner of Nahantu. You can only play it once since itโ€™s a Stronghold (sadly). However, it was by far my favorite addition in the expansion. Well, next to the Dark Citadel multiplayer raid and the Spiritborn class, of course.

The Diablo 4 Dungeon That Made You Think

Diablo 4 dungeon image, festering dark
Image Source: Blizzard Entertainment via The Nerd Stash

The Festering Dark is an area devoid of light and a puzzle waiting to be solved. Youโ€™re given a Reliquary Lantern but you cannot attack while lighting your way. So you have to choose to between navigating the dark maze either illuminated but vulnerable or armed but blind. Itโ€™s a fitting mechanic for Halloween. Festering Dark added a layer of difficulty and anxiety that I havenโ€™t felt in Diablo 4 unless Iโ€™m playing in Hardcore servers.

All Nahantu Waypoint Locations in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
Related: All Nahantu Waypoint Locations in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

Granted, the difficulty was mostly mental. My overpowered Spiritborn build smashed through any Festering Dark enemy as though they were bowling pins. But nevertheless, the dungeon constantly kept me on my toes looking for the right way through the dark. It was an incredibly immersive experience, more so than the usual blood and guts-filled Hellscape corridors in the typical Diablo 4 locale. Festering Dark also instilled a renewed sense of exploration, quite important in an open-world game.

More importantly, the Festering Dark Stronghold made me crave more of it. Diablo 4 could use more clever dungeons like this with no artificial difficulty. The bad news is that you can only play Festering Dark once per character and itโ€™s also optional content. Itโ€™s the kind of content I wished was present in the Vessel of Hatredโ€˜s main campaign due to its novelty in a Diablo game. Some players might find the Festering Dark polarizing, but then itโ€™s a good thing itโ€™s optional.

Itโ€™s Also Similar to Path of Exileโ€™s Delve Dungeons

Diablo 4 dungeon image, festering dark
Image Source: Blizzard Entertainment via The Nerd Stash

Iโ€™d be lying if I said I didnโ€™t immediately think of Path of Exileโ€˜s Delve League after experiencing the Festering Dark. Delve in Path of Exile already utilized the concept of pitch-black dungeons that needed light to progress back in 2018. But their version was an infinite dungeon that kept going deeper.

All Spiritborn Unique and Mythic Unique Items in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
Related: All Spiritborn Unique and Mythic Unique Items in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

That was also one of the reasons why I found Diablo 4โ€˜s Festering Dark such a compelling piece of content. Turns out I wanted a more casual-friendly version of Delveโ€™s mechanics. It was just a shame since Festering Dark was reserved for a one-and-done Diablo 4 dungeon instead of being used for something as vast as Path of Exileโ€˜s Delve (but more approachable).

Perhaps the devs might introduce it in a future update or season, an old Diablo fan can only hope.

Related Topics
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Sid Natividad
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Sid was born, did some stuff, then decided to become a writer. He found respite in the sweet embrace of video games and pop culture after serving as a journalist, covering warzones and depressed areas. It seems he prefers the much lower chance of getting hit by a stray bullet during work hours.

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