As the huge Blizzard fan that I am, I must admit that I used to take a lot of time to get into the Diablo hype. However, when Diablo 4 opened its doors and let us all dive into Sanctuary, I made an exception—I was there from day one and don’t regret it. Now, Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is finally here to wrap up what is, in my opinion, one of the greatest campaigns in the series, and it does so with that hellish style we know and love that will leave veterans satisfied and will welcome new demon slayers with open arms.
The Beginning of the End
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred kicks off after the events of Vessel of Hatred, which, without spoiling much, left a mess in Sanctuary (as usual), and it’s now up to you, your allies, and a few surprise characters to fix this and kick some demon butt while you’re at it.
The truth is that I would love to talk more about the campaign because, for me, it is one that easily surpasses anything we’ve seen in Diablo 4 so far, and ends up with the highest of notes that wrap up this hellish tale in the right way. Yet, I’d be spoiling a lot of you in the process, so I’ll go over the general aspects.
Regarding the narrative, it is superb. I think Diablo, especially the fourth entry and now Lord of Hatred, has always done a fantastic job at placing your character in the protagonist spot and not just a glorified adventurer who serves drinks to voiced characters like in World of Warcraft, and that is something I appreciate. Lord of Hatred does an excellent job of letting your character and other iconic cast members shine, and I feel the overarching narrative will be something die-hard fans will appreciate.
In terms of world-building, Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred shines once more, as Skovos is one of the most beautiful zones in the game, yet also one of the scariest and most dangerous at the same time. The combination of Greek-like architecture that immerses you in one of Diablo‘s oldest locations. However, there are also some hellish places that bring this iconic, eerie art style to life that many fans love.
My one minor complaint about the plot is its pacing. While I loved every bit of it, I think some missions could have been shorter, as some, especially during the late part of the campaign, took longer than needed. While it wasn’t a deal-breaker, it certainly brought down that pace that the campaign had built up after some hours, but well, nothing a quick dungeon run couldn’t fix.
The Powers of Heaven and Hell
Leaving the story aside, there are two other things that take the spotlight: the new Paladin and Warlock classes. While the former already had its time to shine (no pun intended), the Warlock arrives with all its hellish fury to unleash demons, fiery spells, and the powers of shadow on all foes in Sanctuary and beyond.
Many of you have already played as Paladins, so I won’t delve much into it. Frankly, Paladin is the class I had been expecting the most, so as soon as I saw I could play it, I ran to purchase the expansion and start my crusader’s journey. Oddly enough, Warlock quickly became my favorite class of the game due to how versatile, destructive, and easy to use it is.
As you already know, Warlocks harness the powers of demons, but also have some more occult spells under their edgy sleeves. In terms of archetypes per se, you can build a summoner Warlock, a shadow Warlock, which was my favorite, a fiery Warlock, and one that focuses on Eviscerating, that I’m sure experts will quickly give a cool name to. I went with Shadow Warlock and had a blast throughout my whole campaign and while experimenting with some endgame systems.
In the build I used, I focused on using all Abyss and Occult skills, which were all about making enemies Vulnerable to exploit their weakness with some DoT on the side. Then, as soon as I unlocked the Warlock’s class mechanic, which is the Soul Shards system, I started looking for ways to beef up my shadow caster with some light summoning on the side.
While I’m not new to the whole “reset-the-skill-tree-to-try-eight-builds-before-looking-up-a-guide,” I have to say that this time, building my hero felt much easier. The skill tree revamp is one of the best things that could have happened to the game, as it removes so much clutter and focuses on providing impactful upgrades and active abilities only.
A few veterans might see this as something of a downgrade, but for me, it is the complete opposite. ARPGs tend to feel daunting to many players, which makes some newcomers run away from them faster than they can escape a Helltide. But now, it is easier to delve into this system and actually try out some useful builds as you level up, where experimentation doesn’t feel punishing anymore.
Accessible Without Losing Its Depth
It is clear to many that Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is looking for ways to rework some of its mechanics to make them more accessible without losing that ARPG depth, and you know what? The expansion nailed.
For starters, you have the new Talisman mechanic. After a certain moment in the campaign, you obtain this permanent item, which allows you to put Seals that provide passive bonuses, but more importantly, unlock Charm slots, which allow you to place said items for even more bonuses. At first, I thought this system was a bit barebones, but once I got to the end of the campaign and started some proper farming, I quickly realized just how well it worked, as it offers Charm sets, several interesting upgrades for your build, and even the ability to customize it further, thanks to the Horadric Cube.
Now, as for the Horadric Cube that many of you will remember from a previous era, it returns here to let you craft, upgrade, or even tailor some affixes of your items to make your build much better. Just like the Talisman, I thought this system was great, and while it does take a while to understand it, especially with a bit of RNG involved without some tuning items. Still, I think it is yet another great system that veteran players will love experimenting with, but will also allow new gamers to try another of the complex, yet rewarding character-building mechanics.
Now, as for endgame content, the talk of the town has been War Plans, and with good reason. Once you complete the campaign, you’ll basically get the ability to tailor your own endgame. Now, when I heard that, I thought it would be impossible, but once I tried it, I found my favorite activities and even got some new modifiers to make the grind feel fresh. One thing I loved, however, is how some farming activities that are usually not the best when it comes to building your character are relevant now, such as the Undercity. War Plans are an excellent way to keep all content fresh and encourage players to try most of what has been added to the game so far.
Of course, I just played with this system for a while, and I’ll need to experience it once the live version arrives, but I’m really enjoying how Blizzard is appealing to the casual and hardcore fanbase alike. Then again, we’ll have to see just how future-proof this new system is because, when we think about it, as you know, the endgame of an ARPG is a make-or-break type of deal, but at least for now, it points toward being more of the former.
One Hell of a Ride
In the end, I ended up loving Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred way more than I thought I would. While I was excited for the two new classes, mainly Warlock, which I hadn’t tried, and the new region, I ended up falling in love with its narrative, systems, and this new design approach Blizzard is taking.
Yet, the true job begins now, as we’ll need to see what the endgame and future season bring to the game. But as things stand now, Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred easily puts this legendary ARPG back on the right track and has ignited my spark to make demons explode like loot piñatas for as long as I can.
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred (PC Reviewed)
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred stands as one of the best Diablo, nay, Blizzard expansions ever made. Its superb narrative, incredible new classes, and several revamped features feel like a new beginning for Diablo.
Pros
- Excellent story
- Beautiful art style
- Engaging new endgame and character progression systems
Cons
- Minor pacing issues with some story missions
- Selfishly would love the Amazon class to return given the location
