Since the release of the Vessel of Hatred expansion, Diablo 4 has remained in what Blizzard calls the Age of Hatred. This era of Diablo 4 is characterized by its focus on building upon elements introduced in Vessel of Hatred, like the additions of Urivar and Harbinger of Hatred as Lair Bosses and even bringing a version of the Kurast Undercity dungeon to all players via Season 9's Horadric Strongrooms. The Age of Hatred seems to have an expiration date whenever the next Diablo 4 expansion releases, but it may end up persisting longer than players would expect.
The 2025 roadmap for Diablo 4 notes that the Age of Hatred persists through the rest of the year, bringing changes to a variety of core Diablo 4 mechanics. Features like endgame bosses and Nightmare Dungeons have already seen overhauls with the new Lair Boss ladder structure of Season 8 and Escalating Nightmares of Season 9, with changes to Infernal Hordes planned for Season 10. Through all of these changes, Vessel of Hatred owners are getting a more complete version of the game, as Blizzard is tailoring content for those who purchased the DLC and may need to continue even after the next expansion releases.
Why Diablo 4 Fans Should Temper Expectations for the Teased ‘Big Changes’
The big changes headed for Diablo 4 that have recently been teased by content creators are exciting, but fans should keep their expectations in check.
Diablo 4's Age of Hatred May Linger Long After the Next Expansion Releases
Each New Expansion Will Split the Diablo 4 Player Base
Diablo 4 has already encountered the problem of needing to cater to two different player bases: those who own the Vessel of Hatred expansion and those who do not. While this hasn't been much of a problem so far—each new season has introduced something for everyone and something exclusive to DLC owners—it is only going to get harder to maintain as time goes on. With Blizzard planning multiple expansions for Diablo 4, the player base is only going to become more and more fractured in future seasons.
Once Diablo 4's next expansion is released, the game will have four distinct player bases:
- Players who own both expansions
- Players who only own Vessel of Hatred
- Players who only own the new expansion
- Players who own neither expansion
To keep each of these communities engaged, Diablo 4 will need to keep content flowing for each one, with special attention paid to the expansion holders to justify the DLC's purchase. With the emphasis likely to shift toward the new expansion's content, Vessel of Hatred owners can't be left in the dust.
Diablo 4's Post-Expansion 2 Content Will Need to Keep Vessel of Hatred Owners On Board
As long as the Age of Hatred persists, Vessel of Hatred owners will likely receive the meat of seasonal content updates. However, once the next DLC takes center stage, players who opt out of purchasing the new expansion and stick only to Vessel of Hatred still deserve to see new content exclusive to the expansion they own. There are still plenty of ways Diablo 4 can extend the Age of Hatred and overhaul features included in Vessel of Hatred long after the next expansion releases.
For example, a future season could introduce new Mercenaries for players to recruit, since Diablo 4's Mercenary system is exclusive to Vessel of Hatred. Another great addition would be a new World Boss that only spawns in Nahantu. Diablo 4 is long overdue for more World Bosses, and one that only appears in the Vessel of Hatred-exclusive region of Nahantu would be a great way to keep the region active even after Diablo 4's map expands in a new direction.
Diablo 4's second expansion is planned to release sometime in 2026, so the Age of Hatred will still persist for the foreseeable future.
Diablo 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
