Summary
Blizzard has officially revealed the much-awaited new Mercenary companions coming toDiablo 4: Vessel of Hatredin a new trailer. Mercenaries, a long-running game mechanic, return to the franchise after not being present in the base version ofDiablo 4.
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatredis officially launching on October 8as the first paid DLC expansion for the game. The expansion takes players to the jungle region of Nahantu, bringing in all-new enemies and areas to explore. The DLC also hopes to revitalize the activity ofDiablo 4, which has flagged since the hype of its initial launch after some players found its seasonal content lackluster and microtransactions system too aggressive.
In a reveal trailer and discussion on the opening night of Gamescom, Blizzard gave fans their first look at theMercenaries coming toVessel of Hatred.Diablo 4Game Director Brent Gibson introduced the mechanic on stage, showing that the Mercenaries have different playstyles and are fully customizable by the player. While the trailer itself doesn’t fully explain each Mercenary’s style, opting to introduce their role in the story and show some gameplay clips, it gives a glimpse of how the characters' design choices may hint at specific job classes. There’s a demon, what seems to be a paladin, an assassin, and more. Blizzard will likely reveal complete details about Mercenaries as the release date forVessel of Hatreddraws near.
Other New Elements Coming To Vessel of Hatred
The new Mercenary companions aren’t the only thingDiablo 4players are highly awaiting fromVessel of Hatred. The expansion isintroducing the Spiritborn class toDiablo 4, heavily inspired by the Aztec Jaguar warriors in the real world. The Spiritborn is a fluid and adaptable melee fighter, powered by the force of different animal spirits such as the jaguar, gorilla, centipede, and eagle that each boosts particular stats and encourages a specific playstyle. It seems to be unlike any other character class in all ofDiablo,which contributes to its hype among series fans.
Another big change rumored, but not yet confirmed, isVessel of Hatredcrunching the level cap from 100 to 60. Certain in-game elements observed inVessel of Hatredgameplay footage suggest that some abilities and upgrades, such as Paragon Boards and potion upgrades at the Alchemist, are being reworked to be unlocked at or just before level 60. Everything still remains to be seen, however, and things can still change with the launch of the expansion still over a month away.
Diablo 4
WHERE TO PLAY
Diablo® IV is the ultimate action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or explore an expansive end game and shared world where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle world bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play, cross-progression, and couch co-op on Xbox.This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon.
