Summary
WhenDiablo 4launched in June 2023, it was met with widely positive reviews across the board. In the months following its successful release, however, opinions onDiablo 4started to sour among the gaming community due to its lackluster seasonal content updates and its use of aggressive monetization. Lately, though,Diablo 4has begun to turn its reputation around thanks to the launch of Season 4 in May 2024, which completely overhauled the often-criticized itemization and loot progression in the game. Despite this, the action RPG still has not regained the popularity it had at launch, but Blizzard’s upcoming expansion forDiablo 4, titledVessel of Hatred,could really bring tons of players back to the game.
Asthe first major story DLC for Blizzard’s hit action-RPG,Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatredadds a wealth of new content to the game. This includes an entirely new jungle area known as Nahantu, a treacherous realm filled to the brim with dangerous, grotesque insects, corrupt forces, and other hostile enemies. As exciting as the expansion seems based on what’s been shared about it so far, it is still hard to say for sure if it will live up to expectations. That being said, Blizzard has already nailed one aspect ofVessel ofHatredso far, and that’s its June 19, 2025 release date. Given its horror-tinged setting and characters,Diablo 4’s upcoming expansion seems like it’ll be the perfect kind of game to play during Halloween.
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is the Perfect Expansion For the Halloween Season
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Has a Dark Plot
Vessel of Hatredcontinues the narrative of the base game and primarily centers around the female scholar Neyrelle and the all-powerful demon Mephisto, Lord of Hatred. After being tasked with locating her, players have to deal with the corrupting influence of Hatred that’s spreading throughout the region of Nahantu and the rest of Sanctuary. This eerie backdrop perfectly suits not onlytheDiablofranchise, but also the spooky season as well.
Vessel of Hatred Doesn’t Have Many Direct Competitors During the Month of October
So far,there are surprisingly very fewhorror-themed games slated for release near Halloween. Currently, the only AAA horror game that’s set to launch in October is Bloober Team’sSilent Hill 2remake, which is planned to release as a PS5/PC exclusive on October 8. Beyond that, the co-op action horror gameNo More Room in Hell 2is releasing on Steam Early Access on the same day as Halloween, October 31. There are some other heavy-hitters that are launching in the month, likeCall of Duty: Black Ops 6,Metaphor: ReFantazio,Sonic X Shadow Generations,Super Mario Party Jamboree,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, andLife is Strange: Double Exposure, but none of them really fall under the horror game genre, so they don’t exactly fill the same niche as these twoaforementioned titles.
Though it may not be frightening in the traditional sense,Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatredis the only other horror-adjacent title slated for release in October. However, one of its competitors, theSilent Hill 2remake, could steal some of the spotlight fromVessel of Hatred, since they’re both dropping on the very same day. Besides that, though, Blizzard’s upcoming expansion won’t face too much competition and will serve as a flagship release forthe Microsoft-owned developerduring the holiday season. Even though it’s unfortunate that there aren’t more horror games launching in October, as previously mentioned, the lack of major releases in the genre will benefitVessel of Hatredgreatly and give the highly-anticipatedDiablo 4expansion more room to stand out.
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.
