Vessel of Hatred wasn’t a bad expansion, but it left an aftertaste of unfinished work, both in the story and in the endgame. Lord of Hatred arrives as exactly what Diablo 4 was missing: the conclusion of the Age of Hatred arc, two new classes and the biggest overhaul of the game’s systems since launch.
Review
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred
The expansion that finally completes Diablo 4’s endgame and story, and the Warlock is the best summoner the series has ever had.
- Genre
- Action RPG
- New classes
- Paladin, Warlock
- Region
- Skovos Isles
- Requires
- base game + Vessel of Hatred
- Reviewed on
- PC
What works
- The Warlock and demonology builds
- Skovos, the most visually varied region in the game
- The return of the Horadric Cube and, at last, a Loot Filter
What falls short
- Echoing Hatred feels like a recycled endgame
- Some twists rewrite the story of Vessel of Hatred
- The rebuilt skill tree breaks established builds for a while
Reviewed on PC · played through the campaign and the endgame loop
What Lord of Hatred adds
It’s not just a new map. Blizzard bet on nostalgia and change at the same time:
- Two new classes: the Paladin and the Warlock.
- The Horadric Cube from Diablo II returns and deals with the glut of useless loot.
- A reworked skill tree, plus Talisman and Charm mechanics.
- A Loot Filter, which the community has been waiting for since launch.
Story and atmosphere
The journey starts with a bang. Before you even set foot on shore, you’re fighting off attacks on a ship headed for the Skovos Isles, which are under Mephisto’s corruption. The port city of Temis then opens up a world unlike anything Diablo has had so far: the Mediterranean-inspired architecture feels fresh, and compared with the monotonous jungle of Nahantu it’s a huge leap.
Every island has its own character, from sun-drenched coasts through forests and misty ridges to active volcanoes. Skovos is smaller than Nahantu, but its density of detail makes it feel like a separate world cut off from the rest of Sanctuary. Add a chilling soundtrack and new enemies, and you get the best backdrop Diablo 4 has had yet.
The campaign is written with fans in mind. While the previous expansion mostly cast out hooks, this one finishes the game that was already underway. The stakes are higher and the pace is more frantic, and some twists will divide the community because they revise what people took for granted after Vessel of Hatred.
Gameplay: the Warlock is the star
The Paladin is a solid addition, but it’s the Warlock that will really hook you. A build around Legion Shard and demonology is the best summoner experience Diablo has offered: the basic Command Fallen paired with the core Bombardment showers enemies with exploding demons, and the ultimate Fiend of Abaddon sweeps through hordes with a giant sword.
The rebuilt skill tree matters just as much. Passive nodes are gone, replaced by modifiers that directly change how active abilities work. Each skill has two upgrade choices and a final node that can even change the skill’s type. For build diversity it’s a step in the right direction, even if it takes a while to get used to.
The Talisman and Charms fill in for the missing passives: you slot passive bonuses into the talisman, and set combinations give you powerful class effects. On top of that there’s the Horadric Cube, which can reroll affixes or transmute common items into uniques. After years, it’s finally an answer to what to do with a pile of loot you don’t need. If you want to go deeper, we have a complete crafting guide and a guide to the Jeweler and gems.
Where it falls short
The endgame isn’t entirely new. Echoing Hatred feels recycled from what the game already had, and if you were expecting a brand-new pillar, you’ll be disappointed. The package as a whole holds up, though: War Plans, Torment 12 difficulty and hundreds of hours of content. A pleasant surprise is fishing, which works as a breather between demon-slaying sessions.
Verdict
Lord of Hatred is exactly the expansion Diablo 4 needed to step out of the shadow of its own shortcomings. Skovos is a visual gem, the Warlock is so addictive that you’ll be reluctant to go back to other classes, and the Horadric Cube and Loot Filter fix long-standing pain points. For Diablo fans it’s a must: a confident, deep conclusion to one big chapter. 9/10.
FAQ
Yes. Lord of Hatred follows on directly, and you need both the base game and the previous expansion to play it.
Lord of Hatred raised the level cap, and the leveling system was reworked as part of a free update.
Not the classic sets from Diablo 3. Their more modern and flexible replacement is the Set Charms system in the Talisman.
It unlocks through a special quest and lets you gather materials and collectible fish all over Skovos.
It’s a different kind of summoner. The Necromancer relies on an army of skeletons, the Warlock on more aggressive demons and devastating area spells.
Information verified as of 7 September 2026. The score reflects the state of the game at the time of review; Blizzard tweaks class balance every season. More on Diablo: crafting and gems and the Jeweler. Among our other reviews are Sengoku Dynasty, Heroes of Science and Fiction and Samson. Everything else is in the Reviews section.