What is the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred release date? As if the latest in the long-running series wasn’t big enough, it seems that there are not one but two upcoming expansions coming in the future, and that’s not counting the myriad of seasonal ladders we will experience soon.
We can draw on our knowledge of Diablo 4, as well as our attendance at Blizzcon 2023, to give you the latest news on the Diablo 4 DLC release date. Previous expansions have introduced new Diablo 4 classes to completely change the meta, new items to give us excitingly powerful Diablo 4 builds, and encounters with Prime Evils not seen in the base game.
Diablo 4 DLC release date window
The Diablo 4 DLC release date is set for “late 2024”. Named Vessel of Hatred, the DLC release window was announced during the Blizzcon opening ceremony in November 2023.
Alongside the release window announcement, Blizzard also says that the DLC will introduce a new region and a “completely new” class. The new region includes locations from Diablo 2, much to fans’ delight.
Due to Diablo 2 having multiple expansions, we’d expect Diablo 4 to follow a similar format, with the first DLC being released in late 2024 and the second in early to mid 2026. While speaking to Force Gaming, Diablo 4 general manager Rod Fergusson stated that a big reveal for the DLC will be coming “early this summer” so we can expect to hear more about Vessel of Hatred around May 2024.
All upcoming Diablo 4 DLC
In an interview with Kinda Funny Games, Fergusson confirmed the existence of multiple upcoming Diablo 4 expansions, explaining that the development team is “working on expansion one” and “kicking off expansion two”.
As Diablo 4 covered the world of Sanctuary’s eastern region in its base game, there’s still the western area to discover. We also would expect Blizzard to add a new class with each expansion, such as the Paladin. A level cap increase is almost guaranteed based on previous games in the franchise.
We’d also like to see new enemy types to give the game more variety, as well as new activities, world bosses, and events. This would address players’ comments that the game becomes repetitive whilst not changing the successful format of Diablo 4 as a whole.
Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred trailers
We’d hoped that Lilith’s father, Mephisto, could be considered one major boss for any of the future Diablo 4 DLC. At the end of the main Diablo 4 story, spoiler alert, we slayed Lilith for good, but Mephisto was still hanging around, and as he narrates the trailer for Vessel of Hatred, we’re likely going to come face-to-face with him again soon.
The trailer was shown for the first time at Blizzcon in November 2023 and features shots of the new jungle environment, a throwback to Diablo 2, alongside Mephisto speaking of his ever-growing power.
This new jungle environment is the playable region of Nahantu, which has also been known as Toraja, Torajan, or the Torajan Jungles. It exists within Sanctuary’s lore around the south of Kehjistan, furthering our theories that Vessel of Hatred will expand upon the existing map.
Some details were explained during the Campfire chat during Blizzcon 2023. We will continue on from the main story and follow Neyrelle’s journey that she sets off on while holding the stone Mephisto is sealed inside. The DLC will take place close to the Torajan Jungles, an area across the Twin Seas to the southwest of Kehjistan. This heavily forested area has ancient Ziggurats to explore once again, last seen in Diablo 2.
As for a new class, there was speculation that it may be a returning one from a past Diablo game. However, the developers talking during the Campfire chat hinted that it could be an entirely new class.
And that’s everything we know about the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred expansion. There’s also plenty of information about the Diablo 4 battle pass if you want bonus cosmetic items or the Diablo 4 World Tiers if you want that extra challenge. Finally, if you’re still on the fence and haven’t jumped into Sanctuary yourself yet, here’s our Diablo 4 review with our thoughts on the demon-slaying game.