Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred — What It Added and Whether to Buy It
The first expansion brought the Spiritborn class and the Nahantu region, plus mercenaries, runewords and the Dark Citadel. Buying Lord of Hatred now includes it.
Vessel of Hatred is Diablo IV’s first expansion, released in October 2024. It moves the story into the Nahantu jungle and brings a brand-new class with it.
You do not need to buy it separately today. The official store page states that any edition of Lord of Hatred instantly unlocks Vessel of Hatred, and the bundle works the same way.
What it added
| Content | Detail |
|---|---|
| Spiritborn | Polearm-focused class channelling four spirit guardians: Centipede, Eagle, Gorilla, Jaguar |
| Nahantu | New towns, dungeons and strongholds in the jungle around Kurast and Teganze |
| Mercenaries | Recruitable allies who grow as you progress |
| Runewords | A system for combining runes into extra effects |
| Dark Citadel | The series’ first endgame dungeon that requires a party |
| Base game changes | Levelling adjustments, a higher level cap, a new difficulty system, Paragon changes, itemisation updates |
Do you still buy it on its own
- Already own the base game: buy Lord of Hatred. It brings all of Vessel of Hatred with it.
- Brand new: buy the Age of Hatred Collection, which bundles the base game and both expansions. Compare on price and editions.
- Only want Spiritborn: you still need Vessel of Hatred, and the most direct way to get it now is alongside Lord of Hatred.
When to play Nahantu
Vessel of Hatred sits after the base campaign and before Lord of Hatred.
If you care about story order, finish the base campaign first. If you only want the class and the endgame, Spiritborn can be levelled from scratch without finishing the campaign.
The full story thread is on the story recap, and Spiritborn’s place in the roster is on all eight classes.
Reception and what we do not claim
Critic reception is broadly positive, described as “generally favorable” in public summaries, with roughly nine in ten critics recommending it.
On sales, Blizzard has published cumulative revenue milestones covering the base game and expansions together. That is not a standalone expansion sales figure, so this page does not quote one.
Sources
Related pages
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