The Story So Far
Though Lilith was defeated, her legacy endures. Neyrelle continues to struggle with containing Mephisto, the Prime Evil of Hatred, and his power is stirring once again. Corruption is spreading toward the sacred isles of Skovos, threatening all of Sanctuary.
Lord of Hatred picks up where Vessel of Hatred left off. The stakes have never been higher -- Mephisto's faithful are twisting devotion into devastation across the land, and it falls on you to rise against him before he reaches the Pools of Creation and bathes the world in hatred. You'll encounter old friends and unlikely allies along the way, and Lilith herself may be the only path forward.
The Warlock -- A New Class
The Warlock is the headlining new class for Lord of Hatred. Described as the dark counterpart to the Paladin, Warlocks are masters of forbidden knowledge who bend the powers of Hell to their will. They don't serve Hell -- they weaponize it.
Rooted in Vizjerei blood, the Warlock tears open the veil between worlds, binding demonic forces to protect Sanctuary using the very corruption that threatens it. Feared, hunted, and misunderstood, they channel chains, flames, and demonic minions against Hell's own overlords.
We got our first look at the Warlock during the Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight, but the full deep dive is coming during the March 5 Developer Update Livestream, where Blizzard will break down the Warlock's skills, arcane talents, and mastery systems in detail.
The Warlock is also making history by appearing in Diablo II: Resurrected as part of the Reign of the Warlock DLC -- the first new class added to that game in 25 years.
Skovos -- A New Region
Lord of Hatred takes us to Skovos, an ancient land steeped in the history of Sanctuary's progenitors. This is the birthplace of the firstborn civilization and the former home of Lilith and Inarius, now ruled by The Oracle and the Amazon Queen.
The region spans from the volcanic west to forests in the east, with sunken lands in between. Expect crumbling temples, waterlogged shores, new towns, dungeons, and monsters -- including sinister cultists and horrors from the sea.
The capital city, Temis, is a bustling hub built around marble structures carved with depictions of the Blessed Mother and the Heavenly Father. The town square is rich with whispers of the Firstborn, secrets about the Askari, the Prime Evils, and the ancient wars that shaped the world.
Temis is also being designed as the ideal endgame hub for Diablo IV. Once the Lord of Hatred campaign concludes, it becomes a streamlined home base for everything endgame.
Endgame -- War Plans and Echoing Hatred
Two major new endgame systems are coming with Lord of Hatred.
War Plans
War Plans puts you in control of your endgame progression. You can create a playlist of up to five activities drawn from six endgame modes:
- The Pit
- Infernal Hordes
- Helltides
- Nightmare Dungeons
- Lair Bosses
- Kurast Undercity
Set your activity order and play through them seamlessly in a single chain. As you complete War Plans, you'll earn progression toward a unique activity tree for each endgame mode (including Whispers of the Dead), letting you customize how each activity plays.
The customization options here sound wild. You can add a special randomly spawned Butcher to all your Pit Runs that automatically ends the run when killed, regardless of progress. Lair Bosses can infiltrate other activities or send their minions -- Duriel can replace the Blood Maiden during Helltides, while Lord Zir may unleash Bloodseekers into The Pit.
Echoing Hatred
Echoing Hatred is a new hyper-rare event that pits you against the most powerful of Mephisto's legions. You'll need to find an incredibly rare Trace of Echoes from a loot drop to gain access.
Once inside, you face infinite waves of enemies with escalating difficulty. Each run is randomized -- different monsters, multiple bosses spawning at once -- forcing you to constantly adapt your build and tactics. The longer you survive, the better the rewards.
This sounds like it could be the ultimate build-testing endgame for players who want to push their characters to the absolute limit.
System Updates
Overhauled Skill Trees (All Players)
Every class in Diablo IV is getting a completely overhauled, massively expanded skill tree with Lord of Hatred's launch -- and this update is free for all players, regardless of expansion ownership.
Using the Sorcerer's Hydra as an example: currently, skill tree options only boost Burning damage or ramp up Critical Strike potential. With the rework, you'll be able to change attack speed, trigger explosions, cause flames to burn in a close area-of-effect, or even transform Hydras into Frost Hydras that interact with other Frost abilities.
Across all classes, there are over 40 reworked choices and 80 additional options. Lord of Hatred owners get an extra 20 transformative bonus Skill variants on top of that.
The Talisman (Expansion)
The Talisman introduces Charms and Set Bonuses to Diablo IV. Once unlocked through the Lord of Hatred campaign, Charms will begin dropping in-game. Place them in your Talisman to activate their effects.
Charms drop in all rarities, but the real prize is Set Charms -- equipping multiple Charms from the same set unlocks additional Set Bonuses, giving you a whole new layer of character customization.
Horadric Cube (Expansion)
The iconic Horadric Cube makes its Diablo IV debut with Lord of Hatred. Once unlocked through the campaign, it opens up powerful new crafting possibilities.
Some examples of what the Cube can do: transmute a random Affix onto any Common, Magic, Rare, or Legendary item (upgrading its rarity as you go), remove unwanted Affixes, or even upgrade a Common item into a Unique of the same type. It also allows you to combine rare materials to unlock additional properties.
Loot Filter (All Players)
The long-awaited Loot Filter is finally arriving alongside Lord of Hatred -- and like the skill tree rework, it's available to all players for free. Whether you're hunting for the perfect Greater Affix or chasing a build-defining Mythic Unique, Loot Filters give you significant control over what shows up on the ground.
Quality of Life -- Free for All Players
Beyond the expansion-specific content, Lord of Hatred's launch will bring multiple quality-of-life updates to the entire game. Blizzard has confirmed the Loot Filter and skill tree overhauls are just the beginning, with more improvements to be announced before launch. The level cap is also being increased to level 70.
Fishing
Yes, Fishing is coming to Diablo IV. Blizzard mentioned it briefly alongside the endgame features -- you'll be able to fish through the perilous waterways of Sanctuary as a way to find respite from demon-slaying. Details are still slim, but it's happening.
What's Next
There's still a lot we don't know. The March 5 Developer Update Livestream should fill in major gaps, especially around the Warlock class and Season 12 details. We also expect more information on the new endgame systems and QoL improvements as we get closer to the April 28 launch.
We'll keep this article updated as new information drops.
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