General Gaming Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred (10/08) - Information Thread, update: reviews from OpenCritic posted

[The Dude]

I Def got my money's worth, did season 1 and 2 and sunk like 400 hours in but skipping this season, hoping season 4 brings more to the table. 

 

 

[Paperclyp]

I got the season pass. I don’t know if they’ve balanced the game in such a way that makes it better or if I just like the rogue class a lot, but I’m having a lot of fun. I’m def leveling up a lot faster than in the past. 

[The Dude]

I personally wish they'd evolve the seasonal character model, I did it plenty in past games but Im sorta at a point where I am tiring of making chars that go to the eternal realm with no incentive at all to be played once the season is over. I wish theyd dig into creative ways to let our past characters take part in a new season.

 

[Paperclyp]

52 minutes ago, The Dude said:

I personally wish they'd evolve the seasonal character model, I did it plenty in past games but Im sorta at a point where I am tiring of making chars that go to the eternal realm with no incentive at all to be played once the season is over. I wish theyd dig into creative ways to let our past characters take part in a new season.

 

Yeah that’d be great. 

[Keyser_Soze]

 

[Chris-]

The Loot Reborn update has drastically changed the game for the better, item customization is much better and the feedback loop between loot, build optimization, and damage output/survivability feels much more tangible. I also appreciate that they streamlined combat away from all the esoteric and contextual secondary systems they built into it. All in all, it is absolutely worth jumping back into for those who have dropped off.

[Keyser_Soze]

 

[Moa]

Ouch

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Just now, Moa said:

Ouch

Just when I thought they couldn't top the body horror of the base game's opening cinematic 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[Keyser_Soze]

Cute doge in time for Vessel of Hatred

 

 

[Firewithin]

so did the steam editons all get changed to include vessel now?

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

15 hours ago, Firewithin said:

so did the steam editons all get changed to include vessel now?

 

I'm not sure what you mean?

[Firewithin]

1 hour ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

I'm not sure what you mean?

so like on the steam page instead of the D4 standard/deluxe/ultimate editions that were on sale i think last week or week before its now D4 standard edition and then, vessel stand alone, Vessel deluxe, vessel ultimate editions 

 

did those replace the original deluxe/ultimate's? 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

11 minutes ago, Firewithin said:

did those replace the original deluxe/ultimate's? 

 

I'd say that's correct.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Summoning animal gods as Diablo 4's new Spiritborn is so fun, I'm ready to leave the other classes behind | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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Vessel of Hatred's new class bends the rules of buildcrafting in Blizzard's action RPG.

 

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The first new class to come to a mainline Diablo game in 10 years can reach into the spirit realm and throw a giant eagle god at their enemies. The divine bird swoops in with a gust of electrified wind and then lifts off like a lightning strike in reverse. It's probably the coolest looking skill in the game and it's only one of the four guardian spirits you can wield as a spiritborn, a new class debuting with Diablo 4's first paid expansion, Vessel of Hatred, on October 8.

 

Blizzard didn't give us a ton of time with the spiritborn during a press preview event last week in Irvine, California, but I can already tell my friendship with rogues might be over. The spiritborn are martial artists who command four animal guardians—jaguar, gorilla, centipede, and eagle—from Sanctuary's spirit realm, a domain that Blizzard says is equivalent to the game's depictions of Heaven and Hell. Each one represents a distinct approach to combat and are meant to be mixed together to fit your playstyle. Eagle skills, for example, imbue your attacks with lightning and increase your movement speed. I settled into a build that turned me into some kind of sorceress/rogue hybrid with volleys of lightning bolts covering the screen every time I dashed toward enemies.

 

 

 

Inside Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred and the series' first new mainline class in 10 years: "Maybe I can mix my Barbarian and Rogue together" | GamesRadar+

WWW.GAMESRADAR.COM

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Preview: The Spiritborn is good enough to tempt me into breaking one of my worst RPG habits

 

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Blizzard doesn't often add a new class to Diablo's ranks, but Vessel of Hatred's Spiritborn swiftly makes the case for their introduction. The martial arts-styled warrior brings something new and seamless to the familiar sights of Nahantu while respecting a time-honored tradition of popping fleshy loot piñatas with reckless abandon.

 

Talking to the press at its California headquarters, Blizzard explains its approach to the Spiritborn's lore is that the angels exist among the high heavens, the demons dwell deep within the burning hells, and we humans get the spirit realm in between – essentially a ghostly reflection of Sanctuary where spirits roam free. As a Spiritborn, you can manifest four of those spirits and bind them to your will. 

 

 

 

After playing Diablo 4’s new Spiritborn class, I’m glad it’s coming before Paladin

WWW.POLYGON.COM

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Diablo 4’s new Spiritborn class is exactly what I always wanted the Diablo 3 Monk to be

 

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The pitch for the Spiritborn is that they’re agile warriors who use melee strikes to deal with their foes. While attacking, they can also call on their Spirit Guardians to decimate their enemies. There are four Spirit Guardians to choose from, and each has their own identity: Gorilla, Jaguar, Eagle, and Centipede.

 

Each Spirit Guardian has their own set of abilities in the ability tree — typically one per primary, core skill, ultimate, etc. — that fits into their theme. Jaguar abilities are all about speed and fire, whereas Gorilla abilities focus on protecting themselves and others while dealing physical damage. Eagle abilities have far more range than the other Spirit Guardians and focus on precision and lightning damage. The visually grossest and flashiest of the four is the Centipede, which is all about poison and the earth.

 

The Spiritborn’s main class mechanic allows you to essentially pledge yourself to two Spirit Guardians at once — or the same Spirit Guardian twice. From there, you can mix and match any of the classes’ abilities together to create new synergies. Your primary Spirit Guardian will give you a unique passive and change all of your skills to use that Guardian’s keyword (i.e. if you pledge yourself to the Jaguar, all skills in your tree will become Jaguar skills). Your second Spirit Guardian will grant you their secondary passive, which is another unique effect that can change up your build.

 

 

 

Hands-On With Diablo 4's Spiritborn - No, It's Not Druid 2.0

WWW.THEGAMER.COM

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The new Spiritborn class brings deeper depth to Diablo 4 buildcrafting.

 

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Spiritborn is a bold choice for Diablo 4’s first DLC character. Unlike Rogues, Barbarians, and Druids, a Spiritborn is not a familiar RPG trope that’s easy to wrap your mind around. It’s clear from the early speculation online that people didn’t know what to make of the Spiritborn. Some thought it would be a hybrid between Monk and Druid, or Druid and Amazon, or a combination of all three. Some thought it would be a new Shaman-like character similar to Diablo 3’s Witch Doctor. All of those guesses are pretty far off the mark. The only thing the internet seemed to get right about the Spiritborn is that it isn’t anything like the highly-requested Paladin/Crusader archetype, which is another reason this was a brave choice.

 

In truth, the Spiritborn doesn’t have all that much in common with any of the classes we’ve seen before. It’s a martial arts class like the Monk, it imbues its attacks with elemental damage like the Amazon, and it has an affinity for animals like the Druid, but once you’ve played the Spiritborn you’ll never mistake it for any other class. It has a playstyle and aesthetic that’s wholly its own, yet fits seamlessly into the world of Sanctuary like it’s always been there.

 

 

 

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred Preview - Hands-On With The New Spiritborn Class - Game Informer

WWW.GAMEINFORMER.COM

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Here's a breakdown of Diablo IV's new martial-arts inspired class.

 

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Unlike other Diablo classes, the Spiritborn is not based on a traditional fantasy archetype like the Rogue or Mage. Rather, it’s a martial arts-inspired class hailing from the dense jungle region of Nahantu. Described as the apex predator of this region, a Spiritborn arises from a brutal ritual tasking them to survive the wilds of Nahantu. A Spiritborn character’s narration in a cinematic reveal trailer describes it best: 

 

“Only a few among my people can become Spiritborn. As children, the most promising face judgment in the nest. Our trial begins and ends with pain. Those who are not called are culled. For the weak, all paths end here. For the worthy, that path leads to power beyond compare and a sacred charge to wield it well.”

 

Succeeding in this ritual allows a Spiritborn to commune with the Spirit Realm to bond with and harness the power of four animal Spirit Guardians: jaguar, eagle, gorilla, and centipede. The Spirit Realm is described as a “byproduct of humanity” and a “ghostly reflection of Sanctuary” by associate narrative designer Eleni Rivera-Colon during a presentation. “The way that we like to see it is that the angels have the High Heavens, demons have the Burning Hells, and humans have the Spirit Realm.” 

 

The four Spirit Guardians serve as manifestations of human beliefs. The Jaguar represents hunting and providing, while the Centipede represents the cycle of death, decay, and the resulting new life. The Eagle represents the precision and vision needed to navigate the jungle, and the Gorilla is a beacon of strength and protection. 

 

 

[Chris-]

Sounds great, I'm glad they decided to do something new as opposed to going back to the well.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Spiritborn Class Hands-On: Everything You Need to Know - IGN

WWW.IGN.COM

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The Spiritborn are an entirely new class to the Diablo series, complete with their own lore that’s tied up in the ancient civilization of Nahantu – as seen in the Act 3 jungles of Diablo II – and the ethereal spirits with which they commune. Unlike the other Diablo IV classes, where you dive quite deep into a specific fantasy like tanking with the Barbarian or doing mad DPS with the Rogue, the Spiritborn is much more customizable and varied, thanks to the four...

 

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The Spiritborn are an entirely new class to the Diablo series, complete with their own lore that’s tied up in the ancient civilization of Nahantu – as seen in the Act 3 jungles of Diablo II – and the ethereal spirits with which they commune. Unlike the other Diablo IV classes, where you dive quite deep into a specific fantasy like tanking with the Barbarian or doing mad DPS with the Rogue, the Spiritborn is much more customizable and varied, thanks to the four guardian spirits you can choose to build into. Those four spirits are: the eagle, which focuses on mobility, evasion, and lightning damage; the gorilla, which is all about survivability and physical damage; the jaguar, which is the king of DPS, attack speed, and fire damage; and my personal favorite, the centipede, which uses poison, debuffs, and lifesteal to control the battlefield and feed off your foes’ misfortune.

 

Each of those spirit guardians is represented by a massive ghostly avatar that imbues you with power and occasionally takes to the battlefield itself to lay waste to your enemies, like how the centipede bursts onto the scene to start spitting giant globs of venom at everything in sight, or the eagle, which swoops in to zap your foes into dust. The skills and abilities that correspond with each of these spirits appear on the Spiritborn skill tree as color-coded nodes, so you can easily identify which you might want to focus on depending on your chosen spectral BFF.

 

These four distinct styles, and the divergent builds you can create from them as a result, make the Spiritborn feel like four new classes in one. For example, a slow-moving, extremely resilient gorilla build will feel very different from a jaguar build where you’re teleporting around the map. But although you’ll need to choose one of them to be your primary patron, one of the most defining characteristics of the character class is the ability to hybridize your build with some of the powers offered by other guardian animals. So, for example, if your jaguar build is feeling a bit squishy, you can reach across the aisle to your gorilla spirit and add a few of his tanky abilities to your repertoire, making yourself significantly more durable.

 

 

 

Two Hours With Diablo 4: Vessel Of Hatred's Spiritborn Reveals A Diablo Class Unlike Any Other - GameSpot

WWW.GAMESPOT.COM

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A class that doesn't feel like anything seen in the series before, Spiritborn channel the gods themselves to decimate foes in visceral fashion.

 

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While I didn't have time to dive into the deep end and meticulously theorycraft my own unique build featuring skills from multiple Spirit Guardians, I can already see the potential. Jaguar builds are more fast-paced and fragile, but splashing in a few defensive Gorilla skills might help to make the build sturdier. Meanwhile, combining the evasiveness of Eagle skills with the debilitating effects of Centipede skills could result in a build that would allow players to run circles around their slowed and poisoned enemies, all the while picking them off at range. There are tons of possibilities, but players can certainly stick to one particular playstyle (made simple by the color-coated nature of each Spirit Guardian's abilities displayed in the skill tree) and find success doing so. However, the true potential of the class comes from blending different Spirit Guardian skills. Mixing in different abilities to help eliminate some of the weaknesses inherent to builds that focus on a single Spirit Guardian is entirely the point, associate class designer Stephen Stewart said.

 

"That's where the beauty of the class really starts to sing," Stewart said.

 

From my time playing it, I'm inclined to agree. The Spiritborn makes for a fascinating cocktail of gameplay variety. I was never bored trying out the different builds, and as I saw more of what the class had to offer, lightbulbs began to go off in my head as I started piecing together ideas for how I could combine my favorite elements of each playstyle into one all my own. Mixing together abilities from different categories already exists in Diablo 4, but the strongly defined identities of each Spirit Guardian and their corresponding skills make it even easier at a glance to understand how a particular skill could slot into a build.

 

[Keyser_Soze]

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

 

[legend]

God the music choice for that trailer sucks rocks. Please choose music consistent with the artistic direction.

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

After the preseason 1 patch I just can’t trust them again. I was already tiring of live service PVE and they immediately committed an egregious sin. Showing the lack of care for the players’s time by nerfing them to drag out the grinds even more, just so we can’t be “done” as quickly so we spend more money in the cash shop. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

 

 

[Paperclyp]

I actually can't wait for this. The new gameplay and balancing changes sound awesome. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Game Information

Game Title: Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred

 

Platforms:

• PC (Oct 8, 2024)
• Xbox One (Oct 8, 2024)
• PlayStation 4 (Oct 8, 2024)
• PlayStation 5 (Oct 8, 2024)
• Xbox Series X/S (Oct 8, 2024)

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.  

 

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 86 average - 96% recommended

 

Critic Reviews

Spoiler

Saving Content - Scott Ellison II - 5 / 5

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While the campaign ends on a cliffhanger, there’s going to be continuity in all the endgame activities until what will likely be another expansion. In a lot of ways, this feels like a whole new game; as this expansion brings so many new and different things with it, from revamping the difficulties to adding co-op dungeons, a new class, and even a new season. There’s so much to do and see, Diablo IV is going to take over your life once again. I love the ride that Vessel of Hatred goes on, as it continues from where Diablo IV left off, only to build and improve on itself for a hellishly good time.

The Nerd Stash - Jordan Moyer - 10 / 10

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If you bounced off Diablo 4 at launch, there's never been a better time to jump in. If you already liked or loved D4, the Vessel of Hatred adds another notch to Blizzard's history of creating exquisite and transformative expansions.

Total Gaming Network - Shawn Zipay - 5 / 5

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Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred isn't just the best that Diablo 4 has ever been, it feels like it could be the best Diablo as a whole has ever been.

God is a Geek - Mick Fraser - 9.5 / 10

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Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is a worthy adventure and a great reason to head back to Sanctuary - if you ever left in the first place.

Stevivor - Hamish Lindsay - 9.5 / 10

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Diablo 4 launched with Season 0 just over a year ago now, but with Vessel of Hatred’s release, the game today is nearly unrecognizable. Virtually every system has felt the gentle caress of the quality-of-life bat, and the game is far better suited for it. Season 6, the one just before the expansion’s launch, was absolutely the best the 4th installment in the storied franchise has ever felt to date.

CGMagazine - Brendan Frye - 9 / 10

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If you’ve been waiting for a reason to return to Sanctuary, Vessel of Hatred is it. Just be ready to lose countless hours to its addictive gameplay and immersive world. The forces of Hell await, and they’ve never looked so good.

Console Creatures - David Pietrangelo - 9 / 10

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Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is a full-fledged, well oiled machine of darkness! This is a true, epic expansion that adds a ton of great content to Diablo 4 including a fun new class and world events.

Destructoid - Steven Mills - 9 / 10

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Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred has Diablo 4 in its best form yet.

PC Gamer - Tyler Colp - 90 / 100

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Vessel of Hatred gives Diablo 4 a beating heart: Compelling characters to root for, creative loot to chase, and fiercely expressive action.

PSX Brasil - Paulo Roberto Montanaro - Portuguese - 90 / 100

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With a powerful narrative and subtle adjustments to the base game's quality of life, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred is a beautiful complement to the original game, a good more-of-the-same, bringing another region and especially a very interesting new class to expand this fascinating universe further.

Seasoned Gaming - Ainsley Bowden - 9 / 10

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Vessel of Hatred is superb. With new content and foundational updates, it represents the most fun, approachable, and deepest version of Diablo 4 to date.

Sirus Gaming - Kimberly Mae Go - 9 / 10

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Blizzard’s Vessel of Hatred brings an exciting mix of new content and quality-of-life improvements, plus the introduction of the Spiritborn class make it a must-play for fans of the franchise.

TechRaptor - Austin Suther - 9 / 10

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Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred introduces a wide array of new content and changes, most, if not all of which enhance the experience for the better. The story doesn't quite reach the same highs as the base campaign, but the new class and lots of endgame content should keep players coming back.

Gamer Guides - Nathan Garvin - 87 / 100

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Improved mechanics, polished gameplay and the introduction of the Spiritborn makes Vessel of Hatred the best version of Diablo IV to date.

GamePro - Stephan Zielke - German - 86 / 100

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If Blizzard turns the tuning screw a bit more here, then Diablo 4 will finally have the endgame it deserves.

Atarita - Alparslan Gürlek - Turkish - 85 / 100

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Vessel of Hatred blends the intense gameplay of the new class, the Spiritborn, with an ethereal adventure story and exquisite narrative. Definitely a great expansion.

COGconnected - Mark Steighner - 85 / 100

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Vessel of Hatred’s campaign, new region, new class, and new cooperative dungeon all significantly extend the base game’s appeal and depth. If you don’t already enjoy the near-constant, frenetic, often exhilarating, sometimes exhausting combat, Vessel of Hatred isn’t going to win you over no matter how impressive it often is.

Gamer Social Club - Kyle Parsons - 8.5 / 10

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The short of it is that Vessel of Hatred was full of content, both campaign and endgame. A thoroughly fun and interesting story addition to the base game, with what seemed to me, was more polished graphics (even conduit shrines seemed to pop out at you).

The Spirtborn was extremely fun to play, and that’s putting it mildly. The amount of meta builds that are going to come out of the new class might outnumber all the other classes combined. All in all, a great expansion, worth picking up day 1.

Press Start - Harry Kalogirou - 8.5 / 10

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Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred is fantastic albeit safe expansion to the already excellent Diablo IV. It's continuation of the story benefits from tighter pacing and a novel concept, all of which is bolstered by a unique new class and distinct region to explore. Coupled with some great new endgame content, and Vessel of Hatred is bound to please Diablo casual and hardcore players alike.

Dexerto - Ethan Dean - 4 / 5

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Diablo 4’s Vessel of Hatred expansion offers a compelling new narrative for fans looking to continue the base game’s story. The new Spiritborn class is a joy to behold, and new features like Mercenaries and Runewords are a welcome addition, adding elements from older games that fans have missed.

IGN - Travis Northup - 8 / 10

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Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is a stellar expansion that hits all the right notes, but only feels like the first act to a larger adventure.

INVEN - Jaihoon Jeong - Korean - 8 / 10

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For over a year, Diablo 4 has been striving to understand the hearts of gamers, and this expansion pack is its first test. While there are positive changes in many areas, it still doesn't seem to have fully created a sense of connection with the players.

XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 7.8 / 10

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Diablo IV Vessel of Hatred has a great start, mediocre middle, and frustrating ending. The Spiritborn class is a fantastic addition, along with the new Mercenary system. At $40 if you’re in it for the story you may come out as frustrated as I am, but if gameplay is all you care about then there’s a lot to love.

GRYOnline.pl - Hubert Sosnowski - Polish - 7 / 10

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Despite some issues (jamming MMO into the gameplay, uneven campaign, some technical issues) I had fun for most of the time. It’s mostly due to evolution and upgrades from all the seasons, but Vessel of Hatred introduces a solid amount of good stuff. Still, it will not cure all Diablo 4’s ailments – you have to wait for updates and fixes.

SIFTER - Adam Christou - Unscored

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Ultimately, the jury is out on if this will all come together and click as a satisfying longer-term live-service experience. There are a lot more activities, progression systems, and interesting loot ideas and actual endgame here to sink your demonic claws into. For now, Vessel of Hatred continues to be in dialogue with its own legacy, from setting its story campaign in the jungles of Diablo II’s Kurast to looking back at some of the key progression and power systems of the franchise’s own past that clicked with players and bringing them back with a new spin.