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Earlier this year, I shared my experience with Diablo IV’s new Warlock class during a visit to Blizzard HQ. This was a fun early glimpse ahead of the class debut in Lord of Hatred, but at the time, the expansion remained largely under wraps.
After spending the better part of a week with Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred, I’m keen for everyone else to experience what the game’s second major expansion has to offer when it launches on 28 April 2026.
Opening with a bone-chilling and powerful narrative beat, Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred wastes no time setting its ominous tone, hinting at a bold and unsettling direction for the Wanderer’s journey, which caught me somewhat off guard early on.
Sanctuary has never enjoyed peace for long, caught in the crossfire of the Eternal Conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells since the early days of the Wanderer’s plight. Lord of Hatred leans heavily into this struggle, homing in on the world’s fragile state as old evils continue to stir beneath the surface. By forcing the Wanderer to confront Mephisto’s influence and the consequences of past choices, it delivers a compelling expansion rooted in Diablo’s dark legacy while still pushing the narrative forward in a meaningful way.
Lord of Hatred lands on the shores of Skovos Isles, a volcanic archipelago described by Lorath as the “Cradle of Creation,” filled with ruins and relics from the dawn of the world, reminiscent of Ancient Greece and the Mediterranean coast. While this location has existed in Diablo’s lore for some time and was even reportedly intended to appear in Diablo III, Lord of Hatred marks the first time Skovos has been fully explorable.
Without venturing into spoiler territory, you’re given a very compelling reason to set sail for Skovos. As expected, the journey isn’t exactly smooth sailing, but it’s an adventure in itself and a fun, fitting introduction to the expansion.
Once I had finished the introductory questline, I naturally returned to Kyovashad to pet the well-behaved dog, ensuring the adorable Asheara would be with me in my pursuit of the Lord of Hatred himself.
For this review, I mostly played as a Warlock, a departure from the heavy-hitting melee classes I typically gravitate toward. After enjoying the class so much in previous previews and play tests, it was hard to pass up the opportunity to dive back in.
The Warlock’s introductory questline introduces an intriguing but slightly unsettling master of the dark arts who invites you to his quarters to study as his apprentice.
In the Warlock’s hidden refuge, lined with chained demons and cultish figures, you’re tasked with seeking out ancient demons to bind and harness their power. It’s a gritty, fitting take on the class that leans into Diablo’s darker sensibilities and is compelling for fans of the macabre like myself.
While my time with Lord of Hatred was spent using a new character on a borrowed account, I’m keen to see how the expansion translates when levelling and refining my own builds, and showing off my own cosmetic collection.
Early in the expansion, you’re introduced to the Talisman, a Horadric relic customisable with seals and charms to suit your build. It’s a new spin on a familiar system from Diablo II and Diablo III that sits comfortably alongside existing mechanics. From the outset, it feels like a natural iteration, if not an extension of Diablo IV’s buildcraft, thoughtfully integrated into the narrative. That said, it’s too early to tell whether it will deliver meaningful depth or truly expand opportunities for experimentation, and I’m interested to see how the community responds.
Progressing through the campaign from level one felt well-paced and rewarding. Whenever I started to feel a little too powerful, the game was quick to humble me with larger boss fights featuring hefty health pools and fun but challenging mechanics that demanded my full attention and a handful of fruitless attempts. There were times I had to step back, take on side content, and gear up before trying again. I found this struck a comfortable balance; challenging without being punishing, and accessible without ever feeling too easy or grind-heavy.
It was during these moments of regrouping that I leaned into side activities, including fishing. I’ve spent more hours than I’d care to admit chasing rare catches like the Nether Warped Egg in World of Warcraft, so I am well acquainted with Blizzard’s approach here.
While it may not be for everyone, particularly Diablo purists, I found fishing to be a delightful, low-stakes distraction from the core gameplay loop. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but there’s a simple pleasure in discovering new fishing spots and reeling in increasingly unusual, Diablo-infused aquatic oddities. Fishing is entirely optional, but a welcome change of pace if you’re an in-game collector or just dig this sort of thing.
Combat feels punchy and deliberate, reflecting the Wanderer’s place at the tail end of a punishing journey through Diablo IV. There is a strong sense of mastery in the combination of honed skills and high-level gear, further refined by end-game systems such as tempering, imprinting, and other stat modifiers.
Endgame activities and post-campaign progression remain an enjoyable, if not crucial, part of Diablo IV’s overall experience. As with previous entries in the series, the endgame will likely remain the primary focus for many players. Lord of Hatred complements this with additional layers, such as War Plans, but doesn’t seek to overhaul or redefine the endgame loop.
War Plans is a new system, designed to essentially allow you to create an endgame ‘to-do’ list. Your War Plan is a sequence of five endgame activities that you complete to progress and score loot. War Plans offer direction to players intimidated by a map littered with endgame activity icons and encourage players to engage in ‘off-meta’ content. At its core, it’s a structured and efficient way to engage in a range of endgame content with the bonus of allowing you to teleport from one activity to the next, instead of traversing Sanctuary in search of a Helltide.
For a pre-release build, Lord of Hatred is in excellent shape. I didn’t encounter any bugs during my playtime, and while further refinements are expected ahead of launch day, it already feels polished and runs beautifully on ultra ray tracing settings.
However, reviewing Lord of Hatred on the highest graphics settings was less about stress-testing the build and more about indulging myself. It’s no secret that I’ve always loved Diablo’s art direction, and Diablo IV’s return to a grim, gothic Sanctuary, echoing Diablo II and stepping away from Diablo III’s brighter palette, has always felt like a homecoming. Lord of Hatred invites some of the light back into Sanctuary without compromising the oppressive and hostile world forged by previous iterations of Diablo IV.
Lord of Hatred features stunningly designed and beautifully crafted environments. One storm-lashed sequence in particular stood out, and I was struck by how lightning illuminated the rain-slicked ground in sync with violent thunderclaps and howling winds, creating an incredibly immersive experience. I’m a sucker for rain sounds, and despite the horde of nautical demons threatening to spill my guts on the top deck, the encounter was so vivid that I could almost smell the ocean air from the crashing waves nearby.
These environments are a joy to explore, and parts of Skovos could almost make for a lovely holiday destination if it weren’t teeming with grotesque enemies.
With Mephisto’s influence seeping into the world, there is a constant sense of tension, as if Sanctuary itself is closing in. Enemy groups appear relentlessly, and even the most picturesque areas feel corrupted.
Lord of Hatred is a memorable expansion that meaningfully builds on Diablo IV’s strongest foundations rather than attempting to reinvent them, so if Diablo’s core loop doesn’t appeal to you or hasn’t convinced you in the past, this expansion is unlikely to change your mind. If you’re a returning player or eager to embark on your first demon-destroying adventure, however, this expansion is even better than the last and offers a strong reason to jump in or justify another descent into Sanctuary.
Evident passion is woven into every layer of the Lord of Hatred experience and shines through in the rich lore, detailed environments, emotive soundtrack, and gameplay that feels both familiar and refreshing. It’s clear that the developers take great pride in their work, and rightly so. The result is a superbly crafted entry in the Diablo series; a polished, atmospheric, and highly confident expansion that understands exactly what Diablo is and what Diablo fans expect from it.
There’s so much more I’d love to write about, and I’m keen to unpack it all once my fellow lore-loving Diablo pals get their hands on Lord of Hatred. For now, my spoilery lips are sealed, so I’ll sign off with this: if you’re even the slightest bit Diablo-curious, this expansion is well worth your time, and Diablo IV has become an incredible and unforgettable game.