HELL YES

DIABLO IV: VESSEL OF HATRED is a transformative expansion

- Tyler Colp

In a little over a year since its release, Diablo IV transformed from a decent action-RPG into one of the best, a post-launch metamorphosis that few games can pull off so swiftly. After realizing players didn't want to go on a months-long journey to click demons until they pop, Blizzard took everything they didn't like about it and made them better. And it worked: Diablo IV is easily one of the best action-RPGs of the last decade.

Its first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, marks the end of its redemption arc and the start of its vision for the future. That vision includes a brighter, more expressive Diablo IV than before, one where its story isn’t so bleak that it borders on parody (an overcorrection after complaints that Diablo III was too cartoonish), and one where everyone gets an inventory’s worth of toys to play with as they ascend to demon-slaying god status.

Having more human characters by your side doesn’t rob Diablo of its darkness, it enhances it, lending relief and contrast to the campaign’s most horrific moments. I never would’ve thought I’d play a Diablo game where my character earnestly tells their friend that they don’t have to do this alone. Vessel of Hatred follows up the original campaign with a much more compassionate story about your character and their journey to help Neyrelle carry the burden of having a demon lord on her shoulder, and though it’s shorter, it’s far better told.