If you asked me more than a year ago what I desired from Diablo 4’s future content, my answer would have been, “Less Diablo 4.” Harsh? Probably, but the launch version had several glaring issues, whether it came to build variety, end-game activities, crafting the Paragon system, exciting loot, gameplay balance – the list goes on. However, the team at Blizzard has put in extensive work through free seasonal updates to overhaul almost every single aspect of the game.

Vessel of Hatred thus falls into a very strange area. It leverages all those existing systems and several new ones, with even bigger changes to progression made in a free update coinciding with the expansion’s release. However, the expansion’s content ranges from interesting and enjoyable to repeating many of the same mistakes made with the base game, starting with the story.

"It also doesn’t help that many of the story objectives boil down to “Go here, now go there, now find three of these things.” Perhaps the worst offender is venturing somewhere to meet someone so they can converse elsewhere."

Though I enjoyed how Diablo 4’s story began, the second half fell off the rails and suffered from severe pacing and characterization issues. Vessel of Hatred also starts somewhat promising, with the Wanderer having to track down Neyrelle, who currently possesses Mephisto’s soulstone. She’s keen on purifying it in the Vault of Light, located within the Tomb of Akarat, wherever it may be. However, along with the Lord of Hatred’s influence corrupting the region, there are the Burnt Knights, who have a much less forgiving stand against any sin, pursuing Neyrelle.

Or at least, that’s what it seems like in the beginning. After Urivar, the Burnt Knights’ leader, wounds the player, the latter conveniently ends up in Nahantu with Eru, a Spiritborn, saving them and treating their wounds. Contrary to expectations, you join up again with Neyrelle about halfway through the admittedly short story and must deal with her unstable corruption unleashing all kinds of horrifying creatures.

While Neyrelle’s struggle between giving in to Mephisto’s influence and overcoming her trauma and doubts is compelling at first, it quickly gives way to contrived scenarios which serve as little more than padding. There are betrayals that you’ll see coming yet completely defy logic when they occur. The worst thing an expansion’s ending can do is make the struggle leading up to it feel irrelevant, which we’ll get to in a bit.

It also doesn’t help that many of the story objectives boil down to “Go here, now go there, now find three of these things.” Perhaps the worst offender is venturing somewhere to meet someone so they can converse elsewhere. I also don’t know who decided the emote wheel should return as a mechanic in a story mission, but I could do without it in the future.

"Thankfully, that’s not all that Vessel of Hatred has to offer. I enjoyed the new Strongholds, whether lighting lamps using a special Lantern, battling enemies in the dark, or freeing a bunch of survivors and collapsing an enemy cave (though it still led to a depressing outcome)."

Part of the tediousness of Vessel of Hatred’s story is also due to Nahantu, which suffers from the same issues as Diablo 4’s environments. Don’t get me wrong – they’re gorgeous. As skilled as the Diablo 4 team is in creating piles of gore and entrails, it can also deliver some detailed jungles thick with foliage. The Field of Giants, with its massive corpses, is also similarly impressive, but the layouts are nothing special. With some exceptions, you still spend an extraordinary amount of time on your horse (or leopard) passing enemies to get to objectives, occasionally stopping for an event (and I didn’t spot many new additions).

There are some admittedly cool moments, like raising Akarat’s Tomb and fighting against ambushing enemies that emerge from waterfalls. However, I’m mixed on the boss fights. Ah Bulan was enjoyable, albeit mildly frustrating, but Urivar, who remained absent after his intro and received no development throughout, feels more annoying due to the constant knockbacks. Then there’s the big battle against Mephisto – or rather, the Harbinger of Hatred, the desiccated wolf seen throughout the base game.

It has some interesting bullet hell mechanics intertwined with some set piece mechanics, but that’s all you get. There’s no actual battle with Mephisto but the tease of more. I would say it’s neat, but I care even less about the characters and the Prime Evils than before. While I can understand building up Mephisto as a threat, at best, it feels more like postponing the inevitable – at worst, a villain to milk for the game’s live-service aspect until the next expansion drops. I’ve seen my share of this trend with Destiny 2 – I know how it works, and it’s just as annoying here.

Thankfully, that’s not all that Vessel of Hatred has to offer. I enjoyed the new Strongholds, whether lighting lamps using a special Lantern, battling enemies in the dark, or freeing a bunch of survivors and collapsing an enemy cave (though it still led to a depressing outcome). The dungeon layouts don’t present anything drastically different from the base game. However, their aesthetics and enemy density are on point, providing mindless fun while feeding into the end-game loop.

"As for new activities, you can venture into the Kurast Undercity, slaying Afflicted enemies to extend the timer while killing enemies near various shrines to increase the reward tier."

The new Spiritborn class is also enjoyable, offering a solid array of new skills and passives, whether you’re spreading exploding poison clouds or shotgunning Quill Volleys. I enjoyed diving into packs of enemies with The Hunter before poisoning everyone with Scourge and repeating the process as many times as the refreshed cooldown on the former allowed. It also doesn’t hurt that the class has some awesome Uniques, which provide something for my current build to chase and offer intriguing alternatives, like the busted Evade Eagle.

I also like the Mercenaries, though it’s clear that Varyana won out in terms of the recruitment quests. Raheir taunting and adding Fortify to my health pool while Varnaya swoops in when casting Scourge is pretty great, even if the latter can sometimes seem unnoticeable. Runewords are also a solid addition. While some of its best effects boil down to other classes’ abilities, there’s still something satisfying about freezing and making enemies Vulnerable using the Sorcerer’s skill or counter attacking with a Necromancer skill to leech some health.

As for new activities, you can venture into the Kurast Undercity, slaying Afflicted enemies to extend the timer while killing enemies near various shrines to increase the reward tier. By offering a tribute, you can prioritize certain rewards, thus offering a great way to target farm. To top it off, the boss fights here are mechanically unique, even if they won’t push you too much in difficulty.

The other new activity is The Dark Citadel, and it’s promising, even if you’re earning rewards from the vendor, like the Scroll of Restoration for restoring Tempering charges to items.

"Depending on what you’re after, however, the expansion by itself can feel disappointing, especially for $40. I don’t care to see where the story goes from here, but at least there’s plenty else to enjoy about the expansion."

Boiling it down to the basics, Vessel of Hatred is a tale of two Diablo 4 experiences. One is the story that feels underwhelming and rote, to say nothing of the massive cliffhanger that does little more than drag out the fateful battle with Mephisto. The other is an enjoyable post-game that integrates well into the end-game loop while presenting unique activities and benefits.

For the first time, I’m compelled to dive into and really engage with the end game. To engage in this loop of venturing into The Pit, then the Undercity, maybe some Nightmare Dungeons and Helltides to break up the monotony. To temper and masterwork gear, discover new Paragon Glyphs and Runewords and ultimately min-max my version of the Spiritborn before the inevitable nerfs.

In essence, Vessel of Hatred and Diablo 4 together make for a compelling action RPG looter experience. Depending on what you’re after, however, the expansion by itself can feel disappointing, especially for $40. I don’t care to see where the story goes from here, but at least there’s plenty else to enjoy about the expansion.

This expansion was reviewed on PC.