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Last year, the moment many of us had been waiting for arrived: a new Diablo game. A fourth opus that we have been able to enjoy for several months on Xbox Game Pass and which since its launch has evolved and improved on the points where it falters. A title that corrects the errors of the third opus and brings us back to a decadent and dark Sanctuary, with action galore and dozens of new content with its season system.
A solid foundation that is now expanding with Vessel of Hatred, the first expansion for Diablo IV that seeks to make the game even greater in all its aspects. With already very good and captivating gameplay from the start, this expansion not only adds a new story chapter that pleasantly surprised us, but also includes various new features that give a breath of fresh air to the game. And yes, they allow us to dedicate hundreds of hours to Diablo IV again.
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Technical section
Technically, we can say little about a game that already surprised us at launch and we are expanding our ideas and opinions about it for this new analysis. Spectacular performance, no more crashes or freezes 4K and 60 FPS on Xbox Series X|Sconsole we played it on.
Artistically, it must be emphasized the new area, Nahantu, which we have already seen in Diablo II in its third act. A vast jungle area full of dangers which, again, has an incredible level of detail. With a much darker and more gloomy, almost decadent appearance, the different districts of Nahuantu open up to us to offer us a new, original and neat environment.
Gameplay
The main new feature of Vessel of Hatred is the inclusion of the Spiritualist, a new class completely new in the saga. This one is focused on melee combat, although it stands out for its versatility and ability to move, not being as physical and powerful as the Barbarian. To give you an idea, the Spiritualist is a mix between the Monk and the Doctor Druid from Diablo III, so we have a very quick course focused on changing the physical conditions of enemies.
In this way, the new class has a wide range of options for dealing with the dangers of the Sanctuary. Your abilities can be divided into four main groups: Gorilla, focused on defense and physical damage, Eagle, focused on electrical damage and leaving enemies vulnerable, Jaguar, associated with fire and the use of ferocity charges, and the Centipede, focused on damage of poison and time.
We can choose to take on the abilities of one mind, although the combination of several creates devastating effects. We decided to focus on improving the Eagle’s spirit abilities and combine it with a few Centipede abilities, creating poisoned zones that left enemies vulnerable and caused real carnage.
In short, the Spiritualist is a class that knows how to adapt perfectly to each player’s game, allowing for very diverse builds.
Another of the great additions is, without a doubt, the return of the mercenaries. A comeback in style and, in our opinion, better than ever. Not only by their presentation and their recruitment missions of each of them, which gives them a unique personality, but by their behavior in combat and, above all, by the way in which they can be personalized.
When we will fight alongside him We will increase our affinity level with them, which will give us various experience points to spend on their own skill trees. A fundamental element to adapt them to our needs and which will allow us to cover the weaknesses of our character. And even get spectacular skill combinations when we launch both skills that complement each other perfectly.
The only downside regarding the return of the mercenaries is that with the exception of the first, which serves as an introduction to this system, they have no weight in the story. Yeah, Each mercenary has their own recruitment mission, but narratively, they represent nothing. Of course, their support will not be enough to face the new final phase, where it will also be necessary to have human support.
In In the new Vessel of Hatred endgame, we find two new activities: The Dark Citadel and Undercity. Regarding the first we can say that it is a kind of WoW style raid, but on a small scale, where we will have to overcome three rooms full of elite enemies and puzzles to get the best loot possible. Of course, the bosses will make us give our all in this activity designed for players equipped with the best possible equipment, very solid constructions and the participation of 2 to 4 human players. And yes, everyone’s mercenaries also contribute a lot.
On the other hand, we find Undercity, a sort of time trial dungeon where you have to defeat different wings infested with monsters in less than 100 seconds. An impossible task, so we have to get extra seconds by defeating enemies and overcoming rooms and levels. With this we will increase the loot obtained and we can choose to retire on time with a somewhat smaller reward or risk running out of time and losing everything to obtain better equipment.
Duration
Vessel of Hatred refines the base game formula and once again offers, a game that has virtually no ending. Completing the new story missions could take us around 10 hours, although it will always depend on our abilities and the difficulty level we choose. A good time for a new act that picks up where the end of Diablo IV left off and we really liked it.
A journey to find Neyrelle, who goes from being an irreverent kid to carrying all the argumentative weight by carrying the crystal that locks Mephisto away. A new chapter that surprises thanks to the human factor, more present than ever and with new enemies that appear where you least expect them and difficult moments made in Diablo. A good story with a good plot, which always makes you want to know more and which ends in an open way, clearly showing that it is only the prologue to what will follow.
Conclusion
Vessel of Hatred is what Diablo IV needed to continue growing. A round extension that brings a lot, both on an argumentative level, opening new bridges to the future and leaving open questions, and in its gameplay. A special mention deserves the new class, Spiritualist, which brings great freshness to the formula with a series of skills based on five spirits that will give us skills focused on melee combat and reducing damage and life of enemies.
Furthermore, also It represents the return through the main door of the mercenaries, with a good construction system with skill trees that will allow us to adapt them to our needs.. It’s essential to have them for the new endgame, where we have two new activities that will challenge us to unimagined limits.
In short, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred is a great expansion that knows what it wants and what it’s looking for: building new bridges to the future while continuing to feed the present with content.
JGBassols
Benefits :
- Spiritualist as a new class works perfectly.
- The design of Nahuantu, gigantic and very varied.
- New endgame activities.
Against :
- An additional and new activity.
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