The vessel of hatethe first extension for Diablo IVis due to be released on October 8th and Blizzard has a lot new information about it at Gamescom. This includes further details about the game new classa new region and some surprise announcements to further increase players’ excitement.
Vessel of Hate will continue the story of Diablo4plus it brings a brand new co-op mode and the return of mercenaries to the series. Here are the most interesting things we learned about the upcoming expansion.
The mercenaries are back, baby
A popular feature from the past Diablo Games is the ability to call allies to fight for you. These NPC soldiers were originally introduced in Diablo IIAnd Diablo III had its own version of the system with followers who were more fleshed out characters with their own stories. Diablo4
You will unlock the NPC allies during the main quest and summon them in two ways. You can hire one mercenary as your main companion to follow you everywhere, and designate a second mercenary as reinforcements who will appear during battle to unleash a special ability when you activate one of your own skills. Each mercenary is unique and has their own abilities. There is the drunken archer Subo, the cursed child Aldkin, the berserker Varyana, and the shield bearer Raheir. With a variety of builds to choose from, you can form a party that complements your own character in battle.
Conquer the Dark Citadel with a friend
Described by game director Brent Gibson during Gamescom as a “multi-layered dungeon,” the Dark Citadel is a new cooperative PvE mode that sounds like a full-blown raid. This is an endgame dungeon designed to test players (ideally in a full party of four).
The Dark Citadel spans three areas and includes tough boss battles with unique enemy mechanics. An example that can be seen during a Vessel of Hate Trailer involves collecting a special item to block boss attacks mid-battle. This item must be used once by each team member, making it reminiscent of traditional MMO raid design of managing boss patterns while dealing constant damage.
There will be a special vendor for the Dark Citadel where you can get incredible loot if you are up to the challenge. In addition, Blizzard is introducing a Party Finder that will make it even easier to put together groups with friends and strangers. It really sounds like the Dark Citadel will take the MMO aspects of Diablo4but it is not the only interesting dungeon in Vessel of Hate
Nahantu looks stunning (and dangerous)
The vessel of hate takes players to the new region of Nahantu, the southernmost region of the eastern continent (this is the setting of Diablo4 (in case you didn’t know, I didn’t). To date, it is the only part of the continent that players have not yet visited. Diablo4— although in Diablo2– so there will certainly be some new and old discoveries.
There are six areas within the region, four of which are jungle-themed and two are canyon-themed. But the jungle is not doing well, as an infection has turned it into a dying area full of new enemies called Hollows and Dregs. Both the jungle and canyon areas of Nahantu seem to be incredibly layered, with canyons that lead into caves and giant trees that allow you to run on the ground or across large branches in the air.
If you put your toes in Diablo4 before Vessel of Hate‘s release in October, you can try it for free on Steam this weekend.
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