Blizzard has announced its first expansion for Diablo IV, called Vessel of Hatred, and it will be released later this year. Although it was already known that Diablo IV would be getting a new expansion, there were still many details that the studio did not share until recently. Such as the official release date, gameplay details and a reveal trailer. Blizzard has now revealed all these things.
Microsoft held its Xbox Showcase on June 9, where it unveiled a number of trailers for upcoming games. One of those trailers was the movie for the Vessel of Hatred expansion. Following this cinematic trailer reveal, Blizzard made an official post for the expansion, providing much more information about what players can expect. This included the official launch date, which is set for October 8. That's still months away, but players can enjoy some early benefits. For example, it is possible to pre-order the expansion now on all platforms and get a few goodies.
This means you can grab the expansion Battle net, Steam, Xbox and PlayStation. The price for the expansion is $39.99. This is for the standard edition and you essentially only get the expansion content and a few items you can unlock right away, like a pet for the base game. There's also a Digital Deluxe Edition for $59.99, which gets you a few more items and a premium Battle Pass token. Finally, there's the Ultimate Edition for $89.99. This will get you all the previous stuff plus 3,000 platinum, some cosmetics and another pet.
The first Diablo IV expansion introduces a new class
One of the big reveals for Vessel of Hatred is that a new class is coming. Blizzard is calling this class the Spiritborn and it will be a brand new class for the Diablo franchise. Some are already comparing it to the Witch Doctor from Diablo III, but it's safe to say there's still a good chance it won't be that bad. Realistically, there's no way to know for sure at this point. Blizzard hasn't yet revealed any details about how the class will be played or what its capabilities are.
“While this Class remains shrouded in mystery, all will be revealed in due time. Join us for our Spiritborn Class Reveal on July 18th,” says Blizzard. During this reveal, players will learn more about the class through a deep dive that explains how the class works. Worth noting is that this is the first new class to be introduced in a Diablo game on PC and console that wasn't already part of the franchise. However, it is not the first new class in the Diablo franchise.
Blizzard recently released the second new class in Diablo Immortal that has never been in any other Diablo game. The Temptest was officially released on May 23, following the launch of the Blood Knight last year. This makes the Spiritborn the third new class in the Diablo franchise that was not available in any of the other games.
Players will explore Nahantu and continue the campaign
The expansion doesn't just come with a new class. Naturally, the expansion will continue the game's core narrative arc. It picks up where it left off and Neyrelle has left with the Soul Stone containing Mephisto. They (and the player) will travel to the new region of Nahantu, an ancient jungle area with many mysteries and untold dangers. The expansion also introduces the Mercenaries system, as well as pets, new co-op activities and more.
