The Curse of the Endgame Grind

The most glaring flaw in Diablo 4’s current state is its endgame stagnation. Players report that after reaching Level 230 (or the equivalent progression in World Tiers), the game’s content loop collapses into mindless repetition. The thrill of chasing legendary loot, experimenting with builds, and conquering Nightmare Dungeons gives way to a monotonous cycle of “run, kill, repeat.” Once players complete the campaign and seasonal objectives, there’s little incentive to keep pushing forward.

The endgame activities—Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, and world bosses—quickly lose their luster. These activities are not only recycled across seasons but also lack the depth or variety to sustain engagement. Players are left asking: “Why am I still playing?” Grinding for marginally better gear or Paragon points becomes a chore rather than a challenge, especially when the rewards fail to justify the effort.

Seasonal Content: A Cycle of Diminishing Returns

Live-service games thrive on regular, meaningful updates, but Diablo 4’s seasonal model has struggled to innovate. Seasons 1 through 7 (including the current season) have introduced only minor gameplay tweaks, cosmetic rewards, and repetitive battle passes. While the Vessel of Hatred DLC promises new story content and a playable faction, its impact remains uncertain. For now, seasons feel like reskins of previous iterations, asking players to rehash the same objectives:

• Complete seasonal quests (often identical to prior seasons).
• Farm overworld events for currency.
• Grind Nightmare Dungeons for glyph upgrades.

The lack of fresh mechanics or aspirational goals (e.g., raid-like encounters, leaderboards, or build-defining uniques) has left the community disillusioned. Even the introduction of Malignant Hearts or vampiric powers in earlier seasons failed to inject long-term excitement. Players crave lasting content, not temporary gimmicks.

The Leveling Paradox: 70 Levels of “Swamp Running”

Diablo 4’s leveling system exacerbates the problem. After Level 70-80, progression slows to a crawl. The journey to Level 100—a feat requiring dozens of hours—rewards players with little more than a sense of completion. The post-Level 70 experience lacks:

• Meaningful milestones: No new abilities, game-changing loot, or exclusive content.
• Dynamic scaling: Overworld enemies level with the player, erasing any feeling of power growth.
• Exploration incentives: The open world, while visually stunning, becomes a checklist of reused events and cellars.

Players describe the endgame as “running through a swamp” — a slog with no payoff. Without raids, pinnacle bosses, or competitive modes, the game’s longevity hinges on a hamster wheel of repetition.

Blizzard’s Missteps: Ignoring the ARPG Formula

Blizzard’s approach to Diablo 4 has baffled fans. The studio seemingly forgot what makes ARPGs timeless: player agency and rewarding progression. Key missteps include:

1. Itemization Woes: Generic affixes (“+5% damage to close enemies”) and a lack of build-defining uniques make loot feel uninspired.
2. Overemphasis on the Open World: Forced multiplayer elements and time-gated events clash with the solo-friendly ARPG ethos.
3. Fear of Power Fantasy: Nerfing popular builds (e.g., Sorcerer’s Chain Lightning) instead of buffing underperforming ones stifles creativity.
4. Stingy Rewards: Players invest hours into grinding, only to receive salvage materials or gold—resources that lose value post-campaign.

Compared to competitors like Path of Exile or Last Epoch, which offer intricate endgame systems (e.g., mapping, crafting, and endless scaling), Diablo 4 feels shallow.

Community Frustration: “We’ve Done This Before”

The subreddit r/Diablo4 and forums are flooded with posts titled “Is anyone still playing?” or “What’s the point?” Veteran players, many of whom adored Diablo 2 and Diablo 3, express disappointment. A common sentiment: “I love the gameplay, but there’s nothing to do.”

The backlash intensified after Season 7’s launch, which offered no substantial updates. Players argue that Blizzard is prioritizing monetization (e.g., $25 cosmetic bundles) over gameplay. The absence of a PTR (Public Test Realm) for seasonal content further suggests rushed development cycles.

What Can Blizzard Do?

To revive Diablo 4, Blizzard must act swiftly:

• Expand Endgame Content: Add raids, leaderboards, and rotating pinnacle bosses with unique mechanics.
• Revamp Itemization: Introduce rare, build-altering items and crafting systems.
• Enhase Seasonal Innovation: Each season needs a permanent feature (e.g., new dungeons, classes, or game modes).
• Accelerate Progression: Make leveling beyond 70 rewarding, with exclusive cosmetics or power spikes.
• Listen to Feedback: Re-engage the community through transparent communication and polls.

The upcoming Vessel of Hatred DLC is a start, but Blizzard cannot rely on expansions alone. The core game needs reinvigoration.

A Test of Blizzard’s Legacy

Diablo 4 is not beyond saving. Its foundation—tight combat, stunning art, and lore—is rock-solid. However, Blizzard’s reluctance to break free from stale design choices threatens to derail its potential. With competitors raising the bar and players losing patience, the studio must decide: Will Diablo 4 evolve into the genre-defining titan it was meant to be, or will it become a cautionary tale of live-service stagnation?

For now, Sanctuary’s gates remain open, but fewer adventurers are answering the call.

Fixed Issues

• General Fixes:
  • Resolved an issue where the Bloodhorn boss in the „Forgotten Remains“ dungeon could become invincible during the transition to the second phase of the encounter.
  • Fixed a bug where portable anvils, crafted from Blacksmithing Scrolls, could block interactions with nearby objects when placed too close.
• Accessibility:
  • Addressed an issue where the screen reader did not read the friend filter.
• Season of the Witch:
  • Fixed a bug where progress for harvesting Whispers was not displayed correctly.
  • Resolved an issue where Whisper Enchantment could remove active ritual effects from a Root Lair encounter.
  • Corrected a bug where the unique Circle Chest did not always grant a unique item.
  • Fixed an issue where the Season Journey Stage IV reward chest incorrectly stated it contained a Scroll of Restoration.
  • Addressed a bug where the Season Journey objective to earn 750 Aether in a single Helltide run did not count if the final amount was obtained through a Hellish Gift.
  • Fixed an issue where the Season Journey objective to defeat Lair Bosses in a group was reset if a Lair Boss was defeated outside a group.
  • Resolved a bug where exposed roots could rarely fail to appear during Shepherd Bounties in Headhunter Zones.
  • Fixed an issue where the Headhunter timer on the HUD was not removed when teleporting from a Headhunter Zone to a Helltide.
  • Addressed a rare issue where monsters could spawn in towns near active Headhunter Zones.
• Gameplay:
  • Fixed a bug where rolling unique powers for Shattered Winterglass, Sickle of Malice, and Arreat’s Stance did not benefit from major affixes, resulting in lower-than-intended outcomes.
    Developer Comment: This fix will be applied retroactively to existing instances of these items.
  • Resolved an issue where the visual effect for the impact warning of Ashava’s Slam attack was not displayed correctly.
  • Fixed a bug where Druid wolves with the „Cruel Wolf Pack“ upgrade did not trigger Stalwart.
  • Addressed an issue where damage caused by Mendeln’s Ring did not scale with all intended bonuses.
  • Fixed a bug where completing a Pit run within a certain time to unlock additional Pit tiers did not grant the correct number of tiers.
  • Resolved an issue where an Echo attack could immediately follow another in certain scenarios during a Pit Boss encounter.
  • Fixed a bug where Lilith’s Echo could repeatedly use the „Death from Above“ ability if staggered immediately after landing.
• User Interface and Experience:
  • Fixed an issue where the icon indicating items were part of an Armory loadout remained visible even after they were no longer part of the loadout.
  • Resolved a bug where items could not be marked as Favorites or Junk if they were part of an Armory loadout.
  • Addressed an issue where Group Finder entries for the Pit or Kurast Underworld appeared joinable even when the activity was already in progress.
    Developer Comment: These entries are not automatically removed when a run is in progress, but they cannot be joined during this time.
  • Fixed a bug where entering a space in a character name could cause an error in the name field.
  • Resolved an issue where bonuses to minion damage were not displayed correctly in the Character Stats window.
  • Addressed a bug where the first input when editing items in the Necromancer, Druid, or Sorcerer wardrobe did not work when using a controller.
  • Fixed an issue where gems were incorrectly shown as non-recyclable in the Salvage menu.
  • Resolved a bug where the „Modify Pigment“ button in the wardrobe did not function correctly in certain scenarios.
  • Fixed an issue where the tooltip for the Barbarian’s „Aggressive Resistance“ was not updated after upgrading.
• Miscellaneous:
  • Fixed a bug where players were charged twice when opening a portal to the Pit.
  • Various stability, performance, graphics, audio, and user interface improvements.

Base Game Updates

• Season of the Witch:
  • A new Nightmare Dungeon affix has been added to guarantee the appearance of a Forgotten Altar. This affix will only be available as an option on Nightmare Dungeon Sigils for the remainder of the Season of the Witch.
  • Dorian the Raven, introduced in the Season of the Witch, has warmed up to you – you can now pet him!
  • The tooltip for Decay Increase has been adjusted to clarify that it only works with Witch Powers, not effects modified by a Witch Power.
• Gameplay Adjustments:
  • The change from Patch 2.1.1 that prevented Druids from moving while channeling „Shred“ has been reverted.
    Developer Comment: We took feedback about how this change limited the intended functionality of „Shred“ to heart. The change has been reverted, and we are considering further improvements to „Shred“ in the future.

This update reflects the development team’s ongoing commitment to refining the game based on player feedback and ensuring a smooth, enjoyable experience. Be sure to update to 2.1.2 Build 62221 to take advantage of these improvements and fixes. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to enhance your journey in the world of Vessel of Hatred!

Accessibility is one of our top priorities in creating Diablo IV. We’ve integrated it into our development process from the very beginning and have worked with the disability community to discuss, iterate, and test features. With a more supportive and customizable gaming experience, these considerations have helped our games reach a legion of new players.

Diablo IV opened an infernal new chapter on October 8 with Vessel of Hatred. In bringing this adventure to life, our team developed new accessibility features designed to support players who have visual disabilities as they traverse the new region of Nahantu. With these updates, players will be better able to find—and fight—their way through the perilous jungle.

The features added to Diablo IV with Vessel of Hatred’s launch ensure that even more players can navigate the grim world of Sanctuary. We’ve rolled out:

• Auto-Pin: A new feature that automatically drops a map pin on the destination of your selected quest or task from your in-game Journal. When a pin is dropped, your mini-map shows a route to follow to get to the chosen destination. A dropped pin becomes the default when selecting quests, and further enables additional navigation features.

• Audio Navigation Assistance: With this feature enabled, the player receives spatial audio pings that direct the player towards their placed pin on the overworld map. This feature, in conjunction with auto-pin navigation, allows players to navigate quest content while tracking their destination through audio navigation. We recommend using headphones for best results of the immersive sound. Players can adjust both the volume and the interval of the ping to find a level that meets their needs.
• Compass: The compass feature enables an on-screen HUD element that circles around the player and points towards their placed in-world pin. In combination with auto-pin, this provides even more guidance for the player. The color of the arrow can be changed to match their needs and ensure it is clearly visible while slaughtering the denizens of hell.

“As developers, we want as many players as possible coming into the game,” says Drew McCrory, lead accessibility designer for Diablo IV. “While we designed this set of features specifically with the blind and low vision community in mind, we’ve found that each release proves the power of accessibility to bring our games to more players. We’re serving people who may be experiencing disabilities alongside new players who might use these features as they learn to navigate the world of Sanctuary.”

Direct feedback from the disability community was essential to shaping these features and outfitting Vessel of Hatred with 3D spatial sound. From the Public Test Realm (PTR), our developers received input on the audio navigation, which led to add three unique audio pings and varying the patterns of the sound to provide multiple pieces of information through audio.

These are the latest to join Diablo IV’s existing suite of accessibility features. You can find more information in our pre-launch blog.

Accessibility work is never done, and the team is continuing the conversations as we forge plans for future seasons. Making a game more accessible also makes it more approachable, and we are eager to welcome more players into the Diablo universe to join the fated campaign against Mephisto.

Visit this website to order a physical or virtual Vase of Hatred.

Earn the Little Lady Mount Bundle

Anyone who successfully sends a physical or virtual Vase of Hatred from October 22, 9 a.m.–November 4, 10 a.m. PT will receive the Little Lady Mount bundle to spruce up their trusty steed. The Mount bundle will be granted to those who earned it on or after November 5.

*Many common flowers and plants are harmful if ingested and the Vases of Hatred blooms are no different. Recipients should not consume the contents and should keep away from animals.

**Open to legal residents of 50 US/DC who are 18 years of age or older. Begins at 9:00 AM PT on October 22, 2024; and ends when all supplies have been depleted, or 9:00 AM PT on November 4, 2024, whichever occurs first. Void where prohibited. For Terms and Conditions, visit vasesofhatred.com/terms.pdf. Sponsor: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Season of Hatred Rising begins on October 7 at 4 p.m. PDT.

Vessel of Hatred, the first expansion for Diablo IV, will also officially go live on October 7 at 4 p.m. PDT globally. Visit our What You Need to Know for Vessel of Hatred blog to prepare for launch. If you haven’t pre-purchased yet, you can do so here.

Thank you to everyone that participated in our 2.0 Public Test Realm (PTR) for PC and Battle.net. Throughout the article, any text or section marked in red denotes a change made based off feedback from our latest PTR. Content shown in this blog does not require the Vessel of Hatred expansion to experience unless specified otherwise.

A Colossal New Threat: Realmwalkers

Gargantuan heralds of Hell bearing sanguine-eyed portals on their backs have been spotted stomping about Sanctuary. Their presence is a grim tavern tale—a harmless prank meant to scare the weary traveler—turned into reality by Mephisto’s hatred. They are known locally as Realmwalkers.

Realmwalkers can threaten an entire Region at once, spewing out nightmares born of hatred from the portal fused into their bodies. By Mephisto’s will, a Realmwalker will spawn in a Region, and after charging up, it will begin to lumber about the Region in search of sacred ground. Realmwalkers are invulnerable during this phase, but fearsome Bloodbound Guardians will rush to protect the Realmwalker while it wanders. Eliminate them to remove chunks of the Realmwalker’s health.

When the Realmwalker arrives at the ritual site, it’ll slam into the ground, creating three Hatred Spires around it. Dismantle these spires quickly and render the Realmwalker vulnerable before it acquires too much power.

Once the Hatred Spires have fallen, you can finish the job. Put the demonic behemoth to rest! After the beast has fallen and glory claimed in your name, the truest test of your mettle begins: you may now enter the portal it leaves behind.

Realmwalker Spawn Schedule

Throughout Estuar, the continent home to the 5 Regions of Diablo IV’s base game, a Realmwalker will spawn in a Region every 15 minutes, rotating locations each time. Once an hour, a second Realmwalker will appear in Nahantu in addition to being somewhere in Estuar.

The Tree of Whispers demands the power of the Realmwalkers! The first Realmwalker of every hour spawned in Estuar will be a Whisper. Every 3 hours, the Realmwalker spawned in Nahantu will be a Whisper.

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March Boldly into Uncertainty—Seething Realm

One bitter challenge breeds a new one: a Seething Realm. The Realmwalker’s defeat has left a crimson portal at your feet. You must venture forth to put an end to this ploy of Mephisto’s. The air inside the dungeon might feel still, but a fast-approaching chorus of footsteps suggests otherwise.

Seething Realms are dungeons rife with ranks of monsters to slay and treasure to claim. You’ll need to carve a path through the dungeon to locate the Realm Gate. Once there, you’ll be presented with a choice to offer up certain materials. Select the Seething Opal you wish to receive as your reward upon completing the rest of the Seething Realm dungeon.

Power Born from Hatred: Seething Opals

Seething Opals are a new type of Elixir that provides you with a 15% experience increase and other bonuses for 30 minutes at a time. There are 5 Seething Opals in total. Note that the Seething Opal of Torment can only be acquired while you’re playing on Torment Difficulty I or higher. The material cost to select them as your reward at the Realm Gate and full effects can be seen below.

• Seething Opal of Equipment: 25 Murmuring Obols
• Seething Opal of Materials: 5 Murmuring Obols
• Seething Opal of Torment Challenges: 200 Sigil Powder
• Seething Opal of Gold: 1 Iron Chunk
• Seething Opal of Socketables: 3 Angelbreath

The Seething Opal of Socketables cannot be acquired unless you own the Vessel of Hatred expansion and are playing on Penitent Difficulty or higher in a Nahantu-based Seething Realm dungeon.

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Bolster the Zakarum Remnants in a New Quest

After a failed attempt to locate Akarat’s tomb, the surviving Zakarum Remnants licked their wounds in Hawezar. Directionless, they searched for meaning and a use for the stockpile of equipment lying in their armory. The appearance of Realwalkers through Mephisto’s hatred has provided the Remnants with renewed purpose and a target to strike against. Lend the order a hand in protecting Sanctuary!

Visit Crusader Damond in Zarbinzet, Hawezar to begin the Creeping Hatred quest, where you’ll learn how to annihilate Realmwalkers and harness the arcane power of the Seething Realms to acquire useful Seething Opals. You must either complete the final quest in the base game’s campaign—Legacy of the Horadrim—or opt to skip the base game’s main questline to embark on Damond’s quest.

Earn Riches with Reputation

It may not be Akarat’s tomb, but the Remnants have unearthed components to aid in the conflict against the Burning Hells. They’ll happily grant you these curios as a reward for extinguishing Realmwalkers, completing Seething Realms, and carving through monsters anywhere while you have an active Seething Opal effect.

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Major Progression Updates

Why Make Systemic Changes?

Developer’s Note: Our original vision for character progression was that you would have a grand journey traversing through World Tiers and swapping out gear, gaining incremental strength through the Paragon system. While that is fun the first time, on repeated play throughs, World Tier III and Sacred items can add a lot of stat bloat that takes away from the experience.
Since launch we’ve added endgame features like Infernal Hordes and The Pit of the Artificer. Vessel of Hatred will expand the endgame line up even further, adding Dark Citadel and Undercity to the mix. Our hope is that these new systemic changes allow for new characters to reach the endgame faster through an enriched leveling system.

Leveling Adjustments

The way Paragon Points function has been adjusted. Going forward, earned Paragon Points will now be tied to Realm versus Character Level. This means that all Paragon Levels earned will be shared across all your characters on the same Realm (Seasonal or Eternal) and mode (Standard or Hardcore), in their respective partitions. To support this shift, we’ve made a variety of alterations to the leveling journey, other stats, and monster levels. Numbers and values are also easier to understand.

Paragon and Character Level Split

Paragon and character levels are now split out, with Levels 1–60 representing character level. This means you can earn an additional 10 Skill Points, along with 10 more levels, opening additional avenues of character customization. Starting at Level 60, players will begin to earn Paragon Levels which can be used to unlock Paragon Nodes.

Existing Characters above Level 50 will have all their experience-based Paragon Points converted to a Paragon Level. To make the journey to max level and beyond more impactful, we are building out the levels across the two paths, character level and paragon. For example:

• If your character is Level 100 currently, once these changes go into effect, your character level will be adjusted to 50, and all 200 Paragon Points your character has earned with be converted to Realm-wide Paragon Levels. If your character is Level 50 and below, nothing will change for them.
• At the end of a season, all the Paragon experience you earned during the season will be added to your Eternal Realm characters’ Paragon experience track.

Stat Adjustments

In addition to splitting out character and Paragon levels, we’ve revisited stats like Health, Armor, and Core Stats.

Developer’s Note: We’ve received player feedback that the numbers used to depict stats and damage have gotten out of control. We’ve adjusted stats in a way that makes the information more consumable. This change has no bearing on the strength of your character.

New Difficulties System

Standard Difficulties

Developer’s Note: Much of what drove these changes was noticing that it was more fun to be able to control your difficulty and reward pacing using Profane Mindcages and Tormented versions of bosses.

World Tiers have been changed to Difficulties, a new way to control your challenge and reward. The first 4 Difficulties—known as Standard Difficulties—are Normal, Hard, Expert, and Penitent. The purpose of Standard Difficulties tiers is to grow your character while you strive to hit character Level 60, the new maximum.

• Normal is a slower-paced mode suited for those looking for a lighter challenge.
• Hard and Expert offer an increased challenge for those looking to test their mettle and play at a faster pace.
• Penitent isn’t for the faint of heart. Those looking to pave a path to the new Torment Difficulties will face off against heightened danger. Play at your own peril!

As you ramp up in Difficulty, the amount of Gold and experience you earn will rise too. Here’s how to unlock each Difficulty:

• Normal and Hard are unlocked by default.
• Expert is unlocked after completing Diablo IV’s prologue.
• Penitent is unlocked upon completing the final quest in the base game’s campaign—Legacy of the Horadrim—or by opting to skip the base game’s main questline.

Your Gateway to Hell: Torment Difficulties

Making it to the new Torment Difficulties is the mark of a veteran warrior—this is where the endgame truly begins. Your ability, to progress through Torment Difficulties is directly linked to the Pit. As you strive to reach higher Pit Tiers, the Torment Difficulty you have access to will also increase. The higher the Torment Difficulty, the more likely you are to encounter Legendary and Ancestral item drops. Here’s the breakdown of how to unlock each Torment Difficulty:

• Reaching Level 60 unlocks the Pit and Tiers 1–20 of it. Beating Pit Tier 20 unlocks Torment Tier I.
• Beating Pit Tier 35 unlocks Torment II.
• Beating Pit Tier 50 unlocks Torment III.
• Beating Pit 65 unlocks Torment IV.

As if danger wasn’t abundant enough in Sanctuary, Torment Difficulties foster a new hazard: Curses. While playing in Torment Difficulties, your armor and Resistances are reduced as follows:

• Torment I: -250 Armor and -25% All Resist
• Torment II: -500 Armor and -50% All Resist
• Torment III: -750 Armor and -75% All Resist
• Torment IV: -1000 Armor and -100% All Resist

By adding more Difficulties and separating them out in this way, players now have increased choice in how they engage with the risk and reward style of Diablo IV going forward.

Monster Levels

Monsters will no longer have their level displayed and will scale to the Difficulty you’re playing on.

Developer’s Note: We received feedback about level scaling resulting in feeling weak. By removing monster levels entirely and leaning into Difficulty, you now have the freedom to more precisely choose your challenge level.

Paragon Updates

Masterworking Materials

Obducite will be the only Masterworking material going forward. Ingolith and Neathiron have been removed. Obducite will no longer drop in the Pit, and instead only drops in Nightmare Dungeons, Infernal Hordes, and Vessel of Hatred’s Undercity. Ingolith and Neathiron will remain in your materials tab and can be transmuted into Obducite at The Alchemist.

Developer’s Note: Constantly needing to transmute Masterworking materials between 3 different rarities felt like a chore, so we’ve consolidated them into 1 unified material.
We also received feedback that Nightmare Dungeons were tedious to run, as most of the reward was baked into finishing the Dungeon. This made speed the only metric used to measure success. By replacing the Nightmare Dungeon’s primary reward with something grindable like Obducite, every part of the Dungeon now provides a meaningful reward. From events to elite packs to bosses, everything has the chance to drop Obducite.

Glyphs

Developer’s Note: We received feedback that the Pit rewards were feeling lackluster. We wanted to make the action of upgrading Glyphs more satisfying, while simultaneously offering better rewards for pushing deep into the Pit. Our desire was to give Glyphs more power, but the Glyph upgrading experience system did not scale well and was needlessly grindy. So we moved Paragon Glyph upgrading out of Nightmare Dungeons and into the Pit, and redesigned the system to give more control over how quickly Glyphs can be upgraded.

Glyphs have undergone a metamorphosis to better meld with the other changes we’ve made.

• Upgrading a Glyph is no longer driven by experience. Instead, you’re given attempts to increase your Glyph’s Rank by completing Pit Tiers.
• Three attempts to upgrade your Glyph’s Rank are rewarded for successfully completing the Artificer’s Mastery, and a bonus attempt for not dying.
• Each upgrade attempt can be used to increase any Glyph that isn’t already at max level. The chance to upgrade your Glyph is based on the level of the Glyph and the Tier of the Pit you complete. For example, completing a Pit Tier that is 10 higher than your Glyph’s Rank guarantees an upgrade Rank.
• Completing a Pit Tier that is significantly higher than your Glyph’s current Rank grants bonus upgrade ranks per attempt.

Every 20-level difference between the completed Pit Tier and Glyph Rank grants a bonus upgrade per attempt. Here’s an example of this system in action:

Three deathless Pit Tier 30 runs would take a Glyph all the way up to Rank 19, rapidly unlocking the additional Radius Size increase:

First Pit Run

• Attempt 1: Glyph Rank increases from 1 to 3.
• Attempt 2: Glyph Rank increases from 3 to 5.
• Attempt 3: Glyph Rank increases from 5 to 7.
• Bonus Attempt 4: Glyph Rank increases from 7 to 9.

Second Pit Run

• Attempt 1: Glyph Rank increases from 9 to 11.
• Attempt 2: Glyph Rank increases from 11 to 12.
• Attempt 3: Glyph Rank increases from 12 to 13.
• Bonus Attempt 4: Glyph Rank increases from 13 to 14.

Third Pit Run

• Attempt 1: Glyph Rank increases from 14 to 14 (Radius Size increase).
• Attempt 2: Glyph Rank increases from 15 to 16.
• Attempt 3: Glyph Rank increases from 16 to 17.
• Bonus Attempt 4: Glyph Rank increases from 17 to 18.

The maximum level of a Glyph has been increased from 21 to 100. At Level 45, a Rare Glyph can be upgraded to a Legendary Glyph using Gem Fragments with the following bonuses:

• The Glyph’s Radius Size has increased from 4 to 5.
• The Glyph gains an additional affix.

Paragon Boards

Each Class has received 1 new Paragon Board. These Paragon Boards each come with a new Legendary Node, and extra Normal nodes meant to enhance the Legendary Glyph’s range. Rare nodes have received adjustments as well, making them generally more useful. Additionally, only 5 Paragon Boards can be equipped, including your starting board.

Developer’s Note: With the introduction of so many new sources of power (namely Legendary Glyphs), we wanted the focus to be more on which board and glyphs you want. By limiting the number of boards, we can inject more power into choices made within the system.

The number of Paragon Points that can be earned by leveling has increased from 200 to 300.

Developer’s Note: We received feedback that while the faster levelling speed to get your build to late game was appreciated, the experience of killing monsters and completing activities at what was Level 100 under the old system felt flat due to a lack of experience gained.
We’re raising the amount of Paragon Levels you can earn. This change, paired with the Paragon Board limit, means that you’re able to fully realize your build at roughly Paragon Level 200. Additional points can be allocated to the remaining Magic, Rare, and Normal nodes that will help you hit bonus stat thresholds.
Limiting the number of Paragon Boards attached allows us to concentrate more of the power into the boards and Glyphs themselves. This puts more of the decision-making focus on boards and Glyphs that fit your build.

Item Quality Rework

Developer’s Note: We felt Sacred and Ancestral Items lost their specialness and flair due to how common they became. These changes transform Ancestral items into mighty endgame items worth the chase.

Ancestral Items

• Ancestral items start dropping in Torment 1.
• Ancestral items always drop at Item Power 800, the highest possible.
• Greater Affixes only appear on Ancestral items.
• Ancestral items always contain at least 1 Greater Affix.

General

• Sacred Items will no longer drop. Any Sacred Items you have on your character will be marked as ‘Legacy.’ They can continue to be used but cannot be upgraded.
• Non-Ancestral items are capped at Item Power 750. Legendary items dropped when you’re Level 60 will always be Item Power 750.
• Item Power 750 items can now be Masterworked up to 8 times.
• Because Character Levels are being re-adjusted in the new Realm-wide Paragon system, items with Item Power over 540 are being adjusted to 540. Affixes on these adjusted items will be rerolled at the highest values in their respective ranges.

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Waypoint and Wardrobe Updates

• Instead of teleporting by default to the closest Waypoint located in a hub city, you can now favorite a new Waypoint to teleport by default to. To favorite a Waypoint, hover over its icon on the Map.
• The Wardrobe can now be accessed through a button in the Character menu. Wardrobes in towns remain unchanged.

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Awaken Power Using New Class Skills and Passives

1 New Skill for Each Class

Martial experts in Sanctuary have developed new techniques to vanquish darkness. Now you must learn them for yourself. Each of these Skills uncovers a new direction to take your Class build.

Barbarian

• Mighty Throw [Weapon Mastery Skill, 12 Second Cooldown]: Hurl your weapon, dealing 80 60% Weapon damage upon impact and sticking in the ground. While in the ground, your weapon pulses and deals 35 20% Weapon damage every second for 4 seconds.
  • Enhanced Mighty Throw: While a thrown weapon is out, gain 25%[+] increased Attack Speed.
  • Fighter’s Mighty Throw: Swapping weapons near any of your thrown weapons creates an additional pulse. Each extra pulse generates 5 3% of your Maximum Life as a Barrier for 5 seconds.
  • Warrior’s Mighty Throw: Mighty Throw’s impact deals 200%[x] increased damage and Stuns enemies for 2 seconds.

Druid

• Stone Burst [Earth Core Skill, 30 Spirit Cost]: Gather stones beneath your enemies then detonate them dealing 120 80% Weapon damage. Channeling deals 20% Weapon damage and increases the size of the affected area, up to a 400% increase after 1.0 seconds.
  • Enhanced Stone Burst: Stone Burst’s final explosion damage is increased by 25%[x] within the initial radius.
  • Primal Stone Burst: While Channeling Stone Burst, and for 2 seconds after it ends, gain 30%[+] Attack Speed.
  • Raging Stone Burst: Stone Burst costs 66%[x] more Spirit, and its final explosion deals 50%[x] more damage.

Necromancer

• Soulrift [Darkness Ultimate Skill, 50 Second Cooldown]: For 8 seconds, you corrupt surrounding enemies, dealing 65% Weapon damage per second. Every 0.25 seconds of this duration, you absorb the souls of up to 3 enemies, gaining 2 Essence and a Barrier for 2% of your Maximum Life for 5 seconds. You absorb 3 souls at a time from Bosses.
  • Supreme Soulrift: Every soul absorbed increases your damage by 1%[x], up to 30%[x]. This bonus persists for 5 seconds after Soulrift ends.
  • Prime Soulrift: Enemies with their souls ripped out become Vulnerable for 2 seconds. When Damaging enemies affected by Soulrift, you have a 5% chance to absorb their soul.

Rogue

• Dance of Knives [Cutthroat Agility Skill, 6 Charges, 1 Second Charge Cooldown]: Channel to launch knives at surrounding enemies, consuming one Charge per second and each knife dealing 70% damage. You gain 20%[+] Movement Speed and 10%[+] Dodge Chance while Channeling Dance of Knives.
  • Enhanced Dance of Knives: Every 30 meters you travel while Channeling Dance of Knives grants 4 Charges.
  • Methodical Dance of Knives: When you stop Channeling Dance of Knives, drop up to 12 Stun Grenades, each dealing 20% Weapon damage. The Channeled duration determines how many are dropped.
  • Disciplined Dance of Knives: Dance of Knives Slows enemies hit by 25% for 3 seconds and has a 20% chance to pierce.

Sorcerer

• Familiar [Conjuration Skill, 3 Charges, 12 Second Charge Cooldown]: Summon a Familiar matching the element of your last cast Skill for 8 seconds. It seeks enemies and periodically explodes, dealing 40% of its element’s damage in an area.
  You may have 6 Familiars active at a time.
  • Enhanced Familiar: Familiars apply effects around them every 0.5s based on their element. Fire Familiar: Applies 40 94% Burning damage to enemies. Cold Familiar: Applies 15% Chill to enemies. Lightning Familiar: Stuns enemies for 1 second.
  • Summoned Familiar: Your Familiars‘ elements now follow a set cycle through Fire, Cold, and Lightning when you cast any Skill. While you have at least two different element Familiars active, you gain 3%[+] Damage Reduction.
  • Invoked Familiar: While you have a Familiar active, you deal 10%[x] increased damage of its type.

5 New Passives for Each Class

Refine your character into the ultimate agent of destruction with 5 new Passives for each Class. We’ve also added additional connections for some Passives in each Class’s Skill Tree. This means there are more avenues to unlock these Passives, allowing greater flexibility when leveling.

Barbarian

• Belligerence: Damaging an enemy with a Basic Skill increases your damage by 3/6/9% for 4 seconds.
• Heavy Hitter: Your Ultimate Skills deal 15/30/45% more damage.
• Warpath: After Overpowering, you deal 4% increased damage for 4 seconds.
• Irrepressible: Casting a Weapon Mastery Skill Fortifies you for 10% of your Maximum Life.
• Barbed Carapace [Key Passive]: For every 25 Fury you spend, you gain 10%[+] Thorns for 8 seconds, up to 120%. Casting a Skill with a Cooldown grants you Unhindered for 5 seconds. During this time, you deal 100% of your Thorns as physical damage to Close enemies every second.

Druid

• Humanity: You deal 5/10/15%[x] more damage while in Human form.
• Catastrophe: You deal 5/10/15%[x] more damage for 8 seconds after casting an Ultimate skill.
• Feral Aptitude: You deal 3%[x] increased damage while Healthy and 3%[x] increased damage while above 100% Movement Speed. These bonuses can stack.
• Backlash: You deal 4%[x] increased damage for 5 seconds after casting a Defensive Skill.
• One with Nature [Key Passive]: Your Companion Skills each gain 1 additional companion and deal 60 50%[x] increased damage. Gain the Passive Effect of Ravens, Wolves and Poison Creeper.

Necromancer

• Necrotic Fortitude: Lucky Hit: Your damage has up to a 5/10/15% chance to grant a Barrier for 7 5% of your Maximum Life for 6 seconds.
• Finality: You deal 5/10/15%[x] increased damage for 8 seconds after casting an Ultimate Skill.
• Titan’s Fall: While Fortified you deal 6/12/18%[x] increased damage to Elites.
• Precision Decay: Your Lucky Hit chance is increased by 5/10/15%[+].
• Affliction [Key Passive]: Enemies affected by Vulnerable, Crowd Control, or Shadow Damage over Time are infected with Affliction and take 15%[x] increased damage from you and your Minions. Your Curse Skills deal 80%(Weapon Damage) Shadow damage to enemies that have Affliction. This amount increases by 30%[x] of your damage to Crowd Control, Vulnerable, and Shadow Damage over Time combined.

Rogue

• Target Practice: Your Critical Strike Chance with Marksman and Cutthroat Skills is increased by 3/6/9%.
• Balestra: Gain 4/8/12% increased Damage for 4 seconds after using Evade.
• Evasive: After Dodging an attack, gain 2/4/6% Damage Reduction for 4 seconds.
• Unto Dawn: Your Ultimate skills deal 15/30/45%[x] increased damage.
• Alchemical Admixture [Key Passive]: Dealing 3 different types of non-physical damage increases the Potency of your Imbuement skills by 40% for 5 seconds. This Potency is further increased by 20% of the total amount of your Bonus Damage to Poison, Shadow, and Cold.

Sorcerer

• Evocation: Gain 4% Cooldown Reduction.
• Energy Focus: You generate a 6 second Barrier for 0.5/1.0/1.5% of your Maximum Life every second up to 30%. This effect is lost for 5 seconds after losing health.
• Dampen Layer: You gain 2/4/6% Damage Reduction while you have an active Barrier.
• Elemental Synergies: Your Frost, Shock, and Pyromancy damage is increased by 1/2/3%[x] for each skill you have equipped of that type.
• Enlightenment [Key Passive]: Casting any Skill grants 1 stack of Enlightenment, or grants 15 if your previous cast Skill was a different Element. After gaining 100 stacks, you become Enlightened, can no longer gain stacks, and lose 10 stacks per second. While Enlightened, your Bonus Damage with Fire, Lightning and Cold are equal to them combined and you gain:
  • 25%[x] increased damage
  • 45%[+] Mana Regeneration
  • 20%[+] Attack Speed

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Unlock Rewards with the Season Journey and Battle Pass

As you water Sanctuary’s soil with the constant flow of demon blood, you’ll earn rewards from the Season Journey and Battle Pass.

The Season Journey is broken into Chapters with tasks to complete. As you progress through the Journey, you’ll earn rewards befitting a defender of Sanctuary, such as a Resplendent Spark, Shepard of Hollows Mount Trophy, and Seething Opals. The Journey also provides Favor—the resource used to climb through the Battle Pass’ Tiers— earnable simply by playing aspects of the game.

Revitalize Your Soul with New Finery

The Season of Hatred Rising Battle Pass begins on October 7, 4 p.m. PDT and hosts 90 Reward Tiers (28 Free Tiers and 62 Premium Tiers).

Smoldering Ashes earned from the Free Tiers can be spent on Season Blessings that provide helpful bonuses to beat back Hell’s armies. There are 3 new Blessings for Season of Hatred Rising:

• Urn of Opals: Boost the chance of receiving an additional Seething Opal reward after completing a Seething Realm.
• Urn of Remnant: Boost the rate that you increase your reputation with the Zakarum Remnants.
• Urn of Curiosities: Boost the chance of receiving a second item when purchasing from the Purveyor of Curiosities.

The bonuses gained from the 5 Season Blessings only last until the end of Season of Hatred Rising.

If you get the Premium Battle Pass, not only will the rewards of the Free Tiers be yours to wield, but Soul Drinker’s Armor Set, Platinum, and more also await you, including the Steed of Viz-Jun Present Mount, Curse of Viz-Jun Present Mount, and Ravenous Soul Mount Trophy, which unlocks at Tier 90. The Accelerated Seasonal Battle Pass also contains 20 Tier Skips and the Creeping Hollows Emote.

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Wander Boldly with Party Finder

Party Finder is here to help you locate the right allies! This new feature allows you to find wanderers of a similar mettle within Sanctuary.

Go Far, Go Together

Party Finder gives you the ability to list the type of party you’re looking for, set what game type or activity you’d like to run, where you’d like to play, and add preferences for both casual and completionist players alike.

You can use Party Finder to list or find a party for multiple activities within Sanctuary: from slaying through Nightmare Dungeons, selecting Wings to complete in the Dark Citadel, and finding other players to share Materials to summon Endgame Bosses, to completing your Codex of Power. Party Finder can be accessed in a variety of ways, with quick access to certain activities via the Map, in-game Menu, or through a pre-set action on your emote wheel.

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Acquire Fabled Threads from Tejal’s Shop

We’re dialing up the heat in the Shop with new Equipment, Armor, Accessories, Mounts, and Mount Armor bundles that will have you slaying in style. Starting on October 7 at 6 p.m. PDT, visit Tejal to browse her wares—remember to check back often, as she’ll update her stock throughout Season of the Infernal Hordes.

One such rarefied find from the far reaches of Sanctuary is the Black Smoke bundle for the Rogue, which contains the Black Smoke Armor Set, 2 Weapon Cosmetics, and the Stain of Smoke Marking for all your Rogue characters. This bundle can be purchased from Teja’s Shop for 2,800 Platinum.

A new Era of Diablo IV is nearly upon you, wanderer. Directly following the events of the main campaign, a new chapter launches you back into the fire. Track down the lost Neyrelle while the people of Nahantu fight the hatred-fueled demons spreading through their sacred land. Read on to learn everything you need to know when Vessel of Hatred launches on October 7 at 4 p.m. PDT.

Last Chance for Pre-Purchase Rewards

The light is fading over the plains of the Teganze, providing the faintest glimmer of spoils yet claimed. Your final chance to receive coveted items befitting a wanderer of your prowess draws near.

This is your last chance to claim the following pre-purchase bonus items by securing the Vessel of Hatred Ultimate Edition.

• Alkor, Snow Leopard Pet* (Pre-Purchase Bonus)
• Mother’s Lament Legendary Gem for Diablo Immortal** (Pre-Purchase Bonus)
• 1 Month of Game Pass Ultimate*** (Xbox and Battle.net pre-purchases only)

For full details on Vessel of Hatred pre-purchase, see here.

*Mount or pet feature (as applicable) must be unlocked in-game before the item can be used.

**Diablo Immortal® downloaded separately.

***Offer not available in certain regions. Must pre-purchase on Battle.net or Xbox. Valid payment method required for redemption. Unless you cancel, you will be charged the then-current Game Pass Ultimate subscription rate each month when the benefit period ends. See monthly pricing at: xbox.com/xbox-game-pass#join. Subject to the Microsoft Services Agreement, Game Pass terms and system requirements at: xbox.com/subscriptionterms. See diablo.com for details.

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Launch and Pre-Load Schedule

Vessel of Hatred Release Timing

Akarat’s followers have anticipated your return, wanderer. Vessel of Hatred and our upcoming season will go live on October 7, at 4 p.m. PDT. For a helpful guide to see where it goes live across the world, see our global release map here:

Pre-Load Vessel of Hatred before Launch

Hone your blades and ready your quivers, for the reign of Hatred has nearly arrived. In anticipation of Vessel of Hatred and the upcoming new Season, pre-download is available early on Battle.net, Xbox®, and PlayStation® platforms.

Note that you will be able to pre-download this patch that contains Vessel of Hatred and our next Seasons content regardless of whether you have purchased the Vessel of Hatred Expansion.

Steam users will be able to download the update when Vessel of Hatred goes live on October 7, at 4 p.m. PDT.

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Play the Vessel of Hatred Campaign

The Vessel of Hatred Campaign requires you to have purchased the Vessel of Hatred expansion.

To begin, create a new Character on either the Eternal or Seasonal Realm or play as an existing character from the Eternal Realm. You can select to “Skip Campaign,” if you want your new Character to go right to the beginning of the Vessel of Hatred Campaign.

For those new to Diablo IV, we recommend starting your journey by completing the base game campaign for the full experience before beginning the Vessel of Hatred campaign. However, if you’re eager to go immediately to the expansion, use the option to skip the main campaign on a newly created character.

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Vessel of Hatred Contents and Base Game Updates

Vessel of Hatred arrives alongside major updates that will be available to all Diablo IV players, such as systemic changes to levelling, difficulty tiers, the Paragon System, and more. To help shed light on all that arrives to the base game—and what remains solely within Vessel of Hatred—we have listed out the contents that are specific to both.

New Base Game Content—Available to all players

• New Max Level: 60*
• New Difficulties System
• New Paragon Max Level: 300
• Paragon System Changes
• Item Quality Rework
• 2 New Character Slots
• New Class Skills and Passives for each Class
• New Party Finder Feature
• New Seasonal Content
• New Season Rewards (Season Journey, Battle Pass, Reputation Board)

Vessel of Hatred Expansion—Available to Vessel of Hatred Owners

• Nahantu Region–including Dungeons, Strongholds, Side Quests, new Legion Events, and Nahantu Monster Families**
• Spiritborn Class
• Vessel of Hatred Campaign
• Nahantu Region Renown
• Runewords
• Dark Citadel
• Mercenaries
• Kurast Undercity
• Trading for Vessel of Hatred-specific Resources

*Note that any characters which are Level 51 and above will be set to Level 50 at the start of this update.

**One of the Nahantu Monster Families will appear within the new Seasonal content—stay tuned for more details.

Visit our other blog posts to get full details on progression and Paragon System changes coming to the base game, learn more about the new Spiritborn Class, and uncover information on Mercenaries, the Dark Citadel, and Kurast Undercity.

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Glorious New Rewards Await

While the Skittering Earth holds unsightly abominations, these forsaken lands also hold tantalizing splendor to be found amongst the ruins and gargantuan flora of Nahantu.

Upon log-in to Diablo IV, claim three new items from the in-game shop to celebrate the Vessel of Hatred launch.

For those intrepid groups of wanderers who manage to best the challenging First Khazra riddled halls of the Dark Citadel, glorious prizes await. From October 8—November 8, if you manage to complete the Dark Citadel you will earn the Reins of the Longfur Beast, a formidable Cat mount to mark your prowess alongside the weekly reward cache to mark your prowess.

Don’t forget to leverage the new Party Finder to help find other like-minded players to join arms with to battle through the Citadel.

Stream Vessel of Hatred on Discord

From October 8—October 15, stream yourself playing Diablo IV on Discord and earn the mighty Sea of Voices Weapon Bundle. To earn these tools of demonic dismemberment, check the Discover tab in Discord to accept this Quest, and then stream at least 15 minutes of Diablo IV to your friends on Discord.

Once you’ve completed this, you’ll earn a code in Discord that can be redeemed online here, or in the Battle.net App. While you can only redeem the code online or in Battle.net, the rewards are eligible for all platforms.

This Discord Quest is eligible on PC for any region where both Diablo IV and Discord are available.

If you need a place to share your journey into Nahantu to earn these rewards, head to the Sanctuary Discord and stream to fellow wanderers in there. You can join the Discord at discord.gg/diablo4.