Diablo IV begins a new narrative arc with its first expansion Vessel of Hatred. The opportunity for Blizzard to enrich its baby with new content, including a new class, a new region, new enemies and new mechanics.
Difficult to talk about the history of Vessel of Hatred without badly spoiling the end of Diablo IV. Indeed, Vessel of Hatred follows directly from the main story of the base game. Without saying too much, know that you will find familiar figures from Diablo 4 and a good big threat that weighs heavily on Sanctuary. The writing is a real success, is supported by rich dialogues dubbed with care and perfectly transcribes this dark and sticky atmosphere so dear to the franchise. Unfortunately, the ending is abrupt to say the least and leaves a bit of a bitter aftertaste. This feeling of too little is also felt with the new characters. Although they are interesting and endearing, they barely have time to shine before being pushed aside to make way for other parts of the plot. The same goes for the new monsters and the new antagonists, they are underused and disappear as quickly as they appeared. The story would have deserved a few additional sequences, like dungeons or fortresses, because as it stands, it ends in 5-6 hours. Although it’s a bit short, keep in mind that the story works really well and that it is well conducted. So good that I wouldn’t have said no to a little extra.
In the jungle, terrible jungle
Vessel of Hatred adds a new area to the world of Diablo 4: the jungles of It’s a place located at the southern end of the game map. Again, Blizzard demonstrates that it is a master in the art of artistic direction and the science of visual immersion. The lush forests are oppressive and enhanced by superb lighting effects. This new play area will have its share of surprises with areas that are sometimes arid, sometimes corrupted, sticky and filled with undulating tentacled abominations (no, this is not the start of a Japanese film for adults). Despite the limitations inherent to the isometric camera, the game manages to create a gripping and visually successful. The Nahantu region fits perfectly into the base game, to the point that navigation from one part to another is fluid and it is not always easy to know if you are in a new one. area or in an old one. Hat. Those nostalgic for Diablo II will also be delighted to find known places such as, in particular, the town of Kurast which has nevertheless suffered the ravages of time. This does not prevent us from recognizing the places despite the changes made. All the new temples and dungeons to explore are not left out with a pre-Columbian artistic direction that is as pleasant as it is gloomy.
The other major new feature of this Diablo 4 expansion is the introduction of a new class called Sacresprit. This is a class mastering martial arts somewhat reminiscent of the monk in Diablo 3 and being equally at ease in close combat as in mid-range combat. The Sacresprit can count on two of the powerful totemic spirits of the jungle to increase its abilities: the eagle, the gorilla, the centipede or the jaguar. There seem to be quite a few potential builds available. I’m very curious to discover the metas that will emerge. Meta which will certainly be amazed seeing as the Sacresprit is mobile, powerful and allows you to cover a good part of the content with disconcerting ease. It sometimes even seems to be too powerful (is a nerf in the pipeline?). In short, a class with which I had a lot of fun rushing and smashing dungeons, so much so that it has become my hand in this new season.
Never alone again
If companionship is one of the story themes in the story of Vessel of Hatred, it is also a big new gameplay feature of the expansion. THE mercenaries are indeed back in the form of a group of exiles to recruit. Once trust has been established via friendly quests, these mercenaries are roughly 4 different classes. Your chosen mercenary will follow you and distribute very useful pif wads, especially towards the end of the DLC story when the difficulty gets a bit tougher. The mercenaries are customizable through their leveling system and skill tree (a little skinny but which gets the job done). Note that mercenaries are only available solo, once in a group with real players, they take their leave. In use, mercenaries are very practical and can fill in some gaps in your character. In addition, they add a little depth to the lore with their own stories distilled along the way.
Always with the aim of improving its end game, Blizzard has added a new cooperative challenge called the Dark Citadel aka a time trial dungeon full of shiny loot. A nice challenge which does not fundamentally change the gameplay loop but which adds a welcome alternative to the race for loot. On the other hand, we also have the addition of Kurast Shallows. In this new type of dungeon, it is a question of successfully reaching the end of the dungeon in a limited time while first choosing the specific loot you are aiming for. In short, a really nice addition to try to farm the last components of your build.
