Diablo IV Expansion: Major Updates Ahead

• Vessel of Hatred releases on October 8.
• New mercenaries with unique skills.
• Dark Citadel: new co-op PvE mode.
• Nahantu: new region with jungle and canyon areas.
• New time-attack challenge: Undercity.

3 Big Changes Coming to Diablo IV in Its First Major Expansion

The Vessel of Hatred marks the return of mercenaries to the series.

Diablo IV by Willa Rowe

Published Friday 3:25 PM

The Vessel of Hatred, the first expansion to Diablo IV, is set to release on October 8.

Blizzard dropped a ton of new information about it at Gamescom.

This includes more details on the game's new class, new region, and a few surprise announcements to get players even more excited.

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The Vessel of Hatred will continue the story of Diablo IV.

It will also bring an all-new co-op mode and the return of mercenaries to the series.

Here are the most interesting things we learned about the upcoming expansion:

Mercenaries Are Back

A fan-favorite feature from past Diablo games is the ability to call upon allies to fight for you.

These NPC soldiers for hire were originally introduced in Diablo II.

Diablo III had its own version of the system with Followers who were more fleshed-out characters with stories of their own.

Diablo IV's version of mercenaries seems more in line with Diablo III.

All four summonable allies have names and detailed backstories Blizzard has already revealed.

You'll unlock the NPC allies during the main quest and summon them in two ways:

• You can hire one mercenary to be your main companion to follow you around.
• You can designate a second mercenary as reinforcement who will emerge during combat to unleash a special skill when you activate a skill of your own.

Each mercenary is unique with their own set of skills:

• The drunken archer Subo
• The cursed child Aldkin
• The berserker crone Varyana
• The shieldbearer Raheir

With a variety of builds to choose from, you'll be able to form a party that complements your own character in combat.

Take on the Dark Citadel with a Friend

Described by game director Brent Gibson as a multi-layered dungeon during Gamescom, the Dark Citadel is a new co-op PvE mode that sounds like a full-blown raid.

This is an endgame dungeon meant to test players, ideally in a full group of four.

The Dark Citadel is three areas long and includes tough-as-nails boss battles featuring unique enemy mechanics.

One example given during a Vessel of Hatred trailer includes gathering a special item to reflect boss attacks in the midst of combat.

That item needs to be used once by every team member, so it evokes the traditional MMO raid design of managing boss patterns while also dealing out constant damage.

There will be a special vendor for the Dark Citadel with some incredible loot to earn if you are up for the challenge.

Furthermore, Blizzard is introducing a party finder that makes grouping up with friends and strangers all the easier.

It really sounds like the Dark Citadel will amp up the MMO aspects of Diablo IV.

But it's not the only interesting dungeon in Vessel of Hatred as the new time-attack challenge Undercity is also being introduced.

Nahantu Looks Stunning and Dangerous

The Vessel of Hatred will take players to the new region of Nahantu.

This is the southernmost area of the eastern continent that's the setting of Diablo IV.

To date, it's the only part of the continent players haven't visited in Diablo IV, though it was featured in Diablo II, so there are sure to be some discoveries new and old.

Within the region are six areas:

• Four of which are jungle-themed
• Two of which are canyon-themed

The jungle isn't 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 look to be incredibly layered.

Canyons open into caverns and massive trees let you walk on the floor or across large branches in the air.

If you want to dip your toes into Diablo IV ahead of Vessel of Hatred's release in October, you can try it for free on Steam this weekend.