Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred - First Impressions and Review
06.05.2026 - 04:02:37
Diablo 4 , Game Guides
It has been nearly a week since Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred launched, and all I have to say is that it's one of the best things to ever happen to the game. D4 just feels different now, but in a good way.
In this article, I will talk about my first impressions of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred. I am going to give my thoughts on the campaign, the new features, and the overall endgame experience. My goal is to help you decide whether to buy the game's most recent expansion or not.
Have you played the expansion already? If so, you've probably noticed that you aren't getting a lot of legendary gear to drop, especially at lower Torment Levels. So, if you want to skip the grind and get your character fully equipped with the best items, then go to our D4 Store, where you will find amazing gear at discounted prices!
Campaign and Skovos World Design—Is the New Region Worth Exploring?
If there is one thing that Blizzard has done really well in the expansion, it would definitely be the campaign. Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred has a pretty awesome plot. The company probably took the negative feedback VoH received when it was released and went back to the drawing board to fix it.
Without going much into spoilers, you will seek the help of a major character that was first introduced in vanilla D4. Then, there is the death of another important character, but I think it is for you to find out who that is.
All things considered, the campaign of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred lasts for about 8 to 10 hours, depending on how quickly you move to the next part of the story. D4 items can be a struggle to come by early on, but they get better as you progress through the campaign.
As for Skovos, the region has some picturesque areas to behold. You begin the story in places where things are vibrant and lovely, filled with green pastures and beautiful landscapes. However, you will find out that the areas you have to explore become dark and gloomy towards the end, which really sets up the mood for the final encounter with Mephisto himself.
Mephisto, himself, is no slouch at all. In fact, there is a season objective where you have to fight the Lord of Hatred in Torment XII. Talk about a challenging endeavor!
Overall, I love the expansion's campaign. The story itself is riveting, and the pacing is just on point. I believe that the community agrees that it is Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred's strongest suit.
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred New Classes—Fun or Forgettable?
If you have not played the expansion yet, there are two new classes available to you in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred. These are the Paladin and the Warlock. The former is your typical sword-and-board type of character that can deal holy damage to enemies. The latter, on the other hand, is a demon-binder who is not shy of using the power of the dark arts for the purpose of destroying the opposition.
What are my thoughts on the new classes? Well, Paladin is the easiest to play of the two. You simply choose your main skill, and the rest are just complementary pieces that form the ideal D4 Paladin Build. The same cannot be said for the Warlock, though.
If I were to be brutally honest, the Warlock feels clunky to play (at least, relative to the Paladin). Only two (of the four) soul shards are worth checking out—these being Mastermind (Laalish) and Ritualist (Valloch).
Aside from that, the Warlock is not a direct replacement for the Necromancer in terms of being a minion-based class. Sure, you can take advantage of the soul shard skills and summons, but for the most part, they are only there to launch attacks and provide temporary buffs/bonuses.
I think that, with the way the Warlock is designed, you'd have to have some knowledge about the game's mechanics in order to get the most out of the demon-binding class. Otherwise, choose Paladin and call it a day.
New Systems Review—Smart Additions or Feature Overload?
There are a lot of new mechanics and features introduced in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred that have truly improved the player experience. The first is the Horadric Cube—a new feature that lets you improve, augment, or repurpose your old/unused items, depending on which Horadric Cube Recipe you use.
Are you fond of the Sanctification Gear System in Season 11? If so, the Horadric Cube has a toned-down version of that in the form of the "Transfigure Item" option. Although you're not getting legendary aspects on every piece of gear (except for amulets), there is still a lot of power that you can gain from the Horadric Cube in D4.
In addition, you can use the cube's "Amalgamation" feature to upgrade certain things. For example, if you have several Lesser Tributes of the Horadrim lying around, don't just dispose of them by selling to the vendor. Instead, put five pieces in the cube and use Amalgamation to upgrade them to a higher tier (Tribute of the Horadrim).
You can utilize Amalgamation on boss trophies, Nightmare Dungeon Sigils, and so much more! I highly encourage that you experiment with the Horadric Cube, for sure!
The Talisman System is a welcome addition to Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred as well. This feature lets you acquire set bonuses through Charms, complete with its own interface separate from your gear.
If you are playing the Apocalypse "Hellscream" Warlock build, for example, using the Ritual of the Nameless set is mandatory to deal huge amounts of damage. The set's 2-piece bonus is already quite powerful, allowing you to cast Occult Skills (such as Apocalypse) for free without spending any resources (for a limited period).
On top of that, there are now unique charms that carry a certain power that's fashioned from unique items themselves. For instance, when you have the Banished Lord's Talisman as a unique charm, you will benefit from its power, specifically ensuring that the next core skill you cast after spending an x amount of Wrath is guaranteed to Overpower enemies.
Both the Talisman System and Horadric Cube help give your character so much power, thus allowing you to enjoy Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred's more challenging content without a hitch.
Endgame Experience—Better Than Before?
The Diablo 4 developers acknowledged that there is a lot to fix about the ARPG's endgame experience, and they absolutely addressed that in the Lord of Hatred expansion.
One way of fixing the endgame problem is by introducing a new feature called War Plans. For those who are not familiar with it, War Plans let you choose from a pre-selected playlist of endgame activities and boost them via special passive nodes. The activities that you can select on the War Plans include:
- Nightmare Dungeons
- Helltides
- Infernal Hordes
- The Undercity
- Lair Bosses
- The Pit
- The Tree of Whispers
I have to admit that the War Plans have definitely leveled up the endgame experience, mainly because it makes the aforementioned activities more rewarding.
Each activity has its own set of passive nodes that you can allocate, depending on what you want to achieve. Do you want Helltides to be more rewarding? There are certainly nodes that help you achieve that.
Having the War Plans in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is a good idea because it encourages players to indulge in activities that they would normally skip. I, for one, disliked Helltides back then, until the War Plans made the activity an ideal avenue to get starter pieces of gear.
In short, the endgame experience in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is significantly better than before the expansion was released.
Is Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Worth Buying?
So, is the latest expansion for D4 worth the investment? The answer is a resounding YES!
Here is a brief explanation for separate groups of players:
- Brand New Players: Although the added features made the game a bit more complex, they are easy to understand and provide more power to each and every class in D4.
- Returning Casual Players: The game is more interesting now, whether you are playing it solely for the story or actually engaging with the endgame activities.
- Hardcore Grinders: The endgame experience is more enjoyable now. This comes from a player who has enjoyed the game since it was released in 2023.
- Story-focused Players: I think this is a no-brainer. The plot of the Lord of Hatred expansion is just so much better compared to Vanilla D4 and the Vessel of Hatred.
- Seasonal Players Waiting for Discounts: Since the expansion is new, discounts for it may not be available until after a few months. Still, it is easy to recommend.
FAQ
How Long is the Lord of Hatred Campaign?
About 8 to 10 hours, depending on how quickly you can move from one point of the story to another.
Are the New Classes Strong?
Yes, though the difficulty of using each class varies. The Paladin is the easiest to play among the two, while the Warlock provides more complexity that is only meant for advanced players of the game.
Can Casual Players Enjoy This Expansion?
Yes! Even though the new features that were added require some esoteric knowledge, it's not like they are too hard to learn. In fact, I'd wager that you can get the hang of the new features in just an hour or so!