7 Lord of Hatred Changes That Might Finally Win Back Players Who Stopped Playing Diablo 4

Blizzard Entertainment is back with a bang with their introduction to Diablo 4’s new expansion, Lord of Hatred. This expansion aims to improve a lot about the game and bring players back who may have given up on the game due to disappointment or boredom.

Unlike the Vessel of Hatred expansion, which didn’t change much to the game, Lord of Hatred is much bigger and has a good chance of increasing Diablo 4’s player base. Be prepared to enter the depths of hell again, as there’s no way you will want to miss out on this expansion.

Don’t believe me? Well, let’s discuss reasons as to why the Lord of Hatred expansion will bring you back. Read further to learn why the Lord of Hatred expansion for Diablo 4 might finally win back players who stopped playing the game.

7 New Classes

Wield the Power of the Paladin

One of the biggest reasons to return to Diablo 4 for the Lord of Hatred expansion is the addition of two new classes. The first revealed class is the Paladin, a knight that wields light as its primary source of damage and protection, looks to be a great choice for players who enjoy a mix of offense and defense. The second class has not yet been revealed, but it’s safe to say it will be something great.

The addition of two classes gives returning players an excuse to play through the game again with a brand-new set of skills and a different playstyle. Considering each class feels significantly different from one another in Diablo 4, choosing one of the new options will make the entire playthrough feel fresh.

6 New Region to Explore

Discover Locations and Secrets

Another change coming to Diablo 4 in the Lord of Hatred expansion that may win you back is the addition of a new region. Skovos, the never-before-seen region, is “the ancient birthplace of the firstborn civilization and the former home of Lilith and Inarius, now ruled by The Oracle and Amazon Queen,” according to Blizzard’s blog post. That description right there sounds awesome, and I can’t wait to dive in to check it out.

The region will include a variety of different biomes with their own unique style and overall feel. Be prepared to explore a volcanic area, forests, sunken and disturbed lands, watery shores, and crumbling temples that house new secrets to discover. Skovos is shaping up to be one of the biggest regions yet, and it's a great reason to jump back into the game to check it out.

5 New Major Questline to Complete

Take Down Mephisto

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred will also include a brand-new main questline for players to complete. If there’s one thing that Blizzard is absolutely fantastic at, it’s their main quest design, so this is definitely a great reason to jump back into the game. Luckily, if you have exhausted everything else there is to do in the game, you are most likely far enough in your playthrough to access this quest immediately.

Lord of Hatred’s quest focuses on your character and allies rising against Mephisto before he reaches the Pools of Creation and consumes the entire world in hatred. Simply put, it’s a quest about saving the world with high stakes. In classic Diablo fashion, this quest will take you through intense fights against hordes, culminating in a final boss that will test your character’s build and skills.

4 Reworked Skill Tree

Deeper Customization

The Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred expansion includes a long-needed rework of the skill tree to make progression feel fresh. The adjustments to the skill tree favor deep customization, including new skill variants for every class and an increase to the level cap. In other words, your character can now become stronger than ever and get access to different versions of your favorite skills. This is a great reason to return to Diablo 4 if you felt like your character was becoming stale.

One of the biggest issues with Diablo 4 has been the lackluster skill tree, so it’s really nice to see Blizzard Entertainment address this in the Lord of Hatred update. Changing natural progression, a fundamental of the core Diablo experience, will genuinely make the game feel like an upgrade. Here’s hoping that the developers put their all into this rework, because if they didn’t, it could leave a ton of fans upset.

3 New Endgame Content

More Stuff to Do

One of the biggest complaints among Diablo 4’s playerbase was the lack of endgame content and how there weren’t many engaging activities to complete once they finished the main story. Luckily, Lord of Hatred is aiming to fix that by adding new content to the endgame, designed to keep players playing longer. The new endgame content focuses on choice, mastery, and high-stakes rewards.

One of the coolest additions is the ability to craft war plans, which is essentially a mechanic that allows players to create their own endgame progression. Crafting war plans gives players the opportunity to select their favorite activities and apply modifiers to them to earn different rewards. Additionally, the expansion is adding fishing, if you’re into that sort of thing.

2 The Horadric Cube Returns

A Better Way to Craft

If you aren’t familiar with previous Diablo entries, the Horadric Cube is an artifact that allows players to transmute items. It's a unique form of crafting that grants players the ability to craft new items and combine runes with them for a more powerful version. The Horadric Cube was introduced all the way back in Diablo 2, and it’s incredible that Blizzard Entertainment has decided to bring it back.

Adding the Horadric Cube back into Diablo was a smart choice, as it simply gives players another reason to grind each region for more items and focus on improving their character’s build. This new crafting system will give players the opportunity to make stronger weapons and armor pieces, which will be especially helpful in the Echoing Hatred.

1 Loot Filters

It's Finally Here

Players have been waiting patiently for Blizzard Entertainment to add loot filters to the game, and with the Lord of Hatred expansion, they are finally coming. The most frustrating thing about farming in any Diablo game is having to go through an endless amount of loot, searching for the exact item that you have in mind. With the brand new loot filter, farming will be much easier, allowing players to focus on finding loot that is actually important to their character at any given time. This can help with finding weapons, armor, etc.

Adding a loot filter will remove the exhaustion of having to read through each item that drops from enemies and bosses, allowing players to quickly pick up what's important to them. Not only is this a great quality of life improvement, but it also could drastically enhance the gameplay loop. It's surprising that Blizzard took so long to implement this feature, especially considering Diablo 4 is all about loot and gathering rare items. Either way, we're just happy to see it's finally being added.