Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred is coming in October, and Blizzard just gave fans all kinds of new details about what’s coming in the expansion at Gamescom, including how a massive “first-of-its-kind” cooperative dungeon, the Dark Citadel, will require players to team up to earn its exclusive rewards.
The dungeon is ruled by the First Khazra, who uses the citadel to experiment on villagers in an effort to resurrect a powerful demon. It will be up to players to put a stop to it, and in a first for the series, it will require players to group up. The Dark Citadel will be playable with a minimum of two players, but Blizzard is recommending a full party of four to conquer its challenges. The dungeon will become available upon reaching the endgame, and players will need to complete an introductory quest that will then unlock the activity for every character on that account.
As for the dungeon itself, it’s separated into three distinct wings. Players will need to conquer each wing before a showdown with the dungeon’s final boss. Since the dungeon is far larger (and presumably takes more time) than an average Diablo 4 dungeon, players will be able to exit the dungeon and return at a later time. A new marker system will let groups more easily communicate on where to go next.
Each week, players will be able to earn a Weekly Rewards cache from completing the dungeon, which will grant items and rewards earned exclusively from the Dark Citadel. Players will also earn Citadel Coins while playing through the dungeon, used to unlock exclusive cosmetics.
Since the Dark Citadel requires at least two players, Diablo 4 will gain a Party Finder feature come Vessel of Hatred’s release. The Party Finder will let players search for groups depending on various in-game activities, similar to the Group Finder in something like World of Warcraft.
Details about the Dark Citadel wasn’t all Blizzard shared at Gamescom. It also revealed the four mercenaries players will be able to team-up with in Vessel of Hatred, and how leveling them up will differ from mercenary systems of Diablo 2 and 3.
The four mercenaries of Diablo 4.
There will be four mercs to choose from; the shield-wielding Iron Wolves warrior Raheir, the cannibal berserker Varyana, the half-demon child Aldkin, and the drunken archer Subo. A player’s chosen mercenary will join them when playing solo, but players will be able to select a second mercenary as a “Reinforcement.” The mercenary set as a reinforcement can be assigned to swoop in and deliver an attack when certain conditions are met, like when hit by a movement-impairing effect. Using particular mercenaries will level up their Rapport, which can then be used to unlock additional skills. Each Mercenary will also sell items that can be bought with Pale Marks, a new currency earned by leveling up each mercenary.
All of the new features above will be in conjunction with the expansion’s biggest addition, the new Spiritborn class, a monk-like warrior that wields powerful Spirit Guardians as weapons.
Blizzard still has one Vessel of Hatred surprise left to unveil. It’s teasing major leveling and progression changes will come to Diablo 4 once the expansion lands on par with its ambitious Loot Reborn update, “aimed at making leveling more rewarding.” Fans are already confident a level-and-damage-number squish are in store, but Blizzard will share official details during an upcoming Diablo 4 livestream on August 29. Vessel of Hatred, and Diablo 4 Season 6, launch October 8.
