Diablo 4's Big Glow Up
Diablo 4 has gone through massive changes since its original launch in 2023. If you played at release and then walked away, the current version would feel almost like a sequel. Seasons, system overhauls and balance passes have reshaped nearly every part of the game.
With the upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion arriving on April 28, Blizzard looks ready to move from constant reworks into full on expansion mode. Instead of endlessly fixing old systems, this update aims to build on the new foundation with fresh content and smarter progression tools that finally match what action RPG fans expect.
Lord of Hatred is bringing a lot at once. There is a new campaign, a new region to explore, two new classes including the long requested paladin, and several quality of life features players have been asking for since day one. These additions lean into what Diablo 4 has become rather than what it launched as, and that shift should be exciting if you care about character building and endgame grinding.
Loot Filters And Better Builds
One of the biggest quality of life upgrades in Lord of Hatred is something players of other action RPGs have wanted for a long time: loot filters. Traditionally, Diablo games are all about that shower of items on the ground and the joy of sifting through them. But in modern ARPGs, raw volume can kill the thrill if most of it is junk.
Loot filters flip that experience. You will be able to customize which items you even see on the ground, so the screen is not cluttered with gear you will never use. That way, when an item pops up that meets your filter rules, it actually feels exciting again. Other games like Path of Exile have proved how important this is for long term play. Given how Diablo 4 now has more ways to craft and fine tune gear into exactly what you want, filtering out the boring drops is a natural evolution.
The expansion also tackles a long standing complaint about how character power is distributed. Previously, someone crunched the numbers and showed that your skill tree only provided a fraction of your overall strength compared to your gear. That meant your build choices on the tree felt secondary to whatever legendary items you managed to equip. For a role playing game built around builds, that never really made sense.
Lord of Hatred is expanding each class skill tree with more meaningful, build defining choices that were previously locked behind specific items. The idea is simple: you should feel like you are crafting a powerful build directly on the tree itself, not just waiting for a lucky drop to make your character come alive. If Blizzard pulls it off, you will have more flexibility to experiment and theorycraft without being completely dependent on one or two rare items.
War Plans And A Smarter Endgame
Endgame is where most ARPGs live or die. Once you hit max level, the question becomes: what do you do that still feels challenging and rewarding after dozens or hundreds of hours?
Lord of Hatred answers this with a new system called War Plans. Blizzard describes it as a way for players to craft their own endgame progression path, choosing their favorite activities and layering modifiers to dial up both difficulty and rewards.
Veterans of Path of Exile will immediately think of its intricate endgame skill trees and mapping systems. While Blizzard has not confirmed if War Plans will literally look like a tree, the concept is similar. You pick the types of dungeons or activities you enjoy, stack on modifiers that change difficulty and rewards, and chase high value loot on your own terms.
This matters because a lot of Diablo 4 content right now quickly becomes trivial once your character is strong. Activities that do not scale in a satisfying way can turn into boring chores with weak rewards. With War Plans, the promise is that you can take a specific activity that fits your build and then “juice” it with strategic modifiers. More risk, more challenge, and more targeted loot should make the loop far more addictive.
For players who love optimizing routes, farming certain enemy types, or pushing their build to the edge, War Plans could be the system that finally makes Diablo 4’s endgame as sticky as its competitors.
New Challenges, New Modes And What Comes Next
Lord of Hatred is not just systems and menus. It also brings new content that aims to test the stronger builds and deeper progression paths that the update enables.
Echoing Hatred is a new endgame mode described as a relentless gauntlet of demonic hordes. It is designed specifically to challenge even the strongest characters, which makes it a natural target for players using War Plans to push difficulty and rewards. If you enjoy stress testing your favorite build, this mode sounds like it is built for you.
Alongside that, the expansion opens up the islands of Skovos as a new region to explore. That means more environments, more enemies and likely more endgame routes to plug into your War Plans. On a lighter note, Blizzard is also adding fishing to Diablo 4. Nobody really asked for it, but it fits that modern ARPG trend of giving you a slower, more relaxing side activity between intense dungeon runs.
Overall, Lord of Hatred feels like the moment where Diablo 4 finally settles into what it wants to be. The early life of the game was defined by reworks and catch up changes as Blizzard tried to match player expectations. With this expansion, the focus shifts to expanding forward: richer builds, smarter loot systems and a more customizable endgame.
Lord of Hatred launches on April 28, and pre ordering grants early access to the new paladin class. If you bounced off Diablo 4 at launch or have been waiting for deeper build crafting and a more engaging endgame loop, this expansion looks like the right moment to jump back in.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/diablo-4s-age-of-reworks-might-finally-be-over-with-its-next-expansion-as-it-plans-to-deliver-major-features-players-have-wanted-for-years/
