What you need to know
- Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred launched on October 8 and has received mixed reactions to its story ending, which centers around the Prime Evil, Mephisto. (Second warning: Do not read further if you haven't finished the expansion!)
- During the review period, the developers held a Q&A with us and other outlets about the game and its story. They revealed that they are considering the 'Harbinger of Hatred' as a new Tormented Boss.
- The developers also shared plans for the future of the story involving Mephisto, which may address some fans' concerns about the ending.
If you've finished the Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred expansion (and if you haven’t, please don’t read this article!), you're probably left with many questions about that ending. Don’t worry—you’re not alone. Many players were shocked to discover that an expansion centered around the Lord of Hatred, Mephisto, culminated in an epic fight… but not with Mephisto.
Yes, after chasing Neyrelle all over Nahantu and saving her from the wolf’s mighty clutches, the story climaxes in a battle against the 'Harbinger of Hatred' rather than the Prime Evil himself. While the fight is epic in its own right, it’s left many fans wanting more.
Now that the dust has settled a few weeks after launch, I thought it would be a good time to share some insights from the developers, which were shared with us and other outlets during the review period. Brent Gibson, Rex Dickson, Kyle Martin, and Colin Finer answered some burning questions about the game ahead of its release and revealed that they have plans to expand on Mephisto’s story. They also mentioned that the Harbinger of Hatred fight will be added to the Boss Ladder.
The Harbinger of Hatred
During a Discord chat, one reviewer asked, "Will there be an Uber version of the Mephisto fight like Lilith?" Colin Finer, Lead Live Designer for Diablo 4, responded:
"We won't have an Uber Mephisto fight available for the launch of Vessel of Hatred. but, we're currently looking at all our Tormented Bosses and how we can expand that list. Mephisto's Harbinger is an awesome fight that we want to see return and is at the top of our list."
The Tormented Bosses are part of the Boss Ladder, which currently consists of Varshan, Grigoire, Lord Zir, Beast in the Ice, Andariel, and Duriel. Fighting these bosses is the best method for target-farming Uniques in Diablo 4, and they offer the highest drop rates for Mythic Uniques, the rarest loot in the game. There’s also Uber Lilith, who, when defeated for the first time each season, rewards a Resplendent Spark, a crucial crafting material for creating Mythic Uniques—whether a random one or a specific Unique using Runes.
This raises the question: Will the Harbinger of Hatred be added to the Boss Ladder with its own loot table of Unique items? Or will it function similarly to Uber Lilith, serving as a pinnacle fight that rewards players with a spark? We’ll have to wait and see.
It's time to talk about that ending
Many, including myself and Jez Corden, as we alluded to in our Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred review, were left perplexed by the ending of Diablo 4's first expansion. We end up essentially where we started, with Mephisto rising in power and dominance over Sanctuary—the only difference being that he is now free from the Soulstone and wandering the world disguised as Jesus, I mean, Akarat. It’s an incredible cutscene, but a bittersweet moment that made the ending feel more like a midpoint than a conclusion. So, we don’t actually get to face off against a fully fledged Mephisto in the expansion? Well, no, but the developers offered some reasons for this decision.
First, the seasons may continue to add more depth leading up to the inevitable confrontation. Rex Dickson, Lead Designer, commented: "Generally, our seasonal storylines are more standalone episodes and not part of the main Diablo IV storyline. That said we do take opportunities to do subtle hints and nods that help fill in the lore and hint at future releases. Certainly, we are not done hearing from Mephisto."
Brent Gibson, Game Director, added "For the first, we knew that we wanted the story of Mephisto to be told over multiple releases. It is exciting to build up a character like him over a longer period of time. Many times in games you rush a character's development because you only have so much time to tell your story. The exciting thing about a live game is that we can build up over multiple expansions, making our character richer and more meaningful. This is just the next chapter of that story.
For the second, A good story shouldn’t rush to its conclusion immediately. The buildup is exciting and important. Some of my favorite fictions leave you on a cliffhanger as they build that tension to an epic conclusion. This is what we are looking to build up as we unfold the fate of Mephisto.
For the last, we have big plans for the continuation of the story going forward. One of the things I am looking forward to seeing is how the return of Mephisto impacts Sanctuary as a whole. As we lead up to future releases we want to see threads of continuity from season to season. You see this already with the Realm Walker spreading hatred and corruption in season six. These are some of the things you can expect and it shows you that the spread of Mephisto’s influence goes well beyond just Nahantu."
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To be continued...
So there you have it—if you felt the ending of Vessel of Hatred was abrupt and didn’t resolve much, that was an intentional choice. Rather than wrapping everything up with a final face-off, like we saw in Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 expansions, the Diablo 4 developers are playing the long game, building something bigger with Mephisto's story.
While I fully support the idea of keeping Mephisto’s arc ongoing, I do have some reservations about potentially having to pay $40 for each new piece of the story. I'd feel a lot better knowing we might get cheaper, story-only expansions, especially considering Diablo 4 has already made Blizzard over $1 billion—and a large portion of that comes from microtransactions. Still, I look forward to seeing how this current storyline develops.
There were many teasers during the Vessel of Hatred campaign that didn’t fully lead anywhere, but I hope they will be explored in future updates. For example, why were we constantly reminded that we have Lilith’s blood running through our veins? Why didn’t Prava show more doubt in her faith after the events with Inarius in Hell? Why did they build Urivar up to abruptly end his story so jarringly? Hopefully, these questions will be addressed in upcoming seasons and expansions, though I fear Urivar may forever remain underutilized potential.
In the meantime, we have the Meat or Treat event to look forward to from October 29.
Additionally, the Book of Prava is now available for pre-order, shipping on November 19, and may provide further insight into the events of Vessel of Hatred and what’s to come.
