2024 was a good year forDiablo 4, and the latter half brought forth some of the game’s strongest moments. The arrival of its first major expansion, Vessel of Hatred, introduced a brand-new class with the Spiritborn and an exciting new location with Nahantu. Despite these successful additions,Diablo 4has found itself in some serious competition with the anticipated arrival ofPath of Exile 2in early access.
AlthoughDiablo 4has the benefit of being a more streamlined action-RPGthat allows for different skill levels,Path of Exile 2is a good option for gamers who crave a more hardcore experience. Even in early access,Path of Exile 2has been received really well by players, and ifDiablo 4wants to keep up with this fresh competition it needs to kick the year off strong by announcing its next expansion sooner rather than later.
Diablo 4 Needs to Reignite Hype With a Fresh Expansion
While the start of 2024 was solid forDiablo 4, the first trailer for Vessel of Hatredthat was released over the summer marked the start of a stronger latter half. Once the first trailer for the DLC dropped, a lot of fresh attention was pointed towardDiablo 4, and announcing the next expansion would only bring forth new hype.
Vessel of Hatred was confirmed almost a full year before it finally launched in October 2024, and with no official news onDiablo 4’s next story DLC, it would be in Blizzard’s best interest to act fast.Diablo 4may have ended the year on a good note, butPath of Exile 2has taken some of the excitement that could greatly benefit the former.
At the time of this writing,Path of Exile 2boasts a “very positive” review score on Steam.
Riding the Wave of Vessel of Hatred’s Success
ManyDiablo 4players spent the year waiting for Vessel of Hatred to finally launch. However, with no indication ofDiablo 4’s next big expansionbeing on the horizon, a lot of players don’t have anything huge to look forward to. Of course, there is the impending Season 7 that is expected to begin in late January, but there needs to be more.
A powerful way to kick off the year would be to reassure players that there are big things on the way that can keep many excited.Season 7 is promising some exciting additionsto the game, but a full-blown expansion reveal would be even better. Granted, launching Season 7 shortly afterPath of Exile 2’s early access release is another strong way to regain some of that attention, but going even bigger and better with its planned content could really giveDiablo 4a special edge.
Vessel of Hatred was announced at BlizzCon 2023 in November and officially released on Jun 10, 2025.
The Next Expansion for Diablo 4 Remains a Mystery
As of now, what the nextDiablo 4expansion entails is a complete mystery. With excitement forSeason 7 ofDiablo 4mounting, dropping news of a future expansion at the season’s release would be a welcome update, but only time will tell if that’s the case. Until then, Vessel of Hatredcontinues to be a strong upgrade that brings a compelling and unique class to the game.Diablo 4will hopefully be able to capture lightning in a bottle twice with another fresh class in the next big DLC, but that may be easier said than done.
WhateverDiablo 4’s future plans are, it’s likely that Blizzard is analyzing the best methods toset itself apart fromPath of Exile 2in a way that helps it come out on top. WithPath of Exile 2’s impressive state early on, it will be tough competition, but it will also be exciting to watch unfold.
