On November 3, Diablo general manager Rod Ferguson and production directors Tiffany Wat and Chris Wilson took the stage at BlizzCon’s opening ceremony to recap the plethora of quality-of-life updates released for Diablo IV since Season of Blood began on October 17, and to provide a glimpse at the fiendish adventures coming to Diablo IV.

For our first Expansion, you’ll be taken somewhere more sinister than ever before—a place where hatred’s influence continues to strangle Sanctuary into submission…

[previewyoutube=gHuaCwmx-Rg;full][/previewyoutube]

Vessel of Hatred continues the grim tale that began in Diablo IV, as you learn the fate of the prime evil Mephisto and his demonic plans for Sanctuary. To do that, you’ll be visiting a region new to Diablo IV, known by the locals as Nahantu. With this continuation of the campaign’s story comes new ways to play, new evils to vanquish, and a brand-new Class never before seen in the Diablo universe. Vessel of Hatred releases late next year, and we can’t wait to share more about it with you next summer.

In the less-distant future, the third Season of Diablo IV will usher in a whole new type of weekly challenge Dungeon called The Gauntlet, where wanderers can compete for their Class ranking against anyone in the world. At the end of each week, the combatants with the highest rank will have their name cemented in the Seasonal Hall of the Ancients for all of time.

Ever wonder what the holidays are like in Sanctuary? Well, now you can find out in our first seasonal event, Midwinter Blight, beginning on December 12 and lasting for three weeks. Trudge through the snow-laden, winter terror-land of Fractured Peaks, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a mysterious, red-cloaked terror!

Now that we’ve given you a glimpse of some of what’s to come in the future, let’s come back to the present. Starting next week, we’ll introduce 5 Unique, class-specific Rings that will let you tap into powers from Season of the Malignant.

Then on December 5, an Enchanting preview feature for the Occultist will come to Diablo IV. This will allow you to see what affixes are possible, before spending your hard-earned gold. It’s another way to give you even more control over developing just the right build for whatever Hell throws your way. Also starting on December 5 is Abattoir of Zir, a highly replayable six-week end-game event experience designed for players who have reached Level 100, slain Uber Duriel, and mastered all the other challenges Season of Blood has to offer. Those who survive will attain a Paragon Glyph constructed from Lord Zir’s very own blood. But beware—the Abattoir of Zir starts at a soul-crushing difficulty and only gets harder.

All of this is made possible by the support of our players, and most importantly, your feedback. Thanks to feedback, we’ve added an endgame boss ladder for receiving Unique and Uber Unique items at a higher rate, made the ascent to Level 100 40% faster than it was in Season of the Malignant, reworked Item Power to be more rewarding, and released a ton quality-of-life updates through our patches.

For an overview of everything Diablo IV happening at BlizzCon this year, please see this article.

Thank you for slaying demons with us!
-The Diablo IV team