The highly anticipated Vessel of Hatred expansion for Diablo 4, initially set to launch at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET, has experienced a temporary delay. In a post on the Blizzard forums, Diablo community manager Adam Fletcher attributed the delay to a "small technical issue" that required resolution to ensure a simultaneous start for players across all platforms. Fletcher expressed optimism that the servers would be back online later in the evening.
"We apologize for the last-minute update regarding the time change, but this step is crucial to ensure that every player can embark on their journey through Nahantu together," Fletcher stated. When pressed for details on the duration of the delay, Fletcher responded on X that the delay is expected to be "just a couple of hours at most, but we shall see."
Blizzard will begin restricting new logins to Diablo 4 starting at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET, and players already logged in before that time may lose connection as the developer prepares for the expansion's launch. Vessel of Hatred promises to bring several new features to Diablo 4, including a new story campaign focused on Mephisto, Runewords inspired by Diablo 2, the return of recruitable Mercenaries, and a new class, the Spiritborn. Additionally, Update 2.0, which accompanies Vessel of Hatred but does not require the expansion, will significantly revamp Diablo 4's difficulty system to resemble Diablo 3's.
In GameSpot's review of Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, reviewer Alessandro Barbosa praised the first expansion for Blizzard's popular ARPG, calling it "a fantastic reentry point for returning Diablo 4 players" that revitalizes the entire experience.
