Today at The Game Awards, Blizzard Entertainment unveiled Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred, the next chapter in the Age of Hatred saga and the climactic showdown with Mephisto himself.

Launching 28 April 2026 AEST/UTC+8, the second expansion to Diablo IV delivers a high-stakes campaign, two formidable new classes, sweeping gameplay evolutions, and reveals Sanctuary’s oldest, most storied region: Skovos.

Players who pre-purchase the expansion can step into the Light immediately with the Paladin, Diablo IV’s most-requested new class. Playable today, the radiant sword-and-shield champion channels holy power to smite the encroaching darkness of Mephisto’s malevolence. Plus, players will get instant access to Vessel of Hatred, Diablo IV’s first expansion with Lord of Hatred purchase–unlocking the Spiritborn class, Mercenaries, and the wilds of Nahantu.

Check out the Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred Official Release Date Cinematic, which premiered exclusively at The Game Awards 2025, here, and the Paladin blog post here.

THE STORY | The Age of Hatred Reaches Its Climax

• Hell’s legions now spill freely into Sanctuary, each deathly omen pointing to Mephisto’s long-laid design. As the Pools of Creation draw the Prime Evil ever closer, humanity as we know it stands on the brink of destruction. To stop him, the Wanderer must turn to an impossible ally whose return forces a fragile alliance bound by necessity, not trust.

NEW CLASSES | The Paladin Rises, While Another Looms on the Dark Horizon

• Paladin: Hammer, shield, and Holy Light converge in the hands of Diablo’s indomitable holy warrior. With iconic abilities like Blessed Hammer, Auras, Zeal, and Heaven’s Fury with divine transformations including Arbiter form. Available todaywith pre-purchase.
• A second new classwaits in the shadows, bringing unbridled power with the launch of Lord of Hatred in April.

NEW REGION | Sanctuary’s First Civilisation Await

• The journey to stop Mephisto takes players to the never-before-seen region of Skovos, the ancient birthplace of the firstborn civilisation and former home of Lilith and Inarius. Now ruled by The Oracle and Amazon Queen, Skovos blends volcanic coasts, rain-lashed forests, forgotten temples, and ocean-worn ruins, filled with new demons, dungeons, and lore.

GAME UPDATES | A Reforged Gameplay Experience

• The Lord of Hatredexpansion introduces Diablo IV’s most significant gameplay reworks since launch:
  • Reworked skill treewith expanded caps and new class-defining variants
  • A new Loot Filterfor targeted farming
  • Enhanced crafting with the return of the Horadric Cub
  • A powerful new Talisman system granting set-bonus buildcraft
  • Player-driven War Plansto shape the player’s endgame path
  • Echoing Hatred, an unending gauntlet of demonic hordes for the ultimate test of skill
  • And a calmer pursuit–Fishingalong Sanctuary’s perilous waterways

Players who pre-purchase gain early access to the Paladin class, plus: 1 extra Stash Tab, 2 additional Character Slots, and 3 World of Warcraft décor items.

GAME EDITIONS

• All editions of Lord of Hatredinclude immediate access to Diablo IV’s first expansion, Vessel of Hatred.  Deluxe and Ultimate Editions add pets, mounts, armour bundles, cosmetics, Platinum, and more. Further details are available here, with pre-purchase details here.
• Blizzard also announced the Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection, inclusive of the base game and both expansions, crafted for new wanderers stepping into Sanctuary for the first time. Battle through Nahantu, Skovos and the far reaches of the world with eight unique classes, including the all-new Paladin and Spiritborn. Once the campaign concludes, brace for greater trials in a robust endgame with full cross-play and cross-progression.

The Lord of Hatred press kit can be found here.

See you in Sanctuary!

Many thanks,

Hamish

ABOUT DIABLO

Blizzard Entertainment’s iconic Diablo universe transformed video games forever in 1996, defining the action-RPG genre while immersing players in a dark world of damnation unprecedented in the industry. In the decades since, Diablo has put hell on earth for players globally across PC, console, and mobile. Diablo® IV, the latest instalment in the genre-defining series, features cross-platform play and progression on Windows® PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, and Steam.