After months of silence about Diablo 4‘s second expansion, Blizzard Entertainment turned up to The Game Awards on Thursday with a big reveal, a release date, and a whole lot of info. Diablo 4‘s Lord of Hatred expansion will be released on April 28, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred will serve as the climax to Diablo 4‘s Age of Hatred saga, Blizzard says, pitting you and a recently returned Lilith against Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, in a new campaign set in the region of Skovos. It’s an island chain beset by natural terrors — expect volcanic eruptions and vicious storms to impede your journey — and challenges of a more hellish persuasion, as well as part of Sanctuary Blizzard has long wanted to explore, but never found the right moment until now.
The classic Paladin class will return to shine a holy light on Skovos as part of the Lord of Hatred expansion (or sooner, if you pre-purchase it), but with a few twists unique to Diablo 4. In addition to what Blizzard calls the Paladin’s “sword and board” staples of divinely inspired melee attacks and defensive maneuvers, you’ll have auras and holy conjuration skills, along with a new angelic transformation that turns your Paladin into an “avatar of celestial justice” inspired by Tyrael.
The Lord of Hatred expansion will also add a second class to Diablo 4, though Blizzard is holding back details on that one for now. But the developer teased the second unrevealed class will “reshape the battlefield” when it’s added.
Blizzard says Lord of Hatred will introduce “one of the most comprehensive gameplay evolutions since launch,” with alterations to endgame challenges and loot gathering, along with several long-requested changes to how Diablo 4 handles items and crafting. The Horadric Cube from Diablo 2 is back, an item that lets you mash different things together to get a better thing at the end. Blizzard didn’t say how the cube will function, but given the poor reception to the reforging process in the Vessel of Hatred expansion, you can probably expect it to handle upgrades and alchemy in a manner similar to the old Horadric Cube and Kanai’s Cube in Diablo 3.
Other improvements include redesigned skill trees for all eight classes and a loot filter that, in theory, makes it easier to target the gear you actually want. You’ll also have the option to make a “war plan” before starting endgame activities, which lets you pick activities and modifiers for a more tailored, less random run. There’s a new horde mode called Echoing Hatred that throws wave after wave of increasingly powerful enemies at you, and if that’s all a bit too much, you can finally take a fishing break and cast your line in Sanctuary’s rivers and lakes. No guarantee what comes out isn’t horribly mutated and consumed with murderous intent, but hey, it’s a welcome change of pace.
While we wait for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred to arrive in 2026, here’s a look at the Paladin in action and the new Skovos region players will explore.
