Diablo IV's second expansion, Lord of Hatred, has been in players' hands for less than 48 hours and the review embargo has fully lifted — the verdict is overwhelmingly positive. Sitting at an 84 on Metacritic for PS5, with the PC and Xbox versions close behind at 81-83, Lord of Hatred is earning praise as one of the strongest expansions the franchise has ever produced.
The Warlock Steals the Show
Of the two new classes introduced in Lord of Hatred, the Warlock is getting the lion's share of attention. Critics describe the class as an absolute powerhouse for crowd control, capable of summoning demons, weaving curses, and melting packs of enemies with abyssal shadow magic. Several reviewers noted the Warlock might even be slightly overpowered at launch — though few are complaining about it.
The Paladin, the expansion's other major class addition, has also landed well. Critics highlight the Paladin's versatile build options, ranging from aura-based support configurations to devastating holy-damage melee builds that feel distinct from the existing Barbarian and Crusader archetypes.
Mephisto's Arc Reaches a Satisfying Conclusion
The campaign is being praised as a tighter, more personal narrative than what the base game offered. Lord of Hatred brings the Mephisto storyline — which has been building since Diablo IV's original launch — to an emotionally charged conclusion. Multiple critics described the final act as genuinely surprising and the best story content Diablo IV has produced to date.
The expansion also introduces sweeping endgame changes, including the return of the Horadric Cube, a reworked Skill Tree system that gives every class more meaningful build variety, and a new loot filter system that players have been requesting since launch. These quality-of-life improvements, combined with the new story content and classes, have led some outlets to call Lord of Hatred the definitive version of Diablo IV.
How Does It Stack Up?
With around 90% positive reviews and not a single fully negative score among 31 counted reviews, Lord of Hatred's reception is resoundingly warm. It does sit slightly below the base Diablo IV's Metacritic score and the previous Vessel of Hatred expansion, though most critics attribute that gap to the inherent difficulty of reviewing expansion content in isolation rather than any meaningful quality drop.
Game Informer called it one of the best expansions in the history of the Diablo saga, while other critics praised the way it closes a lengthy narrative arc in truly epic fashion. If you stepped away from Diablo IV at any point over the past two years, Lord of Hatred makes a compelling case that now is the time to come back.
