First introduced in Diablo II, Blizzard has decided to bring back the feature of hiring mercenaries for their upcoming Diablo IV expansion, “Vessel of Hatred”. The trailer that debuted at Gamescom features a glimpse at the types of mercenaries you’ll be able to hire for your quest, including a literal demon.
Each mercenary is unique in the role they serve and comes with their own backstory, personality, and skills. They also have their own skill trees with a variety of choices that make them more supportive, combat focused, or a mix. Mercenaries can be enlisted as Reinforcements, periodically coming to your aid to perform attacks.
You have four mercenaries to choose from with Vessel of Hatred:
- Raheir – Born to the lawless and rough streets of Gea Kul and trained by the Iron Wolves
- Varyana – Former cannibal who left her tribe when they started dealing with darker forces; butcher by trade turned mercenary
- Aldkin – Half-child, half-demon creature born part demonic due to the influence of the First Khazra from the Citadel performing dark rituals on his mother
- Subo – A disgraced Archer from the mountains, shunned by the same people who had looked to him for salvation and now a bounty hunter for hire
Mercenaries will gain Rapport as they accompany you in the world. The more rapport you earn, unlocking valuable rewards and bartering currency. As you build rapport, you can Barter with your mercs and enter trade agreements for a chance at powerful loot and other items.
Also revealed was the new co-op PvE end-game experience in Dark Citadel. The new feature combines multiplayer mechanics with action-packed dungeon combat and boss fights. Players will enter the Dark Citadel with any group size from 2 to 4 players and fight complex bosses requiring coordination as well as split forces as you traverse down separate paths. You’ll also be able to communicate non-verbally to your team with the new Marker System. Earn weekly caches by completing the Dark Citadel each week for powerful loot as well as unique Dark Citadel cosmetic rewards you can earn.
Lastly, there’s the Kurast Undercity, an intense new multi-stage, time-attack dungeon built for both leveling and late game item farming. Players can influence the type of loot they earn by applying special keys called Spirit Tributes and increase the quality of their bounty by completing in-dungeon challenges, then defeating one of Undercity’s all new bosses.
Arriving October 8, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred will feature cross-platform play and cross-progression on Windows, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Steam, plus up to four player co-op, including two player couch co-op on consoles.
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