Do I need Vessel of Hatred to play Lord of Hatred?

No. Lord of Hatred includes the full Vessel of Hatred expansion bundled in every edition. You only need the base Diablo IV game plus Lord of Hatred. VoH is effectively obsolete as a standalone purchase.

If I already own Vessel of Hatred, do I get a discount on Lord of Hatred?

No. Blizzard has not offered an upgrade path or discount for existing VoH owners. Existing VoH owners pay full LoH price ($39.99 Standard) and the bundled VoH content included in LoH is redundant for them. This has been a point of community friction.

Which expansion should a new player buy first?

Buy base Diablo IV + Lord of Hatred Standard Edition. LoH bundles VoH automatically, so you get both expansions for the price of one. Skip VoH as a standalone purchase — it costs the same as LoH but gives you less content.

Is Lord of Hatred a bigger expansion than Vessel of Hatred?

Yes. LoH ships two classes (Paladin + Warlock) vs VoH's one (Spiritborn). LoH also overhauls core systems — skill tree rework, level cap raise to 70, loot filter, Horadric Cube return, Charms + Talismans, new War Plans endgame, Echoing Hatred — while VoH focused on content addition (Nahantu, Mercenaries, Citadel, Kurast Undercity). LoH is the more ambitious release.

Diablo IV

Lord of Hatred vs Vessel of Hatred — scope, content, pricing, and which to buy first. LoH bundles VoH so new players should skip VoH. Existing VoH owners pay full price with no upgrade path.

Blog Buying Guide 8 min read

Lord of Hatred vs Vessel of Hatred

By the DiabloBytes team · Updated April 2026 · Which expansion to buy

Two expansions for the price of one — if you buy the right one. Lord of Hatred, launching April 28, 2026, bundles the full Vessel of Hatred expansion into every edition. New players get both expansions by buying LoH alone. Existing VoH owners, meanwhile, pay full LoH price with no upgrade path — a choice Blizzard has confirmed and the community has pushed back on. Here's the comparison and the buying recommendation.

⚡ Short Answer

New to D4: Buy base game + Lord of Hatred Standard ($39.99). Skip VoH — LoH includes it.
Already own VoH: Pay full LoH price ($39.99+). No upgrade discount. VoH bundle is redundant for you.
Already own both (or will): LoH is the bigger, more ambitious expansion by scope. Skill tree rework + endgame overhaul are free for everyone regardless.

Scope Comparison

Vessel of Hatred

Released Oct 8, 2024 · $39.99 Standard

+ Spiritborn class
+ Nahantu jungle region
+ Mercenary companions (Raheir, Subo, Varyana, Aldkin)
+ Dark Citadel coop endgame
+ Kurast Undercity
+ Runewords (returning)
+ Party Finder
+ Torment difficulty overhaul (replaced World Tiers)

Lord of Hatred

Releases April 28, 2026 · $39.99 Standard (bundles VoH)

+ Two classes — Paladin + Warlock
+ Skovos region (Amazon isles)
+ Temis endgame hub
+ Horadric Cube returns
+ War Plans endgame
+ Echoing Hatred endless mode
+ Full skill tree rework (free for all)
+ Level cap 60 → 70 (free)
+ Loot filter (free)
+ Charms + Talismans slot system
+ Fishing
+ 12 Torment tiers (up from 4)
+ Bundles all of Vessel of Hatred

Which Is the Bigger Expansion?

Lord of Hatred — by a wide margin. VoH was strong on content additions (new class, new region, new companions) but didn't fundamentally change how the game plays at endgame. LoH ships two classes instead of one, plus system-level reworks that touch every player:

◆ Skill tree rework removes Key Passives and adds tag-modifying upgrades
◆ Level cap raise to 70
◆ Loot filter — the most-requested QoL since 2023
◆ Horadric Cube return
◆ War Plans replaces the siloed solo activity endgame
◆ Charms + Talismans slot system replaces the consumable-affix paradigm
◆ Torment tiers expanded from 4 to 12

VoH's reputation was "good expansion, could have been bigger." LoH is shaping up to be the expansion that transforms D4 the way Reaper of Souls transformed D3.

Pricing

Edition	VoH	LoH
Standard	$39.99	$39.99
Deluxe	$59.99	$59.99
Ultimate	$89.99	$89.99

Prices match edition-for-edition. But since LoH bundles all of VoH while VoH bundles nothing, LoH is strictly better value for new players. The catch: existing VoH owners pay full LoH price and the bundled VoH content is redundant — there's no discount path.

The VoH Owner Friction

This is the community's biggest complaint and Blizzard has not budged. If you spent $40 on VoH in October 2024, your LoH pre-purchase also costs $40 — but half of that $40 technically goes toward content you already own. There is no upgrade tier, no returning-customer discount, no VoH-owner bundle.

On the bright side: if you already played VoH, you don't need to replay any of it. LoH's campaign picks up directly from the Vessel of Hatred cliffhanger, and your existing VoH progression (Spiritborn, Nahantu access, Mercenaries) all remains canon and playable. The bundled VoH inside LoH is for players who skipped it.

The Recommendations

New to D4 (no expansions) Base D4 + LoH Standard — $39.99 + $39.99 (plus base game). LoH bundles VoH. You get every expansion, every class (Spiritborn, Paladin, Warlock), Nahantu + Skovos, full endgame.

Own base D4 only Buy LoH Standard. Skip VoH entirely — LoH bundles it.

Own base D4 + VoH Buy LoH Standard full price. No upgrade path. The bundled VoH content is redundant for you. Painful but no alternative.

Paladin is your main draw Any LoH pre-purchase grants Paladin early access inside the current VoH content. Full Paladin public launch is April 28 regardless of pre-purchase.

Warlock is your main draw Warlock is not in early access. No reason to rush pre-purchase. Buy on or after April 28.

Only care about skill tree rework / loot filter Those are free for all D4 players at the patch. You do not need LoH. You only lose the 20+ LoH-exclusive transformative skill variants per class.