Blizzard premiered the Lord of Hatred trailer for Diablo 4 at The Game Awards 2025 on December 11, 2025, and followed up with details about several new systems coming with the expansion. One of the clearest quality-of-life additions is an item loot filter that lets players hide or highlight drops on the ground before they pick them up. Blizzard positions the filter as a way to reduce inventory noise and make the rare drops that do appear feel more meaningful.
Lord of Hatred also expands each class’ skill tree to introduce more build-defining options that were previously tied too tightly to gear. Developers have acknowledged that gear has carried far more weight than the skill tree, and these changes aim to give player choices in the tree more impact.
The expansion will introduce a new endgame system called War Plans that allows players to chart a customized progression path. Players will be able to select favored activities and layer modifiers to increase difficulty and rewards as they push for higher-value loot. Blizzard is adding Echoing Hatred, described as a relentless gauntlet of demonic hordes for high-power characters, and is also putting fishing into the game. The studio says players will explore islands around Skovos and try fishing mechanics that are new to Diablo 4.
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is scheduled to launch on April 28, 2026, and pre-ordering the expansion will grant immediate access to the paladin class. Blizzard posted a short teaser ahead of the announcement; see the Lord of Hatred teaser for the brief clip the studio shared on X.
Console & PC Gaming will continue to track development and post hands-on impressions once Blizzard shares dates for beta access and more details about War Plans and Echoing Hatred. Follow CPG for more Diablo 4 and Lord of Hatred coverage on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.
Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred
