Vessel of Hatred solves one half of the 'Dungeon Crawler' equation

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Key things

  • Diablo 4 struggles with its dungeon crawling elements despite improvements in other areas.
  • Vessel of Hatred improves exploration and boss fights, emphasizing the need for more dungeon work.
  • While Vessel of Hatred brings back the focus on dungeon exploration, Diablo 4's dungeons lack unique boss fights and interconnectedness.



Diablo as a series, it has always stayed within the confines of the dungeon-crawler genre, offering players several variations on the concept of dungeons, as well as loot and action combat, and Diablo 4 wanted to follow when it came out. With a huge focus on open world, dungeon crawling elements Diablo 4 fell through the cracks a bit, especially with its mostly objective dungeons split into different sections, each with a main mechanic that needs to be addressed before you head into the boss room. This slows down the process and forces the player to backtrack and explore every dead end for items that solve the mechanic. Vessel of Hatred fixes this, but still doesn't fully solve the “dungeon crawler equation”.


One could argue that Diablo 4 is two steps forward and one step back in several directions as it improves upon many aspects of the series or even adds new interesting ones, but other core elements are left behind in the process. Dungeon experience v Diablo 4 it falls into the latter category, as what appears to be a vital part of a game like Nightmare Dungeons tends to be disappointing in the long run. In this particular case, the problem has always been the lack of actual dungeon crawling, and while Vessel of Hatred helps, there's more heavy lifting to do.

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Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred's Nahantu Dungeons are the DLC's Unsung Hero

Dungeon-Crawling Diabla 4 returns to classic design at the cost of uniqueness

Diablo 4Dungeons of Nahantu is the unsung hero of the expansion in that it takes the series back to its dungeon crawling days with an experience that is more focused on exploring dungeons and killing bosses. This is a good change as the game basically removes the requirement to complete side tricks before you even get to the boss room. This means killing two birds with one stone:


  • Exploration can be rewarded with the same side tricks that were once mandatory, but this time they give extra loot if you complete and don't impose any penalty if you skip them.
  • The action part of the ARPG doesn't stop every now and then to take care of switches, keys, or similar items, and instead players can simply go ahead and kill the boss when they're ready.

as such Diablo 4The Vessel of Hatred expansion puts the spotlight back on this important aspect of the series, arguably even more so in the case of Nahant itself. In fact, Nahantu has a lot of narrow paths and small labyrinths that are true to the idea of ​​sticking to the side walls of the dungeon to reach its ends. The problem is, it's not the whole package.


Diablo 4's dungeons still lack spark

Diablo 4The endgame content changed with Vessel of Hatred, and while removing the focus from Nightmare Dungeons is a good thing, it's another step back from the series' dungeon crawling roots. Not only that, Nahantu's dungeons being more “classic” in their design and philosophy also make them stand out much less from each other – especially without unique and mechanically interesting boss fights. This remains a huge pain in the game for now and hopefully the next one as well Diablo 4 the extension will fix it.

even then Diablo 4The progression system lacks the element of interconnection between non-Sigil dungeons at the end of Nightmare Dungeons, which simply acts as a way to direct players to their next activity. What follows is that the dungeon crawling experience feels bare for the most part, even as the game moves away from its side gimmicks. Dungeons v Diablo 4 they just don't matter that much in the grand scheme of things, although it could be argued that the raid on the Dark Citadel Diablo 4 is online dungeon crawling at its best, not an activity that most of the player base will experience. It's a start, but a real return to form may take more than one DLC.


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