Blizzard has laid out the launch plan for Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred, the next expansion built around a final campaign confrontation with Mephisto. The expansion begins rolling out April 27 at 4:00 p.m. PDT, with the official blog also listing Lord of Hatred as available April 28, 2026.
Lord of Hatred sends players to Skovos, a long-discussed region in Diablo lore, and introduces Temis as its capital city and new endgame hub. Blizzard says players will face Mephisto alongside old friends and unlikely allies as demonic forces spread across Sanctuary.
The expansion also adds two classes. The Warlock uses the forces of hell against their masters, while the Paladin returns as a sword-and-shield defender tied to the Light. Blizzard says players who pre-purchase Lord of Hatred can unlock the Paladin early.
Pre-downloads for patch 3.0.0 began April 23 at 4:00 p.m. PDT on Battle.net, Xbox and PlayStation. Blizzard notes that players can pre-download the patch even if they have not purchased the expansion.
War Plans, fishing and the Horadric Cube reshape endgame
Lord of Hatred's biggest structural addition is War Plans, a new endgame system based in Temis after the campaign. Players can chain activities into a custom playlist, including Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides, The Undercity, Lair Bosses, Infernal Hordes and The Pit. After finishing one activity, players can teleport directly into the next, and War Plans can generate a Sigil when needed.
Completing War Plans levels the Command Table and unlocks Activity Points for further customization. Whispers can also overlap with selected activities, rather than appearing only as separate nodes. That should matter for players already tracking Blizzard's earlier Lord of Hatred developer update, since this new blog turns those broad expansion beats into launch-week specifics.
Blizzard is also adding fishing across Skovos and Echoing Hatred, a rare challenge entered by offering a Trace of Echoes item at the Sightless Eye in Temis. Echoing Hatred throws players into a realm where enemies keep escalating until they are overwhelmed.
Itemization is getting another major pass. The new Talisman system uses Seals and Charms to add affixes, powers and set bonuses outside traditional gear slots. The Horadric Cube returns as a crafting station used to transmute, customize and create gear, consumables, Talisman objects and socketable items. Blizzard says the Cube can add, remove and reroll affixes, upgrade items, craft Unique Charms and help with Rune transformations.
Patch 3.0.0 brings loot filtering and skill tree reworks
Some of the largest changes arrive for all Diablo IV players through update 3.0.0. Blizzard is adding a loot filter that can hide, show or recolor gear in drops, inventory, stashes and vendors. Players can create up to 25 rules per filter, target conditions such as item power range, rarity, Greater Affixes, Codex upgrades, required affixes and specific Uniques, then export or import filter strings.
The update also adds a map overlay and pathfinding, raises the level cap to 70 and expands Torment difficulties from 4 to 12. Common, Magic and Rare items will still drop in Torment, with a chance to be Ancestral, and can serve as crafting bases through the Horadric Cube.
Class skill trees are being redesigned, with Blizzard listing more than 40 reworked choices, 80 additional options and up to 83 available Skill Points. Active skills now have three branches, while many passive effects are moving into Legendary Aspects and Uniques. The Druid is getting more control over shapeshift forms, and Necromancer minions are being moved more directly into the skill tree while the Book of the Dead remains largely intact.
Season of Reckoning launches with expansion systems, not a separate theme
Season of Reckoning launches alongside Lord of Hatred on April 27, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. PDT. Blizzard says the season will not have its own story, theme or gameplay elements, with the focus instead on the expansion and the 3.0.0 system overhaul.
Season Rank includes nine ranks and more than 100 objectives, with rewards such as up to 12 Skill Points, up to 42 Paragon points, up to 14 Resplendent Sparks, a Loathroot pet, mount trophy, emblems, titles, materials, currencies, boss keys and caches. Blizzard says just under 25% of the objectives require Lord of Hatred.
The Tower and Leaderboards Beta returns April 30 at 11:00 a.m. PDT with new environments, monsters, bosses, scoring adjustments, build snapshots for leaderboard entries and a Solo Warlock Ladder. A community challenge called Hatred's Downfall will reward all players with the Crown of Hatred if the Diablo IV community collectively earns 266,600,000 global Paragon Points.
Blizzard is also tying the launch to a KoЯn collaboration, a Jackson Diablo IV limited edition Kelly guitar, Diablo IV Twitch Drops and an Overwatch crossover. The Overwatch event begins April 28 at 11:00 a.m. PDT with new Diablo-themed skins, returning cosmetics and Twitch Drop weapon charms available through May 10.
Lord of Hatred requires the Diablo IV base game. The campaign itself requires the expansion, while several patch 3.0.0 features, including the loot filter, map overlay, pathfinding and skill changes, apply more broadly.