As the next big Diablo 4 expansion is drawing close in a few months, Blizzard has released more info about its new features and additions during Gamescom 2024, including its new Mercenaries system.

Because they’re pretty detailed & numerous, let’s break it down:

Mercenaries

Just like in Diablo 3, you can recruit an extra AI-driven Mercenary to help you on your quest. You get to pick one of the four to call to your side:

• Raheir the Shieldbearer (tank)
• Aldkin the Cursed Child (demon shapeshifting to either tank or DPS roles)
• Varyana the Berserker Crone (tank, DPS)
• Subo the Bounty Hunter (ranged, support)

You can choose one of them to complement your playstyle; squishy spellcasters and Rogues can recruit Raheir the Shieldbearer while tanky builds like the Barbarian can bring either Aldkin or Subo for that ranged support goodness. You have two options for this:

Hiring Mercenaries

You have the choice to select one of your unlocked Mercenaries as your hired hand. Hiring a Mercenary selects them as your main companion, and when playing solo they will join your party to use their host of selected skills to aid you in combat.

Mercenary Reinforement

Basically like a Marvel VS assist. Select another unlocked Mercenary within the Mercenary Den to be your combat Reinforcement. Reinforcements will emerge during combat to perform a skill to aid you in combat. Each Mercenary has abilities they can use to reinforce you by casting one of the skills you possess, or through a specific combat scenario. Setting this in-game action to trigger is called an Opportunity. For example, Reinforcements can have their Opportunity set to activate when you are hit by a Control Impairing Effect.

You can level up your Mercenaries by building Rapport. If you use one Mercenary more, you build up his/her Rapport more to upgrade their own skill tree. If you level them up beyond their level cap (which is level 10), you get Pale Marks coins which you can use to buy coveted items in The Den.

Dark Citadel (New Co-Op Mode)

The new co-op dungeon mode in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred. You and your team have to explore three individual wings of the titular citadel, fight tough enemies, and solve puzzles to head to the final boss and get exclusive loot.

In addition, you can earn Citadel Coins from completing this co-op mode; these let you unlock exclusive Dark Citadel cosmetics (like the one below). This being a high-level mode, the Dark Citadel only unlocks once you beat the Vessel of Hatred campaign and reached the endgame.

Party Finder

About f***ing time. Blizzard has finally added the option to find and curate the right party for you to join in Diablo 4.

Party Finder gives you the ability to list the type of party you’re looking for, set what game type or activity you’d like to run, where you’d like to play, and add preferences for both casual and completionist players alike. When Vessel of Hatred releases, this new feature will be available to all Diablo IV players, allowing you to find just the kind of party you need.

Undercity (New Roguelite Mode)

A new location in Kurast, this area is a new multistage time-attack dungeon for players to level up towards endgame content. This is basically a roguelite mode ala Hades, but with a Diablo 4 twist. Even with Helltides and Nightmare Dungeons available, it doesn’t hurt to have another option to earn riches and XP. Undercity mode seems like a good time.

Scrolls Of Retempering

A fan-requested item, Scrolls of Retempering allow you to reset temperings for the items you have. That means no more bricked item. This being a sought-after item, these Scrolls are only available in the endgame.

These are just the points I highlighted that are noteworthy, as someone who is currently knee-deep in Diablo 4 Season 5 when I’m supposed to be doing actual work. If you want a more detailed talk about it, check out the Blizzard video below.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred