Diablo 4 Season 11 is in the strongest state the game has ever been — I know, guys, we’ve been here before, but this is genuinely the best version of the game Blizzard has given us to date — but, instead of being satisfied with the status quo, I find myself nervous about what’s coming in 2026. Will the upcoming expansion upset the balance again?
Season 11 has brought back a massive wave of players and, more importantly, is actually keeping them there. With the addition of the Paladin and a newfound variety in endgame activities (new bosses, the upcoming Tower, to name a few), Diablo 4 has seemingly found its footing.
Naturally, this makes me wary of the looming Lord of Hatred expansion, set for April 28, 2026. With another massive shake-up on the horizon, could we go from “D4 is good” back to — well, you know.
Everything I’ve loved about Season 11
The Paladin is the obvious headline, and it’s fun as hell because it is overtuned as hell. The "Castle" paragon node scaling off armor is clearly out of whack and will likely be nerfed to oblivion in future patches, but it’s making the class the undisputed top of the current meta.
Regardless, this isn't a Spiritborn-at-launch situation where bugs shattered the game and made it positively unfun for other classes. The Paladin’s power feels more intentional rather than accidental. A few numerical tweaks could bring it in line without gutting its identity entirely next season.
Beyond the obvious power fantasy, the Paladin has brought back the lapsed players. Those who mentally wrote the game off months ago. It finally delivers the sword-and-board archetype fans have begged for since the beginning. Between its strong visual identity and flexible buildcraft (there are many viable builds), it doesn't force you into a single playstyle. I’ve found myself really enjoying the class despite initial expectations.
I didn’t care for the Paladin in Diablo 2, and I can count on one hand how many times I picked up Crusader in Diablo 3, but I love the Diablo 4 Paladin. Spiritborn felt like a fun novelty I wouldn’t likely return to. But right now, I’m making Hammer Tornados my personality, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon.
Zooming out, the Paladin is just one piece of a much more satisfying puzzle. Crafting is finally fun. ‘Sanctification’ turned what could have been another forgettable seasonal gimmick into a compelling endgame thrill loop that I hope becomes a permanent fixture. Now that RNG has been removed from Tempering (along with the frustration), a perfect Sanctification is the new ultimate goal.
The journey of an item from its drop to tweaking its stats, tempering, socketing, and such before that final Sanctification stamp makes crafting our items more interactive. Any frustration I’ve felt during the process has been directed at my own stupidity. Sanctifying something before I’d finished tinkering with it. "I haven’t put a socket on my shield yet… I forgot to temper this… d’oh!"
But I love the finality of it. You aren’t just incrementally upgrading stats anymore. Sanctification is rolling for a miracle that might warrant a screenshot. Seeing people roll Shakos onto Shakos (even if it's only the 0.01%) adds a level of "what if" excitement that the game needed. I may never see that luck myself, but I love knowing it’s possible.
Similarly, Divine Gifts has fixed a long-standing issue: funneling players into a single correct activity. Instead of slamming the same dungeon endlessly, you’re rewarded for engaging with everything in the game. Pits, lair bosses, Helltides, and Undercity runs all feel meaningful.
Even when the loot you want doesn't drop, you’re still progressing your Divine Gifts. Though my one criticism is that they progress insanely slowly, I guess that keeps us playing longer. Blizzard even snuck in a secret Uber-style mega fight without telling us. Giving the community something to discover on their own.
The secret Uber fight is reminiscent of the hunt for the Cow Level and is exactly what the game needed. There was no dev blog explaining it into the ground; players had to stumble onto rare materials and piece together the ritual themselves. I’m currently sitting on one of the four materials needed, and that chase is what keeps me playing.
It’s genuinely aspirational content that doesn’t feel like a slog. It proves that Diablo works best when it realizes that not everything needs to be accessible to everyone immediately.
Vessel of Hatred played it a little too safe
This brings us back to my concern regarding expansions. Vessel of Hatred played it a little too safe. It barely moved the needle, really. Runes and Mercenaries are fine, but they don't reshape the endgame. You can engage with them, or as I often do until a Season Journey chapter forces my hand — forget they even exist.
In hindsight, that restraint was likely intentional. Narratively, Blizzard wanted to drag out Mephisto’s arc, which led to a lackluster finale in Vessel, but should lead to a much more impactful confrontation in Lord of Hatred this coming April. Historically, Diablo expansions like Lord of Destruction or Reaper of Souls have radically redefined the game.
We didn't get that wild shake-up with Vessel of Hatred because Blizzard was still busy rebuilding trust and stabilizing core systems. Lord of Hatred, however, isn't shaping up to be so conservative. And when the game is finally this good, a wild shake-up is pretty damn frightening! Lord of Hatred will change everything, for better or worse.
Based on what we already know, Lord of Hatred isn’t just tacking on a new map and calling it a day. We’re looking at a total reconstruction of the skill trees for all classes and major overhauls to the endgame. We’re getting War Plans, Echoing Hatred gauntlets, and finally loot filters (YAY!).
The Horadric Cube is returning as a core crafting pillar, the level cap is rising again, and we’re getting a second new class. Even the underlying philosophy behind progression appears to be shifting. That’s exciting for sure, but I’m not counting my chickens just yet.
When a game finally reaches this kind of equilibrium, sweeping changes become a massive gamble.
Diablo 4 finally feels cohesive right now. Systems complement each other rather than compete for our attention. Seasonal mechanics enhance the base game instead of distracting from it — so much so that we want to keep Sanctifying forever (Blizz, if you’re reading this, please please please keep Sanctification).
The loot chase is compelling without being an exhausting chore, and progression finally respects the player's time (unless you are trying to reach paragon 300, which I've given up on for now). When a game finally reaches this kind of equilibrium, sweeping changes become a massive gamble.
Lord of Hatred could elevate Diablo 4 even further, and I sincerely hope it does, but it could also shatter the current loop. There’s a real risk of introducing too many overlapping systems that lead to choice paralysis or overcorrecting too far toward complexity.
Where exactly will the Horadric Cube fit into the current meta? How will the new set bonuses affect the current gear chase? I’m worried because Season 11 has finally nailed these clean, satisfying gameplay loops, and it’s anyone’s guess how all these new moving parts will fit together.
Excited? Absolutely — Confident? Not quite.
None of this is to say I’m dreading Lord of Hatred. I’m just more cautiously optimistic compared to the complete hype train I was on prior to Vessel of Hatred’s launch.
Diablo 4 has earned some real goodwill back with Season 11, and I don’t want to see that go to waste in 2026. I am loving most of all that Blizzard is trusting the community to discover content organically without spoon-feeding us every secret in a patch note.
I want them to take this momentum and run with it. But Lord of Hatred has a massive mountain to climb. It will be judged against Season 11, the best version of the game we’ve ever had. We are past the point of needing to tear Diablo 4 down just to rebuild it again. We’ve had Loot Reborn, then Crafting Reborn.
Whatever comes next needs to expand on this without being a total wrecking ball. If Blizzard gets this right, Lord of Hatred could cement Diablo 4’s identity for years, serving as its Reaper of Souls style renaissance.
What about you? How are you finding Season 11 so far? Are you a lapsed player who came back for the Paladin, or have you been grinding since launch? And looking ahead to April, are you hyped for the Skill Tree reworks and the return of the Cube, or are you worried the game is going to get too complex?
Drop a comment below. I’d love to hear if I'm the only one feeling this nervous excitement.
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