Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred FAQ: Launch times in your timezone, the best place to buy, what's in the DLC, Twitch drops and more

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

What you need to know

  • Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred launches on October 7 or October 8 depending on your region. 
  • It will be available to pre-download along with a Season 6 patch on September 30 for PC and October 5 for consoles.
  • To celebrate the launch there will be free items in the store and Twitch drops to earn. 

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred is on the horizon, launching on October 7 in the US and early October 8 in the rest of world. Blizzard have just dropped the launch times map and preload details so we can get ready to enter the jungles of Nahantu right on time.

The expansion will launch at the same time as Season 6: Season of Hatred (which we know is the title thanks to this Wowhead leak). The Season content is available to all players, not just those who have purchased the expansion. Here's everything you need to know about launch day and what to expect, whether you have purchased the expansion or not. If you haven't, I even have a discount to share!

What time does Vessel of Hatred launch?

Vessel of Hatred was meant to launch on October 8 but the US territories will actually get the game on October 7, 2024. (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

While advertised as an October 8 launch, this translates to different times all over the world and will actually be October 7 in US territories. Here's the times Vessel of Hatred and Season 6: Season of Hatred goes live in your timezone:

October 7, 2024

  • 4 p.m PDT
  • 7 p.m EDT
  • 8 p.m BRT

October 8, 2024

  • 12 a.m BST
  • 1 a.m CEST
  • 2 a.m TRT
  • 8 a.m KST
  • 10 a.m AEDT
  • 12 p.m NZDT

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred preload times 

Pre-download is available on all platforms. You will be able to pre-download the patch that contains Vessel of Hatred and Season 6 content regardless of whether you have purchased the Vessel of Hatred Expansion.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Pre-download available
PlatformEDTPDTBST
Battle.netSeptember 30, at 7 p.m. EDTSeptember 30, at 4 p.m. PDTOctober 1, at 12 a.m BST
Console (Xbox and PlayStation)October 5, at 7 p.m. EDTOctober 5, at 4 p.m. PDTOctober 6, at 12 a.m BST

Steam users will be able to download the update when Vessel of Hatred goes live on October 7, at 4 p.m. PDT.

Best place to purchase Vessel of Hatred? 

Currently if you want Vessel of Hatred on Xbox, it's actually cheaper on CD Keys than via Microsoft. If you're looking to get the game on PC for Battle.net or Steam though, it's still full price which is $39.99 for the base edition. 

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred | was$39.99 now $35.49 at CD Keys (XBOX) 

If you don't care about cosmetics, grab the cheapest edition for all the new content and you'll still get a new Snow Leopard pet. 

Deluxe Edition | was $59.99 now $53.29
Ultimate Edition | was $89.99 now $79.09

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred | was $39.99 now $35.49 at CD Keys (XBOX)

Pricing for the new expansion starts from $39.99 MSRP, with the Deluxe and Ultimate coming with some extra cosmetics. If you don't care about cosmetics, grab the cheapest edition for all the new content and you'll still get a new Snow Leopard pet. The Deluxe Edition gets you a War-Cat mount, Premium Battle Pass token and Spiritborn Armor Set, as well as another Wolf pet. The Ultimate Edition comes with all of the above plus 3000 Platinum to spend in the Diablo store, Angel and Demon Wings, a THIRD cat pet, armor sets for all classes, and the Nahantu Town Portal.

Deluxe Edition | was $59.99 now $53.29
Ultimate Edition | was $89.99 now $79.09

What is in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred?

If you purchase Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred you will get access to the following new content:

  • Nahantu Region (new map area) –including Dungeons, Strongholds, Side Quests, new Legion Events, and Nahantu monster families.
  • New Spiritborn Class.
  • Vessel of Hatred Campaign.
  • Nahantu Region Renown.
  • Runewords.
  • Dark Citadel (new co-op PVE dungeon).
  • Mercenaries.
  • Kurast Undercity.
  • Trading for Vessel of Hatred-specific Resources.

New content for all players, even if you don't buy the DLC

If you're not sure about commiting to purchasing the new expansion yet, and just want to play Diablo Season 6, then no fear there is new stuff for everyone to enjoy without having to purchase Vessel of Hatred. 

  • New max level of 60.
  • New difficulties.
  • New Paragon max level of 300.
  • Paragon system rework.
  • Item quality rework.
  • 2 new character slots.
  • New class skills and passives for each class.
  • New Party Finder feature.
  • New Seasonal Content (Season of Hatred).
  • New Season Rewards (Season Journey, Battle Pass, Reputation Board).

Do I need to purchase Vessel of Hatred for each platform I want to play?

Yes. If you want to play Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred on Xbox, and also on PC, you will need to purchase it on both platforms. The same applies to Steam. However, if you purchase the Ultimate Edition for extra cosmetics, these cosmetics are linked to your Battle.net account. For example, you can purchase the Ultimate Edition on Xbox and the Standard Edition on PC, and the cosmetics will carry over.

Additionally, if you buy the game on one platform and use expansion-specific equipment like Runewords, these will not disappear if you start the game on another non-expansion-owning platform. The only parts that will be locked to you are the Nahantu area and gameplay elements like the Dark Citadel. 

Is Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred on Xbox Game Pass?

No. The base game of Diablo 4 is on Xbox Game Pass for Ultimate subscribers, but if you want to play the Vessel of Hatred expansion you will need to purchase it. This is similar to how Starfield Game Pass players are required to purchase Shattered Space. 

Free items in the store to celebrate the launch

There's free cosmetics to be earned in The Dark Citadel (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

When logging in at Vessel of Hatred launch, there will be 3 new cosmetic items in the store for everyone to claim for free. Additionally, from October 8, 2024 through to November 8, if you complete The Dark Citadel you will earn a new cat mount, the Reins of the Longfur Beast alongside the weekly reward cache.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Twitch drops 

To celebrate the launch of Vessel of Hatred, from October 8-November 5 you can earn in-game cosmetic rewards simply by watching your favorite streamers (or leaving them on in the background while you play yourself.) Owning an edition of Diablo IV or Vessel of Hatred is not required to gain progress toward and earn Twitch drops, so you can earn them and claim them later!

Each week of the event will have items for each class. You need to watch 3 hours of eligible Diablo 4 content to claim each week's rewards. Please note that after watching any eligible streamer for 3 hours, you must claim the corresponding reward prior to gaining progress towards the next reward.

From October 8—November 5,, you can also show your support for streamers within the Diablo IV category by purchasing or gifting their channel Twitch subscriptions of any tier. Purchasing or Gifting 2 Twitch Subscriptions will earn you the Ghost of the Conquered Mount. 4 Twitch Subscriptions will earn the Glory of Victor Mount Armor. 

You can earn progress toward a drop by watching any eligible content creator in the Diablo IV category on Twitch. For instance, you can watch 30 minutes on one channel, then switch to another without losing your progress. Keep in mind, watching multiple channels simultaneously won’t speed up your progress. Additionally, streams playing in the background or inactive tabs won't count toward the required watch hours.

Make sure you have your Battle.net account connected to your Twitch account before you take part. 

Pre-launch live stream on October 2

The Diablo 4 developers will appear on a live stream on October 2 at 11 a.m. PDT / 2 p.m. EDT / 7 p.m. BST to discuss what they learned from the Patch 2.0 Public Test Realm, Season 6 activities and more on Vessel of Hatred.

Jennifer Young

Jen is a News Writer for Windows Central, focused on all things gaming and Microsoft. Anything slaying monsters with magical weapons will get a thumbs up such as Dark Souls, Dragon Age, Diablo, and Monster Hunter. When not playing games, she'll be watching a horror or trash reality TV show, she hasn't decided which of those categories the Kardashians fit into. You can follow Jen on Twitter @Jenbox360 for more Diablo fangirling and general moaning about British weather. 

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