During Opening Night Live at Gamescom yesterday afternoon, Blizzard’s Johanna Faries took the stage to chat about everything coming Blizzard’s way over the next few minutes – call it a five-minute BlizzCon, if you will, and you should because there’s no BlizzCon this year. But the focus of Faries’ appearance was most definitely Diablo IV, whose Vessel of Hatred expansion is due out on October 8th – and now, Blizzard has followed it up with a second deeper-dive entry homing in on the expansion’s big chunks of content thanks to the Xbox show at the con.
“Unlocked during the Main Quest in Vessel of Hatred, these stalwart partners are here to ensure you never fight alone,” the team explains. “They will follow you to the deepest dungeons and endure the darkest battles. Each Pale Hand Mercenary carries their own past, inclinations, and unique skills to rally beside you in combat. Descend into the Den—the secret hideout for the Mercenaries—and complete key quests to bring further unique brigands to your side.”
The long-form dev blog explores a “motley crew” of four mercenaries – Raheir the Shieldbearer, Aldkin the Cursed Child, Varyana the Berserker Crone, Subo the Bounty Hunter – and their associated questlines and abilities, plus how players can earn rapport with them. It also touches on the game’s first co-op dungeon challenge, the Dark Citadel and its trio of unlockable wings – and the party finder you’ll be using to group for it.
