The Lord of Hatred expansion for Diablo IV has brought the game back to life on Steam. One week after its release on May 3, it reached 64,500 concurrent players, surpassing the previous record of 55,500 from October 2024 with Vessel of Hatred. Reviews also improved, going from 65% mixed to 73% mostly positive, with scores of 83-84% on Metacritic and OpenCritic.
The graphics engine handles demonic chaos without issues 🎮
The technical success of Lord of Hatred lies in its optimization to handle large hordes of enemies. Blizzard's developers adjusted the physics and particle engine for battles against Mephisto, who unleashes waves of Hell upon Sanctuary. This allowed maintaining stable 60 fps on mid-range PCs, even with dynamic lighting and shadow effects. The Steam integration also improved, reducing load times and connection errors that affected Vessel of Hatred.
Lilith, the unexpected ally nobody asked for 😈
In the new story, players must seek help from old friends and Lilith, the mother of demons. Yes, you read that right: now you have to ask favors from the very one who tried to end everything in the main campaign. It's like inviting your ex to dinner after they burned your house down. But hey, if it works to stop Mephisto, welcome aboard. At least she doesn't ask you to give back the engagement ring.