How to start the Vessel of Hatred expansion in Diablo 4

How to start Vessel of Hatred in Diablo 4
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Knowing how to start the Vessel of Hatred expansion in Diablo 4 means you can get straight into the new content, and there's plenty to discover as you explore the fresh location of Nahantu while getting to grips with the brand new character class. However, you can't just start up Diablo 4 and jump straight into it, as the seasonal progress system means you need to activate the correct campaign, and if you overlook the option then you could find yourself repeating the base storyline all over again. To avoid that situation, here's how to start the Vessel of Hatred campaign in Diablo 4.

How to start Vessel of Hatred in Diablo 4

Selecting the Vessel of Hatred campaign from the character creator in Diablo 4

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

As with the start of previous seasons, you'll need to create a fresh seasonal character before you can access any new content. When you reach the last stage of the character creator, you'll see a Change Campaign State button towards the top left of the screen. This will initially be set to "Start with the original campaign", but if you hit that button you can change it to "Start with the Vessel of Hatred campaign" to get straight into the expansion. If you haven't completed the base campaign previously you may not see this option, in which case you'll need to complete the short opening Prologue of the base campaign and then return to this screen to access it.

Start the Vessel of Hatred in Diablo 4 by talking to Olya near the Cathedral of Light in Kyovashad

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

After the opening cinematic you'll begin in the main city of Kyovashad, where you need to head north to the Cathedral of Light and speak to Olya to begin the Rekindled Faith quest. You're introduced to Reverend Mother Prava and the Burned Knight Urivar, who are hunting down Neyrelle and Lorath, and this scene sets the tone for the Vessel of Hatred expansion. You'll then need to work through the following quests to get properly started:

  • A Fist of Fire
  • Pursuit of Justice
  • A Magpie in Flight
  • Enmity Rising

Arriving in Nahantu after starting the Vessel of Hatred in Diablo 4

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Those will lead you to meet Raheir, one of the Diablo 4 Mercenaries, in Gea Kul, before helping them to fight off an attack from the Hollows. After another encounter with the brutal Urivar you'll be transported to the fresh Nahantu area, where you can start the Vessel of Hatred expansion in Diablo 4 in earnest.

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Iain Wilson
Guides Editor

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 750 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.

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