On April 28, 2026, the new DLC “Lord of Hatred” for Diablo 4 will be released. Now the embargo for the reviews has been lifted, and first critics had a week to get an impression of the new expansion. MeinMMO summarizes what the reviews on Metacritic have to say about the game.
On April 21, 2026, at 6:00 PM CEST, the embargo for the reviews of the new DLC “Lord of Hatred” for Diablo 4 was lifted. The first critic voices and reviews have now rolled in and provide an initial mood picture. The testers had almost a week to put the expansion to the test and formulate their opinions.
How is Lord of Hatred performing so far? So far, the new expansion looks good, as it can secure a solid 82 out of 100 points with 31 reviews on Metacritic (as of April 21, 2026, 7:15 PM).
In addition to our preview report from MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus, there are also tests from our colleagues at GameStar and GamePro, which you can find here and which also give solid ratings:
- GamePro: Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred in the Test (Rating 83 Points)
- GameStar: Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred in the Test (No point rating, but with enthusiasm)
You can watch the launch trailer for Lord of Hatred here:
Great expansion with a lot of potential, but some small pitfalls
How did the critics rate it on Metacritic? On Metacritic, Lord of Hatred has a score of 82/100 for PC, 83 points for the Xbox version, and even 84 points for the PS5 version. Around 90% positive voices (28 reviews), 10% mixed opinions (3 reviews), and no completely negative ratings were given to the new expansion of Diablo 4.
What is being rated positively? The two new classes are particularly praised – especially the Warlock is well received by testers due to its complexity and freshness. It feels particularly “satisfying and powerful” and offers a lot of room for dynamic builds.
The new area also feels unused and brings the new story to a conclusion, addressing the open questions from the predecessor “Vessel of Hatred”. This is also well staged and generates ongoing interest for more. The improvements in loot hunting reminiscent of Diablo 2 are also well received and feel more rewarding than before.
Some references to Diablo 3 and the prospect of the infamous cow level were also well received by testers.
What are the criticisms? Although the new story is generally praised, some reviews also mention that there are moments that simply do not “click”. For instance, there is a detour into Mephisto’s lore that some perceived as rather ridiculous.
Additionally, the new endgame content does not feel as innovative as hoped but rather delivers more of the familiar.
It will still be exactly one week until you can dive into the new expansion. Along with the two new classes, Paladin and Warlock, numerous other innovations await you. What exactly to expect, you can read in our overview on MeinMMO: Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred – All info on release, price, trailer, and content
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