Blizzard has officially announced the release of the major update for Diablo IV, which is titled “Lord of Hatred” and will be available in April 2026. Along with the new campaign, there will be a new location to explore, and, believe it or not, a fishing mechanic will be added. In addition, the gamers are already able to do pre-orders for the expansion, which is a downside that has divided opinions.
Blizzard has truly made the announcement that will hold the title of the biggest news of all. The forthcoming part of Diablo IV is entitled Lord of Hatred and it is going to be launched …April 2026. Yes, that’s a long wait for an expansion, really! Nonetheless, the developers will keep rolling out new features, among which one is a fishing mechanic that might blow your mind! Fishing in Diablo! I was a bit confused as well. It looks like they were inspired by the unveiling of Path of Exile 2 and then thought, “Wait, let us first take a health potion!”
The official Diablo account tweeted the news accompanied by their usual fire emojis and links to further details. However, the most amusing part was, as it usually is, the comments section. Players were pretty quick to share their diverse reactions consisting of hype, doubt, and complete, obvious confusion regarding the reason why we are fishing in Hell.
Some gamers are already speculating about their costs right from the beginning. A user named Nathan Mealey posed the question “@Diablo Can I get a discount since I already have Vessel of Hatred?” this being a question that makes perfect sense. Expansions do cost money! Another user, ghouIzzx, came in with a lower response, simply stating that he didn’t want it. But there is still the support team of fans like Glitchy 🪄, who referred to the fishing couple of times and said it was so unexpected and they were curious if only legendary loot was caught or perhaps if a Barbarian skill (Whirlwind) could be used for faster reeling. Chaotic energy is just perfect for me.
Still, fish were not the only topic of discussion. Most of the conversations continue to revolve around the current season and the Paladin class that seems to be very much in demand. ReroJoestar commented on the developers, “Kudos for the Paladin, I think it was a huge gain for you.” On his part, foreropa27 was practically wailing, “Please, don’t take it easy on the Paladin. This has been the most enjoyable season for me… It’s unbelievable how strong this character is just in the way it is now.” Balance changes seem to be on the way and Morgan your quirky, affectionate, small AuRa pointed out funny, “Wait, Paladin has campfire animations but we don’t have that in our game lol.” It’s the same old story—taunting with the features that are not even in the live game.
Lastly, the matter of the competitive spirit came up, so to say. The constant argument between Diablo and Path of Exile flared up immediately. Jeremy_lee92 made a cutting remark, “Path of Exile 2 is better from the gameplay perspective, you are left with only good cutscenes as your trump.” Oooooh! And darthlilith_ added, “Stop imitating PoE.” While for some the fishing mechanic is a sign of Blizzard stepping out from the dark side of its competitor, others like SadNordling, who have a more positive outlook, think the last expansion did not grab their attention but this one does and might bring back the player base.
April 2026 is a point in the timeline that is questioned by many as it is the most distant point in time for players. Clipitis86 humorously said, “LET’S GO! By the way, does anyone know how to time-travel to April? Let me know!” while oMaMoriTTV shared a GIF of a guy who looked utterly exhausted, accompanied by “I can anticipate this happening…April 2026…” The sentiment is real. In gaming, two years is a whole generation. What makes the thought of the game’s permanent-service model during that time even crazier is the fact that two years is a lifetime. User dontblockme690 voiced a concern he considered valid when he said, “It’s unbelievable that you are making content that only stays for 3 months and then it disappears.” It’s the age-old issue of seasonal games—you work hard to obtain the cool stuff and then poof, it has been sent off to the Eternal Realm just because another user, lebaverd, is pointing out that it feels bad.
And of course, the speculation is at its zenith with the most bizarre rumors going around. The forum is already abuzz trying to decipher the latest news from the PlayStation and Xbox communities.
