At the 2025 Game Awards, Blizzard revealed the next major expansion for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred. While the announcement was short on details, the following weeks have revealed glimpses of systems, mechanics, and gameplay changes that could redefine the Diablo 4 experience. Interestingly, much of this information aligns with a leaked survey from April 2025, suggesting that many of the new features were already in development and under consideration. In this article, we'll break down what we know about the new expansion, from the Talisman system and skill tree overhaul to endgame progression Diablo 4 Items, crafting, fishing, and the intense new Echoing Hatred mode.

A New Level of Endgame: The Talisman System

One of the most exciting additions coming with Lord of Hatred is the Talisman system, a new set bonus and endgame progression mechanic. Talismans are unique items with six slots on their edges. Players can insert specialized "charm-like" items into these slots, and their effects converge in the center to grant set bonuses.

This system fundamentally changes how players approach builds. Instead of relying solely on gear for set bonuses, the Talisman system allows you to slot in items to gain powerful combinations, creating a new layer of strategy. Notably, the system may also allow for the socketing of key passives, potentially enabling players to access capstone-level abilities through Talismans rather than traditional skill trees.

A recent gameplay trailer hints at the Talisman system's capabilities. A Druid, for instance, was shown performing abilities that are not normally possible together: entering Grizzly Rage, using Storm Strike, trampling enemies with rock spikes, and triggering a massive circular earth explosion. This suggests Talismans could provide unique synergies and combinations that dramatically alter gameplay.

In essence, Talismans represent a new avenue for character progression, giving players additional ways to tailor their builds and experiment with different playstyles, while also providing exciting endgame content to chase.

Skill Tree Overhaul

Alongside Talismans, the expansion introduces a major overhaul to the skill tree system, enhancing both customization and build diversity. Previously, skills in Diablo 4 had limited upgrade paths, but the new system allows for more intricate choices:

 Each skill now has 12 potential upgrades instead of the standard five.

 Players choose paths to the left or right, selecting two circular upgrades that function similarly to current skill upgrades.

 A central path leads to skill variants, which can drastically alter a skill's functionality, element, or area of effect.

For example, footage showed a Sorcerer transforming Ball Lightning into a fiery version that created a vortex on the ground, pulling enemies in and dealing area damage-an entirely new way to use a familiar skill. While we haven't seen how passives are handled in the new tree, the survey suggests that many of these skill variants could act like entirely new abilities, offering the variety of new skills without introducing completely new skill slots.

This system is set to allow deeper strategy and personalization, enabling players to experiment with elemental changes, skill effects, and synergies between abilities.

Harajri Cube and Crafting Updates

The expansion also reintroduces the Harajri Cube, a classic crafting system from previous Diablo games, though with a modern twist. Official information describes it as a "fresh take" on crafting, and early footage shows players combining items with floating runes to create enhanced weapons.

In addition, survey information mentions a new power source system, similar to the Cannise Cube in Diablo II, where players can permanently add item aspects without wearing the items. While it's unclear how this integrates with the Harajri Cube, the combination of these systems could offer unprecedented flexibility in crafting and customizing gear, allowing players to fine-tune stats and effects to suit specific builds or endgame challenges.

War Plans: Endgame Overhaul

Perhaps the most transformative addition to Lord of Hatred is the War Plans system, a new endgame meta-progression system. War Plans allow players to:

 Select their own activity playlists, tailoring which content they engage with.

 Apply modifiers to increase difficulty or rewards.

 Earn skill points and unlock skill trees for each endgame activity, enhancing progression.

This system essentially gives players control over the post-campaign grind, allowing them to prioritize rewards from specific content. For example, you might focus on obtaining masterworking materials from Hell Tides or crafting resources and gold from Nightmare Dungeons. Each activity within a War Plan offers a unique reward, and skill trees associated with each activity provide long-term progression.This level of customization is groundbreaking for Diablo 4, giving players more agency and choice in shaping their own endgame experience while introducing a strategic layer to the content grind. War Plans are poised to redefine how players approach endgame activities, allowing for both efficiency and variety.

Echoing Hatred: Infinite Horde Mode

Another endgame highlight is Echoing Hatred, an infinite horde mode designed for torment-tier players. This mode challenges players with endless waves of demons and bosses, escalating in difficulty as the waves progress. Players face two failure conditions:

1.Death, which naturally ends the run.

2.Too many enemies on the field, requiring players to balance damage output and crowd control to continue.

Rewards scale with performance, offering increasingly valuable loot the deeper you go. Echoing Hatred is designed as both a stress test for builds and a high-risk, high-reward challenge for max-level characters. The addition of War Plans skill trees for this content means players can specialize in the mechanics of Echoing Hatred, enhancing their builds for survival and efficiency.

The mode promises fast-paced, chaotic combat, forcing players to consider survivability, damage output, and area control. For theorycrafters and min-maxers, Echoing Hatred offers a perfect environment to optimize builds and test new combinations introduced by Talismans and the skill tree overhaul.

Fishing: A Relaxing Diversion

Lord of Hatred also introduces a non-combat activity: fishing. Described as a way to find respite from battling demons, fishing will be present in all zones and is expected to function as a collection and interaction system.

While not tied to power progression, fishing could unlock cosmetic rewards, such as mounts, titles, or unique character appearances. This system adds a new layer of immersion, allowing players to take a break from combat while exploring the world of Sanctuary and collecting rare fish for fun or cosmetic purposes.

Survey Insights and Development Context

Much of what we know about Lord of Hatred comes from a leaked survey in April 2025, which asked players about potential new systems and rewards. Many of these survey features align with the official reveal, suggesting that Blizzard has been planning these systems for months, if not years.

Key survey insights include:

 Confirmation that Talismans serve as set bonuses and key passives.

 Skill tree overhauls provide new pathing, upgrades, and skill variants, allowing creative build options.

 War Plans emphasize activity selection and reward customization, giving players control over their endgame experience.

 Echoing Hatred introduces infinite, escalating horde challenges with rewards tied to performance and wave completion.

 Fishing provides a non-combat, collection-based activity that may offer cosmetic rewards.

These insights indicate that Lord of Hatred isn't just adding new content-it's reshaping the endgame, progression, and player agency, making the expansion potentially the most significant update to Diablo 4 to date.

The Takeaway

From Talismans and skill tree upgrades to War Plans and Echoing Hatred, Lord of Hatred promises to redefine both gameplay and progression in Diablo 4. Players will have more freedom than ever to experiment with builds, customize endgame rewards, and tackle increasingly challenging content in new ways.

Key takeaways include:

 Talismans introduce new set bonuses and may allow socketing of key passives, offering unprecedented build variety.

 Skill tree overhaul provides more upgrades, paths, and skill variants, fundamentally changing how abilities work and interact.

 War Plans give players full control over their endgame content, rewards, and meta-progression.

 Echoing Hatred challenges players with infinite, escalating waves of enemies, testing both skill and strategy.

 Fishing offers a relaxed, cosmetic-focused diversion from combat, enriching the world of Sanctuary.

Taken together, these systems highlight Blizzard's ambition to expand Diablo 4 beyond its core campaign. The expansion is poised to offer both depth and breadth, giving veterans and newcomers alike new ways to explore, customize, and enjoy the game.

While much remains to be seen, the alignment between survey leaks and official reveals suggests that Lord of Hatred is delivering on long-planned systems that will not only expand the game world but also redefine how players engage with it. From intense cheap D4 materials, skill-testing challenges to creative build experimentation and relaxed world exploration, this expansion promises a Diablo 4 experience that's broader, deeper, and more customizable than ever before.

Whether you're a builder, a fighter, or a collector, Lord of Hatred looks ready to provide something for every type of player-and it's shaping up to be one of the most ambitious expansions in the series' history.