Blizzard will release Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred on Tuesday, April 28, and Lilith returns at the center of the new expansion.
The developer has listed release times by region, meaning players in the West can start playing before they go to bed on Monday, April 27, as servers flip to the new expansion on local schedules.
Lord of Hatred is the second expansion in the Diablo 4 era, arriving a year and a half after Vessel of Hatred, which launched in 2024. It is the middle entry in a trilogy focused on Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred, and brings Lilith and Lorath back to lead the story forward.
The expansion also adds two new playable classes: the Warlock and the Paladin, expanding the roster and the ways players can tackle Diablo 4's zones and encounters.
Early hands-on time was limited, but the writer said they had already played about 40 hours on the review server and liked the expansion quite a bit, giving it an 8.5/10. They also said they were not able to get deep into the highest levels of the endgame because of the short review window.
The same writer admitted they were unsure at first whether they would return after the review period, but that they found themselves missing the game once access ended and would "definitely be hopping on tonight, and probably for the foreseeable future." That combination of measured praise and personal return underscores the split players will feel between instant enjoyment and unanswered questions about long-term play.
The immediate takeaway for players is simple: if you live in a Western region, you can expect to be in the world of Lord of Hatred late Monday night thanks to Blizzard's regional schedule. For everyone else, the official calendar marks April 28 as the date to log in and judge the expansion on its own terms.
The friction point is clear. Early impressions, including the writer's 8.5/10, point to a solid package: new classes, returning characters and a continuing trilogy storyline. But limited review time means the hardest evaluation — whether Lord of Hatred sustains players through high-end content and the full endgame loop — remains unproven until broader public play begins.
Bottom line: Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred looks like a meaningful second expansion with tempting new options and a strong narrative pull, and Western players can start tonight; whether it becomes a long-term staple will hinge on how its endgame holds up once everyone is back online.
