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How to start the Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred campaign

Guides
By Iain Wilson published 24 April 2026

Are there any pre-requisites for the Lord of Hatred campaign in Diablo 4, or can you jump straight in?

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A screenshot from the Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred cinematic trailer, showing the massive demon Mephisto reaching a huge claw out towards a Paladin, whose spear crackles with lightning energy
(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)
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Knowing how to start the Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred campaign is important information if you've purchased this expansion, whether you're a new player or have been fighting back the demonic hordes for years. There has been a hefty amount of story lore already imparted through the base game, along with the previous Vessel of Hatred expansion – which is included as an instant unlock with all versions of the Lord of Hatred expansion – but do you need to work through all of that before you can get to the new stuff?

The good news is that, while we'd strongly encourage you to play through all of the previous content so you're up to speed on events, you don't have to do this before you can access the Lord of Hatred content – great news for players who have switched platforms, or perhaps are just impatient! To find out more, here's how to start the Lord of Hatred campaign in Diablo 4

How to start the Lord of Hatred campaign in Diablo 4

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred

(Image credit: Blizzard)

If you've purchased the latest expansion then once the Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred release time arrives you'll be offered a choice of campaigns when you start up the game, using either a new character on the Eternal or Seasonal Realm, or an existing one from the Eternal Realm if you're a returning player. While we highly recommend that you've played through the base game campaign and the Vessel of Hatred expansion at least once to get the full story so far, you can select the Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred campaign to start it immediately.

If you opt to go straight into the Lord of Hatred campaign, you can immediately set sail and head to the Skovos Isles – the fresh location for this expansion. This is an ancient land to explore, encountering dangers that you've never seen before in Sanctuary, as your journey builds up to the prophesized battle against the Lord of Hatred himself.

Article continues below
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  • Key art for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred showing Mephisto, a spiky and angular demon, against a red, lightning backdrop, arm and claw raised menancingly, cropped to show more of him Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred expansion will be "really f*cking hard" at its highest difficulty, dev threatens

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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 1,000 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.

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