At GamesCom 2024, Blizzard Entertainment CEO Johanna Faries and game director Brent Gibson revealed the Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred’s Mercenaries Trailer.

This group of Mercenaries are members of the Pale Hand. They are ordinary people offering their extraordinary skill sets to adventurers, for a price.

This is what I observed in the short gameplay video:

  • The shieldbearer that charges at a single target and projects a circular forcefield to protect the player. He also has a battlecry that taunts multiple enemies around him. Throws his shield Captain America-style and ricochets from enemy to enemy, then returns to his hand. Also jumps into the air and lands causing the shield to slam the ground causing AOE damage to enemies in a large area.
  • A Ranger with a crossbow and bow that launches a jar at enemies that explodes mid-air and causes a cone of fire to engulf them in flames. Then leaves a trail of fire on the ground that continues to damage enemies standing on it. There is another attack that is channeled briefly, and then unleashes a big harpoon that scatters into multiple daggers causing AOE damage. Launches a volley of arrows into the air and do AOE damage in a large area.
  • A youngling that transforms into a demon that unleashes a fire AOE explosion around him damaging nearby enemies. He also casts something akin to Blood Wave but made of fire. His basic attack is hurling fireballs at a target. Another scene shows him in shadow-form unleashing a straight-line shadow damage attack that leaves a purple trail on the ground and damages enemies over time.
  • An axe-wielder that yanks multiple enemies from afar (think Corpse Tendrils) and slashes at enemies. She also uses a sort of mace that hits the ground causing AOE damage and also unleashes cone-shaped shockwaves. Also some sort of Whirlwind attack while wielding axes that causes her to rotate and move in a straight line.

Brent mentioned the Kurast Undercity, an all-new multistage dungeon that gives you control of the type of challenges you see and the rewards you might get.

Brent also mentioned the Dark Citadel, a brand-new co-op PvE dungeon that challenges everything you know about combat in Diablo through a gauntlet of multiplayer puzzles and mechanics. This stuff will be discussed at GamesCom 2024 Day 1 on August 21.