How to Play Vessel of Hatred in Diablo 4 Season 9

By Ambar Jimenez | 2025-07-06 11:43:52
Diablo 4's Season 9, "Sins of the Horadrim," introduces Horadric Strongrooms as a compelling new seasonal activity. These short, intense combat encounters are embedded within Nightmare Dungeons, offering a unique blend of enemy waves, timed objectives, and direct ties to the season's new Horadric Spellcraft and Jewel systems. Players can view them as Season 9's version of previous seasonal challenges like Rootholds or Hellbreaches, but with a distinct flavor and a preview of Vessel of Hatred-style gameplay.

Diablo 4 : Play Vessel of Hatred in Season 9

How to Unlock Horadric Strongrooms

To gain access to Horadric Strongrooms, players must progress through the seasonal storyline. Early in the questline, you will receive a special tool called the Wayfinder. This item acts as a narrative guide, marking the locations of hidden Horadric Strongrooms that are found within Nightmare Dungeons.Since Nightmare Dungeons are already a popular activity for leveling and loot grinding, players will naturally encounter Strongrooms as they progress through their seasonal journey. Strongrooms are not guaranteed in every Nightmare Dungeon, but their chances are increased at higher World Tiers (Torment I+). Some Nightmare Sigils can also come with an affix that guarantees a Horadric Strongroom will appear in that particular dungeon.

How Strongrooms Work

Upon entering a Horadric Strongroom, the challenge begins with a ritual. You'll activate a pillar, which summons multiple waves of enemies. After clearing these initial waves, you'll be presented with a choice of modifiers. These modifiers alter the subsequent phases of the Strongroom: some enhance your power, while others increase the difficulty in exchange for better rewards.The core objectives within a Strongroom are straightforward:
  • Fight through waves of enemies: Continuously defeat foes that spawn.
  • Build up "Attunement": This is a meter that fills as you kill enemies and complete specific objectives (like interacting with ritual pillars or Sacrifice Shrines).
  • Defeat the final boss: Once enough Attunement is gathered or the timer expires, a boss will appear. You must defeat this boss before the overall Strongroom timer runs out.
The more Attunement you accumulate during the run, the better the quality and quantity of your end rewards.Throughout your Strongroom run, you may encounter Sacrifice Shrines. Interacting with these shrines provides temporary boosts that help you build Attunement faster and more efficiently, often by spawning additional enemy ambushes.

Rewards from Strongrooms

Completing Horadric Strongrooms offers a variety of valuable seasonal rewards:

  • Arcana: These are essential components used to craft the seasonal HoradricSpells, allowing for deep customization of your character's abilities.
  • Escalation Sigils: These special sigils unlock the new Escalating Nightmare Dungeon content, which provides multi-stage, increasingly difficult Nightmare Dungeon chains.
  • Horadric Phials: The new seasonal currency used for upgrading Horadric Spells and crafting Horadric Jewels.
  • Horadric Tomes: These items teach you recipes for crafting Horadric Jewels at the Horadric Lapidary in Cerrigar.
  • High-Tier Loot: Including Legendary and Ancestral items, scaling with your Attunement and the Strongroom's difficulty.

Comparison to the Kurast Undercity

Players familiar with the Vessel of Hatred DLC might notice conceptual similarities between Horadric Strongrooms and the Kurast Undercity, one of the expansion's main endgame dungeons. Both activities involvecollecting "Attunement" and operating against a clock. However, theydiffer significantly in their execution and intended experience:

Feature

Horadric Strongrooms (Season 9)

Kurast Undercity (Vessel of Hatred DLC)

Length & Complexity

Short, single-arena encounters; simple mechanics.

Spans multiple levels; requires more time and planning.

Timer Pressure

You cannot "fail" a Strongroom run; rewards scale with Attunement collected.

If you don't finish in time, you lose all progress and rewards.

Extra Mechanics

Ritual Pillars (modifiers), Sacrifice Shrines.

Afflicted enemies (extend timer), Spirit Beacons (guide path), Tribute/Bargain options (influence loot).

Failure Risk

Beginner-friendly; low risk of total reward loss.

Punishes mistakes with total reward loss; high-stakes.

In essence, while they share the core concept of a timed, attunement-based challenge, the Kurast Undercity is designed as a high-stakes, demanding endgame experience for Vessel of Hatred owners. Horadric Strongrooms, conversely, offer a safer, more casual,and accessible take on this gameplay style, providing a "free taste" ofthe expansion's content even for players who don't own it.

Strongrooms are fast, engaging, and directly integrated into the core seasonalprogression, making them well worth your time whether you're chasingArcana for crafting, farming Escalation Sigils, or simply looking forsomething new and fun to do in Diablo 4.

Tags: Diablo IV, action RPG, dungeon crawler, loot-driven, dark fantasy, character classes, skill trees, endgame content, worl
Platform(s): Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows
Genre(s): Action role-playing, hack and slash
Developer(s): Blizzard Team 3, Blizzard Albany
Publisher(s): Blizzard Entertainment
Release date: June 6, 2023
Mode: Single-player, multiplayer
Age rating (PEGI): 18+
Video preview



Other Articles Related

How to Get Ophidian Iris In Diablo 4
how to obtain the Ophidian Iris in Diablo 4 with our comprehensive guide. Unlock secrets and enhance your gameplay 
How To Get Twin Strikes in Diablo 4
Discover the ultimate guide on how to get Twin Strikes in Diablo 4. Unlock powerful abilities and enhance your gameplay today!
How To Get Band of Ichorous Rose in Diablo 4
Discover the ultimate guide on how to obtain the Band of Ichorous Rose in Diablo 4. Unlock its secrets and enhance your gameplay today!
How To Complete Cache Claimer in Diablo 4
Discover the ultimate guide to completing the Cache Claimer in Diablo 4. Unlock rewards and master strategies 
How To Get Spark of Creation in Diablo 4 Season 9
Unleash the power of the Spark of Creation in Diablo 4 Season 9. Explore strategies and tips to elevate your gaming  
How To Get Deathmask of Nirmitruq in Diablo 4 Season 9
Unveil the secrets to acquiring the Deathmask of Nirmitruq in Diablo 4Season 9. Elevate your character  
How To Get Volatile Crystal in Diablo 4 Season 9
Learn how to get Volatile Crystals in Diablo 4 Season 9 with ourstep-by-step guide. Discover farming tips, best locations, andstrategies to maximize your loot!
How To Get Luminous Gem in Diablo 4 Season 9
Learn how to obtain the Luminous Gem in Diablo 4 Season 9 with ourstep-by-step guide. Discover farming tips, best locations, andstrategies to upgrade your gear!
How To Get Murky Essence in Diablo 4 Season 9
Learn how to farm Murky Essence in Diablo 4 Season 9 with ourstep-by-step guide. Discover the best methods, locations, and strategies to collect this key resource efficiently!
How To Get Reactive Ooze in Diablo 4 Season 9
Learn how to obtain Reactive Ooze in Diablo 4 Season 9 with this step-by-step guide. Discover farming tips, best locations, and strategies to maximize your loot!
How to Get Favor Tokens in Diablo 4
Learn how to efficiently collect Favor Tokens in Diablo 4. Maximize your rewards and elevate your gaming experience 
How to Get Horadric Phials in Diablo 4
Discover how to obtain Horadric Phials in Diablo 4 with our comprehensive guide. Unlock powerful upgrades 
How to Get Horadric Strongrooms in Diablo 4 Season 9
Unlock the secrets of Diablo 4 in Season 9! Discover how to obtain Horadric Strongrooms and enhance your gameplay.
How to Get All 3 Keycards in Sons of the Forest
Discover all keycard locations in Sons of the Forest to enhance your gameplay. Unlock secrets and navigate the game
How To Unlock the Climbing Power Gloves in Death Stranding 2
Master the art of climbing mountainous terrain in Death Stranding 2 with our expert tips and strategies.