The Splinter of Hatred channels the power of Mephisto, periodically sending Ghosts of Odium after enemies while you continue fighting normally.
These spirits initially provide another source of Physical damage, but later upgrades allow them to restore resources, inflict Vulnerable and Immobilize, and deal damage based on enemy Maximum Life.
Hatred also provides several benefits for Nightmare Dungeons and The Pit, making it particularly useful when these activities make up a large part of your Season 15 progression.
What is Ghosts of Odium?
Ghosts of Odium is the Prime Evil Power granted at Rank I of the Splinter of Hatred, causing Mephisto’s power to periodically unleash spirits that attack nearby enemies.
The ghosts deal Physical damage and activate separately from your normal Skills, allowing them to contribute additional attacks without requiring you to manually trigger the power.
Increasing your Splinter of Hatred Rank gradually changes Ghosts of Odium from a simple source of extra damage into a power with several offensive, resource, and Crowd Control benefits.
All Splinter of Hatred Power Upgrades
The Splinter of Hatred has six Ghosts of Odium upgrades, unlocked at Ranks II, VI, X, XVI, XXI, and XXIV as you accumulate Reputation with Mephisto’s Splinter.
Each upgrade remains active after unlocking the next one, allowing Ghosts of Odium to accumulate additional effects until the power reaches its complete form at Rank XXIV.
Some upgrades directly strengthen Ghosts of Odium during combat, while others provide special advantages when running Nightmare Dungeons and The Pit.
Rank II – Undying Rage
Undying Rage strengthens Ghosts of Odium inside Nightmare Dungeons, causing the power to trigger 50% more frequently and deal 200% increased damage while you are inside one.
Unlocked at 350 Reputation, this gives Hatred an early advantage when farming Nightmare Dungeons by making Mephisto’s power considerably more active throughout each run.
Rank VI – Flush of Bile
Flush of Bile causes Ghosts of Odium to generate 50 Primary Resource whenever the power activates, providing additional resource recovery during combat.
Unlocked at 1,300 Reputation, this can help resource-heavy builds maintain their Skills without requiring you to change how Ghosts of Odium is activated.
Rank X – Death Collector
Death Collector allows enemies damaged by Ghosts of Odium to potentially drop Progress Orbs when killed while you are inside The Pit.
The upgrade becomes available at 5,150 Reputation, providing another way to fill your progress bar as you clear enemies on the way to the Pit Guardian.
Rank XVI – Strangling Grip
Strangling Grip makes enemies hit by Ghosts of Odium Vulnerable for 5 seconds, with each hit also having a 15% chance to Immobilize them for 2 seconds.
Unlocked at 13,100 Reputation, this adds both Vulnerable and Crowd Control to Mephisto’s power without requiring either effect to come directly from your normal Skills.
Rank XXI – Vengeful Soul
Vengeful Soul causes the first Ghosts of Odium hit against an enemy to deal additional damage equal to 20% of its Maximum Life over 4 seconds.
Unlocked at 17,400 Reputation, the additional damage cannot be increased but becomes particularly useful against tougher enemies with considerably larger health pools.
Rank XXIV – Fever of Malice
Fever of Malice is unlocked at 20,000 Reputation, with enemy kills capable of enraging you for 5 seconds and causing Ghosts of Odium to appear more frequently.
As the final upgrade, it significantly increases how aggressively Mephisto’s spirits can attack during large encounters where you can continue triggering the effect through enemy kills.
Splinter of Hatred Activity Bonuses
Combat upgrades are only part of what you gain from progressing the Splinter of Hatred, as several ranks also provide Activity Modifiers for Nightmare Dungeons, The Pit, and Whispers.
Nightmare Dungeon modifiers are earned earlier in the reputation track, while the later ranks begin improving rewards and progression when running The Pit.
Hatred also receives Whisper-related modifiers at certain milestones, giving the Splinter benefits outside the two activities most closely associated with Mephisto.
Best Uses For The Splinter of Hatred
Hatred is particularly useful when progressing through Nightmare Dungeons, as Undying Rage immediately makes Ghosts of Odium considerably stronger and more frequent whenever you enter one.
The Splinter becomes equally useful for The Pit later in its reputation track, with Death Collector providing additional Progress Orbs and Activity Modifiers improving several aspects of Pit progression.
Outside these activities, Flush of Bile, Strangling Grip, and Vengeful Soul still provide resource generation, Vulnerable, Crowd Control, and additional damage against enemies with larger health pools.
This makes the Splinter useful beyond its preferred activities, especially once enough Reputation has been earned to unlock its later combat upgrades.
Best Builds For The Splinter of Hatred
The Splinter of Hatred can complement many builds since Ghosts of Odium activates independently, allowing it to provide additional damage regardless of the Skills you normally use.
Flush of Bile makes the Splinter particularly useful for resource-heavy builds, while Strangling Grip provides another reliable source of Vulnerable and Crowd Control during combat.
Hatred also works particularly well for builds used to farm Nightmare Dungeons and The Pit, where several of its seasonal bonuses provide additional benefits.
Some builds that can make good use of the Splinter of Hatred include:
- Barbarian: Whirlwind, Hammer of the Ancients
- Druid: Landslide, Pulverize
- Necromancer: Bone Spirit, Blood Wave
- Paladin: Blessed Shield, Blessed Hammer
- Rogue: Rapid Fire, Death Trap
- Sorcerer: Ball Lightning, Blizzard
- Spiritborn: Quill Volley, Crushing Hand
- Warlock: Blazing Scream, Abyss-focused builds
- Splinter of Hatred vs Other Prime Evil Splinters
The main reason to choose Hatred over another Splinter is not simply the Physical damage from Ghosts of Odium, but the activities and utility its progression supports.
Destruction favors Kurast Undercity and Lair Bosses, while Terror focuses more heavily on Helltides and Infernal Hordes.
Hatred instead specializes in Nightmare Dungeons and The Pit, making Mephisto’s Splinter particularly useful when regularly farming either activity.
Is The Splinter of Hatred Worth Using?
The Splinter of Hatred becomes increasingly useful as its Reputation rises, since several of its strongest benefits do not appear until the middle and later portions of the progression track.
Flush of Bile improves resource sustain, Strangling Grip supplies Vulnerable and Immobilize, and Vengeful Soul adds Maximum Life-based damage against enemies that can withstand your initial attacks.
Its Nightmare Dungeon and Pit bonuses give it an additional purpose beyond combat, making Hatred especially useful when those activities already form part of your normal endgame progression.
Verdict
The Splinter of Hatred develops Ghosts of Odium from a periodic Physical attack into a much more useful power with resource recovery, Crowd Control, Vulnerable, and Maximum Life damage.
Mephisto’s focus on Nightmare Dungeons and The Pit also gives Hatred a clear role when progressing Glyphs, pushing harder content, or repeatedly farming either activity.
Reaching Rank XXIV requires 20,000 Reputation, but doing so unlocks Fever of Malice and completes the full collection of upgrades available to Ghosts of Odium.
