In 2023, Diablo 4 launched with a fresh storyline set 50 years after the events of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls, peopled with new characters and a new antagonist. A little under three years later, the campaign of second expansion Lord of Hatred has ripped through this storyline’s cast and seemingly closed the book on almost all the story’s thread with a resounding thud of finality.
It’s pretty dramatic stuff. But it would be shocking if Lord of Hatred was Diablo 4‘s last expansion. So where does it go next?
[Ed. note: This article spoils the plot of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred in its entirety.]
First, a quick recap.
Diablo 4 introduced a big bad who wasn’t even one of the Prime Evils: Lilith, demon daughter of Mephisto, the Prime Evil of Hatred. Deckard Cain, the wizened old wizard, item identifier, and exposition dispenser of the first three games, was long dead. In his place, developer Blizzard put Lorath Nahr, a more reluctant, cantankerous, and slovenly Horadrim with the unmistakable gravel-pit tones of actor Ralph Ineson.
Lilith, who was plotting to rule the realm of Sanctuary that she co-created with the angel Inarius, was killed at the end of Diablo 4’s main campaign. But it’s now apparent that Blizzard was setting up a kind of trilogy that would play out in the following two expansion packs. In order to secure her defeat, the Wanderer (the player character) bargained dangerously with Mephisto. Meanwhile, Lorath struck a dark bargain of his own with the Tree of Whispers — a cursed repository of knowledge that claims your head upon death if you seek information from it.
At the end of the game, Neyrelle — a young scholar who accompanied the Wanderer and Lorath — turned on Mephisto and imprisoned him in a Soulstone. It didn’t go great for her. In the first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, some stuff happened. Most of it wasn’t important. Lorath was mostly AWOL, Neyrelle was being tormented by Mephisto. The story ended with Mephisto taking possession of the resurrected body of Akarat, the founder of the Zakarum religion.
