The release of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred later this year will mark a significant point in the series’ history. With the expansion taking place in the island chain of Skovos, Diablo 4 will officially introduce a new region never before seen in the series. However, Skovos almost debuted in the Diablo franchise almost 14 years ago, but was ultimately cut from the final release of Diablo 3.
In general, Diablo 4 has pulled together several popular elements of Diablo 2 over the course of its life and across its two expansions. Vessel of Hatred brought back the Mercenaries mechanic alongside the region of Nahantu found in Diablo 2 Act 3, and Lord of Hatred has already reintroduced the Paladin to the series and is set to bring back the Horadric Cube crafting mechanic from Diablo 2 as well. Now, Diablo 3 gets a chance to influence Diablo 4 with the debut of Skovos, finally making good on a piece of cut content that has been missing from the series for so long.
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Skovos Almost Debuted in Diablo 3 Instead of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred 14 Years Later
Despite having yet to appear as a location in the Diablo franchise, Skovos plays a major role in the series’ lore. It is the oldest region in all Sanctuary, where Lilith and Inarius’ children, the nephalem, created the first civilization. Since then, it has developed under the Askari society, which has ties to Diablo 2, with the Amazon class representing the order of warriors from the region. Originally, the lore and design of Skovos were developed with the intention of appearing as a major location in Diablo 3 before being shelved in the lead-up to release.
How Skovos Could Have Fit into Diablo 3
Although a playable Skovos doesn’t end up in the final version of Diablo 3, it is still mentioned in Act 5 when Lorath and Tyrael discuss a Horadrim expedition that was sent to the region but hasn’t returned. This footnote suggests that players may have had the chance to set out in search of this Horadric expedition sometime before the finale of Diablo 3, potentially taking place after defeating Azmodan at Mount Arreat in Act 3 and before going to the High Heavens in Act 4. With Diablo 3 portraying a location as important to the franchise as the High Heavens for the first time, it might have been overkill to include another region so crucial to the series’ lore, like Skovos, in the same game.
Why Diablo 3 Ultimately Cut Skovos as a Region
According to Blizzard’s Wyatt Cheng, who served as a senior designer on Diablo 3 and is now the lead designer for Diablo Immortal, the primary reason Skovos was cut was that the team felt it didn’t fit with the rest of the game. The visual design of the region incorporated a lot of Ancient Greek-inspired architecture, which not only clashed with the other regions of Diablo 3 but was very similar to a competing ARPG at the time, Titan Quest. The overlap between the Greek Mythology of Titan Quest and the design of Skovos was the nail in the coffin for the region appearing in Diablo 3, despite having its lore and visuals fleshed out.
Interestingly, Titan Quest 2 is available now in Early Access, releasing just under a year before Diablo 4 is set to debut Skovos in Lord of Hatred.
Diablo 3 fans who missed out on seeing Skovos in the game 14 years ago will finally get the chance to experience this region, and its role within the Lord of Hatred expansion couldn’t be more fitting for a location as central to Diablo‘s lore as it is. With Lord of Hatred set to conclude the Age of Hatred arc of Diablo 4, bringing back a piece of cut content from Diablo 3 is a fitting way to wrap up a major storyline.
- Released
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June 5, 2023
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
