The release of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred marked the end of an ongoing storyline that started with the base campaign, ran through Vessel of Hatred, and finally concluded with this latest expansion. Some Diablo 4 players feel like the game has finally been completed three years after its initial launch, now that all the loose threads from the original campaign have been wrapped up. However, Lord of Hatred is simply the end of the Age of Hatred story arc, and this DLC already makes it clear that a new threat is looming on the horizon.
This article contains massive spoilers for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred‘s story.
Diablo 4‘s Age of Hatred arc largely focused on the stories of Lilith and Mephisto, father and daughter bound by hatred, and their struggle over the future of Sanctuary. However, the Diablo franchise has three Prime Evils that are locked in an eternal cycle of hatred, terror, and destruction, and the Horadrim order exists to face these foes every time they reemerge. As such, just because Mephisto has been defeated, that doesn’t mean a new Prime Evil isn’t waiting in the wings to descend upon Sanctuary, and Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred seems to be teasing that Baal is coming next.
One Horadric Cube Transfiguration Has Broken the Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred Meta
The Horadric Cube has turned the Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred meta on its head with this Transfiguration that results in crazy damage output.
Lord of Hatred May Wrap Up the Age of Hatred, But Diablo 4’s Story is Far From Over
After Lilith’s sacrifice to help the Wanderer trap Mephisto in the Void, the hatred that had crept across Sanctuary seems to have receded. However, the Horadrim are all but extinct, with only Tyrael and the Wanderer surviving following the deaths of Neyrelle and Lorath. A weakened Horadrim creates the perfect opportunity for another Prime Evil to pick up where Mephisto left off.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
In the post-game quest for Lord of Hatred, the Wanderer aids the Oracle in repairing the Sightless Eye with the help of the angel Lycander. Once repaired, the Sightless Eye allows Seer Athrpa to witness a new prophecy that warns of humanity opening the gate to Terror, a direct confirmation that Diablo is set to return to Sanctuary in the future. However, Athrpa also notes that Diablo’s return won’t come to pass in her lifetime, suggesting that Diablo may not factor into Diablo 4 for the foreseeable future, if at all.
Baal, Lord of Destruction, is Likely the Next Prime Evil Threat to Sanctuary
Although the Lord of Destruction, Baal, has already received an entire DLC dedicated to him in the form of Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, he is likely the Prime Evil that the next chapter of Diablo 4 will focus on. The return of each Prime Evil comes in cycles, and with Mephisto now defeated, either Baal or Diablo is next up at bat. Where Mephisto used deception to subvert the humans of Sanctuary into submitting to his will, Baal takes a much more direct approach to his destruction, starting full-blown wars and directly confronting humanity’s violent tendencies.
Evidence of Baal’s Rise in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred
- Rathma’s Prophecy foretells the return of the other two Prime Evils after Mephisto is defeated.
- Baal has been absent from the series the longest out of the three Prime Evils.
- Several item descriptions in Diablo 4 mention how Hatred begets Destruction, Destruction begets Terror, Terror begets Hatred.
The events of Lord of Hatred are essentially driven by Rathma’s Prophecy, which describes the rise of Hatred and how it is eventually defeated:
“I saw my corpse, and from my mouth crawled Hatred,
A father burned his children on a pyre,
and a mother molded a new age from the ashes,
I saw the weak made strong,
a pack of lambs feasting on wolves,
Tears of blood rained on a desert jewel,
and the way to Hell was torn asunder,
Then came a spear of light, piercing Hatred’s heart,
And he who was bound in chains was set free.”
The “spear of light piercing Hatred’s heart” was the key to trapping Mephisto in the Void using the blade Lilith gifted to Rathma, showing how crucial this prophecy has been to Diablo 4‘s story. While this has been the version of the Prophecy that has persisted throughout Diablo 4‘s Age of Hatred arc, Lord of Hatred reveals some additional lines missing from the original.
“I saw a child give birth to a mother, as Hatred’s sun set and that of Terror and Destruction dawned.”
The “child giving birth to a mother” line likely refers to Lilith’s return (the mother) via her child, the Wanderer. However, what is more interesting is the rest of this line, which suggests that Terror and Destruction, Diablo and Baal, are set to return after Hatred, Mephisto, is defeated.
Whenever a Prime Evil is defeated in Diablo, its essence returns to Hell to reform, and they are eventually able to be reborn, though this process can take centuries. It’s technically been the longest since Baal has appeared in a Diablo game, having been defeated in the aforementioned Diablo 2 DLC. Diablo was last defeated in Diablo 3, making Baal the most likely Prime Evil to be fully regenerated in Hell by this point in the franchise.
1,200 Armor
Your Evade transforms you into an angry Lunatic for up to 15 seconds that explodes dealing Command Fallen’s damage and increasing by 100%[x] for every second you’re transformed for. While you are an angry Lunatic, your Movement speed is increased by 60%[x] and you periodically spawn a Mini Lunatic that seeks enemies. Command Fallen deals [300 – 340]%[x] increased damage.
“Sin begets sins as men beget men. Terror begets Hate and Hate begets Destruction. Destruction begets Terror as Terror begets Hate…” -Inscription carved inside the helm
Warlock
All of this evidence points towards the continuation of Diablo 4 with the other two Prime Evils in some form. However, the biggest piece of evidence in favor of Baal becoming the next major threat comes from the new Cage of Madness Unique Helm for Diablo 4‘s Warlock class. In this item’s flavor text, it directly references the order in which the Prime Evils appear, saying:
“Sin begets sin as men beget men. Terror begets Hate and Hate begets Destruction. Destruction begets Terror as Terror begets Hate…”
A similar description appears on other Diablo 4 items that are tied to the Prime Evils, such as the Cuirass of the Prime Evils. From this description, it’s clear that the Prime Evils come one after the other in the order of Mephisto, Baal, and then Diablo before the cycle starts again. With Mephisto now defeated, Baal is next in line according to this order.
Since the point of banishing Mephisto to the Void rather than defeating him and sending him back to Hell was to break this cycle, it’s possible that Baal will not be the next Prime Evil to appear. However, Baal’s return would make sense from a gameplay perspective as well.
Why Baal is Better than Diablo as the Next Major Diablo 4 Villain
If Diablo 4 wants to elevate the game to the next level after Lord of Hatred, bringing Baal into the story would be the way to do it. With Baal’s tendency to cause all-out war, a new expansion featuring the Prime Evil could give Diablo 4 the opportunity to overhaul its combat features and add more repeatable endgame activities centered on the idea of war. This would also allow the game to save Diablo for the final arc of Diablo 4, leading to an epic climax that sees the Lord of Terror return to Tristram and bring the franchise full circle.
- Released
-
June 5, 2023
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
