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The Burning Hells in Diablo 4

The seven Great Evils are composed of three Prime Evils and four Lesser Evils. Of the seven, the Prime Evils are considered to be the strongest of all the demons, each in charge of a realm that essentially feeds off of each other, in order to solidify their powers and cement their authority for near-eternity. Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred is considered the eldest of the three, said to create schemes upon schemes with his terrifying cunning. He’s followed by Baal, Lord of Destruction. The youngest Prime Evil, and the namesake of the franchise, is Diablo, Lord of Terror. With dominion over fear, Diablo is arguably the strongest of the three, as fear exists everywhere in perpetuity. In no particular order, the remaining Great Evils are the twins, Andariel and Duriel, Maiden of Anguish and Lord of Pain respectively, Azmodan, Lord of Sin, and Belial, Lord of Lies. The twins serve as each other’s counterparts, with Duriel reveling in others’ physical pain, while Andariel derives pleasure from others’ mental and emotional anguish. Azmodan indulges in, and influences others to partake in all vices, as the master tempter. Belial stands at the forefront of lies and deception. Naturally, all demons are experts in manipulation, and while they are called the lesser of the Great Evils, each one of them can be considered a calamity on their own, and command countless demons and other unholy beings to do their bidding.

The High Heavens in Diablo 4

Warring against these Lords and denizens of the Burning Hells are the five Archangels of Anu’s aspects, which form the Angirus council. Imperius, Archangel of Valor, stands at the helm of the five, is known for his bravery and strength, and is usually seen leading the charge against the dark forces. Tyrael, Archangel of Justice, is known for his superior prowess in battle and is considered to have trained most if not all of the soldiers under the heavenly host. Auriel, Archangel of Hope, is the incorrigible light that sees the good in all things. Malthael, the Archangel of Wisdom, is the voice of logic and understanding. Finally, Itherael, the Archangel of Fate, while just as strong as the others, is preoccupied with the knowledge and comprehension of the machinations of fate and time. Worth mentioning as well, is Inarius, another Archangel but with no known Aspect that he embodies. While powerful and commanding on the battlefield in his own right, he predominantly is said to have served as an advisor to Tyreal and to the council as a whole. 

One angel, Inarius, dared to finally think that there must be more to life than this perpetual cycle. He grew tired of the violence and the fighting. He would apprehensively share this with Tyrael, the angel in the council who he was closest to, but concluded that the latter did not share in his idea, or even understand it. The war waged on, and in another usual engagement, Inarius was struck down on the third wave of the demon’s attacks. Thinking he was as good as dead, he was instead held captive by a strong demon. Probably fearing the worst, and in his frustration of not seeing the end of the war before his probable death, he rambled about his thoughts and ideas for a future where the Eternal Conflict is no more, and of his exhaustion of the cycle of revenge and violence. Surprisingly, his captor freed him, and even more surprisingly, understood and agreed with him. Her name was Lilith, the daughter of Mephisto, the daughter of hatred. Lilith was also tired of the war. Their only difference, which Inarius remained ignorant to, was that the only method she saw of finally being free from the Eternal Conflict, was to finally win it. The two conspired and sought out the few like-minded angels and demons who also wanted a way out, and formed a small group of rebels. They snuck into the Worldstone’s location and used its power to create a pocket dimension where they would all flee to, together with the Worldstone. There, they used the all-powerful artifact again to create a whole new world where they could reside, free from the Eternal Conflict, and hidden from the eyes of the Burning Hells and High Heavens alike. They called it Sanctuary.

With peace in Sanctuary, and love in Lilith, Inarius’ dream was finally fulfilled. Lilith’s however, was just beginning. The two decided to create offspring, and they were called Nephalem, the first iterations and ancestors of humankind. Their firstborn would be named Linarian, after both of their names, and would later be called Rathma. The other renegade angels and demons followed suit and so Sanctuary became populated. Born of both demonic and divine blasphemous design, the Nephalem would have the potential to be the strongest beings in the cosmos; stronger than anything in the High Heavens or Burning Hells. To Lilith, discontent with simply fleeing from the war, the Nephalem were the future - the key to ending the Eternal Conflict once and for all.

Eventually fearing their own children’s great potential, the rebel demons and angels alike began to put forth the idea to cease creating any more Nephalem and to cull the ones already made, for fear that their own offspring would become one day. Disturbed by this notion, but still acknowledging their fear, Inarius called for a period of contemplation so he could thoroughly consider their position. Lilith caught wind of the notion and went mad at the thought of her children being slaughtered; her eventual weapons being purged. She assumed a new, treacherous form, and started culling the rebels instead, dispatching them one by one, until no voice of dissent existed. When Inarius returned, all he came home to was the slaughter. However, no matter how what wrath and frustration he held inside, he could not bring himself to kill Lilith. Instead, enhancing his power with the Worldstone, he banished her into a Void of his own making. Still reeling from the carnage, Inarius gave into fear and for good measure attuned the Worldstone to diminish the power of the Nephalem from generation to generation, diluting them until they eventually became humankind as we know it. The firstborn kept their immortality and powers, which would inadvertently create entire religions and different groups of mortals, but Inarius declared the use of their powers forbidden. Some of them protested, but Inarius quieted any dissent to his would-be vision of utopia. As things finally settled, Inarius promptly disappeared.

Rathma and Trag'Oul

At some point during the events of Lilith’s purging of the rebel angels and demons, Trag’Oul made his presence known to Linarian. Trag’Oul was a being outside of even Angels and Demons, that serves as the guardian of Sanctuary, presumably coming into existence when Sanctuary was created as well. The great dragon exists in his own realm, where he brings Linarian to reside as well, as his student. There, he teaches Linarian about Balance between light and dark, and how all of creation abides by its laws, lest they fall to the destruction of their own doing. Proving to be an able student, Trag’Oul changes Linarian’s name to Rathma, and the latter becomes the first Necromancer as he masters his studies. The two work together in the following centuries, keeping the Balance of Sanctuary behind the scenes, to protect it from the prying eyes of both the High Heavens and the Burning Hells.

The Temple of the Triune

On the surface, the Truine preached peace, selfless worship, and devotion. They encouraged pilgrimage and the individual’s own religious journey. Their three main pillars were Determination, Creation, and Mefis, and they claimed to worship three spirits that championed these aspects. Bala, the Spirit of Creation, was worshipped for nature’s natural gifts, and humankind’s synthetic achievements. Dialon, the spirit of Determination, was worshipped for the gift of humankind’s strength of will, working toward’s each person’s fate and purpose in life. Mefis, the spirit of Love was worshipped as the lifeblood of all things, as nothing can exist without love. The religious sect was further divided into these three pillars. In actuality, these are machinations established by the Prime Evils themselves, Baal, Diablo, and Mephisto, in order to convert as many humans as they can into their tools. Devotees are tortured to reach higher ranks within the sect, and extreme measures are taken for those of the populace that got too close and yet refused to join their order. The higher your rank was, the more consecrated and knowledgeable you are to the dark truths behind the lies, and the closer you were to the demons that back the sect. Despite the teachings they preach, they turn a blind eye to those who are actually suffering and dying. The Triune’s Primus, the leader placed at the top of the sect, was Lucion, son of Mephisto and sister to Lilith, in human disguise. It can be said that the Prime Evils’ refusal to directly wage their war is due to their fear of Inarius’ newfound strength, as an archangel attuned to the Worldstone.

The Cathedral of Light

After many years, notably inconsequential to an angel, Inarius caught on to the Prime Evils’ deceptions, and not wishing to attract the eyes of the High Heavens, founded the Cathedral of Light to counter the cultish sect. Thus began the cold war behind the scenes, for the soul of humanity. The Cathedral of Light preached salvation and benevolence to the whole of humanity in contrast to the Triune’s focus on the individual. Inarius established himself as The Veiled Prophet, the deity that the Cathedral of Light formed itself around. In this guise, he was known to interact and give orders to the higher-ranking members of his sect. Despite their own virtuous teachings, they too ended up prioritizing fighting the Triune at every turn, physically or psychologically, over actually helping those who were suffering or dying around them. For a time, this resulted in a sort of stalemate, with both factions steadily growing in influence and power, unable to really damage the other’s influence and authority in any permanent or lasting way.

The Edyrem would encounter different enemies sent by the Triune. One of them, Malic, the Triune’s Highpriest of the Spirit of Love, was given a second chance by their Primus Lucion, now aware of his sister Lilith’s re-emergence and interventions in favor of Uldyssian. Malic engages the group a second time eventually, armed with a way to reveal Lilith’s true form and nature. He fails to route the group but is successful in disillusioning Uldyssian. After more of her deception is refuted, she laughingly admits to the truth, and while clashing with the group, weakens her former pretend-lover’s strength and willpower by telling him that all the powerful feats he’s accomplished so far were only possible because of her manipulation. At that, Lilith leaves, enacting the next steps of her scheme. While discouraged, and now seemingly powerless, the mission must go on. Fortunately, in a fight against Lucion himself, Uldyssian would eventually gain his powers back, proving that the power was within the Nephalem after all, not just conjured up by Lilith. With renewed power and conviction, he leads the Edyrem to continue their mission. While Lucion was gone, Lilith placed herself as the Triune’s Primus in her brother’s guise. When the group made it to Toraja, Lilith put her plan in motion again, setting the Triune against not just Uldyssion’s group, but the whole town as well. The Edyrem had no choice but to immediately counterattack and storm the temple, absolutely clearing out the sect. Lilith shortly makes herself known here again to Uldyssian, but promptly leaves once again to continue his plan. After the battle at Toraja, the Edyrem’s ranks would expand ever further. Lilith possesses Serenthia at some point, and she seduces Uldyssian into yet another fake relationship, in order to keep manipulating him. Around this time, his brother Mendeln is also taken by Rathma, to whom he and the great dragon Trag’Oul reveals the lineage of the Nephalem, and the machinations of their creators, Inarius and Lilith. As Uldyssian’s grows stronger, they eventually decide that he also is informed of the truth, and so they take him to Trag’Oul’s realm as well.

Serenthia, still possessed by Lilith, is taken by the Triune’s for a short amount of time. Upon returning, Uldyssian was nowhere to be found, which meant that she couldn’t manipulate him as she intended. However, with Mendeln having been gone for some time now, this also means she was now the leader and could control the Edyrem army as she pleased. She manipulates the army into thinking that the Triune in Hashir was responsible for Uldyssian’s disappearance, and eventual death, and so the Edyrem slaughtered all its temple’s inhabitants. In all the time that Uldyssian was in Trag’Oul’s realm, she turned the Edyrem following into a cultish group that followed her every word, all to prepare the stage for the complete eradication of the Triune and the Cathedral of Light. Meanwhile, in Trag’Oul’s realm, Uldyssian reunites with his brother and is made knowledgeable regarding their lineage, and the true nature of the war he is fighting.

Rathma teleports them to the Worldstone, hidden deep within Mount Arreat, and he realizes that the Edyrem’s current power was made possible by Lilith’s tampering. Ultimately, he gives Uldyssian the choice of what to do with their whole generation of Nephalem through the Worldstone. Uldyssian in turn chooses to accelerate their growing powers even further, considering the threat of the Triune, and proceeds to make it so that the Worldstone cannot be tampered with further by any angel or demon. With the deed done, he now gets transported back to Sanctuary to finish what he’s started. Sensing the change in the Worldstone, Inarius pays Mount Arreat a visit, where Rathma joins him.

Meanwhile, as Uldyssian returns to Sanctuary, he confronts Lilith, still in Serenthia’s body who traps him and begins a ritual that’ll put Uldyssian fully under her control. Fortunately, this is stopped by Achilios, an Edyrem ally who’d died previously, but has now been reanimated with Rathma’s necromancy. Her initial plan thwarted, Lilith leaves and defers instead to becoming the head of the Truine again. Unable to control the Edyrem anymore, she resolves to just bolster the might of the Triune and destroy the Edyrem and become the one uncontested power in Sanctuary.

Clashing with the Edyrem, she’s almost successful at this, had it not been for Mendeln’s new mastery over necromancy, which summons the undead at the Edyrem’s side. To finish her off, Uldyssian collapses the ceiling over her in the Grand Temple of the Triune. She survives but is then visited by her firstborn, Rathma, who wanted to confirm her death. Unbeknownst to both of them, Inarius was also nearby but prevented their son from finding her, resolving to not allow their son to have to kill his own mother. He reveals himself after Rathma leaves and uses his power to banish her once again into the Void, declaring that this time he’s made precautions to prevent her from escaping again. With the main threat of the Triune destroyed, Uldyssian and the Edyrem, with their fast-growing powers, set off to fully expunge any remaining remnants of the deceitful sect. Keeping their momentum, Inarius and his Cathedral of Light was next.

Inarius, bent on destroying the Edyrem as a display of his superiority and command over Sanctuary, sent out his armies to route them. After Uldyssian and the Edyrem defeated the Inquisitors that Inarius sent to route them, Inarius himself finally joined the fight. Despite his power as an archangel, attuned with the Worldstone, Uldyssian was able to keep up with him blow for blow. This only served to enrage him even further, not anymore caring about the host of angels closing in. The Angiris Council resolved to destroy these new abominations they’ve found, which they’ve labeled as blasphemous and not at all controllable by them. As the Heavenly Host appeared, so too did the armies of the Burning Hells erupt from the ground, resulting in an impending three-way brawl. Reaching in for every ounce of his latent strength, Uldyssian poured out all of his power in an attempt to push back both the angels and demons back from whence they came and render Inarius immobile. Brimming with power, he looked around and saw the destruction he had wrought, alarmingly noticing his diminishing humanity. In that instant, he made a choice, to stay in his plane of existence as a human and nothing more. He pulled back inside himself all the energy he’d been releasing and in one blow sent it out to completely drive back both the heavenly and demonic armies, at the cost of his own life. This wave of energy inevitably affected the Worldstone as well, resetting to before Lilith tampered with it, effectively reverting the Edyrem back into normal human beings. This sacrifice was etched into the souls of the archangels, causing them to rethink their decision to annihilate the humans. The angels put the human’s fate into a vote, which resulted in a tie, broken only by Tyrael’s vote to spare the humans, moved by Uldyssian’s sacrifice. It is believed that it is this event that informs Tyrael’s growing compassion for humankind in the events to come. Both the Prime Evils and the Angirus Council elected to create a law preventing both parties from ever interfering with humans. As penance for the loss of his children, Lucion and Lilith, Mephisto asks for Inarius as a prisoner, which the angels saw fit to agree to, as punishment for his blasphemous actions. It is said that this resulted in eternal, perpetual torture for Inarius, in the depths of the Burning Hells. As part of the pact, the memories of humankind of the Edyrem and of the war were removed, with the exception of Mendeln, whose memories were protected by Trag’Oul. Life for the humans went on, and Uldyssian’s sacrifice faded into myth. The many deaths were instead blamed on a second plague, and the war a mere battle that erupted due to differences in beliefs. Thus ended the Sin War.

With the fall of the two major political powers at that time, and the Sin War regarded as a difference in beliefs between fanatics, mankind fell to mages for guidance and for overall stability. Religions would lose popularity, as an Age of Magic begins for humankind, a century after the Sin War began. A magical council is established, called the Al’raquish, which was made up of three mage clans, the Ammuit, the Ennead, and the Vizjerei. Having lost a lot in the previous war, which they know was partly heralded by demonic influences within the Triune’s ranks, the council agreed on the dangers posed by summoning magic and thereby forbade its use and proliferation. For a time, the new laws were followed. The Vizjerei turned their focal point back to their roots - into the magic of spirits. Still commanding no small level of influence, and despite their pivotal role in the creation of the Triune cult, the clan found fame and authority and grew strong in the world of magic.

With strength, however, comes pride, as the Vizjerei soon began to delve again into the darker arts through the millennia and a half that followed. Having forces from within the Vizjerei as a form of check and balance, this was not overlooked by the Ammuit and Ennead clans. To control the situation, they make use of assassinations to eliminate key figures of the Vizjerei clan, who retaliates with the same tactics to eliminate heads of the Ammuit and Ennead clans. This went on until the situation escalated into a full-blown war following a heated disagreement during an Al-Raquish meeting. Overpowered by the Ammuit and the Ennead, the Vizjerei would eventually fully rely on their dark arts to try and turn the tide of the war, even to the point of turning humans from the Umbaru clan into the Khazra “goatmen” as we know them today. Eventually, with no other choice, the clan would openly use their trump card and summon denizens of the Burning Hells. The most adept at this practice at the time were two brothers, Bartuc and Horazon. Bartuc believed that the demons were superior to humankind, and so would use no means of control on demons that he’d summon. He was known for his depraved acts, including bathing and feasting on the blood of his enemies, and for not even batting an eye when his demons in their capriciousness would harm even his own allies. Horizon on the other hand valued control above all else, and summoned demons as slaves to do his bidding. He was known for his startling ability to break even demons’ wills and his coldly-calculated decisions. Using their demonic powers, they are able to completely turn the war around, leading the Ammuit and Ennead clans to the brink of defeat.

Believing the war to be good as won, the leaders of the Vizjerei decide that Bartuc was no longer needed, as he was causing too much internal destruction along with the destruction of his enemies. Thus, a civil war erupted, pitting the demonic philosophies of Horazon and Bartuc against each other. The catastrophic war incurred heavy collateral damage and was in the end won by Horazon, who successfully killed his own brother in the process. Grieving and seeing the destruction they had wrought, Horazon, spurned demonic magic and the use of demonic summoning and exiled himself to an Arcane Sanctuary of his own making, where he would spend the rest of his days studying magic alone. With the Vizjerei left in shambles, there was no Mage War to be fought anymore, marking the end of the conflict. Seeing the consequences firsthand for themselves, the Vizjerei once again vowed to never participate in the summoning of demons again, along with the other mage clans. The Viz-jaq’taar was thus created, which is an order of non-magical assassins, committed to surveilling the use of forbidden magic among the clans. To this day, the consequences of the destructive magical war could be felt in the environments and landscapes of Sanctuary, from the masterless demons roaming the lands, the depraved Khazra, and the deformed locations we see today. The war also left Sanctuary more vulnerable to the infiltration of the denizens of the Burning Hells.

With the destruction brought about by mages, the magical society began to be hated by humans in Sanctuary. With yet another pillar of influence removed, humankind became all too ready to fill the vacuum of power and authority with faith and religion, as a new Age of Faith began. Two centuries after the Mage War concluded the earliest form of the Zakarum faith started to take root. The ascetic Akarat would claim to see a vision while in deep meditation, of an angel Yaerius who showed him the force of Light, as what humankind should aspire to ascend towards. He would go on to spread this word which would eventually become the religion of Zakarum. The great scholar Deckard Cain would later on postulate that the vision Akarat saw was instead probably a vision of Uldyssian’s sacrifice, at the height of his awakened power as a Nephalem, as many other mystics would claim to see in deep meditation. The power released by Uldyssian was so strong that it echoed throughout time and space, allowing the singularly attuned to see visions of the act. Akarat in his ignorance would mistake it for an angel, and promptly call it Yaerius which simply meant “son of light” in his native tongue. Regardless of the truth, the Zakarum’s formidable faith would be based on Akarat’s vision and while they would fade into obscurity for a time, as Akarat seemingly just disappears, they would play an important role in the coming events.

Nearly another millennia later, the four Lesser Evils decide to stage a coup d’etat, led by Belial. He argued to the demonic masses that the Prime Evils have become more interested in acquiring and controlling the souls of humankind. With the argument supported by the Prime Evils’ recent failure in the Sin War, the majority of the denizens of the Burning Hells supported the Lesser Evils, and despite huge losses, as is expected when fighting the three strongest demons of hell, they managed to exile the Baal, Diablo, and Mephisto out of their home, and into Sanctuary, in a devastating civil war. In actuality, this was all planned by Mephisto and the Prime Evils, as sometime before this, a powerful angel, main lieutenant to Tyrael, fell from grace and confided in them the secrets of the Worldstone, and the Soulstones that his general had created.

Behind the back of the Heavenly Host, Tyrael would break the pact and create a clandestine group of powerful human mages called the Horadrim, its members chosen from varying Mage Clans. It would be decades before he finds out about the Prime Evils’ presence in the world of man. In response, he trains his Horadrim and entrusts them with the Soulstones - small but powerful artifacts that he carved from the Worldstone, which were tied to the essences of each of the Prime Evils, and so could be used to trap them. Led by Tal Rasha and with Tyrael’s help, the Horadrim were able to find and track down Mephisto through his demonic deeds, and after a gruesome struggle, seal him in the sapphire Soulstone. Tal Rasha claimed that the best people to leave the Soulstone with would be the Zakarum Church with their stalwart faith. Entrusted with Mephisto’s Soulstone, they erected a temple in Kurast that would house it, which would be known as Travincal. This would lead to a rapid rise in the followers of their faith, with their most prominent temple built around the oldest Prime Evil.

The second Prime Evil they would be able to track down in the wake of his destruction was Baal. The Horadrim confront him as he leaves Lut Gholein. In the ensuing battle, the Amber Soulstone made to house him would be destroyed. In his valor, Tal Rasha remained unfazed and with the help of Zoltun Kulle, arguably the strongest mage in history, was able to seal the archdemon in the largest share of the Amber Soulstone. This would not be enough to hold him however, and so Tal Rasha unflinchingly volunteers to house the fragment, and Baal along with it, in his physical body. Tyrael arrives and leads them into a tomb where they erect a large runed-binding stone onto which they chain Tal Rasha, before Tyrael plunges the amber shard onto his chest. Tal Rasha bade his followers seal him inside the tomb, lost to time forever, as he wrestles with the demon for all eternity. Grieving, the Horadrim pick themselves up, with Jered Cain as their new leader, for there was one more archdemon to find and defeat.

Izual, the Fallen Angel

Izual, Tyrael’s most trusted lieutenant and friend, wielder of the Azurewrath, was sent on a mission to stop the completion of a new weapon being forged in the Burning Hells, Shadowfang. Tyrael thought this mission was ill-advised. Still, it was initiated, and Izual carried out what would be his last mission as an angel for the High Heavens. Unsuccessful, Izual was overpowered by the demonic hordes and taken prisoner by the Prime Evils, who gave no quarter in twisting his essence and turning him into a darker being, unwelcome either in the heavens or hells. They got Izual to confide in them secrets that the Heavenly Host held regarding the Worldstone, and furthermore, secrets that Tyrael had shared with him in confidence, with regard to his general’s secret actions for the benefit of humankind. With this new knowledge, the Prime Evils hatched a nefarious scheme that would circumvent the pact they’d made with the angels, which started with their own “forced” exile into the world of humankind. There in Sanctuary, the three wrought havoc on humans once again, this time with their full selves, not needing any pretensions or precautions, as Inarius was chained and tormented in hell.

This plan starts with Lazarus, one of his subtly-corrupted priests, and Leoric, an uncorrupted Zakarum faithful. On the Zakarum Church’s orders, Leoric is sent to govern Khanduras as its new king, with Lazarus as his advisor. At the latter’s encouragement, their seat of power would be placed in Tristram, a quaint town that naturally formed around the Horadric monastery where Diablo’s soulstone is housed. King Leoric and his family came to be respected as a great, well-loved royal family, responsible for the prosperity of Tristram and the rest of Khanduras. Lazarus came to be the nation’s Archbishop, as the Zakarum Church’s representative. Behind the scenes however, Lazarus was able to find Diablo’s soulstone, and under the latter’s influence, helped the archdemon attempt to possess King Leoric. Unsuccessful due to Leoric’s strength of will, Diablo instead resorted to driving him mad with paranoia, as the once-respected King would suddenly commit despicable acts and give unreasonable orders. One such order would be to send out the nation’s army, including his eldest son Aidan, to declare war against the neighboring nation of Westmarch. Eventually, his paranoia, encouraged by Lazarus, would even lead him to execute his own wife, Queen Asylla, for allegedly conspiring against him. During this time, Lazarus was committing atrocities of his own, starting with the kidnapping of the royal family’s youngest son, Albrecht, who Diablo wants to now possess. Driven further into insanity, King Leoric initiates a mad manhunt for his son, torturing and killing innocent people in the search. Lazarus manipulates townspeople into charging into the depths of the cathedral as well for the search, only to be delivered straight to The Butcher’s hands as fresh meat.

As anyone would expect, the war against Westmarch ended up a great disaster, and with a great many of his army’s lives lost, Lachdanan, Leoric’s lieutenant, retreated with whoever was left back to Tristram. They arrive in their darkened town in the middle of their King’s mad hunt. Resolved to end both the King and his people’s suffering, they confront Leoric and end up clashing with him in battle. On the brink of defeat, Leoric curses his traitorous knights to obey him in death, as his form morphs into that of the Skeleton King. As he finally succumbs to Diablo’s control. The knights turn into mindless minions that follow all his orders, with the exception of Lachdanan who willed himself to instead die alone deep in the catacombs rather than hurt anyone under the King’s corrupted command.

Aidan, also escaping death in the losing war against Westmarch comes home to the now fully corrupted, darkened Tristram. At the same time, Moreina and Jazreth also arrived in Tristram, sent by their orders, the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye and the Vizjerei respectively, to investigate the rumors surrounding the once-thriving town. Together, they uncover the truths behind the machinations of Diablo, as they slay numerous enemies like The Butcher, Lazarus, and Aidan’s own father, the Skeleton King. Searching for Aidan’s youngest brother, they finally come to blows with Diablo himself, now fully possessing Albrecht, deep within the cathedral. Working together, the group manages to etch out a victory, with Aidan forced yet again to end the life of another member of his family, as they remove Diablo’s Red Soulstone from Albrecht’s lifeless body. Fearing the archdemon's influence from within the stone, and resolved to have the strength of will to contain it, Aidan plunges the gem into his own forehead. For a time, Tristram knows peace and actually held a celebration for days, but it is not enough to quell the nightmares and grievances that all its citizens must carry, from the atrocities that they’ve seen and experienced as wrought by Diablo.

Aidan sought out Adria, the town’s local witch, after the events that supposedly freed Tristram. Adria had been one of the people in town that would help Aidan and his group throughout their quest in Tristram, and so Adria was able to console him and grant him some time of peace as he grieved his family, and began his perpetual internal battle against Diablo for control. The heroes go their separate ways, as Jazreth, traumatized by the experience, seeks solace in the Arcane Sanctuary of myth, supposedly created by Horazon. Moreina goes back to her order, her tough exterior hiding the darkness that she came to carry from the experience. Eventually, Aidan would travel east as he slowly gave in to the archdemon inside him, leaving a trail of destruction and terror in his wake. He would eventually come to be known as the Dark Wanderer.

As Aidan leaves Tristram, he uncontrollably summons demons, hellfire, and other creatures of the dark, that lay waste to what’s left of Tristram. Passing through to the east, he does the same to the monastery gate, now known as the Rogue Monastery, home to the Sisters of the Sightless Eye. Diablo then summons Andariel to enjoy the spoils and make sure no one follows suit. Marius, an unremarkable vagrant, was present in the Rogue Monastery when all this came to pass. Escaping with his life, he is constantly haunted by visions of the Dark Wanderer, and all the evil he unleashed that day. A group of heroes notice the trail of terror that the Dark Wanderer leaves, and follows it, leading to numerous quests and battles for them. Venturing a Rogue encampment, they are told of the recent events at the Rogue Monastery and Tristram. They save scholar Deckard Cain from the burning cathedral of Tristram, and then they confront the Blood Raven, who was Moreina, corrupted by Andariel herself to command hordes of undead. The group promptly ends her suffering, and then also defeats Andariel to continue following the Dark Wanderer east.

During this time, Marius resorts to smoking large amounts of opium in a nearby hostel to keep himself awake and in so doing keep the nightmares at bay. In a perverse twist of fate, the Dark Wanderer enters the pub and uncontrollably summons another host of demons and dark creatures, and destroys everything in sight. Frozen in fear and with the reignition of his nightmares, somehow Marius survives. As the Dark Wanderer leaves, something compelled Marius to follow, and so the two journeyed further east. Along the journey, the Dark Wanderer would share a few words here and there, about how he used to be a mighty warrior but is now just burdened with a secret dark purpose. Eventually, they make it to Lut Golein, where Marius sees a vision of Baal, Lord of Destruction, and how he was imprisoned by Tyrael and the Horadram into the body of the group’s leader, Tal Rasha. The Dark Wanderer, Diablo, explains to Marius that he is who they came here for - his brother. The next day, Marius and The Dark Wanderer enter the Tomb of Tal Rasha. His demonic essence seemingly knowing exactly where to go, they finally find Tal Rasha, in his depraved form, struggling against the binding stone he is sealed on. The Dark Wanderer attempts to pull the amber soulstone shard from his chest, but Tyrael appears in the nick of time to stop him. As they struggle against each other however, Baal instead compels Marius to come and release the shard. Release it he did, and Baal, fully in control of Tal Rasha’s body, is able to immobilize Tyrael. In a vision, Tyrael is able to order Marius to run away and take the soulstone shard to Kurast, where he must enter the gates of hell and destroy the shard in the Hellforge. As the two archdemons fight Tyrael, Marius runs away.

The hero and Deckard Cain finally arrive in Lut Golein via Caravan. Fearing that Diablo is indeed looking for his brother in the Tomb of Tal Rasha, they find clues to the whereabouts of the tomb, and how exactly to get there. In the process, they defeat Jazreth, the other hero who defeated Diablo together with Aidan and Moreina, now possessed by the spirit of Horazon, in the Arcane Sanctuary. Reading his journal, the hero is finally able to find more definitive clues to the Tomb of Tal Jarash. Inside, Duriel was apparently summoned by Diablo and Baal in order to guard the tomb and keep secret what had transpired there. After defeating him, the hero finds Tyrael bound on the same binding stone used to seal Baal. Freeing him, he tells the hero that Diablo and Baal are en route to Kurast to reunite with their eldest brother, Mephisto, as he himself was too weakened to continue for now.

As Marius gets to the deep recesses of Travincal, he sees a horrific scene where the Prime Evils are finally reunited with their eldest brother Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, and the Dark Traveler finally sheds his human form to reveal the terrifying figure of Diablo. Opening a portal back to the Burning Hells, Mephisto sends Diablo back to rally their troops. Marius, succumbing to his fear, disregards the task Tyrael had given him and runs away. 

The hero, along with Deckard Cain, finally makes it to Kurast and finds a way to Travincal. Discovering the corruption that Mephisto wrought onto the Zakarum Churches, they fight their way to the temple's deep recesses, guarded by corrupted priests and demonic entities. Finally, at the end of the road, they fight Mephisto himself. Defeating him, the hero gains access to the very portal that his brothers stepped through, as well as his Sapphire Soulstone. With an impossible task at hand, the hero goes through it. They find themselves in the Pandaemonium Fortress, where Tyrael warns them of Izual, the fallen angel. As the hero leaves the safety of the fortress and onto the Burning Hells, they defeat numerous enemies, including Izual, who after his defeat reveals that it was he who shared knowledge with the Prime Evils regarding the Worldstone, the soulstones, and how to corrupt them. Deckard then explains that with the essence of their specific soulstones tied to the Prime Evils, destroying the soulstones with the Hellforge will prevent them from manifesting in Sanctuary ever again. Making their way to the Hellforge, they also defeat Hephaesto, a powerful demon who manages the forge and guards it. With Mephisto down, there’re two more soulstones to go, and the hero now makes their way into the Lord of Terror’s lair. In an almost impossible battle, the hero manages to defeat Diablo and destroy his Crimson Soulstone. Speaking to Tyrael, it seems there’s no rest for the weary, as Baal remained behind in Sanctuary and amassed a demonic army, marching their way to Mount Arreat, where the Worldstone is kept.

Back in Sanctuary, Marius’ sanity slowly but surely slipped away, and became confined in a sanitarium. He was visited by a cloaked man, who he recognized was Tyrael in human disguise. He apologized vehemently for not being able to carry out the task given to him by the archangel, who in turn tells him that all will be forgiven once he retrieves the soulstone shard from him. Without any hesitation, Marius hands it over, pointing out how the shard has done nothing but bring him pain and deform him. Unfortunately, the cloaked man reveals himself not to be Tyrael, but Baal, who thanks Marius for acting according to plan, and after receiving the soulstone shard, rewards him with his death. True enough, Baal continues to wreak havoc in Sanctuary, building up his demonic army, and razing a path straight to the peak of Mount Arreat.

Teleported to Harrogath by Tyrael, the hero now saves the last bastion from the siege of Baal’s demonic army. The hero also rescues some of the Barbarians taken prisoner by Sharptooth. The Barbarians are grateful and offer the hero their help. Seeking a path to the Worldstone, the hero takes the trial of the Ancients, early generation Nephalem charged with guarding the Worldstone. In a battle that could arguably be even more difficult than fighting Diablo, the hero emerges victorious against the three Ancients. They let you know that Baal is already inside with the Worldstone, and Tyrael won’t be able to help you as Baal blocks his spiritual presence. Traversing the Worldstone keep, the hero faces the Lord of Destruction’s strongest minions. Upon finally reaching the archdemon, he sends waves upon waves of even stronger foes, which the hero has to go through to continue. Finally, Baal himself faces the hero in the room where the Worldstone lies. In another almost-impossible struggle, the hero finally defeats Baal’s manifestation. Without Baal’s power to hold him back, Tyrael is finally able to enter and explains that while they were able to defeat Baal, he had already been successful at corrupting the Worldstone. In one final decision, Tyrael opens a portal to send you out to safety, before the Archangel of Justice throws his empowered sword at the Worldstone, destroying it before its corruption could spell the end for Sanctuary, spelling the end for him as well.

While his physical form was gone, Tyrael’s essence persisted. His essence drifted in Pandaemonium for twenty years all the while restoring his physical form, which no angel has ever done before, as they would usually just get replaced by a new angel embodying the same aspect. Restored, he returns to the High Heavens. He notices that Malthael had also been gone and it’s revealed that the Archangel of Wisdom developed an interest in mankind. Tyrael sends Uzrael to find him. Eventually, Tyrael would come to notice a growing darkness, set in motion by the only two Great Evils who remain, Belial, the Lord of Lies, and Azmodan, the Lord of Sin. With the Worldstone gone, Sanctuary has become vulnerable to both the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, and they mean to use this opportunity to strike. Poised to help humankind, Tyrael is reprimanded by Imperius, Archangel of Valor, for his recent actions in violation of their laws. In response, Tyrael removes his wings himself in a sacrilegious act, declaring that if their laws forbid them from doing what is just and right and from protecting the innocent, then he will no longer be one of them. Choosing to become a mortal, he falls from the heavens and onto Sanctuary.

Two decades of slightly more peaceful times after Baal’s defeat, a falling star falls right onto New Tristram, a small new village town that sprouted up near the ruins of Tristram, from the heavens above. Our new heroes this time around come from different walks of life and come to New Tristram to investigate the falling star. It seems Deckard Cain was separated from Leaa, his new ward, due to the impact of the falling star. The hero helps them reunite, and labors to defeat the Skeleton King Leoric, awoken by the falling star, in order to approach it. At the center of the star’s impact, the hero finds a man instead of a rock. The man seemed to have no memory, only that he wasn’t hostile and that he was supposed to carry a warning of grave news. He explains that another small memory he could remember was that of a great sword, which shattered into three pieces when he fell. The hero labors now to gather the pieces and make them whole again.

Throughout the journey to rebuild the stranger’s sword, Leah reveals that she can sense that she too has strength within, just like the hero, but she has no control over it and cannot use it to help. Which would’ve been good, as the parts of the sword seem to be guarded by a demoness named Maghda, and her coven. Leah also starts to slowly let go of her doubt in Deckard’s stories, which she always thought were just stories if not ramblings brought about by senility. The journey also opens the idea to the hero that they are part or at least descended from the ancient Nephalem, as one of the locations of the broken part of the stranger’s sword was in a temple only Nephalem could enter and clear, which the hero was able to do. After going through hordes of Maghda’s minions, the hero collects two parts of the stranger’s broken sword. Alas as they were busy looking for the third part, Maghda infiltrates Deckard’s home to take the whole group but the hero prisoner while she collects the first two parts we’d found, already having possession of the third. There, she tries to blackmail Deckard using Leah’s life to restore the sword and reveals that she works for Belial, the Lord of Lies. Deckard, unwilling to comply, is lethally struck by Maghda, to which Leah emotionally reacts, releasing her inner power to blow away Maghda’s minions. Maghda kidnaps the stranger who owns the sword instead. With his dying breath, Deckard restores the sword, revealing the wielder to be an angel, and bids Leah to gleam the truth from his journals and press on.

She and the hero follow the demoness’ trail to King Leoric’s old manor. Where it’s revealed that Leah is in fact the daughter of Adria, the witch of old Tristram. Foiling her plans of sacrificing innocent villagers for Belial, the hero next goes to the Cursed Hold, where Maghda leads him in a fight against a revived Butcher. Defeating him, the hero finally allows the unfortunate spirits of Tristram to rest in peace. Deeper in, the hero also finally rescues the stranger from another dark ritual prepared by more of Maghda’s cultists. Dying, the hero bids him take up his restored sword. Wielding it, the stranger recovers all his memories and finally remembers himself as the former Archangel of Justice, Tyrael. Along with his identity, he remembers the warning he was supposed to deliver - Belial and Azmodan, Lord of Sin, taking advantage of the fact that the Worldstone is no more, are mounting an attack on Sanctuary. The group head to Caldeum, following the trail of Belial’s scheme.

While Tyrael and Lea gather information on Belial’s machinations in Caldeum, which has become the seat of power in Kehjistan, following the destruction and defamation of the mage clans after the horrors of the Mage Clan Wars, the hero journeys to Alcarnus where Maghda is said to have gone. After killing countless cults and freeing many of her prisoners, the hero is finally able to confront and defeat Maghda, but not before she reveals that Belial, having control over Caldeum, has taken Leah and aims to have her hidden power for his own. Nonetheless, Deckard Cain, the great scholar, is finally avenged.

Heeding Maghda’s final words, the hero heads to Caldeum to save Leah, who’s held by the emperor Hakan II and his Imperial Guard who are actually serpent demons commanded by Belial, able to change their forms. After escaping, Leah urges the group to head to the sewers. There, she was able to find her mother Adria, apparently still alive, but imprisoned by the emperor. The group finds her being tortured for information about a Black Soulstone. Adria claims that she had to leave Leah behind as she was called to fight the Great Evils, which would be dangerous for a daughter. Safe from her captors and our pursuers, she reveals that the Black Soulstone is the key to defeating the Great Evils permanently, and to use it they must revive Zoltun Kulle, its creator. With our new directive clear, the group journeys to find Zoltun’s head stored here in Caldeum, while Adria promises to teach Leah to control her powers.

On this new journey, the hero finds the child emperor himself Hakan II in the sewers. He claims to have had no choice in ordering their demise previously, as Belial’s minions were everywhere watching him and controlling his every action. He promises to help however he can and shows the group the way to the Oasis, where Zoltun’s severed head is stored. Partially revived, Zoltun recognizes Tyrael’s voice, who promptly tells him of our plight to use the stone he created to destroy the last of the Great Evils. He promises to activate the stone but only after they make him whole again by retrieving his blood from the Desolate Sands. Throughout this new endeavor, Zoltun’s essence talks to the hero from time to time, commenting that he knows what they truly are, while the others do not. Inside the temple where Zoltun’s blood is stored, Hakan II again gives aid to the heroes through a projection, claiming that he’s close to figuring out the identity of Belial’s current human host. He bids them prioritize finding the Black Soulstone and leave Belial to him in the meantime. As the heroes get closer to Zoltun’s blood, Leah resolves to head out first and learn the spell to resurrect him. Alone, Zoltun tries to manipulate the hero, again pointing out that he knows what they are and that they are the same as him, while the others are just trying to use them. Immune to manipulation, the hero shrugs him off and focuses on the tasks at hand. After defeating many guardians made to guard Zoltun’s blood vials, the hero finally collects them. Their next ask is to get to Zoltun’s body, as well as The Black Soulstone, which will be in Zoltun’s Archives.

At the entrance of the archives, Leah rejoins the hero through teleportation to a Waypoint conveniently placed nearby, and another projection of Hakan II who tells the group that he has finally discovered Belial’s current identity, and after they collect the Black Soulstone, he is ready to lead the group to confront him. In the archives, it can be noted that aside from guardians created to guard Zoltun’s tomb, the hero also fights through serpent demons. After defeating hordes of enemies, the hero finally retrieves Zoltun’s body. The hero heads back to Leah who successfully revives Zoltun, and true to his word, he takes the hero and Leah to the sanctum where the Black Soulstone can be found. Not true to his word, he claims his creation for himself instead but notices that, surprisingly, the essences of the previously-defeated five Great Evils were already inside. Sensing the schemes that abound, he gives the hero one last offer to join him instead, which the hero rejects. After defeating him and two of his larger constructs, we claim the Black Soulstone, and Adria follows the group into the sanctum. She reveals that Deckard told her about Zoltun’s Black Soulstone during Tristram’s corruption and that this was the specific task he underwent when she left Leah - to mark the Great Evils so that their essences would be trapped in the Black Soulstone upon their next destruction. Outside, the hero asks Adria about the specifics of the plan, to which she answers that if they destroy the Black Soulstone with the Great Evils trapped inside, they will be permanently destroyed. What’s more, only Leah is strong enough to control the Black Soulstone when they use it.

Resolving to accept Hakan II’s aid because they have no other choice, the group hurries to Caldeum to seek the child emperor out. It seems Belial has now stripped away any pretension and is raining hell on the city. As the group helps out the citizens, they make their way to the Emperor’s Palace. Seeing through Belial’s final lie, possessing Hakan II all this time, the hero defeats the Lesser Evil, and traps his essence inside the Black Soulstone. Seeking the last Lesser Evil, Azmodan, the hero rests, as Leah buries her head in the scrolls in Caldeum’s Great Library. There, Leah is able to see a vision of Azmodan, now intent to acquire the Black Soulstone and become the one and only Prime Evil. Being the only remaining authority in the Burning Hells, he commands its denizens on an assault now, erupting from the crater left behind by the Worldstone’s explosion, from the depths of Mount Arreat. The heroes make for Bastion’s Keep, the last fortress that stands in the way of the demons.

There, the hero rallies the troops and defeats hordes of demons, while Leah keeps the Great Evils in the Black Soulstone contained, under Adria’s guidance. After lighting signal fires, and securing and firing catapults, we dive through the Keep’s Depths, as Azmodan has successfully breached the depths with his demons, intent on conquering the keep and securing the soulstone from inside. Leading this charge from the deep is the Lord of Gluttony, who the hero dispatches after some struggle. Unfortunately, back in the armory, Leah loses control and allows the Great Evils’ rage to burst from the stone momentarily, decimating everyone in the room apart from her, Tyrael, and Adria. After checking on them, the hero resolves to finally put an end to this siege, as Leah resumes her difficult work. Entering the main battlefield, the hero, together with Tyrael, destroys the demonic siege weapons and the great demon Siegebreaker. Inside the Heart of Arreat, the hero lays waste to Azmodan’s most trusted lackey, Cydaea, the Maiden of Lust, as they endeavor to destroy Azmodan’s Sin Hearts to weaken the Lord of Sin, until finally after a long an arduous battle, we defeat the final Great Evil. Adria bids Leah to trap his essence in the Black Soulstone. The hero's allies head back first to the keep to initiate the rituals needed to destroy the Black Soulstone, and all the Great Evils with it.

Arriving in the armory, the hero spies a trail of deformed bodies and blood instead of any celebration. Following the trail to the rooftops, it’s revealed that Adria had caused the harrowing scene. She explains that two decades ago she settled in Tristram for a time, drawn by a great evil power. It seems that after meeting with Aidan, already carrying Diablo within him, she pledged her allegiance to the demon, who had a grand scheme. She conceived a child with the demon in the Dark Wanderer’s skin, to create the perfect vessel for his eventual re-emergence. Now, with Adria’s help, Diablo claims Leah’s body as his own, stronger than ever, carrying the essence of all seven Great Evils through the Black Soulstone within him as a new single Prime Evil. His sights set on the High Heavens, he opens a dark portal and breaches the palace of the Heavenly Hosts. There, he clashes with Imperius, who affords him no difficulty at all, as he manifests in a darker more terrifying form, closer to that of Tathamet from whom the Burning Evils and all its demons were born. Making quick work of Imperius, Diablo wastest no time destroying the Diamond Gates, corrupting the High Heavens, and sending his strongest demons to capture the archangels. After saving and freeing Auriel and Itharael, the hero goes with their blessing, attempting to change the course of fate. After destroying the rifts that spawn his demons, the hero now together with Tyrael moves to destroy the Lord of Terror himself, who has started to corrupt the Crystal Arch. This renders the angels incapacitated, and now only the hero can stand up to Diablo, the Prime Evil. After a near-impossible fight, defeating numerous visions and illusions, and versions of the demon himself, the Nephalem hero emerges victorious, as Diablo leaves behind nothing but the Black Soulstone that was within him. The High Heavens is saved, and Tyrael takes back his place on the Angirus Council, not as an angel, but as a mere mortal, this time choosing to embody the aspect of Wisdom, formerly the aspect of the still-missing Malthael.

Two months after the events in the High Heavens, Tyrael reforms the Horadrim, consisting of a variety of powerful mages and warriors throughout Sanctuary, as well as some members of the First Ones of Gea Kul. Their first objective was to find and safely retrieve the Black Soulstone which after Diablo’s demise fell somewhere in the High Heavens, with its corruption slowly seeping into the vicinity. They moved to seal it deep beneath Sanctuary, in the Tomb of Rakkis, but were confronted with the silent Malthael, revealing himself suddenly after being missing for a long period of time. The former Archangel of Wisdom kills all of the members of the Horadrim that were present, save for one who Tyrael manages to protect. Tyrael tasks him with finding the Nephalem hero and notifying them of the development. The Horadrim’s member’s name is Lorath Nahr, and he eventually does find the hero and brings them up to speed. Having to save a city from new ghostly enemies first, the hero bids Lorath to tell Tyrael to meet them at Westmarch. Fighting through specters and undead spirits, the hero observes a large figure wielding a scythe and armed in garb that looked similar to what angels wear, ordering her ghostly underlings to kill those with demon blood, right before massacring innocent humans. Perplexed, the hero presses forward.

Eventually, they’re finally joined by a wounded Tyrael and Lorath Nahr. The former reveals that Malthael has taken upon the Aspect of Death and now grows stronger with every person his armies kill. Furthermore, it seems Malthael, in his observation of humankind, has decided that now that the Prime Evils are no more, the only beings with any inkling of demonic essence are humans, and to finally win and end the Eternal Conflict, humans must be purged.

While Tyrael resolves to uncover Malthael’s plans, the hero will go about destroying the dark angel’s soul crucibles - dark orbs that serve to transform humans into more of his reapers, which in turn serve to kill more and more people in order for his power to grow. After destroying the soul crucibles, Tyreal reveals that Malthael is gathering the souls of the dead in order to change the Black Soulstone somehow. He also surmises that Malthael spared him in the Tomb of Rakkis because while he voluntarily became mortal, he is not descended from demons, unlike all of mankind. As Uzrael appears and harvests more souls from the city himself, the next task for our hero is clear.

Along the way, the hero uncovers a plot to overthrow the king amidst the confusion. Lord Wynton, a descendant of Rakkis, founder of Westmarch. Regardless of whatever reasons they had, the hero doesn’t agree with these methods, especially with more important matters at hand, and proceeds to foil the plan and defeat Wynton. This ironically just further strengthens Malthael’s stance that humans ere long will choose evil over good. It also revealed that Urzael, Malthael’s lieutenant who was sent by Tyrael to look for him, began to share this sentiment as he observed humankind while looking for his master. Soon after, the hero confronts Urzael, who seems to have a fiery demonic power instead of one tied to his angelic essence. The scuffle ends with the hero’s victory, resulting in the release of Westmarch from the reapers. The hero returns to Tyrael who explains that the angels cannot help them, unsurprisingly, because the perpetrator is from among their ranks, not that they’ve ever come to the aid of mankind regardless. It is also revealed that while this had been happening in Westmarch, Malthael’s minions have been claiming souls all over Sanctuary.

Unfortunately, the hero’s only lead now as to Malthael’s whereabouts is to ask Adria, the traitorous witch, who seems to be preparing to retrieve the Black Soulstone herself. Lorath, afraid that you’ll claim revenge before getting any information from the witch, joins you on your next task. Deep within Corvus’ temple in the Bloodmarch, the hero finds Adria attempting to use blood magic to ascertain the whereabouts of Malthael and the Worldstone, which resulted in a projected image of Pandemonium. When confronted, Adria unleashes her demonic new form, which the hero happily takes revenge on. In the middle of the fight, she claims that Diablo had sent her a new vision where the Nephalem hero themselves would end up freeing Diablo. After finally taking revenge for Leah’s fate, the hero heads back to Tyrael with this new information.

After consulting with Tyrael, the hero learns that the only way to Pandemonium is through a gate in the High Heavens. When we get there, however, it seems Malthael had already sent his minions to guard the gate, led by another one of his former angels of wisdom, Lamiel - an attack Imperius is not at all happy about. After making short work of them, the hero follows Imperius into the gate to Pandemonium, who after clearing a short path, tells the hero to meet him at a nearby siege camp. With the wisdom of the eternal wars waged in Pandemonium and the infinite times they’ve had to breach the Pandemonium Fortress whenever it would change hands to demonic occupation, Imperius shows the hero how to breach the gates of the fortress with a battering ram. Before doing so, Tyrael joins the hero and relays what he’s found out about Malthael’s plans. It seems the Archangel of Death means to change the Black Soulstone in a way that it can suck out any demonic essence lingering in any and all humans, which will inevitably result in their deaths. Together with Tyrael now, the hero moves to destroy the gates with the battering ram and stop this plan from coming to fruition.

Inside the fortress, Tyrael explains that Malthael is presumably in a state between life and death, which means physical attacks will not work on him, hence his own sword just passing through the Archangel of Death. To stop him the Naphalem hero must find some way to channel death as Malthael does. Time is running out though, as Malthael has already sent the Black Soulstone back to Sanctuary to purge humankind by pulling out their essences. Eventually, the hero comes across the spirit of their master and teacher. In the game, this character changes depending on which class the Nephalem hero ends up becoming. The hero’s master bids them to release their soul, and all of the souls of the dead with the same class will help in their fight. The prison housing the souls is guarded by Seraziel, the last angel of wisdom under Malthael’s command. The hero’s master and the souls of the dead under them are freed and now come to the hero’s aid, as they finally confront the Archangel of Death. 

Imbued with the power of death, thanks to the hero’s master and all the souls under them, the hero proves to be a difficult fight for even the Archangel of Death. In order to tip the balance in his favor, he teleports the Black Soulstone back into his grasp and shatters it, absorbing all the shards into him. Now empowered with the power of Diablo, the Prime Evil, he resumes the fight with even more ferocity. After a long onslaught and grueling fight, the hero finally emerges victorious, resulting in the Archangel of Death exploding after all the souls he’d absorbed rapidly left his body. Unfortunately, as Tyrael comments after the fight, this also means the release of Diablo. Nevertheless, the Nephalem hero is victorious and saves both Sanctuary and the High Heavens once again. Tyrael posits the question: should the hero ever be tempted into the dark side, would he constantly resist, or would he spell doom for them all?