MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus is looking forward to the upcoming Diablo 4. Just the idea of Lilith years ago caused anticipation that continues to this day. Many fans are also expecting the game and are puzzled about what could happen. A theory is being discussed.
In a tiny thread on reddit, user Tesdey explains that he thinks he knows the Lord of Terror will make an appearance in Diablo 4 – the eponymous Diablo himself. He was already the boss of parts 1 to 3, at least in the main games.
But the prime evil is actually dead, we personally killed it. Admittedly… several times. Somehow Diablo keeps coming back. The only exception so far has been Diablo Immortal, in which the big villain is Skarn, at least so far.
Now, in Diablo 4, 2 other major characters have already been introduced: Lilith, the mother of all nephalem, and Inarius, the fallen angel, who was extensively introduced in the latest trailer.
This is exactly where Tesdey comes in. The user explains that he’s been thinking about the theory for days and now wants to know that Diablo is coming back – and how he does it.
Lilith was already shown in the Reveal trailer and absolutely captivated me at the time:
Diablo 4: The Reveal Trailer with Lilith
Theory: This is all Diablo’s plan…again
From what we know so far, Inarius, or at least his followers, are our allies for now and apparently the ones we support. A church-like cult was created around the angel and he battles the evil Lilith.
According to Tesdey’s theory, Lilith possesses Diablo’s skull, which gives her power and prevents the return of the Prime Evil. Skarn tries the same thing in Diablo Immortal.
So we’re helping Inarius defeat Lilith, giving the angel more power himself. In the theoretical plot twist, however, he now becomes megalomaniac and tries to “purify” Sanctuary, ergo destroying all nephalem.
Again we have to go and finish off the poultry. Diablo is said to have been waiting for this, according to theory. With the top two threats down and the potential shards of the Worldstone unleashed, Diablo can break free and BAM! – New final boss.
Personally, I also think that’s quite likely. At least for a DLC such a story would be suitable and not too different from classic Diablo stories. Something like that happened there before. But it would be a mistake if Blizzard relied on old patterns here.
The boss explained earlier that Diablo 4 uses the best features from previous parts. But that would be fatal for the story, because there is so much potential slumbering here. This is the current state:
Diablo 4 takes the best features from its predecessors – This is how it looks so far
Diablo is dead – Let Lilith and Inarius live
The Diablo series follows an apparently clear scheme of good and evil, which the player should be able to clearly assign, at least superficially. Angels are good, demons are bad, so let’s smack that bad pug in the mouth.
Diablo has always made that very clear as an opponent. The main villain somehow only had horror, death and destruction on his mind and didn’t get tired of mentioning it. Perfect for dull hack’n’slash gameplay, after all you don’t want to think about whose head you’re actually cutting off.
But the reality is not so clear. Angels can be morally evil, or at least willing to sacrifice life for their cause. You could already see that in Malthael in Diablo 3 or, historically much earlier, in Inarius. And also to Lilith.
Diablo offers much more depth to the story than the gameplay suggests. And Diablo 4 should also use that please:
I want Diablo 4 to be like Diablo Immortal
I like Diablo, the series as well as the character. I even use the female form from Diablo 3 as an avatar on Battle.net and the Lord of Terror was one of my mains in Heroes of the Storm. But Diablo as a character is told – from my point of view.
Lilith and Inarius, on the other hand, offer such great potential that you shouldn’t let them pass you by.
Actually, we should want to help Lilith
A little digression into history explains why Inarius and Lilith deserve more than “just” 4 chapters (or less) in a new Diablo part. Inarius and Lilith are in charge of the entire world. They created Sanctuary and the nephalem. Without them we wouldn’t be the mighty brawlers we’re allowed to play today.
Inarius saw a danger in this and wanted to wipe out the nephalem. Lilith wanted to protect her children. From a purely historical point of view, we should actually want to ally ourselves with Lilith and overthrow Inarius.
In our special you will find everything you need to know about Lilith. You can see the latest cinematic with the demon lady and her angel lover here:
Diablo 4: The release date trailer
At the same time, both wanted to use the nephalem to pursue their own goals. They spin their own schemes and it’s hard to tell how much genuine affection or fear they really express.
Lilith and Inarius have so many facets that they deserve to be described in detail. A game alone does not do them justice.
Historically, they did more to create the world of Diablo than the eponymous Lord of Terror. Even if the main game lasts at least 180 hours up to the max level, there is enough potential for more stories behind it. Faction wars, new features, anything like that.
Nobody would miss Diablo anyway. If you’re playing Diablo for gameplay, you probably won’t care who you’re punching if you even read the mob names. But lore nerds like me would appreciate such details in the story. Let’s just hope the fan theory is wrong.
By the way, the first official play tests for Diablo 4 are already there:
First tests explain the gameplay of Diablo 4: Here are 5 cool details – And 2 that annoy