The lore of Diablo has always been an interesting topic, and the release of a fourth installment also means additions to the overall story of Diablo 4. For one, there are only so many ways a fictional dark entity can come back after being vanquished by lesser beings. Diablo 4 manages to spice it up by somehow going off the beaten path as far as the lore is concerned.
Now that we have a solid release date, the details regarding the Diablo 4 timeline are starting to gush out, with details that pick up some old thread and plenty of new material to chew on, too. Things could still change regarding what direction the Diablo 4 lore wants to take as more information is revealed.
Updated on April 6th, 2023, by Kristy Ambrose: The arrival of Lilith is nigh, and it's not an exaggeration to say her many real-life fans are looking forward to her involvement in the story. The increased role in Diablo lore of the daughter of Mephisto is getting the most attention, but exactly what role she is taking remains to be seen. Before Lilith sucks all of the blood out of the room, other characters from past games also reemerge in Diablo 4 and have been tweaked to fit the new storyline and other important facts about the battle between Heaven and Hell.
13 The Main Evil Appears To Be Lilith, A Lesser Evil
Of course, Diablo 4 needs a "Diablo," who's essentially the main driving force in the game. The trailers have revealed that Lilith is likely the main antagonist for Diablo 4. In terms of all Diablo villains, she's quite the odd choice.
That's because she's a lesser evil and is often deemed weaker compared to older and more bona fide Prime Evils such as Diablo himself or Baal. She's even more sinister-looking this time compared to her previous depictions.
12 Heterochromia
Lilith's design has changed over the years, and she can change her appearance, which includes turning into a demonic monster. One of the new details that fans and players have already noticed is her heterochromia.
One of her eyes is grey and the other is blue, which is more obvious in come of the concept art. An ancient symbol of witchcraft and the occult, medieval legend says that Satan himself has two differently colored eyes.
11 Lilith Created Sanctuary
To understand Lilith's importance in the Diablo lore, let's gloss over her biggest contribution to the Heaven and Hell war: the Sanctuary. Together with an angel named Inarius, Lilith created the Sanctuary and their fruity loins gave rise to the Nephalem, neither angel nor demon, the progenitors of humans.
Eventually, Sanctuary's existence was discovered and Inarius banished Lilith to the void after a disagreement on how to handle their respective homecourts. So all this time, Lilith has been brewing in the void, awaiting the perfect moment to be free.
10 Lilith Was Freed By Elias
The identity of the character in the trailer, who appears to sacrifice three unlucky adventurers to bring Lilith to Sanctuary, has been confirmed. Elias is a high-ranking member of the Temple of the Triune, more commonly known as Dark Cultists.
Another notable character involved at a higher level could be Rathma, one of Lilith's wayward children, a Necromancer and leader of the Priests of Rathma. As far as his allegiance goes, he's supposedly neutral as he helped found the order or cult of necromancers in Sanctuary; their goal is to keep the balance between Heaven and Hell.
With the Prime Evils gone, that balance askew, which could have motivated either character to summon Lilith.
9 Lilith's Intentions Are Unknown
Even so, Lilith's exact intentions are still unknown and up for debate. Since the game is still titled "Diablo" instead of Lilith, many simply assume that she could be out to resurrect her father Mephisto, or her uncle, Diablo.
Still, there's no evidence to back that up. Before Lilith was imprisoned in the void, she was actually against the Prime Evils' warmongering and wanted to eradicate Heaven and Hell or put a stop to their pointless eternal war.
Hence, reviving Diablo or one of his brothers might be counterproductive to what she wants to happen.
8 The Return Of Andariel
Andariel first appears as the First Act boss of Diablo 2 and has found a way to make an appearance in every game since. Also known as the Maiden of Anguish or the Demon Queen, she's the only female Lesser Evil, and in the original lore, she was Lilith's daughter.
Her essence was used to resurrect Diablo using the Black Soulstone, and according to the story so far, she and the other Evils eventually broke away from him. Other than some concept art, Andariel's exact role in the story of Diablo 4 is yet unknown, but she's important as one of the Lesser Evils.
7 It Takes Place 30 Years After Reaper Of Souls
The reason why it's high time for another Diablo game is that Diablo 4 takes place 30 years after the events of Reaper of Souls in the third game. That's around the time required for Prime Evils to recuperate their strength and rise on their own.
That also means a lot has changed in Sanctuary though it appears to remain as apocalyptic and barren as ever. Monsters still populate most of the known world and the human settlements are still unbelievably gloomy.
6 It Will Most Likely Take A Different Direction
So far, all three Diablo games have been about combating and stopping all the Prime Evils. All of them have one goal: Heaven's destruction. Lilith is different based on the aforementioned reasons. She cares nothing for the silly war.
To that end, and if she was to be the actual main villain in Diablo 4, we could see ourselves as an evil that tiptoes in that grey area. It's not as if Blizzard Entertainment will suddenly flip the Diablo switch within Lilith and throw away what made her different compared to her kin. We might see a story unlike the ones in the previous three Diablo games.
5 The Game Takes Place Over Five Regions
As for the setting of Diablo 4, so far five areas have been revealed. Those are Scosglen, Fractured Peaks, Dry Steppes, Hawezar, and Kejhistan. Like previous Diablo games, each area constitutes an act, meaning there might be five acts in total.
That leaves plenty of room for the expansions to delve into Hell or even the High Heavens. Or perhaps those could be secret levels for the endgame. All in all, the five revealed regions appear to be tame and nothing too crazy.
4 Lilith Brought Inarius Back To Life By Accident
Inarius was one of Heaven's most fearsome warriors until he fell in battle. Lilith took his body back to Hell to be her prisoner, and although she thought he was dead, her touch revived him. Lilith didn't know she had that power and it had never happened before.
They discussed the unending war and how it could be won, or at least how they could escape from it. Lilith told Inarius that they would have to find a way to steal the Worldstone and from that point on they were partners as well as allies.
Most players already know that the result of their union was the land of Sanctuary as well as the Nephalem.
3 The High Heavens Are Not Helping Humanity...Again
The hilarious thing about Diablo's supposed "good" faction is that they're apathetic and sometimes just as bad as the demons towards humans. They're aware that the humans are descendants of the Nephalem, the bastard hybrid race hailing from Lilith and Inarius' unholy partnership.
As expected, they want nothing to do with the Nephalem, and in the previous three games, the forces of Heaven were rather vindictive and sanctimonious towards humans and only Tyrael had a different opinion. That's not likely to change in Diablo 4, and most of the new lore blurs the lines between good and evil even more.
2 The Prime Evil Brothers Are Still Missing In Action
Since Lilith was in the primary spotlight in Diablo 4, particularly in the trailers, there's a big chance that the Prime Evils, namely Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, are going to be absent for the most part.
It's clear what their roles will be in the upcoming game but so far they've yet to make a splash. Their influence in Sanctuary is undeniable though, so the Diablo atmosphere is intact even with a lesser evil in the forefront.
1 The Main Villain Might Be A Plot Twist
One theory about Diablo 4 is that Lilith isn't the main villain but a scapegoat. Some fans think that a good ol' switcheroo might be in store because Lilith's intentions don't exactly align with her father's and uncles.
Some even suggest that it might be one of the head honchos in the High Heaven who are up to no good regarding Sanctuary, as Lilith created Sanctuary and therefore shouldn't have any ill will against the humans. Regardless of whatever is lurking in the big shadows, they're bound to be full of good loot.