In Summer 2023, the long-awaited next installment of the popular series finally arrives with Diablo 4. But what is actually happening and how did it come to this? MeinMMO explains the story of Diablo 4 so far and summarizes what has happened so far.
What can I find here? In this article, you will find a summary of all the information we know about the story of Diablo 4, as well as background information on the two protagonists Lilith and Inarius. Since we have not been able to play Diablo 4 ourselves yet, the article is practically spoiler-free – every detail mentioned should already be known.
Before that, however, we will explain how the entire storyline in Diablo 4 came about and briefly summarize the previous games. If you want to follow the story, the sequence of the games would be:
- Diablo + DLC Hellfire
- Diablo 2 + DLC Lord of Destruction
- Diablo Immortal
- Diablo 3 + DLC Reaper of Souls
With Diablo 2: Resurrected, a remaster of the game was released in 2021, which you can experience with better graphics and new updates, but otherwise almost identical content.
You do not have to have played the previous installments to enjoy Diablo 4. Diablo is popular and successful in part because the gameplay of looting and leveling is easy to understand and timeless. You do not need to know much, except whom you need to hit on the head for a better item.
The series is now over 26 years old and is complemented by books, comics, and more alongside the games. We largely refrain from explaining all sources in detail and focus on providing you with only the essential details for understanding so that the overview is maintained.
In our special, you will find all info about Diablo 4. In the video, we show you the current state:
The story so far – What happened before Diablo 4?
At the center of the Diablo story is an everlasting war. In the “Eternal Conflict,” heaven and hell try to gain control of the Worldstone. This artifact allows the creation and shaping of new worlds.
The archangels face off against the three Prime Evils Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo, the namesake of the series, as enemies. They are behind the machinations and tragedies that unfold in the games.
The story of Diablo 1: At the start of the first game, Diablo, the Lord of Terror, is trapped in a soulstone. However, he manages to corrupt Archbishop Lazarus and through him indirectly influences Leoric, the king of Tristram, and later his son Albrecht.
Albrecht is implanted with the soulstone, which manifests Diablo within him. Tristram is overrun by demons, Leoric becomes insane and slaughters his subordinates. The heroes ultimately defeat Diablo, remove the soulstone from Albrecht’s forehead, and carry it themselves to protect the world from evil. He becomes the “Dark Wanderer.”
The story of Diablo 2: The Dark Wanderer loses control over the soulstone. Diablo tries to free his demonic brothers Baal and Mephisto, also leaders of hell, and finally himself, which he succeeds in doing. New heroes pursue the Wanderer and defeat the three Prime Evils.
However, the Worldstone, which is trapped in Mount Arreat, becomes corrupted and is eventually destroyed by the angel Tyrael. The shards scatter across all of Sanctuary.
The story of Diablo Immortal: Skarn, a new demon and servant of Diablo, searches for the shards of the Worldstone to bring Diablo back. He aims to reignite the Eternal Conflict. However, the end of the story is not yet known.
You can find in our special the story of Diablo Immortal explained in 3 minutes. In the video, we show you the contents of the game:
The story of Diablo 3: Tristram is once again attacked by evil and heroes help to free the land. They assist Deckard Cain, a powerful wizard (a “Horadrim”), and his niece Leah. The goal is to find the Black Soulstone, an artifact designed to bind the souls of all evils.
Leah’s mother, Adria, is a follower of Diablo and has implanted in her daughter the essence of the Lord of Terror. After the Black Soulstone is recovered, Adria transforms Leah into a new, even stronger Diablo, who attacks the heavens. The heroes defeat him.
Malthael, who was originally the angel of wisdom, then decides to take action himself and wants to use the Black Soulstone to capture the evils. However, the power of the stone corrupts him and the High Heavens.
This is where Diablo 4 begins. As a hero, you will come into contact with both cults early on and are initially meant to pursue Lilith to prevent her supposedly sinister plans.
Who is Lilith?
Lilith is the daughter of Mephisto, who no longer wishes to participate in the Eternal Conflict. She sees no point in the war and the constant fighting of the same opponents and seeks a way out.
Still during the war, Lilith takes a prisoner, the angel Inarius, who surprisingly shares her views. The two forge an alliance and steal the Worldstone, over which demons and angels are warring.
With the power of the stone, they create the world Sanctuary, where the Diablo series takes place to this day. However, the theft of the Worldstone brings the Eternal Conflict to a halt, and shortly thereafter, both parties focus their attention on the newly created Sanctuary.
Lilith and Inarius eventually fall in love, and after they create Sanctuary, they bear children together: the first Nephalem, powerful beings whose descendants we play in Diablo today.
“Mom and Dad” however, have their own plans for the powerful Nephalem and use them in part for their own purposes, which destroys the trust of especially the more powerful Nephalem.
In our special, you will find all the info about Lilith in detail. The latest cinematic shows the two “lovers” meeting again after eons:
Who is Inarius?
The angel Inarius is a former archangel of the High Heavens, who was wounded and captured in a battle. While in captivity, Inarius complains about the Eternal Conflict and its hopeless end, which resonates with Lilith.
Since Nephalem are stronger than angels and demons alone, and their existence is seen as an abomination by both heaven and hell, a new war breaks out that aims to annihilate Sanctuary. To prevent this, Inarius considers genocide against his own children.
We explain in our article in more detail, who Inarius actually is.
Lilith prevents this but, out of rage, kills all angels and demons who have helped her and Inarius. Inarius banishes her and decides to suppress the power of the Nephalem so much that Sanctuary becomes uninteresting for heaven and hell. Those Nephalem who resist are annihilated.
As the Nephalem gradually became humans over time, Lilith awakens the power of the Nephalem within one of them. As a result, a war breaks out in which Inarius is captured and tortured in hell.
In Diablo 4, however, Inarius is free again, as is Lilith. This is where the story begins, and you will find out what exactly is going on while playing. However, that will take some time:
Diablo 4 is said to take 180 hours to reach max level
Malthael becomes the Angel of Death, who nearly wipes out all of humanity, and the heroes must defeat him. In the process, the Black Soulstone is destroyed, and the souls of the evils are seemingly freed once again.
What is Diablo 4 about?
Diablo 4 takes place several decades after Diablo 3. The angels of heaven and the demons of hell fight in an unending war, and countless people fall as “collateral damage.”
In search of something resembling guidance, cults form in the world, primarily serving the angel Inarius. However, the demoness Lilith also reappears and manages to win some humans over to her side.
This is where Diablo 4 begins. As a hero, you will come into contact with both cults early on and are initially meant to pursue Lilith to prevent her supposedly sinister plans.
Who is Lilith?
Lilith is the daughter of Mephisto, who no longer wishes to participate in the Eternal Conflict. She sees no point in the war and the constant fighting of the same opponents and seeks a way out.
Still during the war, Lilith takes a prisoner, the angel Inarius, who surprisingly shares her views. The two forge an alliance and steal the Worldstone, over which demons and angels are warring.
With the power of the stone, they create the world Sanctuary, where the Diablo series takes place to this day. However, the theft of the Worldstone brings the Eternal Conflict to a halt, and shortly thereafter, both parties focus their attention on the newly created Sanctuary.
Lilith and Inarius eventually fall in love, and after they create Sanctuary, they bear children together: the first Nephalem, powerful beings whose descendants we play in Diablo today.
“Mom and Dad” however, have their own plans for the powerful Nephalem and use them in part for their own purposes, which destroys the trust of especially the more powerful Nephalem.
In our special, you will find all the info about Lilith in detail. The latest cinematic shows the two “lovers” meeting again after eons:
Who is Inarius?
The angel Inarius is a former archangel of the High Heavens, who was wounded and captured in a battle. While in captivity, Inarius complains about the Eternal Conflict and its hopeless end, which resonates with Lilith.
Since Nephalem are stronger than angels and demons alone, and their existence is seen as an abomination by both heaven and hell, a new war breaks out that aims to annihilate Sanctuary. To prevent this, Inarius considers genocide against his own children.
We explain in our article in more detail, who Inarius actually is.
Lilith prevents this but, out of rage, kills all angels and demons who have helped her and Inarius. Inarius banishes her and decides to suppress the power of the Nephalem so much that Sanctuary becomes uninteresting for heaven and hell. Those Nephalem who resist are annihilated.
As the Nephalem gradually became humans over time, Lilith awakens the power of the Nephalem within one of them. As a result, a war breaks out in which Inarius is captured and tortured in hell.
In Diablo 4, however, Inarius is free again, as is Lilith. This is where the story begins, and you will find out what exactly is going on while playing. However, that will take some time:
Diablo 4 is said to take 180 hours to reach max level
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