The passing of the torch for major villains is always a tricky road to navigate, and that’s something Blizzard andDiablo 4are discovering with the exit of Lillith from its canonical timeline. Although it’s said that demons never die – a point theDiablofranchise has driven home by reprising defeated characters – it’s fair to say thatDiablo 4has turned the page on the Queen of the Succubi for the foreseeable future. Mephisto picked up the reins of the vacant “big bad” position after her exit, but a rathercontroversial climax to the Vessel of Hatred’s storylinehas left the title in need of some spice. In light of this,Diablo Immortal’s roadmap of introducing the feared Lord of Terror might be worth exploring inDiablo 4.
WhileDiablo 4’s commercial successes can’t be understated, with impressive sales numbers and a sizable concurrent player base keeping the title relevant in the vast gaming landscape, there’s been a growing sentiment that the Blizzard product is missing the X-factor that previous franchise installments showcased. Some ofDiablo 4’s seasonals (Season of Blood and Loot Reborn, for example) have found it difficult to excite, and the Vessel of Hatred expansion, despite the initial positives, ended on a sour note with Mephisto’s rebirth and possible reprisal in the next DLC. Given the strong reaction to the cliffhanger, Blizzard needs to rethink its strategy for future expansions, and a return of Al’Diabolos, Diablo himself, like inDiablo Immortalcould be the answer.
Blizzard Needs to Bring Out its Big Guns in Future Diablo 4 Expansions
It’s worth noting thatDiablo ImmortalandDiablo 4exist in separate bubbles on the canonical timeline.
Diablo Immortal’s events take place betweenDiablo 2and3, set five years after the second installment’s storyline. With this in mind, theLord of Terror’s addition to the mobile gameshouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The series' antagonist served as the “big bad” inDiablo 2, and although the focus shifted to Malthael inDiablo 3, the Prime Evil still played a major role by tearing Heaven apart. As such, Blizzard bringing the franchise villain into the fold inDiablo Immortalwas a necessary step to line up with the mainline series.
His addition inDiablo Immortalhighlights his continued absence inDiablo 4as a conspicuous oversight. After Lillith’s exit earlier in the latest edition’s storyline, many assumed Al’Diabolos would make his return after the page flipped to Mephisto’s role as big bad. The theory was supported by theexperience of previousDiablotitle expansionswhere one villain takes over as the DLC’s focus, gets defeated to wrap up the plot, and another headlines the next content release. Instead, Blizzard opted to explore a different approach to its narrative in Vessel of Hatred.
There had been rumors that Diablo would return to the mainline franchise in the coming expansions, especially after players saw a vision of the Prime Evil after defeating Lillith. As it stands, the main antagonist is yet to feature inDiablo 4’s plot, which is a divergence from the formula previous titles in the series employed.
Blizzard may have wanted to try something new, but with the divisive reaction to Vessel of Hatred, the developer may want to play it safe and bring back the star of the show soon.Diablo Immortalhas already laid the groundwork for his potential return, and although the role he’s going to play in the mobile game is still unclear, the mainline series could take a page out of its playbook to inject some much-needed energy intoDiablo 4’s veins with one of thestrongest characters in theDiablouniverse.
Diablo 4
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Diablo® IV is the ultimate action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or explore an expansive end game and shared world where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle world bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play, cross-progression, and couch co-op on Xbox.This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon.
