After two and a half years, eleven seasons, and one huge, game-changing enlargement, Diablo 4’s Age of Hatred is lastly coming to a detailed. Introduced as a part of 2025’s The Recreation Awards, Diablo 4’s subsequent enlargement, Lord of Hatred, marks the top of the sport’s ongoing saga–one which has seen Lilith, Inarius, Mephisto, and the people of Sanctuary interact in an epic battle to achieve management of the world and its future. However whereas the upcoming enlargement guarantees a “satisfying” conclusion and an “epic, ultimate showdown” with the sport’s massive unhealthy, Mephisto, it additionally guarantees quite a few different thrilling options, too.
Previous to the enlargement’s announcement, GameSpot, IGN, and PC Gamer had been invited to attend an unique interview with two key members of Lord of Hatred’s narrative staff: lead narrative designer Matt Burns and narrative designer Eleni Rivera. The pair had been desperate to reply our questions on Lord of Hatred, even those who had been, admittedly, each thirsty and weird. We left the Q&A session with a greater understanding of Mephisto’s plans, the lore behind the revamped Paladin class, and the Skovos Isles, in addition to a substantial amount of anticipation–anticipation for extra personality-filled dialogue choices, loads of “Jedi thoughts tips,” and the return of Amazons, Lilith, and Ralph Ineson’s velvety voice.
IGN: Vessel of Hatred felt such as you guys had been holding your breath. Was {that a} Band-Help or part of the story that you simply all the time wished to inform? I am certain you guys heard slightly little bit of the suggestions that Vessel of Hatred was good and in addition felt prefer it was teasing out of the showdown that we had been all actually ready for. I am questioning how a lot of that was deliberate versus you guys simply taking longer to provide this massive showdown.
Burns: It is all the time been our intention. That is an “Age of Hatred” or Mephisto-Lilith-themed saga. Even earlier than the bottom sport got here out–once we had completed our work on it, however earlier than the precise launch date–we had been already planning out the following chapters of the story and it was all the time going to be concerning the story about Mephisto, his plans for Sanctuary, and finally all culminating to a ultimate confrontation with him.
Rivera: In the case of story, there’s all the time issues that change and it is making an attempt to determine what can we preserve, what will get misplaced, and what’s the streamline–especially in terms of telling this actually enjoyable, massive story. With Vessel of Hatred, we wished to actually dig into Mephisto and his motivation and preserve that with Neyrelle. Now we get an opportunity to finish it. I feel it is sticking to our themes about household; that is a extremely massive theme that we have now with Mephisto and Lilith, and her kids and Inarius. I feel that it is lastly all coming collectively. And that was all the time the plan–to have this massive story that feels well-thought-out, and characters that you simply love and also you wish to battle for and wish to battle towards.
IGN: And is that this the ultimate showdown?
Burns: Yeah, this can be a ultimate showdown. We’ll see Mephisto in his full prime evil demonic glory. It is like what Eleni was speaking about slightly earlier: While you have a look at the larger image, you are seeing these phases of Mephisto, proper? Within the base sport, he is very on the perimeters. He isn’t reborn but and he is taking over the wolf kind. In Vessel, he is slightly extra highly effective as a result of now he is on this Soulstone and he is capable of do extra. And so in Lord of Hatred, it is like there are not any extra chains on him. And though he is assuming–at first, at least–this type of Akarat, this prophet determine, he likes to control individuals and do these types of issues. He is utilizing a brand new instrument now to try this, however finally, the story culminates in us going through him, taking off his masks, and actually simply having this massive epic showdown with him.
Rivera: It’s going to be very satisfying, I feel, for the gamers with quite a lot of the story. There will probably be satisfaction together with horrors, and I feel that is the perfect factor for Diablo. You’ve got received some loopy, horrific issues, and you then get this good finale.
GameSpot: Might you inform us a bit extra concerning the Paladin and the way they differ from earlier video games?
Burns: There’ve been Paladins in Diablo earlier than in addition to the Crusader, who’s much like a Paladin in some ways as a result of they’re utilizing the sunshine as their supply of magic. The Diablo 4 Paladin is slightly bit completely different by way of the lore and story. Quite than coming from the Zakarum church or being a part of this massive faith or establishment, they’re of a smaller order who’re impartial. And they’re simply out on the planet making an attempt to do good. They’ve discovered from the previous that being a part of these massive establishments inevitably results in corruption, in order that they’ve purposefully, deliberately gone out and stated, “We’re not going to get entangled in that form of stuff. We’re simply going to seek out the sunshine inside us and use that to do good out on the planet.” And in order that they have these oaths that they dwell by in order that they do not comply with the corruption and that form of factor.
Eleni Rivera: The enjoyable half is that we get to reinvent the Paladin. Whereas they acknowledge the previous, they know concerning the Zakarum, they find out about different Paladins which have existed… They get to redefine who they’re, what they’re, and what The Order is. That is who they’re. They even select a brand new title after they be part of The Order, and their title is immediately linked to what they discover crucial inside it. It is so cool. You get an opportunity to see this new type of who they’re.
Burns: And what’s attention-grabbing about them too is they–due to their shut reference to the light–are additionally conscious of angels and the heavens. They know that angels are beings of sunshine. And so they do not worship angels or something like that, however they see them as these embodiments of sunshine and embodiments of values which are related to the sunshine, like valor.
GameSpot: Might you inform us a bit extra concerning the area that is coming with the enlargement? Are there any real-life places that impressed it, or components of historical past?
Burns: Skovos is de facto cool, actually distinctive, and attention-grabbing to Sanctuary. We talked about earlier that Skovos is the place Lilith, Inarius, and these different insurgent angels and demons created Sanctuary, after which they frolicked in Skovos. It wasn’t essentially referred to as Skovos again then, however they lived there on the daybreak of the world. That is the place they created people, or moderately the place they created the primary people: the Firstborn. When you concentrate on this saga as a narrative of household, as Eleni stated, or perhaps as one about what humanity’s destiny is, it is smart to carry this end result with Mephisto to the place humanity itself started. There’s tons of Firstborn ruins and, generally, not even ruins–it’s the modern-day individuals, the Askari. They’ve maintained this structure, they dwell inside it, and so they see the Firstborn as a part of their heritage in a approach, despite the fact that it is distant.
There’s quite a lot of completely different environments all through these completely different islands. Every certainly one of them has a novel theme and taste. We discover quite a lot of the tradition of this place, so you could have the Amazons and you’ve got this oracle order, this Order of Seers. We get to see how they work collectively and the way they rule over this island nation to assist it perform and survive all this horrible stuff that is occurring in different components of Sanctuary.
However the massive attention-grabbing level of battle is that now the unhealthy stuff that was occurring in Sanctuary–the stuff that we noticed in base sport and Vessel of Hatred–now it is coming to Skovos. Mephisto, within the physique of Akarat, has gathered a bunch of followers, he is introduced all of them to Skovos, and he is disrupting the order and the piece of this place. Something you wish to add to that, Eleni?
Rivera: I really feel such as you lined quite a lot of it, nevertheless it’s actually stunning. It is gorgeous and it is a spot that you have not seen earlier than, so I feel that is actually thrilling. And there’s only a lot to take a look at. There’s water that you simply get to take a look at, and I do know that is very small, nevertheless it’s simply… the setting staff did a actually good job. And usually, there’s quite a lot of deep lore that we received an opportunity to discover there. I feel that’ll be actually thrilling for gamers who actually love lore and gamers who’re additionally simply diving into Diablo for the primary time.
GameSpot: And in comparison with Vessel, how massive is Lord of Hatred? What number of hours of story can we count on?
Rivera: I might say it is corresponding to Vessel of Hatred. The map is fairly massive. Like Matt stated, there’s quite a lot of lore stuff you get to discover in Skovos, so it is received fairly a little bit of content material that the gamers get to dive into.
PC Gamer: How do you method making a villain like Mephisto in a approach that appears like a risk to the participant, on condition that our participant characters have simply killed tons of demons that had been already very highly effective?
Rivera: It is narrative. It is understanding what a participant’s weak point is, proper? And it is constructing that up and connecting the participant to individuals like Neyrelle and Lorath. You’ve these stakes that get greater and greater since you care about them extra. So in terms of somebody who’s so highly effective, or somebody who can defeat all these demons, what actually is the factor that may get them to crack? It is the folks that they love, the folks that they wish to battle for, and Sanctuary. And in terms of creating a extremely massive villain, it is constructing off that.
Burns: Once we first launched [Mephisto] within the base sport, a part of the explanation we launched him that approach is as a result of he is not the antagonist within the story but. We’re looking Lilith and he is serving to us, and so it is creating this sense of, “Yeah, I do not know if I ought to belief him or I should not belief him, however he is form of helpful to me, so at what level will the usefulness put on out or will he flip the tables on me?” As a result of it should occur ultimately, proper? I feel we wished to introduce him that approach simply in order that it will really feel slightly completely different than all of the sudden there is a prime evil sitting in entrance of you and also you simply wish to battle him.
I imply Eleni stated it completely: It is how his impact on the characters we care about–and on the world at large–raises the stakes. And once more, we’re persevering with this thread of him all the time being a little bit of a satan on our shoulder. We’re not all the time working with the perfect characters–sometimes our allies are slightly shifty, too. He exploits that actuality. He makes us doubt, perhaps generally our actions, and the individuals round us.
IGN: How do you make aspect quests really feel like an natural a part of the story when there’s actually Devil operating round?
Burns: One factor that we have finished is there are a variety of aspect quests the place it is a continuation of a personality story that you simply meet in the primary marketing campaign. There are quests that comply with an necessary character that you simply’re round for some period of time, and now you get to see what has occurred to them in spite of everything these massive occasions have unfolded. Yeah, Mephisto is operating round and the stakes are so excessive, however what is going on on with these different characters? It is about exhibiting the aftermath of these massive occasions, or exhibiting the repercussions of the satan operating free.
Rivera: Yeah. I imply, the primary story is so particular to our predominant characters, however the aspect quests are what breathe life into Sanctuary. They present us what everyone else is doing whereas the world is crumbling, and seeing intimate stories–seeing what different characters who perhaps we all know however they are not in the primary quest–I feel that offers us an opportunity as writers to dive deeper, and provides gamers get the prospect to grasp what these persons are doing whereas there may be this chaos. Life retains on life-ing even if you’ve received Mephisto operating amok. And I feel that is the cool half about writing aspect quests.
GameSpot: It looks like this concept of generational trauma is de facto on the core of this saga. Is that one thing that was intentional to this story? Are there another concepts and themes that you simply had been actually hoping to get throughout and discover?
Burns: Sure. One of many themes that is current all through is this concept of the passing of the torch, or such as you stated, it is form of a generational… Possibly trauma is a part of it, but in addition the way you go on legacy, and whether or not you’ll be able to even go it on in any respect. And in passing on a legacy, what sort of burden are you placing on the brand new individuals?
For Lilith wanting to guard Sanctuary, or for the Horadrim eager to do their factor, these are usually not straightforward jobs, proper? They require quite a lot of sacrifice. Typically the purpose is noble, however passing it on could be arduous as a result of you realize that you simply’re dooming these individuals to a tricky life. That is undoubtedly a theme that we performed with in base sport and Vessel, and in addition we discover in Lord of Hatred as effectively.
There’s additionally this prophecy within the base sport, and I feel it exhibits up in Vessel of Hatred too, that Rathma had. He had these visions and noticed the Nice Serpent, and that is nonetheless part of the story. As Eleni stated, destiny is a giant theme and so is that this prophecy, the way it’s unfolding, what it really means, and whether or not it should occur or could be averted. This factor will unfold and be fulfilled, however perhaps not in the way in which the characters essentially suspect. There will probably be quite a lot of sacrifices and selections made by characters that there are not any getting back from. [Lord of Hatred] goes to be a giant, thrilling end result of every little thing that began within the base sport.
PC Gamer: Might you speak slightly bit extra about Lilith coming again to the story and what her position is? I do know there are fairly just a few gamers that basically, actually loved her within the first sport.
Rivera: All of us love Lilith, proper? She’s cool, she’s scorching, she’s our mother. I feel it is actually thrilling we get an opportunity to see her in a brand new approach. There’s quite a lot of intimacy that we get to have with Lilith, and I feel that we have all the time wished to–or at the least I’ve all the time wished to–partner up along with her. However Lilith will all the time be a demon on the finish of the day. She has her personal motivations and he or she’s all the time going to have her personal thought of what she needs on the planet. So she has to determine whether or not or not she needs to ally with us for this greater drawback.
Burns: The one factor I would add is, once more, it is about bringing these completely different threads to a detailed. Within the base sport, we had been fed Lilith’s blood petals–fed her blood. She’s been part of us this complete time. And although we defeated her in Hell, one thing of her has lived on in us. There is a presence inside us that’s slumbering principally. And now that we’re going after Mephisto and the stakes are excessive and the destiny of the world hangs within the stability, her presence inside us actually turns into a key to determining easy methods to cease Mephisto. Like she stated within the base sport, “There can be no victory with out me.” That form of thought, it is true–we will want her to repair this and to save lots of Sanctuary from Mephisto.
GameSpot: What impressed the choice to carry again Lilith so quickly? Had been you a bit anxious about bringing her again or was it simply one thing that appeared like, “Oh no, we have now to do that?”
Burns: Like once I talked about earlier, earlier than the bottom sport really launched and we had been planning out future tales, we all the time did wish to carry her again. Then it grew to become a query of when. It was about discovering the proper alternative to do it and make it really feel essentially the most impactful to the story.
Throughout [Vessel of Hatred’s] improvement, we had been toying round with the concept. We really made a few of these scenes the place you heard her talking. There was a scene the place you noticed her reflection or one thing like that too, however we lower these issues out of Vessel as a result of we had been simply making an attempt to determine, “Okay, the place’s the place the place we should always spotlight that in order that it appears like one thing actually juicy and impactful and never just a bit factor that occurs after which there isn’t any payoff for it but?” You recognize what I imply?
Rivera: I really feel like one of many greatest issues is deciding how a lot payoff we wish. We speak so much about how this enlargement goes to be tremendous satisfying and every little thing will really feel prefer it’s tied collectively. Vessel of Hatred was the story of Neyrelle, it was a story of Mephisto, and it was about seeing what he might do with out the facility of being in Sanctuary. Now that he is out, it is seeing what he’ll do with this free will again in Sanctuary however masked as this main spiritual determine.
Burns: One enjoyable factor we’re doing in Lord of Hatred that we did not actually do earlier than is, with Lilith, you could have completely different dialogue choices for a way you wish to reply to her about sure issues. We all know that individuals have completely different emotions for her–whether she was proper, whether or not she was unsuitable or whether or not they would’ve wished to hitch her or not–and so we wished to discover that via among the dialogue you’ll be able to have along with her. Now, you get to see other ways she’ll reply to you as effectively primarily based in your choices.
Rivera: I really feel like Lilith is so nuanced and so advanced. You get a mixture of seduction and horror all on the identical time and it is so cool and enjoyable. And now we get an opportunity to actually see her another way. Once we final noticed her we had been preventing towards her, however now there is a greater subject. There’s extra at stake right here, so it is her deciding what’s necessary to her.
GameSpot: You introduced up that you simply now have choices for a way you wish to work together with Lilith, and I assumed that was actually attention-grabbing as a result of, proper now, choice-driven, branching CRPGs have gotten extra of the usual within the trade. Is that one thing that you have ever considered exploring with Diablo? Having extra selection all through the story, exploring perhaps completely different endings, completely different tales, and branching paths? Is that even potential within the construction of the sport?
Burns: I feel it is cool and I get pleasure from that form of stuff too. For Lord of Hatred, it is extra in keeping with the bottom sport and Vessel of Hatred. We do not try this form of branching stuff. The alternatives I discussed earlier, there’s quite a few locations within the marketing campaign the place you could have these completely different choices of what to say, or how somebody would possibly reply to you, nevertheless it’s extra about giving the second some attention-grabbing taste. It is about permitting you to think about your individual story in this–who you might be, your selections, or your opinion about one thing. It is giving you a chance to say it out loud, principally, despite the fact that it does not essentially create a branched quest or storyline primarily based on that. It is nearly that chance of expression in your character or for among the different characters too.
Rivera: That is why we do it generally in aspect quests. It isn’t like you could have two completely different paths, however I do assume we get to discover slightly little bit of that. There was a aspect quest from, I feel in Vessel of Hatred, that you simply get to have an alternate ending primarily based on what you select.
IGN: Romance choices? That is all I received.
Blizzard PR consultant: Are you asking, “Can we hook up with Lilith?”
GameSpot: It is what everyone’s considering.
Rivera: By way of romance, we get to see slightly little bit of Lorath’s previous, which is one thing that we have not actually gotten an opportunity to see with different characters. He has interactions with Queen Adriana that we get to see. We additionally get to see much more of Lorath, how he was painted prior to now, and who he was versus who he is turn out to be now.
PC Gamer: Is Lorath again? Are we going to listen to extra Ralph Ineson?
Burns: Yeah, Lorath is without doubt one of the predominant characters within the enlargement. He’ll be with you virtually on a regular basis all through the marketing campaign, besides the instances you cut up up and also you’re off doing various things, proper? However yeah, he is there, he is persevering with his story. There’s so much about Lorath and the Horadrim in Lord of Hatred. And once more, it goes again to the themes of legacy and the destiny of the Horadrim.
We have been in VO classes with Ralph recording all of his strains, and it is all the time nice to listen to his voice once more. The second you hear it, you are like, “Oh yeah, it is Lorath.” That is been actually enjoyable and I am tremendous enthusiastic about Lorath’s story in Lord of Hatred. I feel it has quite a lot of nice moments. He is quite a lot of enjoyable to put in writing as a personality and, once more, Ralph’s voice is simply superb.
One other factor is Lorath has a historical past in Skovos, and that is one thing we’ll discover within the marketing campaign however, years and years in the past, he got here to Skovos with another Horadrim and went on an journey there. He met this Amazon named Adriana and so they fashioned a bond, so he has some historical past along with her. And now Adriana is the Amazon queen of Skovos. So with him coming again, there is a connection he has to this place that we will discover.
IGN: I am interested in the way you guys are going to make gamers care about Akarat. The significance of the ultimate lower scene of Vessel of Hatred may need been misplaced on individuals until they’re in deep on Diablo, however he is clearly a unique sort of puppet than a wolf. I am interested in how you concentrate on bringing Akarat as a personality into the fold–and all the luggage that comes with him–and making an attempt to clarify why that issues whereas additionally exhibiting this new model of the Lord of Hatred who’s now strolling round as a deity.
Rivera: In the case of Akarat, he is simply going to look as a standard man. I feel what’s going to actually lower deep is the quantity of people who find themselves now dashing to get to Skovos; seeing the affect that he has as a result of he is such a giant determine on the planet and he is been doing miracles in Sanctuary. The concept of all these individuals worshiping this person who you realize as a participant is Mephisto, I feel that’s the place that terror begins to come back.
He additionally has his Jedi thoughts tips, proper? Mephisto is superb at getting in your head. You assume you see one factor, however actually he is exhibiting you one thing else and that is the facility. We get an opportunity to indicate how Mephisto actually performs along with your feelings and I feel that is the perfect half about him.
Burns: Simply so as to add to that, a pair attention-grabbing issues about Mephisto on this form–and methods to create curiosity for folk taking part in via it–is at first he is defying expectations, proper? Yeah, he is a first-rate evil on this physique, however he is not doing something unhealthy, which is attention-grabbing as a result of that is how Mephisto was within the base sport as effectively. Oftentimes, he is simply telling you the reality. Possibly he is making an attempt to get his personal approach by saying it, however he is not all the time mendacity about issues. Proper now, he is simply on the market serving to individuals and doing miracles. So it turns into this query, or this thriller, of what’s he doing all of it for? Why is he placing on this act? What’s his finish sport for all of it?
The opposite thing–and this ties into our themes–is that I feel that Mephisto believes that people do not actually have any management over their destiny. They’re simply cattle that extra superior entities or clever entities like him can lead round. What he is doing right here is sort of to show a degree to us, The Wanderer, and in addition to Lilith; you’ll be able to create these items, these people, and you’ll hope that they’ve some form of free will or company, however finally I’ll present you that they do not. That is one thing else we play with, once more, to only deepen his character a bit and make it extra attention-grabbing.
IGN: You’ve described Diablo IV as The Hatred Saga, and with this being the ultimate confrontation with the Lord of Hatred, one would assume that that signifies that’s the top of the aforementioned saga. I am questioning the way you guys are fascinated with Diablo IV’s future. I am assuming that there is going to be extra Diablo IV after this.
Burns: You are proper by way of us simply taking a look at it as The Hatred Saga, and actually that is been our focus–just bringing this story to a detailed in a extremely massive and impactful approach. However there are different tales to inform on Sanctuary, in fact, although I am unable to actually go into element about every other stuff.
Rivera: I feel the perfect half is Diablo’s dwell service. It provides us the chance to dive into no matter we wish. Like Season 11, proper? We get an opportunity to carry Hadriel again and we’re getting an opportunity to speak to this angel that we solely met briefly in Diablo II. We get to increase Hadriel’s lore, which is de facto cool. We get an opportunity to all the time, presumably, inform new tales. However proper now, we’re simply specializing in getting this enlargement out and seeing what occurs.
The above interview has been calmly edited for readability and brevity.