When does Diablo 4 take place?
Diablo 4's storyline occurs a few decades after Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls [1]. During the time between Diablo 3 and Diablo 4, 90% of Sanctuary's population has died, the gates of Heaven have been closed, and Lilith, Mephisto's daughter, has returned to take control of mankind. Her former lover, the angel, Inarius, has also arrived in Sanctuary to stop her.
"Diablo 4 takes place decades after the events of Reaper of Souls. Though Malthael's plans were foiled, the Angel of Death exacted a terrible toll on humanity. Sanctuary suffered great devestation. Entire populations were decimated, cities ravaged, and Heaven itself suffered great losses, causing them to shutter their gates. You can imagine what that does to people -- religious schisms, famine, war... basically humanity left to its own devices. It's against this backdrop of despair when Lilith returns."Luis Barriga · Former Diablo IV Game Director
What's the theme of Diablo 4?
Blizzard took note of how Diablo's fan base connected better with Diablo 2's darker and grittier theme than Diablo 3's more colorful and fantasy-inspired one. For Diablo 4, expect a return to dark crypts, eerie religious sacrifices, and gore [2]:
"Our world is one of medieval RPG, but rather than being inspired by high fantasy, we're inspired by the occult, demonic, and biblical themes. If we create overpowered characters with over-the-top effects, we know we're going to undermine the sense of darkness, so we want to keep that in check. You heard us talk about how victories weren't clean or guaranteed. It means only sometimes people win... even after you kill the Lord of Terror himself, it's not good enough and you need to risk your own mortal soul to try to contain him and fend evil off for one more day. The entirety of Diablo 2 was predicated on being a day late and a dollar short and we wanted to encapsulate that feeling, put it in a bottle, and create a whole world with that. It's in the art, gameplay, world, and in the stories we tell."
Does Diablo 4 have the best story of any Diablo game?
In past Diablo games, the storyline sometimes felt like a side attraction to all of the monster slaying and loot gathering; however, most people that have completed Diablo 4's campaign think its story is above and beyond the rest. Popular Diablo YouTuber, Rhykker, agrees [3]:
"I can say with 100% certainty: Diablo 4 has the best story of any Diablo yet."
Xiphoid has been playing Diablo since the original's release in 1997. He made one of the largest Age of Empires sites in the late-'90s and early-'00s. Now, he runs MythicDrop.com, a premier Diablo 4 fansite.
Sources
| Article | Source | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2019 BlizzCon: Diablo IV Unveiled | Blizzard | |
| 2. | Diablo 4 Official Release Date Trailer | Blizzard | |
| 3. | Early Beta build reviewed by Rhykker | Rhykker |
Changelog
| Ver | Change | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1.0 | Refreshed guide with Release Diablo 4 story timeline information | |
|
Beta | Integrated medieval theme guide's content | |
|
Beta | Added section on Inarius vs. Lilith showdown | |
|
Alpha | Added section on angels returning in Diablo 4 | |
 |
Alpha | Published original |
