Diablo 2 opens with an iconic cinematic masterpiece – a must-watch for anyone diving into the game and the Diablo Lore. In this chapter, we meet Marius, a man driven to madness by the nightmarish horrors he has witnessed.
Marius recounts his harrowing tale to who he believes is Tyrael, the Archangel of Justice.
His tale begins with a demon attack on the Rogue Monastery, where Marius narrowly escapes. Soon after, he encounters the Dark Wanderer, who is struggling to control Diablo’s malevolent presence within his body.
A bloody massacre ensues in a tavern, perpetrated by the Dark Wanderer, who continues his journey eastward with Marius as an unwitting companion.
As the player, you choose your character class and embark on an epic quest spanning five acts. Along the way, you join forces with Deckard Cain, the last of the Horadrim and a descendant of Jered Cain, one of the order’s founders.
Although you play as a single character, you are part of a band of heroes – an important detail for what lies ahead.
During your journey, you confront Andariel and Duriel, two of the lesser evils we’ve mentioned in the first part of this series.
While staying in Lut Gholein, you learn that the Dark Wanderer is, in fact, Diablo, and that he seeks the Tomb of Tal Rasha. However, after reaching the resting place of Baal, you discover an unexpected twist.
Tyrael, who you believed to be ahead of the curve, is held captive. The Dark Wanderer had outwitted everyone and, with the help of Marius, freed Baal.
Now, Diablo and Baal are making their way to Kurast, intent on liberating Mephisto from his soulstone prison.
Just as Diablo’s presence corrupted the land around Tristram, Mephisto’s influence tainted the surroundings of Kurast via his soulstone. The once-virtuous Children of Zakarum, entrusted with guarding his temple, have turned demonic, causing havoc in the jungle.
The High Council has released Mephisto, embedding shards of the soul stone into each priest and using the high priest as Mephisto’s vessel. Your character must vanquish and kill all the priests, culminating in a confrontation with Mephisto himself as he tries to obstruct your path to the Pandemonium Fortress.
In Act 4, the final act of the initial Diablo 2 game, you square off against Diablo himself. As you venture into Pandemonium, the last bastion before Hell, Tyrael assigns you one last mission.
Tyrael urges you to rescue his lieutenant, Izual, who has fallen into the clutches of Hell’s minions and now wanders the Plains of Despair.
But when you finally rescue Izual, he doesn’t react as expected. Instead, he discloses a shocking revelation – he was the mastermind behind the Dark Exile and the subsequent capture of the Prime Evil into the soul stones.
He had previously taught them how to corrupt the stones and use them to their advantage. This revelation is a game-changer, revealing that Prime Evils had intended to be captured all along.
Tyrael and the Horadrim were mere pawns in their grand design. Trapped within the soul stones, the Prime Evils could never truly be destroyed, as their spirits were forever bound to these shards of the World Stone.
Mephisto’s soul stone is later obliterated within the Hellforge, using the only weapon capable of destroying such a potent artifact – the Hellforge Hammer. The heroes continue their journey deeper into the Chaos Sanctuary, facing off against Diablo and ultimately emerging victorious.
However, Marius concludes his story by giving Baal’s soul stone to Tyrael for safekeeping. Yet, the Tyrael in the asylum is unmasked as Baal, the cunning trickster.
The game ends, but the story continues with the release of Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, introducing Act 5 and a resolution to Baal’s narrative. Read more of our Diablo Lore series in the next release!
SUGGESTED READING:
Diablo Lore Part 1: The Story Before Diablo 1
Diablo Lore Part 2: Unveiling the Epic Saga of Diablo 1
Diablo 3: The Five Heroes on the Quest to Destroy Hell
