Diablo 4 lore speculations. SPOILERS, read at own risk.

[Chromeshellking]

My best guess for the wolf-thing would be the essence or spirit projection of Diablo, if only because it takes us through a projection of old Tristram on the way out of the Horadrim illusion, and Tristram is most strongly associated with old Diablo himself. It also sounds a bit like Diablo if you ask me, but YMMV.

I assume we'll get more of Inarus' backstory i.e. his escape from Hell in the D4 story going forward, either in a cutscene or as backstory.

I don't think we've seen the last of Rathma, either. As a master Necromancer, I'd assume he has more than one trick up his sleeve to avoid an early death. I also find myself doubting that it was Inarius who actually offed him, given that his staff and the key within it were left on his body - and if Lilith knew the key was in his staff, it's likely Inarius knew it, too. Immediately felt like a red herring to me, in any case.

Also, with the World Stone having been destroyed at the climax of D2, all the remaining Nephalem on Sanctuary should be gaining in strength once more, as it was the World Stone that previously brought them down to mortal. Every human on Sanctuary is basically a Nephalem, so all those born after the destruction of the World Stone should have the same if not more outright potential than the hero in D3. Why this doesn't seem to be the case is an open mystery.

That does seem odd. it only took a mere 20 years to see the potential of the hero's from D3 so add another and there should be some insanely prodigious new generations too boot. But perhaps it takes time to see and manifest that lvl of power. I know that the ghosts for every hero in RoS basically said that generation had it and just needed time and mentoring to really bring it out with the sorceress as the example had she lived she may have seen Li Ming really be unrivaled as the greatest of mages/wizard/etc.

[taishar68]

My best guess for the wolf-thing would be the essence or spirit projection of Diablo, if only because it takes us through a projection of old Tristram on the way out of the Horadrim illusion, and Tristram is most strongly associated with old Diablo himself. It also sounds a bit like Diablo if you ask me, but YMMV.

It could be, and likely is, Diablo, given all the hints. Sometimes they aren't trying to be as subtle as we might think.

I assume we'll get more of Inarus' backstory i.e. his escape from Hell in the D4 story going forward, either in a cutscene or as backstory.

I assume the same.

don't think we've seen the last of Rathma, either. As a master Necromancer, I'd assume he has more than one trick up his sleeve to avoid an early death. I also find myself doubting that it was Inarius who actually offed him, given that his staff and the key within it were left on his body - and if Lilith knew the key was in his staff, it's likely Inarius knew it, too. Immediately felt like a red herring to me, in any case.

Interesting. It was a bit...tidy...now that you mention it. I knew something was off, and I am sure we'll find out...in about three months.

Also, with the World Stone having been destroyed at the climax of D2, all the remaining Nephalem on Sanctuary should be gaining in strength once more, as it was the World Stone that previously brought them down to mortal. Every human on Sanctuary is basically a Nephalem, so all those born after the destruction of the World Stone should have the same if not more outright potential than the hero in D3. Why this doesn't seem to be the case is an open mystery.

We may find that out in the Book of Lorath, which is available on 6/6 as well; that is a good place to tell that type of story, as well as what happened to Tyrael, who I suspect we'll encounter at some point as well.

[Fallen Angel]

Citadel of Light are the assholes that put Vigo in that armor.

This was a low point in the story for me. Not because it was bad, but I felt bad for that guy. I hope we get rid of Inarius and the CoL. I’ve hated them ever since the Sin War trilogy.

[Wangming]

Well, I think Diablo should always come back and always be the big bad threat at the end.

Yeah well, the game is called Diablo 4 not Lilith 1, so of course, humpty dumpty will eventually hijack the show. Granted, his continued return makes both him and the heroes look bad, but that is the fate of long-running franchises named after the bad guy.

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Btw I am missing some lore but HOW did Inarius escape Hell?

Yeah that is kinda weird. The game already starts with Lilith and Inarius both outside and running free on Sanctuary, despite them being on very strict house arrest. Not quite a Palpatine moment, but close.

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Though I suspect maybe Meph is a bigger role in this story than previous ones.

He should be. Lilith is his daughter and he was the one who imprisoned Inarius. He has the most direct ties to the story.

[Nymrohd]

I honestly hope Diablo shows up much later. Maybe in an expansion. He should make his presence known during the game but I think that perhaps we should not have Diablo as the endboss when we can hope for at least one, possibly more expansions that give scarier big bads than him. Malthael felt like he outclassed Diablo-Tathtamet in every way (what with his plan actually working and killing most of the planet when Diablo was mostly successful because of Adria and the player). And even in D2 Baal just felt the bigger threat.

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This was a low point in the story for me. Not because it was bad, but I felt bad for that guy. I hope we get rid of Inarius and the CoL. I’ve hated them ever since the Sin War trilogy.

Vigo got all those soldiers killed by letting the girl's mom inside for a stupid bribe. Was probably how he dealt with his guilt.

[Fallen Angel]

Vigo got all those soldiers killed by letting the girl's mom inside for a stupid bribe. Was probably how he dealt with his guilt.

It was. He even admits it. I think for me it was how that punishment was portrayed. Giant ass iron maiden suit that ended up killing him in the final fight of A1. Vigo got done wrong by a group I consider worse than the Triune.

I wasn’t even that invested in his character until the end. Thinking on it further, it may also not have been just the bribe. She was traveling with Lilith and we saw the influence she had over the villagers in the church. I wouldn’t think it’s too far fetched to think Lilith also had a hand in his decision to let them pass.

[babalou1]

It was. He even admits it. I think for me it was how that punishment was portrayed. Giant ass iron maiden suit that ended up killing him in the final fight of A1. Vigo got done wrong by a group I consider worse than the Triune.

I wasn’t even that invested in his character until the end. Thinking on it further, it may also not have been just the bribe. She was traveling with Lilith and we saw the influence she had over the villagers in the church. I wouldn’t think it’s too far fetched to think Lilith also had a hand in his decision to let them pass.

It was totally punishment. If you talk to the Revered Mother just before you leave to do that quest, they has a chat option that asks about Vigo. She basically says that see eye to eye and he "understands" know or something. Theres no real difference between the CoL and the Triune except you expect the "Flayed alive, husband in chains" kinda thing from the Triune and its followers, not so much from a Church. VERY Hellraiser-ish quest btw.

I will say that if more Triune stuff continues giving that Hellraise vibe, they may very well be my favorite parts of this game.

[Fallen Angel]

It was totally punishment. If you talk to the Revered Mother just before you leave to do that quest, they has a chat option that asks about Vigo. She basically says that see eye to eye and he "understands" know or something. Theres no real difference between the CoL and the Triune except you expect the "Flayed alive, husband in chains" kinda thing from the Triune and its followers, not so much from a Church. VERY Hellraiser-ish quest btw.

I will say that if more Triune stuff continues giving that Hellraise vibe, they may very well be my favorite parts of this game.

I did that and that’s why I agree it was punishment, and his acknowledgment of it all but confirms it. “This was a just punishment”. The end of A1 was my second favorite part of the story so far. Probably one of the few times I got as invested in a general no one side character. I really feel like Lilith got to him too. Surely he had been offered bribes worth more than some bracelet, no?

I agree the Cathedral and Triune are essentially the same in purpose, just different masters. Both reek of religious fanaticism, but the Cathedral rubbed me the wrong way in the books and in game far more than the Triune

[Rustedsaint]

I’d be more surprised if the dog wasn’t Diablo
I’m expecting we fight the angel and Lilith is actually a red herring this game, we won’t actually get to fight her cause she’ll either get injured by the angel/Diablo/others and we will end up having to save her to save existence.

On the side lore
I hope we get some lore about the fate of the companions from the previous games, we never did finish their stories(atleast not since I played the game 3 years ago).

[BlueAura]

I did that and that’s why I agree it was punishment, and his acknowledgment of it all but confirms it. “This was a just punishment”. The end of A1 was my second favorite part of the story so far. Probably one of the few times I got as invested in a general no one side character. I really feel like Lilith got to him too. Surely he had been offered bribes worth more than some bracelet, no?

I agree the Cathedral and Triune are essentially the same in purpose, just different masters. Both reek of religious fanaticism, but the Cathedral rubbed me the wrong way in the books and in game far more than the Triune

I don't believe either Inarius or Lilith killed Rathma.
The ghost conversation between Rathma and Inarius doesn't indicate it was Inarius + it seems he likely knew the key was in the staff.
The cinematic of Lilith suggests she wanted Rathma to help her in this new world she speaks of. She says she was robbed of the opportunity to have him on board, but also says she wouldn't have minded if he wasn't interested.

So who killed Rathma?... Vigo.

1) What was Vigo doing right near the final chamber? If he was coming to help us, we probably would have been told.
2) Rathma = Necromancer.
Iron Maiden = Necromancer spell (we also know from d3 it involves thorn damage)

(also note
> Vigo didn't move in the boss fight, I doubt he had moved since killing Rathma. He might have even been quietly still in the room when Lilith came.
> Vigo's suit was filled with blood. Suggesting he'd been bleeding a while.)

What throws us off is Vigo's a relatively powerless coward.
So how on earth was he able to cast that protective barrier *of light* in the fight with the boss?

To me that could mean only 2 possibilities.
1) Inarius sent him.
However this is unlikely because if he did, he would have known to grab the staff and Inarius would likely have been waiting for him nearby.
2) CoL sent him.
This is almost certain why? Because Vigo drops an amulet that just so happens to cast the same protective barrier spell he used in the fight. Meaning, for atonement, the CoL geared him up and sent him on a mission likely to cost him his life or worse.

We also know from the very start - Lilith is a giant threat to the CoL. We know from the altars around the place, and the cinematic, that she's converting people away from the CoL.
There's even that battle table in the temple, likely for tracking her influence, her movements, etc. So CoL are prepared to do anything they can to stop her.

Edit:
There's also the fact that we literally told that priestess how to get to Rathma. She then sent us running around cleansing ourselves wasting time, to speak to Inarius for a blessing that he never gave us. Meanwhile, she sent Vigo, who was waiting out the front, to get to him first.
When speaking with Inarius, he says something about confusing what we want and what we need.
We wanted to cross the bridge to get to Rathma or Lilith. We didn't need to cross that bridge, because Rathma may already have been dead and Lilith wasn't there.

The runaround bought her enough time to send Vigo, so she could than innocently give us the blessing and then arrive after.

[Aucald]

So who killed Rathma?... Vigo.

1) What was Vigo doing right near the final chamber? If he was coming to help us, we probably would have been told.
2) Rathma = Necromancer.
Iron Maiden = Necromancer spell (we also know from d3 it involves thorn damage)

(also note
> Vigo didn't move in the boss fight, I doubt he had moved since killing Rathma. He might have even been quietly still in the room when Lilith came.
> Vigo's suit was filled with blood. Suggesting he'd been bleeding a while.)

What throws us off is Vigo's a relatively powerless coward.
So how on earth was he able to cast that protective barrier *of light* in the fight with the boss?

It's possible but seems unlikely to me. Rathma was a powerful Nephalem, likely a lot more powerful than the boss the PC and Vigo end up fighting, who Vigo alone seems to be having a degree of trouble with. As for why Vigo has the power of the Light and is able to wield magic, I assume it's a product of the armor itself, which seems to be capable of transmuting faith and pain into actual energy to power magic, in exchange for the excruciating death of its operator as they bleed to death within its horrific iron maiden-like interior. Would explain both how Vigo was able to do what he did and how he got as far as he did, but I don't think even in his armor he would've been comparable to Rathma in power.

I find myself agreeing that neither Inarius nor Lilith likely killed Rathma - whoever or whatever did would be exceedingly powerful, though; a match for both Inarius and Lilith should push come to shove. I also think Rathma isn't permanently dead, either. He seemed to expect treachery from both his father and mother well beforehand, so I wouldn't be surprised if he'd prepared some form of failsafe in the event of his unexpected mortal demise. This might explain the number of corpses evident in his sanctum when Lilith arrives in the cutscene, all laid out ceremoniously on slabs as if part of some previously-enacted ritual.

[Fallen Angel]

It's possible but seems unlikely to me. Rathma was a powerful Nephalem, likely a lot more powerful than the boss the PC and Vigo end up fighting, who Vigo alone seems to be having a degree of trouble with. As for why Vigo has the power of the Light and is able to wield magic, I assume it's a product of the armor itself, which seems to be capable of transmuting faith and pain into actual energy to power magic, in exchange for the excruciating death of its operator as they bleed to death within its horrific iron maiden-like interior. Would explain both how Vigo was able to do what he did and how he got as far as he did, but I don't think even in his armor he would've been comparable to Rathma in power.

I find myself agreeing that neither Inarius nor Lilith likely killed Rathma - whoever or whatever did would be exceedingly powerful, though; a match for both Inarius and Lilith should push come to shove. I also think Rathma isn't permanently dead, either. He seemed to expect treachery from both his father and mother well beforehand, so I wouldn't be surprised if he'd prepared some form of failsafe in the event of his unexpected mortal demise. This might explain the number of corpses evident in his sanctum when Lilith arrives in the cutscene, all laid out ceremoniously on slabs as if part of some previously-enacted ritual.

I disagree with Vigo as well. I have doubts any individual members of the Cathedral or Triune could take him.

I disagree with Rathma setting up spells or anything to protect himself either. As a necromancer he is beholden to The Balance. I also don’t believe it was either Lilith or Inarius. Why leave the key in the spear that killed him? Was his death needed to produce it? Otherwise why bother? And we see and hear the anger and sadness from Lilith when she finds his body. Whoever, or whatever, killed him would want to have the key found. I could see the possibility of Trag’Oul doing it, but I wonder what the motive would be. Everything Trag’Oul and the necromancers do is for the Cycle and the Balance. It’s going to be very interesting to see where they take the story.

If Rathma rolled a hardcore and is permadead, I hope Kalan takes over in his place.

[Aucald]

I disagree with Rathma setting up spells or anything to protect himself either. As a necromancer he is beholden to The Balance. I also don’t believe it was either Lilith or Inarius. Why leave the key in the spear that killed him? Was his death needed to produce it? Otherwise why bother? And we see and hear the anger and sadness from Lilith when she finds his body. Whoever, or whatever, killed him would want to have the key found. I could see the possibility of Trag’Oul doing it, but I wonder what the motive would be. Everything Trag’Oul and the necromancers do is for the Cycle and the Balance. It’s going to be very interesting to see where they take the story.

I feel Inarius and Lilith are both threats to the Balance Rathma serves and Trag'Oul represents, and it's in that sense that I think Rathma may well have moved to preserve himself from final death in some capacity. That doesn't mean he escaped it completely, either - perhaps he allowed his physical aspect to die but remains bound to Sanctuary as an empowered spirit (similar to the Nephalem spirits encountered in D3). I just don't think we've seen the end of him, one way or another.

[Chromeshellking]

I feel Inarius and Lilith are both threats to the Balance Rathma serves and Trag'Oul represents, and it's in that sense that I think Rathma may well have moved to preserve himself from final death in some capacity. That doesn't mean he escaped it completely, either - perhaps he allowed his physical aspect to die but remains bound to Sanctuary as an empowered spirit (similar to the Nephalem spirits encountered in D3). I just don't think we've seen the end of him, one way or another.

Agreed, Trang or Trag'oul whichever you prefer very VERY much wanted Sanctuary and mortals to choose their own destiny and that neither Heaven or Hell should be meddling but both have their agenda's when it comes to it. It does seem a shame to have him gone so soon but if a form of spirit empowered in sanctuary and considering his pure talent for death magic we can hope to see more to it.

So far im still digging for more info but I did see the prophecy and that may have answer'd the HOW he got out from Hatred's Realm. Though I have to wonder what would happen if lords where truly defeated and then killed in their own realms...Do they just form again in an instant? Or do they vanish entirely?

[Nymrohd]

The way I see it, at least under Lilith the Nephalem would get a chance to thrive and replace her. Under Inarius we'd be dead the moment we'd be a threat.

[Makabreska]

I think the dog is Mephisto.

Though if it turns out to be Diablo, that seems lame.

My take is it's our boy Zoltan, considering how much he talked about Horadrim soon collapsing. I honestly hope we actually wont see Diablo or his bros. Doesn't matter what the franchise is called, him being constantly the main antagonists is a detriment to the story and makes me feel I play Zelda/Mario.

[Aucald]

The way I see it, at least under Lilith the Nephalem would get a chance to thrive and replace her. Under Inarius we'd be dead the moment we'd be a threat.

Well, I don't think things would be so rosy under Lilith, either. She essentially wanted to use the Nephalem as a catspaw (or more likely as slaves) to conquer the Hells and then storm the Heavens. Inarius was afraid of the Nephalem and viewed them as a threat, while Lilith viewed them as a tool to achieve her own ends.

[Ginnung]

Am I the only one who thinks they should be done with Diablo already?...
I get that the name of the franchise is literally his name, but jesus christ...
It's the same with stuff like Tristram and other demons and angels, it's just constant memberberries and feels cheap.
It really cheapens the characters and world when things just come back constantly.

[Wangming]

The way I see it, at least under Lilith the Nephalem would get a chance to thrive and replace her. Under Inarius we'd be dead the moment we'd be a threat.

Probably. I mean the whole reason for their breakup was that Lilith didn't even want to hear about the possibility of killing the Nephalem. She may be a sadistic demon but she loves her children.

[Nymrohd]

Well, I don't think things would be so rosy under Lilith, either. She essentially wanted to use the Nephalem as a catspaw (or more likely as slaves) to conquer the Hells and then storm the Heavens. Inarius was afraid of the Nephalem and viewed them as a threat, while Lilith viewed them as a tool to achieve her own ends.

Never said it would be rosy. But Lilith would still allow Nephalem to grow strong and thus they would have a chance to overthrow her. Inarius would cull them unless they were fanatically devoted.