Diablo IV is getting closer and closer to launch. Not only did the final beta–the Server Slam–take place over the weekend, but the team has a new video talking about going deep into their darkest story ever, and what this means for players this time around.
Featured in the video, titled “A New Saga”, are the game director Joe Shely, associate writer Eden Trujillo, Sean Copeland, Diablo’s senior manager of lore, and principal writer Matt Burns. In this, the final one of these videos before launch, they discuss the story of Diablo IV, its place in the timeline (50 years after the destruction wrought in Diablo III), and what that means for Sanctuary, the setting, and also the people you’ll come across.
Shely says that they created the story in Diablo IV to appeal to those new players and hardcore Diablo fans. Things are going to get pretty dark, so you shouldn’t think that anything is getting watered down just to appeal to the newcomers. Yet, change seems like something we will focus a lot on.
As Trujillo elaborates, it is set 50 years after Reaper of Souls, froom Diablo III “where half of the population was exterminated by an archangel. The world has seen quite a bit of changes, quite a bit of scarring from its wounds that have not totally healed”. This will be seen all over the place in the world, and the chaos after that has given rise to several groups angling for power in Sanctuary.
This changed, scarred world is where Inarius and Lilith return to. “Their return may not mean the best for humanity,” Burns adds. Sanctuary was, of course, born from a pause in the conflict between the angel and demon just long enough to create it. Both of them have been betrayed, they’re back now, and humanity is “their battleground”.
Your player character is on a journey, and they will be getting deeply involved in the efforts to stop Lilith. The team also introduces us to several characters, including a memorable returning character that you'll meet early on, as well as elaborating on the philosophy of wanting to design around the people and not just the apocalyptic happenings in the flashiest parts of the story.
