With the latest Diablo 4 expansion, Lord of Hatred, behind us, and BlizzCon 2026 on the horizon, I find myself wondering what's next for the game.
Diablo 4 was the first Diablo installment to actually receive two story expansions, with the base game, Vessel of Hatred, and Lord of Hatred telling what is now dubbed the Age of Hatred saga.
And what a saga it was; many new characters were introduced to the fray and subsequently killed off... and returning characters came back... and were also killed off... come to think of it... the Age of Hatred was pretty much a bloodbath for most of the characters involved wasn't it?
With that in mind, I'm taking a look back through the records and combing through the deaths of those who tried to hold the line, as well as those who tried to destroy it.
The following feature, “Diablo IV - Those We've Lost," was provided by the Diablo 4 team and is reproduced here with permission.
The first Fallen, aka base game Diablo 4 casualties
Vhenard
No sooner did we meet Neyrelle's mother, Vhenard, than we were having to bring her life to a swift end.
Vhenard was a passionate explorer and seeker of knowledge, convinced by Lilith to embrace demonic knowledge and to assist her in crossing the Black Lake to reach the Necropolis of the Firstborn.
This demonic knowledge corrupted her mind, leading her to try and kill her own daughter. The Wanderer (us) had no choice but to bring her down.
In the end, Neyrelle performed a ritual to briefly raise her mother from the dead. Time enough for Vhenard to help open the way to pursue Lilith, and to bid her daughter, her “Magpie”, a regretful goodbye.
Vigo
Vigo was the less-than-pious watch commander of the Knights Penitent, sworn to serve the Cathedral of Light. Charged with guarding the condemned mines in the southern Fractured Peaks, preventing all from reaching the ancient ruins within.
Foolishly accepting a bribe from Vhenard and her companion (Lilith) resulted in his downfall and allowed them to enter the mines. This mistake cost both Vhenard and his fellow knights their lives.
Consumed by the weight of that mistake, Vigo submitted himself to the Reverend Mother Prava to serve out a brutal penance. Locked inside a painful suit of armor known as the "Father's Grace". Ouch. Clad in this armor, he caught up with the Wanderer within the Necropolis of the Firstborn, giving his life to cut a path through corruption.
Rathma
The first and most ancient of the Firstborn, son of Lilith and Inarius. Keeper of the sacred Balance between Light and Dark. Foundation of the Priests of Rathma (more commonly known as necromancers).
He had long ago rejected both Lilith and Inarius in favor of serving humanity as he saw fit. His methods and motives have ever been shrouded in mystery.
In a revelation of prophecy, he predicted that “the way to Hell would be torn asunder” and “a spear of light would pierce Hatred’s heart.” For this reason, Inarius sought him out and demanded the Hell Key, a dangerous artifact hidden in Rathma’s possession.
When Rathma refused, Inarius, his own father, struck him down, finally killing the Firstborn.
Donan
Donan was once a Horadrim and a colleague of Lorath Nahr until the two had a falling out. He remained ever a protector of humanity.
In his youth, he fought alongside the druids of Scosglen to defeat the demon Astaroth and in the aftermath helped them rebuild. Then Lilith arrived. She not only brought back Astaroth to burn Scosglen a second time, she resurrected the demon using Donan’s own son. Yorin.
He was lost in his grief until the Wanderer called on him again, this time with his old “friend” Lorath Nahr, to continue the fight against Lilith. Reluctantly he joined the cause but soon rose to the challenge, following his allies into the depths of Hell itself where he took a mortal wound.
Because of him, his allies were able to entrap Mephisto in the soulstone, thwarting Lilith’s ambitions and buying humanity precious time before the Prime Evil’s return.
Yorin
A young knight and only child of Donan and Braega. Eager to prove himself to his father, he set out with the Wanderer in pursuit of Lilith across Scosglen, using both his connections with the Knights Penitent stationed there as well as his deep understanding of local druid belief.
His efforts helped the Wanderer to confront the druid Airidah and force her to confess what aid she had given Lilith.
But in the end, Lilith seized Yorin and thrust a soulstone into his skull, permitting the demon Astaroth to possess him, body and soul.
The Wanderer was able to defeat Astaroth, but when the demon’s essence left Yorin, the boy was already dead. His father Donan carried him from the battlefield and laid him to rest.
Meshif
Once a renowned traveler and unflappable man of adventure. He was born in the city of Kurast but his home was the open sea. In his youth, he met a group of heroes and became entangled in the fight against the Prime Evil Mephisto, taking him from the deserts of Lut Gholain back to save his beloved Kurast.
He somehow survived this and every adventure since, but after several decades, his glory days were suddenly behind him. A new mission found him in the middle of nowhere Kehjistan, smoking away his twilight years in a den of bandits. The Wanderer needed a guide through the desert to infiltrate the palace of an evil mage. Smelling adventure, Meshif was thrilled to oblige.
Meshif guided his new friends across the desert and into the palace, but before he could escape with them, he was cut down. A bittersweet yet fitting death for such a man.
Elias
Once a brilliant mage and rising star of the Horadrim, apprenticed to Lorath Nahr.
Elias learned of Rathma’s prophecy and the foretold return of the Prime Evils. He became obsessed with finding a solution, and his ideas grew increasingly more radical. Too radical for Lorath to condone. The two of them argued endlessly until finally, Elias left Lorath and the Horadrim behind.
For him, all signs pointed to Lilith, the only being in all eternity (he believed) with the power and the will to save Sanctuary.
On his own, Elias did everything in his power to bring Lilith back from the Void, including promising his own head to the Tree of Whispers.He succeeded in summoning Lilith, and by her side he sought to make humanity suffer, forcing them to grow stronger for the fight against the Prime Evils.
But time and again Lorath and his allies frustrated his efforts. He confronted them one final time in the Black Tomb of Sankekur. In the end, he was defeated. His undying head taken in payment by the Tree of Whispers to hang for all eternity.
Inarius
The angelic father of humankind. Once the counterpart of the demon Lilith, their mother.
He and Lilith had sought to escape the Eternal Conflict between the Heavens and Hells by creating their own hidden world. Sanctuary. There, on the Skovos Isles, they gave birth to humanity, starting with their son Rathma. These days of peace would not last.
Inarius became fearful of his children’s power and eventually conspired against them, leading to a bloody conflict with Lilith. In the end, he banished her to the Void and attempted to sink the Skovos Isles to drown his children, only to stop at the last moment.
He resolved instead to diminish humanity’s power over time and hoped that was best, but for the sin of creating his children, the Heavens would not forgive him. Thousands of years and torments later, Inarius’ fellow Angels still forbade his return to the Heavens.
But, he believed, if he could fulfill the words of his son Rathma’s prophecy, lead humanity against the Hells, and drive his “spear of light into Hatred’s heart” the Heavens would finally forgive him.
It was not to be. He led his faithful forces into Hell itself in pursuit of Lilith, and there she defeated him. Running him through with his own spear before tearing his wings from his back.
Though his legacy is one of selfish hubris, humanity will always owe its existence to him and his original dream of freedom from the Eternal Conflict.
Lilith
Daughter of Hatred, Creator of Sanctuary, and Mother of All Humankind. Together, she and the angel Inarius created the hidden world of Sanctuary as an escape from the Eternal Conflict, and there, they gave birth to humanity.
Since then, she has remained absolutely devoted to her children, willing to commit terrible atrocities in the name of their survival. She was banished to the Void for such an act, but after thousands of years in that darkness, one of her children brought her back. Elias.
With him at her side, she unleashed terrible suffering upon Sanctuary. Not to torture or kill, but to make her children strong enough to face the Burning Hells. For herself, she sought to consume her father, Mephisto, and claim his power, enough to repel any threat to her children.
And yet the strongest among her children fought back. They would not allow her to turn Sanctuary into a living Hell. They pursued her into the Realm of Hatred and imprisoned her father in a soulstone before she could consume him.
Against all odds, they defeated her in the Cathedral of Hatred, but she issued a final warning as she turned to dust. “Without me, you would have no victory.” (And spoiler, she was right).
Vessel of Hatred (and more death)
Urivar
A Knight Penitent of the Cathedral of Light and alleged survivor of their ill-fated March on Hell. His scarred face and armor attest to his claims.
Whether a true believer or a cynical opportunist, Urivar seized the hearts and minds of the fractured Knights Penitent, filling them with renewed, violent purpose. To hunt the Horadrim they believed responsible for the death of the Father, Inarius.
With Lorath in the wind, Urivar and his Burned Knights set their sights on Neyrelle and pursued her all the way to the jungles of Nahantu, where through her, the demon Mephisto had begun to poison the land.
But the Wanderer would not allow Urivar to harm Neyrelle. In a final confrontation, they cut him down and ended his mad crusade.
Maka
A proud spiritborn and member of the Council of Kurast in Nahantu. In effort to help Neyrelle resist the corruption of Mephisto, Maka set out with the Wanderer and Eru, her former mentor, to find a solution in the spirit realm.
She was strong, brave, and true in her care for Neyrelle, but the evil within the young woman lashed out and took her life. Maka was mourned by Nahantu but most of all by Eru, her lifelong friend.
Akarat
A benevolent student of the Light whose teachings gave rise to the Zakarum faith. They would name him their holy prophet.
Born on Xiansai to an Umbaru mother and Xian father, Akarat and his family were forced to flee their home when fallen demons attacked. He spent his early life disillusioned by conflict until he beheld a vision of Light, compelling him to teach a revelation, that every human holds the Light within them.
Ultimately, Akarat returned to his mother’s homeland of Nahantu to battle the spreading corruption there, teaching his faith to all who would listen. Then he disappeared into the jungles. Some said he fell in battle against great evil, and while his body was entombed, his spirit continued to serve humanity. The faithful have searched for his tomb ever since.
Then, with the help of the spiritborn Eru and guided by the Spirit of Akarat himself, it was found by Neyrelle and the Wanderer. They hoped that Akarat’s body and spirit could safely secure a soulstone — one with Mephisto, Lord of Hatred trapped inside. Indeed, it seemed like it could until they were betrayed and attacked.
The Spirit of Akarat fought fiercely to defend them. In the end, he sacrificed himself to defeat Mephisto’s harbinger, removing the Spirit of Akarat from the world forever...Until Mephisto stole his body to walk Sanctuary in his image.
The final toll: Lord of Hatred
Neyrelle
A brilliant, young explorer and seeker of knowledge whose fateful encounter with Lilith, the Daughter of Hatred, set her on a path to become a true Horadrim. At her mother’s side, Neyrelle came to the Fractured Peaks in search of the Horadrim, but soon, Lilith tempted her mother with the promise of demonic power.
The Wanderer helped Neyrelle find her mother, but by then, she was beyond saving. Rather than despair, Neyrelle stayed with the Wanderer and pursued Lilith, proving her worth as a scholar and protector of Sanctuary. It cost her greatly, including her own left hand.
She followed the Wanderer and her new Horadrim friends into the depths of the Burning Hells, and there, she was asked to make an impossible decision: Imprison Lilith and allow her father Mephisto to return? Or imprison Mephisto to delay his return and deny Lilith her prize?
She chose the latter. And she tried with all she had to find a way to keep Mephisto imprisoned, but his corruption proved too much to bear. Even after Neyrelle was rid of the soulstone, she remained haunted by his presence.
She never stopped searching for a way to stop Mephisto. To break the cycle of Hatred for good. But just as she found it and sent word to her friends, Mephisto found her. And at last, took her life.
She died as a true Horadrim, wearing the talisman given to her by Lorath.
Queen Adreona
High Queen of the Amazons, matriarch and protector of the Skovos Isles.
Adreona did not inherit her position. She joined the Amazons in her youth, serving as one spearmaiden among thousands in the Amazon Legion. Through martial prowess, strategic mind, and a little luck, she rose through the ranks until at last, she was selected by the Council of Veterans to endure the Passage and become Queen of the Amazons.
For decades, her rule kept Skovos safe from the chaos of the continents, making a paradise of the isles. But she did not do it alone. Her faithful companion and adviser, Captain Tharra of the Amazons, stood ever at her side. And once, she accepted help from abroad.
A Horadrim named Lorath Nahr came to Skovos in search of lost members of his order. Together, they learned what happened to them, averted disaster, and forged a close bond. But it could not last.
Years later, when the fires of Hatred had consumed the mainland, another outsider arrived on Adreona’s shores. The holy prophet Akarat. Along with scores of pilgrims, Akarat promised her he would save her people from the Age of Hatred.
But in reality, he was Hatred Incarnate. Mephisto—disguised in the body of Akarat. Mephisto tricked and coerced Adreona into believing his lies, slowly turning her against her own people and tragically, against the one man she had almost loved.
Convinced Lorath had become her enemy, Adreona killed him in cold blood. An act which sealed her fate, giving Lorath’s allies no choice but to strike her down on the cliffs of Mount Hefaetrus.
Lorath Nahr
The last Horadrim of the modern age, tenacious defender of humankind, and a dear friend.
Lorath was born the son of a blacksmith in the city of Westmarch. He grew up with stories of the brave Horadrim and had ever dreamed to become one.
He joined their order just before the Reapers descended upon Sanctuary. Alongside the archangel Tyrael and a small band of heroes, he fought and triumphed over them, helping to stop the Reaping of Malthael.
Lorath doggedly served the Order for the rest of his life, and in his twilight years, he fought to deliver Sanctuary from the Age of Hatred. First against Lilith and then her father, Mephisto.
To accomplish this, he suffered the loss of friends, endured persecution, bargained his head to the Tree of Whispers, and ventured into Hell itself without guarantee of victory or gratitude. He considered it simply his duty.
When Mephisto came to the Skovos Isles in the guise of Akarat, Lorath alone spoke truth to the people. And when he was brought low by Mephisto’s trickery, he persevered, both supporting victory in Athulua and finding the weapon that would stop Mephisto for good. But he would not see it come to pass. He was cut down by Queen Adreona, a woman he had loved, and his head was taken to the Tree of Whispers.
His soul would have languished there forever, but his allies would not permit it. Setting fire to the Tree they laid Lorath Nahr, the last Horadrim, to rest. His duty done.
Mephisto
One of the Three Prime Evils. Lord of Hatred and father of Lilith. Since the dawn of the Heavens and Hells, Mephisto has been a snake in the garden of creation, ever conspiring, manipulating, and corrupting all he touches.
He has long sought to possess and control humanity to wield as his own; if for no other reason than to prove his daughter Lilith, their creator and mother, that her beloved children are nothing. Mere pawns to be wielded in the Eternal Conflict.
Mephisto has suffered defeats throughout eternity, but his demon soul was always reborn in Hell. Each time, giving only a short respite before his return.
Engaging in his old ways, Mephisto had disguised himself as the prophet Akarat and sought to corrupt all of humankind, starting with Skovos.
But with the help of his daughter Lilith and the weapon she had made from her own body, a single human got the better of him. Mephisto was stabbed through the heart with this weapon and banished screaming into the Void between realms.
Not dead, not alive, and unable to return to Hell. There he will remain.
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