Storyline
The story line of Diablo III is mostly unknown to us at this point. We know it takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved Sanctuary from the demonic onslaught in Diablo II.
Please note that information listed here are mixed canon details and speculation.
Contents
Known Story and Setting
The demonic invasion 20 years ago (events depicted in Diablo II and its expansion) affected very few people, most of whom are now dead or insane. As such hardly anyone knows what actually happened with Mephisto, Diablo, Baal and the destruction of the Worldstone. The few people who do know the details, such as Deckard Cain are disbelieved, and while there is general knowledge of demons and monsters in the world, the bulk of humanity on Sanctuary has no idea of how perilous their existence is, with the forces of Hell poised to invade the mortal realm.
Tyrael did destroy the worldstone, but he has not been seen since. Scholars who knew of the crucial events expected demons to begin pouring into the mortal world after that, since the Worldstone which kept them largely at bay was destroyed. This has not happened, and no one in Sanctuary knows why not.
It is known that Diablo will appear in the game, presumably as the final boss. How or where that confrontation takes place is not known.
Diablo's return aside, the primary villains of Diablo III have been confirmed to be "two major demons[1][2] and the impending invasion of Sanctuary" rather than the homelands of individual character classes. It's also known that Belial will figure in the game, which makes Azmodan a logical choice for the other demonic lord, since those are the only two of the seven Prime Evils or Lesser Evils who have not yet appeared in the games.
"Several of the NPCs, from both the original Diablo and Diablo 2" will also return according to Jay Wilson.[3]
Story by Acts
Act One: Events in Diablo III kick off with the fiery comet, shown in the Cinematic Introduction, that comes crashing down through the roof of the Tristram Cathedral. This event is witnessed by Leah and possibly Deckard Cain as well, and soon after this event the demons and undead within the catacombs below the Cathedral are awakened. The first Act of Diablo III will consist primarily of characters battling monsters below the Cathedral, including the Skeleton King.
Act Two takes place largely in and around Caldeum, a city in the Borderlands, far distant from the Tristram region.
Act Three takes place largely in the Barbarian lands of the far north, including the Arreat Crater. The demon invasion truly begins at this point, with players tasked with aiding the human defenders in repelling a demonic siege of Bastion's Keep. (These events are known, but not confirmed to be in Act Three.)
Act Four remains a complete mystery. However, the developers have said the overall game structure of Diablo III will largely follow that of Diablo II, with the final act more of a finale than another full-sized act. Thus a return to Hell, taking the battle directly to the home of the invaders, is not out of the question.
Cinematic and Story Opening
From what the Diablo 3 team has said about the state of the world at the start of the game, and from additional information included in the D3 cinematic teaser, this is the apparent state of the world. This summary incorporates some speculation.
After the conclusion of events in D2X, including the slaying of Baal, his vast armies remained a threat to the Barbarian lands even after Baal's death. Their threat was ended by the explosion of the Worldstone, which destroyed Mount Arreat, blasting Arreat Crater, an explosion that devastated the remainder of Baal's forces and ended their siege of a major Barbarian city.
The events of Diablo 3 pick up twenty years later, shortly after a fiery meteorite falls from the sky and crashes into the Tristram Cathedral, blasting a deep hole down into the catacombs below. The first setting of the game will be in Tristram, as the hero must descending into the depths below the Cathedral, defeating the reanimated Skeleton King along the way. Deckard Cain will be encountered in Tristram, and he will rejoin the quest as he did in Diablo 2.
Act Two takes place in the desert again, this time on the western side of the Twin Seas, across the ocean from Lut Gholein. The events of that act are set around Caldeum, a mighty trading city now retreating into itself and allowing chaos and demons to spread across the desert.
Nothing is yet known about events in Act Three and beyond.
The End of Diablo Story?
One issue that is often brought up by fans, with misunderstanding, is the comments about Diablo III proving the end of the series. Jay Wilson has said that D3 will end the current story arc, but not that this will be the last game in the series. [4]
- And while "Diablo III" ends the trilogy, fans needn't worry -- it's not the final curtain for "Diablo." "We're not saying this is the end of the 'Diablo' universe, but we are trying to bring this storyline to a close," Wilson said. "It's not just 'Diablo III' -- we've got plans beyond."
Closing this storyline would presumably mean that Diablo IV would be set in a very different time, in the land of Sanctuary. It could be long before the current series, or far in the future. The team would be unlikely to change the overall dark and gothic feel or tone of the game, since that's what makes Diablo unique. But they'd probably like to have different plot points than than the 3 Prime Evils roaming around, Tyrael showing up to help humans, etc.
Nothing is yet known about how Diablo 3's story will unfold or end, so it will be interesting to see how the team wraps up this story. After all, while Diablo 1 clearly ended with evil, at best, scarcely contained, Diablo 2 seemed a more final conclusion. The three brothers were defeated and their soulstones smashed. Only the destruction of the Worldstone provided a cliff hanger of sorts. Diablo III's plot, which will presumably continue through at least 2 expansion packs, will provide a more definite ending, tying up all the ongoing loose ends.
Timeline
For a complete overview of the Diablo timeline, check out:
Important Lore Terms
There are a number of general Lore terms that are good to know:
- Great Conflict - The battle between Demonkind and Angelkind.
- Sin War - The above battles when they take place on Sanctuary (or presumably any mortal realm).
- Dark Exile - The banishment of the Prime Evils from Hell.
- Great Evils - The biggest badasses of the Burning Hells.
- Prime Evils - The biggest Great Evils (Mephisto, Baal and Diablo).
- Lesser Evils - The non-Prime evils of the Great Evils.
- Burning Hells - Home of all Demons.
- High Heavens - Home of all Angels
Locations
We only know of a few locations that we will visit in the game. This list is for the locations that have lore value rather than the names of the levels in the game:
Characters
All NPCs, many monsters, and the player characters in the game all have in common they are characters, meaning they play a part of the story, and are joined with characters from lore such as the manuals, the novels or comics. Anything that is canon and some that is not can be found in the character category:
Monsters
Each monster type has usually its own back story, and stored on each monster page:
Sanctuary Literature
Besides the novels and such books, there are also books created in Sanctuary. Everything from journals of important characters, to full literary works and prophecies. It's all part of the world, and is added to the Diablo database:
Artefacts
Certain pieces of equipment, jewellery, weapons or other items contain so much power they are called artefacts. The world of Diablo is full of them, and if you're lucky you can find some powerful artefacts in your travels around Sanctuary.
