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If you’re a casual fan of the Diablo series it can be easy to get lost in the hacking and slashing, battling your way through the infernal hordes without too much thought about just who your enemies are. TheVessel of Hatredexpansion forDiablo 4makes it worthwhile to know your enemy, however, as the big bad is the most dangerous one yet.
Mephisto, Lord Of Hatred, has only been the central figure one other time across all four Diablo games. The first of the Prime Evils and Lord of Hatred is a figure who presents a danger to the world of Sanctuary that can’t be easily defeated. That raises the question, just who is Mephisto and why is he so dangerous?
Where Did Mephisto Come From?
Mephisto didn’t always exist as a singular entity; heresulted from the death of the great dragon Tathamet. Tathamet was the second being in existence, the sum of all darkness and the Prime Evil.
When Tathamet died in battle against their counterpart Anu, the first being and source of all light,his body fell into the lower darkness of realitywhich would become the Bruning Hells.
Demons spawned from his corpse andfrom each of his seven heads a greater demon spawned. From his three main heads camethe Prime Evils - Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo. From the four smaller heads camethe Lesser Evils - Andariel, Azmodan, Belial, and Duriel.
While Mephisto is the Lord of Hatred, each of the other Evils have their own domains and titles. Baal is the Lord of Destruction, Diablo is the Lord of Terror, Andariel is the Maiden of Anguish, Azmodan is the Lord of Sin, Belial is the Lord of Lies and Duriel is the Lord of Pain.
What Are Prime Evils?
The Prime Evils are the most powerful of all demons, commanding the forces of the Burning Hells and embodying the domain they are the titled lord of, Hatred in the case of Mephisto.
They arededicated entirely to the destruction of the High Heavensand the angels who reside there, while also seeking tocorrupt the humans of Sanctuaryto extend their influence and add to their forces.
A Prime Evilcannot truly be defeated.Striking one down will only banish them for a short time until they can reform themselves. Efforts have been made instead toseal them away inside of Soulstones, but this has only ever seen temporary success.
The Prime Evils have been known to take the form of strange animals while reforming their essence. Baal takes the form of an owl with one eye, Diablo the form of a wingless bat, and Mephisto the form of a wounded wolf.
Who Is Mephisto?
Considered the eldest brother of the three Prime Evils, Mephisto isthe most intensely evil of all demon kind. As Lord of Hatred, he prefers to operate from the shadows, pulling strings and stoking the fires of resentment.
Mephisto is sometimes also known as ‘Odium’. Odium is a rarely used word that refers to intense hatred towards someone as a result of their actions. Mephisto bearing this title references that all hatred comes from him specifically.
When angels or humans grow wrathful and begin to hate each other,they are unknowingly serving Mephisto. He works tosever connections and destroy community, turning his foes against each other to conserve his own forces.
Mephisto has played a major role in the history of the setting. He is technicallythe grandfather of the entire human race, as it was his daughter Lilith who created them alongside the angel Inarius in a secret affair.
It wasMephisto who was secretly Mefis, Spirit of Love, posing as a benevolent figure to corrupt humanity. It was also Mephistowho struck the pact that angels and demons not influence humanityand withdraw from Sanctuary.
The ruse of depicting himself as Mefis, Spirit of Love, was one his brothers partook in. Baal pretended to be Bala, Spirit of Creation, while Diablo pretended to be Dialon, Spirit of Determination. Each brother posed as the embodiment of a virtue directly opposed to their true nature.
They formed a religion around themselves known as the Triune. You may recognize that name as the cult which openly worships the Prime Evils in the games, having formed directly from the false religion.
Mephisto was confident that, if both sides stopped directly interfering with humans,their darker nature would eventually prevail. By playing the long game, heangered the impatient Lesser Evils, who rebelled.
This rebellion following the events of the Sin War resulted inthe Prime Evils being exiled from the Burning Hellsand into the mortal realm, sparking the events that wouldlead to the beginning of the first Diablo game.
This would become known asThe Dark Exile, an event that would have an impact on the world of Sanctuary like almost no other. The Prime Evils were loose in the world, while the Angels held to their agreement not to intervene.
In the manual for the original Diablo, it is stated that the Prime Evils spent “countless centuries” loose in Sanctuary before they were able to be captured and that all three were buried under the sands. Both of these points would be retconned.
The sourcebook, the Book of Tyrael, changes the period of time the Prime Evils were loose to just a few decades. Diablo 2 changed the location of Mephisto’s imprisonment to Travincal, a jungle region.
With the Prime Evils loose in Sanctuary, they werecontained by a group of sages known as the Horadrim, capturing Mephisto first, but even still their presence would summon demons and create conflict felt in the games.
Which Games Does Mephisto Appear In?
Mephisto doesn’t appear in the original Diablo, nor is he even mentioned. The first Diablo game had a much more focused narrative, not expanding the scope of the story beyond what was happening in the town of Tristram.
Diablo 2
He plays a more important role in the sequel, Diablo 2, and is the focus of Act 3 of the game. His brothers have already taken control of their human hosts andseek to free Mephisto as well, with the player character racing to stop them.
Mephisto had been imprisoned inside of a Soulstoneand entrusted to the priests of the Zakarum faith in the jungles of Kurast. Mephisto was able toextend his influence beyond the stone, twisting the priesthood over generations.
The high council of Zakarum serve as enemies in Diablo 2 and can be more difficult to beat than Mephisto himself if you’re under-leveled or don’t have the right gear. Mephisto is more powerful, but the Councilhase numbers on their side.
By the time his brothers arrived, Mephisto hadalready severely weakened his Soulstoneand had full control over the high priest. His brothers fully released him andhe immediately possessed the high priesthe had under his control.
At that point the player character arrives and engages Mephisto in one of the game’s more memorable boss fights, defeating him andsealing him back inside of his Soulstone.
The stone wouldlater be destroyed at the Hellforgein an attempt to cast the spirit of Mephisto away forever.
Diablo 3
The witch Adria had been working on a secret plan throughout the years,capturing the essence of the Prime and Lesser Evils inside a special Black Soulstoneso that they would not be completely destroyed.
She did this in service to Diablo,combining all of the Evils together inside of him to make him the sole Prime Evil. This incarnation was the final boss of Diablo 3, and once defeated was contained within the Black Soulstone again.
Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls
Malthael, Archangel of Wisdom, becamedisillusioned with his role and obsessed with mortality. He became the Angel of Death and sought to use the power of the Black Soulstone to wipe out all demons and humanity both.
He was defeated, andthe Black Soulstone shattered, releasing the spirit of the Prime Evil Diablo. Over time, the other Evils separated from Diablo, becoming their own entities again and returning to their hellish domains.
Mephisto returned to his Realms of Hatred, but a small piece of him remained behind on Sanctuary in the form of a bloodied and injured wolf.
Diablo 4
While the main villain of Diablo 4 is ostensiblyLilith, the daughter of Mephistowho seeks to ensure he can never turn his forces against humans again,Mephisto is the real villain behind the scenes.
Heexerts his influence masterfully to stoke hatred among everyone involved in the story, including Lilith herself. He regularly appears to the player character and nudges them towards taking actions that benefit him.
Most fans don’t know that Mephisto also has a son, named Lucion. He was active during the Sin War but was willed out of existence by the human champion Uldyssian ul-Diomed. He seems to have been completely erased and has shown no signs of reforming in the Burning Hells.
Lilith is defeated, andMephisto is trapped inside of a Soulstone once again. While that might seem like a bad outcome for him, the Soulstone has been carried through Sanctuary. No Evil is better at exerting their influence beyond a Soulstone than Mephisto.
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
Nyrelle, who trapped Mephisto in his Soulstone at the end of Diablo 4, carries him in his prison through the world and sails northward. She holds good intentions, butMephisto is a master manipulator.
Nyrelle hopes to find a way to banish Mephisto forever, buthe psychologically tortures her every step of the wayand is likely to have a plan no one but him would be capable of understanding until it’s too late.
Other Appearances
Mephisto is mentioned heavily insupplemental materials to the series, in comics, novels, and sourcebookslike the Book of Lorath. He is also mentioned in the mobile game Diablo Immortal but has one notable appearance outside of the Diablo series itself.
Mephisto isa playable character in Heroes of the Storm, allowing you to wreak havoc on your opponents in the Blizzard MOBA. He has many of the abilities displayed in his boss fight in Diablo 2, but takes practice to master.
Heroes of the Storm has two other Evils as playable characters, Diablo and Azmodan. Unfortunately Baal, Andariel, Belial, and Duriel aren’t available and unlikely to be added at this stage as new content for the game has unfortunately ended.
