u/Loofahs

I understand that it is some kind of death dimension/afterlife, as the Tower of Suppression states that all death flows here, there's spectral gravestones everywhere, Radahn can only go there by being killed, and we can only get there by touching the body of a demigod whose soul is there.

But was it always like this? It feels like something that was once part of the Lands Between, with the Hornsent/Shaman civilizations as well as Metyr's presence. Does that mean Marika some how turned it into an afterlife? That doesn't make sense.

Any help in understanding is appreciated.

Since the mythic pool has expanded from a few mythics to dozens, and you (I think) can't craft El'Druin at the Blacksmith or Jeweler, has anyone found it this season? I wouldn't even begin to know where to look.

People have been asking for an offline mode similar to D2 and D3 for a while, and it seems like Eternal is the most obvious answer. No matter what difficulty you are on, LFG is empty, the PVP zones are empty, chat is dead. There is no Tower or competitive leaderboard in Eternal.

So, why not allow Seasonal characters to transfer to an offline Eternal mode, where you can still play with them to try out builds, fish, kill world bosses, etc., alone and offline?

My two favorite seasons by FAR have been Season 11 and Season 13. However, I had one issue with S11 that I couldn't shake: The final tier was completed by simply finishing Pit 75. That's... fine, but did not inspire much motivation. There was the secret quadruple boss fight if you were one of the few that farmed the 4 ultra rare items, but other than the spectacle it was a relatively easy little encounter compared to Pit 75.

This season, however, had something to truly strive for. Killing Uber Mephisto at T10 really felt like "beating the game." It's incredibly difficult for the average player, rewards you with an incredible title and rewards, and unlocks an ultimate tier with a bunch of challenges that are nearly impossible alone or without a meta build, but fun to chase nonetheless.

I understand they can't create an uber Mephisto every 3 months, but I hope that some effort is made going forward to create some kind of seasonal Uber Butcher, or Uber Corrupted Reaper that really pushes builds and players to their limits, so I have something to strive for other than... clearing a high pit level.

Just my thoughts on an incredible season.

I know what you're thinking: "But Loofahs, Mephisto entered the Pools and turned them into black goo. They were clearly corrupted."

Yes, I agree that it seems like that would be the case. Mephisto even states during in-fight dialogue "I've already poisoned the water, soon your kind will drown in hatred."

It's easy enough to point out that Mephisto is about the farthest thing from a honest narrator, and would very likely say things like that to make the Wanderer angry and hateful. However, we have a much more reliable narrator to actually figure out what happened.

In the beginning of the expansion, when Lilith (who we can assume has better knowledge of their function than any character in the game) is exposition dumping about the Pools and their purpose, she states two things directly when viewing your memories to determine Mephisto's plan:

1. The Pools are not only what created mortal life, but they are its continuous source (very similar to the Worldstone, which didn't just create Sanctuary but governed its laws of nature), and therefore:

2. If Mephisto taints the Pools, he will "forever change humanity's nature," and if he destroys the Pools he "destroys all humanity with it."

Both of these dialogues can be viewed the second time you interact with Lilith in the Mind's Eye, for those interested.

Neither of those things happen. Mephisto takes control of the waters and continuously uses them to try and kill the Wanderer, but humanity remains alive and unchanged at the end of the fight. Why is this the case? I assume it has everything to do with the followers Mephisto spent the expansion gathering.

If he could simply corrupt the waters himself, why spend all the time and effort starting a cult? Why not just go at the eclipse and corrupt humanity? It has everything to do with the "Blood of the Willing," as we see in the announcement trailer for D4, where Lilith can only be summoned by the willing sacrifice of the 3 explorers. There is great power to willing sacrifice in this universe, and Mephisto needed his flock to willingly go into the pool to corrupt it. Immediately before the boss fight, we interrupt Mephisto before he "baptizes" his first follower. He then displays his true form and his followers run away in panic. He grabs their bodies during the fight and throws them into the Pools, killing them, but at the point they were NOT willing participants.

By the end of the fight the Pools sink back into the Ocean where they came from, and Tyrael believes we have saved the day. This is a direct contrast to the end of D2 where he comes in to tell us our actions were too little, too late.

But what does any of this mean? Were the Pools just another McGuffin? Maybe, but I think there is much more that can be done with them. Did you not think it strange that the main goal of Mephisto was to destroy the pools of CREATION? Would that not be a more appropriate goal for the Lord of DESTRUCTION? The same Lord who destroyed the Pools' mirror in the Worldstone? I think there is more to come, and the Pools will either be targeted or utilized in our future fight against Baal.

There has been a lot of discussion as to what is coming next, D5 or Baal/Diablo sagas in D4. I believe it will be the latter, but I believe the only way it will work is if Blizzard moves on from the Wanderer.

1. Story completion: The Wanderer's entire arc, from ingesting the Lilith petals in the prologue to the end of LOH, was based on Hatred. Unlike nearly every other Diablo ending, the end of LOH did not end on a cliffhanger. Any speculations of what comes next are hidden in side quests. I believe this was intentional by Blizzard, who learned their mistake from the ending of D3. The D3 original ending, for those who remember, was relatively happy. The Black Soulstone was gone, Diablo was defeated, and Tyrael stated that humans and angels would forge a new future together. This left virtually 0 room for future story progression, and was then retconned in ROS. The only way to view that original ending now is on youtube. I do not believe Blizzard is going to make this same mistake a second time and nullify their happy ending with a "Somehow, Palpatine returned" moment, I believe the next saga will start with a fresh story.

2. Side quests: There are two side quests in LOH which I believe will directly affect future. Repairing the Sightless Eye, and the resurrection of assumedly Lucion, Prince of Hatred. The former specifically states that Diablo will return, but not in our lifetimes, meaning the Wanderer will not face this threat. The latter leaves the soul of Lucion in a literal baby, who will likely take decades to become relevant (like Leah).

3. Companions: There is no one left other than Tyrael. Every Horadrim the Wanderer partnered with was killed, one by one. This, to me, is writing that intends to clearly show that the Wanderer's era is over.

4. Seasonality: I am likely in the minority, in that I played each expansion on an Eternal character. My main issue with the seasonal aspect of this game is in regards to the campaign. I'm sure most of you went into the LOH campaign with a level 1 warlock in hide armor that was talking to Lorath as if they knew each other. For story enjoyers, this cognitive dissonance is pretty extreme. I think Blizzard can lean into the seasonal aspect of this by making each new campaign saga have a completely new character.

What does this mean for the future of the story? There are endless possibilities. Imagine a new player character that is a Horadrim recruit, doing missions for a now very old Tyrael as he tries to rebuild the order. Imagine a new player character where you are that baby with Lucion inside of you, and you are fighting to retain control of your body as you fight against Baal or Diablo. I believe moving on from the Wanderer is not only necessary at this point, but overall the best choice for the future of the story.