Interesting. Mr. Brevik says he is an "adviser" for an ARPG that "pushes this genre to new heights" and included an image of Libra symbol/constellation.
I had a dream last week about the next expansion, which was weird. Three classes, one for each stat (the STR was a 'knight,' the DEX was medium armored and dual wielded, and the INT was an 'adventurer' looking thing and had a backpack). The areas I saw started out in a forest and went into a ruined castle, which was submerged in some areas. Days later, I happened to look up the Skovos concept art and it did make me wonder since it showed submerged/water-filled buildings. Makes me think of Marius, "Why do things happen as they do in dreams?" Would be amazing to get three classes if it's the final expansion though.
Depending on how many expansions there will be, it may not happen in the next one but eventually we should finally see the 'final battle' between Man and Demons/'ultimate invasion' of Sanctuary by the Hells, as foretold in Diablo II's lore and the Prophecy of the End Days that D3 is based around.
"If the player thinks they outsmarted the forces of Hell and evil and they basically won, well, they are in for a big shock. Because what they are going to discover in Diablo 3 is that things have gone pretty exactly the way Hell wanted them to go all along. What we really wanted was the idea of a story where we do have some time away, it’s about 20 years later, and things have actually gotten better because evil’s been “destroyed”. But the truth is that it’s actually all just been a ruse, it’s all part of the plan. It’s really just making sure everyone’s nice and complacent for the real war that’s coming." - Jay Wilson, about Diablo II and why they did a 20 year gap
Another thing that we should be seeing is Diablo's endgame. We know he's been planning and plotting, always two steps ahead of everyone else in the universe. Even in Reaper of Souls after 'Justice was met' when we defeated him, we learn that Diablo had foreseen all of this and knew it would be us, the Nephalem hero, that freed him once more, which we did by killing Malthael, who had absorbed their souls in an insane gambit to defeat us. What is all of this plotting and scheming leading to? Well, the game was codenamed Project Hydra. There just so happens to be a hydra-like entity in the lore, Tathamet, the 7-headed dragon that was the original embodiment of evil that all demons came from. (The heads became the Prime Evils) There is a conversation with Tyrael about what the Prime Evil is and he talks about Tathamet. The Witch Doctor (who is frequently 'spoiled' about upcoming events by the spirits) and the Crusader (so you know they had future content on their mind) surmise that Diablo wishes to 'become the Dragon again.'
Diablo, imbued with the essences of all seven Prime Evils of the Burning Hells, was defeated by the Nephalem.
The leader of the Angiris Council, imbued with the powers of death and the Prime Evils, was defeated by the Nephalem.
The Nephalem's personal thoughts as they go to confront Malthael (What's interesting is that Malthael's plan would have ultimately failed since eliminating all the demons/evil in the universe would have upset the Balance. "Good must always outshine Evil, but never should Evil be completely eradicated, lest Good eventually turn on itself.") hint towards what may come. "It is past time for us to say "No more." The days of angels and demons threatening the existence of our world must end."
At the end, Tyrael is also worried that the Nephalem hero is susceptible to corruption, and that he may be 'our' aka the angels' doom.
We know we are at the final line of the Prophecy of the End Days (The 'Death, at last, shall spread its wings over all' line was used during RoS' advertising), or at least the final line as portrayed in the Book of Cain: "As Fate lies shattered forever." Everything else is talking about one of the angelic Aspects, so Fate should mean Ithereal, but we also know that the Nephalem are not part of the Scroll of Fate and at the end of RoS are fed up with being harassed and murdered by the angels and demons, so that could be used to shatter the 'fate' of demons and angels endlessly fighting. (One thing to note though is that they may've gone 'off the rails' storywise as the RoS behind the Scenes says Valor aka Imperius was very much supposed to go Wrath since he was the primary antagonist originally and was supposed to kill or gravely injure the mortal Tyrael, which very well might have started the End of Days since Tyrael claimed Wisdom, which is 'lost' at the start of the prophecy.)
So, there's a couple things I can see them doing from what they've got set up:
Diablo becomes Tathamet again as the 'endgame' for the trilogy's storyline, which they said would be resolved in Diablo 3 (but not the end of the Diablo series). This is hinted at in a conversation with Tyrael, and seemingly is one of the few ways to make Diablo a threat again. We also know he's definitely not out of the fight yet, since he had a vision he shared with Adria that you would be responsible for freeing him again, technically it was Malthael but we were the cause.
The Final Battle/End Days that have been hinted at since Diablo II finally happens. "The Prophecy of the End Days is contained within the Horadric tomes I inherited from my ancestor Jered Cain. It is a warning to those who could interpret it regarding Hell's ultimate invasion of our world, written by many different people throughout history in many different lands."
'At the End of Days, angels and demons fight on the land of man.' This was said in the Behind the Scenes DVD from the base game, and I'm sure the majority of us thought it meant the angels would be fighting against the demons. Well, now that the Nephalem have firmly cemented themselves as an enormous threat to both sides, perhaps the angels and demons do indeed fight on the land of man, but in an unthinkable alliance against the mortal threat since they share a common goal. We are told that Imperius controls the angelic host, so if that scenario did happen it has to be by his command, unless it's a splinter group of angels like the minions of Malthael. (On the other hand, this bit of the prophecy could have been fulfilled already by Belial/Azmodan's forces and then Malthael's forces invading Sanctuary)
Gods such as Dirgest may get involved, possibly to do the same as the Zoltun Kulle/Lilith scenario. I don't think we really know what 'gods' are in the Diablo universe, some seem to refer to Nephalem of old, the Monks' are the angels/demons I think, there's the 59 gods of the Xiansai, Dirgest the god of desire, etc. Whatever they are, they are likely powerful and based on Sanctuary, so if angels/demons are trying to destroy it (and assuming all gods aren't angels/demons), they could work to intervene.
Trag'Oul, the guardian of Sanctuary, the maintainer of the Balance, founded the Priests of Rathma aka Necromancers and disappeared. Will he return now that the Balance has been upset by Malthael's actions? (as evidenced by Necromancer NPCs in Act V trying to restore it)
There are also already Crusader legendaries with their provenance being from Paladins, so that wouldn't be an excuse not to put in the Herald of Zakarum.
Thinking of Diablo II uniques, I would have liked for this to return, especially with Crusader's being able to wield a 2-hander in one hand: http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/Cloudcrack
also my wild and crazy idea to tie up all the loose ends of all the followers; the dirgest jewel contains Malthael, the angel that the enchantress met, and we find it while taking down the templar's evil order!
Interestingly, it seems they recorded separate dialogue for each class for certain conversations when you ask Shen about the jewel and himself.
Quote from "Wizard" »
"Oh, it's nothing special. It merely changes forms to evade its pursuers and drive its owners mad."
"What? Why would you search for such a thing?"
"Because it's mine."
"This is not a name from the Xiansai pantheon. You are not talking about gods for once."
"Oh, no, this was before the gods."
"I will soon be facing the Lord of Terror, and there is little time left to us. Tell me who you really are."
"Ah. Despite your education, you still suspect I may be something other than a simple jeweler?"
"I don't know what to believe anymore. The world is full of things I once thought I understood."
"Isn't it, though? But there is one truth you can count on: truth is never quite as interesting as wild speculation."
Quote from name="Demon Hunter" »
"Oh, I'm always sure but seldom right. It's a curse."
"You're not cursed. You're just careless. What does this jewel look like?"
"It changes form to appeal to the finder, you see. When its picked up, it eats the holder's life until nothing remains.
But you are right. It would be dangerous for a careless man like me to pick up such an artifact. I'm so glad you are here!"
"Dirgest? I haven't heard of him. Was he a demon?"
"Oh, no, he was like us, only terribly corrupt. I had to trap him."
"Of all my companions, you are the one who is still the greatest mystery. Before I face Diablo, tell me who you really are."
"I think we understand each other perfectly. Why bring the truth into it?"
"You... are right. Behind that smile, I see a man haunted by his past, much as I am. But I also think the world could do worse than have you for a god."
"What a nice thing to say! And to return the favor, I do believe that the world could not do better than to have you as its savior."
Quote from name="Witch Doctor" »
"Tell me of this jewel. What does it look like?"
"Sometimes, a ruby. Other times, a glorious emerald or a stunning diamond. It is very good at hiding."
"So it is aware. There is a dark spirit within?"
"A very good question. A dangerous question. You are getting better at them."
"I notice that you did not answer me."
"Hmm. Yes, well, a good question answers itself."
"The spirits say you are a fraud and a god, husband and thief of wives, a chieftain and a vagabond. You cannot be all these things."
"And why not? People can be anything they want, I say. The only limitation is time, and I have been alive for many years."
"For more years, perhaps, than a normal man would live."
"Oh yes. And I think everyone would agree that I am far from normal."
"The spirits have never heard this name. That is a strange thing. They know everyone."
"The spirits of those who know him are trapped with him in the stone."
"The time for mysteries is past. I wish to know who you are."
"Why? Do you think it will help you face Diablo?"
"Knowledge can aid us at unexpected times. The spirits say you are long-lived. Perhaps you know something that will help me." "Oh, yes, yes, yes! I most certainly do. The last time I saw someone more intelligent than you, I was looking in a reflection. Fight intelligently, my friend, and you cannot fail."
Quote from "Monk" »
"Wait a minute, the gem is cursed?"
"Only slightly. It changes form from time to time, yes. Oh, and it slowly drives its owners mad. Otherwise, it's completely harmless."
"I have never heard of him."
"I am not surprised. This happened when the mountains were young."
"You know things you could not possibly know. Before I face Diablo, you must tell me who you truly are."
"Must I? Do you think my elderly wisdom will help you face Diablo?"
"It may. Ashes can make a bonfire from kindling if an ember hides within."
"Ha! if disrespect for your elders was a weapon, I would be mortally wounded!"
Quote from "Barbarian" »
"Perhaps you would find this jewel sooner if you weren't so careless."
"Oh yes, well, that, and the jewel changes form from time to time. I can only take so much credit."
Shen tells Barbarian that Dirgest wants to 'devour the world' if it could.
"I have never heard of this Dirgest. When did this happen?"
"A long time before years were counted."
"Time grows short. I will ask you one last time: are you a god or not?"
"Why?" Do you seek my blessing before you face Diablo?"
"It can't hurt. I once thought I would die in battle at the hand of a stronger foe. I cannot do that now. Either give me a god's blessing or a man's well wishes."
"He is not, you know. Stronger, that is. Now, let that be my gift to you, my friend: the knowledge that the Lord of Terror is frightened of you."
Shen is Shen, so he's always dodging the truth, but from the above: Dirgest (who is not a demon, nor a Xiansai god, which he predated) was corrupted and wanted to 'devour the world' and had to be trapped within a gem by Shen himself. This happened 'when the mountains were young' and 'before years were counted,' which should mean near the creation of Sanctuary. The gem is flawed and the 'dark spirit' inside can shift the gem's appearance to lure people in, and then drives them mad and consumes them and 'traps their spirit' in the stone. He was also 'like us' so maybe a Nephalem? A good guy? A god?
There are also suggestions that Covetous Shen is a Xiansai god, Zei, the Trickster God of Xiansai's pantheon. He tells the Wizard he is after the jewel because it belongs to him, and later tells everyone he is after it because it has killed thousands and he's the only one that can safely handle it and seal the prison.
"Why do you search for this jewel so persistently?"
"Because... it has killed thousands, and because I am the only one who can hold it without harm."
"Because you are a god?"
"No. Because it has already taken everything from me that matters."
"Now a flaw has developed in the jewel. Through it, Dirgest can consume the holder's life. I intend to seal his prison, trapping him in it forever."
The Monk's order has gods, which is just what they call the angels and demons if I recall, but I don't know what the Xiansai deities would be. In a conversation, the Barbarian says that Bul-Kathos (a Nephalem) was a god, so I guess they could be Nephalem? Seemingly that would mean Shen is a demon or angel, one of the renegades that created Sanctuary, since he said Dirgest (which he trapped) was around before the Xiansai gods. If that was true however, you'd think Tyrael would have said something. Then again, if he's the Trickster God, and possibly the sole survivor of the renegades, he's probably adept at disguising his 'aura' or whatever.
If Dirgest = Malthael, then he might have come to Sanctuary in pursuit of the Worldstone and went berserk before Shen managed to trap him.
You guys are taking that chart too literally... does no one see the bold disclaimer at the bottom of it? Someone may have just made that according to past release dates.
I fear when I get home my roommate's poor kitty has already been sacrificed..
The disclaimer was added by MMO-Champion. The chart has Titan's actual codename (before it was public knowledge) as well as WoW TCG aka Hearthstone, and the provenance of it was a Blizzard China employee, Ye Weilun, sold it and lots of other confidential Blizzard data to rival companies, and an employee at one of those companies that bought it leaked it on a Chinese forum. http://news.mmogamesite.com/blizzard-china-manager-resigns-management-reshuffle-for-leak.html
An interview with Jay Wilson also 'confirms' multiple expansions. "There's a lot of people on our team who aren't happy with our class choices,” Jay admitted. "But after we've established 'Diablo III' as its own game with its own type of gameplay and experiences, I wouldn't be opposed to looking at old classes. We are trying to design the Witch Doctor class so that if we did bring back the Necromancer, there's room for him. We're looking out ahead of time at what our expansions are going to be, so we've got to keep room open for some of those other classes down the road."
Malthael definitely seems very likely to be the Reaper of Souls, especially since the Prophecy of the End Days lists Archangels by their domains, and Death is listed on there. The question is: are the other lines things that have happened already, or things yet to come? I'm kind of worried about Tyrael since he became mortal and took up Wisdom, which is going to be 'lost' to kick things off.
Malthael abstained from voting on the fate of the Nephalem, because "Whatever the choice in the end, it does not matter for me."
Player: Malthael abstained? Was it out of cowardice? Tyrael: He was no coward. He was Wisdom itself... until his disappearance. The Angiris Council has been... broken ever since.
His lore entry in game says: "Much uncertainty surrounds the archangel Malthael. Once the calm guiding hand of wisdom, he was lost to us the moment the Worldstone disappeared. Unable to fathom that catastrophic event, he abandoned Heaven. His departure created a colossal fracture within the Councilone that, to this day, remains unrepaired."
Deckard Cain wrote in the Book of Cain: "Malthael is the most mysterious member of the Angiris Council. He is an intelligent and noble being who was once said to cherish all life, but the archangel is later described as melancholy, evasive, and at times even frightening.
Perhaps this is because he is bound to the truth of all things. His wisdom comes from seeing the myriad emotions and experiences that connect the universe. I believe Malthael’s demeanor can be better understood through the following tract written by the mortal sage Furisaj, who sought out wisdom for the entirety of his life:
In all things, there are two sides: motion and stillness
emptiness and fullness, light and dark
Alone each side is complete, but together they form the
totality of existence. Only through embracing the
oneness of all things can true wisdom be obtained."
After he began to change due to obsessing over the Worldstone, his voice did as well: "However, as his demenour darkened, his voice became chilling and could provoke thoughts of forboding and feelings of angst. Mendeln was one such example, Malthael's voice filling him with thoughts of permenant, empty death."
Tyrael tells us: Player: What became of Malthael? Tyrael: Long ago, when Inarius and his ilk stole the Worldstone to create Sanctuary, Malthael became consumed with discovering its whereabouts.
As the archangel of Wisdom, he was tortured by his inability to recover the sacred artifact. Player: Where is he now? Tyrael: Some say he haunts the silent halls of Pandemonium, forever seeking answers to the unknowable mysteries of life and death.
So, the Worldstone was stolen and Malthael started going batty over it. What happened in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction? Baal corrupted the Worldstone, and Tyrael destroyed it. That just might have sent Malthael off into the deep end since he went nuts over losing the thing, and now it's completely destroyed due to his failings.
Finally explanation who is the dude on Diablo 2 cover? In every Diablo the cover art has always presented the final boss of the game. Diablo 2 cover guy sure looks like the Grim Reaper himself (I have seen him, yes).
That was the Warrior, aka Prince Aidan, from Diablo, who had plunged Diablo's soulstone into his own forehead in an attempt to control the demon after defeating him. He became more and more skeletal in appearance as the story of Diablo II progressed and, to quote Marius, he 'hadn't been gaining strength, he had been losing what was left of his humanity.'
1
Interesting. Mr. Brevik says he is an "adviser" for an ARPG that "pushes this genre to new heights" and included an image of Libra symbol/constellation.
https://twitter.com/davidbrevik/status/787492674102190081
1
Depending on how many expansions there will be, it may not happen in the next one but eventually we should finally see the 'final battle' between Man and Demons/'ultimate invasion' of Sanctuary by the Hells, as foretold in Diablo II's lore and the Prophecy of the End Days that D3 is based around.
Another thing that we should be seeing is Diablo's endgame. We know he's been planning and plotting, always two steps ahead of everyone else in the universe. Even in Reaper of Souls after 'Justice was met' when we defeated him, we learn that Diablo had foreseen all of this and knew it would be us, the Nephalem hero, that freed him once more, which we did by killing Malthael, who had absorbed their souls in an insane gambit to defeat us. What is all of this plotting and scheming leading to? Well, the game was codenamed Project Hydra. There just so happens to be a hydra-like entity in the lore, Tathamet, the 7-headed dragon that was the original embodiment of evil that all demons came from. (The heads became the Prime Evils) There is a conversation with Tyrael about what the Prime Evil is and he talks about Tathamet. The Witch Doctor (who is frequently 'spoiled' about upcoming events by the spirits) and the Crusader (so you know they had future content on their mind) surmise that Diablo wishes to 'become the Dragon again.'
1
The leader of the Angiris Council, imbued with the powers of death and the Prime Evils, was defeated by the Nephalem.
The Nephalem's personal thoughts as they go to confront Malthael (What's interesting is that Malthael's plan would have ultimately failed since eliminating all the demons/evil in the universe would have upset the Balance. "Good must always outshine Evil, but never should Evil be completely eradicated, lest Good eventually turn on itself.") hint towards what may come. "It is past time for us to say "No more." The days of angels and demons threatening the existence of our world must end."
At the end, Tyrael is also worried that the Nephalem hero is susceptible to corruption, and that he may be 'our' aka the angels' doom.
We know we are at the final line of the Prophecy of the End Days (The 'Death, at last, shall spread its wings over all' line was used during RoS' advertising), or at least the final line as portrayed in the Book of Cain: "As Fate lies shattered forever." Everything else is talking about one of the angelic Aspects, so Fate should mean Ithereal, but we also know that the Nephalem are not part of the Scroll of Fate and at the end of RoS are fed up with being harassed and murdered by the angels and demons, so that could be used to shatter the 'fate' of demons and angels endlessly fighting. (One thing to note though is that they may've gone 'off the rails' storywise as the RoS behind the Scenes says Valor aka Imperius was very much supposed to go Wrath since he was the primary antagonist originally and was supposed to kill or gravely injure the mortal Tyrael, which very well might have started the End of Days since Tyrael claimed Wisdom, which is 'lost' at the start of the prophecy.)
So, there's a couple things I can see them doing from what they've got set up:
Diablo becomes Tathamet again as the 'endgame' for the trilogy's storyline, which they said would be resolved in Diablo 3 (but not the end of the Diablo series). This is hinted at in a conversation with Tyrael, and seemingly is one of the few ways to make Diablo a threat again. We also know he's definitely not out of the fight yet, since he had a vision he shared with Adria that you would be responsible for freeing him again, technically it was Malthael but we were the cause.
The Final Battle/End Days that have been hinted at since Diablo II finally happens. "The Prophecy of the End Days is contained within the Horadric tomes I inherited from my ancestor Jered Cain. It is a warning to those who could interpret it regarding Hell's ultimate invasion of our world, written by many different people throughout history in many different lands."
'At the End of Days, angels and demons fight on the land of man.' This was said in the Behind the Scenes DVD from the base game, and I'm sure the majority of us thought it meant the angels would be fighting against the demons. Well, now that the Nephalem have firmly cemented themselves as an enormous threat to both sides, perhaps the angels and demons do indeed fight on the land of man, but in an unthinkable alliance against the mortal threat since they share a common goal. We are told that Imperius controls the angelic host, so if that scenario did happen it has to be by his command, unless it's a splinter group of angels like the minions of Malthael. (On the other hand, this bit of the prophecy could have been fulfilled already by Belial/Azmodan's forces and then Malthael's forces invading Sanctuary)
Evil/corrupt/power hungry Nephalem(s) may appear, such as Zoltun Kulle (which the Crusader hints might return), and try to gather followers to lead an assault on the angels and demons to purge them from Sanctuary once and for all. "There are some who believe this world should be cleansed of demons and angels, that there should be no Light or Darkness, and men should find their own way in life."
Lilith may return to do the same as the above, since she originally wanted to use her children - the Nephalem - to end the Eternal Conflict. They've also delved a little bit more into her and Inarius' lore during Act V where you can hear/read their personal thoughts as they set out to make Sanctuary.
Gods such as Dirgest may get involved, possibly to do the same as the Zoltun Kulle/Lilith scenario. I don't think we really know what 'gods' are in the Diablo universe, some seem to refer to Nephalem of old, the Monks' are the angels/demons I think, there's the 59 gods of the Xiansai, Dirgest the god of desire, etc. Whatever they are, they are likely powerful and based on Sanctuary, so if angels/demons are trying to destroy it (and assuming all gods aren't angels/demons), they could work to intervene.
Trag'Oul, the guardian of Sanctuary, the maintainer of the Balance, founded the Priests of Rathma aka Necromancers and disappeared. Will he return now that the Balance has been upset by Malthael's actions? (as evidenced by Necromancer NPCs in Act V trying to restore it)
2
There are also already Crusader legendaries with their provenance being from Paladins, so that wouldn't be an excuse not to put in the Herald of Zakarum.
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/item/jaces-hammer-of-vigilance
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/item/cams-rebuttal
Thinking of Diablo II uniques, I would have liked for this to return, especially with Crusader's being able to wield a 2-hander in one hand: http://diablo.wikia.com/wiki/Cloudcrack
2
Interestingly, it seems they recorded separate dialogue for each class for certain conversations when you ask Shen about the jewel and himself.
Shen is Shen, so he's always dodging the truth, but from the above: Dirgest (who is not a demon, nor a Xiansai god, which he predated) was corrupted and wanted to 'devour the world' and had to be trapped within a gem by Shen himself. This happened 'when the mountains were young' and 'before years were counted,' which should mean near the creation of Sanctuary. The gem is flawed and the 'dark spirit' inside can shift the gem's appearance to lure people in, and then drives them mad and consumes them and 'traps their spirit' in the stone. He was also 'like us' so maybe a Nephalem? A good guy? A god?
There are also suggestions that Covetous Shen is a Xiansai god, Zei, the Trickster God of Xiansai's pantheon. He tells the Wizard he is after the jewel because it belongs to him, and later tells everyone he is after it because it has killed thousands and he's the only one that can safely handle it and seal the prison.
The Monk's order has gods, which is just what they call the angels and demons if I recall, but I don't know what the Xiansai deities would be. In a conversation, the Barbarian says that Bul-Kathos (a Nephalem) was a god, so I guess they could be Nephalem? Seemingly that would mean Shen is a demon or angel, one of the renegades that created Sanctuary, since he said Dirgest (which he trapped) was around before the Xiansai gods. If that was true however, you'd think Tyrael would have said something. Then again, if he's the Trickster God, and possibly the sole survivor of the renegades, he's probably adept at disguising his 'aura' or whatever.
If Dirgest = Malthael, then he might have come to Sanctuary in pursuit of the Worldstone and went berserk before Shen managed to trap him.
1
The disclaimer was added by MMO-Champion. The chart has Titan's actual codename (before it was public knowledge) as well as WoW TCG aka Hearthstone, and the provenance of it was a Blizzard China employee, Ye Weilun, sold it and lots of other confidential Blizzard data to rival companies, and an employee at one of those companies that bought it leaked it on a Chinese forum. http://news.mmogamesite.com/blizzard-china-manager-resigns-management-reshuffle-for-leak.html
An interview with Jay Wilson also 'confirms' multiple expansions. "There's a lot of people on our team who aren't happy with our class choices,” Jay admitted. "But after we've established 'Diablo III' as its own game with its own type of gameplay and experiences, I wouldn't be opposed to looking at old classes. We are trying to design the Witch Doctor class so that if we did bring back the Necromancer, there's room for him. We're looking out ahead of time at what our expansions are going to be, so we've got to keep room open for some of those other classes down the road."
1
Malthael abstained from voting on the fate of the Nephalem, because "Whatever the choice in the end, it does not matter for me."
Player: Malthael abstained? Was it out of cowardice?
Tyrael: He was no coward. He was Wisdom itself... until his disappearance. The Angiris Council has been... broken ever since.
His lore entry in game says: "Much uncertainty surrounds the archangel Malthael. Once the calm guiding hand of wisdom, he was lost to us the moment the Worldstone disappeared. Unable to fathom that catastrophic event, he abandoned Heaven. His departure created a colossal fracture within the Councilone that, to this day, remains unrepaired."
Deckard Cain wrote in the Book of Cain: "Malthael is the most mysterious member of the Angiris Council. He is an intelligent and noble being who was once said to cherish all life, but the archangel is later described as melancholy, evasive, and at times even frightening.
Perhaps this is because he is bound to the truth of all things. His wisdom comes from seeing the myriad emotions and experiences that connect the universe. I believe Malthael’s demeanor can be better understood through the following tract written by the mortal sage Furisaj, who sought out wisdom for the entirety of his life:
In all things, there are two sides: motion and stillness
emptiness and fullness, light and dark
Alone each side is complete, but together they form the
totality of existence. Only through embracing the
oneness of all things can true wisdom be obtained."
After he began to change due to obsessing over the Worldstone, his voice did as well: "However, as his demenour darkened, his voice became chilling and could provoke thoughts of forboding and feelings of angst. Mendeln was one such example, Malthael's voice filling him with thoughts of permenant, empty death."
Tyrael tells us:
Player: What became of Malthael?
Tyrael: Long ago, when Inarius and his ilk stole the Worldstone to create Sanctuary, Malthael became consumed with discovering its whereabouts.
As the archangel of Wisdom, he was tortured by his inability to recover the sacred artifact.
Player: Where is he now?
Tyrael: Some say he haunts the silent halls of Pandemonium, forever seeking answers to the unknowable mysteries of life and death.
So, the Worldstone was stolen and Malthael started going batty over it. What happened in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction? Baal corrupted the Worldstone, and Tyrael destroyed it. That just might have sent Malthael off into the deep end since he went nuts over losing the thing, and now it's completely destroyed due to his failings.
1