Diablo 4 has a central storyline involving chase and the tragedy that follows in its wake. Much of the six-story acts in Diablo 4 are about finding the horrors that Lilith has left for the players to solve, in addition to the sorrow and heartbreak as a result of demon infestations and Lilith’s spiteful ruses to reach Hell.
Many of the main NPCs within Diablo 4 are not left unscathed by these ploys, and tragedy has found all of them in differing amounts and ways. Much like the players, these NPCs have risked peril, catastrophe, and death to help the Wanderer find and fight Lilith to save Sanctuary once more.
This article contains spoilers for Diablo 4
7 Vigo
Vigo is one of the earlier NPCs met within Diablo 4 at the entrance of the Yelesna Mines, who was bribed into giving passage to two women, one being Neyrelle’s mother, Vhenard, and the other being Lilith herself. Throughout his tenure aiding the players through Act One, he both faces the guilt of allowing Lilith to pass under his nose and also ultimately leading Vhenard to her final moments.
Even though Vigo owns up to his mistakes and reports to Mother Prava of his wrongdoings, he accepts his punishment to wear an iron maiden-like suit of armor and gives his life helping the player during a boss fight by appearing part-way through to provide a bubble of protection during an area attack. Vigo’s tragedy lies within his greed, which he ultimately gave his life for to repent for.
6 Taissa
Taissa’s tragedy, unlike many others within Diablo 4, had retribution. Players will meet Taissa, as she is being used as part of a ritual to release Andariel. Originally sent by the Tree of Whispers to seek out Elias for not upholding his deal with the tree, Taissa was instead captured and used within the ritual to her chagrin.
Ultimately, she fulfilled the ritual to release Andariel when caught off-guard a second time by Elias. However, she does resolve her hand in Lilith’s plan by helping kill Elias with the player’s party. She is also one of the characters that help soothe the tragedies of others, like helping Donan through his grief of losing his son through a specially brewed tea. Even so, Taissa had originally failed her task to stop Elias by being used as his pawn in Lilith’s greater plan.
5 Prava
Reverend Mother Prava, one of the high priestesses of the Cathedral of Light, is both a place for wisdom and a hand of obedience. As a dedicated servant to Inarius and the Cathedral of Light’s efforts, Prava is steadfast in her beliefs of the Cathedral and Inarius’ ability to save Sanctuary from hellish interference. Prava’s tragedy is offered within Act Five during the cinematic cutscene, which shows both the fall of Inarius and her capture from demons.
Prava lost not only her savior but also the leader of her religious-political path. Even after being saved by the Wanderer’s party after the demon attack, Prava tried to uphold Cathedral morals by rejecting the Horadrim and trying to neutralize the remaining members of the player’s party.
4 Neyrelle
Neyrelle, daughter to Vhenard who bribed Vigo, was also a scholar who accompanied her mother’s quest to find Horadric knowledge. Neyrelle, in the pursuit of academics, magic, and proving her self-worth, first lost her mother to Lilith’s wiles. Her tragedy continued as she joined the player’s party in pursuit of avenging her mother’s death, yet was faced with constant scrutiny by others like Lorath and Donan because of her age.
Even still, she pressed on to help find Elias’ weakness and lost her arm in the process. Not only has Neyrelle lost family, a limb, and her resolve throughout the journey of defeating Lilith, but she also took on solitude to protect the soul stone containing Mephisto from falling into the wrong hands. Even at the end of the main storyline of Diablo 4, Neyrelle is venturing to distant lands of Sanctuary on her quest.
3 Yorin
Yorin, son of Donan, has very clear aspirations that led him to become a tool used by Lilith against Donan. Players first meet Yorin as he is speaking with his father about joining the other Pale Knights on duty. Yorin’s tragedy started before we met him, however, with the death of his mother and the protectiveness of his father.
Yorin was ultimately captured by Lilith to use as a conduit for the Soulstone containing Astaroth, who seeks retribution against Donan, in exchange for a deal. The player, alongside Donan, must defeat Yorin-turned-Astaroth in battle. Yorin’s tragedy lies mostly within his transformation, as it was said in-game by Astaroth that Yorin resisted and cried out for Donan.
2 Donan
The players not only see the tragedy with Donan’s son happen through the main storyline but also Donan’s grief as also used as a plot point in the subsequent acts thereafter. After losing not only his wife and the Soulstone but having to defeat the demon that took over his son’s body and seeing Yorin die, Donan is one of the most tragic NPCs within Diablo 4.
Having to face his grief over the loss of Yorin as part of tuning the Soulstone, he followed the player into Hell to defeat Lilith and ended up stabbed. Donan, one of the last Horadrim besides Lorath, gave his life for the cause of Sanctuary and for protecting the people within it.
1 Lorath
Lorath’s journey throughout the story is also filled with loss. As the main companion to the player in Diablo 4, Lorath must also come to terms with losses that occur as he aids the party. He sees his Horadric colleague and friend Donan lose his son, then watch Donan die in battle. He witnesses Neyrelle get hurt and amputated her arm to save her. He lost his allyship with Mother Prava and then also sealed his eternal fate by striking a deal with the Tree of Whispers.
Through the end of the game, Lorath is left as one of the last Horadrim and tasked with relaying Neyrelle’s message and continuing the Horadrim legacy. Lorath’s tragedy is found through the loss of friends, friendships, and solitude.
Diablo 4 is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.