Lord of Hatred release date

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred it is now less than a month away from launch and launches on April 28th. Waiting for the Lord of Hatred to draw the curtain on Diablo 4s Age of Hatred arc, fans will want to familiarize themselves with the history and lore of the Skovos region, the new map where Lord of Hatred will take place. Digging in Skovos reveals how big an effect it has had for the bigger ones Diablo franchise, and how suitable it is as a place for Diablo 4s final showdown with Mephisto in Lord of Hatred.

Even if Diablo 4s new Warlock class is undoubtedly the highlight of the upcoming Lord of Hatred DLC, exploring the Skovos map is likely to be just as exciting. Diablo 4s previous expansion, Vessel of Hatred, reclaimed the region of Nahantu from Diablo 2which was already a significant map expansion. Now Lord of Hatred is set to add an equally large map, both in terms of physical scale and importance to the series' lore.

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Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred's Skovos is crucial to the story of the series

The most important information to know about Skovos

An island chain far to the south
Origins of Civilization in Sanctuary
Diverse landscapes, including volcanic coasts, lush forests and towering mountains
Greek-inspired design
Home to the matriarchal Askari society
Two major castes: Warrior Amazons and Mystic Oracles

Skovos has a surprisingly rich history within Diablo series, and Lord of Hatred has the potential to propel that entire story to the forefront of its history. Aesthetically, Skovos draws inspiration from Greek architecture, with marble columns and tall statues greeting visitors to the islands. The names of places on Skovos also bear Greek-sounding names such as Philios, Temis and Atanos, which further reinforces the place's Greek inspiration.

Skovo's geography

Technically an island chain, Skovos consists of several individual islands that join together to form the region as a whole. The large islands of Skovos lie far to the south of all the other major landmasses of Sanctuary and include Philios, Lycander, and Skartara, with the capital Temis nestled among these islands. The environments can vary between these islands, from lush forests to treacherous mountains and volcanic coasts, especially in Skartara. Compared to the homogenous jungles of Nahantu, environmental diversity should be a huge difference between Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred.

Skovo's history begins with the creation of Nephalem

What really makes Skovos such an interesting setting for Lord of Hatred is its role in the origin of Sanctuary and the creation of humanity. Skovos is the oldest region of Sanctuary and home to the first civilization, where Lilith and Inarius created the nephalem race that would eventually evolve into the modern humans of Sanctuary. After the birth of the nephalem and the eventual creation of humanity, Skovos would become home to a number of factions notable for Diablo franchise.

Skovo's native tribe is the Askari, with the islands of Philios and Lycander bearing the names of the tribe's founders, a nephalem and angel, respectively. An important aspect of Askari society is its matriarchal nature, with men prohibited from serving in positions of power or in the military. As such, the all-female Amazon warriors are the primary military faction of the Askari, who are known as nomadic fighters who protect the seas around Skovos using bows and spears.

The other major faction within Askari society is the Oracles, who act as a mystical counterweight to the Warrior Masons. The Oracle Caste is based on the ancient Sightless Eye relic, which is said to be possessed by the angel Lycander and allows the order to see into the future. The oracles could use the Sightless Eye to see a future there Diablo's Prime Evils returned and effectively predicted the Prime Evils Dark Evils Dark Evils of the Lesser Evils.

The Horadrim also have a history with the Skovos, having created a Horadric Vault in the region at some point in the past. It is possible that Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred will have players uncover this lost vault during their travels to Skovos.

Skovo's appearance in the rest of the Diablo franchise

Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred Expansion Screenshot 3

Although Skovos has been mentioned in several before Diablo game, Lord of Hatred will be the first instance of the region appearing as a location players can actually visit in franchise history. The first reference to Skovo's existence is in Diablo 2where Amazon appears as a playable class. Although not mentioned by name, the manual for Diablo 2 describes the Amazon as originating from an island chain in the Southern Ocean that is home to lush jungles broken up by a snow-capped mountain, a clear description of Skovos as it will appear in Diablo 4.

Skovos was almost included Diablo 3with the developers going so far as to develop designs and concept art for the region before ultimately scrapping it as an in-game location. This was probably due to Diablo 3proximity to another ARPG released at the time, Titan Questwhich also drew great inspiration from the Mediterranean aesthetic. Despite being cut as a playable region, Diablo 3 mentions Skovos in Act 5, where Tyrael and Lorath mention that a Horadrim expedition has yet to return from the region.

The build-up to Skovos debuting in Diablo series has set expectations high for the first time, but Lord of Hatred is shaping up to deliver at this key point in the series' history. How players will encounter Mephisto in Skovos is not yet clear, but it will likely pull together all the lore threads the franchise has introduced around Skovos over the years for a climactic showdown.