Diablo 3 almost landed this cut content 14 years before Diablo 4

The release of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred later this year will mark an important point in the series' history. With the expansion taking place in the Skovos island chain, Diablo 4 will officially introduce a new region never before seen in the series. However, Skovos almost made his debut in Diablo franchise nearly 14 years ago, but was ultimately cut from the final release of Diablo 3.

Generally, Diablo 4 has pulled together several popular elements of Diablo 2 over the course of its life and across its two expansions. Vessel of Hatred brought back the mercenary mechanic along with the region of Nahantu it's in Diablo 2 Act 3, and Lord of Hatred has already reintroduced the Paladin to the series and is set to bring back the Horadric Cube crafting mechanic from Diablo 2 also. Now, Diablo 3 get a chance to influence Diablo 4 with the debut of Skovos, finally making good on a cut content that has been missing in the series for so long.

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Skovos almost debuted in Diablo 3 instead of Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred 14 years later

Although they have not yet appeared as a place in the Diablo franchise, Skovos plays a large role in the series' lore. It is the oldest region in all of Sanctuary, where the children of Lilith and Inarius, the nephalem, created the first civilization. Since then, it has developed under the Askari community, which has links with Diablo 2with the Amazon class representing the order of warriors from the region. Originally, Skovo's lore and design was developed with the intention of appearing as an important place in Diablo 3 before they are shelved for release.

How Skovos could have fit into Diablo 3

Although a playable Skovos does not make it into the final version of Diablo 3it is still mentioned in Act 5 when Lorath and Tyrael discuss a Horadrim expedition that was sent to the region but has not returned. This footnote suggests that players may have had the chance to go in search of this horrid expedition sometime before the finale of Diablo 3which potentially takes place after defeating Azmodan at Mount Arreat in Act 3 and before going to the high heavens in Act 4. With Diablo 3 Portraying a location as important to the franchise as the High Heavens for the first time, it may have been overkill to include another region so crucial to the series' lore, like Skovos, in the same game.

Why Diablo 3 finally cuts Skovos as a region

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According to Blizzard's Wyatt Cheng, who served as a senior designer on the Diablo 3 and is now the lead designer for Diablo Immortalthe main reason Skovos was cut was because the team felt it didn't fit with the rest of the game. The visual design of the region incorporated a lot of ancient Greek-inspired architecture, which not only clashed with the other regions of Diablo 3 but was very similar to a competing ARPG at the time, Titan Quest. The overlap between the Greek mythology of Titan Quest and the design of Skovos was the nail in the coffin for the region in which it appears Diablo 3despite its lore and visuals being enhanced.

Interesting, Titan Quest 2 is available now in Early Access, and was released just under a year earlier Diablo 4 is set to debut Skovos in Lord of Hatred.

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Diablo 3 fans who missed out on seeing Skovos in-game 14 years ago will finally get the chance to experience this region, and its role within the Lord of Hatred expansion couldn't be more fitting for a location so central to Diablois lore as it is. With Lord of Hatred set to conclude the Age of Hatred arc Diablo 4bring back a piece of clipped content from Diablo 3 is a fitting way to end a great storyline.