Diablo 4 lead explains future expansions shouldn’t be “isolated independent stories”, but instead one great big narrative

Vessel of Hatred may have been well received for the arrival of Spiritborn, but some players were mixed on its overall story and the multiplayer focus of its new endgame content. Nevertheless, the new expansion was a successful continuation of the main narrative, and future expansions should follow that route.

In an interview with YouTube channel Easy Allies, Diablo head Rod Fergusson explained that it was important to avoid “isolated independent stories” with expansions to continue telling one big narrative.

Diablo 4 expansions will continue one big narrative

Speaking to the YouTube outlet, Fergusson said that the creation of Vessel of Hatred came down to a natural progression of Diablo 4. They wanted to continue the story of Mephisto, they wanted a brand-new class, and an artist had crafted gorgeous concepts of an ancient jungle. With Mephisto coming from Kurast in Nahantu, everything clicked, and Blizzard could continue building on one main story for years to come.

“It became this full circle moment,” Fergusson explained. “We knew as we went in… it was really more about what’s the next thing as we lead into expansions. And, sometimes, expansions can go into isolated independent stories and we thought it would be really cool if we could just continue that main story.”

Fergusson explained that the Diablo 4 team was “always thinking about” creating a continuing narrative. As the first game in the series to get more than one expansion—hopefully—the game is in a unique position to tell a story that stretches over multiple years.

With past concept art showing unreleased classes and Blizzard’s team filled with ideas for future content, there’s a hope that Diablo 4’s story could be one of the studio’s best. At the very least, it’s already better than D3’s main quest.

For more on Blizzard’s ARPG series—or Diablo-like as Fergusson calls them—read about the upcoming indie game trying to revive the series’ foundations or check out why the series lead believes players don’t want the classic games’ formula again.