Blizzard Entertainment unveiled the Diablo IV official gameplay trailer at BlizzCon 2019.

But a question remains about the mysterious prophet that narrates his visions of the future.

Who is this prophet? Who is the brother buried in a tomb?

The transcript of what this prophet says is intriguing:

The dream continues to haunt me, old friend. It always starts with a journey… to a distant land. There I find a city in flames… streets choked with corpses… unthinkable destruction.

I witness senseless slaughter, brother against brother, pure hatred. And then… executions, agony, suffering surrounded me, until my turn comes. They burn my eyes, break my bones.

I awake in terror. There’s no one left to stand against them. You think me mad, old friend, but I know these dreams. They tell of the future.

Hell is coming, brother. Hell is coming.

Analyzing this transcript you can clearly see three words that make a hidden reference to:

  • Baal – Lord of Destruction
  • Mephisto – Lord of Hatred
  • Diablo – Lord of Terror

With Duriel and Andariel confirmed to be in Diablo IV, it is no surprise that the three Great Evils will be reborn after Malthael consumed the Black Soulstone and his demise before our hero released their spirits.

Do all three need to return in the same game? Not necessarily. Blizzard could play this out throughout a few expansions and DLCs.

THE PROPHET

Back to the prophet, it is quite difficult to guess who this old guy is. His ear is slashed, which means he’s seen combat or at least got across a thief.

He wears strange robes, but considering he is in a snowy mountain, you would expect him to be well-warmed up.

The drinking doesn’t give away much, and considering he has nightmares and visions of the future, it is understandable that he drinks alcohol.

The snowy place resembles somewhere near Barbarian lands, but the guy doesn’t look Barbarian. So you can’t really make a guess to this prophet’s identity by the surroundings of this tomb near a cabin.

These could all be distractions. What’s right in front of you, at a glimpse, might give you a better understanding and clarity of who this prophet might be.

If you zoom in into the Prophet, you will notice a peculiar necklace. Let me help you by tracing it in green and comparing it with an image from the novel Diablo: The Order.

That’s the Horadrim sigil.

I don’t recall if Blizzard mentioned how long into the future Diablo IV takes place compared to Diablo III: Reaper of Souls — but if this is at least twenty years or more into the future, it is possible that this prophet might be no other than Lorath Nahr. Or is he Lorath’s brother?

The mystery is on who he addresses as “brother” — the dead guy inside the tomb. Could Lorath be the one in the tomb, and this is his brother? Or is the prophet Lorath, and he buried his brother?

Or is “brother” not meant to be taken as literal bloodline, but more as a title given to a friend or fellow priest?

Even more terrifying… last time we saw Tyrael, he was still a mortal. Could the corpse in the tomb be… Tyrael?

Who knows. Hopefully, we might learn more about this prophet in Diablo IV as some kind of new Deckard Cain, considering he is a surviving Horadrim in these dark times.

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BlizzCon 2019 Panel Transcripts