It’s clear a lot of love forDiablo 2went into the development ofDiablo 4as this latest entry in Blizzard’s ARPG series brings back much of what fans loved about the second entry. With a darker atmosphere, art style, and story alongside the classic skill tree setup,Diablo 4feels a lot like a modern take onDiablo 2’s formula, more so thanDiablo 3did.Diablo 4even brings back iconic characters fromDiablo 2like Lilith and Andariel, but one returningDiablo 2boss gets the short end of the stick compared to the others.
WhileLilith gets a major upgrade inDiablo 4as the game’s main antagonist, Duriel, Lord of Pain gets a major downgrade from his intimidatingDiablo 2boss appearance.Diablo 4generally does a great job building upon the foundation built by its predecessors, and the strengths ofDiablo 2in particular shine through in this title. However, Duriel’s appearance in the game seems more like an afterthought or a throwaway boss that could have been swapped for any other enemy, which is a major misstep on the game’s part.
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Diablo 4 Could Have Made Duriel So Much More Menacing
Duriel is one of the four Lesser Evils in theDiablouniverse and is the twin brother ofAndariel, Maiden of Anguish, who both serve as major act bosses inDiablo 2. After facing off against Andariel as the boss ofDiablo 2’s first act, players will have to tackle her much tougher brother, who plays the role of the boss ofDiablo 2’s second act. He is fought inside of Tal Rasha’s Tomb and ambushes the player who has come in search of Baal, one ofDiablo’s Prime Evils, commenting on their misfortune in expecting Baal but finding him instead.
The circumstances under which players fightDuriel inDiablo 2make him one of the hardest bosses in the game. The battle begins immediately after the players enters the chamber, and the room’s close quarters combined with the player’s relatively low level means Duriel can quickly defeat players who are unprepared, especially if they’re playing more frail classes like Sorceresses and Necromancers. To make matters worse, he has the Holy Freeze aura which tends to frequently Freeze the player, further limiting their mobility and making them easy targets for Duriel’s heavy-hitting attacks like Smite.
Although Duriel makes an appearance again inDiablo 4, he is a far more underwhelming boss compared to the memorable monstrosity fromDiablo 2.Diablo 4’s Duriel fighttakes place during the main campaign’s final act while players are making their way through Caldeum towards the gates of Hell, and similarly toDiablo 2, are ambushed by the Lord of Pain. The difference in this case is that there is no pomp and circumstance to his appearance; Duriel doesn’t speak, and the only substantial comment made by the player is a bit of speculation after the fight that Duriel may have been one of the other Lesser Evils Lorath spoke about.
This fight is a lot less difficult thanDiablo 2’s version as its place near the end of the game means players will likely have a solid endgame build going. Duriel could have been a much more menacing boss with a more prominent role inDiablo 4’s story given that his sister Andariel has a whole act dedicated to preventing Elias from summoning her along with a harder boss battle. Duriel could have even been given a status similar toDiablo 4’s Butcherand act as a random spawn to terrorize players within the game’s dungeons, which would have been a much more fitting role for the character than what he was given.
Diablo 4is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
