Diablo II Knowledge

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Source

Legendary Swords with Borrowed Names

A couple of Witcher 3's silver swords are quiet nods to other classic RPGs. Azure Wrath echoes Azurewrath, the angelic blade wielded by the fallen angel Izual in the Diablo games, while a sword called Daystar borrows its name from the weapon guarded by a lich in Baldur's Gate's city of Amn.

Diablo Source

Where the Name Actually Comes From

Diablo's name isn't some deep lore reference, it's just geography. Creator David Brevik grew up near Mount Diablo in California, and Blizzard North's studios in Redwood City and San Mateo weren't far from it either, so the name just kind of stuck.

Diablo Source

The Cow Level Started as a Total Lie

Back when the original Diablo came out, players spread a rumour about a secret cow level hidden somewhere in the game. It was completely made up, but the joke got so big that Blizzard actually built a real one into Diablo II a few years later.

Diablo II Source

The Devs Hid Their Own Names in the Loot Tables

Ever picked up Civerb's Vestments and not thought twice about it? Spell 'Civerb' backwards, swap a letter, and you get Brevik, a nod to Diablo co-creators David and Peter Brevik. A bunch of Diablo II's items and locations are staff names in disguise.

Diablo II Source

Boogie Nights in a Dungeon

Somewhere in Diablo II's item pool sits a dagger called The Diggler. It's not subtle once you know it, it's a cheeky reference to Dirk Diggler, Mark Wahlberg's character from Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights.

Diablo II Source

There's a Real Tapestry Hiding in the Cathedral

Push through the cathedral late in Act I and you'll pass a wall carving that's actually lifted from the Bayeux Tapestry, the medieval artwork depicting Harold and his knights riding into the Battle of Hastings. Blackly funny place to put it, honestly.

Diablo Source

Diablo II Almost Didn't Happen

Making the first Diablo wrecked the team, so much crunch and so little sleep that by the time it shipped, nobody at Blizzard North was exactly jumping at the chance to start a sequel straight away.

Diablo II Source

The Skills That Got Cut Before Launch

An early build of Diablo II had a Necromancer skill that let you take mind control of enemies, and the Druid was meant to be able to shapeshift into an eagle on top of the wolf and bear forms we actually got. Both were scrapped before release.

Diablo II Source

Tyrael Chose to Destroy the Worldstone Himself

Once Baal got his claws into the Worldstone and started twisting it to his own ends, Tyrael made the call that nobody wanted to make: shatter it rather than risk Sanctuary falling entirely. It worked, but it also turned Mount Arreat into a smoking crater that was still poisoning the air decades later.

Diablo Source

Why the Soulstones Exist in the First Place

According to the Horadrim monk Jered Cain's own writings, Tyrael gave his order the Soulstones purely to trap the Three Prime Evils. The catch is the stones only pull in non-corporeal spirits, so they were never going to work on anything with a living, breathing body.