Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred Ending explained

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred has a fascinating ending that won’t take players too long to get to. Depending on how ferociously you grind through the main story, you could be here in about 12 hours or so. The story begins with chasing down Neyrelle, who has the Soulstone of Mephisto, and the trailers showed that her grip on the Prime Evil was a tenuous one at best.

However, the ending of Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred may not satisfy everyone after they complete the main campaign. But we rather enjoyed this one - it showed that people will do anything to keep their loved ones safe - even if it means the ultimate betrayal. Additionally, it should go without saying that this article features massive spoilers for the end of the Vessel of Hatred story.

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What happened in the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred ending?

The Spirit of Akarat is gone, but his body remains in the hands of Mephisto (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

After Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred players defeat the Harbinger of Hatred and reach the cutscene beyond, we see Neyrelle grieving the death of Akarat. However, she states that Akarat no longer needs to watch over her - but she asks an important question that could surprise us in future content/expansions. She asks if we will ever see him again, to which he responds:

“Yes, you will.”

Akarat isn't gone forever, but his spirit did float off into the heavens. However, after you’ve watched this and grabbed your loot, interact with Neyrelle again - the matter of Eru’s disappearance must be dealt with. It was clear to us throughout the whole campaign that his motive was to keep Nahantu safe - he wasn’t exactly thrilled about Mephisto’s Soulstone existing in Nahantu.

Eru betrayed everyone in Sanctuary, just to save Nahantu (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

However, when the player gets to him during the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred ending, we learn that Eru, the kindly old man who helped us throughout the story, betrayed us. He made a deal with Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, to keep all of Nahantu safe:

“Mephisto has sworn to spare all that I love from what is to come. Even knowing I will never see it… I would not unmake my choices.”

Neyrelle and the player try to tell Eru that it’s not too late to undo the choices he made during the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred ending, but Eru claims that’s not why he’s here. He didn’t speak with them to “make things right”, but to do what must be done. He betrayed his friends, and even though he won’t live to see Nahantu know peace, he did it anyway. Neyrelle then slays him.

The player then heads to the Horadric Vault to find any information that Lorath may have left behind. From there, he heads back to his cabin, and a brief conversation with Prava awaits. After this wraps up, a cutscene, narrated by Lorath, is played.

Things are certainly looking darker than ever for the realm of Sanctuary (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

It showed Eru choosing to aid Mephisto “out of love and despair”. The deal kept both the Spirit Realm and Nahantu safe from Mephisto, but, as Lorath stated in the ending, all this meant was that they had to watch on as the rest of the world withered away under the grasp of the Prime Evil of Hatred.

The big reveal at the end, of course, is the revival of Mephisto. Using the body of Akarat, and the Soulstone, Mephisto would be reborn, thanks to Eru’s betrayal. “Betrayed by his own flock”, as Mephisto said in the last cutscene. Floating out of the black ichor, with a crown and sword, Mephisto made his mission statement clear:

“Wrapped in the guise of man, I shall walk amongst the innocent. And there will be no salvation in the Light.”

It will be very interesting to see where this story goes. The way the game wrapped up the Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred ending, Mephsito will walk Sanctuary as the Christ-like figure of Akarat, and likely spread the plague of Hatred everywhere he goes. It’s uncertain what the future holds, but things are looking grim for Sanctuary.

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Check out our other Diablo 4 guides and features

• Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred review
• Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: How to get Angelbreath
• Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: Tenets of Depravity guide