Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: Who is Akarat?

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred: Who is Akarat?

• Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred's thrilling cinematic trailer revealed the mysterious figure of Akarat and Neyrelle's quest for his tomb.
• Akarat's significance as a prophet in the lore of Diablo hints at a potential key role in Vessel of Hatred's storyline against Mephisto.
• The expansion may follow Neyrelle's journey in Nahantu to resist Mephisto's corruption, with ties to the Zakarum religion and Cathedral of Light.

Diablo 4 fans got a new look at the upcoming Vessel of Hatred expansion during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, which gave them a glimpse at the expansion's greater story through a new cinematic trailer. Along with this trailer came the confirmation of some new features Vessel of Hatred will be adding to Diablo 4, including recruitable mercenaries, pets, and a new class called the Spiritborn. While all of this information is enough to get players hyped for the expansion's October release, the trailer still leaves many mysteries unsolved, particularly around the character of Akarat, who is mentioned several times in the trailer.

This new cinematic trailer for Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred shows Neyrelle traveling to the region of Nahantu by boat with the soulstone containing Mephisto. As she travels, she appears to be invoking the name of Akarat during a prayer or chant she is performing, and she later mentions that she needs to find Akarat's tomb. This information seems to set up the overarching premise of Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred's story, but it's not clear just how Akarat will factor into the story regarding Neyrelle's struggle to resist Mephisto's influence.

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Akarat is a Pivotal Figure within the Diablo Series' Lore

Despite being a crucial figure in the overarching lore of the Diablo series, Akarat never appears in any of the games and is only ever mentioned by other characters. Akarat was a monk from the island of Xiansai located to the northwest of Scosglen who traveled around Sanctuary meditating on enlightenment and peace. During his travels, he encountered a vision of the angel Yaerius who revealed to Akarat the key to resisting evil and embracing the light, which Akarat would use as the founding tenets of the Zakarum religion.

Deckard Cain debates whether Akarat really saw the angel Yaerius, and instead posits that perhaps he actually saw the echo of the nephalem Uldyssian, who sacrificed himself to protect humanity from the High Heavens during the Sin War.

With these tenets in hand, Akarat became somewhat of a prophet, traveling around Kehjistan spreading the word that Yaerius had revealed to him and drawing in new followers along the way. Ultimately, Akarat disappeared in the jungles to the south of Kehjistan — the region known in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred as Nahantu — where his tomb is believed to be located. What makes Akarat such an important figure in the lore of Diablo is his founding of the Zakarum religion, which would go on to seal Mephisto with a soulstone and protect it within the temple of Travincal, only to have Mephisto corrupt the faith's high council and escape.

Akarat May Play an Important Role in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

Mephisto's corruption of the monks at Travincal and escape from the soulstone set up a major plot point in Diablo 2, where players must venture into the jungles surrounding Kurast and battle Mephisto's corruption in an effort to find the Lord of Hatred. With this connection to Vessel of Hatred already present, it's possible Neyrelle could be seeking Akarat's tomb in hopes of finding the means to succeed where the Zakarum originally failed and defeat Mephisto once and for all. This storyline would make a lot of sense given the history of the Nahantu region and would lend itself nicely to a story following Neyrelle grappling with Mephisto's corruption that mirrors that of the Zakarum.

Given the Zakarum's history of conflict with the Cathedral of Light, following this type of story would be a great way to tie another part of the ending of Diablo 4's base campaign into Vessel of Hatred. Since the Cathedral of Light has branded the Horadrim heretics, there would be a strong reason for the Knights Penitent to show up in Nahantu to try and find the tomb of Akarat before Neyrelle. With the surviving Horadrim scattered after the finale of Diablo 4's base game, bringing major characters back together in Vessel of Hatred in a quest to reach Akarat's tomb would be a fitting continuation of the story.

Diablo 4

Franchise DiabloPlatform(s) Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox OneReleased June 6, 2023Developer(s) BlizzardPublisher(s) BlizzardGenre(s) Action RPG, Hack and SlashHow Long To Beat 27 HoursX|S Enhanced YesFile Size Xbox Series 84 GB (May 2024)Metascore 88Platforms That Support Crossplay PC, PS4,PS5, Xbox One &Xbox Series X|SSplit Screen Orientation N/A (Shared Screen)Number of Players 1-2PS Plus Availability N/ALocal Co-Op Support 1-2 Players See at Official SiteSee at Xbox Games StoreBuy on AmazonSee at Playstation Store