In Diablo 4, many characters and locations return from previous entries in the series. Although the titular antagonist himself, Diablo, is missing, you can expect to see characters like Lorath, who made his first appearance in Reaper of Souls, as well as new faces like the apprentice Horadrim, Neyrelle.
In the first act of Diablo 4's story, you'll encounter a mysterious being known as the Bloodied Wolf. If you're wondering who this character is and what their place in the story is, you've come to the right place. Below, we'll take a look at everything we know about the Bloodied Wolf.
Spoilers for the main campaign of Diablo 4 below!
Who Is The Bloodied Wolf?
The Bloodied Wolf first appears in the first cutscene of Diablo 4, after your Wanderer flees to a cave after losing their horse. During the night, a wolf-like figure appears before the cave, but the Wanderer quickly loses consciousness. When they wake, the wolf is gone.
Later, in Act 1, when the Wanderer and Neyrelle are searching for Lilith in the Vault of the Horadrim, this wolf appears once again to the Wanderer. This time, the Bloodied Wolf shows the Wanderer a vision of the destroyed town of Tristram, warning them that the state of Tristram was caused by the Horadrim, and not to trust the ancient scholars.
In Act 3, while gaining the blessings of the three Prime Evils to hunt Elias into the Temples of the Primes, the Bloodied Wolf appears before you again. Upon entering the portal, you'll learn that the Bloodied Wolf is actually the familiar of one of the three Prime Evils, Mephisto.
Throughout your journey, Mephisto, as the Bloodied Wolf, tries to help the Wanderer take down Lilith, despite being one of the Prime Evils. He tells the Wanderer that Lilith has to be stopped no matter what, although they will be enemies in the near future.
Mephisto's physical form is trapped in the Throne of Hatred in the Burning Hells.
However, his immense power allows him to manifest in his wolf form, which is the Bloodied Wolf that aids you.
Eventually, after killing Lilith, Neyrelle uses the Soulstone to trap Mephisto instead of Lilith, deciding that between the two, Mephisto is the greater evil, and his being so helpful to the Wanderer's party is too suspicious.
With Lilith defeated and Mephisto imprisoned in the Soul Stone, Neyrelle goes on a journey with the Bloodied Wolf beside her and Mephisto's Soul Stone in hand.
Who Is Mephisto?
Mephisto's true form only makes a brief appearance at the end of the campaign in Diablo 4, but was a prominent figure in Diablo 2, which was his first in-game appearance. As mentioned above, Mephisto is one of the three Prime Evils, alongside his brothers Baal and Diablo. He is the father of Lilith.
Mephisto is considered one of the most powerful of the Prime Evils, themselves the most powerful demons in the Burning Hells.
As such, Mephisto is often considered the de-facto leader of Hell.
As the Lord of Hatred, Mephisto often rules his domain through anger and violence, pitting his subjects and even his own brothers against one another to further his schemes.
In Diablo 4, this can be seen in how he subtly manipulates the Wanderer and Neyrelle into killing Lilith. With Prime Evils, you can never be too sure of their true intentions, and Mephisto hides his well.
Whether Neyrelle makes the right choice in imprisoning Mephisto in the Soul Stone remains to be seen. It's extremely likely that Mephisto will be a central character in later expansions or story updates.