Who Is Lilith In Diablo 4? Mother Of Sanctuary Lore Explained

Daughter of Hatred, The Queen of the Succubi, and Mother of Sanctuary, Lilith has been pivotal in the Eternal Conflict, choosing neither side and creating a legacy created by blood and clay. As she had been referenced throughout the Diablo franchise, she long lasts and becomes the primary antagonist in Blizzard’s upcoming sequel, Diablo 4.

While her rise to power and dominion has been well-documented, new and returning players must familiarise themselves with this prominent sinister figure. We’ve dusted out the history books as we’ve detailed the tormented backstory and resurgence of The First Mother, Lilith, for Diablo 4.

Diablo 4: Lilith’s Origin Story Explained

Lilith, the daughter of a demon, had her journey partially determined for her as she was often referred to as a renegade during her rise to power. In doing so, she had caused much disruption as she grew rather impatient with just about anyone and everything, including her father.

The Eternal Conflict – the war between the angels and Hell – more specifically, was viewed by Lilith as a relatively worthless endeavor, especially regarding how her father handled it. Nevertheless, the war continued until she encountered a lone angel whose views intrigued her, and as a result, she took him in until he had awakened from his slumber.

That angel was Inarius, who had surprised Lilith with his perspectives on the Eternal Conflict, wishing for it to end as Lilith revealed herself to him. Inarius later became infatuated with her; she saw this as a prime opportunity to manipulate Inarius by telling her plans to retrieve the Worldstone to bring peace by creating a world they had envisioned.

Only by acquiring Worldstone could Lilith and Inarius spend eternity together, so they set out for the Pandemonium Fortress with their followers. This new world became Sanctuary for which those that believed in Lilith and Inarius’ new world could find a haven from the tiresome conflict.

Having completed their goal of establishing this new world, Inarius became happy with having evaded the war momentarily, and Lilith opted to provide Inarius with offspring. Their firstborn became the first of the Nephalem; new beings birthed due to this union between an angel and demon.

However, Inarius was shocked at the creation of their offspring but continued with the process until Linarius was born. Since then, their followers had crafted Altars in honor of Lilith, becoming the Mother of Sanctuary as the Nephalem subsequently produced their offspring.

This new race slowly became a threat as they were viewed as a heresy by angels and demons, thus giving them their rise to power. Gradually, all their allies, friends, and compatriots turned against the Nephalem, which prompted an invasion of Sanctuary, where many were subsequently killed.

Lilith became infuriated with their actions and transformed into a form unbeknownst to Inarius in retaliation for her family being slaughtered. Inarius, who couldn’t bring himself to stop Lilith, opted to banish her from Sanctuary to the Void, where she remained for the time being.

Why Is Lilith The Antagonist In Diablo 4?

As she’ll be returning to the franchise, this time as the main antagonist, the game’s trailer provided insight into how she plays into the game’s events. After her banishment, the Nephalem slowly began to reemerge and regain strength in numbers during the events of Diablo 3.

A new cult has given rise by worshipping Lilith as a deity as preparations have begun to bring her back from the Void and return to the Sanctuary. This was achieved mainly due to the destruction of the Prime Evils and the Aegis Council, which has given them the power to bring her back.

Lilith is the primary figure responsible for the events unfolding before Diablo 4 commences. There is a great sense of motivation for your character to confront Lilith, despite her intentions not fitting the mold of a true villain.

That being said, while she has some considerably good reasons for some of her actions, including the creation of Sanctuary and its position in the Eternal Conflict, her return could mean a restoration of Sanctuary to its former days. Additionally, her followers highly portray her as the Mother of Sanctuary, which also extends to her offspring, Linarian, whom she shares with Inarius, which may justify her being a protective mother, looking out for her children.

This, in turn, saw her slaughter angels and demons alike before they killed the Nephalem, which can be debated as either her acting out to protect her children or simply taking matters into her hands to end the Eternal Conflict. This stems from Lilith revealing to Inarius her true plans that no one will ever win the war, but did the birth of the Nephalem, beings with powers of both angels and demons, become her master plan for resolving the Eternal Conflict?

How all this will factor into your experiences in-game will be explored when navigating your way through Sanctuary as you pursue Lilith through her armies and how Inarius will play into this journey. Either way, it’s unclear what the actual plans are for your character, but it appears that the beginning of the end will happen at the Sanctuary.

For more Diablo 4, be sure to check out our dedicated section or some of our Guides & Tutorials just below:

Our section keeps growing, so check for new guides daily! Don't forget to pick up one of the Diablo 4 Editions and join the fight to save Sanctuary soon.