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"These hellspawn were first summoned by the sorcerer Horazon to guard his Arcane Sanctuary. Possessed of the demonic fire that fuels Hell itself, they cast vicious fireballs at their victims to consume the living flesh from the bones they covet to conduct their dark experiments. Their touch is filled with the cold unlife of the grave that will slow even the healthiest of adventurers."
Zir

A vampire lord

Vampires are undead creatures.

Lore[]

"My name is Pomuk Zlicek. I write this as I bleed out my last among the corrupted tombs of those who might have been my brothers. I have hunted these wretched creatures for as long as I've been able to wield a knife against them. They feed on blood and grow strong in numbers. I have chased them into this nest and been caught in a trap. Their leader can raise the dead and I fear for all who wander unknowingly into these crypts. If you have the skill, hunt them down. Do not let my death be for naught."

- The last writings of Pomuk Zlicek(src)

Vampire Corpses

Vampire corpses on display

Vampires have been likened to a "living plague" on Sanctuary.[1] Possessed of the demonic fire that fuels Hell itself, they cast vicious fireballs at their victims to consume the living flesh from the bones they covet to conduct their dark experiments. Their touch is filled with the cold unlife of the grave that will slow even the healthiest of adventurers.[2] Vampires themselves can move at great speed.[3]

Vampires make lairs for themselves[4] and move from one hunting ground to the next, killing and biting humans.[1] They require blood to survive, and some vampires are capable of necromancy.[5] Blood magic can also be utilized by vampires.[6] Some humans who are bitten undergo a monstrous transformation, devolving into a creature called a thrall.[1] However, vampires can also turn humans into other vampires.[7]

History[]

"Vampires were once said to be among the Ancients, but it's—that was a long time ago. I don't know much more than that."

- Erys(src)

Tomb of Hallows 2

Possible statues of Ancient vampires

Vampires stem back to the days of the Firstborn. When Inarius altered the Worldstone to depower the nephalem, those who were vampires lost their power. But among those who were slain during the Purge, not all were subject to permanent death. Zir and his cohort were banished to the City of the Ancients, where it was intended they would sleep for an eternity.[7]

Millennia later, vampires were summoned into Sanctuary by Horazon, in order to guard the Arcane Sanctuary.[2] However, either they broke free, or other vampires emerged in the mortal realm, for they came to plague the whole of Sanctuary.[1]

Thralls-village

A village falls to the plague

By 1336, a vampire cult led by Lord Zir[6] was sweeping through the Fractured Peaks like a plague. It started small; nameless people that no one would miss, their bodies discarded, their throats torn open. The Cathedral of Light ignored the killings, even as fear mounted alongside the corpses. Adventurers and townsfolk fought to end the corruption, but it was too late, and entire villages were killed or turned, along with the adventurers who had tried to aid them.[8] Other citizens were kidnapped to be used in dark rituals. The cult laid claim to entire regions of Sanctuary.[6] In at least one case, vampires fed on human blood in order to reclaim their nephalem birthright.[9]

As time went on, the vampires' ambitions grew, and as such, they became sloppier and greedier. Word of their activities reached the Wanderer.[10]

In-game[]

Diablo II[]

Vampire

Vampires are found in Diablo II in the first three acts. Vampires can cast several Sorceress skills to destroy their enemies: Fireball, Fire Wall, Meteor; as well as their own skill, a life stealing missile attack. Their melee attack has a chance to cause cold damage. They will occasionally run away when severely damaged.

Apart of their life-stealing attack they also regenerate health 50% faster.

Variants[]

The Necromancer may also be considered a potential variant, as they transform into a Vampire if they equip the entire Trang-Oul's Avatar set.

Development[]

The Vampire model had been designed by 1999.[11]

Diablo IV[]

Vampires appear in Diablo IV as one of the game's "monster families." They consist of the following:

Vampires are found in the Fractured Peaks, both in open areas and in dungeons.

Trivia[]

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This section contains facts and trivia relevant to this article.
Vampire Skull

A vampire skull

  • Vampire lore appears to have been retconned between Diablo II and Diablo IV. In To Hell and Back, it is stated that vampires first appeared in Sanctuary when Horazon summoned them into the mortal realm, and are classified as demons.[2] Diablo IV however, that vampires stretch back to the days of the Firstborn, and are in fact have their origins with the nephalem. Furthermore, the design between both versions is significantly different, with Diablo II vampires being skeletal creatures, while Diablo IV vampires correspond more to the traditional vampire archtype. The article has tried to reconcile both versions.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 2023-07-07, Diablo Developer Update - July 2023. YouTube, accessed on 2023-07-19
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 To Hell and Back
  3. Diablo IV, Season of Blood, A Serpent Cornered
  4. Diablo Immortal, Coiled Course
  5. Diablo IV, Bloodstained Scrap of Paper
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 2023-10-05, Diablo IV | Season of Blood | Dev Insights. YouTube, accessed on 2023-10-05
  7. 7.0 7.1 2023-10-06, DIABLO 4 SEASON 2: SEASON OF BLOOD LIVESTREAM RECAP. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2023-12-10
  8. 2023-08-23, Diablo IV | Season of Blood | Announce Trailer. YouTube, accessed on 2023-08-25
  9. Diablo IV, Wayside Cave
  10. 2023-10-04, BITE DOWN ON DARKNESS IN SEASON OF BLOOD. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2023-10-06
  11. 2000-10-25, Postmortem: Blizzard's Diablo II. Gamasutra, accessed on 2015-07-04
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