Earlier today, we were discussing whether Diablo II's final boss still offers enough reason to farm him after Terror Zones changed the endgame.
Meanwhile, over in Diablo Immortal, Blizzard has apparently decided that the Lord of Destruction needs another job.
As part of Diablo's 30th Anniversary celebrations, Diablo Immortal will introduce a special revamped Boss Battle with Baal during August.
Blizzard has not revealed exactly how the new encounter will work yet.
But choosing Baal for the anniversary is rather appropriate.
Few demons have spent quite as much time ruining everyone's day.
Baal Is Part of Diablo Immortal's 30th Anniversary
Diablo Immortal's anniversary celebration began on July 29 and continues throughout August.
The festivities already include a free Immortal King-inspired cosmetic set, four consecutive Mirrored Jewels events and a rotating collection of returning activities.
But Blizzard says more is coming.
That includes the revamped Baal fight, the return of Avarice with his swarm of Goblins and additional anniversary content that has not yet been fully detailed.
For now, Blizzard is keeping the exact Baal mechanics under wraps.
So we do not know whether this will be a completely redesigned encounter, an enhanced version of one of his existing fights or something considerably stranger.
We do know that Blizzard is calling it a special revamped Boss Battle rather than simply bringing an old encounter back unchanged.
Baal Is Already Part of Immortal's Story
This is not Baal's first visit to Diablo Immortal.
He appears in Destruction's End, a dungeon set during the events surrounding Tal Rasha and the original imprisonment of the Lord of Destruction.
More importantly, Baal later returned during the Destruction's Wake storyline at the Ancients' Cradle.
There, players encountered him within the shattered realm connected to the Worldstone fragments, with Tyrael also caught in the aftermath of the Worldstone's destruction.
That gave Immortal something Diablo III never really did: another proper confrontation with Baal.
Now Blizzard is going back to him again.
Thirty Years of Diablo Needs Some Old Monsters
Anniversary events can easily become collections of login rewards wearing a birthday hat.
Diablo Immortal is at least digging into the history of the series.
The Immortal King cosmetic reaches directly back to Diablo II.
Baal is returning as a featured boss.
And Avarice brings another familiar piece of Diablo's boss catalogue back into circulation.
It fits a broader trend we are also seeing elsewhere in the series.
Diablo 4 Season 15 is bringing classic items such as the Stone of Jordan back as permanent Legacy Uniques.
Blizzard clearly understands that Diablo's thirtieth anniversary works better when the past actually appears in the games rather than merely being mentioned in a press release.
The Lord of Destruction Still Has Work to Do
Baal remains one of Diablo's most recognisable villains for a simple reason.
He got an entire expansion.
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction turned the third Prime Evil into the final obstacle of one of the most important action RPGs ever made.
Millions of players subsequently spent years repeatedly marching into the Throne of Destruction to kill him for experience and loot.
Ironically, we have just argued that Baal farming in Diablo II: Resurrected no longer feels as rewarding as it once did.
Perhaps Immortal can give him a little dignity back.
Or at least a larger health bar.
Now We Need to See the Fight
The important caveat is that Blizzard has only teased the revamped encounter so far.
There is no detailed mechanic breakdown, reward table or confirmed release date beyond its planned arrival during the August anniversary celebration.
That means there is little value in pretending we already know whether it will be spectacular.
But as anniversary choices go, Baal is difficult to argue with.
Thirty years of Diablo deserves one of its great villains.
And if the Lord of Destruction is going to return yet again, Blizzard might as well make us work for the kill.
Source
Blizzard Entertainment – Celebrate 30 Years of Diablo in Diablo Immortal
