Since Lord of Hatred launched, many Diablo 4 players may have been heads down – slaying demons, playing through the campaign and learning about all the new features and mechanics. In doing so, they may have missed some of the more abstract content that Blizzard has created as part of its marketing for the expansion.
Two separate but equally quirky videos, have been released over the last couple of days. Neither of them make any mention whatsoever of all the new, complex and exciting aspects of LOH; they’re just weird, humorous and entirely unexpected.
The first video, entitled “Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred | Mephisto Musings” is a live-action short film featuring an actor wearing an elaborate Mephisto prosthetic headpiece. In the film, Mephisto wakes up in a modern-day apartment, pops some Mozart on his record player and proceeds to spend his day doing a few very human things and thinking about what has been…and what is to come.
It should come as no surprise that Mephisto’s interior thoughts are expressed through a deep, sinister voiceover. What is surprising is that he speaks in Mandarin Chinese.
The absurdism reaches a peak when Mephisto receives what appears to be an unexpected Uber Eats delivery of “Coffin Toast,” which he crumples angrily in his hand.
The film is beautifully shot, beautifully lit, strangely evocative … and utterly bizarre.
The second video, released the day after the LOH launch, is a parody cereal commercial for “Paladin Pops” and “Warlock Charms.” Set to an upbeat pop punk song with cheesy lyrics, the 90’s-inspired ad features a pair of teenagers whose morning is interrupted by the arrival of Diablo-themed cereals through swirling portals.
As with “Mephisto Musings,” this video, “Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred | Eat Your Feelings,” is not full of features and benefits like most marketing material. It’s silly, it’s amusing and it’s great to see Blizzard having a bit of fun with its IP. Goodness knows, after the monumental amount of work the team has clearly put into LOH, they’ve earned it.
For more on Lord of Hatred and all things Diablo 4, head over to our Diablo 4 news hub.
