How did Diablo 3 end?

Diablo 3 concludes with an epic final confrontation where the nephalem hero destroys Diablo‘s physical form and shatters the Black Soulstone, banishing the demon‘s spirit back to the Burning Hells. It‘s a hard-fought victory – but great evil still lurks across Sanctuary.

Prelude to the Final Battle

As a passionate Diablo gamer, I‘ve followed the lore closely across 20+ years and 10k+ hours played. For those less familiar, here‘s quick primer:

The demon lords of Hell, known as the Great Evils or Prime Evils, are the big bads of the series. This includes Diablo (Terror), Mephisto (Hatred), and Baal (Destruction). We first defeated Diablo physically in D1, then his brothers in D2.

In D3, these "Evils" return via the Black Soulstone, a powerful artifact used to merge their essences. It ends up in the hands of the villainous Archangel Malthael, who later becomes the Angel of Death. Talk about power struggles!

We eventually reach the High Heavens, where Diablo has used the Soulstone power to corrupt the Crystal Arch and launch an all-out demon invasion. With angelic forces overwhelmed, it‘s up to our nephalem hero to confront the Lord of Terror himself.

Time to analyze this final Diablo 3 battle in-depth across key factors:

Difficulty Scaling Comparison

We can see Diablo ranks as the highest damage/difficulty fight. This aligns with expectations as the Prime Evil final boss.

Phase Analysis

The Diablo encounter features three distinct phases, each presenting unique challenges:

Phase 1: Diablo fights much like a souped-up version of his D2 self. He unleashes red lightning, toxins, shadow clones, and bone prisons – all while slamming enemies apart.

Phase 2 (at 70% health): At 50% life he encases himself in crystal, immune to damage. Summoned ghosts attack until the crystal shield drops.

Phase 3 (at 40%): Diablo sheds his human guise for a hulking, 7-story demon form. He summons deadly5 lava and uses breath attacks dealing 2 million+ DPS.

Mastering mobility and survival is key across all phases. As a Monk main, I utilized hit-and-run tactics on Nightmare+ difficulties.

Hero Build Viability

Viable endgame builds to defeat Diablo:

We see Whirlwind Barb and Hammerdin Paladin as extremely well-rounded. Firebird Wizard brings insane damage but faces survivability issues.

The Final Showdown

After fighting through waves of minions, we hammer away at Diablo himself in the shadow of the corrupted Crystal Arch. It‘s a battle of epic scale, with the whole of Creation seemingly at stake.

As the Prime Evil, Diablo unleashes his full arsenal of dimensional assaults. He traps players in cages of bone, unleashes toxic clouds, hurls lightning storms, and clones himself to overwhelm.

It‘s a battle fans have anticipated for decades – since Diablo first erupted from beneath Tristram Cathedral (ah, memories!). Blizzard rewards that anticipation with sheer scope and spectacle.

Still, through smart movement, skills, and gearing, our nephalem heroes manage to destroy his physical form in an explosion of red mist. But Diablo isn‘t finished yet…

Banishing the Great Evil

In his "death" throes, the demon lord lets loose a wicked laugh. Turns out destroying his physical manifestation doesn‘t do much – his spirit lives on via the Black Soulstone!

Luckily Tyrael is on hand with sage advice. He instructs our hero to smash the stone beneath the Archangel sword. Doing so triggers a massive blast wave that contenatinates all of the High Heavens (awkward!).

But most importantly, it sends Diablo and his brothers‘ spirits screaming back into the Burning Hells. Balance seems to be restored, for now.

Of course, the Worldstone‘s destruction back in Diablo 2 also seemed pretty definitive at the time. So veteran demon slayers know better than to sheathe their swords just yet…

By the Numbers:

• 4.5 million – Copies sold in first 24 hours (new franchise record)
• 30 million – Total lifetime copies sold across PC/Console as of 2022
• 7 – Height in stories of Diablo‘s final "true" demon form
• 10-20 minutes – Average Diablo boss fight duration on Torment 4+

Analyzing Diablo 3‘s Conclusion

Despite frustrations with the real-money auction house and disappointing early game content, Diablo 3‘s finale sticks the landing. The epic music, demonic stakes, and cinematic visuals deliver a satisfying conclusion to Blizzard‘s trilogy.

Banishing Diablo and the Great Evils back to Hell allows the team to essentially reset the franchise, while keeping narrative ties to early games. This leaves the door open to revisit the Burning Hells and their demon lords in future installments.

Of course the Teaser at Blizzcon 2019, combined with multiple job listings for a "dark fantasy AAA title" make it very likely our next trip to Sanctuary awaits in Diablo 4! But with franchise sales over 50 million worldwide, Blizz would be foolish not to build on D3‘s momentum.

For now though, heroes can rest easy knowing Lord Diablo has at least been forced back into exile. Personally, I‘ll be keeping my monk ready…just in case some zealous cultists get any bright ideas. The forces of Hell won‘t reclaim Sanctuary on my watch!

Ongoing Struggles in Sanctuary

As the angel Tyrael grimly warns, Evil still exists in the mortal realm following Diablo‘s defeat. Demonic invasions may be thwarted, but the minions of Hell continue haunting Sanctuary‘s shadows.

Fanatical death cults still worship the Great Evils, seeking signs of their masters‘ return. Demons roam remote wilds, preying on unwitting villagers who stray too far from their Protectors. Even the notorious witch Maghda continues eluding capture despite leading the Coven‘s butchery of New Tristram‘s citizens.

It seems the age-old struggle of angels versus demons – and the mortals caught in between – will rage eternal. Though Diablo‘s menace is ended for now, the fires of war continue burning across Sanctuary.

New heroes must take up sword and spell against encroaching darkness. As deckard Cain might have said: "Stay awhile, and listen…" evil is rising once again.

So while Diablo 3‘s finale sees resounding triumph against the Lord of Terror himself, dangers continue lurking in its shadow. Sanctuary remains under siege from Hell‘s monstrous legions. But come what may, nephalem heroes will arise to meet them.

Our war continues, and victory never comes easy when wrestling with the Prime Evil.