Click to enlarge

VoodoExtreme pointed us towards this growing collection of details on the Non-Player Characters (NPCs) of the forthcoming Diablo II Expansion, which has the working title Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. Many of the "previews" of this expansion have emphasized that NPCs will play a much larger role in the game, allowing the player to feel as if they are taking part in tremendous battles and epic struggles, rather than just questing alone against an endless horde.

Fan site PlanetDiablo is diligently collecting details from Blizzard North about these NPCs as information and images are released. As expected, the characters come with their own backstory and motivations, adding depth to the already intricate storyline of this title. As an example, here is the description of an NPC named Nihlathak:

He is the last clan elder of the Barbarian group, who has been driven near insanity because of guilt that he could not successfully protect the World Stone from evil. Nihlathak sounds like an interesting character, though a bit on the nutty side. He might be the Farnham of the Diablo II Expansion Set, but we'll have to wait and see. We can easily guess that he will either provide you with a quest or two, or will be a more pivotal character in the Expansion.

Blizzard North's summary:
"As the last surviving clan elder, he has been driven close to madness by his grief over the imminent failure of his clan to protect the World Stone. Constantly ruminating on the myriad alternate courses the elders could have taken, he lives with the guilt of not dying with his peers."

Blizzard Web Site

Diablo II Expansion NPCs at Planet Diablo

Blizzard Entertainment (add to watch list)

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction (add to watch list)

Search for other Mac games news stories or browse our Mac Games News Archive.