Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred Chapter 1: The False Prophet — Full Quest Walkthrough

TL;DR

• Chapter 1 is called The False Prophet and contains 7 main quests
• It begins with Solace Beyond Sight and ends with The Queen and the Saint, leading into Chapter 2
• You reunite with Lorath in Backwater and travel to the Skovos Isles for the first time
• The Talisman system unlocks during this chapter via the Last of the Horadrim quest
• Mephisto has corrupted the followers of Akarat — the Hands of Akarat serve as the chapter’s central antagonist faction
• Completing this chapter unlocks Queen Adreona’s storyline and opens the city of Temis fully

Before You Begin: Story Context and Prerequisites

The Lord of Hatred expansion is a direct continuation of Vessel of Hatred. If you skipped that expansion or haven’t played it recently, here’s the short version of what you need to know.

Neyrelle captured Mephisto’s essence inside a Soulstone to contain him, but ultimately failed. Mephisto broke free and now moves toward the Skovos Isles — the ancient birthplace of the firstborn civilization and the former home of Lilith and Inarius — where he intends to reach the Pools of Creation and corrupt all of humanity. Neyrelle sacrificed herself passing critical intelligence about Mephisto’s weakness to Lorath before she died. That intelligence is what drives Chapter 1 forward.

It is strongly recommended to finish Vessel of Hatred before starting Lord of Hatred. The campaign is a narrative conclusion to everything that came before it, and the events carry far more weight with that context. That said, the game does allow you to skip directly to the expansion content using the Change Campaign State option during character creation if you want to jump straight in.

To start the campaign, follow the yellow and purple quest marker after character creation. It will lead you to Backwater, where you take a boat to the Skovos Isles to meet Lorath.

Need help choosing which class to take into this campaign? Our Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred Paladin class guide is a great starting point if you want a resilient frontline option for your first playthrough.

Chapter 1 Quest List: The False Prophet

Chapter 1 contains the following seven main quests, in order:

1. Solace Beyond Sight
2. Last of the Horadrim
3. Hatred’s Wake
4. Crown of the Twin Seas
5. Between Heaven and Hell
6. Subterranean Secrets
7. The Queen and the Saint

Quest 1: Solace Beyond Sight

How to Unlock: Complete the preceding quest, Deeds of a Champion.

Solace Beyond Sight is the opening quest of the Lord of Hatred expansion and your formal introduction to everything that follows. It sets the stage for the chapter by establishing who Mephisto is hiding behind, what he wants, and why Skovos is in danger.

Mephisto has taken on the guise of Akarat — Sanctuary’s beloved religious figure — to deceive the people of Skovos. His followers, the Hands of Akarat, serve as his agents on the ground, spreading corruption under the appearance of faith. This is why the chapter is called The False Prophet. The saint they worship is not Akarat at all.

What to Do: Follow the quest marker to reach Backwater and speak with Lorath. He provides context on Skovos, its ruling figures — the Oracle and Queen Adreona — and what Mephisto is using the island’s religion for. Listen through the dialogue, as it establishes characters and factions you will deal with throughout the entire campaign.

After speaking with Lorath, complete any indicated combat objectives and follow the marker to the dock. This quest transitions directly into Last of the Horadrim once completed.

Tips:

• Do not rush through the dialogue. There is significant lore here, and skipping it makes later quests harder to follow.
• Enemies in Backwater are straightforward. Use this quest to settle into your build and check your skill setup before things escalate.

Quest 2: Last of the Horadrim

How to Unlock: Complete Solace Beyond Sight.

This is one of the most important quests in Chapter 1 — not just for the story, but for your character. Last of the Horadrim is where you meet Lorath in Backwater and receive the Horadric Talisman, one of the most impactful new systems in Lord of Hatred.

Story: Lorath explains that the Talisman was originally intended for Neyrelle. With Neyrelle gone, he passes it to you. It was crafted by the Horadrim as a tool of power, and it now falls to the Wanderer to put it to use.

What to Do: Head to Backwater and speak with Lorath. After a cutscene and dialogue exchange, Lorath will give you the Horadric Talisman along with your first Seal and Charm to equip immediately.

Open your inventory and equip the Talisman. Slot the Seal and the Charm you received. Even this early combination provides meaningful stat bonuses, so don’t ignore it.

Key Unlock — Talisman System: The Talisman is your new Diablo 2-style set piece system. You equip one Seal at a time, which determines how many Charm slots you have. Charms fill those slots with various bonuses. As you progress through the campaign and endgame, you will find better Seals with more slots and Charms with stronger effects. Prioritize Seals with 6 Charm slots as your target configuration.

Tips:

• Equip whatever Seal and Charm you receive immediately — even early ones provide noticeable power.
• If you are playing the Warlock, the Horadric Cube — another major new system — also becomes available through campaign progression. You do not unlock it in this quest, but it is coming.
• Save your early crafting materials. You will need them when the Horadric Cube becomes available later in the campaign.

Quest 3: Hatred’s Wake

How to Unlock: Complete Last of the Horadrim.

Hatred’s Wake takes place entirely aboard a ship. What starts as a passage to Skovos with Lorath quickly turns into a fight for survival against water-themed enemies and the Hands of Akarat.

Story: After acquiring the Talisman and boarding the ship with Lorath, a Hand of Akarat appears and mocks you and Lorath before departing. Moments later, the ship comes under attack. Merfolk, Water Aberrations, and eventually a massive boss enemy board the vessel.

What to Do:

Step 1 — Speak with Lorath aboard the ship. There is some optional dialogue here about his previous outlaw status on the mainland. Ask him what you like, and when ready, proceed through the ship’s door.

Step 2 — Fight through the lower decks. Merfolk wielding tridents will attack you in waves. Clear them out, breaking through any Briny Debris blocking your path as you go. Destroy the Briny Debris covering the ship’s armaments as part of the objectives.

Step 3 — Face the Calamitous Crab. At the back of the lower ship area, a large crab boss ambushes you before you can exit. This is the first major enemy encounter in the expansion.

Calamitous Crab Boss Tips:

• The Calamitous Crab is very tanky but telegraphs its attacks clearly.
• It can grab and drag you in for a burst of damage — stay mobile and avoid its claw slam AoE, which creates a large watery area it then slams down into.
• It continuously spawns smaller Engorged Crabs during the fight. Focus the boss but clear adds if they pile up.
• After killing the crab, speak with Lorath to trigger the exit cutscene.

Step 4 — Reach the top deck and clear remaining enemies. Fight through any remaining Merfolk and Water Aberrations on your way up.

Step 5 — Watch the cutscene. Defeating the Calamitous Crab and speaking with Lorath triggers a cinematic that drops you off on the Skovos Isles for the first time.

Tips:

• The Briny Debris can sometimes be destroyed by AoE skills without deliberate targeting. Do not panic if you break pieces without aiming directly at them.
• Engorged Crabs spawned by the Calamitous Crab are worth killing for the extra XP.
• After this quest, you are officially in Skovos. The open world opens up — take a moment to activate any nearby Waypoints before continuing.

Quest 4: Crown of the Twin Seas

How to Unlock: Complete Hatred’s Wake.

Crown of the Twin Seas is your introduction to the Skovos Isles proper. The quest sends you in search of the entrance to Temis — the main city of Skovos and home of Queen Adreona. You will explore the island’s coastal terrain and encounter the new Skovos enemy types in greater numbers.

Story: Lorath believes Queen Adreona must be warned about Mephisto’s infiltration of the Akarat faith. To reach her, you need to find a way into Temis. The city is the seat of power on the island and where the Hands of Akarat are most embedded.

What to Do: Follow the quest marker across Skovos toward Temis. The path takes you through coastal areas populated with Merfolk, corrupted cultists, and other new enemy types unique to this region.

Activate Waypoints as you pass through new areas. Skovos has 6 Waypoints that unlock progressively through campaign progress, and grabbing them early saves a lot of backtracking later.

Locate the entrance to Temis and complete any combat objectives along the way. Once you reach the entrance, the quest concludes and Between Heaven and Hell begins.

Tips:

• This is a good quest to explore a little. Skovos is a dense region with side quests, Strongholds, and dungeons available even at this early stage.
• Pick up any side quests you encounter near the main path. Many of them are short and reward meaningful XP and gear.
• Skovos uses a Renown system. Completing dungeons, discovering Waypoints, and finishing side quests all contribute. Renown rewards include bonus Skill Points, so do not skip these activities entirely.

Quest 5: Between Heaven and Hell

How to Unlock: Complete Crown of the Twin Seas.

Between Heaven and Hell takes you into the city of Temis for the first time. You and Lorath split up — Lorath goes to find Queen Adreona, while you investigate the Hands of Akarat’s presence in the city.

Story: Akarat’s followers are deep inside Temis. The queen is aware of them but cautious. Her hesitation hints that not everything in the city is as controlled as it appears, and that something deeper is being concealed.

What to Do:

Step 1 — Use the Waypoint to reach the Temis Promenade after splitting from Lorath.

Step 2 — Search for the Hands of Akarat. Most paths through the Promenade will initially be blocked. Work your way east to find the queen.

Step 3 — Eavesdrop on Queen Adreona. You will find her on the other side of a wall receiving a report from an Amazon Captain. Interact with the wall to listen in. The conversation makes it clear that Adreona is cautious about Akarat’s growing influence — she is not fully under his sway.

Step 4 — Follow a Hand of Akarat. After the queen and captain depart, head west. You will encounter a Hand of Akarat speaking publicly before slipping away. Follow them through the blocked-off areas.

Step 5 — Reach the Temis Sewers entrance. Following the Hand of Akarat will lead you to the entrance to the sewers. Reaching this location ends the quest.

Tips:

• Do not try to fight your way through blocked routes — use the open paths the quest markers indicate.
• The eavesdropping scene is brief but important. It establishes Queen Adreona as a nuanced character — not a villain, but not fully an ally yet either.

Quest 6: Subterranean Secrets

How to Unlock: Complete Between Heaven and Hell.

Subterranean Secrets sends you into the Temis Sewers beneath the city to uncover what the Hands of Akarat are hiding underground. It is one of the denser combat quests in Chapter 1.

Story: The Hands of Akarat have been using the sewers as a staging ground for their operations inside Temis. You need to expose what they are doing and clear the threat before it spreads further into the city.

What to Do: Enter the Temis Sewers via the entrance discovered at the end of Between Heaven and Hell. Work through the sewer network, fighting corrupted cultists and Akarat-aligned enemies along the way.

Find and destroy key objectives within the sewers as prompted by the quest marker. These will involve clearing specific areas and potentially interacting with environmental objects or enemy leaders.

Once all objectives are complete, you exit the sewers and the quest concludes. The Queen and the Saint unlocks immediately after.

Tips:

• The sewers are dark and the pathing is not always obvious. Follow your minimap and quest markers carefully rather than trying to explore every corridor.
• Enemy density is high in this section. Make sure your potion charges are full before entering.
• This is a good time to check if your Talisman needs upgrading. If you have found better Charms, slot them before pushing through this quest.

Quest 7: The Queen and the Saint

How to Unlock: Complete Plaza Overlook (a short connecting quest following Subterranean Secrets).

The Queen and the Saint is the climax of Chapter 1 and sets the stage for everything that follows in Chapter 2. It brings together Lorath, Queen Adreona, and the truth about Mephisto’s masquerade as Akarat.

Story: With evidence gathered from the sewers and the streets of Temis, the moment comes to confront Queen Adreona directly and reveal that the saint her people worship is not Akarat but Mephisto himself. The Hands of Akarat are not just cultists — they are Mephisto’s agents operating under the cover of faith.

What to Do: Follow the quest marker to the location where Lorath has arranged the meeting with Queen Adreona. Complete any combat objectives protecting the area or the involved characters.

Speak with Queen Adreona and participate in the cutscene. This is a pivotal story beat — the queen’s reaction and decision will determine the shape of the alliance going forward.

Completing The Queen and the Saint concludes Chapter 1: The False Prophet and unlocks Chapter 2: To Walk with Two Shadows, along with the first quest of that chapter, What’s Yet Unseen.

Tips:

• Make sure you are well-geared before finishing this quest. Chapter 2 ramps up in enemy difficulty.
• The cutscene here is one of the longer ones in the expansion. Do not skip it — it recontextualizes Mephisto’s strategy and sets up key plot threads.

Key Systems Unlocked in Chapter 1

By completing all seven quests in The False Prophet, you will have unlocked or progressed the following:

Horadric Talisman — Received during Last of the Horadrim. Equip your Seal and fill Charm slots for passive stat bonuses that scale throughout the game.

Skovos Region Access — Fully opens after Hatred’s Wake. All six Waypoints in the region can now be progressively discovered as you continue the campaign.

Temis Hub — Partially opens through Between Heaven and Hell and The Queen and the Saint. The full hub unlocks once you complete the entire campaign.

Renown Progression — All Skovos Renown activities become available as the campaign progresses through Chapter 1. Completing dungeons, Strongholds, and side quests rewards Skill Points and other bonuses.

Chapter 1 Tips and Mistakes to Avoid

Do not ignore the Talisman. The moment you receive it in Last of the Horadrim, equip it. Even a basic Seal and Charm combination provides noticeable stat improvements that compound over the campaign.

Grab Waypoints immediately. Skovos is large. Every Waypoint you unlock in Chapter 1 saves you travel time in Chapter 2 and beyond.

Do not skip the Horadric Cube setup. While the Cube itself unlocks later in the campaign, the materials you gather in Chapter 1 feed into it. Pick up everything.

Use Normal difficulty if you are new. Chapter 1 is designed to teach you Skovos and introduce new enemy types. Normal gives you space to learn without dying repeatedly. Returning players should use Hard for the 75% XP bonus from Helltide farming after finishing the campaign.

Talk to Lorath in every scene. Optional dialogue lines across Chapter 1 provide crucial lore context about the Hands of Akarat, Queen Adreona, and Mephisto’s long-term plan. None of it is mandatory, but all of it makes the story make more sense.

Do not rush past side content. Chapter 1 opens a significant portion of Skovos. The side quests and Strongholds here are faster to complete now, while you are in the area for main quests, than returning to them later.

FAQ: Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred Chapter 1

How many quests are in Chapter 1: The False Prophet? Chapter 1 contains 7 main quests: Solace Beyond Sight, Last of the Horadrim, Hatred’s Wake, Crown of the Twin Seas, Between Heaven and Hell, Subterranean Secrets, and The Queen and the Saint.

Do I need to finish Vessel of Hatred before starting Lord of Hatred? It is not technically required. The game allows you to skip to the expansion content using the Change Campaign State option during character creation. However, the Lord of Hatred story is a direct continuation of Vessel of Hatred, and completing it first makes the events, characters, and stakes significantly more meaningful.

When do I unlock the Talisman in Lord of Hatred? The Horadric Talisman unlocks during the Last of the Horadrim quest — the second main quest of Chapter 1. Lorath gives it to you in Backwater along with your first Seal and Charm.

Who is the Hand of Akarat in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred? The Hands of Akarat are Mephisto’s agents on Skovos. They operate as prophets and enforcers of the Akarat faith but are secretly serving Mephisto, who has taken on Akarat’s guise to corrupt the island’s population from within. They are the central antagonist faction of Chapter 1.

How do I get to Skovos in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred? You reach Skovos by completing Hatred’s Wake — the third quest of Chapter 1. After fighting through the ship attack and defeating the Calamitous Crab boss, a cutscene plays that drops you onto the Skovos Isles for the first time.

How long does Chapter 1 take to complete? Chapter 1 takes roughly 2 to 4 hours on a first playthrough at Normal difficulty, depending on how much side content you engage with. The full Lord of Hatred campaign takes 10 to 15 hours total, so Chapter 1 is a solid portion of the early experience.

Chapter 1 does exactly what a good opening chapter should — it plants you in a new world, introduces the villain’s strategy, gives you a new gameplay system, and leaves you wanting to see how Queen Adreona fits into the fight against Mephisto. Complete the Talisman setup, grab every Waypoint on your way through Skovos, and move into Chapter 2 with your build fully dialed in.