| “ | My brothers will not have died in vain! | „ |
| ~ Baal |
Tor'Baalos, better known as Baal, is one of the main antagonists in the Diablo series. He is one of the Great Evils who rule the Burning Hells.
What Makes Him Magnificent?[]
- He is more intelligent, cunning, and manipulative than he is given credit for (as Deckard Cain argues) although he is seen as the most straightforward to comprehend of the Prime Evils, as he was the first to notice his niece Lilith had stolen the Worldstone, and is surprisingly good at coming up with strategies in battle.
- He stood his ground in a battle against the Horadrim, after which he was able to shatter the soulstone meant to contain him and escape in a portal, although the Horadrim were able to beat him and seal him inside one of the fragments. However, this fragment would not hold Baal for long, which prompted Tal Rasha to volunteer to be the Prime Evil's host (and be chained and bound in a tomb for eternity), and Tyrael to sorrowfully jam this shard into the Horadrim's chest.
- He manipulated Marius twice, first into removing the soulstone shard from Tal Rasha's chest (thus freeing the Prime Evil) and locking Tyrael into the Horadrim's tomb, and second into giving him the soulstone while posing as Tyrael.
- When he heard Diablo planned to trap him within the Black Soulstone along with all the other Great Evils, Baal took it in stride, even relishing all the destruction he'd be able to cause.
- He pragmatically accepted Nihlathak's deal to spare Harrogath in exchange for having the latter's alliance and access to the Relic of the Ancients.
- He is also implied to care about his brothers to a degree, as heard in one of his voice clips during the player's battle with him.
- He came the closest of the Prime Evils in Diablo II to succeeding in his plans, as he was able to corrupt the Worldstone beyond saving (which forced Tyrael to destroy it) and indirectly destroy Harrogath via the resulting eruption of Mount Arreat.
- Unlike his brothers and the Lesser Evils, who enjoy tormenting their victims for prolonged periods of time, Baal prefers a quicker and more straightforward approach in his method of torture, as seen with what he does with Marius for the latter's "reward" (impaling him and burning down the asylum they were in) and in his interactions with the Barbarian emissary at Sescheron (whom he swiftly kills and blows up after deeming the latter's term's "not acceptable").
What Makes Him a Baddie?[]
- He fought multiple battles alongside his brothers for the Burning Hells, also clashing with them at times.
- He has a sadistic side, as he wishes for the Eternal Conflict to continue forever and produce a desolate wasteland with endless bloodshed. He also takes massive pleasure in throwing feasts involving his fallen human foes' flesh and blood with his brothers, tormented Tal Rasha with a reworked version of the memory of him and Kulle sealing him into the fragment in the mage's chest (which progressively made cracks in his ability to see through the illusion), and had Marius recount the tragedies of his past.
- He destroyed many Barbarian villages and took countless lives with his forces, up to Harrogath before Nihlathak made a deal with him.
- He attempted to kill the player and their hirelings when they reached the Worldstone Chamber, first by siccing his minions on them, then taking them on himself.
- As mentioned above, he corrupted the Worldstone beyond saving, which forced Tyrael to destroy it. This had an impact on the series beyond Lord of Destruction, as these events put the third game into motion (especially Act III and Tyrael's decision to renounce his angelhood to help Sanctuary and the High Heavens), and kickstarted the fourth game's sidequest "Consumed by Pride" (where the surviving members of the Crane Tribe of Barbarians are desperately looking for a way to restore their honor after Nihlathak's betrayal of Harrogath), although Nihlathak had a more direct role in the latter.