Biography

Hadriel was a follower of Tyrael. During the awakening of the Prime Evils, a group of heroes pursued Diablo into the Burning Hells. Around this time, Hadriel learnt of Tyrael's involvement with Sanctuary, and of his own volition, entered Hell to aid the heroes in traversing Hell's treacherous pathways.^[2]

During the Age of Hatred, Hadriel manifested in the mortal realm. With the Lesser Evils acting in concert to conquer Sanctuary, Hadriel provided the Wanderer rare boons in their fight against the Evils, though these boons were only a fraction of the power which Heaven possessed.^[3] Hadriel confirmed that Heaven had abandoned Sanctuary to its fate, but he, at least, would aid the Wanderer.^[4]

In-game

Diablo II

Hadriel does not share in party-friendly auras, but he gains the effect of party sharing Warcries. This is redundant, however, given his lack of involvement in combat.

Dialogues

Hadriel is clickable, and has two speeches, depending on whether a character has already finished the Hell's Forge quest:

"Halt! Before venturing into Diablo's lair, go to the Hellforge with Mephisto's Soulstone. Place the stone on the Hellforge and use the Hellforge Hammer to destroy it." (before quest completion)

"Proceed, hero, into Terror's Lair. Know that Diablo's innermost sanctum is hidden by five seals. Only by opening each of these seals can you clear your way to the final battle." (after quest completion)

Diablo IV

Hadriel appears in Diablo IV in Season of Divine Intervention. Players can exchange Corrupted Essence in exchange for Divine Gifts. He also provides Sanctification services.^[3] Hadriel can be found in any major city across Estuar.^[5]

Dialogues

• Class: Why haven't any other angels helped with Mephisto? Do you know what he's done?
• Hadriel: We are forced to abide by the rules of the High Heavens, every one of us. Even emerging for the Lesser Evils is risking my entire being. Meddling with Mephisto is yet another war they refuse to wage. The Heavens have made up their minds—the fate of mortals is up to mortals.

• Class: Why help now if this is such a risk?
• Hadriel: In the time of the Eternal Conflict, before Sanctuary's creation, my Commander, the Archangel Tyrael, faced Azmodan in battle and bested him. He would have imprisoned Azmodan, chaining him forever. The fracture it would've caused among the Lesser Evils...if one of them were truly gone? Might have reshaped the world as we know it. But before Tyrael could strike, I called for his aid. Blinded by the illusion of victory, a wave of enemies caught us off guard. That is how Azmodan escaped years ago. And Tyrael...his heart too soft for your kind, for Sanctuary. I may lack his courage, but I strive to honor his virtue.

• Class: Does an angel fear death? Finality?
• Hadriel: There is no fear. A slain angel does not truly die. There is banishment and transcendence through the light and song—a veil between moments. The longer beings roam Sanctuary, the more I've observed. I thought their death was quiet and still, But I am no longer sure of that.

Trivia

This section contains facts and trivia relevant to this article.

• To Hell and Back claims that Hadriel was not physically present in Hell, that his appearance was rather a projection.
• Prior to the release of the Lord of Destruction expansion, there were a number of rumors regarding the missing Act IV Hireling. There were many rumors regarding the presence of a hidden Act IV mercenary that could only be hired by completing Hell difficulty - the angel. The angel was supposed to be supported by the presence of Hadriel, who by their conclusions, had obviously no other purpose. The angel was supposed to have Hadriel's base structure, levitated like him and used Cold and Lightning Spells as his main attacks. Ultimately, it was proved false when the expansion was released along with the new Hireling - the Barbarian.
• Hadriel is voiced in-game by Bill Roper, famous for voicing Diablo himself.
• Hadriel has been hinted to embody the aspect of justice^[5] (in that every angel harkens to one of the five virtues of Anu).^[6]

References