Diablo Immortal players can finally confront the corrupted prince who started it all. The First and Last King update launches today, December 17, bringing Albrecht, the young prince who became Diablo’s first human vessel in the 1996 original, back as the climactic antagonist of a storyline a year in the making. This marks the conclusion of both the year-long Epoch of Madness storyline and the broader World Shard saga that has driven Diablo Immortal’s narrative since the mobile game launched in June 2022.
This Prince Returns
Blizzard is positioning The First and Last King as the payoff for everything Diablo Immortal has been building toward. Albrecht now commands the Shardborne legion, serving as the final obstacle in a story that began with Tyrael’s destruction of the corrupted World Stone and has wound through years of seasonal content and world events. For players who’ve stuck with the game through its controversial launch and subsequent updates, this represents the narrative finish line.
The update concludes the Epoch of Madness, which has served as the 2025 seasonal storyline structure throughout the year. That storyline itself was the final chapter of the World Shard saga; the overarching narrative framework that gave Diablo Immortal its reason for existing in the Diablo timeline. With this update, Blizzard is closing the book on the foundational story they’ve been telling since day one. What happens after remains an open question. Blizzard hasn’t announced what direction Diablo Immortal’s ongoing narrative will take once the World Shard saga concludes, leaving players to wonder whether this finale signals a transition to entirely new storylines or something else entirely for the live-service title.
New Zones, Old Enemies
The update adds two new zones for players to explore: Entsteig Bailey and the Barrow Tombs of Aughild. These areas pick up the story following the Blood Harvest event that set Wicker Fields ablaze—if you’ve been keeping up with Immortal’s seasonal content, you’ll recognize this as the direct continuation of recent events. The Barrow Tombs of Aughild bring their own threats beyond Albrecht’s Shardborne forces
. According to Blizzard, a character named Lethes has resurrected Aughild’s elite soldiers, adding another layer of undead opposition for players to cut through. Aughild is a figure longtime Diablo fans might recognize from item lore as his name has appeared on legendary armor sets across multiple games in the franchise. The zones appear designed to funnel players toward the confrontation with Albrecht that serves as the storyline’s climax. While Blizzard hasn’t detailed exactly how long the finale content will take to complete or what difficulty options are available, the addition of two distinct areas suggests there’s substantial ground to cover before reaching the final battle.
Bridging Diablo II and III
For Diablo lore enthusiasts, Albrecht’s return is a significant callback. In the original 1996 Diablo, young Prince Albrecht of Khanduras was the first human to serve as Diablo’s host—his corruption set the events of the entire franchise in motion. Bringing him back as the final antagonist of Immortal’s launch saga connects the mobile game directly to the series’ origins in a way that should resonate with longtime fans. Diablo Immortal occupies a specific place in the franchise timeline: it’s set after Diablo II, following the destruction of the World Stone, but before the events of Diablo III.
The World Shard saga has been exploring the aftermath of Tyrael’s desperate act—the fragments of the World Stone scattered across Sanctuary and the chaos that followed. This finale presumably resolves that particular chapter of Diablo history, explaining how things settled before Diablo III’s story begins. Whether Blizzard sticks the landing on connecting these narrative dots remains to be seen. The canonical status of Diablo Immortal’s story within the broader franchise has always been somewhat ambiguous for lore purists, but this update at least demonstrates the developers’ commitment to weaving their mobile title into established Diablo history rather than treating it as a standalone spinoff.
WoW Housing Crossover
Beyond The First and Last King, Blizzard has announced a World of Warcraft housing crossover event coming later this month. The event will allow players to earn a portal reward that connects both games serving as a tangible link between Blizzard’s franchises that goes beyond cosmetic references. This crossover builds on WoW’s housing feature, which finally arrived in 2024’s The War Within expansion after being one of the most requested additions to the MMO for years. By tying it to Diablo Immortal content, Blizzard signals they’re increasingly interested in creating connections between their game ecosystems rather than treating each title as entirely separate.
The timing is notable: dropping a crossover event in the same month as a major story finale suggests Blizzard wants to keep Diablo Immortal players engaged even as the World Shard saga wraps up. Whether this hints at the game’s future direction—more crossover content, deeper Blizzard universe integration—or simply represents a holiday bonus remains unclear. The First and Last King is available now across Diablo Immortal’s mobile and PC platforms. For players who’ve been waiting to see where the World Shard saga leads, the answer is finally here. What comes next for Diablo Immortal is equally as exciting of a prospect!
