Something sinister stirs – elemental machinations scuttle beneath the sands of Kehjistan. Launching today, Diablo IV’s Season of the Construct arrives. Arm your own Seasonal Companion, battle through Hazards in Vaults (the newest Dungeon type) and fight the fearsome Constructs at every turn.
The source of these Constructs has now been attributed to the malicious plans of the demon Malphas. The demon has taken an ancient power—originally devised by Zoltun Kulle and Ayuzhan of Caldeum to preserve humanity— to magnify his own strength. This power has been corrupted, and you must work with Ayuzhan to defeat Malphas at the source of this power in the Seasonal Questline.
But who was Zoltun Kulle, and why do those within Sanctuary still fear the power his name holds? We’re going to do a Lore deep-dive on Zoltun Kulle, and why his importance in the pages of History is matched only by his polarizing legacy.
Kulle and the Gang
Zoltun Kulle was originally one of the highest-ranking mages of the Ennead mage clan, a cohort of spellcasters specializing in enchantments and transmutation. Kulle became one of the original founding members of the Horadrim, an order of mages tasked by the Archangel Tyrael to hunt down and contain the three Prime Evils who threatened Sanctuary: Mephisto, Baal, and Diablo.
During The Hunt for the Three, Kulle was given the responsibility to wield the soulstones—shards of the infinitely powerful Worldstone—which were specifically created to capture and imprison the Prime Evils. Entrusted with the soulstones for his vast arcane expertise, Kulle studied them obsessively.
He eventually aided the Horadrim in the successful capture of all three Prime Evils, but at great cost. Kulle’s research led him to believe that a damaged soulstone could be used as a conduit to imprison a demon’s essence within a human. This led to the selfless sacrifice of Tal Rasha—leader of the Horadrim—to imprison the Prime Evil Baal after the Amber Soulstone was shattered.
The Dust Settles, and the Plot Thickens
Capturing all three Prime Evils within the soulstones was a great blow to the Burning Hells in the Eternal Conflict, the endless war fought between the Angels and Demons.
After The Hunt for the Three, Kulle’s obsession with the soulstones continued. He abandoned the Horadrim, retreating to the sands of Kehjistan to continue his work. Fearful of the vulnerability of humanity’s place in the Eternal Conflict, Kulle decided to take matters into his own hands. Kulle feared that both the Burning Hells and High Heavens alike could eradicate humanity if they felt it necessary. From the shadows, Kulle created a sinister means to protect them.
Kulle used his great power to build a series of vast archives beneath the desert. It is there he devised the Black Soulstone, capable of imprisoning both Demon and Angel within it. The Horadrim, allied with the High Heavens, sought out Kulle beneath Kehjistan for his blasphemous transgressions.
They were assaulted by many traps and Guardian Constructs that Kulle had set for them in case they tried to meddle in his experiments. Many of Kulle’s former Horadrim brethren died in their quest to hunt him down and deliver justice.
When the Horadrim finally succeeded in capturing Kulle, they discovered he had made himself impossible to kill through the use of dark arcane spells. The Horadrim separated his body and head, sealing them away to prevent any forces from ever attempting to resurrect Kulle ever again.
Kulle’s Constructs
In Season of the Construct, you will come across one of Zoltun’s allies from earlier in his life as a mage. You will need to work with Ayuzhan of Caldeum, who worked with Zoltun long ago to create The Loom.
A device of extraordinary power, the Loom was originally created with the intent to save humanity. Ayuzhan knew Zoltun at a time before his morality was corrupted by the power of the soulstones, a more optimistic young Mage than the one the history books now remember.
With Kulle long since dead, the Loom has been corrupted by Malphas to create the deadly mechanical Constructs now tasked with humanity’s ruin. From January 23, make your final stand against the sinister powers of The Loom in Diablo IV’s Season of the Construct, and earn your own Seneschal Companion and fight against the twisted machinations of Kulle’s legacy.