Leoric

Leoric returns.

The Skeleton King is undead, a superunique, and a quest boss.

Leoric the Skeleton King returns in Diablo III. His undead bones have been reanimated, and once again he's raised an army of the undead and awaits any hero who might dare bring the warmth of live into his tomb, in the catacombs beneath Tristram. Leoric is one of the first quest bosses a new character encounters, and defeating him brought an end to the Blizzcon demo, the first playable version of Diablo III ever seen by the public. See The Skeleton King page for more details about the quest.

Leoric's ghost.

Leoric is found on a throne at the end of a scripted level. The player must fight through several blockades and traps to reach Leoric's room. Along the way, Leoric's ghostly form is encountered, during which he taunts you before blowing back through the floor and vanishing, just as a great number of undead emerge from all sides of a large room.

Once you do reach Leoric's throne, a bridge crumbles behind you leaving no escape; you must defeat Leoric to survive. Leoric's giant bones are found on a throne, and they remain motionless until a player produces The Crown of the Skeleton King, a quest item found in the dungeon above. The crown restores Leoric to life, and he rises up, taunting the player wielding a massive two-handed maul. As soon as Leoric is activated squads of all types of skeletons come from the sides of the screen, and more are found throughout Leoric's throne room, if the player retreats from the dais on which Leoric's throne sits.

Leoric deals substantial damage with his massive club, but only swings once every few seconds, giving a player plenty of time to score hits on him between swings. It's a good idea to try to stay just out of range so you can dodge the attack, since it deals considerable damage.

Leoric also retains his ability to summon skeletons, and will do so during the fight, if given the opportunity. Most players at Blizzcon would fight Leoric for a moment, then run off and kill some of the skeletons he summoned to get a health globe or two, then return to the battle with Leoric.

Leoric dropped 4-6 rare items when killed in the Blizzcon build, but the game is much too far from completion to use that as a prediction of how valuable he'll be in the final game.

Lore

The Madness of the Black King.

The tragic tale of King Leoric's fall is told in the Diablo I manual, and through the quests and books of lore found in the dungeons in that game.

Leoric was the ruler of Khanduras and was a just and wise king. He established his castle in the town of Tristram, near the ancient and decayed Horadric Monastery. Deep within the monastery laid the soulstone containing Diablo's essence, and though trapped within the stone, Diablo was strong enough to send forth his spirit. The Lord of Terror invaded Leoric's dreams, attempting to corrupt and possess the King. Leoric was able to resist Diablo's presence, but he was driven mad by the ordeal.

Diablo had already drawn in Archbishop Lazarus, Leoric's most trusted adviser, and with Lazarus whispering into his ear, the mad king turned on his own people, executing those who disobeyed him, ordering his army into a suicidal war against the friendly neighbouring kingdom of Westmarch, and finally purging most of the townspeople from Tristram when his son, Prince Albrecth, vanished. The horrible truth was that it was Lazarus himself who kidnapped the boy.

Leoric's most loyal knight, Sir Lachdanan, finally led a revolt against the deranged tyrant, and after a pitched battle the King was cornered. His knights demanded explanations, but Leoric spit defiance to the end. Ultimately, Lachdanan was forced to commit regicide, plunging his sword through the King's heart. Bitter to the end, the dying Leoric called down a curse on his former servants, the power of which ultimately consumed them all.

Despite his madness, Leoric was given a royal burial, entombed beneath the Monastery in a special crypt. Diablo's growing power refused to let the king rest though, and the Lord of Terror was able to call Leoric back from the dead, granting his skeleton an unholy life and new powers. Leoric was unable to venture forth from his tomb, but he slay many adventurers who dared enter his lair, until he was finally dispatched by the hero who ultimately defeated Diablo, took the essence of the soulstone into his forehead, and became the Dark Wanderer.

Leoric lay broken and still for two decades after those events, but rumor in New Tristram is that the Black King stirs, as evil men seek some sacred objects in the catacombs below the Monastery, and hope to call Leoric's spirit back to his bones, to join them in serving their unknown dark lords.

Further Reading

This is just part of the material available on this topic. The Diablo2Wiki Leoric article is available in the Diablo 2 wiki, which has a specific Diablo I and Diablo II focus. A lot of information unique to the first two Diablo games is available there. You can find it here:

• Diablo2.DiabloWiki.net/Leoric.

Media

See screenshots and concept art of the Skeleton King in the Image Gallery.