As we prepare for the release of Darksiders III, there’s a lot of the story of the franchise to be learned with the six-year gap since the release of Darksiders II. Because of this, it’s time to explain everything up to this point and avoid as many spoilers as we can.

To everyone’s surprise, Darksiders III is indeed seeing a release in just a matter of days and it will continue forth with the story that both War and Death us hungering to get another serving of. But, as we prepare to take on the role of the fiercest Horseman yet, we first have to know why Fury, the sister of the three other horsemen, is stepping into the fray.

But to do that, we need to do a bit of a recap behind the series to this point. While her story will take place during the events of Darksiders II, we still need to understand how and why the other three have come to their brother War’s aid and as to why the apocalypse actually started. To do this, we’re going to remain as spoiler-free as we can.

War… It all starts with War.

It’s just an ordinary day in 2010, you’re sitting at your favorite cafe, enjoying a nice Spiced Chai Latte in your favorite spot and before you know it, something weird has begun to happen. Balls of fire have begun to rain from the sky. Before you know it, the reality of what they are begins to appear. They are demons, the forces of Heaven and Hell have begun to descend upon Earth itself.

All of this mess caused by the Horsemen War, the fabled rider of the Red Horse has “answered the call”. The only difference between this guy and his Biblical self? He’s far more badass than you’d ever imagine. Big silver plated armor, red cloak, and a massive sword; what’s not to like about this guy? He’s just as badass as any other demon-slaying dude-bro in massive armor.

War is – according to Christian lore – the first rider to start the apocalypse, so it only makes sense for him to kick off the crap-show he did in Darksiders. But let’s recap a second on why his starting all of this was a bad thing and how we got to this point.

Well, unfortunately, after a millennium of fighting and squabbling among each other like a bunch of schoolyard bullies; there was finally peace. Heaven and Hell had set their differences aside thanks to an agreement of peace being made under the hands of the Charred Council. But you might ask, “what in the heck is the Charred Council?” Glad you asked. The Charred Council was created by the big kahuna themself; an ancient body that is sworn to preserve the very fabric that holds the universe together. To keep their battling from tearing the fabric of existence apart, the Charred Council created a third kingdom: the Kingdom of Man.

The Charred Council eventually forged a decree that stated that there must be balance between good and evil, light and dark and that the Four Horsemen, aka their Riders as we get to know them as, will be charged with meeting the kingdoms of both Heaven and Hell in battle should they break the peace treaty the Council forged. Because of this, the horsemen would be called upon if the Seven Seals were broken and that, that my friends, is where War comes into play in Darksiders: Warmastered Edition.

Because of War answering the call – one that was never made – and heralding in the apocalypse after facing down a group of demons and a demon known as the Destroyer, it came to light that the Seven Seals had not yet been broken and they actually remained fully intact. This is where things get ugly folks. The council dictates that War is guilty of heralding in the Apocalypse against The Charred Council’s orders. As punishment, they strip him of his power and title after having caused the Third Kingdom to become non-existent and reigniting the war between both Heaven and Hell once again.

As you can imagine, War proclaims that he did not unjustly start the end times that humanity had once prophesized and instead, simply answered the Call. As part of his wish to prove his innocence, War pleads to the council that he can stop the Destroyer and right the wrongs he had done. After hearing his pleas the council decides to give in to his wishes, sending him back to earth under the watchful gaze of the Watcher. This guy, by the way, is the real deal when it comes to any tattle-teller to ever exist.

After a long and arduous battle against the forces of Heaven and Hell, War eventually is restored to his full power after the truth comes to light of the betrayal that has been made (sorry, spoilers). Before long, War tells one of the lead angels (name omitted; damn spoilers) that he is not alone as his sister and brothers fall from the sky, hearing the call as the final seal is broken.

And Death shall ride

As you already know from the previous bit, Darksiders II runs parallel to its sibling title, the one that kicked it all off to start. While his brother, War, is charged with the crimes of starting the apocalypse early, Death has set out from his slumber to right the wrongs that happened. Sure that his brother War is innocent, death travels to the Icy Veil, a dimension that sits comfortably between Heaven, Hell, and Earth. Now, before you get curious, Death is also the right-hand weapon of the Charred Council. He was given astonishing powers to use against the Nephilim, killing them by ripping out their souls and storing them within an amulet without the Charred Council knowing.

Coveting this secret, the Crowfather, The Keeper of Secrets, holds onto the Nephilim amulet, which has tormented him to his wits end over the past several, well who knows how many years really, and he refuses to help Death obtain the proof of War’s innocence and providing a way to restore Earth to its former glory. Upset with Death, the Crowfather lashes out at Death, attacking him in the form of War himself. Fighting the Crowfather to his death – Death obtains the Amulet which shatters and embeds itself within his chest. As it does, it almost immediately knocks Death unconscious and sends him whirling through a portal created by the Crowfather’s unfortunate and untimely death.

Just don’t expect things to get much better for Death at this point. After awakening from his unconscious state, Death finds himself in the Forge Lands, populated by a rather large race of humanoid creatures known as the Makers; the Architects of Creation themselves. Unfortunately, Death soon learns that not all is well in this world. The Forge Lands have been overrun with Corruption, a dark force that has blocked off the Tree of Life (remember this bad boy? The Tree of Life and the Fruit of Wisdom?) and taken over many of the Maker’s constructs. To fight back the corruption, the Maker’s had crafted a massive guardian to fight back against the Corruption, only to abandon it before they can finish it off.

After all, can you blame these people? They’re literally being pushed to the verge of their own extinction. Enlisting Death to help them, the Makers give him a proposition: Help them with their Guardian situation and in turn, they will help him. After a long journey, Death ultimately does get the Guardian up and running, allowing it to help clear out the threat of Corruption. But not all is simple, The Guardian is destroyed when it reaches the Tree of Life and self-destructs when the giant creature lays its hands upon the machination Death helped finish. After a small bit of an adventure, Death eventually travels to the Land of the Dead where he meets a mysterious merchant (man, all these names omitted due to spoilers!) who reveals to death that in order to resurrect all of humanity, he must find a hidden object and that he must speak with someone who knows how to make it work (again with the avoiding spoilers?!).

Unfortunately, Death learns that to make this object work, he’ll need to hunt pieces down in both Heaven and in Hell. Learning the truth about the object he hunts, Death soon sets out on another journey with the knowledge that could hurt the Charred Council if it were pitted against them in their own game. After going through both Heaven and Hell, Death is sent down to Earth, forced to obtain the last few items that he needs in order to use the item he needs in order to undo all that started.

Hell hath no Fury like that of a woman scorned in Darksiders III

In Darksiders III, you will find that the events take place in parallel to the other two. Fury, the Rider of the Black Horse, will take to a war-torn planet Earth in her quest to hunt down and destroy the Seven Deadly Sins as requested by the Charred Council themselves. Fury will encounter the Lord of Hollows, a powerful entity that will aid her in her quest to destroy the Sins themselves. Fury will be able to wield the power of both Angels and Demons to complete release from the cycle of life, death and rebirth from the item that Death had hunted down.

Being told she is being manipulated by the Charred Council, the Lord of Hollows tips her off to a demon that threatens the stability of Heaven, Hell and Earth once again. Now, it’s up to her to try and keep balance, to stop those that seek to tip the scales from doing so and ultimately find the truth behind what lies she has been told. You can find out what happens when Darksiders III lands on shelves on Nov. 27, 2018, for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at a store and digital market near you.

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About the Writer(s):

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.