Hell Knight

"Even in death, the armies of Khanduras will still obey their king! Even if you will not..."

- King Leoric

The Hell Knights are a type of enemy encountered in Diablo I.

Lore
The Hell Knights were once knights in service to King Leoric. After the survivors of his ill-advised war against Westmarch returned to Tristram, they confronted the Black King to account for his actions. Leoric, his mind broken, lashed out, and Lachdanan called upon his men to defend themselves. The ensuring battle took them into the depths of the Tristram Cathedral, where they were forced to slay Leoric's deceived advisors before the Black King himself fell and Lachdanan was fated to kill him. In his last moments, Leoric brought down a curse upon those who betrayed him, condemning the knights into eternal damnation. With the exception of Lachdanan, all that was ever virtuous or honorable about the stewards of Khanduras was shattered forever.

In-game
Hell Knights are found in the Cave and Hell levels of Diablo I. They have consistently high resistances, making them tough to kill by Sorcerers. Their attack can be quite devastating, but is limited to melee attacks. Ranged attacks with a bow work very well. They are counted as demons in regards to gameplay. All of their variants can be found in Level 14.

Variants

 * Black Knight
 * Doom Guard
 * Steel Lord
 * Blood Knight

Uniques

 * Lionskull the Bent (Black Knight) - Dungeon Level 12
 * Rustweaver (Doom Guard) - Dungeon Level 13
 * Warlord of Blood (Steel Lord) - Dungeon Level 13
 * Graywar the Slayer (Doom Guard) - Dungeon Level 14
 * Steelskull the Hunter (Steel Lord) - Dungeon Level 14
 * Lachdanan (Blood Knight) - Dungeon Level 14, Golden Elixir on Level 15 (quest dependent)
 * Sir Gorash (Blood Knight) - Dungeon Level 16 (Down to Diablo)

Trivia

 * The Awakening more or less treats Hell Knights as being analogous to Oblivion Knights, using identical artwork and descriptions. Tabletop variants of the Hell Knight not found within Diablo I itself include the Dark Guard, Dark Knight, and Dark Paladin.