Why Elias Is the Ideal Next Boss

From a design perspective, he's a no-brainer for Diablo 4 Items upgrading into a Greater-tier Lair Boss:

Blizzard has already repurposed campaign bosses into endgame content - Andariel, Duriel, Lord Zi, and Astaroth have all returned in various forms.
Elias' campaign encounter already mimics Lair Boss structure, with multiple transformations (Triune Master → Fallen Horadrim), arena shifts, and signature mechanics.
His fight features strong visual identity, voice work, and lore, things players crave in memorable boss encounters.
He is explicitly not dead, canonically speaking - Elias is immortal thanks to Lilith's ritual, giving Blizzard easy story justification for his return.

Current Lair Boss Line-up Breakdown

Initiate: Varshan, Grigoire, Beast in the Ice, Lord Zir. Urivar (Vessel of Hatred)
Greater: Andariel, Duriel. Harbinger of Hatred (DLC)
Exalted: Belial

The problem becomes obvious: base-game players only get two Greater Lair Bosses, and both must be farmed repeatedly to get key D4 materials for Belial. Adding a third - Elias - would dramatically shake up the loop with minimal development cost and push Diablo 4's endgame closer to what players expect from an ARPG boss ladder.

How Elias Could Function as a Greater Lair Boss

Blizzard could introduce Elias using a system nearly identical to existing bosses, requiring a new material like "Shard of the Triune Ritual" or "Fallen Horadrim Remnant" dropped by Initiate bosses.

Proposed Fight Structure:

1. Phase 1 - Elias, Master of the Triune

Classic spell-slinger arena with summon-heavy mechanics: ritual spikes erupting from the ground, homing blood sigils, waves of minor Triune cultists.

2. Phase 2 - Arena Shift

As players "defeat" him, Elias vanishes in a flash of blood magic and flees through a shattered gate. Players must chase him down a short gauntlet filled with exploding sigils and teleporting ambush enemies.

3. Phase 3 - Elias, Fallen Horadrim

Rage-fueled final form. Faster attacks, tri-directional blood wave walls, shadow clone illusions, and constant teleport spam. Think Duriel's relentless aggression, but mixed with Astaroth-style magical chaos.

Key Hooks:

No Lorath ally this time.
Faster animation speeds and HP scaling to rival Duriel's difficulty.
Mythic Unique loot table could feature Triune-themed caster pieces or Diablo 4 admissions curse-enhancing Necromancer loot.