Soul Reaver 2 is set in Nosgoth, a fictional land with fantasy elements. The story follows events established in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, where Kain becomes the last surviving vampire after Moebius tricks him into helping destroy the vampire race and the Pillars of Nosgoth.

By the time of Soul Reaver, Kain rules as a despotic emperor and the land is on the brink of collapse. Raziel is executed by Kain, resurrected by the Elder God, and sent to seek revenge. Kain later lures him through a time portal into Nosgoth’s past.

In Soul Reaver 2, history is immutable and all are subject to predestination, except Raziel, whose paradoxical destiny can alter events. The game opens with Raziel arriving 30 years before Blood Omen and encountering Moebius, and the story also explores periods 100 years after and 500 years before Blood Omen.