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Yet Another Diablo 2 Guide (Yes, that is the real name): Version .1
By Roland Carlos (RCarlos)
E-Mail: rollins31@hotmail.com
Ah, my return to guide writing. Sorry if I seem a little bit sentimental, but
i've been out of it for so long. Anyways, it seems that Diablo 2 is a very
popular game, so I think i'll come back with a bang. A Diablo 2 guide. I'll be
writing this guide as I go through the game, so bear with me. I'll update it as
I see fit.
Table of Contents
1 - Introduction
2 - Version Updates
3 - Author Notes
4 - Controls List
5 - Differences from Diablo
6 - Game Basics
- Shrines
- Items
- Weapons/Armor
- Monsters
7 - The Characters
- Amazon
- Barbarian
- Necromancer
- Paladin
- Sorceress
8 - Character Skills/Spells
- Amazon
- Barbarian
- Necromancer
- Paladin
- Sorceress
9 - Quests
- Act 1
- Act 2
- Act 3
- Act 4
10 - Lists
- Prefixes/Suffixes
- Uniques
- Set Items
- Monsters
- Shrines
- Gems
11 - Multiplayer
12 - Thanks
13 - Legal Junk
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1. Introduction
---------------
The year was 1996. Blizzard had released the acclaimed Diablo. It was a
revolutionary entry into the role-playing genre. Not only did it have excellent
graphics and great gameplay, it won over many fans with its game engine.
Claiming that no game was ever the same, that was true. Dungeon levels were
randomly created, as well as the quests you undertook in your journey. This
gave the game a much greater replayability then the usual role-playing game.
Taking place after the conclusion of the first Diablo, Diablo 2 invites players
into a much bigger world. While the hero of Tristam did emerge triumphant in
defeating Diablo from the labyrinth, he did so at great cost to their own
well-being. After the celebration, Diablo takes over the hero's body and
wanders the world now, as the Dark Wanderer.
The forces of hell are aligned with Diablo and his brothers. Chaos and terror
ensue in the Dark Wanderer's path. The Rogue Monastery is overtaken and the
Sisterhood of Rogues is broken up. A city in the desert, Lut Gholein, finds
itself under attack from the desert and its own sewers. And Tristam, the town
is now a former shadow of its old self, utterly destroyed.
And now salavation may come again. A new hero has come to right the wrongs left
by the minions of Hell. They will fight many battles and travel long distances.
But in the end, the final objective of this trip is to stop Diablo, once and
for all.
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2. Version Updates
------------------
9/8/00 - Version .1: Started the Unique Item List.
8/22/00 - Version .09: Back after my vacation. Necromancer skills up, and a
Amazon vs. Barbarian part to the Multiplayer section. Fixed the gem table (the
addition sign was the problem).
7/20/00 - Version .08: Added the Gems list and the Paladin's skills. Important
Author's Note.
7/18/00 - Version .07: Added the Paladin and Sorceress to Characters, added the
Monsters in game basics, added the Unique item notice in the Uniques list.
7/17/00 - Version .06: Added the Amazon's skills.
7/16/00 - Version .05: Added the shrines, items, and weapons/armor sections to
the game basics.
7/14/00 - Version .04: Finished up on the set items (thanks for the all the
submissions).
7/12/00 - Version .03: Finished up all the quests.
7/8/00 - Version .02: A few more tidbits up. Finished up Act 1 Quests as well
as my Barbarian info. Started on Act 2. Also added the shrines, the control
list, a few more characters and some set items to tide ya over for awhile.
7/4/00 - Version .01: Happy 4th of July. This is the earliest version of the
guide, with the introduction, my notes, some Barbarian info, and a few of the
Act 1 quests up.
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3. Author's Notes
-----------------
Well, not much yet. But i'm going through the game myself, so you'll have give
me some patience if your waiting for a lot of updates. I get my info as the
game presents it, so whenever I get something new, i'll put it up.
No, sadly, I wasn't a beta tester for the game, so I don't have any beta info
(even if you need it).
Hopefully in later versions of the guide, I will get more information up. This
is just a quick preview of what is to come.
A few people asked personally where I am in the game. Far enough. (Just call me
Sir :)
If you want to help or contribute to this guide, by all means, please! Send
an offer (or the info you want to contribute) to the email in the top of this
guide. Thanks in advance.
Oh yeah, praise email will ALWAYS be read :)
I usually play Diablo 2 a lot on single player, but I like to converse and
play multiplayer every once in awhile. Look for any character with the account
"Rollins". On the USWest Realm, I play with my Amazon, DizzyLizzy. On the
USEast Realm, I play with my other Amazon, Dragonablood. Say hey to any of em
if ya see them. (Get a free gem if ya mention my guide! Well...maybe.)
On my vacation, I visited the Phillppines. Run across a local mall there (like
Greenhills if ya are from the Phillppines). Some of the Network Gaming places
offer Diablo 2 on TCP/IP games. They are great fun if you need a quick game to
play. I had a great time myself playing Diablo 2 at Greenhills.
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4. Controls List
----------------
Basic Game Controls:
Esc - Toggles the Esc menu on/off and exits other menus
Left Mouse Button - Performs "smart" actions depending on the situation:
-Click on a spot on the ground to go to that spot.
-Click on a monster to attack it using the skill currently assigned to
the Left Mouse Button
-Click and HOLD on a monster to attack it repeatedly until you release
the button, or the monster is dead.
-Pick up/drop items from/onto the ground, inventory or belt.
-Operate shrines, doors, and chests.
-Interact with the NPCs (talk, trade, gamble, hire, and imbue)
Right Mouse Button - Performs "smart" actions depending on the situation:
-Use the skill currently assigned to the Right Mouse Button a selected
target.
-Drink a selected potion.
-Activate a scroll or tome.
Arrow Keys - Scrolls the automap.
Configurable Game Controls:
H - Toggles the Help screen.
A (or C) - Toggles Character Attributes screen on/off.
B (or I) - Toggles Backpack Inventory screen on/off.
P - Toggles the Party screen on/off.
M - Toggles the Message log on/off.
Q - Toggles the Quest log on/off.
Enter - Opens/closes In-Game Chat overlay.
Tab - Toggles the Automap on/off.
Home - Centers the Automap (if Numlock if OFF).
T - Toggles Skill Tree screen on/off.
S - Toggles mouse button Skill button overlay on/off.
F1 through F8 - Readies (or sets) the associated Left or Right Mouse Button
Skill. Set by opening the Skill menu then place your cursor over the skill you
wish to assign to a hotkey. Press the desired hotkey while the cursor is still
over the skill icon.
~ - Toggles a belt than 1X4 open/closed.
1, 2, 3, and 4 - Uses the item in that belt slot.
Ctrl - Hold down to run.
R - Toggles auto-run mode on/off.
Shift - Hold down while clicking a mouse button to use that skill while
standing in place.
Alt - Highlights all items dropped on the ground.
Spacebar - Cancels all above screens and overlays to return to gameplay.
Numeric Keypad - Voice communication (turn NumLock ON for the following)
0 - Player character says "Help!"
1 - Player character says "Follow me."
2 - Player character says "For you."
3 - Player character says "Thanks."
4 - Player character says "Sorry!"
5 - Player character says "Bye."
6 - Player character says "Die!"
Mouse wheel up - Scrolls up thru all hot-keyed (F1-F8) skills in the Right
Mouse Button slot.
Mouse wheel down - Scrolls down thru all hot-keyed (F1-F8) skills in the Right
Mouse Button slot.
N - Clear text messages.
Print Screen - Save the screen to your D2 directory as "screenshotX.jpg".
Z - Toggle all party member portraits on/off.
--------------------------
5. Differences from Diablo
--------------------------
--------------
6. Game Basics
--------------
Shrines:
Shrines are still around in Diablo 2, but now they are a lot easier to figure
out what they do. Names like Health Shrine and Resist Fire Shrine are better
than Eldritch Shrine and Weird Shrine. Certain shrines also can be used again
(over time) so you can use their benefits over and over. The shrines now don't
directly interfere with your stats. Now shrines either provide bonuses or
health/mana refills.
Most of the shrines do provide positive benefits. So you don't have to worry
about getting in trouble from using one. Players will use the shrines to their
immediate benefits, health shrine when they need it, experience shrine right
before they get into a lot of fighting, gem shrine when they need an upgraded
gem. However, when you reload a game all the shrines will have changed into
different types (other than health and mana shrines, which will stay where they
were the last time you loaded the map).
You may also run across wells in your travels. Wells are very useful since they
give you health, mana, and stamina bonuses. You can use wells as long as there
is some water in it. Wells also refill faster than most shrines, so you can
rely on wells as good sources of health recovery.
Items:
There are a variety of items in Diablo 2 that are not combat equipment. Gold is
no longer placed directly in the inventory. You've been provided with a bag
that holds all your gold without taking any space in your inventory. If you
want to drop or deposit (more on deposit a bit later) gold, click on the gold
pieces in your inventory screen. The amount of gold you can hold is dependent
on your level, the higher your level, the more you can carry.
Gems are somewhat rare, but you will find a few of them during your quests.
While some common enemies do drop them, you find the majority of gems as
rewards from defeating big boss enemies. Gems come in five different grades,
chipped, flawed, normal, flawless, and perfect. The better the grade, the more
powerful the effect of the gem. There are also seven types of gems: amethyst,
diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire, skull, and topaz. While gems can be sold for
a bit of money and hold a lot of trading power, the best use for gems is to
place in socketed items (discussed in weapons/armor). Gems cannot be bought
from NPC merchants.
Since every class now learns different things than the each other, scrolls are
needed. The town portal spell has been converted into scroll form and identify
scrolls still exist. You can find scrolls all over, from chests or monsters,
but NPC merchants also sell scrolls. Scrolls can be placed into tomes for
storage purposes. Each tome can hold up to 20 scrolls. Its a lot better for
inventory to use tomes if you plan to carry a lot of scrolls. You don't need
identify scrolls as much since Cain provides it for free. But town portal tomes
should always be in your inventory. You never know when you need a quick escape
back to a safe haven.
Potions are the staple for your survival. You should never head into battle
without having at least filled up with healing potions when you were at town.
Healing potions come in five types: minor, light, normal, greater, and super.
Early on, you can only buy the lower types of healing potions, but as you
progress, you can buy better and better potions. However, super healing potions
are only found, not bought. Mana potions cannot be bought and are always found.
They also come in the five types like the healing potions. A big change from
the first Diablo is that health and mana regeneration is not instant. You will
have to wait for awhile for the full effects of the potion. You can keep track
of the healing on the health/mana orbs. Rejuvenation potions do provide instant
healing, but you have to find them or make them with the Horadric Cube. There
are two types of rejuvenation potions, normal and full. You can place healing,
mana, or rejuvenation potions in your belt for quick hotkey use.
There are also non-healing potions in the game. Stamina potions can be bought,
or found. They are white in color and provide an instant refill to your stamina
bar. Stamina potions are useful when you need more stamina to keep on running.
Thawing potions provide an instant cure to being frozen. They are yellow and
again, can be bought. Antidote potions are black in color and remove the poison
status. Antidotes can be bought. Stamina, thawing, and antidote potions can be
placed in the belt for quick hotkey use.
In Diablo 2, there are also offensive potions. They come in two types,
explosive and poisoning. Explosive potions are thrown and create an explosion
wherever the potion hits. There are three types of explosive potions:
fulminating, oil, and exploding. As the grade of explosive potions goes up, the
explosion gets larger and the damage done is more. Poisoning potions are also
thrown and create poison clouds which poison any enemies that get hit by the
cloud. There are three types of poisoning potions: rancid gas, choking gas,
and strangling gas. As the grade of poisoning potions goes up, the poison
length is longer, as well as the damage done. You can buy most of explosive and
poisoning potions. Explosive and poisoning potions have to be equipped into
your left or right hands. Then you'll have to use the Throw attack to use the
potions.
You can place most items in your private stash, which holds items and gold for
you. This provides a storage place for items which you don't need at the
moment, but maybe later on. You should place gold in the stash so you can avoid
big gold losses when you die in battle.
Weapons and Armor:
You'll always want a weapon to kill with and armor to protect you. Weapons come
in a variety of types, such as daggers, axes, swords, and bows. Usually the
weapon class does not matter, but some class abilities do take the weapon class
into effect (such as the poison dagger skill which needs an equipped dagger, or
the Barbarian's weapon masteries). Some weapons can be equipped with one arm or
two arms. You may have a choice, but you may be forced to equip it in a certain
way.
Armors protect your body. Helmets for your head, gloves for your hands, boots
for your feet, belts to help hold more potions. Shields now have a sucessful
blocking rate, to see how much of a chance you can block an enemy's attack.
The body armor also comes in a variety of types, getting better in defense as
it gets tougher.
Weapons and armor all come with durability ratings. You may find damaged,
crude, or cracked versions of items. This negative prefix usually means the
item has lowered durability, or damage/defense. Sometimes you may also find
superior versions of items. This gives a bonus to durability, damage/defense,
or attack rating for weapons. Weapons and armor also come with strength,
dexterity, and (sometimes) level requirements. You'll have to fulfill all the
needed requirements in order to even equip a weapon or armor. You will get a
visual warning if a weapon or piece of armor is getting low in the durability
area. You should head back to a repairer to get the equipment fixed up back to
full. If a weapon or armor hits zero durability, the weapon or armor will
become inactive (but not broken completely, thankfully). In order to use it,
you have to repair it.
Weapons and armor names are also found in different colors. White is the normal
standard color. Nothing special. A dark gray name means the weapon or armor is
socketed. This means you can place a gem into one of the gem sockets, giving
the weapon or armor special properties. Blue highlighted names signify a
magical weapon or armor. When identified, they usually have a few magical
properties to them. A yellow highlighted name is a rare item. Think of rare
items as pumped up magical items. A rare item will have a lot of magical
properties to it. They also sell for a lot more than blue highlighted items.
A green highlighted item is an important item, even if you don't use it. Green
equipment means that that equipment is part of a set of items. If you are able
to collect a whole set of a set item group, you gain a powerful bonus as well
as the bonuses the individual set item pieces give you. Most people are not
patient enough to kill monsters for set items and they usually trade for them.
Finally, uniques are in a dark gold color. People mix up rares with unique
items. Unique items have a much darker shade than rares. Uniques are much
harder to get now, due to the additions of rare and set items. But still, the
uniques have a lot of powerful properties and you should be thankful if you
get one, even if you don't use it.
From easiest to hardest to get: Normal, socketed, magical, rare, set items, and
uniques.
Monsters:
There's still a lot of them poking around. And there are a lot more types than
in the last Diablo. You got your standard zombies, skeletons, and goblins. But
now you have your cat people, bone mages, and fetishes. Well, the battle to
fight the Lord of Terror wasn't expected to be easy.
Monsters are everywhere, in the wild, dungeons, caves. And you get your
experience from killing them, so you'll want to kill as many as you can.
Normal monsters have their names highlighted in white. You should watch their
health bar to see how much more damage they can take before they die.
If a monster has any special abilities, it will be in white type below the
monster's white bar.
Sometimes you may run across a monster with a blue highlighted name. This is a
champion, a tougher type of a certain monster (if the champion's name was
"Zombie Champion", it would basically be a beefed up zombie). A champion has
more hp, does more damage, but also gives out bigger rewards. You'll usually
find champions in a small group of 3 or 4. Be warned that they are more
dangerous so you should be careful when fighting them.
Other monsters will have dark yellow tinted names which signifies a unique
monster. They are always surrounded by minion monsters. While minion monsters
are not as powerful as champion types, they are a bit tougher than the usual
regular type of a monster. Its always a good idea to take out a unique
monster's minions before going after the unique monster themselves. Be warned,
unique monsters have special abilities, such as "Extra Fast" or "Spectral Hit".
Extreme caution should be taken before fighting unique monsters.
At the end of each Act, there is a powerful boss. These are the most powerful
enemies you will ever face, so you may have to use specific stratgies to take
care of them. You'll find them in the Act walkthroughs.
-----------------
7. The Characters
-----------------
Amazon - The Amazon is the expert at ranged and thrown weapons. You'll want to
use her with such weapons like the javelin, throwing knives, crossbows, and bow
and arrows. She is the best transition character to Diablo 2 from former Diablo
rogue players. Of course, she is better than old rogue in many ways. She can
enchant her bolts or arrows with magical properties that can do such things as
give them an elemental attribute, or even fire multiple arrows/bolts from one
shot. The javelin and spear skills can infuse the javelin with more power and
for both uses, when thrown, or used in melee combat. The Amazon also has access
to magic with can slow missile attacks, create a copy of herself, or even make
a powerful valkyrie to aid in battle. In addition to that magic, her passive
abilties helps to deal extra damage and avoid attacks easier.
You are an Amazon if: Safety first! You'll fire from far away and if they want
to fight they'll come to you. Of course, you have a few tricks up your sleeve
if they do come close.
Barbarian - This character likes to get their hands dirty. If you were a fan
of the warrior from the first Diablo, the Barbarian should be the best fit for
you. Early on, they possess great strength and vitality, so many early level
monsters will be easily handled by the Barbarian. He is usually suited to melee
fighting, but can be made deadly with thrown weapons. He can back up close
combat with Combat Skills (which give him powerful special attacks), toughen up
himself with Combat Masteries (which can raise his power in a weapon, or even
raise some of his own stats), and he can use Warcries when needed (which affect
enemies, as well as friends in various ways).
You are a Barbarian if: You love fighting hand to hand. Heck, you don't need
no spells. Give you a sword and a shield, your set for the day.
Necromancer - The Necromancer isn't the best suited for fighting hand to hand,
so he prefers to use his unholy abilities for holy uses. The necromancer
specializes in command of the undead, so he can raise skeletons from corpses,
create golems, or even turn monsters against their own with his powers. He can
create a powerful army to do his bidding. However, he also has good command
over the powers of poison and bone which will either kill the monsters, or at
least poison them enough that they will die. And his variety of curses will
inflict monsters will various ailments, be it they take extra damage, become
blinded, or even turn fellow monsters of the victim. Truly, he is a force to
be feared.
You are a Necromancer if: A job is better done when someone else does it, and
you get credit. But you can hold your own if it needs your personal touch.
Paladin - A holy warrior of light, the Paladin has no problem lending some of
his own bonuses to fellow allies. He is more of a front line fighter, so you'll
be using powerful weapons and strong armor with him. The Paladin possesses
several Combat skills which he can use to directly damage or kill enemies.
While his Combat skills are very useful, he is best known for his offensive and
defensive auras. He can pass his auras on to nearby friends, so if the Paladin
is getting an attack bonus, or free healing, his friends are also getting the
same attack bonus or healing. He can either crush enemies with his powerful
attacks or assist friends in doing the same objective.
You are a Paladin if: One of good qualities is your charitiable nature. But if
somebody crosses you, they'll pay in one way or another.
Sorceress - The Sorceress is the master of the magics of the world. She has
command of powerful Cold, Fire, and Lightning spells. While you can focus on
a single type of spell, a Sorceress who has knowledge in all spell areas is one
to be feared. Being able to attack an enemy with a variety of spells is always
a good bonus. However, once the Sorceress gets access to high level spells,
monsters will be quickly killed and you won't really need all those old spells.
She is mana drainer, so mana potions will have to be hoarded. If she does run
out of mana, she'll be hard pressed to fight off monsters, as her physical
attacks are subpar compared to other classes. A Sorceress must always be
prepared for anything.
You are a Sorceress if: You never could out fight an enemy, but you could
always freeze, toast, or shock them into nothingness.
--------------------------
8. Character Skills/Spells
--------------------------
Amazon:
Javelin and Spear - This section of the Amazon's skill tree mainly focuses on
the javelin and spear weapon classes. The abilities here will give the
javelin and spear attacks special powers, such as lightning or poison
enchantment. Some of the abilities work for the melee attacks, some for the
thrown attacks. But all are important if you choose for your Amazon to fight
mainly with javelins and spears.
Jab: You can learn this from the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
This Amazon ability allows the Amazon to attack a target enemy multiple times
with her javelin or spear. The multiple attacks mean extra damage, but early on
the damage done is actually lessened. After you've put a few points into this
skill, the damage dealt becomes a bonus, instead of a penalty. A very useful
attack in the early levels. As it grows in skill levels, it gains more damage,
the attack rating for the attack goes up, and the mana cost rises.
Power Strike: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
Power Strike adds a bit of lightning damage to your melee attack. This will
deal extra lightning damage in addition to the main melee attack. This skill
gets very useful in the later levels as the lightning damage dealt increases.
Use this when you need to do more damage than usual (for example, Unique
monsters). As it grows in skill levels, the attack rating goes up, lightning
damage dealt goes up, and the mana cost rises.
Poison Javelin: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
An excellent Amazon skill which adds poison to the thrown javelin attack. In
addition to hurting the target enemy and poisoning it, the poison javelin will
leave brief poison clouds in its path, also poisoning any enemy which touches
it. Very useful for poison multiple enemies. As it grows in skill levels,
the poison damage goes up and the mana costs rises.
Impale: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 3 mana. Must have learned Jab.
Using this ability will cause the Amazon to do a more powerful melee attack.
However, this is at the cost of the weapon's durability, causing you to repair
the equipped weapon more often than usual. If you want to use this is your
personal choice, some people find Power Strike does the job better. Just
remember you cannot used zero durability weapons, so you may find yourself
without a weapon if you use this ability too many times. As it grows in skill
levels, the attack rating goes up and weapon durability cost goes up.
Lightning Bolt: You can learn this at level 12. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Poison Javelin.
An excellent addition to the Amazon's thrown javelin abilities. When you throw
a javelin which this ability, the javelin will turn into a lightning bolt,
lighting the path as well as doing lots of lightning damage to the target. Even
though the mana cost does begin to sap a lot of mana in the higher skill
levels, the high lightning damage done is worth it. As it grows in skill
levels, the lightning damage dealt goes up and the mana cost rises.
Charged Strike: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Power Strike and Lightning Bolt.
When you use this ability, lightning will go off around your character, causing
damage to any enemies that get hit by the charged bolts. Its usefulness is
lessened at longer ranges, since the charged bolts tend to miss enemies far
away. This ability is useful at close range as it is much easier to hit
enemies when they are close up. As it grows in skill levels, the damage dealt
goes up and the mana cost rises.
Plague Javelin: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Lightning Bolt.
Basically an upgrade on the poison javelin. The mana costs are higher, but for
good reason. Like poison javelin, the thrown javelin leaves poison clouds
behind it and also poisons the target enemy. But in addition to that, the
javelin creates a sort of poison explosion, making multiple poison clouds
around where the javelin landed. It is possible to even poison more enemies
than with poison javelin. As it grows in skill levels, the poison damage dealt
goes up and the mana cost rises.
Fend: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 5 mana. Must have learned Impale.
Very useful when you become surrounded by enemies. Fend allows the Amazon to
attack all nearby enemies with her melee attack. It also gives a bonus to the
attack rating and damage dealt, so you can quickly take down more enemies. You
should save this for when you face overwhelming numbers. As it grows in skill
levels, the attack rating and damage dealt goes up.
Lightning Strike: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Charged Strike.
A very powerful attack for the melee attacking Amazon. When you hit a monster
with this skill, chain lightning will attack other nearby enemies to your
first target. This ability can quickly kill a large group of enemies as the
lightning can take care of enemies your not currently fighting. Take care to
watch your mana if you plan to use this a lot, you may quickly run out,
espcially in the later skill levels. As it grows in skill levels, the
lightning bolt and lightning damage goes up, you gain an extra lightning bolt,
and the mana cost rises.
Lightning Fury: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Plague Javelin.
The thrown (and more damaging) version of Lightning Strike. As you throw the
javelin with this ability, it turns into lightning, causing lightning damage to
the target. Also, lightning is spread to the other nearby enemies from the
target, causing extra damage to them as well. It is much easier to kill enemies
with this ability than with Lightning Strike (since you don't have to get in
the enemies face), but watch how many javelins you have left and your mana.
Just like Lightning Strike, this costs a lot of mana for an Amazon. As it grows
in skill levels, the lightning bolt and lightning damage goes up, you gain an
extra lightning bolt, and the mana cost rises.
==================
Passive and Magic - This is the only part of the Amazon skill tree that does
not focus on a class of weapons. However, this is maybe the most important
section of the Amazon skill tree. You can easily increase the chances for your
Amazon's survival with skills such as Evade and Avoid. The Amazon can also use
skills such as Critcal Strike to deal extra damage to the enemy. There are even
a few good suprises you can find.
Inner Sight: You can learn this from the beginning. Costs 5 mana.
With Inner Sight, enemies affected by it have sparkles over their heads.
Enemies will give off a bit more light when affected, so you can see a bit more
of the area. But the more important part of this skill is that it also
decreases enemy defense. Enemies will lower defense are enemies that you can
kill a lot easier. Use this whenever you come across a hard enemy. As it grows
in skill levels, the length of the effects rises and the enemy defense penalty
goes up.
Critical Strike: You can learn this from the beginning. Passive.
A must-have skill for any Amazon. Critcal Strike is passive, so it is always
active, which is very beneficial for you. The more skill points you put into
Critical Strike, the higher your chances of dealing extra damage to an enemy.
And well, extra damage is NEVER a bad thing (when you do it of course). You
will want to always put a few points into this skill. As it grows in skill
levels, the chance of doing extra damage goes up.
Dodge: You can learn this at level 6. Passive.
Dodge is another passive skill, so this is always in effect. With Dodge, your
chances of avoiding an enemy attack goes up. There are a few requirements to
this skill however, you have to be standing still and it has to be a melee
attack. Still though, this is another excellent passive skill. You could always
as much help as you can get. As it grows in skill levels, the chance of
avoiding a melee attack while not moving goes up.
Slow Missiles: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 5 mana. Must have learned
Inner Sight.
While this is not a very useful skill in single player, it may be shine in
multiplayer. What Slow Missiles does is slow attacks from ranged enemies. This
basically makes them easier to handle since your not getting pounded by arrows,
fireballs, or whatever as much. Most Amazon usually use ranged attacks, so it
might not be worth it to put a lot of points in Slow Missiles. However, if you
run across a hard bunch of ranged monsters (maybe a Unique ranged attacker with
its minions), Slow Missiles might get some use then. As it grows in skill
levels, the length of the effect goes up.
Avoid: You can learn this at level 12. Passive. Must have learned Dodge.
Similar to Dodge, this increases your chances of avoiding a ranged attack.
While its somewhat easy to that (just move out of the way), you may need it
when your busy with another enemy and some ranged attacker is pinging you from
behind. You still will want to put some points into this skill, just not as
much as Dodge (and later on, Evade). As it grows in skill levels, the chance
of avoiding a ranged attack increases.
Penetrate: You can learn this at level 18. Passive. Must have learned Critical
Strike.
With Penetrate, your attack rating for ranged attacks will go up. This works
with Critical Strike, so when you have enough points in both these skills, you
have a better ranged attack rating and a chance to do extra damage. If you
choose to be a melee Amazon (not that unusual, some Amazon opt for other
weapons), this may not be useful at all. But if your one who uses bows,
crossbows, or thrown javelins, this is one of those required skills. As it
grows in skill levels, the attack rating for ranged attacks goes up.
Decoy: You can learn this at level 24. Mana cost is variable. Must have learned
Slow Missiles.
What Decoy does is create a duplicate of the Amazon. This is very useful when
you need to distract enemies away from your real self. However, the decoy will
not attack, so it is only useful for drawing attention away from yourself.
In addition to a Mercenary, this will confuse a lot of enemies and leave you
unbothered to kill them. The decoy will only last for a few seconds (at least
until you put a lot of skill points into it), so use the time wisely. The mana
cost is also very high, but it lessens as the skill level goes up. As it grows
in skill levels, the length of the decoy rises and the mana cost lowers.
Evade: You can learn this at level 24. Passive. Must have learned Avoid.
The third in the set of missing enemy attack skills, the special property of
Evade is that you have a chance of avoiding attacks while moving. Basically
you can cover all the bases when this skill is in effect, you avoid attacks
when standing still and attacks when moving. This is more useful when you have
to run by a few enemies, but if you usually run into a clearings, you might
want to put more points into Dodge and Avoid. As it grows in skill levels, the
chance of avoiding attacks while running goes up.
Valkyrie: You can learn this at level 30. Costs 25 mana. Must have learned
Decoy and Evade.
Using Valkyrie creates a person to fight for you. Basically think of her as a
mercenary you can create for mana. However, she is more powerful than most
mercenaries, as she possesses more hp and has attack and defense bonuses. She
does not possess the extra abilities (such as cold or fire attacks) most
merecenaries have, but she can hold her own in battle. At the very least, she
also is another distraction for enemies, so using her in addition to Decoy will
leave you free from enemy attacks. As it grows in skill levels, the life of
the Valkyrie, her damage, attack rating, and defense bonuses will go up.
Pierce: You can learn this at level 30. Passive. Must have learned Penetrate.
With Pierce, you have a chance of hitting multiple enemies with one attack.
However, it will also pass on to your special attacks as well. So while this
is a good bonus to your normal attack, special attacks may end up hitting the
wrong target. As it grows in skill levels, the chance of the attack passing
through an enemy goes up.
================
Bow and Crossbow - With this section of the skill tree, you can enhance the
attacks of your bows and crossbows. Giving them an additional fire or cold
attack is always a good thing. You can even attack multiple enemies with a
single shot. You should consider big development with this skill if you decide
to stay with a bow or crossbow.
Magic Arrow: You can learn this at the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
This is a staple skill for the beginner player (to Diablo 2, not just to the
Amazon class). Most early players don't stock up on arrows enough, so if they
don't pick them up or buy them, they will run out eventually. Magic Arrow will
create an arrow out of mana, giving you a fighting chance, even if you don't
have any bows or bolts in your inventory. It also gives a minor damage bonus.
The mana cost is very low (it eventually gets into the decimals and later on
becomes a free skill!) and it also never misses the target. While you may want
to use this skill early on, you should stock up on arrows for other more
powerful abilities later. As it grows in skill levels, the damage bonus goes
up and the mana cost lowers.
Fire Arrow: You can learn this at the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
Another skill useful in the early levels. Fire Arrow enchants the fired arrow
with fire, so it deals normal and fire damage to the target enemy. Good
against weak enemies, but you'll pass this up for more powerful skills later
in the skill tree. As it grows in skill levels, the fire damage dealt goes
up and the mana cost rises.
Cold Arrow: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
Very useful arrow skill. When an enemy is hit with the Cold Arrow, it take
extra cold damage and turn blue. While the enemy is blue, they will move slower
and attack slower as well. You can use this to take care of a powerful enemy.
You can even use this skill in escape, run a bit, fire at the chasing enemy in
order to gain more ground. As it grows in skill levels, the cold damage dealt,
length of freezing and mana cost goes up.
Multiple Shot: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable. Must have
learned Magic Arrow.
An excellent skill for monster crowd control. Each time you fire an arrow with
Multiple Shot, it will turn into extra arrows. So with only one arrow, you can
get a whole bunch. The extra arrows will hit extra enemies, so you can easily
kill enemies in a group. This will keep you from having to focus solely on one
enemy, while the others move toward you. As it grows in skill levels, the
amount of arrows fired goes up and the mana cost rises.
Exploding Arrow: You can learn this at level 12. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Fire Arrow and Multiple Shot.
Another good crowd control skill, this time you'll take it out from the inside.
When the exploding arrow hits, an explosion will be created around the target
area, causing fire damage to any enemy hit by it. Use this when you become
faced by a large group of enemies. As it grows in skill levels, the fire damage
dealt goes up and the mana cost rises.
Ice Arrow: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must have
learned Cold Arrow.
Like Cold Arrow, this deals extra cold damage to an enemy. But unlike Cold
Arrow, this will freeze an enemy directly, stopping them in their tracks. A
frozen enemy is very easy to take down since it can't fight back. Also, if you
can kill an enemy while it is frozen, it will shatter and leave no corpse (very
useful when an enemy can revived). The frozen time is very brief so make good
use of it. As it grows in skill levels, the cold damage dealt, the frozen time
and mana cost goes up.
Guided Arrow: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must have
learned Cold Arrow and Multiple Shot.
Guided Arrow is basically a homing missile. When you fire an arrow with Guided
Arrow it will automatically track the nearest enemy, even if they are not in
the usual straight line of the arrow. The arrow will even move itself in order
to hit an enemy. You'll use this when you need to blindly fire into a room to
just can't seem to get a steady lock on a quick enemy. As it grows in skill
levels, the mana cost rises and the damage dealt goes up.
Strafe: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 11 mana. Must have learned Guided
Arrow.
Strafe fires multiple arrows like Multiple Shot, but will attack any enemies on
screen, no matter where they are. This allows you to damage any number of
enemies even if they are on the top or bottom of the screen. You can only
damage a certain number of enemies per each skill level, so for the really
large groups, you'll have to put a lot of points into Strafe. As it grows in
skill levels, the damage dealt goes up and the number of enemies attacked goes
up.
Immolation Arrow: You can learn this at level 24. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Exploding Arrow.
The Immolation Arrow does a whole lot of damage. First, you deal the normal
damage with the fired arrow. Second, you deal extra fire damage to the targeted
enemy. Third, it will create an explosion, dealing damage to any enemy which
is hit by it. Fourth, the explosion creates a fire which will burn for a time,
hurting any enemy which stands in it. You can easily kill a single enemy and
quickly hurt other enemies in a group. A must-have for high level Amazons. As
it grows in skill levels, it deals extra explosion and fire damage, the length
of the fire goes up, and the mana cost rises.
Freezing Arrow: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Ice Arrow.
An upgrade of the Ice Arrow, but also costs more mana. It will freeze the
target enemy but also will freeze enemies near the target. This allows you to
stop a good number of enemies by freezing them in their tracks. The extra
damage dealt is also a good bonus, so you can hurt enemies to near death. A
mercenary or Valkyrie can take care of the frozen enemies while you hit them
with Freezing Arrows. As it grows with skill levels, it deals extra damage and
the mana cost rises.
==========
Barbarian:
Combat Skills - These mainly help in combat. They are mostly powerful attacks
that give more damage than usual. You'll want to use these skills when you want
something dead. And quick.
Bash: You can learn this from the beginning. Costs 2 mana.
This attack deals a powerful blow to a monster which deals additional damage
and knocks the target back a bit. You'll want to use this when you need a bit
of breathing space. As it grows in skill levels, it gains more damage, more
attack rating and more damage bonus.
Leap: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 2 mana.
This skill does not do any damage (not yet anyway), but is useful in getting
around. This lets the Barbarian jump around. He can jump over objects and
enemies as well. If you do land near enemies, this does not hurt them, but does
push them away a bit. As it grows in skill levels, you gain more length in the
jump.
Double Swing: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 2 mana.
If you have a weapon wielded in each hand, this is the skill for you. When
used, you will swing both weapons at the same time causing extra damage. This
is very useful for strong monsters, as repeated Double Swings with chop it down
quickly. As it grows in skill levels, the attack rating goes up.
Stun: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 2 mana. Must have learned Bash.
When you use this skill the enemy will be stunned. This will freeze the enemy
for a few seconds and allow you to run, fight other enemies, or just hit it
unopposed. A good tactic is to keep using stun on an enemy and freeze it over
and over. As it grows in skill levels, the attack rating and length of the stun
raises.
Double Throw: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 2 mana. Must have learned
Double Swing.
Like Double Swing, this will throw two weapons at the same time. This only
works if you have a thrown weapon in each hand. This is useful only if you are
a big thrown weapon user. If not, you should not use many points in this skill.
As it grows in skill levels, the attack rating goes up.
Leap Attack: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 9 mana. Must have learned
Leap.
Basically an upgrade on Leap. With this version of it, you can jump farther
(when you compare equal levels to Leap) and do an attack when you land (with a
damage bonus). However, this does cost more mana, so you should only use this
for jumping in and out of battles. For casual jumping (like over rivers or to
other platforms), regular Leap is recommended. As it grows in skill levels, the
jumping length and damage bonus goes up.
Concentrate: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 2 mana. Must have learned
Stun.
A very useful skill when surrounded by enemies. With Concentrate, your attack
will not be stopped by an enemy hit. So you can focus more on hacking your way
through a group of monsters. Of course, you will still take damage, but at
least you can quicken the pace of getting outta there. It also gives a small
bonus to your attack and defense rating. As it grows in skill levels, the
attack rating and defense rating goes up.
Frenzy: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 3 mana. Must have learned Double
Throw.
Facing a tough champion or unique monster? Frenzy is the way to go. As you hit
a monster with the Frenzy attack, the next attack will be faster. It will keep
getting faster and faster until the monster is either dead, or you move onto
another monster. This is useful as this will quickly kill a tough monster,
provided you can hit it (it does not gain in speed for a miss).
As it grows in skill levels, the length of the Frenzy bonus and the attack
rating go up.
Whirlwind: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. Must have
learned Leap Attack and Concentrate.
This is literally a whirlwind. Click on where you want to go and the Barbarian
will go there, attacking monsters in a whirlwind along the way. This is a quick
way to get through a whole bunch of enemies blocking you, as this will chop
them down to size quickly. However, in the first few skill levels of Whirlwind,
the damage bonus is actually a penalty! So, until you get to level 5 in
Whirlwind, you do less damage in Whirlwind. Afterwards, you start to do extra
damage. As it grows in skill levels, the mana cost, damage bonus, and attack
rating go up.
Berserk: You can learn this at level 30. Costs 5 mana. Must have learned
Concentrate.
Using this skill gives the Barbarian a quick attack rating and magic damage
bonus. So this is useful when you need every bit of help you can in killing
monsters, as you have a better chance of hitting them. But be warned, as you
add points into this skill, the duration of Berserk goes down. As it grows in
skill levels, the attack rating and magic damage bonus go up, but the length
of the Berserk goes down.
================
Combat Masteries - The weapon masteries increase the usefulness of weapon
classes greatly. However, due to the lack of skill points out there, you should
usually focus on one weapon art mainly. Most tend to use swords, so sword
mastery is a good choice. However, it is your choice to what weapon class you
want to use. The other skills in this set help with increasing certain aspects
of the Barbarian, such as Stamina and Defense.
Sword Mastery: You can learn this from the beginning. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for sword class weapons.
Axe Mastery: You can learn this from the beginning. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for axe class weapons.
Mace Mastery: You can learn this from the beginning. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for mace class weapons.
Polearm Mastery: You can learn this at level 6. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for polearm class weapons.
Throwing Mastery: You can learn this at level 6. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for throwing class weapons.
Spear Mastery: You can learn this at level 6. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for spear class weapons.
Increased Stamina: You can learn this at level 12. Passive.
As you put points into this skill, you gain percent bonuses to your current
stamina total. This is useful if you do a lot of running, as it raises your
stamina total greatly when more points are put into it.
Iron Skin: You can learn this at level 18. Passive
As you put points into this skill, you gain percent bonuses to your current
defense total. Obviously, this is useful, as it keeps you from dying. You can
never have enough defense.
Increased Speed: You can learn this at level 24. Passive. You must have learned
Increased Stamina.
As you put points into this skill, you gain percent bonuses to your current
walking/running speed. The percent bonus is only a little bit each level, so
you may have to put a lot of points into this skill, if you really need the
extra speed. You'll want this if you need a quick retreat, or a quick way to
catch those coward enemies.
Natural Resistance: You can learn this at level 30. Passive. You must have
learned Iron Skin.
As you put points into this skill, you gain percent bonuses to your resistances
from magical attacks (fire, cold, lightning, poison). This is very useful. Many
of the monsters in the last parts of the game have specialized elemental
attacks. Having a resistance to it can decrease the damage you take from that
monster and make it easier to take down.
========
Warcries - These abilities of Barbarian directly affect other creatures. Some
of them disable monsters, some help friends. But they are all useful in their
own ways. Some of these Warcries can even turn the tide of battle in your
favor, affecting a whole army of monsters.
Howl: You can learn this at the beginning. Costs 4 mana.
When you feel like the odds are entirely against you, Howl will change them in
your favor. Using this ability will send monsters affected by it running away.
This will allow you to chase them down by themselves, fight less monsters, or
if needed, run away. As it gains in skill levels, the enemy will run farther
and for a longer time.
Find Potion: You can learn this at the beginning. Costs 2 mana.
Not one of my personal favorite Barbarian abilities. Find Potion will allow you
to search dead monster bodies for any potions. However, it only gets really
useful after the percange goes up (which means you'll need to waste points with
this skill). This skill is too low for much use in the beginning, and you'll
have enough money to buy potions later on. As it gains in skill levels, the
chance of finding a potion will increase.
Taunt: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 3 mana. You must have learned Howl.
You won't be using this skill too often, but it has it uses. The only time I
use it is when there is a whole bunch of monsters, and I want to pick them off
one by one. I use taunt to have them follow me around so I can kill them.
Luckily, this also lowers the damage and accuracy of the enemy. Not the most
useful warcry, but you'll use it every so often. As it gains in skill levels,
the enemy suffers more of a damage and accuracy penalty.
Shout: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 6 mana.
A very useful Warcry. With Shout you gain a defense bonus for as long as the
Shout is in effect. Use this whenever you are facing a tough bunch of monsters.
And its use is even better in Multiplayer, as it also affects fellow party
members close enough. A must for every big battle. As it gains in skill levels,
the defense bonus and length of Shout will increase.
Find Item: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 7 mana.
This Warcry works on the same principle as Find Potion. You can search a dead
monster corpse to see if it has any item. What you find is completely random,
it could be gold, equipment, scrolls, etc. Again, the percentage of finding
something is too low in the early levels, so this requires a lot of developing
in order to be very useful. As it gains in skill levels, the percentage of
finding something will increase.
Battlecry: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 5 mana. You must have learned
Taunt.
This Warcry will lower the defense and damage dealt of any monster affected by
it. Battlecry quickly lowers the power of a large group of enemies, making them
easier to kill, at less risk to yourself. You'll want to add points to this, so
you can affect the enemies more and to avoid reusing over and over, wasting
mana. As it gains in skill levels, the defense and attack penalty suffered by
the enemy grows, the length of Battlecry increases.
Battle Orders: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 7 mana and some of your
life. You must have learned Shout.
This will give you a bonus to your life, stamina, and mana for as long as it is
in effect. However, this means you'll have to sacrifice some of your life in
order to use it. So you'll have to give a little, to get a lot. You'll use this
when you need just a little bit of life to keep on going. Don't use this during
battle. You need all the life you can get. This also will affect people who
hear this in multiplayer (but at no cost to them, so this is a very useful
multiplayer ability). As it gains in skill levels, the life, stamina, and mana
bonus grows, as well as the length of the bonus.
Grim Ward: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 4 mana. You must have learned
Find Item.
When you have monsters chasing you and your stamina is running out, use this
ability. You can use the dead corpse of a monster to erect a sort of force
field for you. Monsters will not enter the field created by the corpse totem.
This allows you to get a quick breather, heal up, or use a town portal. As it
grows in skill levels, the size of the force field will grow.
Warcry: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. You must have
learned Battlecry and Battle Orders.
This is the only Warcry which will directly damage enemies. This also means
this the highest costing Warcry as well. Any monsters that get caught in the
Warcry will sustain damage and be stunned for a brief period. You will want to
put a lot of points into this skill. Soon enough, you'll be able to kill
enemies with Warcry, or at best, get them near death and stunned. However, the
mana cost goes up with each level, so make sure to have mana potions if you
plan to use the skill reguarly. As it gains in skill levels, you will deal more
damage, stun the enemy longer, and Warcry will cost more mana.
Battle Command: You can learn this at level 30. Costs 11 mana. You must have
learned Battle Orders.
An excellent ability to use. While its use is somewhat limited in single
player, this shines in multiplayer. With Battle Command, you will gain one
skill leve in every skill you've learned. This also means party members who
can get in the effect of the Warcry. You should have all your party members
get in a circle around you before you use this ability, to get as much out of
it as you can. I would keep adding this points into this ability if you
regularly play in multiplayer. If your a single player, don't ignore this
ability completely, you just won't be using it as much. As it gains in skill
levels, the length of effects will grow.
============
Necromancer:
Summoning Spells - Most likely, the Necromancer's claim to fame is because of
his ability to take skeletons from corpses, create golems, or when he becomes
experienced enough, make dead monsters do his bidding. It is a very powerful
weapon as your monsters will take it upon themselves to damage enemies. Most
Necromancers delve a little bit into this part of their skill tree. Usually,
all your need to build up your army is a dead body and some mana (for
skeletons and revived monsters). Or if you like golems, all you need are some
mana. There are different types or skeletons and golems you can revive, so if
you plan on using summoned monsters, you can only mainly focus on one type, or
spread your skill points around all types. Its your points and your choice.
Raise Skeleton: You can learn this from the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
Early on in the game, you'll be relying on skeletons for your main attack
force. Since the necromancer doesn't have too many weapons at his use in the
beginning, the skeleton is a good ally. Not only does it deal damage, it can
also distract the enemy. This allows you to move around the enemies and hit
them from behind. Skeletons are also easy to create, all you need is a dead
body. Because of this, most Necromancers will have skeletons with them. If they
don't, they either are focusing on curses or poison/bone spells. As you advance
on, you should rely more on golems, as they are stronger and can take a lot
more damage. Sadly, only putting points into Raise Skeleton will only allow you
to make more skeletons. If you want more powerful skeletons, you also have to
put points into Skeleton Mastery. This makes raising skeleton levels in order
to keep track with the current enemy level a very costly choice. If you plan to
focus on skeletons, try to find a weapon which gives you a bonus to Raise
Skeleton or Skeleton Mastery. As it grows in skill levels, the number of
skeletons you can make goes up and the mana cost rises.
Skeleton Mastery: You can learn this from the beginning. Passive. Must have
learned Raise Skeleton.
If you plan on becoming a big skeleton user, you'll be coming to this skill
often. With this skill, you can give your skeletons life and damage bonuses.
It will also improve the missile damage of your skeleton mages and give
life/damage bonuses to revived monsters. You may end up pumping more points
into this skill then you first planned, since keeping your skeletons strong
enough to combat the stronger monsters is a hard task. Because of this, you'll
either have to waste many points with this skill and Raise Skeleton, or rely on
other sources of damage such as golems, curses, or poison/bone spells. As it
grows in skill levels, the bonuses to skeleton and revived monsters life/damage
and the skeleton mage missile attack rises.
Clay Golem: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
The golems are the big daddies of the necromancer's summoning weaponry. They
clearly surpass the skeletons in life and damage. However, unlike skeletons
you cannot make more than one of them at a time. But, you don't need a dead
body to create a golem, so its a lot more easier to make them if your on the
run. Golems are a natural upgrade from skeletons, its a good idea to make your
usual skeleton army and place a powerful golem in the middle. This will easily
kill lone enemies and damage (if not kill) groups. If you need a new golem
right away, you can make one, but it will destroy your current one. You should
only need to make new golems if your old one is about to die. As it grows in
skill levels, the damage golem's life, damage dealt, and mana cost rises.
Golem Mastery: You can learn this at level 12. Passive. You must have learned
Golem.
Similar to Skeleton Mastery, this skill upgrades your golems. Again, if you
plan on being a big golem user, you are required to put skill points into here
if you want to be succesful. It is not as useful as the Skeleton Mastery, since
it only provides life and speed bonuses (the speed bonus stays very small and
never gets above 33%). If you want to add damage to your golem, you'll have to
add skill points to that golem skill directly. However, you can give your golem
very big life bonuses very early, so you should put some points into this
skill. It will increase the use of your golems, avoiding major mana waste. As
it grows in skill levels, the life and walk/run speed bonuses go up.
Raise Skeletal Mage: You can learn this at level 12. Mana cost is variable. You
must have learned Raise Skeleton.
Surely you've encountered the annoying bone mages by the time you reached level
12. (Either that or you really like leveling up early). In any case, now you
can create those skeleton mages and annoy your enemies. Not only do they get
the same bonuses from Skeleton Mastery like your regular skeletons, but they
get more starting life as well ranged elemental attacks. This means that they
can attack from far away and hit their enemy with fire, cold, electric, or
poison damage. And yes, the cold damage will freeze the enemy, the poison
damage will poison the enemy. Also, skeleton mages are counted on a different
total to your regular skeletons, so you can have a lot of skeletons and
skeleton mages (limited to however many points you put into those skills).
Skeleton mages are more useful than your regular skeletons, so if you do plan
on staying a skeleton user, you should focus on skeleton mages more than your
regular kind. As it grows in skill levels, the number of skeleton mages you
can make goes up and the mana cost rises.
Blood Golem: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. You must
have learned Golem.
Another type of Golem (one of 4), the Blood Golem is the second in the line of
golems. While more expensive than regular golems, they also deal a lot more
damage when compared to equal skill level clay golems. However, their life
totals have an interesting quirk to them. They share life with you, so in
essence, they are connected to your life total. This means if they take a hit,
you'll feel it. You don't get the usual distraction protection that golems
provide, because its basically like your fighting in the front lines. So if
your blood golem dies, you'll take a lot of damage. Luckily, if your blood
golem gives out damage, you can take life away from your enemy. So your blood
golem can either be a good advantage to have, since you can easily gain life
against lone enemies. Or your blood golem will be your doom since it will
easily fall against groups of monsters. A good strategy whenever your blood
golem gets surrounded is to create a clay golem. This will destruct your blood
golem and give you a fresh golem. As it grows in skill levels, the healing
percent bonus from dealing damage, the damage dealt by the golem, and the mana
cost rises.
Summon Resist: You can learn this at level 24. Passive. You must have learned
Golem Mastery.
This passive skill is a good bonus to your summoned creatures. It is the only
skill which affects all summoned monsters (skeletons, golems, revived
monsters). As you add points to this skill, your monsters gain extra resistance
to all elements (fire, cold, poison, and electric). So, this adds to your
monsters survival, allowing them to take a little bit more damage. If you plan
to be a big user of summoned monsters, you should be willing to invest in this
skill, as monsters later in the game tend to focus on the elements. As it grows
in skill levels, the resist all bonus goes up.
Iron Golem: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 35 mana. You must have
learned Blood Golem.
The third type of golem, this golem as has the requirement of needing a piece
of equipment to create from. So, you can't create this anywhere you want,
you'll need some sort of weapon or armor on the ground to make it from.
However, you can easily create a special kind of golem, depending on the item.
If you make your Iron Golem from a good piece of armor (say a field plate for
example), your Iron Golem most likely will have a good amount of defense (as
well as an HP bonus). Basically, your Iron Golem will take the properties of
the item you make it from. If the item has a fire damage bonus, the golem will
have a fire damage bonus. And on top of all that, the Iron Golem also has the
Thorns Aura, dealing extra damage to the enemy (the Thorns Aura deals damage
back to the enemy). You'll need to get to level 2 for it, but the Thorns damage
is very high, so it is very much worth it. As it grows in skill levels, the
Thorns Aura damage grows.
Fire Golem: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. You must
have learned Iron Golem.
The last type of golem you can create, the Fire Golem is one of the better
types. Unlike the Blood Golem, it doesn't share life with you, and you don't
need an item for it like the Iron Golem. So you can make the Fire Golem
whenever you want, the only requirement being mana. The Fire Golem is very
expensive mana-wise, and it only gets more expensive as the skill levels go
up. However, the Fire Golem can deal the most damage, and has the highest
normal life totals (the only higher is an Iron Golem made from very good
armor). But, you'd guess the Fire Golem has something to do with fire. And yes,
while the Fire Golem does not deal fire damage, it can absorb fire damage,
basically nullifying parts of fire elemental attacks. Even from its first
level, the Fire Golem can take a 1/3 of a fire attack with no damage. If you
find yourself facing powerful fire enemies (Diablo comes to mind), a Fire Golem
is the perfect fit. Just beware of the high mana costs at the later levels. As
it grows in skill levels, the damage dealt, fire damage absorb percent, and the
mana cost rises.
Revive: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. You must have
learned Raise Skeletal Mage and Iron Golem.
So you've defeated a really hard enemy? Don't waste the corpse on a skeleton!
Use that dead body for your own army! Revive allows you to take a monster's
dead body and have them fight for you. Know, they will only survive for 3
minutes before dying away again, so get all the use out of them you can. And
like skeletons, you can only have a certain number around. They only get a
certain amount of HP back, so don't expect them to be tanks like your golems.
However, if you revive a monster like a Vampire or Undead Horror, you'll know
why they were so hard to kill. Plus, they get bonuses from Skeleton Mastery, so
you may find yourself going back to that skill a few times. Note, you can't
revive Unique monster corpses. As it grows in skill levels, you can raise more
monsters, your raised monsters get more life, and the mana cost goes down.
======================
Poison and Bone Spells - This set of the Necromancer's tree will deal with your
favorite topics, poison and bone. While there are good direct damage spells
(Bone Spear, Bone Spirit), you can't forget about the poison part of the
equation. You can easily poison your enemy with Poison Nova or Poison
Explosion. However, there are some very good defensive spells, such as Bone
Armor and Bone Wall. The best mix of offense and defense can lead to good use
from these spells.
Teeth: You can learn this from the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
An early direct damage spell for the Necromancer, teeth will create flying
teeth which damages any enemy it hits. Teeth will fly through one enemy and hit
another behind in its path. As you invest more points into this skill, you can
also fire more teeth. While the damage is good in the beginning, it is gets to
be too small as you advance in the game, so don't rely on this skill too much.
As it grows in skill levels, you can fire more teeth, the teeth deal extra
damage, and the mana cost rises.
Bone Armor: You can learn this from the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
If you choose to get your hands dirty directly with your Necromancer, Bone
Armor may be a required spell. It basically gives your Necromancer a brief
shield from the enemy attacks, allowing you to hit back without fear of being
quickly killed. Necromancers that often get into battle close up with enemies
may need to invest many points in this skill. You can take a lot more damage
as the Bone Armor gets more skill points. As it grows in skill points, you get
more protection from Bone Armor and the mana cost rises.
Poison Dagger: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
Only worry about using this skill if you plan to be a dagger user. Note,
throwing daggers don't count. As the name states, you'll do poison damage, but
you'll need a dagger. If you hit an enemy with this attack while wielding a
dagger, you will poison them. The amount of damage and length of time depends
on the skill level of Poison Dagger. Obviously, if you don't like daggers (most
Necromancers may be using a wand instead), this skill is useless. If for
nothing else, put a point in this skill for later skills. However, the poison
damage is very good and the length long, after a few skill points. It is up to
you if you want to use this skill. While powerful, it forces you to use a
dagger. Of course, you could just have a dagger on standby for whenever you
want to use the skill. As it grows in skill levels, the poison damage and
length goes up, the attack rating bonus grows, and the mana cost rises.
Corpse Explosion: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable. You
must have learned Teeth.
This is probably the best weapon in the Poison and Bone skill tree. With Corpse
Explosion, you can kill one monster, use its corpse to kill other monsters, use
those corpses to kill other monsters, and so on. The only worry is mana, but
smart players will have plenty of mana potions. A pair of Necromancers showed
me a very effective combo, Amplify Damage and Corpse Explosion. With this, you
can basically breeze through the early parts of the game. Any good Necromancer
will have some points in this skill, as it may be the most damaging move of the
Necromancer's attacks. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the explosion
and the mana cost rises.
Bone Wall: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 17 mana. You must have learned
Bone Armor.
Bone Wall should only be used in extreme cases when you really need something
else to distract the enemy. Frankly, I think skeletons and golems do the job
better. But Bone Walls are pretty long and do have a good lasting rate. But any
good group of enemies (any group your running from anyway) should be strong
enough to break the wall down in seconds. I could see a use for this maybe when
you have no stamina, but still, if you need to run, use a town portal scroll
instead. Better gold than skill points. As it grows in skill points, the life
of the Bone Wall goes up.
Poison Explosion: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 8 mana. You must have
learned Poison Dagger and Corpse Explosion.
If your a fan of poison damage, this is a natural step. Since you have the
patience to let poison do its work, Poison Explosion is a good way to spread
your poison clouds. Kill an enemy and explode the corpse into poison gases.
The poison damage done is very good and the time isnt too shabby, but you'll
want to add points to lengthen the time. You can't Poison Explosion corpses
over and over like with Corpse Explosion, but if you have a tightly packed
group, you may want to use Poison Explosion to weaken em before they come to
you. As it grows in skill levels, the poison damage and length goes up.
Bone Spear: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. You must
have learned Corpse Explosion.
The first direct damage spell after Teeth, if you liked Teeth, you may like
this spell too. While more expensive, it does the same piercing through enemy
quality like Teeth did. However, you can't throw multiple Bone Spears, so
you'll have to be more careful with your aim. While very good against single
enemies, if you can line your enemies up in a line, Bone Spear can take em down
quickly. The damage is very good towards the later levels of the skill, but if
you don't like direct damage, you can stay with Corpse Explosion and your
summoned creatures. Or save those points for Bone Spirit later on. As it grows
in skill levels, the damage dealt and mana cost rises.
Bone Prison: You can learn this at level 24. Mana cost is variable. You must
have learned Bone Wall and Bone Spear.
Think a more direct Bone Wall. Casting this spell on an enemy will trap them in
a bone cage, basically trapping them for 48 seconds (the duration of the spell)
or until they can break through it. The only use I could see for this spell is
when your facing a Unique and his minions, its very handy to trap a Unique
monster so you can focus on getting rid of those annoying minions. Otherwise,
its too specific for any good use. As it grows in skill levels, the life of
the Bone Prison goes up and the mana cost goes down.
Poison Nova: You can learn this at level 30. Costs 25 mana. You must have
learned Poison Explosion.
The biggest poison spell out there, casting Poison Nova will emit poison bolts
all around the necromancer, poisoning any surrounding enemies. The poison
damage and length is the largest and longest (when compared to equal skill
levels of Poison Dagger and Poison Explosion), so this is the best spell for
you poison fans. However, the mana cost is very high, so multiple uses of this
spell may leave you mana empty. Still, the damage and length cannot be
overlooked, if you love poison, this will become your favorite spell. As it
grows in skill levels, the poison damage and length goes up.
Bone Spirit: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. You must
have learned Bone Spear.
Still with the direct damage bone spells? Well, this is what you've been
waiting for. Sadly, Bone Spirit will not damage multiple enemies, but it will
home in on your targets. Think homing missiles. It will fly away from you and
hit the nearest enemy with good amounts of damage. If you plan on staying with
direct damage bone spells, this may be best choice. The mana cost is moderately
tolerable (as low as 12 mana to 20 max). The damage is insane in the later
levels, so you can ping away at enemies with Bone Spirit while your golem hacks
away at them. Still, it only works on single enemies, so don't rely on it for
taking down your large groups. As it grows in skill levels, the damage dealt
and mana cost rises.
======
Curses - While none of the Curses will directly damage enemies, they will
however, affect the enemies in a variety of negative ways. From the basic
Amplify Damage which makes enemies take extra damage to later, more advanced
Curses which will weaken, confuse, or slow down enemies. And that's only a
sample of the havoc Necromancer Curses can do on monsters. With the right
Curse, any group of monsters can be easily handled.
Amplify Damage: You can learn this from the beginning. Costs 4 mana.
This Curse may be your standard Curse before any big battle. Dealing extra
damage is always a good thing (well, its good if its dealt to your enemies).
Can't go wrong with dealing extra damage. Cast this on a group of enemies. Any
which have the orange dot over their heads are affected and an easy target.
Mana cost for this skill is also very reasonable so you can do repeated
castings as needed. While lending an attack bonus to your skeletons and golems,
the best combo would be to Amplify Damage a group of monsters, Corpse Explosion
a nearby corpse. If not killing the whole bunch of them, it should severely
weaken them. As it grows in skill levels, the radius and length of the effect
grows.
Dim Vision: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 9 mana.
This skill can basically nullify some enemies completely. Enemies affected by
the Curse cannot see past them. If used on ranged attackers, you can stop them
from attacking (since they can't see, they cannot aim). Other monsters will
slow or stop in their tracks, allowing your minions to pick them off. While it
sounds nice, I find that Amplify Damage is a better choice. You may want to use
Dim Vision if facing a big group of ranged attackers. But otherwise, you may
want to use other Curses. As it grows in skill levels, the radius and length
of the effect grows.
Weaken: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 4 mana.
The other side of Amplify Damage. Instead of dealing extra damage, you take
less. I like Amplify Damage better than Weaken, you should only use Weaken if
your surrounded by the enemies. Better to take less damage when your on the
defense. However, its better to take the enemies down faster with Amplify
Damage, than let them live longer with Weaken. As it grows in skill levels, the
radius and length of the effect grows.
Iron Maiden: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 5 mana. You must have
learned Amplify Damage.
Basically the Thorns Aura for the Paladin, in the handy Necromancer Curse form.
However, not as useful as Thorns, since you'll have to recast for each new
enemy group. But still, a very good aura. Even from level 1, you'll give back
double the damage to your enemy that they give to you. And this also counts for
whoever the cursed enemy attacks, be it you or a summoned monster. So they
whack themselves to death when they hit your golem. While the radius never
grows, the damage returned does, so it only gets better with skill points. I
shiver at the damage dealing when you use this Curse with a friendly Paladin
Thorns Aura. Eew, messy cleanup, that's for sure. As it grows in skill levels,
the damage returned percent and length of effect goes up.
Terror: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 7 mana. You must have learned
Weaken.
Instead of having to run from the enemies, they'll run from you. Hrm. I guess
that's an okay effect. I think its better to take things into your own hands
and run away with your own feet. Maybe if your gonna be surrounded all around
you would use this. But still, if you have an open avenue, take it, instead of
using this skill. And I have no idea why you would use this if your on the
attack. If anything, it will draw more monsters as your golem and skeletons
follow the running monsters. One skill point is enough for this. As it grows
in skill levels, the length of the effect goes up.
Confuse: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 13 mana. You must have learned
Dim Vision.
Actually, I like this Curse a little bit. Its fun to see enemies hack away at
fellow enemies. Of course, some enemies can see through it and still attack you
or your summoned monsters. But the majority will start attacking their own
kind, leaving you time to retreat or lay down more offensive spells. This is a
better retreating spell than Terror, at least you can do a little bit of damage
before you leave the battlefield. As it grows in skill levels, the radius and
length of the effect goes up.
Life Tap: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 9 mana. You must have learned
Iron Maiden.
If you need to gain some life back, this may be one of the best ways (other
than potions, of course). Enemies which get cursed by Life Tap will give life
back to whoever hit them. Its always half of what you deal, so depending on how
much damage you do, it may be a little or a lot of life. While Necromancers
usually don't get into the thick of battle, the Life Tap bonus will also work
for summoned monsters and allied multiplayer friends, so you can heal your
allies with this Curse. Either way, this is the only healing spell the
Necromancer has (no, I don't count Blood Golem). As it grows in skill levels,
the radius and length of the effect goes up.
Attract: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 17 mana. You must have learned
Confuse.
Again, another skill which sounds good on paper. Make a monster become a target
of other monsters? Yeah, but you can't use this on Unique or Boss monsters. So
you'll only be using this on your run of the mill, normal monsters. Maybe if
you some running time, you can distract the enemy by making one of their own a
target. Monsters will go after whoever is closer, you, or the attracted target.
However, Confuse does the monster vs. monster thing better, so you should only
invest few (if any) points in this skill. As it grows in skill levels, the
length of the effect goes up.
Decrepify: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 11 mana. You must have learned
Terror.
This skill basically slows down enemies, similar to cold/freezing attacks.
However, the length of the effect is very low. At most, you'll only get about 6
seconds. Curses like Life Tap or even Amplify Damage give 8 seconds at their
first level. Its better to use actual cold attacks (get it from special
equipment) than waste mana with this Curse. As it grows in skill levels, the
radius and length of the effect goes up.
Lower Resist: You can learn this at level 30. Costs 22 mana. You must have
learned Life Tap and Decrepify.
A decent Curse, but it may be to specific (and maybe too late) for good use.
Enemies which get cursed will be more hurt by magical attacks, as well as
attacks from the elements (fire, cold, poison, and electric). If you come
across a monster (usually Unique) that is resistant against a certain type, you
may want to use this Curse before you begin your attack on them. Its very good
if you can get rid of one of their strengths. And if you rely on skeletal mages
a lot, you can get more out of their elemental ranged attacks. However, skill
points will get harder to come by at level 30, so you may not have all the
points you wish to invest into this skill. Still, put a few of them in here,
this is still a useful Curse. As it grows in skill levels, the radius, length
of the resist all penalty (as well as the actual penalty) goes up.
========
Paladin:
Defensive Auras - The Paladin, having access to greater powers above can gain
special benefits from certain defensive auras. While a few of them are very
specific in use (Resist Cold and Resist Fire good examples), there are some
which you'll be using all the time (Prayer and Defiance). Also, all of the
defensive auras (except Redemption) will affect other nearby allies (such as
mercenaries or fellow allied players), so they can share in the benefits.
Prayer: You can learn this from the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
Maybe one of the most powerful Defensive Auras and you get it right at the
beginning of the game. When the Prayer aura is active, the Paladin will slowly
regain life over time. If you have a full life orb, this aura does nothing, so
it only shines when you start losing it. This is can ease your dependance on
potions, since you can run away from battle for a bit, slowly regain your
life with Prayer, then jump back in. Watch your mana though, if you run out of
mana, you'll run out of this healing source. You'll also lose mana for healing
allies affected with Prayer, so you may be taking a big mana drain. As it grows
in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows, the healing and mana cost
rises.
Resist Fire: You can learn this from the beginning. No mana cost.
You'll only want to use this aura when you face enemies that use a lot of fire
attacks (Burning Dead, Vampires, for example). The good thing about this aura
is that you get a big fire resist bonus, even from the first skill level. But
it is not worth it to put too many points into this skill since the aura is
way too specific for much use in battle. As it grows in skill levels, the
radius of the aura grows and the resist fire bonus goes up.
Defiance: You can learn this at level 6. No mana cost.
Another excellent defensive aura, this will affect your defense rating. While
in effect, your defense rating will get a percent bonus. Only after you a few
skill levels, you can get a 100% percent defensive bonus! If you don't need
prayer, you should be using this aura in the early levels. More defense means
more chance of surviving, and you can't have too much of that. It also will
affect your friends, so this aura can help those Barbarians in your party, who
have to get into the thick of battle. As it grows in skill levels, the radius
of the aura grows and the defensive bonus goes up.
Resist Cold: You can learn this at level 6. No mana cost.
Very simliar to Resist Fire, just that this will affect your cold resistance.
You should only use this when you need a bit cold resist bonus. But still, it
is too specific for a lot of use, so you should only put a few points in this
skill. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the
resist cold bonus goes up.
Cleansing: You can learn this at level 12. No mana cost. Must have learned
Prayer.
This aura will affect your poison status. While it does give your resist poison
any bonuses, it will lower the duration of the poison effect. While active, the
poison duration will be reduced, according to whatever skill level Cleansing is
at. So, you'll only be using this aura while you are poisoned. This does
nothing while you aren't poisoned. Another example of an aura too specific to
be much of a good use of skill points. As it grows in skill levels, the radius
of the aura grows and poison duration reduction bonus goes up.
Resist Lightning: You can learn this at level 12. No mana cost.
Third in the Resistances Defensive auras, this affects your Lightning
Resistance. As with the others, you'll only use this one when facing lightning
using enemies. Don't worry about putting too many points in this aura, there
will be other better ones to use. As it grows in skill levels, the radius
of the aura grows and resist lightning bonus goes up.
Vigor: You can learn this at level 18. No mana cost. Must have learned Defiance
and Cleansing.
A good aura for speed, as Vigor will increase your walk/run speed, your maximum
stamina and stamina regeneration. While useful for getting around and running
to/from battles, there are better auras to use. You should only use this when
you need that extra speed. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the aura
grows, the maximum stamina, stamina regeneration bonus, and walk/run speed
bonus goes up.
Meditation: You can learn this at level 24. No mana cost. Must have learned
Cleansing.
With this aura, you will receive a bonus to your mana regeneration. You'll only
want to use this one when you need a bit of mana (maybe to use a Combat Skill).
However, the Paladin is not that mana intensive, so you won't need to use this
that much. In a multiplayer game with a lot of magic users though, you should
use this skill if you aren't actively in battle. As it grows in skill levels,
the radius of the aura grows and the mana regeneration bonus goes up.
Redemption: You can learn this at level 30. No mana cost. Must have learned
Vigor.
The Redemption Aura is an excellent way to recover life and mana, if it works.
When this works, the aura will remove a dead enemy's corpse and you can regain
life and mana. However, the percent chance doesn't get very good until the
later levels (it reaches the 50% chance at level 5) so if your willing to use
this aura a lot, you should invest a few skill points into it. It is also a
good way to remove enemy corpses that can be revived. As it grows in skill
levels, the radius of the aura grows, the chance of redemption and hp/mana
recovery goes up.
Salvation: You can learn this at level 30. No mana cost.
This aura is the mix of all the resist auras, cold, fire, and lightning. All
the points you used on the resist auras, you probably wish you could have used
on this one. Plus, the elemental resist is just as much as the resist cold,
fire, or lightning you get from the early skill levels. If you plan to invest
in auras that resist elements, you should stay with this on, and ignore the
others. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the
elemental resist bonus goes up.
================
Offensive Auras - No longer focusing on the protection of the paladin, these
auras will affect the many battles with enemies. They can get as simple as
an damage bonus and hurting enemies with fire to lowering enemy defense and
resistances. These auras are very powerful when used at the right times, so
they can easily change the tide of battle.
Might: You can learn this from the beginning. No mana cost.
This aura gives you an bonus to your damage dealt, so you can get rid of
enemies quicker. The damage bonus is large from the early skill levels, so you
can consider investing a few points into this skill. As early as level 7, you
do double your current damage. Plus, this aura will affect allies, so they will
also do extra damage. This is one of the most useful early auras. As it grows
in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the damage bonus goes up.
Holy Fire: You can learn this at level 6. No mana cost. Must have learned
Might.
While this aura does direct fire damage to the enemy, the damage is very
little. In fact, you can only start to do about 10 damage at the 10th skill
level. Due to this very low damage, you shouldn't invest many (if any) points
at all. You'll probably only invest one point, in order to unlock further
skills on the skill tree. This skill will periodcally hit a nearby enemy with
fire damage. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and
the fire damage dealt goes up.
Thorns: You can learn this at level 6. No mana cost.
A very powerful aura for the early Paladin. When Thorns in use, any damage that
an enemy does will be returned to that enemy, but with much more effect. Even
at the 1st skill level, you will return 250% of damage to the enemy. And the
damage returned grows very quickly in the skill levels, in only a few levels
you'll do 300, 400, 500% damage to enemies. This only works with melee attacks,
magical and ranged attacks do activate thorns. As it grows in skill levels,
the radius of the aura grows and the damage returned goes up.
Blessed Aim: You can learn this at level 12. No mana cost. Must have learned
Might.
The second offensive aura that helps allies. Blessed Aim works with your attack
rating. You should only consider putting points into this skill if you have a
very low attack rating. Check your chance of hitting an equal level monster in
your stats screen. If its above 80% you probably won't need this aura that
much. This will also affect allies, so if they have poor attack ratings, maybe
you should consider turning this aura on for them as well. As it grows in
skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the attack rating bonus goes
up.
Concentration: You can learn this at level 18. No mana cost. Must have learned
Blessed Aim.
If your playing a single player paladin, you should consider using this aura
instead of Might. With Concentration, you get a damage bonus like Might, but
you also have a chance of having your attack uninterrupted allowing you to
attack even if you've been hit. But the damage bonus is greater with
Concentration than in Might. However, this does apply to fellow allies, so only
you gain the benefits. If you play alone, this is a better choice than Might.
But its multiplayer usefulness is very limited. As it grows in skill levels,
the attack bonus goes up.
Holy Freeze: You can learn this at level 18. No mana cost. Must have learned
Holy Fire.
Simliar to Holy Fire, this will affect enemies directly. You would think that
this does cold damage, but this is not the case. Holy Freeze will slow the
enemies down, but do no damage. This freezes multiple enemies, so this is very
useful when you need to slow the pace of battle. But freezing only lasts so
long and there are better offensive auras. As it grows in skill levels, the
radius of the aura grows and the percent of slowdown goes up.
Holy Shock: You can learn this at level 24. No mana cost. Must have learned
Holy Freeze.
The lightning version of the direct damage offensive auras. This will deal
lightning damage to a nearby enemy over time. Again, the damage is somewhat
low, but it gets greater over time. The damage dealt is better than Holy Fire
(you can deal about 10 damage at skill level 4), but to get to the big
lightning damage you have to invest a bit of skill points. As it grows in
skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the lightning damage dealt goes
up.
Sanctuary: You can learn this at level 24. No mana cost. Must have learned
Thorns and Holy Freeze.
The purely anti-undead offensive aura. This will deal damage to nearby undead
monsters (much greater damage than with Holy Fire or Shock) as well as prevent
them from touching the Paladin. If you go exploring in an area full of undead
monsters, this will be your best bet to get in and out safely. Be warned, this
nothing against live monsters, so make sure to switch to better auras when
needed. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the
damage dealt to undead goes up.
Fanaticism: You can learn this at level 30. No mana cost. Must have learned
Concentration.
A decent aura, but not the best by far. With Fanaticism, you gain a little
attack speed and attack rating bonus. The attack rating bonus is not as good
as the bonus from Blessed Aim, so you should only use this aura if you need an
attack speed bonus. This will pass on to allies, so you can pass on the faster
attack speed to them. But the attack spped bonus if very small, even at the
later levels. It might not be worth investing heavily. As it grows in skill
levels, the attack speed bonus and attack rating bonus goes up.
Conviction: You can learn this at level 30. No mana cost. Must have learned
Sanctuary.
This aura directly affects the enemies with a defense and resistances penalty.
So any enemy within the radius of the Conviction aura will be easier to kill
and more hurt by elemental damage. You can get more damage out of your of
weapons. While this is basically the flip side of the Might Aura, you get more
out of your elemental attacks. Its your choice. As it grows in skill levels,
the radius of the aura grows and the defense and resistances penalties go up.
==============
Combat Skills:
Sacrifice: You can learn this from the beginning. Costs 8% of your life.
This skill gives you a powerful attack with increased attack rating and damage.
However, each time you use this skill, you lose a bit of life. So repeated uses
will eventually bring you to near death. You should save Sacrifice for taking
down a big enemy when you are willing to risk the life loss. As it grows in
skill levels, the attack rating and damage dealt bonus goes up.
Smite: You can learn this from the beginning. Costs 2 mana.
A somewhat limited Combat Skill, Smite will bash the enemy with your equipped
shield. So if you don't have an equipped shield, you can't use this skill.
With Smite, you can hurt the enemy with an damage bonus, push them back, and
stun them for a brief time. While sometimes useful, Smite is too hard to use
in group battles and you'll always need a shield. However, if your facing a
tough enemy, the push back and stun can eventually kill them over time. As it
grows in skill levels, the stun length and damage dealt bonus goes up.
Holy Bolt: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
An undead specific damage skill, you can use this to also heal allies. The
damage dealt from a Holy Bolt does more damage than with the Sanctuary aura.
So if you need to take out a specific undead monster, the holy bolt is useful.
But the Holy Bolt is also a way to directly cure a friend. You can use this on
merecenaries to heal them up, or multiplayer friends who just need a bit more
life to keep going on. As it grows in skill levels, the damage dealt and
life healed goes up and the mana costs rises.
Zeal: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 2 mana. Must have learned
Sacrifice.
Zeal allows the Paladin to do multiple hits in a brief period of time. You can
use this both with one or multiple enemies. You can quickly kill an enemy in
a few hits, but this will also hit many enemies (depending on the skill level).
Multiple Zeal uses can take down a large group and since Zeal is very cheap in
mana, this is a worthwhile skill. As it grows in skill levels, the attack
rating bonus and number of hits goes up.
Charge: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 9 mana. Must have learned Smite.
Another skill which uses your shield. Again, you need to have an equipped
shield to use this skill. You don't need to be close to the target enemy to use
this skill though, with Charge you will run up to the enemy and hit them with
a shield bash. This does more damage than with Smite, but also costs more mana
and doesn't stun them. As it grows in skill levels, the attack rating and
damage bonus goes up.
Vengeance: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must have
learned Zeal.
A very powerful skill, as it will do some sort of extra damage to an enemy no
matter what. A Vengeance attack will do an attack with cold, fire and
electrical properties. Plus, the enemy will become affected with freeze for
a brief time. A very useful attack when an enemy is weak against a type of
attack, it doesn't hurt to add on a bit more damage. As it grows in skill
levels, the length of freeze, elemental damage dealt, and cost of mana rises.
Blessed Hammer: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Holy Bolt.
This will create a hammer and send it flying at the enemy. This will hit
multiple enemies along the way, so you can hurt many of them when they are
bunched up in a narrow path. The hammer does a decent amount of damage, so it
may be useful in certain situations. Do not rely on it all the time. As it
grows in skill levels, the damage dealt by the hammer goes up and the mana
cost rises.
Conversion: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 4 mana. Must have learned
Vengeance.
Conversion will turn an enemy to your side. Each time you use this, you attack
the enemy, so you might end up killing an enemy instead of turning them over.
And the chance of conversion is very low until later skill levels. It lasts for
a decent amount of time, but you'll always find its not long enough for your
tastes. So if you plan to use this, make sure its a powerful enemy. Don't use
this in the heat of battle, if you want to convert, do it on a lone enemy. As
it grows in skill levels, the chance of conversion and the length of
conversion goes up.
Holy Shield: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 35 mana. Must have learned
Charge and Blessed Hammer.
Holy Shield is another skill that affects your shield. So you need a shield
equipped to use it. It costs a huge amount of mana. However, it lasts for at
least half a minute, even at the first skill level. It gets better with more
skill levels. You get a defensive and chance to block bonus when the Holy
Shield effects are active. So if you use a shield a lot and use auras a lot,
this is a good use of extra mana. As it grows in skill levels, the length of
the bonuses rises and the defense and chance to block bonuses rises.
Fist of the Heavens: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable.
Must have learned Blessed Hammer and Conversion.
This skill will make a lightning bolt that will harm enemies in its path. And
after the lightning hits, it will release multiple holy bolts which will hurt
undead or heal friends (simliar to the Holy Bolt skill). Again, this costs a
lot of mana, so you should converse use of this attack to powerful enemies.
This is also good when fighting large undead groups. As it grows in skill
levels, the holy bolt and lightning damage goes up and the mana cost rises.
Sorceress:
---------
9. Quests
---------
=====
Act 1 - You will start off the first act in the Rogue Encampment. Get to know
it well, this is where you'll be coming back to many time. Basically, this is
your "town" where you can buy things, get healing and tips, as well as quest
help. This is a safe haven, so if you need to retreat, you can run here. (Note:
Poison damage does not stop, even in town).
======================
Rogue Encampment NPCs:
Warriv - He is the person you first talk to when you start the game. He does
not provide an important purpose early on, but when you complete Act 1, he will
offer to take you east (to Act 2). You can find him in the center of camp, near
your private stash.
Kasha - She is the military leader of the Rogue sisters. While she does not
trust outsiders, she has begun tolerate them. However, after you gain her
trust, she will allows you to hire some of the Rogues as an party helper. You
find her just a bit east of Warriv.
Akara - She is the spiritual leader of the Rogue sisters. She is a much more
calmer person then Kasha. While she does sell magical weaponry, scrolls, and
potions, you will want to come to her for the free healing she provides. You
find her in the northeast corner of the camp.
Charsi - She is the blacksmith of the Rogue sisters. She sells various weapons
and armors. She also does sell magically enhanced weapons and armor, but they
are most likely too expensive for you this early. She also does repairing for
your items. You find her in the northwest corner of the camp.
Gheed - He is a merchant who decided to take camp with the Rogues instead of
risking his life in the wild. He also sells weapons and armors. But his
speciality is "Gamble" which will allow you to buy unidentified (but very
expensive) equipment. Do so at your own risk, you might end up paying for
worthless equipment. You find him in the southwest corner of the camp.
Deckard Cain - He is the leader of the ruined Tristam as well as the last
living Horadrim mage. He only appears in the camp after you save him. He will
give excellent advice on quests, as well as identifying any items in your
inventory for free. He appears in the center of camp, near Warriv.
==================
Quest: Den of Evil
To activate: Talk to Akara.
Reward: An extra skill point for your skill tree.
This is an easy quest to start off the game. You may want to run around in the
Blood Moor to gain some experience. Feel free to run back to camp as much as
needed for healing and repairs. After you feel that you can handle this quest,
search the Blood Moor for the entrace to the Den of Evil (if you haven't
already found it). If you meet up with a rogue named Flavie, you have gone too
far. She warns you that the next area is too much for your level. You can c
hoose to go on, but it will delay you from finishing the quest. First things
first.
Once you find the Den of Evil, enter. You'll find yourself in a cave. Go
through the cave and kill all the monsters you find. If you find groups of
Fallen, make sure to take out any nearby Fallen Shamans (they will revive the
Fallen you've killed, wasting your time) first. Also, make sure to watch out
for the unique zombie somewhere in the cave (Corpse Fire). Meeting up with him
may be hard, as he is backed up by many "minion" Zombies. Make sure to take
them out first, to avoid being surrounded. When the amount of monsters in the
Den of Evil reaches 5, you will get an update to your Quest Log. Finish off the
last five monsters. The Den of Evil will now shine with light. Run back to the
Rogue Camp and talk to Akara. You will get another skill point for your
troubles.
Quest: Sisters' Burial Grounds.
To activate: Talk to Kashya, after finishing the Den of Evil quest.
Reward: A Rogue mercenary, as well as the ability to hire new ones from Kashya.
Right after you help Akara, Kashya will have a quest for you. She will talk
about the raising of dead in the Monastery Graveyard. Nothing new there. The
Graveyard is in the Cold Plains. If you have no idea where that is, go back to
where Flavie is. She'll be more accepting in letting you through. Beware, there
are new monsters to contend with, such as Dark Rogues and groups of Fallen.
Hopefully, near the entrance to the Cold Plains, there should be a waypoint
nearby. Activate this, so you can quickly retreat to the Rogue Encampment for
quick healing and repairs. Search around until you find the entrance to the
Burial Grounds.
It is a small area, but very deadly to the unwary player. Kill as many of the
zombies and skeletons as you can. That will help a bit, but be warned, Blood
Raven is nearby and can raise new undead monsters. Run around the fence until
you find an open exit. You don't want come in the wrong way, through many
enemies. As you reach the center, you will find Blood Raven.
You shouldn't focus on the little zombies. But if they become a problem, start
hacking them down. But mainly, stay with Blood Raven. Try your best to avoid
her arrow shots. If she starts running, run after her. Make sure you have a
town portal. Her fire attack can hurt you quickly. If your healing potions run
out or are too slow, catch a breather. If your into melee fighting, try and
force her against a wall, or in a corner, then hack away. If you use spells or
ranged weapons, fire back, but run around every so often to avoid her attacks.
When she is defeated, she'll explode into a bright light, and kill all the
nearby undead monsters. Grab the treasure she drops and head back to town.
Talk to Kashya and get a Rogue mercenary. She will also allow you to hire new
ones. However, if you are up for some extra fighting, go back to the Burial
Grounds. In the north and south sides of the Grounds are entrances to the Crypt
and Mausoleum. While there are a lot of monsters in here (as well as some
Unique ones), there is a special glowing chest at the end which gives you
a lot of gold and special equipment. The treasure is worth it to venture down.
Quest: The Search for Cain
To activate: Talk to Akara after finishing the Sisters' Burial Grounds quest,
or find the Tree of Inifuss in the Dark Wood.
Reward: Rescuing Cain.
Make sure your prepared for this. You'll do some walking. Go back to the Cold
Plains, but now find the entrance to the Stony Field. You may find the Cairn
Stones along the way, there is nothing you can do with them yet though. Search
around until you find the entrance to the Underground Passageway. The
Passageway is pretty long, so watch out, there are many enemies to contend
with. Once you are out though, you will be in the Dark Wood.
Search for the Tree of Inifuss. You may run across an Unique monster, so be
wary. Take him down. Click on the tree when you find it, you will get the Bark
of Inifuss. Find the Dark Wood waypoint or use a town portal to go back to the
Rogue Encampment. Talk to Akara, and she will decipher the runes for you. She
will give you the correct way to touch the Cairn Stones (the ones in Stony
Field). Go to the Cairn Stones. You have to follow the directions in the scroll
Akara gave you exactly. If you have no idea, just randomly touch stones until
they all glow (I don't think there is any difference). When done, a portal will
appear and a way to Tristram.
Tristram is a very small area, but is swarming with monsters. There are a few
Unique ones running around so watch out. You may end up quickly overwhelmed and
dead. You also may find Griswold walking around. You should save him for last,
as he the hardest monster in Tristram. If you don't feel like fighting the
monsters, run to the center of town and save Cain. Also, on the west side of
Tristram, you can find Wirt's body. Click on it to get his leg as well as whole
bunch of coins.
Cain will save himself, so don't worry. Go back to the Rogue Encampment and
talk with Cain to gain important insight into your journey.
Quest: The Forgotten Tower
To activate: Find the Moldy Tome somewhere in the Stony Field.
Reward: A whole bunch of money.
Hopefully when you were running around the Stony Field, you found the Moldy
Tome. If you haven't, go back and read it. Once you read it, the quest will
become official. Don't count on a lot of help from people in the Rogue
Encampment.
You will find the Forgotten Tower in the Black Marsh area. Just run around
until you find it. The Forgotten Tower is five levels deep and you will fight
a group of champions or unique monster on each level, so be wary. Keep on
pushing down, using town portals when you need healing. The levels are
straight forward, so you should not having trouble finding the way toward the
next level.
When you reach the lowest level (level 5), prepare for a fight with the
Countess. She's a big user of fire and she will use Fire Walls. You'll need to
stay on the case and run around. If you need a breather, run out of the
Countess' room. She will not follow. You may have to hack your way through a
few enemies to get to the Countess. If needed, lure them out in order to make
it easier to reach the Countess. Rush in on the Countess and attack her with
all you've got. Once she's gone and taken care of, help yourself to all the
riches. A great bunch of plundering, I say.
Quest: Tools of the Trade
To activate: Talk to Charsi after finishing the Forgotten Tower quest.
Reward: Charsi will imbue an item of your choice (with some restrictions).
Seems to be no rest for you. Right after hauling that money from the Forgotten
Tower, it seems Charsi will have a quest for you. She left her smithing hammer,
the Horadric Malus, in the Rogue Monastery when she fled from the corruption.
The Monastery is located in the Tamoe Highlands (you'll find the entrance to it
in the Black Marsh). Once you enter, make sure to activate the Outer Cloister
waypoint. You may be using it often. The Monastery is swarming with enemies, so
take them out before you advance on to the Barracks (where the Malus is
located).
When you do find the Horadric Malus in the Barracks, you'll also find a Unique
monster protecting it, The Smith (shades of The Butcher). He is one of the
harder Unique monsters you'll face, so unless you've been advancing levels a
lot, you may find yourself running away. Don't take any chances. Take down the
surrounding monsters first off. Use potions a bit earlier than you need them,
the Smith hits for a bit of damage each time. If you need too, run back to the
waypoint and heal up. The Smith will be at the same life you left him.
Once The Smith is down, grab the Malus and go back to the Rogue Encampment.
Return it to Charsi and she will offer to imbue any item of your choice for
you. Save this ability for the later Acts. You'll most likely end up replacing
your Act 1 equipment in Act 2, 3, and 4. Don't worry, you can always come back.
Quest: Sisters to the Slaughter
To activate: Talk to Cain after you finished the Tools of the Trade.
Reward: Access to Act 2.
The last quest of the Act 1. You will end up delving deeper into the Rogue
Monastery. It doesn't get any easier, so prepare with extra town portal
scrolls. Go back to the Rogue Monastery.
Finish off the Barracks and go into the Jail. The Jail has three levels. One of
the bigger annoyances of the level is that monsters can shoot through the jail
bars at you. While this isn't a big loss for ranged attack users, melee
attackers like the Barbarian will find themselves annoyed quickly.
Pass through the Jail and into the Inner Cloister. You'll meet up with a Unique
monster along the way, so prepare well. Activate the Inner Cloister waypoint,
use when needed. Get through the Inner Cloister to get into the Cathedral. Push
your way through it (you may run across Bone Ash, a unique Bone Mage).
Once past the Cathedral, you will enter the last part of the Monastery, the
Catacombs. You'll face tougher battles, make sure to use that Catacomb Level 2
waypoint. Make sure to get ready for the biggest battle so far. When you reach
the entrance to the Catacomb Level 4, recheck everything. Enough potions? All
your equipment repaired? A town portal ready just in case? If your okay, go
down.
Level 4 is a small one, but has the boss of Act 1, Andariel. Don't go into her
room until you've cleared the other rooms. If she does get out of her room,
prepare your battle strategy. Will you run around and fire at her? Go up to
her, throw caution in the wind and hack away? Or hit and run? Watch out for
Andariel's attacks. She will completely destroy the unprepared low level
player. Andariel's hits will also cause you to affected with poison, so be
prepared with antidote potions or equipment with poison resistance. Most likely
the poison will kill you if Andariel's hits don't. Don't be afraid to run back
to town, you may need to over and over. If you can make the best use of your
character's abilities and have a little luck, you'll be able to get past her
and into Act 2.
=====
Act 2 - Welcome to Lut Gholein, the city in the desert. This is much bigger
than the Rogue Encampment, so don't get confused. Use your automap to find the
people you can talk to from the normal townsfolk. You will start in the south
end of town, in Warriv's caravan. Town portals will be in the northeast part of
town. You can find your private stash in the center of town. If you ever wish
to go back to Act 1, talk to Warriv.
================
Lut Gholein NPCs
Warriv - He kept his promise and took you along with him from the Rogue
Encampment. He doesn't play as big of a role anymore, but you can talk to him
if you want. He provides access back to Act 1 if needed. You can find him in
the south east part of Lut Gholein.
Kaelan - Don't talk to him for conversation. Either he'll be blocking access to
the palace or greeting you as you enter. He does not provide any quest help.
You can find him near the palace in the south west part of Lut Gholein.
Jerhyn - He is the leader of Lut Gholein. Somewhat young, he is very mature and
does he best to keep the city under control in the crisis. He will give
important quest information as well a few quests. Gain his trust and you can
enter the palace. You can find him near the palace in the south west part of
Lut Gholein.
Elzix - A former bandit, he now runs a small inn in town and lives a peaceful
life. He sells some equipment and also provides the Gamble option for you, if
your feeling risky. You can find him in the west part of Lut Gholein.
Griez - Griez is the commander of the mercenary group that protects Lut Gholein
from attack. He has heard of your feats and is willing to let you hire some of
the extra mercenaries for your assistance. You can find him in the north west
part of Lut Gholein.
Drognan - Drognan will fulfill all your magical needs, selling magical wands
and staffs as well as selling scrolls and potions. He is also very knowledgable
of the desert and helps to progress in many Act 1 quests. You can find him in
the north part of Lut Gholein.
Atma - She runs the local public house. However, she has been personally hurt
by the recent invasion of monsters, as she has lost her husband and son to
them. She is a very nice person, in spite of the tragedy. You can find her near
the pub in the north east part of Lut Gholein.
Geglash - A drunken warrior. Not very useful for quests or conversation but he
is known for picking fights. You can find him inside the pub in the north east
part of Lut Gholein.
Meshif - The captain of a ship which has been moored in Lut Gholein. Since the
monster invasion, he has been waiting for the clearance to leave and set sail.
He eventually will be the one to take you across the sea to Act 3.
Lysander - The nearly deaf potion maker. While he does have some good advice,
his main purpose to provide you with potions. You can find him in the center
square of Lut Gholein.
Fara - She serves as a smith to you, repairing any items. She also sells
various types of equipment. Fara also gives free healing when you talk with
her. You'll be coming to her often. You can find her in the center square of
Lut Gholein.
Deckard Cain - He comes with you from the Rogue Encampment determined to help
you in your quest to kill Diablo. He still provides the usual free
identifications and will provide very useful quest information. You can find
him in the center square of Lut Gholein.
======================
Quest: Radament's Lair
To activate: Talk to Atma.
Reward: Book of Skill and the Horadric Scroll.
While everything looks peaceful in the city, below the city, a great evil lurks
in the sewers. People all over the city will tell you to go visit Atma, which
you should do.
Atma will talk about the loss of her husband and son, to a monster known as
Radament. She will plead with you to go down and kill him, to bring some sort
of revenge to their deaths. First off, you have to find the entrance to the
sewers. You can either use the main entrance in the docks area, or use the
trapdoor near Griez.
The sewers are a big area and you may find yourself under attack from all
angles. If needed, run back to the surface for healing. Do your best to explore
carefully and make sure to check everywhere. There is a waypoint on the Sewers
Level 2, make to use it. Watch out for the new enemy type, mummies. They may
look like zombies, but when they die, a poison cloud comes from their dead
body. Let it dissolve so you can avoid being poisoned.
As you progress through the sewers, you'll know when your towards the end. When
masses of skeletons and mummies attack you. You can get your way through them,
but when you notice them being revived (as well as the black shots), that's how
it can become overwhelming. If possible, use cold attacks to freeze the
monsters and then shatter them, destroying the corpse. A necromancer could
take the corpse before Radament can. However, the quickest way is to create a
path to Radament and kill him. He has a few tricks up his sleeve, such as his
poison breath. Make sure to use caution, as he can create monsters to attack
you from behind.
Once Radament is dead, he will drop the Book of Skill (and kill any nearby
living monsters). Take the Book of Skill and read it for an extra skill point.
A special glowing chest should be nearby. Open it and get the Horadric Scroll,
as well as the way to the next Quest.
Quest: The Horadric Staff
To activate: Talk to Cain while you have the Horadric Scroll
Reward: The Horadric Cube and The Horadric Staff
This will be one of the biggest quests you'll go through, since you will have
to run through many areas of the desert. And this is also one of the most
rewarding quests, since you get the Horadric Cube, which will be needed in
order to complete other quests. But first, you need to get the three items
requested by Cain.
You can get the items in any order, but the best way is to do them in the order
you find them. So, go to the Dry Hills. In the Dry Hills area, you should find
the entrance to the Halls of the Dead. The Halls of the Dead contains the
Horadric Cube, 1/3 of the requirements. The Halls of the Dead itself is easy
to get through, but watch out for greater mummies, who are usually protected
by many undead followers. As you saw with Radament, greater mummies can revive
fallen undead monsters. So, take out the greater mummies in the area before
going after the skeletons and mummies. On the lowest level of the Halls of the
Dead (level 3), you'll find the chest with the Horadric Cube, but you'll have
to get past Bloodwitch the Wild (a unique cat monster). The best strategy is to
take the minions out first and to avoid getting surrounded. After they are gone
go after the leader. When its all clear, grab the Horadric Cube (you can go
back to Cain if you need a bit more information on the Cube, he'll even give
you a few other uses for it).
Continue on to the Far Oasis, which has the Sand Maggot Lair somewhere in it.
The Sand Maggot Lair is mostly made up of tunnels, so make sure to use the
automap to avoid going in circles. They are narrow, so you'll having trouble
avoiding many of the attacks through the usual moving out of the way method.
However, the only monsters you'll encounter here are Sand Maggots and their
young. On the third level, you'll run across a very large Sand Maggot
surrounded by many other regular size ones. Coldworm the Devourer is the large
one, but I still advise killing the other monsters in the area before going to
him. Coldworm doesn't move, so you can easily hack away at him after you've
taken care of the other Sand Maggots. Grab the Horadric Shaft when everything
is done. Only one more piece to go.
The last piece needed is the Viper Amulet. You'll need to go the Valley of the
Snakes. You need to go through the Lost City to do this. When you enter the
Lost City, it may instantly turn into night. Don't worry about this too much.
If you want to hear about it, you can go to town and get the Tainted Sun quest.
More on that later. Get past the Lost City to the Valley of the Snakes. When
you find the Claw Viper Temple, prepare well. You may be a bit drained from the
long walk, so go back to Town if you need resuppling. You should be able to
handle the enemies here, but take breathers when needed as it can get
overwhelming sometimes. There are only two levels here, so the Viper Amulet is
located on the second level. Fang Skin and his minions protect the Viper
Amulet. The problem with Fang Skin is that he has the Extra Fast and Cold
Enchanted bonuses. So he can run around you as well as freeze you. As always
go after the minions first. It is much easier to face a unique monster alone,
then when surrounded by minions. Try to force Fang Skin into a corner, so he
can't run far, but if you are drawn into a melee battle with him, make sure to
have thawing potions to get rid of the frozen penalty when you get hit. Once
he is taken care of, grab the Viper Amulet.
Go back to Cain. He will tell you to put the Horadric Shaft and the Viper
Amulet in the Horadric Cube. Do so. Make sure you don't have any other items in
the Cube. Press the Transmute button and watch the two items turn into the
Horadric Staff. You can use the Staff as a weapon, but you'll need to use it
later, in order to finish Act 2.
Quest: Tainted Sun
To activate: Go to the Lost City and watch the sun go black. Go back to Lut
Gholeim and talk to the townspeople.
Reward: The Viper Amulet
You could trigger this quest without starting the Horadric Staff quest, but
why? You'll need to destroy the Evil Altar in the Claw Viper Temple in order
to finish the Horadric Staff in any case. Once the Altar is destroyed, the Sun
will shine again.
Quest: The Arcane Sanctuary
To activate: Talk to Drognan after finishing the Horadric Staff quest.
Reward: Access to the Arcane Sanctuary.
This quest will delve into the problems of the city of Lut Gholein as well as
further your way to finding Tal Rasha's Tomb. Drognan will tell you to visit
Jerhyn in his quest speech, so do that. Jerhyn will allow you access into the
palace now, but will warn you that it is not safe. Monsters run through the
palace, and the Harem guilds which were in the palace for safety ended up being
killed.
The upper levels of the palace are the "Harem" levels. They are mostly divided
up into rooms, with the only access into other rooms being doors. You can use
this to your advantage. Lure enemies to a door and kill them one by one (shades
of the first Diablo). Once you are through the Harem, you'll enter the Palace
Cellar.
The Palace Cellar is a bit like the Jail levels from Act 1. You'll find
yourself under attack from skeleton mage bolts and archer arrows through the
barred areas in the level. But, other than that, the layout of the levels is
again like the Harem area. So you may want to use the narrow doorways to your
advantage. But you will also face more ranged attackers so you may need to
rush into a room to take them out. There are two stairways on each level to
the next one. You can choose either one, they both will take you to the same
map (you may even find the second stairway leading up). On the third level, you
will find an unactivated portal, as well as a few Sand Raiders guarding it. The
leader of the group is Fire Eye, who has Fire Enchanted attacks and extra
speed. Taking him out will allow you to access the portal and the Arcane
Sanctuary. It is easier to fight the Sand Raiders one by one, so you should do
so. When all the monsters are dead, activate the portal and enter the Arcane
Sanctuary.
The Arcane Sanctuary is probably one of the more annoying areas. Most likely
you will face ghosts and vampires in there (if you don't, you should be lucky).
The ghosts can fly, so they don't follow the platforms, and the bone mages can
attack you from far with their fire walls. Ghosts also quickly drain your mana,
so most of your special abilities will be used up quickly. You may need to use
the waypoint at the beginning of the level, feel free to use it as needed. The
level itself is also big. There are teleporters you may need to use on the
way to the Summoner (the end part of the Arcane Sanctuary). The problem with
the teleporters is that you may teleport to become surrouned by enemies and
then killed. Sorceress players should use Teleport if they have learned it,
Barbarians can use Leap/Leap Attack as well. Knowing where your going to be is
a much better thing than a random teleport. At the beginning of the level, you
can go in any of four directions. In my map, they were not connected (this may
or may not vary in your case, i'm not sure) so you could end up going through
all these enemies just to end up at the dead end. The only good thing you could
get from that is experience and treasure, but the risks are higher since the
enemies are deadlier. Try your best to get through the Arcane Sanctuary, it
isnt one of the easiest areas.
Quest: The Summoner
To activate: Find The Summoner in the Arcane Sanctuary
Reward: Access to the Canyon of the Magi and finding out the True Symbol of the
Tomb of Tal Rasha
If you get lucky and find the Summoner (or just stumble upon him), it will be
most likely he'll be surrounded by enemies. It is a much better strategy to
lure them away from the Summoner's platform. The Summoner does not leave his
little platform so you can lure away the enemies in order to make your charge
on the platform easier. Mostly likely when you take care of the first line of
enemies, he'll only be backed up by vampires. You should attack the vampires
first, but don't forget about the Summoner. He can use cold attacks which will
freeze you and leave you open for other attacks. When all is clear, you most
likely can take the Summoner out in only a few hits. You could choose to kill
him after you've cleared the first line, but I don't like risks. As it is, the
Summoner can deal a lot of damage, but not take it. Once the Summoner is gone,
read Horazon's Journal to find out the True Symbol of the Tomb of Tal Rasha and
access to the Canyon of the Magi.
Quest: The Seven Tombs
To activate: Talk to Jerhyn after you defeat Radament.
Reward: Access to Act 3.
Even though you get this quest very early in the Act, you only complete it in
the end (it is the last quest). You will enter the Canyon of the Magi by using
the portal in the Arcane Sanctuary, but you don't want to keep going through
the Sanctuary over and over to go there. So make sure to activate the waypoint
when you find it. Its much easier to use the waypoint then the portal.
The Canyon of the Magi is a very large area, but the only things you should be
looking for are the seven tombs. You'll find the tombs along the borders of the
area. Check your Quest Log to make sure that the symbol you have matches the
one of the tomb you are about to enter. They are all called Tal Rasha's Tomb
when you enter them, but the only is truly the tomb. You could go through the
other six tombs if you want, but at your own risk. You'll face hordes of
monsters as well as Unique monsters. If you doing it for treasure and
experience, so be it, but I usually advise finding the true tomb, its hard
enough to complete as it is.
When you match up the symbol in your quest log with the pillars outside the
tomb entrance, that tomb is the correct one. Go through the Tomb until you find
the Horadric Orifice. If you don't find the Horadric Orifice and your sure you
have explored the whole tomb (it is only one level), then you most likely
entered the wrong temple. Recheck your symbol in your Quest Log.
Put the Horadric Staff in the Horadric Orifice. This will create an entrance to
the Tomb room. Make sure to prepare now, since once you enter, you will
attacked by Duriel. A good idea is to have a town portal scroll ready once you
go in, since Duriel attacks right away. You won't have much time to use a town
portal when you are in battle with Duriel.
Duriel is the boss of Act 2. He isn't followed with any other minor enemies, so
he will be the only monster in the room. Unlike Andariel from Act 1, you can't
escape back into the Horadric Orifice room. So your only escape will be a town
portal. And you will be using them. Duriel is very fast so you can run away
from him for long. He also has an attack which can freeze you. Be ready with
thawing potions (or items that lower freeze duration). His close attack can
also hurt you and push you back. The best strategy is not to get too close to
him and attack from afar with either bow/crossbows or spells. If you don't have
any ranged attacks, you'll have throw caution into the wind and go into battle
hand to hand. However, his attacks will quickly lower your life, so make sure
to use potions early and run when needed. Also, once you get back into the
battle room right after coming through a town portal, make another one. You can
never be too careful.
Beating Duriel will release several special equipment and gems. Also, you will
now be able to enter Tal Rasha's Burial Chamber. However, the only thing you'll
find is Tyrael. Talk to him. After you finish with him, go back to Lut Gholein.
Say your goodbyes to the townspeople and visit Meshif in the east docks of
town. He will now be able to take you east to Kurast and Act 3.
=====
Act 3 - Kurast was once a beautiful city in the East. However, it now lays in
ruins, with the only survivors being a handful of people in the Kurast
Docktown. The only thing defending them from attack is a failing enchantment
and a handful of merecenaries. You'll start off in the south west corner of
town, near Meshif. Town portals will appear near the waypoint in the north end
of town. The Docktown is divided up into a few islands connected by bridges.
If you ever want to go back to Act 2, talk to Meshif.
====================
Kurast Docktown NPCs
Meshif - Shocked to come back to find his hometown in this shape, he is always
willing to go back to Lut Gholein when you wish. You can find him in the south
western corner of town.
Natalya - She is part of an order that hunts down magi who have turned evil.
However, her motives are questionable. She is a mystery and much is not known
about her. You can talk to her for quest information however. You can find her
in the east part of town.
Hralti - He will be the first to greet you when you arrive in Kurast. However,
when you come back, he most likely will back at his smithery. Hralti sells
equipment, both regular and enchanted. He also repairs equipment back to full
use. You can find him in the north east corner of town.
Deckard Cain - Helping you along on your quest, he has come with you to Kurast.
Cain still excels in providing quest information and free identification of
items. Talk to him whenever you are stumped. You can find him in the north part
of town.
Ormus - Ormus is a wise person, if you can understand him. He continually talks
in riddles. But if you ever need help with things concerning the old Religion,
he is the person to talk to. Ormus also provides free healing. You can find him
in the north part of town.
Asheara - The leader of the Iron Wolves, Asheara is a strong figure. She is in
charge of making sure nothing gets into Kurast, should the defensive
enchantment fail. Talk to her if you ever need to hire a magical mercenary for
your own use. You can find her in the west part of town.
Alkor - He lives away from the rest of the town and with good reason. His
attitude is unbearable to some. If you can gain his respect, he will become a
bit more tolerable. He sells potion and also provides the Gamble option if need
a bit of risk in your life. You can find him in the north west corner of town.
======================
Quest: The Golden Bird
To activate: Find the Jade Figurine
Reward: Potion of Life
Some people are confused sometimes, since no person gives this quest in town.
Well yes, that's true. Right after you arrive in Kurast, greet the people then
run out into the jungle. Keep on fighting until you find a Champion or Unique
enemy. Kill the enemy and it will drop the Jade Figurine. Go back to town with
the Figurine. Go and visit Meshif who will trade the Figurine for the Golden
Bird. Visit Alkor with the Golden Bird in your inventory and he will turn it
into a Potion of Life. You can drink the Potion of Life for a permament +20
bonus to your life.
Quest: Blade of the Old Religion
To activate: Talk to Hralti after finishing the Golden Bird quest.
Reward: A random rare ring, a free mercenary
Now begins more exploration in the deep jungle. The jungle is hard to work your
way through sometimes. Make sure to keep your automap on at all times. Make
sure to use the pillars as you find them as area dividers. It may be sometimes
hard to remember which area you are in also, use the automap and check on it.
The Gidbinn (the blade) is located in the Pygmy Village. You will have to go
through the Pygmy Village for this, so a bit of wandering may be in order. When
you do enter the Pygmy Village, the Gidbinn will appear as a new symbol on your
automap. Go towards it. If you go up to the Gidbinn and click on it, the
Gidbinn will burn. However, there should be a unique monster nearby, with his
minions. He holds the real Gidbinn. Kill him and grab the Gidbinn. Go back to
town and give the Gidbinn to Ormus. He will give you a rare ring. The Quest Log
will also tell you to visit Asheara, who will give you a mercenary for free
(even if you don't want him, so if you like your current mercenary, don't talk
to her until you need another).
Quest: Khalim's Will
To activate: Talk to Cain after finishing the Golden Bird quest.
Reward: Khalim's Will
This is the big quest which will take you all over the jungle, Kurast, and even
into Travincal. Again, you have to find little bits and pieces in order to
transmute them all into something useful (similar to the Horadric Staff quest
in Act 2). You have to find Khalim's Brain, Eye, Heart, and Flail.
The first part is Khalim's Eye, which is located in the Spider Cavern (within
the Spider Forest). Only the Spider Cavern, there is another small cave area
in the Spider Forest (the Arachnid Lair) which does not have the eye. So look
for the Spider Cavern first. The Spider Cavern is full of spiders (obviously).
Make sure to avoid getting surrounded as they do get very dangerous in groups.
Some of them also possess poisoning attacks, which can be a risk when fighting.
On level 2, you will find a special chest being guarding by a Unique spider,
Sszark the Burning. As the name suggests, he likes to use a few fire attacks.
But watch out if you get cursed by him as he is also Extra Strong. Being hit by
an Extra Strong monster when you are cursed is not a good thing. When Sszark is
taken care of, open the chest for Khalim's Eye. Return to Cain for more
guidance.
Next on your list is Khalim's Brain, located in the Flayer Dungeon. Look around
the Flayer Jungle for the entrance. As expected, the Flayer Dungeon is full of
Flayers and Flayer Shamans. Advise caution when facing them. You should take
out the Flayer Shamans, but their fire breath attack can quickly drain your
life. The area should be straight forward (a bit like the Spider Cavern).
The third level is where the Brain is located. But, in order to get to the
Brain, you'll have to fight Witch Doctor Endugu, a Unique Flayer Shaman. This
means he's followed by with many other Flayer Shaman minions. Be very careful.
Your best chances are to divide the Shamans up, in order to prevent Endugu from
reviving a lot of them (he can revive the Shamans if their corpses are there)
and to avoid a fire breath attack from all sides (which is just very deadly).
Use the narrow passageways to your advantage. Get rid of the Witch Doctor and
you can grab the Brain and get the heck out of there. Visit Cain and he will
advise you on where to go next.
Halfway there. Khalim's Heart is somewhere in the Kurast sewers. You can find
entrances to the sewers in Upper Kurast or the Kurast Bazaar (there are two in
each of the areas). Take whatever one you find first, they all lead to the same
place. The sewers are simliar to the sewers you went through in Lut Gholein.
They also may contain undead monsters like skeletons and mummies. Greater
Mummies are possible. Do your best to get through them. Barbarians should leap
over waterways if there is a Greater Mummy on the other platform reviving
monsters on their platform. In order to gain access to the next level, you will
have to find a lever somewhere in the sewers. Move the lever in order to
clear the way to level 2. Find the special chest there (no Unique monster to
fight) and grab the Heart when it drops out.
The last part of the equation is Khalim's Flail. To do this, you will have to
go to Travincal. It is a long trip, but in order to complete this quest you
have to get this. You may even complete other quests along the way (see the
other quests in this Act). Travincal is home to the High Council. You can find
the Council Members near the Guardian Tower. One of the Council members has the
Flail. They will drop it when you kill that member. However the High Council is
not easy, so avoid getting surrounded by multiple Council members. When you get
the Flail, return to the Docktown. Cain will tell you to transmute the body
parts and Flail. Do so. This will turn the Flail into Khalim's Will, which is
required to enter the Guardian Tower.
Quest: Lam Esen's Tome
To activate: Talk to Alkor after you enter Kurast.
Reward: Five stat points
Right after you enter Kurast, Alkor will give you this quest to find Lam Esen's
Tome. You will need to do a lot of searching in order to find where it is.
There are six old temples in Upper Kurast, Kurast Bazaar and the Causeway (two
in each of those areas). You know you have found on of those old temples when
you enter them and find clickable stairs. Click on them to find an entrance
into the temple. While you could search all six of the temples, the one you
want is called "Ruined Temple". If you need more help, look for a unique Flesh
Hunter, Battlemaid Sarina. Your in the right place if you see her. Make sure
not to get mobbed, as escape is hard in the small rooms of the temple. When she
is dead, find Lam Esen's tome and bring back to Alkor for a reward of five free
stat points (you don't get a level though).
Quest: The Blackened Temple
To activate: Talk to Ormus after entering Travincal.
Reward: Access to the Guardian Tower
As you noticed in the Khalim's Will quest, the High Council is in Travincal.
All this quest asks you to do is to kill all members of the High Council and to
smash the Compelling Orb. Travincal is surrounded by a raised walkway around
the city itself. When you get near the Guardian Tower, the Council members
should attack. If you haven't killed all them (you may have done so in Khalim's
Will, might as well), you will have to now. Take them all out. If you haven't
finished Khalim's Will, you should have at this point. Smash the Compelling Orb
(inside the Guardian Tower) with Khalim's Will. Go back to Kurast Docktown and
prepare.
Quest: The Guardian
To activate: Talk to Ormus after finishing the Blackened Temple quest.
Reward: Access to Act 3
Time is against you, so you have to get to Mephisto. After preparing well in
Kurast Docktown, go back to Travincal and enter the Guardian Tower. Now
completely defiled by Mephisto, the inside of the Tower is called the Durance
of Hate. Take great caution in the Durance of Hate. Enemies here are stronger
and have better attacks then ones you've seen before. The levels themselves
should be straightforward, but make sure to use that waypoint on level 2.
Mephisto's chamber is on level 3. He is surrounded by a whole lot of Blood
Lords and a few more unique Council Members. Mephisto cannot enter the entry
room, but make sure to watch out for Council Members who follow you there. It
is near impossible to take down Mephisto without killing the Blood Lords and
Council Members first. Either you'll get killed by the powerful Council
Members, the spells of the Blood Lords, or Mephisto himself. Lure the Council
Members away into the entry room, where you can take care of them without much
interference from Mephisto and the Blood Lords (a few fire walls might make it
in). Take care of the Blood Lords stationed all over the level. They will try
to run away when you get near, but you can chase them down. Avoid Mephisto
until you can take care of the Blood Lords.
Once the level has been cleared, you can now focus on Mephisto. He has a
variety attacks, lightning, freezing, and even poison. As with other big
bosses, the best option is to use ranged attacks. It is easier to do this in
Mephisto's Chamber than in other ones, since it is possible to keep Mephisto
away from you using the break in the center of the area. You can shoot from one
platform, hitting Mephisto on the other platform. However, if ranged attacks
are impossible, again, hit him with all you have, run when needed. You might
want to run a bit earlier then you did before. Better to be alive with a few
extra life, then dead for the sake of a little bit of damage. After pinging
away at Mephisto enough, he will die screaming and drop his Soulstone plus some
very rare equipment and gems. A walkway to the portal in the center of the
chamber should also appear.
=====
Act 4 - Yes, Hell is as bad as you thought. The only safe place in Hell is the
Pandemonium Fortress, an outpost held by the forces of Heaven. The Fortress is
a majestic palace seperated from the horrors of Hell. The only connection to
Hell the fortress has is a long winding stairway. From here is well you will
be making your final push to Diablo.
=========================
Pandemonium Fortress NPCs
Tyrael - Tyrael is the angel who gave the Soulstones to the Horadrim. He did so
against the wishes of Heaven. Taking an oath to watch over mortals, he cannot
interfere directly, but will help in what ways he can.
Deckard Cain - He is prepared to even go to Hell with you, which he has done.
Feeling it is his duty to be with you, Cain will provide what assistance he
can and still identifies for free.
Halbu - While he cannot engage in conversation with him, he buys and sells
equipment, as well as acting as a repairman.
Jamella - Again, you cannot talk with her. She sells magical wands and
staves, and also sells potions. You can also Gamble with her for unknown items.
======
Quest: The Fallen Angel
To activate: Talk to Tyrael
Reward: Two skill points
Hell is not easy. As if you needed someone to tell that. Izual (the fallen
angel) wanders along the Plains of Despair so you will not see him in the
beginning. Get to the Plains of Despair and walk around until you find him (or
until he finds you). First things first, take care of any other nearby
monsters. You'll want to even the odds as much as possible.
Izual possesses a few freezing attacks. Again, thawing potions may be very
useful. A frozen target is a slow target. And a slow target is an almost dead
target. Keep hacking or picking away at him until he falls. You'll want to
watch out for his melee attack, it can quickly bring you down in only a few
hits. Once Izual has been released from his monstrous form, you can talk to him
to gain more insight to the current crisis. Go back to the Tyrael to get your
reward.
Quest: The Hellforge
To activate: Talk to Cain after finishing the Fallen Angel quest
Reward: A whole bunch of gems
The game is getting near its end, but not any easier. You might want to get a
cool drink, because you'll be entering right into the heart of hell.
If you didn't get the Soulstone when you defeated Mephisto, Cain will give it
to you now. The entrance into the River of Flame is located in the City of the
Damned. Again, go through the Plains of Despair to the City of the Damned. A
waypoint should be located on the level. The entrance to the River of Flame
cannot be far away.
When you enter the River of Flame, you will have a lot less running room. So be
wary when a group of enemies chases after you. The Hellforge is located
somewhere in the River of Flame. However, if you do manage to get too far, you
will run across another angel who will advise you to turn back. Do so. You have
to get rid of the Soulstone first.
If you find a unique monster called Hephasto the Armorer going after you, your
near the Hellforge. However, Hephasto packs an awesome punch. In only a few
hits from him, you could be killed. Do what you can with him. Slowing him down
is a good option, if possible. Take care of other nearby monsters first off.
If you can get rid of Hephasto, he will drop the Hellforge Hammer. Go to the
Hellforge and place the Soulstone on the Hellforge. Equip the Hammer and smash
the Soulstone into pieces. You'll also release a whole lot of gems which you
can place into your socketed items.
Quest: Terror's End
To activate: Talk to Tyrael after finishing the Hellforge quest
Reward: Um, well, beating Diablo 2
With everything else completed, there is only one thing left for you to do.
You have to finally kill Diablo and get rid of his soulstone. The nearest
access you have to the Chaos Sanctuary is the waypoint at the River of Flame.
Make to use it when needed.
From the River of Flame waypoint, you'll have to go through a whole bunch of
bridges. Some of these bridges may lead to dead ends, so make sure you have a
clear path back. Once you get past the bridges, you'll enter the Chaos
Sanctuary. You'll be under attack from Doom/Oblivion Knights, Venom Lords, and
Burning Souls. I suggest taking them all out before you go after the 5 seals.
If you need to run out for awhile, no one is gonna blame you. Take a portal
back to the Fortress when needed for potion restocking and healing. When you've
taken care of the monsters, start activating the 5 seals. Any 3 of the seals
will release a Unique monster and his minions.
The Infector of Souls is a Venom Lord, who is surrounded with his Venom Lord
minions. His extra fast bonus will also apply to his minions, so you will face
unusually faster enemies. This is probably the easiest of the three monster
groups. Lure the Venom Lords over to one of the narrow passageways (you should
have found one along the way to the front of the Chaos Sanctuary). You'll force
them to attack you one by one. Some of them in the back may use the Fire breath
attack, but it is not as bad when you only get the tail of the flames.
The Grand Vizier of Chaos is a Burning Soul, who has Burning Souls with him.
As annoying as they are, they get worse in groups. They can overlap each other
which means they can all get close to you. Plus, they have mana burn which will
quickly get rid of all your mana for special abilities. The best strategy is to
lure them away from the group, one by one. One less enemy is one better for
you. If you run out of mana, you can run away for a bit and let your mana
recharge itself.
Lord De Seis is an Oblivion Knight, who brings other Oblivion Knights with him.
To me, this is the hardest group. The Oblivion Knights will most likely be of
different types, so you'll be hit by fire, lighting, cold, and poison attacks.
And it doesn't help that Lord De Seis is a Thief, which means when he hits you,
potions will fall out of your belt. You may quickly run out of potions than you
think. Take out the minion Oblivion Knights first. That is a critical first
step. Don't take any big risks, only fight the Knights that are seperated from
the group. When they are taken care of, go after Lord De Seis.
If your last seal released an Unique monster, you still have to get rid of that
Unique monster. However, once you've killed that Unique monster, the minions
will die, no matter how many are left. If your last seal didn't release an
Unique monster, don't worry.
Well, maybe you should worry. When all the seals are open and no Unique
monsters are around, you'll release the Lord of Terror, Diablo. He is not easy,
so don't expect a quick fight, whatever class you are. He possess a lot of life
and many attacks. He has a very powerful claw swipe, which he can modify to
freeze you as well. If you get frozen, I suggest you run or thaw immediately.
He can create a fire circle or a fire chain attack. The circle is less deadly
at long range (it seperates), but the fire chain is deadly if you stand still.
If you see a line of flame coming at you, move out of its way. However, his
worst attack in my opinion is his Lightning Snake attack. If your close and he
does it, your probably dead if you don't get out of the way. Its easier to get
away from it far away. Ranged attacks are harder since he does move around more
than the usual boss. However, there is a great risk when going up to his face,
as you could get frozen and then get killed by the Lightning Snake attack.
One other thing, Diablo can use trap you in a Bone Cage. He doesn't use this
attack that much, but if you create a Town Portal in the center area of the
Chaos Sanctuary, he will most likely create a Bone Cage around it. So when you
get back, you'll be trapped. To avoid this, create a town portal behind the
pillar (Diablo doesn't seem to follow you into the narrow entryway of the
Sanctuary).
Potions are a necessary evil. If you use a lot of mana attacks (probably will)
get healing and mana potions (use any rejuvenation potions you have). You could
choose to ping away at him with ranged attacks, but it'll be draining on your
patience. It poses the least risk, since you'll have fair warning of attacks
and can easily get out of the way.
If you decide to just throw caution into the wind and go up to him, be very
prepared. You'll need eyes like a fox. Make sure to turn auto-run on. Most of
his attacks aren't that bad. The only bad ones are the Fire Chain, Lightning
Snake, and his freezing attack. You can quickly thaw yourself after the
freezing attack. But get out of the way of the Fire Chain attack. And if Diablo
even tries the Lightning Snake get out of the way. You'll probably lose all
your life just in the escape. Run away and use a healing potion.
Use whatever strategy your comfortable with. Or make your own. In the end, all
you want is Diablo to die. Any way that does that is a good way. If you do
get Diablo to fall, he'll release some rare/unique equipment. You'll have 80
seconds to get everything you want into your stash and inventory. Have a few
extra seconds? Talk to Cain and Tyrael. Then enjoy the ending.
---------
10. Lists
---------
Prefixes/Suffixes
Uniques
Axes:
The Gnasher - Hand Axe (20% of crushing blow, 50% chance of open wounds, +30
attack rating)
Deathspade - Axe (+2 mana after every kill, blind target, +8 minimum damage,
15% attack rating bonus)
Bladebone - Double Axe (+40 attack rating and 200% damage vs. undead, adds 4-7
fire damage, +20 defense, increased attack speed)
Skull Splitter - Military Pick (Hit blinds target, regenerate mana 20% bonus,
+50 attack rating, adds 1-12 lightning damage)
Rakescar - War Axe (+50 attack rating, poison resist 50% bonus, adds 18-28
poison damage over 3 seconds)
Axe of Fechmar - Large Axe (Freezes target, +2 to light radius, enhanced
damage, cold resist +30)
Goreshovel - Broad Axe (Greatly increased attack speed, +25 to strength, 60%
chance of open wounds)
The Chieftain - Battle Axe (cold, fire, and lightning resist +10, poison resist
+30, enhanced damage, slightly increased attack speed)
Brainhew - Great Axe (+4 to light radius, +25 to mana, +14 to minimum damage,
10% mana stolen per hit)
Humongous - Giant Axe (Adds 8-15 damage, +10 strength, 33% chance of crushing
blow, requirements +20%)
Bows/Crossbows:
Pluckeye - Short Bow (+2 to light radius, +10 to life, +28 to attack rating, 3%
mana stolen per hit, enhanced damage)
Witherstring - Hunter's Bow (Adds 1-3 damage, fires magic arrows, +50 to attack
rating, greatly increased attack speed)
Raven Claw - Long Bow (+3 to dexterity and strength, 50% bonus to attack
rating, fires explosive arrows)
Rogue's Bow - Composite Bow (30% deadly strike, all resistances +10, +60 to
attack rating, 200% damage to undead)
Stormstrike - Short Battle Bow (Piercing attack, +8 to strength, lightning
resist 25%, adds 1-10 lightning damage, +28 to attack rating)
Wizendraw - Long Battle Bow (Fires magic arrows, +36 to attack rating, +30 to
mana, increased attack speed, cold resist 26%)
Hellclap - Short War Bow (Fire resist 40%, +12 to dexterity, +20 to attack
rating, adds 6-9 fire damage, slightly increased attack speed)
Blastbark - Long War Bow (+1 to Amazon skill levels, 3% mana stolen per hit,
enhanced damage, +5 to strength)
Leadcrow - Light Crossbow (+10 to dexterity, +10 to life, +40 to attack rating,
25% deadly strike, poison resist 30%, enhanced damage)
Ichorsting - Crossbow (+20 to dexterity, +50 to attack rating, piercing attack,
adds 7-9 poison damage over 3 seconds)
Hellcast - Heavy Crossbow (Fires explosive bolts, +70 to attack rating, +15
fire resist (can go above Max), increased attack speed)
Doomslinger - Repeating Crossbow (+1 to Amazon skill levels, +15 to life,
piercing attack, greatly increased attack speed)
Daggers:
Gull - Dagger (adds 1-15 damage, -5 to mana, 50% better chance of getting magic
item)
The Diggler - Dirk (+15 to dexterity, cold and fire resist +25, enhanced
damage, greatly increased attack speed)
The Jan Tan Do - Kris (+75 to attack rating, cannot be frozen, adds 7-14 poison
damage over 3 seconds)
Spectral Shard - Blade (fastest cast rate, +55 to attack rating, +50 to mana,
all resistances +10)
Maces:
Felloak - Club (lightning resist +60, fire resist +20, adds 6-8 fire damage,
knockback)
Stoutnail - Spiked Club (Magic damage reduced by 2, enhanced damage, attacker
takes damage of 1-10, +15 life)
Crushflange - Mace (+2 to light radius, +15 to strength, fire resist +50,
knockback)
Bloodrise - Morning Star (enhanced damage, slightly increased attack speed, +2
to light radius, 50% bonus to attack rating)
The General's Tan Do Li Ga - Flail (+25 defense, adds 1-20 damage, 5% mana
stolen per hit, slows target by 50%)
Ironstone - War Hammer (enhanced damage, +80 to attack rating, -5 to dexterity,
adds 1-10 lightning damage)
Bonesnap - Maul (40% chance of crushing blow, enhanced damage, cold and fire
resist +30)
Steeldriver - Great Maul (heal stamina rate 25% bonus, greatly increased attack
speed, requirements -50%)
Polearms:
Dimoak's Hew - Bardiche (enhanced damage, increased attack speed, +15 to
dexterity, -8 defense)
Steelgoad - Voulge (all resistances +5, +30 to attack rating, 30% deadly
strike, hit causes monster to flee)
Soul Harvest - Scythe (all resistances +20, +45 to attack rating, 30% chance of
open wounds, adds 15-23 poison damage over 5 seconds)
The Battlebranch - Poleaxe (+40 to attack rating, +10 to dexterity, enhanced
damage, greatly increased attack speed, 7% life stolen per hit)
Woestave - Halberd (+2 to light radius, poison resist +15 (can go above Max),
adds 7-28 poison damage over 3 seconds, slows target by 50%)
The Grim Reaper - War Scythe (5% mana stolen per hit, -20 to life, 50% deadly
strike, prevent monster heal)
Scepters:
Knell Striker - Scepter (25% chance of crushing blow, +35 to attack rating, +15
to mana, fire and poison resist +20)
Rusthandle - Grand Scepter (magic damage reduced by 1, adds 3-7 damage, 8% life
stolen per hit, +1 to paladin skill levels)
Stormeye - War Scepter (adds 1-6 lightning and 3-5 cold damage, replenish life
+10)
Spears:
The Dragon Chang - Spear (+2 to light radius, +35 to attack rating, +10 to
minimum damage, 200% damage to undead)
Razortine - Trident (+8 to dexterity, +15 to strength, slows target by 25%,
lowers enemy defense by 50%, greatly increased attack speed)
Bloodthief - Brandistock (+10 to strength, +26 to life, 8% life stolen per hit,
35% chance of open wounds)
Lance of Yaggai - Spetum (all resistances +15, attacker takes damage of 8, adds
1-40 lightning damage)
The Tannr Gorerod - Pike (+3 to light radius, fire resist +15 (can go above
Max), adds 12-18 fire damage, +60 to attack rating, +30 to life)
Staves:
Bane Ash - Short Staff (fire resist +50, adds 4-6 fire damage, +30 to mana,
increased attack speed)
Serpent Lord - Long Staff (adds 2-37 poison damage over 3 seconds, poison
resist +50, -1 to light radius, +10 to mana)
Spire of Lazarus - Gnarled Staff (+9 to strength, all resistances +30, +20 to
mana, magic damage reduced by 3, adds 7-12 fire damage, increased attack speed)
The Salamander - Battle Staff (fire resist +20, adds 1-10 fire damage, +50 to
attack rating, +2 to fire skills for Sorceress)
The Iron Jang Bong - War Staff (+1 to Sorceress skill levels, adds 1-25
lightning damage, +25 defense, 50% bonus to attack rating, faster cast rate)
Swords:
Rixot's Keen - Short Sword (+2 to light radius, +5 to minimum damage, +25
defense, 25% crushing blow, 20% bonus to attack rating)
Blood Crescent - Scimitar (+4 to light radius, enhanced damage, all resistances
+15, +15 to life)
Skewer of Krintiz - Saber (ignore target's defense, +10 to dexterity and
strength, 3% mana stolen per hit, enhanced damage)
Gleamscythe - Falchion (+3 to light radius, increased attack speed, +20
defense, +30 mana)
Azurewrath - Crystal Sword (Adds 3-6 cold damage, 30% deadly strike, 10% better
chance of getting magic item)
Griswold's Edge - Broad Sword (adds 8-16 fire damage, knockback, slightly
increased attack speed, +40 to attack rating)
Hellplague - Long Sword (5% life and mana stolen per hit, adds 28-56 poison
damage over 6 seconds)
Culwen's Point - War Sword (faster block rate and hit recovery, +60 attack
rating, poison length reduced by 50%, +1 to all skill levels)
Shadowfang - Two-Handed Sword (-2 to light radius, 5% mana stolen per hit, cold
resist +20%, adds 5-10 cold damage)
Soulflay - Claymore (4% life stolen per hit, 4-10% mana stolen per hit,
enhanced damage, all resistances +5)
Kinemil's Awl - Giant Sword (adds 6-12 fire damage, +45 to attack rating, +20
to mana)
Blacktongue - Bastard Sword (poison resist +50, -10 to life, adds 14-18 poison
damage over 3 seconds, prevent monster heal)
Ripsaw - Flamberge (50% open wounds, +15 to maximum damage, 6% mana stolen per
hit)
The Patriarch - Great Sword (hit blinds target, physical and magic damage
reduced by 3, 100% extra gold from monsters)
Wands:
Torch of Iro - Wand (+1 to Necromancer skill levels, adds 5-9 fire damage, 6%
life stolen per hit)
Maelstrom - Yew Wand (half freeze duration, adds 1-9 lightning damage, faster
cast rate, lightning resist 40%, +13 to mana)
Gravenspine - Bone Wand (5% mana stolen per hit, adds 4-8 cold damage, +10 to
dexterity and strength)
Ume's Lament - Grim Wand (Hit causes monster to flee, faster cast rate, +2 to
Necromancer skill levels, +40 to mana)
Belts:
Lenymo - Sash (+1 to light radius, regenerate mana 30%, all resistances +5, +15
to mana)
Snakecord - Light Belt (Adds 4-8 poison damage over 3 seconds, replenish life
+5, poison resist +25, +11 defense)
Nightsmoke - Belt (all resistances +10, +20 to mana, damage reduced by 2, 50%
damage taken goes to mana)
Goldwrap - Heavy Belt (slightly increased attack speed, +2 to light radius, 30%
better chance of finding magic items, +40 defense)
Blackbuckle - Girdle (damage reduced by 3, +20 defense, +5 to strength,
attacker takes damage of 8, +10 to dexterity)
Body Armor:
Greyform - Quilted Armor (+10 to dexterity, 5% life stolen per hit, magic
damage reduced by 3, cold and fire resist +20)
Blinkbat's Form - Leather Armor (adds 3-6 fire damage, fast run/walk, +25
defense, +16 missile defense)
The Centurion - Hard Leather Armor (+15 to life, mana and stamina, +25 to
attack rating, +30 to defense, regenerate life +3, damage reduced by 2)
Twitchthroe - Studded Leather (+10 dexterity and strength, +15 defense,
increased chance of blocking, slightly increased attack speed)
Darkglow - Ring Mail (all resistances +10, all resistances Maximum +5, +3 to
light radius, +25 melee defense, +20 attack rating)
Hawkmail - Scale Mail (cannot be frozen, cold resist +15 (can go past Max), +12
defense)
Sparking Mail - Chain Mail (Attacker takes 1-10 lightning damage, adds 1-10
lightning damage, +40 defense)
Venom Ward - Breast Plate (+2 to light radius, adds 7-9 poison damage over 3
seconds, poison resist +15 (can go past Max), enhanced damage)
Iceblink - Splint Mail (+4 to light radius, cold resist +30, freezes target,
magic damage reduced by 1)
Boneflesh - Plate Mail (5% life stolen per hit, +35 defense and attack rating)
Heavenly Garb - Light Plate (Enhanced defense, regenerate mana +25, all
resistances +10)
Rockfleece - Field Plate (+25 defense, +5 strength, poison resist +50, damage
reduced by 3, requirements -10%)
Rattlecage - Gothic Plate (25% crushing blow, +45 defense and attack rating,
hit causes monster to flee)
Goldskin - Full Plate Mail (+2 to light radius, +75 defense, all resistances
+30, attacker takes 1-10 damage)
Silks of the Victor - Ancient Armor (+2 to light radius, +1 to all skill
levels, 5% mana stolen per hit)
Boots:
Hotspur - Leather Boots (fire resist +15 (can go past Max), adds 3-6 fire
damage, +15 to life)
Gorefoot - Heavy Boots (faster run/walk, 2% mana stolen per hit, attacker takes
damage of 2)
Treads of Cthon - Chain Boots (fastest run/walk, 50% less stamina drain, +10
life, +50 missile defense)
Goblin Toe - Light Plate Boots (25% crushing blow, physical and magic damage
reduced by 1, +5 defense, -1 light radius)
Tearhaunch - Plate Boots (faster run/walk, +5 to dexterity and strength, +10
defense, all resistances +10)
Gloves:
The Hand of Broc - Gloves (3% life and mana stolen per hit, poison resist +10,
+20 to mana)
Bloodfirst - Heavy Gloves (fastest hit recovery, +40 to life, +5 to minimum
damage)
Chance Guards - Bracers (24% better chance of getting magic items, 200% extra
gold from monsters, +25 to attack rating, +15 defense, +2 to light radius)
Magefist - Light Gauntlets (+1 to fire skills (Sorceress only), faster cast
rate, regenerate mana 25% bonus, adds 1-5 fire damage)
Frostburn - Gauntlets (enhanced damage, maximum mana 40%, adds 1-6 cold damage,
+30 defense)
Head Armor:
Biggin's Bonnet - Cap (enhanced damage, +15 life and mana, +30 attack rating)
Tarnhelm - Skull Cap (25-50% better chance of getting magic items, 75% extra
gold from monsters, +1 to all skill levels)
Coif of Glory - Helm (attacker takes 4 lightning damage, hit blinds target, +25
missile defense, lightning resist +15)
Wormskull - Bone Helm (+1 to Necromancer skills, 5% life stolen per hit, +25
poison resist, +10 mana)
Duskdeep - Full Helm (all resistances +5, +8 to max damage, -2 to light radius,
damage reduced by 3)
Howltusk - Great Helm (35% damage taken goes to mana, enhanced defense, magic
damage reduced by 2, attacker takes damage of 3)
Undead Crown - Crown (Half freeze duration, 4% life stolen per hit, poison
resist +50, +8 defense)
The Face of Horror - Mask (150% damage to undead, +20 strength, hit causes
monster to flee, all resistances +5)
Shields:
Pelta Lunata - Buckler (+10 life and mana, +2 strength, +40 defense)
Umbral Disk - Small Shield (Hit blinds target, +20 life, +18 defense, +10
dexterity, -2 to light radius)
Stormguild - Large Shield (Magic damage reduced by 1, adds 1-6 lightning
damage, lightning resist +25, +15 defense)
Wall of the Eyeless - Bone Shield (+5 to mana after each kill, faster cast
rate, 3% mana stolen per hit, poison resist +20)
Swordback Hold - Spiked Shield (Attacker takes 3-5 damage, 50% open wounds,
increased chance of blocking)
Bverrit Keep - Tower Shield (magic damage reduced by 4, fire resist +25, +20
defense, +5 strength)
The Ward - Gothic Shield (Increased chance of blocking, magic damage reduced by
2, +10 strength, +40 defense)
Jewelry:
The Eye of Etlich - Amulet (3-7% stolen per hit, +1-5 to light radius, adds 1-5
cold damge, +10-40 missile defense, +1 to skill levels)
The Mahim-Oak Curio - Amulet (+40 attack rating, +20 life and mana, +10
defense, +5 dexterity and strength)
Nokozan Relic - Amulet (+3 to light radius, fire resist +10 (can go past Max),
adds 3-6 fire damage)
Manald Heal - Ring (4% mana stolen per hit, replenish life +5, +20 to life)
Nagelring - Ring (attacker takes damage of 3, magic damage reduced by 2, 15%
better chance of getting magic items, +18 attack rating)
The Stone of Jordan - Ring (+1 to all skill levels, adds 1-12 lightning damage,
maximum mana 25% bonus, +20 to mana)
=========
Set Items
Angelic Raiment:
Angelic Halo - Ring (replenish life +6, +20 life)
Angelic Mantle - Ring Mail (enhanced defense, damage taken reduced by 3)
Angelic Sickle - Sabre (350% damage to undead, +75 attack rating)
Angelic Wings - Amulet (20% damage taken goes to mana, +3 light radius)
Full set bonus - All resistances +25, 40% chance of finding a magic item, half
freeze duration
Arcanna's Tricks:
Arcanna's Deathwand - War Staff (25% chance for deadly strike, +20 life)
Arcanna's Flesh - Light Plate (+2 light radius, damage reduced by 3)
Arcanna's Head - Skull Cap (regenerate life +4, attacker takes damage of 2)
Arcanna's Sign - Amulet (regenerate mana 20%, 15% mana bonus)
Full set bonus: 5% mana stolen per hit, faster cast rate, +25 mana
Arctic Gear:
Arctic Binding - Light Belt (cold resist +40, +30 defense)
Arctic Furs - Quilted Armor (enhanced defense, All resistances +10)
Arctic Horn - Short War Bow (20% bonus to attack rating, enhanced damage)
Arctic Mitts - Light Gauntlets (+20 life, slightly increased speed)
Full set bonus - Adds 6-14 cold damage, impossible to be frozen
Berserker's Arsenal:
Berserker's Hatchet - Double Axe (30% attack rating bonus, 5% mana stolen per
hit)
Berserker's Hauberk - Splint Mail (+1 Barbarian skills, magic damage reduced by
2)
Berserker's Headgear - Helm (fire resist +25, +15 defense)
Full set bonus - Attacks add 4-9 poison damage over 3 seconds, poison length
reduced by 75%
Cathan's Traps:
Cathan's Mesh - Chain Mail (50% less requirements, +15 defense)
Cathan's Rule - Battle Staff (+1 fire skills, +10 fire damage)
Cathan's Seal - Ring (6% life stolen per hit, damage taken reduced by 2)
Cathan's Sigil - Amulet (attacker takes 5 lightning damage, fast hit recovery)
Cathan's Visage - Mask (cold resist +25, +20 mana)
Full set bonus - Magic damage taken reduced by 3, +60 attack rating, all
resistances +25, +20 mana, fast casting rate
Civerb's Vestments:
Civerb's Cudgel - Grand Scepter (+75 attack rating, +21 to maximum damage)
Civerb's Icon - Amulet (regenerate mana +40%, regenerate life +4)
Civerb's Ward - Large Shield (+15 defense, increased block)
Full set bonus - 200% damage to undead, +15 strength
Cleglaw's Brace:
Cleglaw's Claw - Small Shield (poison length reduced by 75%, +17 defense)
Cleglaw's Pincers - Chain Gloves (slows target by 25%, knockback)
Cleglaw's Tooth - Long Sword (50% critcal hit, 30% bonus to attack rating)
Full set bonus - 6% mana stolen per hit, +50 defense, 35% crushing blow
Death's Disguise:
Death's Guard - Sash (cannot be frozen, +20 defense)
Death's Hand - Leather Gloves (poison length reduced by 75%, poison resist +50)
Death's Touch - War Sword (4% life stolen per hit, enhanced damage)
Full set bonus - 40% bonus to attack rating, +10 minimum damage, all
resistances +25
Hsaru's Trim:
Hsaru's Iron Fist - Buckler (damage taken reduced by 2, +10 strength)
Hsaru's Iron Heel - Chain Boots (faster run/walk, fire resist +25)
Hsaru's Iron Stay - Belt (cold resist +20, +20 life)
Full set bonus - +5 maximum damage, cannot be frozen, lightning resist +25
Infernal Tools:
Infernal Buckle - Heavy Belt (+25 defense, +20 life)
Infernal Cranium - Cap (20% of damage taken goes to mana, all resistances +10)
Infernal Torch - Grim Wand (+1 Necromancer skills, +8 minimum damage)
Full set bonus: 20% open wounds, 20% bonus to attack rating, +1 Necromancer
skills
Iratha's Finery:
Iratha's Coil - Crown (lightning and fire resist +30)
Iratha's Collar - Amulet (poison length reduced by 75%, poison resist +30)
Iratha's Cord - Heavy Belt (+25 defense, +5 minimum damage)
Iratha's Cuff - Light Gauntlets (half freeze duration, cold resist +30)
Full set bonus: +10 to maximum cold, fire, lightning, and poison resist, all
resistances +20, +15 dexterity
Isenhart's Armory:
Isenhart's Case - Breast Plate (+40 defense, magic damage reduced by 2)
Isenhart's Horns - Full Helm (damage reduced by 2, +6 dexterity)
Isenhart's Lightband - Broad Sword (+3 light radius, +10 minimum damage)
Isenhart's Parry - Gothic Shield (attacker takes 4 lightning damage, +40
defense)
Full set bonus: 35% bonus to attack rating, all resistances +20, 5% life stolen
per hit
Milabrega's Regalia:
Milabrega's Diadem - Crown (+15 mana and life)
Milabrega's Orb - Kite Shield (+25 defense, +20% chance of getting a magic
item)
Milabrega's Robe - Ancient Armor (damage reduced by 2, attacker takes damage of
3)
Milabrega's Rod - War Scepter (+1 Paladin skills, enhanced damage)
Full set bonus: +2 light radius, +2 Paladin skills, 8% life stolen per hit,
poison resist +15
Sigon's Complete Steel:
Sigon's Gage - Gauntlets (+20 attack rating, +10 strength)
Sigon's Guard - Tower Shield (increased block, +1 all skills)
Sigon's Sabot - Greaves (faster run/walk, cold resist +40)
Sigon's Shelter - Gothic Plate (enhanced defense, lightning resist +30)
Sigon's Visor - Great Helm (+3 light radius, +30 mana)
Sigon's Wrap - Plated Belt (+20 life, fire resist +20)
Full set bonus: Adds 12-24 fire damage, damage reduced by 7, attacker takes 12
damage
Tancred's Battlegear:
Tancred's Crowbill - Military Pick (enhanced damage, +75 attack rating)
Tancred's Hobnails - Boots (stamina regeneration +25, +10 dexterity)
Tancred's Skull - Bone Helm (enhanced damage, +40 attack rating)
Tancred's Spine - Full Plate Armor (+40 life, +15 strength)
Tancred's Weird - Amulet (damage reduced by 2, magic damage reduced by 1)
Full set bonus: 5% mana stolen per hit, all resistances +10, slow target by
35%, 75% extra gold from monsters
Vidala's Rig:
Vidala's Ambush - Leather Armor (+50 defense, +11 dexterity)
Vidala's Barb - Long Battle Bow (adds 1-20 lightning damage)
Vidala's Fetlock - Light Plated Boots (fastest run/walk, +150 max stamina)
Vidala's Snare - Amulet (cold resist +20, +15 life)
Full set bonus: Piercing attack, enhanced damage, freeze target
========
Monsters
========
Shrines:
"effect" means the effect will only last while the icon stays above your
character's head.
"regenerate" means the shrine can be used again over time.
Armor - Defense rating increase. (Effect, regenerate)
Combat - Attack rating and damage dealt increase. (Effect, regenerate)
Experience - You gain more experience for each kill. (Effect)
Exploding - Will cause several explosions (that do damage, to you and enemies)
and drop a few exploding potions.
Fire - Using this shrine will cause many firebolts to go off that does damage
to anything it hits.
Gem - Upgrades a gem in your inventory and drops it. If you don't have any gems
it will drop a random chipped gem.
Health - Full health recovery. (Regenerate)
Mana - Full mana recovery. (Regenerate)
Mana Recharge - Increases the mana regeneration speed. (Effect, regenerate)
Monster - Turns a monster into a Unique one.
Poison - Will cause several poison clouds to appear and drop a few poison
potions.
Portal - Creates a permanment town portal.
Refilling - Full health, mana, and stamina recovery. (Regenerate)
Resist Cold - You get maximum resistance to cold. (Effect, regenerate)
Resist Fire - You get maximum resistance to fire. (Effect, regenerate)
Resist Poison - You get maximum resistance to poison. (Effect, regenerate)
Resist Lightning - You get maximum resistance to lightning. (Effect,
regenerate)
Skill - All skills you have learned are increased by 2. (Effect, regenerate)
Stamina - Your stamina bar turns blue (you gain unlimited stamina). (Effect,
regenerate)
=====
Gems:
Amethyst (Purple)
Helm Bonus Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 3 Strength 5-6 Defense 15-19 Attack Rating
Flawed: 4 Strength 7-8 Defense 20-29 Attack Rating
Normal: 5-6 Strength 9-10 Defense 30-39 Attack Rating
Flawless: 7-8 Strength 11-13 Defense 40-49 Attack Rating
Perfect: 9-10 Strength 15-17 Defense 50-59 Attack Rating
Diamond (White)
Helm Bonus Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 10 Attack Rating 5-6 All Resist Damage 125-129% versus undead
Flawed: 15 Attack Rating 7-8 All Resist Damage 130-135% versus undead
Normal: 20 Attack Rating 9-11 All Resist Damage 136-145% versus undead
Flawless: 25 Attack Rating 12-15 All Resist Damage 146-155% versus undead
Perfect: 30 Attack Rating 16-20 All Resist Damage 156-170% versus undead
Emerald (Green)
Helm Bonus Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus*
Chipped: 3 to Dexterity 10-12 Resist Poison 2 Poison damage
Flawed: 4 to Dexterity 13-16 Resist Poison 3 Poison damage
Normal: 5-6 to Dexterity 17-20 Resist Poison 4 Poison damage
Flawless: 7-8 to Dexterity 21-25 Resist Poison 5 Poison damage
Perfect: 9-10 to Dexterity 26-30 Resist Poison 6 Poison damage
*Poison damage is over 3 seconds
Ruby (Red)
Helm Bonus Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 6-8 to Life 10-12 Resist Fire 3-4 Fire Damage
Flawed: 9-11 to Life 13-16 Resist Fire 3-5 Fire Damage
Normal: 12-15 to Life 17-20 Resist Fire 4-5 Fire Damage
Flawless: 16-20 to Life 21-25 Resist Fire 5-6 Fire Damage
Perfect: 21-25 to Life 26-30 Resist Fire 6-10 Fire Damage
Sapphire (Blue)
Helm Bonus Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 6-8 to Mana 10-12 Resist Cold 1-3 Cold Damage (1 sec freeze)
Flawed: 9-11 to Mana 13-16 Resist Cold 2-3 Cold Damage (1.5 sec freeze)
Normal: 12-15 to Mana 17-20 Resist Cold 2-4 Cold Damage (2 sec freeze)
Flawless: 16-20 to Mana 21-25 Resist Cold 3-5 Cold Damage (2.5 sec freeze)
Perfect: 21-25 to Mana 26-30 Resist Cold 3-7 Cold Damage (3 sec freeze)
Skull (White Skull)
Helm Bonus* Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 2 Life/8% Mana 2 damage to enemy Steal 2% Life/1% Mana
Flawed: 3 Life/8% Mana 3 damage to enemy Steal 2% Life/2% Mana
Normal: 3 Life/12% Mana 4 damage to enemy Steal 3% Life/2% Mana
Flawless: 4 Life/12% Mana 5 damage to enemy Steal 3% Life/3% Mana
Perfect: 4-5 Life/16-20% Mana 6-7 damage to enemy Steal 4% Life/3% Mana
*Signifies Life Regeneration and Mana Regeneration Bonus
Topaz (Yellow)
Helm Bonus* Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 7-9% Chance 10-12 Resist Lightning 1-6 Lightning Damage
Flawed: 11-13% Chance 13-16 Resist Lightning 1-7 Lightning Damage
Normal: 14-17% Chance 17-20 Resist Lightning 1-8 Lightning Damage
Flawless: 18-20% Chance 21-25 Resist Lightning 1-10 Lightning Damage
Perfect: 21-25% Chance 26-30 Resist Lightning 1-15 Lightning Damage
*Chance to find magic items
---------------
11. Multiplayer
---------------
(Well, I wasn't planning on working on this section for awhile, but since I
came across the next part, I might as well add it).
Player vs. Player
Amazon (you) vs. Barbarian
The long range queen against the close up destroyer? You'd think the Amazon
have an advantage, but if your Barbarian enemy is any good, they'll have a good
damaging weapon. Most Amazons don't have a lot of strength to wear big armor,
so only a few hits from a Barbarian attack can take you down (god forbid that
they have a lot of Mastery points). Barbarians are horrible with thrown or
ranged weapons, so you should always have a long range advantage.
The first part is taking the battle into an open location. Find a large area
with a few walls that you can hide behind and fire from (think the pillars from
the Rogue Monastery). Next, always be on the run. I don't care if the enemy
says you should stop running, if you stay still, your dead.
If you've focused on bow attacks, the freezing arrow (or its lower level
counterparts, cold and ice, if you only have those) is a super valuable tool.
You can slow down (not freeze completely sadly) your Barbarian opponent, giving
you a bit of time to run or fire a few more shots. Strafe and Multiple Shot are
basically useless wastes of mana (for obvious reasons). Immolation Arrow (or
Exploding Arrow) is a very good damaging attack, but it may be too mana costly
for regular use. I've even seen Amazons fight back well just firing a lot of
Guided Arrows, and that might be a good attack plan. Just check your mana.
Bring mana potions, it never hurts to be prepared.
Javelin users have a tougher time. Usually they have to get up and close with
their close range attacks. Of course, you can throw the javelins, but you may
run out of them very quickly. Javelins are not as easy to find like arrows or
bolts. The Lightning attacks (Lightning Fury, Strike, and Bolt) were mainly
meant for attacking large groups, but you may have to rely on them, since they
are some of the most powerful Amazon javelin attacks. If you have to get close
with your javelin, don't forget about Power Strike, Impale (watch your weapon
durability), and even Jab. Very good Amazons can use the multiple hits from Jab
to quickly take down an over-confident Barbarian. I don't really find the
Poison attacks to be that useful (most players do have some sort of poison
protection), but if you developed them, go with it.
You may want to use Inner Sight every so often. It lowers the defense of your
enemy, giving you extra chances to hit them. But it requires to you stay still,
a bit of a risk. Hopefully you have been working on your Dodge and Evade
skills. Avoid is useless (it only works for ranged attacks). You'll be thankful
when your Dodges and Evades kick in. Critical Strike (and Penetrate if you use
a ranged weapon) is a very powerful skill, espcially now. When you see the
Barbarian's life go down in bunches, you'll know that the skills are working.
And don't forget about Decoy and Valkyrie. I've found many a frustrated
Barbarian trying to find the real you and then handle the Valkyrie at their
backs. They might say its unfair, but hey, just say they shouldn't be picking
on girls.
As for your Barbarian enemy, you have to worry about their weapon. Know of
their mastery. Always consider the weapon they have in their hand as their best
mastery weapon. This means they have big attack rating and damage bonuses, so
you'll never want to get in range of their attacks. Luckily, this means they
will be using a close range weapon (unless they were dumb enough to use
Throwing Mastery). Watch out for Warcries such as Battlecry and Warcry.
Battlecry will lower your defense rating and damage dealt. So you are basically
weakened. Watch for the orange dot over your head, this makes you an easier
target to be killed. Warcry will damage you as well as stun. Its the stun which
may be your end. Luckily the length of Warcry is not that far. If you stay on
the run you should be able to avoid many of the negative warcries. But, watch
out for Barbarians who may use Shout and Battle Orders. Shout gives a defense
bonus, Battle Orders increases max life and mana. Just stay calm when they
start shouting and keep attacking.
Most Barbarians have a mana drain weapon and have either Concentrate or Double
Swing as their main attacks. Force them to whiff at air and drain their mana.
Smart enemies won't use Whirlwind or Berserk, since they leave the Barbarian
open (espcially Berserk, which lowers their defense to zero, easy pickings for
you). However, watch out for jumping Barbarians. They will get the best use out
of Leap and Leap Attack, effectively stopping your run (if they get near to
you) and getting a few hits for their cause.
So, basic strategy when your an Amazon fighting a Barbarian? Keep running, ping
away with your bow, or hit and run with your javelin/spear. Make the best use
of your special abilities, and hope your passive skills kick in.
----------
12. Thanks
----------
Blizzard, for making this great game. Okay, so it took them a few extra years,
but hey, it was worth the wait.
All those very helpful players on b.net. I can't mention them all, but you were
all very nice for answering all my questions :)
Dragonblood from Ancient Anguish. She probably doesn't know she's on here, but
she's a great gal anyway!
Me for obvious reasons.
There were a whole lot of people who sent in info on set items (it seems
everyone playing Diablo 2 has Death's Guard :). For space reasons, most of them
are okay with being nameless, but in any case I thank all of them.
A few to be mentioned though, so here: YeelRek, brother3, Sonic Koo Yee Hui,
CivicJon, Matthew Ezekiel Wei, David Crichton, XvHaydon, Matt Renfrow,
Cakewalk12, Boon.
--------------
13. Legal Junk
--------------
This guide can and should be given out as long as it is not altered in any way.
The guide's purpose is to help people play Diablo 2 and that is its only
purpose. This guide cannot be used in any commerically such as, but not limited
to, Magazines, Books, Guides, without first contacting the author for his
consent. Credit must given if you take information from this guide.
Diablo 2 is a trademark of Blizzard Entertainment, copyright 2000.
All other trademarks copyright their respective owners.
By Roland Carlos (RCarlos)
E-Mail: rollins31@hotmail.com
Ah, my return to guide writing. Sorry if I seem a little bit sentimental, but
i've been out of it for so long. Anyways, it seems that Diablo 2 is a very
popular game, so I think i'll come back with a bang. A Diablo 2 guide. I'll be
writing this guide as I go through the game, so bear with me. I'll update it as
I see fit.
Table of Contents
1 - Introduction
2 - Version Updates
3 - Author Notes
4 - Controls List
5 - Differences from Diablo
6 - Game Basics
- Shrines
- Items
- Weapons/Armor
- Monsters
7 - The Characters
- Amazon
- Barbarian
- Necromancer
- Paladin
- Sorceress
8 - Character Skills/Spells
- Amazon
- Barbarian
- Necromancer
- Paladin
- Sorceress
9 - Quests
- Act 1
- Act 2
- Act 3
- Act 4
10 - Lists
- Prefixes/Suffixes
- Uniques
- Set Items
- Monsters
- Shrines
- Gems
11 - Multiplayer
12 - Thanks
13 - Legal Junk
---------------
1. Introduction
---------------
The year was 1996. Blizzard had released the acclaimed Diablo. It was a
revolutionary entry into the role-playing genre. Not only did it have excellent
graphics and great gameplay, it won over many fans with its game engine.
Claiming that no game was ever the same, that was true. Dungeon levels were
randomly created, as well as the quests you undertook in your journey. This
gave the game a much greater replayability then the usual role-playing game.
Taking place after the conclusion of the first Diablo, Diablo 2 invites players
into a much bigger world. While the hero of Tristam did emerge triumphant in
defeating Diablo from the labyrinth, he did so at great cost to their own
well-being. After the celebration, Diablo takes over the hero's body and
wanders the world now, as the Dark Wanderer.
The forces of hell are aligned with Diablo and his brothers. Chaos and terror
ensue in the Dark Wanderer's path. The Rogue Monastery is overtaken and the
Sisterhood of Rogues is broken up. A city in the desert, Lut Gholein, finds
itself under attack from the desert and its own sewers. And Tristam, the town
is now a former shadow of its old self, utterly destroyed.
And now salavation may come again. A new hero has come to right the wrongs left
by the minions of Hell. They will fight many battles and travel long distances.
But in the end, the final objective of this trip is to stop Diablo, once and
for all.
------------------
2. Version Updates
------------------
9/8/00 - Version .1: Started the Unique Item List.
8/22/00 - Version .09: Back after my vacation. Necromancer skills up, and a
Amazon vs. Barbarian part to the Multiplayer section. Fixed the gem table (the
addition sign was the problem).
7/20/00 - Version .08: Added the Gems list and the Paladin's skills. Important
Author's Note.
7/18/00 - Version .07: Added the Paladin and Sorceress to Characters, added the
Monsters in game basics, added the Unique item notice in the Uniques list.
7/17/00 - Version .06: Added the Amazon's skills.
7/16/00 - Version .05: Added the shrines, items, and weapons/armor sections to
the game basics.
7/14/00 - Version .04: Finished up on the set items (thanks for the all the
submissions).
7/12/00 - Version .03: Finished up all the quests.
7/8/00 - Version .02: A few more tidbits up. Finished up Act 1 Quests as well
as my Barbarian info. Started on Act 2. Also added the shrines, the control
list, a few more characters and some set items to tide ya over for awhile.
7/4/00 - Version .01: Happy 4th of July. This is the earliest version of the
guide, with the introduction, my notes, some Barbarian info, and a few of the
Act 1 quests up.
-----------------
3. Author's Notes
-----------------
Well, not much yet. But i'm going through the game myself, so you'll have give
me some patience if your waiting for a lot of updates. I get my info as the
game presents it, so whenever I get something new, i'll put it up.
No, sadly, I wasn't a beta tester for the game, so I don't have any beta info
(even if you need it).
Hopefully in later versions of the guide, I will get more information up. This
is just a quick preview of what is to come.
A few people asked personally where I am in the game. Far enough. (Just call me
Sir :)
If you want to help or contribute to this guide, by all means, please! Send
an offer (or the info you want to contribute) to the email in the top of this
guide. Thanks in advance.
Oh yeah, praise email will ALWAYS be read :)
I usually play Diablo 2 a lot on single player, but I like to converse and
play multiplayer every once in awhile. Look for any character with the account
"Rollins". On the USWest Realm, I play with my Amazon, DizzyLizzy. On the
USEast Realm, I play with my other Amazon, Dragonablood. Say hey to any of em
if ya see them. (Get a free gem if ya mention my guide! Well...maybe.)
On my vacation, I visited the Phillppines. Run across a local mall there (like
Greenhills if ya are from the Phillppines). Some of the Network Gaming places
offer Diablo 2 on TCP/IP games. They are great fun if you need a quick game to
play. I had a great time myself playing Diablo 2 at Greenhills.
----------------
4. Controls List
----------------
Basic Game Controls:
Esc - Toggles the Esc menu on/off and exits other menus
Left Mouse Button - Performs "smart" actions depending on the situation:
-Click on a spot on the ground to go to that spot.
-Click on a monster to attack it using the skill currently assigned to
the Left Mouse Button
-Click and HOLD on a monster to attack it repeatedly until you release
the button, or the monster is dead.
-Pick up/drop items from/onto the ground, inventory or belt.
-Operate shrines, doors, and chests.
-Interact with the NPCs (talk, trade, gamble, hire, and imbue)
Right Mouse Button - Performs "smart" actions depending on the situation:
-Use the skill currently assigned to the Right Mouse Button a selected
target.
-Drink a selected potion.
-Activate a scroll or tome.
Arrow Keys - Scrolls the automap.
Configurable Game Controls:
H - Toggles the Help screen.
A (or C) - Toggles Character Attributes screen on/off.
B (or I) - Toggles Backpack Inventory screen on/off.
P - Toggles the Party screen on/off.
M - Toggles the Message log on/off.
Q - Toggles the Quest log on/off.
Enter - Opens/closes In-Game Chat overlay.
Tab - Toggles the Automap on/off.
Home - Centers the Automap (if Numlock if OFF).
T - Toggles Skill Tree screen on/off.
S - Toggles mouse button Skill button overlay on/off.
F1 through F8 - Readies (or sets) the associated Left or Right Mouse Button
Skill. Set by opening the Skill menu then place your cursor over the skill you
wish to assign to a hotkey. Press the desired hotkey while the cursor is still
over the skill icon.
~ - Toggles a belt than 1X4 open/closed.
1, 2, 3, and 4 - Uses the item in that belt slot.
Ctrl - Hold down to run.
R - Toggles auto-run mode on/off.
Shift - Hold down while clicking a mouse button to use that skill while
standing in place.
Alt - Highlights all items dropped on the ground.
Spacebar - Cancels all above screens and overlays to return to gameplay.
Numeric Keypad - Voice communication (turn NumLock ON for the following)
0 - Player character says "Help!"
1 - Player character says "Follow me."
2 - Player character says "For you."
3 - Player character says "Thanks."
4 - Player character says "Sorry!"
5 - Player character says "Bye."
6 - Player character says "Die!"
Mouse wheel up - Scrolls up thru all hot-keyed (F1-F8) skills in the Right
Mouse Button slot.
Mouse wheel down - Scrolls down thru all hot-keyed (F1-F8) skills in the Right
Mouse Button slot.
N - Clear text messages.
Print Screen - Save the screen to your D2 directory as "screenshotX.jpg".
Z - Toggle all party member portraits on/off.
--------------------------
5. Differences from Diablo
--------------------------
--------------
6. Game Basics
--------------
Shrines:
Shrines are still around in Diablo 2, but now they are a lot easier to figure
out what they do. Names like Health Shrine and Resist Fire Shrine are better
than Eldritch Shrine and Weird Shrine. Certain shrines also can be used again
(over time) so you can use their benefits over and over. The shrines now don't
directly interfere with your stats. Now shrines either provide bonuses or
health/mana refills.
Most of the shrines do provide positive benefits. So you don't have to worry
about getting in trouble from using one. Players will use the shrines to their
immediate benefits, health shrine when they need it, experience shrine right
before they get into a lot of fighting, gem shrine when they need an upgraded
gem. However, when you reload a game all the shrines will have changed into
different types (other than health and mana shrines, which will stay where they
were the last time you loaded the map).
You may also run across wells in your travels. Wells are very useful since they
give you health, mana, and stamina bonuses. You can use wells as long as there
is some water in it. Wells also refill faster than most shrines, so you can
rely on wells as good sources of health recovery.
Items:
There are a variety of items in Diablo 2 that are not combat equipment. Gold is
no longer placed directly in the inventory. You've been provided with a bag
that holds all your gold without taking any space in your inventory. If you
want to drop or deposit (more on deposit a bit later) gold, click on the gold
pieces in your inventory screen. The amount of gold you can hold is dependent
on your level, the higher your level, the more you can carry.
Gems are somewhat rare, but you will find a few of them during your quests.
While some common enemies do drop them, you find the majority of gems as
rewards from defeating big boss enemies. Gems come in five different grades,
chipped, flawed, normal, flawless, and perfect. The better the grade, the more
powerful the effect of the gem. There are also seven types of gems: amethyst,
diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire, skull, and topaz. While gems can be sold for
a bit of money and hold a lot of trading power, the best use for gems is to
place in socketed items (discussed in weapons/armor). Gems cannot be bought
from NPC merchants.
Since every class now learns different things than the each other, scrolls are
needed. The town portal spell has been converted into scroll form and identify
scrolls still exist. You can find scrolls all over, from chests or monsters,
but NPC merchants also sell scrolls. Scrolls can be placed into tomes for
storage purposes. Each tome can hold up to 20 scrolls. Its a lot better for
inventory to use tomes if you plan to carry a lot of scrolls. You don't need
identify scrolls as much since Cain provides it for free. But town portal tomes
should always be in your inventory. You never know when you need a quick escape
back to a safe haven.
Potions are the staple for your survival. You should never head into battle
without having at least filled up with healing potions when you were at town.
Healing potions come in five types: minor, light, normal, greater, and super.
Early on, you can only buy the lower types of healing potions, but as you
progress, you can buy better and better potions. However, super healing potions
are only found, not bought. Mana potions cannot be bought and are always found.
They also come in the five types like the healing potions. A big change from
the first Diablo is that health and mana regeneration is not instant. You will
have to wait for awhile for the full effects of the potion. You can keep track
of the healing on the health/mana orbs. Rejuvenation potions do provide instant
healing, but you have to find them or make them with the Horadric Cube. There
are two types of rejuvenation potions, normal and full. You can place healing,
mana, or rejuvenation potions in your belt for quick hotkey use.
There are also non-healing potions in the game. Stamina potions can be bought,
or found. They are white in color and provide an instant refill to your stamina
bar. Stamina potions are useful when you need more stamina to keep on running.
Thawing potions provide an instant cure to being frozen. They are yellow and
again, can be bought. Antidote potions are black in color and remove the poison
status. Antidotes can be bought. Stamina, thawing, and antidote potions can be
placed in the belt for quick hotkey use.
In Diablo 2, there are also offensive potions. They come in two types,
explosive and poisoning. Explosive potions are thrown and create an explosion
wherever the potion hits. There are three types of explosive potions:
fulminating, oil, and exploding. As the grade of explosive potions goes up, the
explosion gets larger and the damage done is more. Poisoning potions are also
thrown and create poison clouds which poison any enemies that get hit by the
cloud. There are three types of poisoning potions: rancid gas, choking gas,
and strangling gas. As the grade of poisoning potions goes up, the poison
length is longer, as well as the damage done. You can buy most of explosive and
poisoning potions. Explosive and poisoning potions have to be equipped into
your left or right hands. Then you'll have to use the Throw attack to use the
potions.
You can place most items in your private stash, which holds items and gold for
you. This provides a storage place for items which you don't need at the
moment, but maybe later on. You should place gold in the stash so you can avoid
big gold losses when you die in battle.
Weapons and Armor:
You'll always want a weapon to kill with and armor to protect you. Weapons come
in a variety of types, such as daggers, axes, swords, and bows. Usually the
weapon class does not matter, but some class abilities do take the weapon class
into effect (such as the poison dagger skill which needs an equipped dagger, or
the Barbarian's weapon masteries). Some weapons can be equipped with one arm or
two arms. You may have a choice, but you may be forced to equip it in a certain
way.
Armors protect your body. Helmets for your head, gloves for your hands, boots
for your feet, belts to help hold more potions. Shields now have a sucessful
blocking rate, to see how much of a chance you can block an enemy's attack.
The body armor also comes in a variety of types, getting better in defense as
it gets tougher.
Weapons and armor all come with durability ratings. You may find damaged,
crude, or cracked versions of items. This negative prefix usually means the
item has lowered durability, or damage/defense. Sometimes you may also find
superior versions of items. This gives a bonus to durability, damage/defense,
or attack rating for weapons. Weapons and armor also come with strength,
dexterity, and (sometimes) level requirements. You'll have to fulfill all the
needed requirements in order to even equip a weapon or armor. You will get a
visual warning if a weapon or piece of armor is getting low in the durability
area. You should head back to a repairer to get the equipment fixed up back to
full. If a weapon or armor hits zero durability, the weapon or armor will
become inactive (but not broken completely, thankfully). In order to use it,
you have to repair it.
Weapons and armor names are also found in different colors. White is the normal
standard color. Nothing special. A dark gray name means the weapon or armor is
socketed. This means you can place a gem into one of the gem sockets, giving
the weapon or armor special properties. Blue highlighted names signify a
magical weapon or armor. When identified, they usually have a few magical
properties to them. A yellow highlighted name is a rare item. Think of rare
items as pumped up magical items. A rare item will have a lot of magical
properties to it. They also sell for a lot more than blue highlighted items.
A green highlighted item is an important item, even if you don't use it. Green
equipment means that that equipment is part of a set of items. If you are able
to collect a whole set of a set item group, you gain a powerful bonus as well
as the bonuses the individual set item pieces give you. Most people are not
patient enough to kill monsters for set items and they usually trade for them.
Finally, uniques are in a dark gold color. People mix up rares with unique
items. Unique items have a much darker shade than rares. Uniques are much
harder to get now, due to the additions of rare and set items. But still, the
uniques have a lot of powerful properties and you should be thankful if you
get one, even if you don't use it.
From easiest to hardest to get: Normal, socketed, magical, rare, set items, and
uniques.
Monsters:
There's still a lot of them poking around. And there are a lot more types than
in the last Diablo. You got your standard zombies, skeletons, and goblins. But
now you have your cat people, bone mages, and fetishes. Well, the battle to
fight the Lord of Terror wasn't expected to be easy.
Monsters are everywhere, in the wild, dungeons, caves. And you get your
experience from killing them, so you'll want to kill as many as you can.
Normal monsters have their names highlighted in white. You should watch their
health bar to see how much more damage they can take before they die.
If a monster has any special abilities, it will be in white type below the
monster's white bar.
Sometimes you may run across a monster with a blue highlighted name. This is a
champion, a tougher type of a certain monster (if the champion's name was
"Zombie Champion", it would basically be a beefed up zombie). A champion has
more hp, does more damage, but also gives out bigger rewards. You'll usually
find champions in a small group of 3 or 4. Be warned that they are more
dangerous so you should be careful when fighting them.
Other monsters will have dark yellow tinted names which signifies a unique
monster. They are always surrounded by minion monsters. While minion monsters
are not as powerful as champion types, they are a bit tougher than the usual
regular type of a monster. Its always a good idea to take out a unique
monster's minions before going after the unique monster themselves. Be warned,
unique monsters have special abilities, such as "Extra Fast" or "Spectral Hit".
Extreme caution should be taken before fighting unique monsters.
At the end of each Act, there is a powerful boss. These are the most powerful
enemies you will ever face, so you may have to use specific stratgies to take
care of them. You'll find them in the Act walkthroughs.
-----------------
7. The Characters
-----------------
Amazon - The Amazon is the expert at ranged and thrown weapons. You'll want to
use her with such weapons like the javelin, throwing knives, crossbows, and bow
and arrows. She is the best transition character to Diablo 2 from former Diablo
rogue players. Of course, she is better than old rogue in many ways. She can
enchant her bolts or arrows with magical properties that can do such things as
give them an elemental attribute, or even fire multiple arrows/bolts from one
shot. The javelin and spear skills can infuse the javelin with more power and
for both uses, when thrown, or used in melee combat. The Amazon also has access
to magic with can slow missile attacks, create a copy of herself, or even make
a powerful valkyrie to aid in battle. In addition to that magic, her passive
abilties helps to deal extra damage and avoid attacks easier.
You are an Amazon if: Safety first! You'll fire from far away and if they want
to fight they'll come to you. Of course, you have a few tricks up your sleeve
if they do come close.
Barbarian - This character likes to get their hands dirty. If you were a fan
of the warrior from the first Diablo, the Barbarian should be the best fit for
you. Early on, they possess great strength and vitality, so many early level
monsters will be easily handled by the Barbarian. He is usually suited to melee
fighting, but can be made deadly with thrown weapons. He can back up close
combat with Combat Skills (which give him powerful special attacks), toughen up
himself with Combat Masteries (which can raise his power in a weapon, or even
raise some of his own stats), and he can use Warcries when needed (which affect
enemies, as well as friends in various ways).
You are a Barbarian if: You love fighting hand to hand. Heck, you don't need
no spells. Give you a sword and a shield, your set for the day.
Necromancer - The Necromancer isn't the best suited for fighting hand to hand,
so he prefers to use his unholy abilities for holy uses. The necromancer
specializes in command of the undead, so he can raise skeletons from corpses,
create golems, or even turn monsters against their own with his powers. He can
create a powerful army to do his bidding. However, he also has good command
over the powers of poison and bone which will either kill the monsters, or at
least poison them enough that they will die. And his variety of curses will
inflict monsters will various ailments, be it they take extra damage, become
blinded, or even turn fellow monsters of the victim. Truly, he is a force to
be feared.
You are a Necromancer if: A job is better done when someone else does it, and
you get credit. But you can hold your own if it needs your personal touch.
Paladin - A holy warrior of light, the Paladin has no problem lending some of
his own bonuses to fellow allies. He is more of a front line fighter, so you'll
be using powerful weapons and strong armor with him. The Paladin possesses
several Combat skills which he can use to directly damage or kill enemies.
While his Combat skills are very useful, he is best known for his offensive and
defensive auras. He can pass his auras on to nearby friends, so if the Paladin
is getting an attack bonus, or free healing, his friends are also getting the
same attack bonus or healing. He can either crush enemies with his powerful
attacks or assist friends in doing the same objective.
You are a Paladin if: One of good qualities is your charitiable nature. But if
somebody crosses you, they'll pay in one way or another.
Sorceress - The Sorceress is the master of the magics of the world. She has
command of powerful Cold, Fire, and Lightning spells. While you can focus on
a single type of spell, a Sorceress who has knowledge in all spell areas is one
to be feared. Being able to attack an enemy with a variety of spells is always
a good bonus. However, once the Sorceress gets access to high level spells,
monsters will be quickly killed and you won't really need all those old spells.
She is mana drainer, so mana potions will have to be hoarded. If she does run
out of mana, she'll be hard pressed to fight off monsters, as her physical
attacks are subpar compared to other classes. A Sorceress must always be
prepared for anything.
You are a Sorceress if: You never could out fight an enemy, but you could
always freeze, toast, or shock them into nothingness.
--------------------------
8. Character Skills/Spells
--------------------------
Amazon:
Javelin and Spear - This section of the Amazon's skill tree mainly focuses on
the javelin and spear weapon classes. The abilities here will give the
javelin and spear attacks special powers, such as lightning or poison
enchantment. Some of the abilities work for the melee attacks, some for the
thrown attacks. But all are important if you choose for your Amazon to fight
mainly with javelins and spears.
Jab: You can learn this from the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
This Amazon ability allows the Amazon to attack a target enemy multiple times
with her javelin or spear. The multiple attacks mean extra damage, but early on
the damage done is actually lessened. After you've put a few points into this
skill, the damage dealt becomes a bonus, instead of a penalty. A very useful
attack in the early levels. As it grows in skill levels, it gains more damage,
the attack rating for the attack goes up, and the mana cost rises.
Power Strike: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
Power Strike adds a bit of lightning damage to your melee attack. This will
deal extra lightning damage in addition to the main melee attack. This skill
gets very useful in the later levels as the lightning damage dealt increases.
Use this when you need to do more damage than usual (for example, Unique
monsters). As it grows in skill levels, the attack rating goes up, lightning
damage dealt goes up, and the mana cost rises.
Poison Javelin: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
An excellent Amazon skill which adds poison to the thrown javelin attack. In
addition to hurting the target enemy and poisoning it, the poison javelin will
leave brief poison clouds in its path, also poisoning any enemy which touches
it. Very useful for poison multiple enemies. As it grows in skill levels,
the poison damage goes up and the mana costs rises.
Impale: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 3 mana. Must have learned Jab.
Using this ability will cause the Amazon to do a more powerful melee attack.
However, this is at the cost of the weapon's durability, causing you to repair
the equipped weapon more often than usual. If you want to use this is your
personal choice, some people find Power Strike does the job better. Just
remember you cannot used zero durability weapons, so you may find yourself
without a weapon if you use this ability too many times. As it grows in skill
levels, the attack rating goes up and weapon durability cost goes up.
Lightning Bolt: You can learn this at level 12. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Poison Javelin.
An excellent addition to the Amazon's thrown javelin abilities. When you throw
a javelin which this ability, the javelin will turn into a lightning bolt,
lighting the path as well as doing lots of lightning damage to the target. Even
though the mana cost does begin to sap a lot of mana in the higher skill
levels, the high lightning damage done is worth it. As it grows in skill
levels, the lightning damage dealt goes up and the mana cost rises.
Charged Strike: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Power Strike and Lightning Bolt.
When you use this ability, lightning will go off around your character, causing
damage to any enemies that get hit by the charged bolts. Its usefulness is
lessened at longer ranges, since the charged bolts tend to miss enemies far
away. This ability is useful at close range as it is much easier to hit
enemies when they are close up. As it grows in skill levels, the damage dealt
goes up and the mana cost rises.
Plague Javelin: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Lightning Bolt.
Basically an upgrade on the poison javelin. The mana costs are higher, but for
good reason. Like poison javelin, the thrown javelin leaves poison clouds
behind it and also poisons the target enemy. But in addition to that, the
javelin creates a sort of poison explosion, making multiple poison clouds
around where the javelin landed. It is possible to even poison more enemies
than with poison javelin. As it grows in skill levels, the poison damage dealt
goes up and the mana cost rises.
Fend: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 5 mana. Must have learned Impale.
Very useful when you become surrounded by enemies. Fend allows the Amazon to
attack all nearby enemies with her melee attack. It also gives a bonus to the
attack rating and damage dealt, so you can quickly take down more enemies. You
should save this for when you face overwhelming numbers. As it grows in skill
levels, the attack rating and damage dealt goes up.
Lightning Strike: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Charged Strike.
A very powerful attack for the melee attacking Amazon. When you hit a monster
with this skill, chain lightning will attack other nearby enemies to your
first target. This ability can quickly kill a large group of enemies as the
lightning can take care of enemies your not currently fighting. Take care to
watch your mana if you plan to use this a lot, you may quickly run out,
espcially in the later skill levels. As it grows in skill levels, the
lightning bolt and lightning damage goes up, you gain an extra lightning bolt,
and the mana cost rises.
Lightning Fury: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Plague Javelin.
The thrown (and more damaging) version of Lightning Strike. As you throw the
javelin with this ability, it turns into lightning, causing lightning damage to
the target. Also, lightning is spread to the other nearby enemies from the
target, causing extra damage to them as well. It is much easier to kill enemies
with this ability than with Lightning Strike (since you don't have to get in
the enemies face), but watch how many javelins you have left and your mana.
Just like Lightning Strike, this costs a lot of mana for an Amazon. As it grows
in skill levels, the lightning bolt and lightning damage goes up, you gain an
extra lightning bolt, and the mana cost rises.
==================
Passive and Magic - This is the only part of the Amazon skill tree that does
not focus on a class of weapons. However, this is maybe the most important
section of the Amazon skill tree. You can easily increase the chances for your
Amazon's survival with skills such as Evade and Avoid. The Amazon can also use
skills such as Critcal Strike to deal extra damage to the enemy. There are even
a few good suprises you can find.
Inner Sight: You can learn this from the beginning. Costs 5 mana.
With Inner Sight, enemies affected by it have sparkles over their heads.
Enemies will give off a bit more light when affected, so you can see a bit more
of the area. But the more important part of this skill is that it also
decreases enemy defense. Enemies will lower defense are enemies that you can
kill a lot easier. Use this whenever you come across a hard enemy. As it grows
in skill levels, the length of the effects rises and the enemy defense penalty
goes up.
Critical Strike: You can learn this from the beginning. Passive.
A must-have skill for any Amazon. Critcal Strike is passive, so it is always
active, which is very beneficial for you. The more skill points you put into
Critical Strike, the higher your chances of dealing extra damage to an enemy.
And well, extra damage is NEVER a bad thing (when you do it of course). You
will want to always put a few points into this skill. As it grows in skill
levels, the chance of doing extra damage goes up.
Dodge: You can learn this at level 6. Passive.
Dodge is another passive skill, so this is always in effect. With Dodge, your
chances of avoiding an enemy attack goes up. There are a few requirements to
this skill however, you have to be standing still and it has to be a melee
attack. Still though, this is another excellent passive skill. You could always
as much help as you can get. As it grows in skill levels, the chance of
avoiding a melee attack while not moving goes up.
Slow Missiles: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 5 mana. Must have learned
Inner Sight.
While this is not a very useful skill in single player, it may be shine in
multiplayer. What Slow Missiles does is slow attacks from ranged enemies. This
basically makes them easier to handle since your not getting pounded by arrows,
fireballs, or whatever as much. Most Amazon usually use ranged attacks, so it
might not be worth it to put a lot of points in Slow Missiles. However, if you
run across a hard bunch of ranged monsters (maybe a Unique ranged attacker with
its minions), Slow Missiles might get some use then. As it grows in skill
levels, the length of the effect goes up.
Avoid: You can learn this at level 12. Passive. Must have learned Dodge.
Similar to Dodge, this increases your chances of avoiding a ranged attack.
While its somewhat easy to that (just move out of the way), you may need it
when your busy with another enemy and some ranged attacker is pinging you from
behind. You still will want to put some points into this skill, just not as
much as Dodge (and later on, Evade). As it grows in skill levels, the chance
of avoiding a ranged attack increases.
Penetrate: You can learn this at level 18. Passive. Must have learned Critical
Strike.
With Penetrate, your attack rating for ranged attacks will go up. This works
with Critical Strike, so when you have enough points in both these skills, you
have a better ranged attack rating and a chance to do extra damage. If you
choose to be a melee Amazon (not that unusual, some Amazon opt for other
weapons), this may not be useful at all. But if your one who uses bows,
crossbows, or thrown javelins, this is one of those required skills. As it
grows in skill levels, the attack rating for ranged attacks goes up.
Decoy: You can learn this at level 24. Mana cost is variable. Must have learned
Slow Missiles.
What Decoy does is create a duplicate of the Amazon. This is very useful when
you need to distract enemies away from your real self. However, the decoy will
not attack, so it is only useful for drawing attention away from yourself.
In addition to a Mercenary, this will confuse a lot of enemies and leave you
unbothered to kill them. The decoy will only last for a few seconds (at least
until you put a lot of skill points into it), so use the time wisely. The mana
cost is also very high, but it lessens as the skill level goes up. As it grows
in skill levels, the length of the decoy rises and the mana cost lowers.
Evade: You can learn this at level 24. Passive. Must have learned Avoid.
The third in the set of missing enemy attack skills, the special property of
Evade is that you have a chance of avoiding attacks while moving. Basically
you can cover all the bases when this skill is in effect, you avoid attacks
when standing still and attacks when moving. This is more useful when you have
to run by a few enemies, but if you usually run into a clearings, you might
want to put more points into Dodge and Avoid. As it grows in skill levels, the
chance of avoiding attacks while running goes up.
Valkyrie: You can learn this at level 30. Costs 25 mana. Must have learned
Decoy and Evade.
Using Valkyrie creates a person to fight for you. Basically think of her as a
mercenary you can create for mana. However, she is more powerful than most
mercenaries, as she possesses more hp and has attack and defense bonuses. She
does not possess the extra abilities (such as cold or fire attacks) most
merecenaries have, but she can hold her own in battle. At the very least, she
also is another distraction for enemies, so using her in addition to Decoy will
leave you free from enemy attacks. As it grows in skill levels, the life of
the Valkyrie, her damage, attack rating, and defense bonuses will go up.
Pierce: You can learn this at level 30. Passive. Must have learned Penetrate.
With Pierce, you have a chance of hitting multiple enemies with one attack.
However, it will also pass on to your special attacks as well. So while this
is a good bonus to your normal attack, special attacks may end up hitting the
wrong target. As it grows in skill levels, the chance of the attack passing
through an enemy goes up.
================
Bow and Crossbow - With this section of the skill tree, you can enhance the
attacks of your bows and crossbows. Giving them an additional fire or cold
attack is always a good thing. You can even attack multiple enemies with a
single shot. You should consider big development with this skill if you decide
to stay with a bow or crossbow.
Magic Arrow: You can learn this at the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
This is a staple skill for the beginner player (to Diablo 2, not just to the
Amazon class). Most early players don't stock up on arrows enough, so if they
don't pick them up or buy them, they will run out eventually. Magic Arrow will
create an arrow out of mana, giving you a fighting chance, even if you don't
have any bows or bolts in your inventory. It also gives a minor damage bonus.
The mana cost is very low (it eventually gets into the decimals and later on
becomes a free skill!) and it also never misses the target. While you may want
to use this skill early on, you should stock up on arrows for other more
powerful abilities later. As it grows in skill levels, the damage bonus goes
up and the mana cost lowers.
Fire Arrow: You can learn this at the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
Another skill useful in the early levels. Fire Arrow enchants the fired arrow
with fire, so it deals normal and fire damage to the target enemy. Good
against weak enemies, but you'll pass this up for more powerful skills later
in the skill tree. As it grows in skill levels, the fire damage dealt goes
up and the mana cost rises.
Cold Arrow: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
Very useful arrow skill. When an enemy is hit with the Cold Arrow, it take
extra cold damage and turn blue. While the enemy is blue, they will move slower
and attack slower as well. You can use this to take care of a powerful enemy.
You can even use this skill in escape, run a bit, fire at the chasing enemy in
order to gain more ground. As it grows in skill levels, the cold damage dealt,
length of freezing and mana cost goes up.
Multiple Shot: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable. Must have
learned Magic Arrow.
An excellent skill for monster crowd control. Each time you fire an arrow with
Multiple Shot, it will turn into extra arrows. So with only one arrow, you can
get a whole bunch. The extra arrows will hit extra enemies, so you can easily
kill enemies in a group. This will keep you from having to focus solely on one
enemy, while the others move toward you. As it grows in skill levels, the
amount of arrows fired goes up and the mana cost rises.
Exploding Arrow: You can learn this at level 12. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Fire Arrow and Multiple Shot.
Another good crowd control skill, this time you'll take it out from the inside.
When the exploding arrow hits, an explosion will be created around the target
area, causing fire damage to any enemy hit by it. Use this when you become
faced by a large group of enemies. As it grows in skill levels, the fire damage
dealt goes up and the mana cost rises.
Ice Arrow: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must have
learned Cold Arrow.
Like Cold Arrow, this deals extra cold damage to an enemy. But unlike Cold
Arrow, this will freeze an enemy directly, stopping them in their tracks. A
frozen enemy is very easy to take down since it can't fight back. Also, if you
can kill an enemy while it is frozen, it will shatter and leave no corpse (very
useful when an enemy can revived). The frozen time is very brief so make good
use of it. As it grows in skill levels, the cold damage dealt, the frozen time
and mana cost goes up.
Guided Arrow: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must have
learned Cold Arrow and Multiple Shot.
Guided Arrow is basically a homing missile. When you fire an arrow with Guided
Arrow it will automatically track the nearest enemy, even if they are not in
the usual straight line of the arrow. The arrow will even move itself in order
to hit an enemy. You'll use this when you need to blindly fire into a room to
just can't seem to get a steady lock on a quick enemy. As it grows in skill
levels, the mana cost rises and the damage dealt goes up.
Strafe: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 11 mana. Must have learned Guided
Arrow.
Strafe fires multiple arrows like Multiple Shot, but will attack any enemies on
screen, no matter where they are. This allows you to damage any number of
enemies even if they are on the top or bottom of the screen. You can only
damage a certain number of enemies per each skill level, so for the really
large groups, you'll have to put a lot of points into Strafe. As it grows in
skill levels, the damage dealt goes up and the number of enemies attacked goes
up.
Immolation Arrow: You can learn this at level 24. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Exploding Arrow.
The Immolation Arrow does a whole lot of damage. First, you deal the normal
damage with the fired arrow. Second, you deal extra fire damage to the targeted
enemy. Third, it will create an explosion, dealing damage to any enemy which
is hit by it. Fourth, the explosion creates a fire which will burn for a time,
hurting any enemy which stands in it. You can easily kill a single enemy and
quickly hurt other enemies in a group. A must-have for high level Amazons. As
it grows in skill levels, it deals extra explosion and fire damage, the length
of the fire goes up, and the mana cost rises.
Freezing Arrow: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Ice Arrow.
An upgrade of the Ice Arrow, but also costs more mana. It will freeze the
target enemy but also will freeze enemies near the target. This allows you to
stop a good number of enemies by freezing them in their tracks. The extra
damage dealt is also a good bonus, so you can hurt enemies to near death. A
mercenary or Valkyrie can take care of the frozen enemies while you hit them
with Freezing Arrows. As it grows with skill levels, it deals extra damage and
the mana cost rises.
==========
Barbarian:
Combat Skills - These mainly help in combat. They are mostly powerful attacks
that give more damage than usual. You'll want to use these skills when you want
something dead. And quick.
Bash: You can learn this from the beginning. Costs 2 mana.
This attack deals a powerful blow to a monster which deals additional damage
and knocks the target back a bit. You'll want to use this when you need a bit
of breathing space. As it grows in skill levels, it gains more damage, more
attack rating and more damage bonus.
Leap: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 2 mana.
This skill does not do any damage (not yet anyway), but is useful in getting
around. This lets the Barbarian jump around. He can jump over objects and
enemies as well. If you do land near enemies, this does not hurt them, but does
push them away a bit. As it grows in skill levels, you gain more length in the
jump.
Double Swing: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 2 mana.
If you have a weapon wielded in each hand, this is the skill for you. When
used, you will swing both weapons at the same time causing extra damage. This
is very useful for strong monsters, as repeated Double Swings with chop it down
quickly. As it grows in skill levels, the attack rating goes up.
Stun: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 2 mana. Must have learned Bash.
When you use this skill the enemy will be stunned. This will freeze the enemy
for a few seconds and allow you to run, fight other enemies, or just hit it
unopposed. A good tactic is to keep using stun on an enemy and freeze it over
and over. As it grows in skill levels, the attack rating and length of the stun
raises.
Double Throw: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 2 mana. Must have learned
Double Swing.
Like Double Swing, this will throw two weapons at the same time. This only
works if you have a thrown weapon in each hand. This is useful only if you are
a big thrown weapon user. If not, you should not use many points in this skill.
As it grows in skill levels, the attack rating goes up.
Leap Attack: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 9 mana. Must have learned
Leap.
Basically an upgrade on Leap. With this version of it, you can jump farther
(when you compare equal levels to Leap) and do an attack when you land (with a
damage bonus). However, this does cost more mana, so you should only use this
for jumping in and out of battles. For casual jumping (like over rivers or to
other platforms), regular Leap is recommended. As it grows in skill levels, the
jumping length and damage bonus goes up.
Concentrate: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 2 mana. Must have learned
Stun.
A very useful skill when surrounded by enemies. With Concentrate, your attack
will not be stopped by an enemy hit. So you can focus more on hacking your way
through a group of monsters. Of course, you will still take damage, but at
least you can quicken the pace of getting outta there. It also gives a small
bonus to your attack and defense rating. As it grows in skill levels, the
attack rating and defense rating goes up.
Frenzy: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 3 mana. Must have learned Double
Throw.
Facing a tough champion or unique monster? Frenzy is the way to go. As you hit
a monster with the Frenzy attack, the next attack will be faster. It will keep
getting faster and faster until the monster is either dead, or you move onto
another monster. This is useful as this will quickly kill a tough monster,
provided you can hit it (it does not gain in speed for a miss).
As it grows in skill levels, the length of the Frenzy bonus and the attack
rating go up.
Whirlwind: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. Must have
learned Leap Attack and Concentrate.
This is literally a whirlwind. Click on where you want to go and the Barbarian
will go there, attacking monsters in a whirlwind along the way. This is a quick
way to get through a whole bunch of enemies blocking you, as this will chop
them down to size quickly. However, in the first few skill levels of Whirlwind,
the damage bonus is actually a penalty! So, until you get to level 5 in
Whirlwind, you do less damage in Whirlwind. Afterwards, you start to do extra
damage. As it grows in skill levels, the mana cost, damage bonus, and attack
rating go up.
Berserk: You can learn this at level 30. Costs 5 mana. Must have learned
Concentrate.
Using this skill gives the Barbarian a quick attack rating and magic damage
bonus. So this is useful when you need every bit of help you can in killing
monsters, as you have a better chance of hitting them. But be warned, as you
add points into this skill, the duration of Berserk goes down. As it grows in
skill levels, the attack rating and magic damage bonus go up, but the length
of the Berserk goes down.
================
Combat Masteries - The weapon masteries increase the usefulness of weapon
classes greatly. However, due to the lack of skill points out there, you should
usually focus on one weapon art mainly. Most tend to use swords, so sword
mastery is a good choice. However, it is your choice to what weapon class you
want to use. The other skills in this set help with increasing certain aspects
of the Barbarian, such as Stamina and Defense.
Sword Mastery: You can learn this from the beginning. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for sword class weapons.
Axe Mastery: You can learn this from the beginning. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for axe class weapons.
Mace Mastery: You can learn this from the beginning. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for mace class weapons.
Polearm Mastery: You can learn this at level 6. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for polearm class weapons.
Throwing Mastery: You can learn this at level 6. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for throwing class weapons.
Spear Mastery: You can learn this at level 6. Passive.
As you raise the level of this skill, you gain more attack rating and damage
for spear class weapons.
Increased Stamina: You can learn this at level 12. Passive.
As you put points into this skill, you gain percent bonuses to your current
stamina total. This is useful if you do a lot of running, as it raises your
stamina total greatly when more points are put into it.
Iron Skin: You can learn this at level 18. Passive
As you put points into this skill, you gain percent bonuses to your current
defense total. Obviously, this is useful, as it keeps you from dying. You can
never have enough defense.
Increased Speed: You can learn this at level 24. Passive. You must have learned
Increased Stamina.
As you put points into this skill, you gain percent bonuses to your current
walking/running speed. The percent bonus is only a little bit each level, so
you may have to put a lot of points into this skill, if you really need the
extra speed. You'll want this if you need a quick retreat, or a quick way to
catch those coward enemies.
Natural Resistance: You can learn this at level 30. Passive. You must have
learned Iron Skin.
As you put points into this skill, you gain percent bonuses to your resistances
from magical attacks (fire, cold, lightning, poison). This is very useful. Many
of the monsters in the last parts of the game have specialized elemental
attacks. Having a resistance to it can decrease the damage you take from that
monster and make it easier to take down.
========
Warcries - These abilities of Barbarian directly affect other creatures. Some
of them disable monsters, some help friends. But they are all useful in their
own ways. Some of these Warcries can even turn the tide of battle in your
favor, affecting a whole army of monsters.
Howl: You can learn this at the beginning. Costs 4 mana.
When you feel like the odds are entirely against you, Howl will change them in
your favor. Using this ability will send monsters affected by it running away.
This will allow you to chase them down by themselves, fight less monsters, or
if needed, run away. As it gains in skill levels, the enemy will run farther
and for a longer time.
Find Potion: You can learn this at the beginning. Costs 2 mana.
Not one of my personal favorite Barbarian abilities. Find Potion will allow you
to search dead monster bodies for any potions. However, it only gets really
useful after the percange goes up (which means you'll need to waste points with
this skill). This skill is too low for much use in the beginning, and you'll
have enough money to buy potions later on. As it gains in skill levels, the
chance of finding a potion will increase.
Taunt: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 3 mana. You must have learned Howl.
You won't be using this skill too often, but it has it uses. The only time I
use it is when there is a whole bunch of monsters, and I want to pick them off
one by one. I use taunt to have them follow me around so I can kill them.
Luckily, this also lowers the damage and accuracy of the enemy. Not the most
useful warcry, but you'll use it every so often. As it gains in skill levels,
the enemy suffers more of a damage and accuracy penalty.
Shout: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 6 mana.
A very useful Warcry. With Shout you gain a defense bonus for as long as the
Shout is in effect. Use this whenever you are facing a tough bunch of monsters.
And its use is even better in Multiplayer, as it also affects fellow party
members close enough. A must for every big battle. As it gains in skill levels,
the defense bonus and length of Shout will increase.
Find Item: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 7 mana.
This Warcry works on the same principle as Find Potion. You can search a dead
monster corpse to see if it has any item. What you find is completely random,
it could be gold, equipment, scrolls, etc. Again, the percentage of finding
something is too low in the early levels, so this requires a lot of developing
in order to be very useful. As it gains in skill levels, the percentage of
finding something will increase.
Battlecry: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 5 mana. You must have learned
Taunt.
This Warcry will lower the defense and damage dealt of any monster affected by
it. Battlecry quickly lowers the power of a large group of enemies, making them
easier to kill, at less risk to yourself. You'll want to add points to this, so
you can affect the enemies more and to avoid reusing over and over, wasting
mana. As it gains in skill levels, the defense and attack penalty suffered by
the enemy grows, the length of Battlecry increases.
Battle Orders: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 7 mana and some of your
life. You must have learned Shout.
This will give you a bonus to your life, stamina, and mana for as long as it is
in effect. However, this means you'll have to sacrifice some of your life in
order to use it. So you'll have to give a little, to get a lot. You'll use this
when you need just a little bit of life to keep on going. Don't use this during
battle. You need all the life you can get. This also will affect people who
hear this in multiplayer (but at no cost to them, so this is a very useful
multiplayer ability). As it gains in skill levels, the life, stamina, and mana
bonus grows, as well as the length of the bonus.
Grim Ward: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 4 mana. You must have learned
Find Item.
When you have monsters chasing you and your stamina is running out, use this
ability. You can use the dead corpse of a monster to erect a sort of force
field for you. Monsters will not enter the field created by the corpse totem.
This allows you to get a quick breather, heal up, or use a town portal. As it
grows in skill levels, the size of the force field will grow.
Warcry: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. You must have
learned Battlecry and Battle Orders.
This is the only Warcry which will directly damage enemies. This also means
this the highest costing Warcry as well. Any monsters that get caught in the
Warcry will sustain damage and be stunned for a brief period. You will want to
put a lot of points into this skill. Soon enough, you'll be able to kill
enemies with Warcry, or at best, get them near death and stunned. However, the
mana cost goes up with each level, so make sure to have mana potions if you
plan to use the skill reguarly. As it gains in skill levels, you will deal more
damage, stun the enemy longer, and Warcry will cost more mana.
Battle Command: You can learn this at level 30. Costs 11 mana. You must have
learned Battle Orders.
An excellent ability to use. While its use is somewhat limited in single
player, this shines in multiplayer. With Battle Command, you will gain one
skill leve in every skill you've learned. This also means party members who
can get in the effect of the Warcry. You should have all your party members
get in a circle around you before you use this ability, to get as much out of
it as you can. I would keep adding this points into this ability if you
regularly play in multiplayer. If your a single player, don't ignore this
ability completely, you just won't be using it as much. As it gains in skill
levels, the length of effects will grow.
============
Necromancer:
Summoning Spells - Most likely, the Necromancer's claim to fame is because of
his ability to take skeletons from corpses, create golems, or when he becomes
experienced enough, make dead monsters do his bidding. It is a very powerful
weapon as your monsters will take it upon themselves to damage enemies. Most
Necromancers delve a little bit into this part of their skill tree. Usually,
all your need to build up your army is a dead body and some mana (for
skeletons and revived monsters). Or if you like golems, all you need are some
mana. There are different types or skeletons and golems you can revive, so if
you plan on using summoned monsters, you can only mainly focus on one type, or
spread your skill points around all types. Its your points and your choice.
Raise Skeleton: You can learn this from the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
Early on in the game, you'll be relying on skeletons for your main attack
force. Since the necromancer doesn't have too many weapons at his use in the
beginning, the skeleton is a good ally. Not only does it deal damage, it can
also distract the enemy. This allows you to move around the enemies and hit
them from behind. Skeletons are also easy to create, all you need is a dead
body. Because of this, most Necromancers will have skeletons with them. If they
don't, they either are focusing on curses or poison/bone spells. As you advance
on, you should rely more on golems, as they are stronger and can take a lot
more damage. Sadly, only putting points into Raise Skeleton will only allow you
to make more skeletons. If you want more powerful skeletons, you also have to
put points into Skeleton Mastery. This makes raising skeleton levels in order
to keep track with the current enemy level a very costly choice. If you plan to
focus on skeletons, try to find a weapon which gives you a bonus to Raise
Skeleton or Skeleton Mastery. As it grows in skill levels, the number of
skeletons you can make goes up and the mana cost rises.
Skeleton Mastery: You can learn this from the beginning. Passive. Must have
learned Raise Skeleton.
If you plan on becoming a big skeleton user, you'll be coming to this skill
often. With this skill, you can give your skeletons life and damage bonuses.
It will also improve the missile damage of your skeleton mages and give
life/damage bonuses to revived monsters. You may end up pumping more points
into this skill then you first planned, since keeping your skeletons strong
enough to combat the stronger monsters is a hard task. Because of this, you'll
either have to waste many points with this skill and Raise Skeleton, or rely on
other sources of damage such as golems, curses, or poison/bone spells. As it
grows in skill levels, the bonuses to skeleton and revived monsters life/damage
and the skeleton mage missile attack rises.
Clay Golem: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
The golems are the big daddies of the necromancer's summoning weaponry. They
clearly surpass the skeletons in life and damage. However, unlike skeletons
you cannot make more than one of them at a time. But, you don't need a dead
body to create a golem, so its a lot more easier to make them if your on the
run. Golems are a natural upgrade from skeletons, its a good idea to make your
usual skeleton army and place a powerful golem in the middle. This will easily
kill lone enemies and damage (if not kill) groups. If you need a new golem
right away, you can make one, but it will destroy your current one. You should
only need to make new golems if your old one is about to die. As it grows in
skill levels, the damage golem's life, damage dealt, and mana cost rises.
Golem Mastery: You can learn this at level 12. Passive. You must have learned
Golem.
Similar to Skeleton Mastery, this skill upgrades your golems. Again, if you
plan on being a big golem user, you are required to put skill points into here
if you want to be succesful. It is not as useful as the Skeleton Mastery, since
it only provides life and speed bonuses (the speed bonus stays very small and
never gets above 33%). If you want to add damage to your golem, you'll have to
add skill points to that golem skill directly. However, you can give your golem
very big life bonuses very early, so you should put some points into this
skill. It will increase the use of your golems, avoiding major mana waste. As
it grows in skill levels, the life and walk/run speed bonuses go up.
Raise Skeletal Mage: You can learn this at level 12. Mana cost is variable. You
must have learned Raise Skeleton.
Surely you've encountered the annoying bone mages by the time you reached level
12. (Either that or you really like leveling up early). In any case, now you
can create those skeleton mages and annoy your enemies. Not only do they get
the same bonuses from Skeleton Mastery like your regular skeletons, but they
get more starting life as well ranged elemental attacks. This means that they
can attack from far away and hit their enemy with fire, cold, electric, or
poison damage. And yes, the cold damage will freeze the enemy, the poison
damage will poison the enemy. Also, skeleton mages are counted on a different
total to your regular skeletons, so you can have a lot of skeletons and
skeleton mages (limited to however many points you put into those skills).
Skeleton mages are more useful than your regular skeletons, so if you do plan
on staying a skeleton user, you should focus on skeleton mages more than your
regular kind. As it grows in skill levels, the number of skeleton mages you
can make goes up and the mana cost rises.
Blood Golem: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. You must
have learned Golem.
Another type of Golem (one of 4), the Blood Golem is the second in the line of
golems. While more expensive than regular golems, they also deal a lot more
damage when compared to equal skill level clay golems. However, their life
totals have an interesting quirk to them. They share life with you, so in
essence, they are connected to your life total. This means if they take a hit,
you'll feel it. You don't get the usual distraction protection that golems
provide, because its basically like your fighting in the front lines. So if
your blood golem dies, you'll take a lot of damage. Luckily, if your blood
golem gives out damage, you can take life away from your enemy. So your blood
golem can either be a good advantage to have, since you can easily gain life
against lone enemies. Or your blood golem will be your doom since it will
easily fall against groups of monsters. A good strategy whenever your blood
golem gets surrounded is to create a clay golem. This will destruct your blood
golem and give you a fresh golem. As it grows in skill levels, the healing
percent bonus from dealing damage, the damage dealt by the golem, and the mana
cost rises.
Summon Resist: You can learn this at level 24. Passive. You must have learned
Golem Mastery.
This passive skill is a good bonus to your summoned creatures. It is the only
skill which affects all summoned monsters (skeletons, golems, revived
monsters). As you add points to this skill, your monsters gain extra resistance
to all elements (fire, cold, poison, and electric). So, this adds to your
monsters survival, allowing them to take a little bit more damage. If you plan
to be a big user of summoned monsters, you should be willing to invest in this
skill, as monsters later in the game tend to focus on the elements. As it grows
in skill levels, the resist all bonus goes up.
Iron Golem: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 35 mana. You must have
learned Blood Golem.
The third type of golem, this golem as has the requirement of needing a piece
of equipment to create from. So, you can't create this anywhere you want,
you'll need some sort of weapon or armor on the ground to make it from.
However, you can easily create a special kind of golem, depending on the item.
If you make your Iron Golem from a good piece of armor (say a field plate for
example), your Iron Golem most likely will have a good amount of defense (as
well as an HP bonus). Basically, your Iron Golem will take the properties of
the item you make it from. If the item has a fire damage bonus, the golem will
have a fire damage bonus. And on top of all that, the Iron Golem also has the
Thorns Aura, dealing extra damage to the enemy (the Thorns Aura deals damage
back to the enemy). You'll need to get to level 2 for it, but the Thorns damage
is very high, so it is very much worth it. As it grows in skill levels, the
Thorns Aura damage grows.
Fire Golem: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. You must
have learned Iron Golem.
The last type of golem you can create, the Fire Golem is one of the better
types. Unlike the Blood Golem, it doesn't share life with you, and you don't
need an item for it like the Iron Golem. So you can make the Fire Golem
whenever you want, the only requirement being mana. The Fire Golem is very
expensive mana-wise, and it only gets more expensive as the skill levels go
up. However, the Fire Golem can deal the most damage, and has the highest
normal life totals (the only higher is an Iron Golem made from very good
armor). But, you'd guess the Fire Golem has something to do with fire. And yes,
while the Fire Golem does not deal fire damage, it can absorb fire damage,
basically nullifying parts of fire elemental attacks. Even from its first
level, the Fire Golem can take a 1/3 of a fire attack with no damage. If you
find yourself facing powerful fire enemies (Diablo comes to mind), a Fire Golem
is the perfect fit. Just beware of the high mana costs at the later levels. As
it grows in skill levels, the damage dealt, fire damage absorb percent, and the
mana cost rises.
Revive: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. You must have
learned Raise Skeletal Mage and Iron Golem.
So you've defeated a really hard enemy? Don't waste the corpse on a skeleton!
Use that dead body for your own army! Revive allows you to take a monster's
dead body and have them fight for you. Know, they will only survive for 3
minutes before dying away again, so get all the use out of them you can. And
like skeletons, you can only have a certain number around. They only get a
certain amount of HP back, so don't expect them to be tanks like your golems.
However, if you revive a monster like a Vampire or Undead Horror, you'll know
why they were so hard to kill. Plus, they get bonuses from Skeleton Mastery, so
you may find yourself going back to that skill a few times. Note, you can't
revive Unique monster corpses. As it grows in skill levels, you can raise more
monsters, your raised monsters get more life, and the mana cost goes down.
======================
Poison and Bone Spells - This set of the Necromancer's tree will deal with your
favorite topics, poison and bone. While there are good direct damage spells
(Bone Spear, Bone Spirit), you can't forget about the poison part of the
equation. You can easily poison your enemy with Poison Nova or Poison
Explosion. However, there are some very good defensive spells, such as Bone
Armor and Bone Wall. The best mix of offense and defense can lead to good use
from these spells.
Teeth: You can learn this from the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
An early direct damage spell for the Necromancer, teeth will create flying
teeth which damages any enemy it hits. Teeth will fly through one enemy and hit
another behind in its path. As you invest more points into this skill, you can
also fire more teeth. While the damage is good in the beginning, it is gets to
be too small as you advance in the game, so don't rely on this skill too much.
As it grows in skill levels, you can fire more teeth, the teeth deal extra
damage, and the mana cost rises.
Bone Armor: You can learn this from the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
If you choose to get your hands dirty directly with your Necromancer, Bone
Armor may be a required spell. It basically gives your Necromancer a brief
shield from the enemy attacks, allowing you to hit back without fear of being
quickly killed. Necromancers that often get into battle close up with enemies
may need to invest many points in this skill. You can take a lot more damage
as the Bone Armor gets more skill points. As it grows in skill points, you get
more protection from Bone Armor and the mana cost rises.
Poison Dagger: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
Only worry about using this skill if you plan to be a dagger user. Note,
throwing daggers don't count. As the name states, you'll do poison damage, but
you'll need a dagger. If you hit an enemy with this attack while wielding a
dagger, you will poison them. The amount of damage and length of time depends
on the skill level of Poison Dagger. Obviously, if you don't like daggers (most
Necromancers may be using a wand instead), this skill is useless. If for
nothing else, put a point in this skill for later skills. However, the poison
damage is very good and the length long, after a few skill points. It is up to
you if you want to use this skill. While powerful, it forces you to use a
dagger. Of course, you could just have a dagger on standby for whenever you
want to use the skill. As it grows in skill levels, the poison damage and
length goes up, the attack rating bonus grows, and the mana cost rises.
Corpse Explosion: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable. You
must have learned Teeth.
This is probably the best weapon in the Poison and Bone skill tree. With Corpse
Explosion, you can kill one monster, use its corpse to kill other monsters, use
those corpses to kill other monsters, and so on. The only worry is mana, but
smart players will have plenty of mana potions. A pair of Necromancers showed
me a very effective combo, Amplify Damage and Corpse Explosion. With this, you
can basically breeze through the early parts of the game. Any good Necromancer
will have some points in this skill, as it may be the most damaging move of the
Necromancer's attacks. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the explosion
and the mana cost rises.
Bone Wall: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 17 mana. You must have learned
Bone Armor.
Bone Wall should only be used in extreme cases when you really need something
else to distract the enemy. Frankly, I think skeletons and golems do the job
better. But Bone Walls are pretty long and do have a good lasting rate. But any
good group of enemies (any group your running from anyway) should be strong
enough to break the wall down in seconds. I could see a use for this maybe when
you have no stamina, but still, if you need to run, use a town portal scroll
instead. Better gold than skill points. As it grows in skill points, the life
of the Bone Wall goes up.
Poison Explosion: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 8 mana. You must have
learned Poison Dagger and Corpse Explosion.
If your a fan of poison damage, this is a natural step. Since you have the
patience to let poison do its work, Poison Explosion is a good way to spread
your poison clouds. Kill an enemy and explode the corpse into poison gases.
The poison damage done is very good and the time isnt too shabby, but you'll
want to add points to lengthen the time. You can't Poison Explosion corpses
over and over like with Corpse Explosion, but if you have a tightly packed
group, you may want to use Poison Explosion to weaken em before they come to
you. As it grows in skill levels, the poison damage and length goes up.
Bone Spear: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. You must
have learned Corpse Explosion.
The first direct damage spell after Teeth, if you liked Teeth, you may like
this spell too. While more expensive, it does the same piercing through enemy
quality like Teeth did. However, you can't throw multiple Bone Spears, so
you'll have to be more careful with your aim. While very good against single
enemies, if you can line your enemies up in a line, Bone Spear can take em down
quickly. The damage is very good towards the later levels of the skill, but if
you don't like direct damage, you can stay with Corpse Explosion and your
summoned creatures. Or save those points for Bone Spirit later on. As it grows
in skill levels, the damage dealt and mana cost rises.
Bone Prison: You can learn this at level 24. Mana cost is variable. You must
have learned Bone Wall and Bone Spear.
Think a more direct Bone Wall. Casting this spell on an enemy will trap them in
a bone cage, basically trapping them for 48 seconds (the duration of the spell)
or until they can break through it. The only use I could see for this spell is
when your facing a Unique and his minions, its very handy to trap a Unique
monster so you can focus on getting rid of those annoying minions. Otherwise,
its too specific for any good use. As it grows in skill levels, the life of
the Bone Prison goes up and the mana cost goes down.
Poison Nova: You can learn this at level 30. Costs 25 mana. You must have
learned Poison Explosion.
The biggest poison spell out there, casting Poison Nova will emit poison bolts
all around the necromancer, poisoning any surrounding enemies. The poison
damage and length is the largest and longest (when compared to equal skill
levels of Poison Dagger and Poison Explosion), so this is the best spell for
you poison fans. However, the mana cost is very high, so multiple uses of this
spell may leave you mana empty. Still, the damage and length cannot be
overlooked, if you love poison, this will become your favorite spell. As it
grows in skill levels, the poison damage and length goes up.
Bone Spirit: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable. You must
have learned Bone Spear.
Still with the direct damage bone spells? Well, this is what you've been
waiting for. Sadly, Bone Spirit will not damage multiple enemies, but it will
home in on your targets. Think homing missiles. It will fly away from you and
hit the nearest enemy with good amounts of damage. If you plan on staying with
direct damage bone spells, this may be best choice. The mana cost is moderately
tolerable (as low as 12 mana to 20 max). The damage is insane in the later
levels, so you can ping away at enemies with Bone Spirit while your golem hacks
away at them. Still, it only works on single enemies, so don't rely on it for
taking down your large groups. As it grows in skill levels, the damage dealt
and mana cost rises.
======
Curses - While none of the Curses will directly damage enemies, they will
however, affect the enemies in a variety of negative ways. From the basic
Amplify Damage which makes enemies take extra damage to later, more advanced
Curses which will weaken, confuse, or slow down enemies. And that's only a
sample of the havoc Necromancer Curses can do on monsters. With the right
Curse, any group of monsters can be easily handled.
Amplify Damage: You can learn this from the beginning. Costs 4 mana.
This Curse may be your standard Curse before any big battle. Dealing extra
damage is always a good thing (well, its good if its dealt to your enemies).
Can't go wrong with dealing extra damage. Cast this on a group of enemies. Any
which have the orange dot over their heads are affected and an easy target.
Mana cost for this skill is also very reasonable so you can do repeated
castings as needed. While lending an attack bonus to your skeletons and golems,
the best combo would be to Amplify Damage a group of monsters, Corpse Explosion
a nearby corpse. If not killing the whole bunch of them, it should severely
weaken them. As it grows in skill levels, the radius and length of the effect
grows.
Dim Vision: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 9 mana.
This skill can basically nullify some enemies completely. Enemies affected by
the Curse cannot see past them. If used on ranged attackers, you can stop them
from attacking (since they can't see, they cannot aim). Other monsters will
slow or stop in their tracks, allowing your minions to pick them off. While it
sounds nice, I find that Amplify Damage is a better choice. You may want to use
Dim Vision if facing a big group of ranged attackers. But otherwise, you may
want to use other Curses. As it grows in skill levels, the radius and length
of the effect grows.
Weaken: You can learn this at level 6. Costs 4 mana.
The other side of Amplify Damage. Instead of dealing extra damage, you take
less. I like Amplify Damage better than Weaken, you should only use Weaken if
your surrounded by the enemies. Better to take less damage when your on the
defense. However, its better to take the enemies down faster with Amplify
Damage, than let them live longer with Weaken. As it grows in skill levels, the
radius and length of the effect grows.
Iron Maiden: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 5 mana. You must have
learned Amplify Damage.
Basically the Thorns Aura for the Paladin, in the handy Necromancer Curse form.
However, not as useful as Thorns, since you'll have to recast for each new
enemy group. But still, a very good aura. Even from level 1, you'll give back
double the damage to your enemy that they give to you. And this also counts for
whoever the cursed enemy attacks, be it you or a summoned monster. So they
whack themselves to death when they hit your golem. While the radius never
grows, the damage returned does, so it only gets better with skill points. I
shiver at the damage dealing when you use this Curse with a friendly Paladin
Thorns Aura. Eew, messy cleanup, that's for sure. As it grows in skill levels,
the damage returned percent and length of effect goes up.
Terror: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 7 mana. You must have learned
Weaken.
Instead of having to run from the enemies, they'll run from you. Hrm. I guess
that's an okay effect. I think its better to take things into your own hands
and run away with your own feet. Maybe if your gonna be surrounded all around
you would use this. But still, if you have an open avenue, take it, instead of
using this skill. And I have no idea why you would use this if your on the
attack. If anything, it will draw more monsters as your golem and skeletons
follow the running monsters. One skill point is enough for this. As it grows
in skill levels, the length of the effect goes up.
Confuse: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 13 mana. You must have learned
Dim Vision.
Actually, I like this Curse a little bit. Its fun to see enemies hack away at
fellow enemies. Of course, some enemies can see through it and still attack you
or your summoned monsters. But the majority will start attacking their own
kind, leaving you time to retreat or lay down more offensive spells. This is a
better retreating spell than Terror, at least you can do a little bit of damage
before you leave the battlefield. As it grows in skill levels, the radius and
length of the effect goes up.
Life Tap: You can learn this at level 18. Costs 9 mana. You must have learned
Iron Maiden.
If you need to gain some life back, this may be one of the best ways (other
than potions, of course). Enemies which get cursed by Life Tap will give life
back to whoever hit them. Its always half of what you deal, so depending on how
much damage you do, it may be a little or a lot of life. While Necromancers
usually don't get into the thick of battle, the Life Tap bonus will also work
for summoned monsters and allied multiplayer friends, so you can heal your
allies with this Curse. Either way, this is the only healing spell the
Necromancer has (no, I don't count Blood Golem). As it grows in skill levels,
the radius and length of the effect goes up.
Attract: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 17 mana. You must have learned
Confuse.
Again, another skill which sounds good on paper. Make a monster become a target
of other monsters? Yeah, but you can't use this on Unique or Boss monsters. So
you'll only be using this on your run of the mill, normal monsters. Maybe if
you some running time, you can distract the enemy by making one of their own a
target. Monsters will go after whoever is closer, you, or the attracted target.
However, Confuse does the monster vs. monster thing better, so you should only
invest few (if any) points in this skill. As it grows in skill levels, the
length of the effect goes up.
Decrepify: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 11 mana. You must have learned
Terror.
This skill basically slows down enemies, similar to cold/freezing attacks.
However, the length of the effect is very low. At most, you'll only get about 6
seconds. Curses like Life Tap or even Amplify Damage give 8 seconds at their
first level. Its better to use actual cold attacks (get it from special
equipment) than waste mana with this Curse. As it grows in skill levels, the
radius and length of the effect goes up.
Lower Resist: You can learn this at level 30. Costs 22 mana. You must have
learned Life Tap and Decrepify.
A decent Curse, but it may be to specific (and maybe too late) for good use.
Enemies which get cursed will be more hurt by magical attacks, as well as
attacks from the elements (fire, cold, poison, and electric). If you come
across a monster (usually Unique) that is resistant against a certain type, you
may want to use this Curse before you begin your attack on them. Its very good
if you can get rid of one of their strengths. And if you rely on skeletal mages
a lot, you can get more out of their elemental ranged attacks. However, skill
points will get harder to come by at level 30, so you may not have all the
points you wish to invest into this skill. Still, put a few of them in here,
this is still a useful Curse. As it grows in skill levels, the radius, length
of the resist all penalty (as well as the actual penalty) goes up.
========
Paladin:
Defensive Auras - The Paladin, having access to greater powers above can gain
special benefits from certain defensive auras. While a few of them are very
specific in use (Resist Cold and Resist Fire good examples), there are some
which you'll be using all the time (Prayer and Defiance). Also, all of the
defensive auras (except Redemption) will affect other nearby allies (such as
mercenaries or fellow allied players), so they can share in the benefits.
Prayer: You can learn this from the beginning. Mana cost is variable.
Maybe one of the most powerful Defensive Auras and you get it right at the
beginning of the game. When the Prayer aura is active, the Paladin will slowly
regain life over time. If you have a full life orb, this aura does nothing, so
it only shines when you start losing it. This is can ease your dependance on
potions, since you can run away from battle for a bit, slowly regain your
life with Prayer, then jump back in. Watch your mana though, if you run out of
mana, you'll run out of this healing source. You'll also lose mana for healing
allies affected with Prayer, so you may be taking a big mana drain. As it grows
in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows, the healing and mana cost
rises.
Resist Fire: You can learn this from the beginning. No mana cost.
You'll only want to use this aura when you face enemies that use a lot of fire
attacks (Burning Dead, Vampires, for example). The good thing about this aura
is that you get a big fire resist bonus, even from the first skill level. But
it is not worth it to put too many points into this skill since the aura is
way too specific for much use in battle. As it grows in skill levels, the
radius of the aura grows and the resist fire bonus goes up.
Defiance: You can learn this at level 6. No mana cost.
Another excellent defensive aura, this will affect your defense rating. While
in effect, your defense rating will get a percent bonus. Only after you a few
skill levels, you can get a 100% percent defensive bonus! If you don't need
prayer, you should be using this aura in the early levels. More defense means
more chance of surviving, and you can't have too much of that. It also will
affect your friends, so this aura can help those Barbarians in your party, who
have to get into the thick of battle. As it grows in skill levels, the radius
of the aura grows and the defensive bonus goes up.
Resist Cold: You can learn this at level 6. No mana cost.
Very simliar to Resist Fire, just that this will affect your cold resistance.
You should only use this when you need a bit cold resist bonus. But still, it
is too specific for a lot of use, so you should only put a few points in this
skill. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the
resist cold bonus goes up.
Cleansing: You can learn this at level 12. No mana cost. Must have learned
Prayer.
This aura will affect your poison status. While it does give your resist poison
any bonuses, it will lower the duration of the poison effect. While active, the
poison duration will be reduced, according to whatever skill level Cleansing is
at. So, you'll only be using this aura while you are poisoned. This does
nothing while you aren't poisoned. Another example of an aura too specific to
be much of a good use of skill points. As it grows in skill levels, the radius
of the aura grows and poison duration reduction bonus goes up.
Resist Lightning: You can learn this at level 12. No mana cost.
Third in the Resistances Defensive auras, this affects your Lightning
Resistance. As with the others, you'll only use this one when facing lightning
using enemies. Don't worry about putting too many points in this aura, there
will be other better ones to use. As it grows in skill levels, the radius
of the aura grows and resist lightning bonus goes up.
Vigor: You can learn this at level 18. No mana cost. Must have learned Defiance
and Cleansing.
A good aura for speed, as Vigor will increase your walk/run speed, your maximum
stamina and stamina regeneration. While useful for getting around and running
to/from battles, there are better auras to use. You should only use this when
you need that extra speed. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the aura
grows, the maximum stamina, stamina regeneration bonus, and walk/run speed
bonus goes up.
Meditation: You can learn this at level 24. No mana cost. Must have learned
Cleansing.
With this aura, you will receive a bonus to your mana regeneration. You'll only
want to use this one when you need a bit of mana (maybe to use a Combat Skill).
However, the Paladin is not that mana intensive, so you won't need to use this
that much. In a multiplayer game with a lot of magic users though, you should
use this skill if you aren't actively in battle. As it grows in skill levels,
the radius of the aura grows and the mana regeneration bonus goes up.
Redemption: You can learn this at level 30. No mana cost. Must have learned
Vigor.
The Redemption Aura is an excellent way to recover life and mana, if it works.
When this works, the aura will remove a dead enemy's corpse and you can regain
life and mana. However, the percent chance doesn't get very good until the
later levels (it reaches the 50% chance at level 5) so if your willing to use
this aura a lot, you should invest a few skill points into it. It is also a
good way to remove enemy corpses that can be revived. As it grows in skill
levels, the radius of the aura grows, the chance of redemption and hp/mana
recovery goes up.
Salvation: You can learn this at level 30. No mana cost.
This aura is the mix of all the resist auras, cold, fire, and lightning. All
the points you used on the resist auras, you probably wish you could have used
on this one. Plus, the elemental resist is just as much as the resist cold,
fire, or lightning you get from the early skill levels. If you plan to invest
in auras that resist elements, you should stay with this on, and ignore the
others. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the
elemental resist bonus goes up.
================
Offensive Auras - No longer focusing on the protection of the paladin, these
auras will affect the many battles with enemies. They can get as simple as
an damage bonus and hurting enemies with fire to lowering enemy defense and
resistances. These auras are very powerful when used at the right times, so
they can easily change the tide of battle.
Might: You can learn this from the beginning. No mana cost.
This aura gives you an bonus to your damage dealt, so you can get rid of
enemies quicker. The damage bonus is large from the early skill levels, so you
can consider investing a few points into this skill. As early as level 7, you
do double your current damage. Plus, this aura will affect allies, so they will
also do extra damage. This is one of the most useful early auras. As it grows
in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the damage bonus goes up.
Holy Fire: You can learn this at level 6. No mana cost. Must have learned
Might.
While this aura does direct fire damage to the enemy, the damage is very
little. In fact, you can only start to do about 10 damage at the 10th skill
level. Due to this very low damage, you shouldn't invest many (if any) points
at all. You'll probably only invest one point, in order to unlock further
skills on the skill tree. This skill will periodcally hit a nearby enemy with
fire damage. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and
the fire damage dealt goes up.
Thorns: You can learn this at level 6. No mana cost.
A very powerful aura for the early Paladin. When Thorns in use, any damage that
an enemy does will be returned to that enemy, but with much more effect. Even
at the 1st skill level, you will return 250% of damage to the enemy. And the
damage returned grows very quickly in the skill levels, in only a few levels
you'll do 300, 400, 500% damage to enemies. This only works with melee attacks,
magical and ranged attacks do activate thorns. As it grows in skill levels,
the radius of the aura grows and the damage returned goes up.
Blessed Aim: You can learn this at level 12. No mana cost. Must have learned
Might.
The second offensive aura that helps allies. Blessed Aim works with your attack
rating. You should only consider putting points into this skill if you have a
very low attack rating. Check your chance of hitting an equal level monster in
your stats screen. If its above 80% you probably won't need this aura that
much. This will also affect allies, so if they have poor attack ratings, maybe
you should consider turning this aura on for them as well. As it grows in
skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the attack rating bonus goes
up.
Concentration: You can learn this at level 18. No mana cost. Must have learned
Blessed Aim.
If your playing a single player paladin, you should consider using this aura
instead of Might. With Concentration, you get a damage bonus like Might, but
you also have a chance of having your attack uninterrupted allowing you to
attack even if you've been hit. But the damage bonus is greater with
Concentration than in Might. However, this does apply to fellow allies, so only
you gain the benefits. If you play alone, this is a better choice than Might.
But its multiplayer usefulness is very limited. As it grows in skill levels,
the attack bonus goes up.
Holy Freeze: You can learn this at level 18. No mana cost. Must have learned
Holy Fire.
Simliar to Holy Fire, this will affect enemies directly. You would think that
this does cold damage, but this is not the case. Holy Freeze will slow the
enemies down, but do no damage. This freezes multiple enemies, so this is very
useful when you need to slow the pace of battle. But freezing only lasts so
long and there are better offensive auras. As it grows in skill levels, the
radius of the aura grows and the percent of slowdown goes up.
Holy Shock: You can learn this at level 24. No mana cost. Must have learned
Holy Freeze.
The lightning version of the direct damage offensive auras. This will deal
lightning damage to a nearby enemy over time. Again, the damage is somewhat
low, but it gets greater over time. The damage dealt is better than Holy Fire
(you can deal about 10 damage at skill level 4), but to get to the big
lightning damage you have to invest a bit of skill points. As it grows in
skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the lightning damage dealt goes
up.
Sanctuary: You can learn this at level 24. No mana cost. Must have learned
Thorns and Holy Freeze.
The purely anti-undead offensive aura. This will deal damage to nearby undead
monsters (much greater damage than with Holy Fire or Shock) as well as prevent
them from touching the Paladin. If you go exploring in an area full of undead
monsters, this will be your best bet to get in and out safely. Be warned, this
nothing against live monsters, so make sure to switch to better auras when
needed. As it grows in skill levels, the radius of the aura grows and the
damage dealt to undead goes up.
Fanaticism: You can learn this at level 30. No mana cost. Must have learned
Concentration.
A decent aura, but not the best by far. With Fanaticism, you gain a little
attack speed and attack rating bonus. The attack rating bonus is not as good
as the bonus from Blessed Aim, so you should only use this aura if you need an
attack speed bonus. This will pass on to allies, so you can pass on the faster
attack speed to them. But the attack spped bonus if very small, even at the
later levels. It might not be worth investing heavily. As it grows in skill
levels, the attack speed bonus and attack rating bonus goes up.
Conviction: You can learn this at level 30. No mana cost. Must have learned
Sanctuary.
This aura directly affects the enemies with a defense and resistances penalty.
So any enemy within the radius of the Conviction aura will be easier to kill
and more hurt by elemental damage. You can get more damage out of your of
weapons. While this is basically the flip side of the Might Aura, you get more
out of your elemental attacks. Its your choice. As it grows in skill levels,
the radius of the aura grows and the defense and resistances penalties go up.
==============
Combat Skills:
Sacrifice: You can learn this from the beginning. Costs 8% of your life.
This skill gives you a powerful attack with increased attack rating and damage.
However, each time you use this skill, you lose a bit of life. So repeated uses
will eventually bring you to near death. You should save Sacrifice for taking
down a big enemy when you are willing to risk the life loss. As it grows in
skill levels, the attack rating and damage dealt bonus goes up.
Smite: You can learn this from the beginning. Costs 2 mana.
A somewhat limited Combat Skill, Smite will bash the enemy with your equipped
shield. So if you don't have an equipped shield, you can't use this skill.
With Smite, you can hurt the enemy with an damage bonus, push them back, and
stun them for a brief time. While sometimes useful, Smite is too hard to use
in group battles and you'll always need a shield. However, if your facing a
tough enemy, the push back and stun can eventually kill them over time. As it
grows in skill levels, the stun length and damage dealt bonus goes up.
Holy Bolt: You can learn this at level 6. Mana cost is variable.
An undead specific damage skill, you can use this to also heal allies. The
damage dealt from a Holy Bolt does more damage than with the Sanctuary aura.
So if you need to take out a specific undead monster, the holy bolt is useful.
But the Holy Bolt is also a way to directly cure a friend. You can use this on
merecenaries to heal them up, or multiplayer friends who just need a bit more
life to keep going on. As it grows in skill levels, the damage dealt and
life healed goes up and the mana costs rises.
Zeal: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 2 mana. Must have learned
Sacrifice.
Zeal allows the Paladin to do multiple hits in a brief period of time. You can
use this both with one or multiple enemies. You can quickly kill an enemy in
a few hits, but this will also hit many enemies (depending on the skill level).
Multiple Zeal uses can take down a large group and since Zeal is very cheap in
mana, this is a worthwhile skill. As it grows in skill levels, the attack
rating bonus and number of hits goes up.
Charge: You can learn this at level 12. Costs 9 mana. Must have learned Smite.
Another skill which uses your shield. Again, you need to have an equipped
shield to use this skill. You don't need to be close to the target enemy to use
this skill though, with Charge you will run up to the enemy and hit them with
a shield bash. This does more damage than with Smite, but also costs more mana
and doesn't stun them. As it grows in skill levels, the attack rating and
damage bonus goes up.
Vengeance: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must have
learned Zeal.
A very powerful skill, as it will do some sort of extra damage to an enemy no
matter what. A Vengeance attack will do an attack with cold, fire and
electrical properties. Plus, the enemy will become affected with freeze for
a brief time. A very useful attack when an enemy is weak against a type of
attack, it doesn't hurt to add on a bit more damage. As it grows in skill
levels, the length of freeze, elemental damage dealt, and cost of mana rises.
Blessed Hammer: You can learn this at level 18. Mana cost is variable. Must
have learned Holy Bolt.
This will create a hammer and send it flying at the enemy. This will hit
multiple enemies along the way, so you can hurt many of them when they are
bunched up in a narrow path. The hammer does a decent amount of damage, so it
may be useful in certain situations. Do not rely on it all the time. As it
grows in skill levels, the damage dealt by the hammer goes up and the mana
cost rises.
Conversion: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 4 mana. Must have learned
Vengeance.
Conversion will turn an enemy to your side. Each time you use this, you attack
the enemy, so you might end up killing an enemy instead of turning them over.
And the chance of conversion is very low until later skill levels. It lasts for
a decent amount of time, but you'll always find its not long enough for your
tastes. So if you plan to use this, make sure its a powerful enemy. Don't use
this in the heat of battle, if you want to convert, do it on a lone enemy. As
it grows in skill levels, the chance of conversion and the length of
conversion goes up.
Holy Shield: You can learn this at level 24. Costs 35 mana. Must have learned
Charge and Blessed Hammer.
Holy Shield is another skill that affects your shield. So you need a shield
equipped to use it. It costs a huge amount of mana. However, it lasts for at
least half a minute, even at the first skill level. It gets better with more
skill levels. You get a defensive and chance to block bonus when the Holy
Shield effects are active. So if you use a shield a lot and use auras a lot,
this is a good use of extra mana. As it grows in skill levels, the length of
the bonuses rises and the defense and chance to block bonuses rises.
Fist of the Heavens: You can learn this at level 30. Mana cost is variable.
Must have learned Blessed Hammer and Conversion.
This skill will make a lightning bolt that will harm enemies in its path. And
after the lightning hits, it will release multiple holy bolts which will hurt
undead or heal friends (simliar to the Holy Bolt skill). Again, this costs a
lot of mana, so you should converse use of this attack to powerful enemies.
This is also good when fighting large undead groups. As it grows in skill
levels, the holy bolt and lightning damage goes up and the mana cost rises.
Sorceress:
---------
9. Quests
---------
=====
Act 1 - You will start off the first act in the Rogue Encampment. Get to know
it well, this is where you'll be coming back to many time. Basically, this is
your "town" where you can buy things, get healing and tips, as well as quest
help. This is a safe haven, so if you need to retreat, you can run here. (Note:
Poison damage does not stop, even in town).
======================
Rogue Encampment NPCs:
Warriv - He is the person you first talk to when you start the game. He does
not provide an important purpose early on, but when you complete Act 1, he will
offer to take you east (to Act 2). You can find him in the center of camp, near
your private stash.
Kasha - She is the military leader of the Rogue sisters. While she does not
trust outsiders, she has begun tolerate them. However, after you gain her
trust, she will allows you to hire some of the Rogues as an party helper. You
find her just a bit east of Warriv.
Akara - She is the spiritual leader of the Rogue sisters. She is a much more
calmer person then Kasha. While she does sell magical weaponry, scrolls, and
potions, you will want to come to her for the free healing she provides. You
find her in the northeast corner of the camp.
Charsi - She is the blacksmith of the Rogue sisters. She sells various weapons
and armors. She also does sell magically enhanced weapons and armor, but they
are most likely too expensive for you this early. She also does repairing for
your items. You find her in the northwest corner of the camp.
Gheed - He is a merchant who decided to take camp with the Rogues instead of
risking his life in the wild. He also sells weapons and armors. But his
speciality is "Gamble" which will allow you to buy unidentified (but very
expensive) equipment. Do so at your own risk, you might end up paying for
worthless equipment. You find him in the southwest corner of the camp.
Deckard Cain - He is the leader of the ruined Tristam as well as the last
living Horadrim mage. He only appears in the camp after you save him. He will
give excellent advice on quests, as well as identifying any items in your
inventory for free. He appears in the center of camp, near Warriv.
==================
Quest: Den of Evil
To activate: Talk to Akara.
Reward: An extra skill point for your skill tree.
This is an easy quest to start off the game. You may want to run around in the
Blood Moor to gain some experience. Feel free to run back to camp as much as
needed for healing and repairs. After you feel that you can handle this quest,
search the Blood Moor for the entrace to the Den of Evil (if you haven't
already found it). If you meet up with a rogue named Flavie, you have gone too
far. She warns you that the next area is too much for your level. You can c
hoose to go on, but it will delay you from finishing the quest. First things
first.
Once you find the Den of Evil, enter. You'll find yourself in a cave. Go
through the cave and kill all the monsters you find. If you find groups of
Fallen, make sure to take out any nearby Fallen Shamans (they will revive the
Fallen you've killed, wasting your time) first. Also, make sure to watch out
for the unique zombie somewhere in the cave (Corpse Fire). Meeting up with him
may be hard, as he is backed up by many "minion" Zombies. Make sure to take
them out first, to avoid being surrounded. When the amount of monsters in the
Den of Evil reaches 5, you will get an update to your Quest Log. Finish off the
last five monsters. The Den of Evil will now shine with light. Run back to the
Rogue Camp and talk to Akara. You will get another skill point for your
troubles.
Quest: Sisters' Burial Grounds.
To activate: Talk to Kashya, after finishing the Den of Evil quest.
Reward: A Rogue mercenary, as well as the ability to hire new ones from Kashya.
Right after you help Akara, Kashya will have a quest for you. She will talk
about the raising of dead in the Monastery Graveyard. Nothing new there. The
Graveyard is in the Cold Plains. If you have no idea where that is, go back to
where Flavie is. She'll be more accepting in letting you through. Beware, there
are new monsters to contend with, such as Dark Rogues and groups of Fallen.
Hopefully, near the entrance to the Cold Plains, there should be a waypoint
nearby. Activate this, so you can quickly retreat to the Rogue Encampment for
quick healing and repairs. Search around until you find the entrance to the
Burial Grounds.
It is a small area, but very deadly to the unwary player. Kill as many of the
zombies and skeletons as you can. That will help a bit, but be warned, Blood
Raven is nearby and can raise new undead monsters. Run around the fence until
you find an open exit. You don't want come in the wrong way, through many
enemies. As you reach the center, you will find Blood Raven.
You shouldn't focus on the little zombies. But if they become a problem, start
hacking them down. But mainly, stay with Blood Raven. Try your best to avoid
her arrow shots. If she starts running, run after her. Make sure you have a
town portal. Her fire attack can hurt you quickly. If your healing potions run
out or are too slow, catch a breather. If your into melee fighting, try and
force her against a wall, or in a corner, then hack away. If you use spells or
ranged weapons, fire back, but run around every so often to avoid her attacks.
When she is defeated, she'll explode into a bright light, and kill all the
nearby undead monsters. Grab the treasure she drops and head back to town.
Talk to Kashya and get a Rogue mercenary. She will also allow you to hire new
ones. However, if you are up for some extra fighting, go back to the Burial
Grounds. In the north and south sides of the Grounds are entrances to the Crypt
and Mausoleum. While there are a lot of monsters in here (as well as some
Unique ones), there is a special glowing chest at the end which gives you
a lot of gold and special equipment. The treasure is worth it to venture down.
Quest: The Search for Cain
To activate: Talk to Akara after finishing the Sisters' Burial Grounds quest,
or find the Tree of Inifuss in the Dark Wood.
Reward: Rescuing Cain.
Make sure your prepared for this. You'll do some walking. Go back to the Cold
Plains, but now find the entrance to the Stony Field. You may find the Cairn
Stones along the way, there is nothing you can do with them yet though. Search
around until you find the entrance to the Underground Passageway. The
Passageway is pretty long, so watch out, there are many enemies to contend
with. Once you are out though, you will be in the Dark Wood.
Search for the Tree of Inifuss. You may run across an Unique monster, so be
wary. Take him down. Click on the tree when you find it, you will get the Bark
of Inifuss. Find the Dark Wood waypoint or use a town portal to go back to the
Rogue Encampment. Talk to Akara, and she will decipher the runes for you. She
will give you the correct way to touch the Cairn Stones (the ones in Stony
Field). Go to the Cairn Stones. You have to follow the directions in the scroll
Akara gave you exactly. If you have no idea, just randomly touch stones until
they all glow (I don't think there is any difference). When done, a portal will
appear and a way to Tristram.
Tristram is a very small area, but is swarming with monsters. There are a few
Unique ones running around so watch out. You may end up quickly overwhelmed and
dead. You also may find Griswold walking around. You should save him for last,
as he the hardest monster in Tristram. If you don't feel like fighting the
monsters, run to the center of town and save Cain. Also, on the west side of
Tristram, you can find Wirt's body. Click on it to get his leg as well as whole
bunch of coins.
Cain will save himself, so don't worry. Go back to the Rogue Encampment and
talk with Cain to gain important insight into your journey.
Quest: The Forgotten Tower
To activate: Find the Moldy Tome somewhere in the Stony Field.
Reward: A whole bunch of money.
Hopefully when you were running around the Stony Field, you found the Moldy
Tome. If you haven't, go back and read it. Once you read it, the quest will
become official. Don't count on a lot of help from people in the Rogue
Encampment.
You will find the Forgotten Tower in the Black Marsh area. Just run around
until you find it. The Forgotten Tower is five levels deep and you will fight
a group of champions or unique monster on each level, so be wary. Keep on
pushing down, using town portals when you need healing. The levels are
straight forward, so you should not having trouble finding the way toward the
next level.
When you reach the lowest level (level 5), prepare for a fight with the
Countess. She's a big user of fire and she will use Fire Walls. You'll need to
stay on the case and run around. If you need a breather, run out of the
Countess' room. She will not follow. You may have to hack your way through a
few enemies to get to the Countess. If needed, lure them out in order to make
it easier to reach the Countess. Rush in on the Countess and attack her with
all you've got. Once she's gone and taken care of, help yourself to all the
riches. A great bunch of plundering, I say.
Quest: Tools of the Trade
To activate: Talk to Charsi after finishing the Forgotten Tower quest.
Reward: Charsi will imbue an item of your choice (with some restrictions).
Seems to be no rest for you. Right after hauling that money from the Forgotten
Tower, it seems Charsi will have a quest for you. She left her smithing hammer,
the Horadric Malus, in the Rogue Monastery when she fled from the corruption.
The Monastery is located in the Tamoe Highlands (you'll find the entrance to it
in the Black Marsh). Once you enter, make sure to activate the Outer Cloister
waypoint. You may be using it often. The Monastery is swarming with enemies, so
take them out before you advance on to the Barracks (where the Malus is
located).
When you do find the Horadric Malus in the Barracks, you'll also find a Unique
monster protecting it, The Smith (shades of The Butcher). He is one of the
harder Unique monsters you'll face, so unless you've been advancing levels a
lot, you may find yourself running away. Don't take any chances. Take down the
surrounding monsters first off. Use potions a bit earlier than you need them,
the Smith hits for a bit of damage each time. If you need too, run back to the
waypoint and heal up. The Smith will be at the same life you left him.
Once The Smith is down, grab the Malus and go back to the Rogue Encampment.
Return it to Charsi and she will offer to imbue any item of your choice for
you. Save this ability for the later Acts. You'll most likely end up replacing
your Act 1 equipment in Act 2, 3, and 4. Don't worry, you can always come back.
Quest: Sisters to the Slaughter
To activate: Talk to Cain after you finished the Tools of the Trade.
Reward: Access to Act 2.
The last quest of the Act 1. You will end up delving deeper into the Rogue
Monastery. It doesn't get any easier, so prepare with extra town portal
scrolls. Go back to the Rogue Monastery.
Finish off the Barracks and go into the Jail. The Jail has three levels. One of
the bigger annoyances of the level is that monsters can shoot through the jail
bars at you. While this isn't a big loss for ranged attack users, melee
attackers like the Barbarian will find themselves annoyed quickly.
Pass through the Jail and into the Inner Cloister. You'll meet up with a Unique
monster along the way, so prepare well. Activate the Inner Cloister waypoint,
use when needed. Get through the Inner Cloister to get into the Cathedral. Push
your way through it (you may run across Bone Ash, a unique Bone Mage).
Once past the Cathedral, you will enter the last part of the Monastery, the
Catacombs. You'll face tougher battles, make sure to use that Catacomb Level 2
waypoint. Make sure to get ready for the biggest battle so far. When you reach
the entrance to the Catacomb Level 4, recheck everything. Enough potions? All
your equipment repaired? A town portal ready just in case? If your okay, go
down.
Level 4 is a small one, but has the boss of Act 1, Andariel. Don't go into her
room until you've cleared the other rooms. If she does get out of her room,
prepare your battle strategy. Will you run around and fire at her? Go up to
her, throw caution in the wind and hack away? Or hit and run? Watch out for
Andariel's attacks. She will completely destroy the unprepared low level
player. Andariel's hits will also cause you to affected with poison, so be
prepared with antidote potions or equipment with poison resistance. Most likely
the poison will kill you if Andariel's hits don't. Don't be afraid to run back
to town, you may need to over and over. If you can make the best use of your
character's abilities and have a little luck, you'll be able to get past her
and into Act 2.
=====
Act 2 - Welcome to Lut Gholein, the city in the desert. This is much bigger
than the Rogue Encampment, so don't get confused. Use your automap to find the
people you can talk to from the normal townsfolk. You will start in the south
end of town, in Warriv's caravan. Town portals will be in the northeast part of
town. You can find your private stash in the center of town. If you ever wish
to go back to Act 1, talk to Warriv.
================
Lut Gholein NPCs
Warriv - He kept his promise and took you along with him from the Rogue
Encampment. He doesn't play as big of a role anymore, but you can talk to him
if you want. He provides access back to Act 1 if needed. You can find him in
the south east part of Lut Gholein.
Kaelan - Don't talk to him for conversation. Either he'll be blocking access to
the palace or greeting you as you enter. He does not provide any quest help.
You can find him near the palace in the south west part of Lut Gholein.
Jerhyn - He is the leader of Lut Gholein. Somewhat young, he is very mature and
does he best to keep the city under control in the crisis. He will give
important quest information as well a few quests. Gain his trust and you can
enter the palace. You can find him near the palace in the south west part of
Lut Gholein.
Elzix - A former bandit, he now runs a small inn in town and lives a peaceful
life. He sells some equipment and also provides the Gamble option for you, if
your feeling risky. You can find him in the west part of Lut Gholein.
Griez - Griez is the commander of the mercenary group that protects Lut Gholein
from attack. He has heard of your feats and is willing to let you hire some of
the extra mercenaries for your assistance. You can find him in the north west
part of Lut Gholein.
Drognan - Drognan will fulfill all your magical needs, selling magical wands
and staffs as well as selling scrolls and potions. He is also very knowledgable
of the desert and helps to progress in many Act 1 quests. You can find him in
the north part of Lut Gholein.
Atma - She runs the local public house. However, she has been personally hurt
by the recent invasion of monsters, as she has lost her husband and son to
them. She is a very nice person, in spite of the tragedy. You can find her near
the pub in the north east part of Lut Gholein.
Geglash - A drunken warrior. Not very useful for quests or conversation but he
is known for picking fights. You can find him inside the pub in the north east
part of Lut Gholein.
Meshif - The captain of a ship which has been moored in Lut Gholein. Since the
monster invasion, he has been waiting for the clearance to leave and set sail.
He eventually will be the one to take you across the sea to Act 3.
Lysander - The nearly deaf potion maker. While he does have some good advice,
his main purpose to provide you with potions. You can find him in the center
square of Lut Gholein.
Fara - She serves as a smith to you, repairing any items. She also sells
various types of equipment. Fara also gives free healing when you talk with
her. You'll be coming to her often. You can find her in the center square of
Lut Gholein.
Deckard Cain - He comes with you from the Rogue Encampment determined to help
you in your quest to kill Diablo. He still provides the usual free
identifications and will provide very useful quest information. You can find
him in the center square of Lut Gholein.
======================
Quest: Radament's Lair
To activate: Talk to Atma.
Reward: Book of Skill and the Horadric Scroll.
While everything looks peaceful in the city, below the city, a great evil lurks
in the sewers. People all over the city will tell you to go visit Atma, which
you should do.
Atma will talk about the loss of her husband and son, to a monster known as
Radament. She will plead with you to go down and kill him, to bring some sort
of revenge to their deaths. First off, you have to find the entrance to the
sewers. You can either use the main entrance in the docks area, or use the
trapdoor near Griez.
The sewers are a big area and you may find yourself under attack from all
angles. If needed, run back to the surface for healing. Do your best to explore
carefully and make sure to check everywhere. There is a waypoint on the Sewers
Level 2, make to use it. Watch out for the new enemy type, mummies. They may
look like zombies, but when they die, a poison cloud comes from their dead
body. Let it dissolve so you can avoid being poisoned.
As you progress through the sewers, you'll know when your towards the end. When
masses of skeletons and mummies attack you. You can get your way through them,
but when you notice them being revived (as well as the black shots), that's how
it can become overwhelming. If possible, use cold attacks to freeze the
monsters and then shatter them, destroying the corpse. A necromancer could
take the corpse before Radament can. However, the quickest way is to create a
path to Radament and kill him. He has a few tricks up his sleeve, such as his
poison breath. Make sure to use caution, as he can create monsters to attack
you from behind.
Once Radament is dead, he will drop the Book of Skill (and kill any nearby
living monsters). Take the Book of Skill and read it for an extra skill point.
A special glowing chest should be nearby. Open it and get the Horadric Scroll,
as well as the way to the next Quest.
Quest: The Horadric Staff
To activate: Talk to Cain while you have the Horadric Scroll
Reward: The Horadric Cube and The Horadric Staff
This will be one of the biggest quests you'll go through, since you will have
to run through many areas of the desert. And this is also one of the most
rewarding quests, since you get the Horadric Cube, which will be needed in
order to complete other quests. But first, you need to get the three items
requested by Cain.
You can get the items in any order, but the best way is to do them in the order
you find them. So, go to the Dry Hills. In the Dry Hills area, you should find
the entrance to the Halls of the Dead. The Halls of the Dead contains the
Horadric Cube, 1/3 of the requirements. The Halls of the Dead itself is easy
to get through, but watch out for greater mummies, who are usually protected
by many undead followers. As you saw with Radament, greater mummies can revive
fallen undead monsters. So, take out the greater mummies in the area before
going after the skeletons and mummies. On the lowest level of the Halls of the
Dead (level 3), you'll find the chest with the Horadric Cube, but you'll have
to get past Bloodwitch the Wild (a unique cat monster). The best strategy is to
take the minions out first and to avoid getting surrounded. After they are gone
go after the leader. When its all clear, grab the Horadric Cube (you can go
back to Cain if you need a bit more information on the Cube, he'll even give
you a few other uses for it).
Continue on to the Far Oasis, which has the Sand Maggot Lair somewhere in it.
The Sand Maggot Lair is mostly made up of tunnels, so make sure to use the
automap to avoid going in circles. They are narrow, so you'll having trouble
avoiding many of the attacks through the usual moving out of the way method.
However, the only monsters you'll encounter here are Sand Maggots and their
young. On the third level, you'll run across a very large Sand Maggot
surrounded by many other regular size ones. Coldworm the Devourer is the large
one, but I still advise killing the other monsters in the area before going to
him. Coldworm doesn't move, so you can easily hack away at him after you've
taken care of the other Sand Maggots. Grab the Horadric Shaft when everything
is done. Only one more piece to go.
The last piece needed is the Viper Amulet. You'll need to go the Valley of the
Snakes. You need to go through the Lost City to do this. When you enter the
Lost City, it may instantly turn into night. Don't worry about this too much.
If you want to hear about it, you can go to town and get the Tainted Sun quest.
More on that later. Get past the Lost City to the Valley of the Snakes. When
you find the Claw Viper Temple, prepare well. You may be a bit drained from the
long walk, so go back to Town if you need resuppling. You should be able to
handle the enemies here, but take breathers when needed as it can get
overwhelming sometimes. There are only two levels here, so the Viper Amulet is
located on the second level. Fang Skin and his minions protect the Viper
Amulet. The problem with Fang Skin is that he has the Extra Fast and Cold
Enchanted bonuses. So he can run around you as well as freeze you. As always
go after the minions first. It is much easier to face a unique monster alone,
then when surrounded by minions. Try to force Fang Skin into a corner, so he
can't run far, but if you are drawn into a melee battle with him, make sure to
have thawing potions to get rid of the frozen penalty when you get hit. Once
he is taken care of, grab the Viper Amulet.
Go back to Cain. He will tell you to put the Horadric Shaft and the Viper
Amulet in the Horadric Cube. Do so. Make sure you don't have any other items in
the Cube. Press the Transmute button and watch the two items turn into the
Horadric Staff. You can use the Staff as a weapon, but you'll need to use it
later, in order to finish Act 2.
Quest: Tainted Sun
To activate: Go to the Lost City and watch the sun go black. Go back to Lut
Gholeim and talk to the townspeople.
Reward: The Viper Amulet
You could trigger this quest without starting the Horadric Staff quest, but
why? You'll need to destroy the Evil Altar in the Claw Viper Temple in order
to finish the Horadric Staff in any case. Once the Altar is destroyed, the Sun
will shine again.
Quest: The Arcane Sanctuary
To activate: Talk to Drognan after finishing the Horadric Staff quest.
Reward: Access to the Arcane Sanctuary.
This quest will delve into the problems of the city of Lut Gholein as well as
further your way to finding Tal Rasha's Tomb. Drognan will tell you to visit
Jerhyn in his quest speech, so do that. Jerhyn will allow you access into the
palace now, but will warn you that it is not safe. Monsters run through the
palace, and the Harem guilds which were in the palace for safety ended up being
killed.
The upper levels of the palace are the "Harem" levels. They are mostly divided
up into rooms, with the only access into other rooms being doors. You can use
this to your advantage. Lure enemies to a door and kill them one by one (shades
of the first Diablo). Once you are through the Harem, you'll enter the Palace
Cellar.
The Palace Cellar is a bit like the Jail levels from Act 1. You'll find
yourself under attack from skeleton mage bolts and archer arrows through the
barred areas in the level. But, other than that, the layout of the levels is
again like the Harem area. So you may want to use the narrow doorways to your
advantage. But you will also face more ranged attackers so you may need to
rush into a room to take them out. There are two stairways on each level to
the next one. You can choose either one, they both will take you to the same
map (you may even find the second stairway leading up). On the third level, you
will find an unactivated portal, as well as a few Sand Raiders guarding it. The
leader of the group is Fire Eye, who has Fire Enchanted attacks and extra
speed. Taking him out will allow you to access the portal and the Arcane
Sanctuary. It is easier to fight the Sand Raiders one by one, so you should do
so. When all the monsters are dead, activate the portal and enter the Arcane
Sanctuary.
The Arcane Sanctuary is probably one of the more annoying areas. Most likely
you will face ghosts and vampires in there (if you don't, you should be lucky).
The ghosts can fly, so they don't follow the platforms, and the bone mages can
attack you from far with their fire walls. Ghosts also quickly drain your mana,
so most of your special abilities will be used up quickly. You may need to use
the waypoint at the beginning of the level, feel free to use it as needed. The
level itself is also big. There are teleporters you may need to use on the
way to the Summoner (the end part of the Arcane Sanctuary). The problem with
the teleporters is that you may teleport to become surrouned by enemies and
then killed. Sorceress players should use Teleport if they have learned it,
Barbarians can use Leap/Leap Attack as well. Knowing where your going to be is
a much better thing than a random teleport. At the beginning of the level, you
can go in any of four directions. In my map, they were not connected (this may
or may not vary in your case, i'm not sure) so you could end up going through
all these enemies just to end up at the dead end. The only good thing you could
get from that is experience and treasure, but the risks are higher since the
enemies are deadlier. Try your best to get through the Arcane Sanctuary, it
isnt one of the easiest areas.
Quest: The Summoner
To activate: Find The Summoner in the Arcane Sanctuary
Reward: Access to the Canyon of the Magi and finding out the True Symbol of the
Tomb of Tal Rasha
If you get lucky and find the Summoner (or just stumble upon him), it will be
most likely he'll be surrounded by enemies. It is a much better strategy to
lure them away from the Summoner's platform. The Summoner does not leave his
little platform so you can lure away the enemies in order to make your charge
on the platform easier. Mostly likely when you take care of the first line of
enemies, he'll only be backed up by vampires. You should attack the vampires
first, but don't forget about the Summoner. He can use cold attacks which will
freeze you and leave you open for other attacks. When all is clear, you most
likely can take the Summoner out in only a few hits. You could choose to kill
him after you've cleared the first line, but I don't like risks. As it is, the
Summoner can deal a lot of damage, but not take it. Once the Summoner is gone,
read Horazon's Journal to find out the True Symbol of the Tomb of Tal Rasha and
access to the Canyon of the Magi.
Quest: The Seven Tombs
To activate: Talk to Jerhyn after you defeat Radament.
Reward: Access to Act 3.
Even though you get this quest very early in the Act, you only complete it in
the end (it is the last quest). You will enter the Canyon of the Magi by using
the portal in the Arcane Sanctuary, but you don't want to keep going through
the Sanctuary over and over to go there. So make sure to activate the waypoint
when you find it. Its much easier to use the waypoint then the portal.
The Canyon of the Magi is a very large area, but the only things you should be
looking for are the seven tombs. You'll find the tombs along the borders of the
area. Check your Quest Log to make sure that the symbol you have matches the
one of the tomb you are about to enter. They are all called Tal Rasha's Tomb
when you enter them, but the only is truly the tomb. You could go through the
other six tombs if you want, but at your own risk. You'll face hordes of
monsters as well as Unique monsters. If you doing it for treasure and
experience, so be it, but I usually advise finding the true tomb, its hard
enough to complete as it is.
When you match up the symbol in your quest log with the pillars outside the
tomb entrance, that tomb is the correct one. Go through the Tomb until you find
the Horadric Orifice. If you don't find the Horadric Orifice and your sure you
have explored the whole tomb (it is only one level), then you most likely
entered the wrong temple. Recheck your symbol in your Quest Log.
Put the Horadric Staff in the Horadric Orifice. This will create an entrance to
the Tomb room. Make sure to prepare now, since once you enter, you will
attacked by Duriel. A good idea is to have a town portal scroll ready once you
go in, since Duriel attacks right away. You won't have much time to use a town
portal when you are in battle with Duriel.
Duriel is the boss of Act 2. He isn't followed with any other minor enemies, so
he will be the only monster in the room. Unlike Andariel from Act 1, you can't
escape back into the Horadric Orifice room. So your only escape will be a town
portal. And you will be using them. Duriel is very fast so you can run away
from him for long. He also has an attack which can freeze you. Be ready with
thawing potions (or items that lower freeze duration). His close attack can
also hurt you and push you back. The best strategy is not to get too close to
him and attack from afar with either bow/crossbows or spells. If you don't have
any ranged attacks, you'll have throw caution into the wind and go into battle
hand to hand. However, his attacks will quickly lower your life, so make sure
to use potions early and run when needed. Also, once you get back into the
battle room right after coming through a town portal, make another one. You can
never be too careful.
Beating Duriel will release several special equipment and gems. Also, you will
now be able to enter Tal Rasha's Burial Chamber. However, the only thing you'll
find is Tyrael. Talk to him. After you finish with him, go back to Lut Gholein.
Say your goodbyes to the townspeople and visit Meshif in the east docks of
town. He will now be able to take you east to Kurast and Act 3.
=====
Act 3 - Kurast was once a beautiful city in the East. However, it now lays in
ruins, with the only survivors being a handful of people in the Kurast
Docktown. The only thing defending them from attack is a failing enchantment
and a handful of merecenaries. You'll start off in the south west corner of
town, near Meshif. Town portals will appear near the waypoint in the north end
of town. The Docktown is divided up into a few islands connected by bridges.
If you ever want to go back to Act 2, talk to Meshif.
====================
Kurast Docktown NPCs
Meshif - Shocked to come back to find his hometown in this shape, he is always
willing to go back to Lut Gholein when you wish. You can find him in the south
western corner of town.
Natalya - She is part of an order that hunts down magi who have turned evil.
However, her motives are questionable. She is a mystery and much is not known
about her. You can talk to her for quest information however. You can find her
in the east part of town.
Hralti - He will be the first to greet you when you arrive in Kurast. However,
when you come back, he most likely will back at his smithery. Hralti sells
equipment, both regular and enchanted. He also repairs equipment back to full
use. You can find him in the north east corner of town.
Deckard Cain - Helping you along on your quest, he has come with you to Kurast.
Cain still excels in providing quest information and free identification of
items. Talk to him whenever you are stumped. You can find him in the north part
of town.
Ormus - Ormus is a wise person, if you can understand him. He continually talks
in riddles. But if you ever need help with things concerning the old Religion,
he is the person to talk to. Ormus also provides free healing. You can find him
in the north part of town.
Asheara - The leader of the Iron Wolves, Asheara is a strong figure. She is in
charge of making sure nothing gets into Kurast, should the defensive
enchantment fail. Talk to her if you ever need to hire a magical mercenary for
your own use. You can find her in the west part of town.
Alkor - He lives away from the rest of the town and with good reason. His
attitude is unbearable to some. If you can gain his respect, he will become a
bit more tolerable. He sells potion and also provides the Gamble option if need
a bit of risk in your life. You can find him in the north west corner of town.
======================
Quest: The Golden Bird
To activate: Find the Jade Figurine
Reward: Potion of Life
Some people are confused sometimes, since no person gives this quest in town.
Well yes, that's true. Right after you arrive in Kurast, greet the people then
run out into the jungle. Keep on fighting until you find a Champion or Unique
enemy. Kill the enemy and it will drop the Jade Figurine. Go back to town with
the Figurine. Go and visit Meshif who will trade the Figurine for the Golden
Bird. Visit Alkor with the Golden Bird in your inventory and he will turn it
into a Potion of Life. You can drink the Potion of Life for a permament +20
bonus to your life.
Quest: Blade of the Old Religion
To activate: Talk to Hralti after finishing the Golden Bird quest.
Reward: A random rare ring, a free mercenary
Now begins more exploration in the deep jungle. The jungle is hard to work your
way through sometimes. Make sure to keep your automap on at all times. Make
sure to use the pillars as you find them as area dividers. It may be sometimes
hard to remember which area you are in also, use the automap and check on it.
The Gidbinn (the blade) is located in the Pygmy Village. You will have to go
through the Pygmy Village for this, so a bit of wandering may be in order. When
you do enter the Pygmy Village, the Gidbinn will appear as a new symbol on your
automap. Go towards it. If you go up to the Gidbinn and click on it, the
Gidbinn will burn. However, there should be a unique monster nearby, with his
minions. He holds the real Gidbinn. Kill him and grab the Gidbinn. Go back to
town and give the Gidbinn to Ormus. He will give you a rare ring. The Quest Log
will also tell you to visit Asheara, who will give you a mercenary for free
(even if you don't want him, so if you like your current mercenary, don't talk
to her until you need another).
Quest: Khalim's Will
To activate: Talk to Cain after finishing the Golden Bird quest.
Reward: Khalim's Will
This is the big quest which will take you all over the jungle, Kurast, and even
into Travincal. Again, you have to find little bits and pieces in order to
transmute them all into something useful (similar to the Horadric Staff quest
in Act 2). You have to find Khalim's Brain, Eye, Heart, and Flail.
The first part is Khalim's Eye, which is located in the Spider Cavern (within
the Spider Forest). Only the Spider Cavern, there is another small cave area
in the Spider Forest (the Arachnid Lair) which does not have the eye. So look
for the Spider Cavern first. The Spider Cavern is full of spiders (obviously).
Make sure to avoid getting surrounded as they do get very dangerous in groups.
Some of them also possess poisoning attacks, which can be a risk when fighting.
On level 2, you will find a special chest being guarding by a Unique spider,
Sszark the Burning. As the name suggests, he likes to use a few fire attacks.
But watch out if you get cursed by him as he is also Extra Strong. Being hit by
an Extra Strong monster when you are cursed is not a good thing. When Sszark is
taken care of, open the chest for Khalim's Eye. Return to Cain for more
guidance.
Next on your list is Khalim's Brain, located in the Flayer Dungeon. Look around
the Flayer Jungle for the entrance. As expected, the Flayer Dungeon is full of
Flayers and Flayer Shamans. Advise caution when facing them. You should take
out the Flayer Shamans, but their fire breath attack can quickly drain your
life. The area should be straight forward (a bit like the Spider Cavern).
The third level is where the Brain is located. But, in order to get to the
Brain, you'll have to fight Witch Doctor Endugu, a Unique Flayer Shaman. This
means he's followed by with many other Flayer Shaman minions. Be very careful.
Your best chances are to divide the Shamans up, in order to prevent Endugu from
reviving a lot of them (he can revive the Shamans if their corpses are there)
and to avoid a fire breath attack from all sides (which is just very deadly).
Use the narrow passageways to your advantage. Get rid of the Witch Doctor and
you can grab the Brain and get the heck out of there. Visit Cain and he will
advise you on where to go next.
Halfway there. Khalim's Heart is somewhere in the Kurast sewers. You can find
entrances to the sewers in Upper Kurast or the Kurast Bazaar (there are two in
each of the areas). Take whatever one you find first, they all lead to the same
place. The sewers are simliar to the sewers you went through in Lut Gholein.
They also may contain undead monsters like skeletons and mummies. Greater
Mummies are possible. Do your best to get through them. Barbarians should leap
over waterways if there is a Greater Mummy on the other platform reviving
monsters on their platform. In order to gain access to the next level, you will
have to find a lever somewhere in the sewers. Move the lever in order to
clear the way to level 2. Find the special chest there (no Unique monster to
fight) and grab the Heart when it drops out.
The last part of the equation is Khalim's Flail. To do this, you will have to
go to Travincal. It is a long trip, but in order to complete this quest you
have to get this. You may even complete other quests along the way (see the
other quests in this Act). Travincal is home to the High Council. You can find
the Council Members near the Guardian Tower. One of the Council members has the
Flail. They will drop it when you kill that member. However the High Council is
not easy, so avoid getting surrounded by multiple Council members. When you get
the Flail, return to the Docktown. Cain will tell you to transmute the body
parts and Flail. Do so. This will turn the Flail into Khalim's Will, which is
required to enter the Guardian Tower.
Quest: Lam Esen's Tome
To activate: Talk to Alkor after you enter Kurast.
Reward: Five stat points
Right after you enter Kurast, Alkor will give you this quest to find Lam Esen's
Tome. You will need to do a lot of searching in order to find where it is.
There are six old temples in Upper Kurast, Kurast Bazaar and the Causeway (two
in each of those areas). You know you have found on of those old temples when
you enter them and find clickable stairs. Click on them to find an entrance
into the temple. While you could search all six of the temples, the one you
want is called "Ruined Temple". If you need more help, look for a unique Flesh
Hunter, Battlemaid Sarina. Your in the right place if you see her. Make sure
not to get mobbed, as escape is hard in the small rooms of the temple. When she
is dead, find Lam Esen's tome and bring back to Alkor for a reward of five free
stat points (you don't get a level though).
Quest: The Blackened Temple
To activate: Talk to Ormus after entering Travincal.
Reward: Access to the Guardian Tower
As you noticed in the Khalim's Will quest, the High Council is in Travincal.
All this quest asks you to do is to kill all members of the High Council and to
smash the Compelling Orb. Travincal is surrounded by a raised walkway around
the city itself. When you get near the Guardian Tower, the Council members
should attack. If you haven't killed all them (you may have done so in Khalim's
Will, might as well), you will have to now. Take them all out. If you haven't
finished Khalim's Will, you should have at this point. Smash the Compelling Orb
(inside the Guardian Tower) with Khalim's Will. Go back to Kurast Docktown and
prepare.
Quest: The Guardian
To activate: Talk to Ormus after finishing the Blackened Temple quest.
Reward: Access to Act 3
Time is against you, so you have to get to Mephisto. After preparing well in
Kurast Docktown, go back to Travincal and enter the Guardian Tower. Now
completely defiled by Mephisto, the inside of the Tower is called the Durance
of Hate. Take great caution in the Durance of Hate. Enemies here are stronger
and have better attacks then ones you've seen before. The levels themselves
should be straightforward, but make sure to use that waypoint on level 2.
Mephisto's chamber is on level 3. He is surrounded by a whole lot of Blood
Lords and a few more unique Council Members. Mephisto cannot enter the entry
room, but make sure to watch out for Council Members who follow you there. It
is near impossible to take down Mephisto without killing the Blood Lords and
Council Members first. Either you'll get killed by the powerful Council
Members, the spells of the Blood Lords, or Mephisto himself. Lure the Council
Members away into the entry room, where you can take care of them without much
interference from Mephisto and the Blood Lords (a few fire walls might make it
in). Take care of the Blood Lords stationed all over the level. They will try
to run away when you get near, but you can chase them down. Avoid Mephisto
until you can take care of the Blood Lords.
Once the level has been cleared, you can now focus on Mephisto. He has a
variety attacks, lightning, freezing, and even poison. As with other big
bosses, the best option is to use ranged attacks. It is easier to do this in
Mephisto's Chamber than in other ones, since it is possible to keep Mephisto
away from you using the break in the center of the area. You can shoot from one
platform, hitting Mephisto on the other platform. However, if ranged attacks
are impossible, again, hit him with all you have, run when needed. You might
want to run a bit earlier then you did before. Better to be alive with a few
extra life, then dead for the sake of a little bit of damage. After pinging
away at Mephisto enough, he will die screaming and drop his Soulstone plus some
very rare equipment and gems. A walkway to the portal in the center of the
chamber should also appear.
=====
Act 4 - Yes, Hell is as bad as you thought. The only safe place in Hell is the
Pandemonium Fortress, an outpost held by the forces of Heaven. The Fortress is
a majestic palace seperated from the horrors of Hell. The only connection to
Hell the fortress has is a long winding stairway. From here is well you will
be making your final push to Diablo.
=========================
Pandemonium Fortress NPCs
Tyrael - Tyrael is the angel who gave the Soulstones to the Horadrim. He did so
against the wishes of Heaven. Taking an oath to watch over mortals, he cannot
interfere directly, but will help in what ways he can.
Deckard Cain - He is prepared to even go to Hell with you, which he has done.
Feeling it is his duty to be with you, Cain will provide what assistance he
can and still identifies for free.
Halbu - While he cannot engage in conversation with him, he buys and sells
equipment, as well as acting as a repairman.
Jamella - Again, you cannot talk with her. She sells magical wands and
staves, and also sells potions. You can also Gamble with her for unknown items.
======
Quest: The Fallen Angel
To activate: Talk to Tyrael
Reward: Two skill points
Hell is not easy. As if you needed someone to tell that. Izual (the fallen
angel) wanders along the Plains of Despair so you will not see him in the
beginning. Get to the Plains of Despair and walk around until you find him (or
until he finds you). First things first, take care of any other nearby
monsters. You'll want to even the odds as much as possible.
Izual possesses a few freezing attacks. Again, thawing potions may be very
useful. A frozen target is a slow target. And a slow target is an almost dead
target. Keep hacking or picking away at him until he falls. You'll want to
watch out for his melee attack, it can quickly bring you down in only a few
hits. Once Izual has been released from his monstrous form, you can talk to him
to gain more insight to the current crisis. Go back to the Tyrael to get your
reward.
Quest: The Hellforge
To activate: Talk to Cain after finishing the Fallen Angel quest
Reward: A whole bunch of gems
The game is getting near its end, but not any easier. You might want to get a
cool drink, because you'll be entering right into the heart of hell.
If you didn't get the Soulstone when you defeated Mephisto, Cain will give it
to you now. The entrance into the River of Flame is located in the City of the
Damned. Again, go through the Plains of Despair to the City of the Damned. A
waypoint should be located on the level. The entrance to the River of Flame
cannot be far away.
When you enter the River of Flame, you will have a lot less running room. So be
wary when a group of enemies chases after you. The Hellforge is located
somewhere in the River of Flame. However, if you do manage to get too far, you
will run across another angel who will advise you to turn back. Do so. You have
to get rid of the Soulstone first.
If you find a unique monster called Hephasto the Armorer going after you, your
near the Hellforge. However, Hephasto packs an awesome punch. In only a few
hits from him, you could be killed. Do what you can with him. Slowing him down
is a good option, if possible. Take care of other nearby monsters first off.
If you can get rid of Hephasto, he will drop the Hellforge Hammer. Go to the
Hellforge and place the Soulstone on the Hellforge. Equip the Hammer and smash
the Soulstone into pieces. You'll also release a whole lot of gems which you
can place into your socketed items.
Quest: Terror's End
To activate: Talk to Tyrael after finishing the Hellforge quest
Reward: Um, well, beating Diablo 2
With everything else completed, there is only one thing left for you to do.
You have to finally kill Diablo and get rid of his soulstone. The nearest
access you have to the Chaos Sanctuary is the waypoint at the River of Flame.
Make to use it when needed.
From the River of Flame waypoint, you'll have to go through a whole bunch of
bridges. Some of these bridges may lead to dead ends, so make sure you have a
clear path back. Once you get past the bridges, you'll enter the Chaos
Sanctuary. You'll be under attack from Doom/Oblivion Knights, Venom Lords, and
Burning Souls. I suggest taking them all out before you go after the 5 seals.
If you need to run out for awhile, no one is gonna blame you. Take a portal
back to the Fortress when needed for potion restocking and healing. When you've
taken care of the monsters, start activating the 5 seals. Any 3 of the seals
will release a Unique monster and his minions.
The Infector of Souls is a Venom Lord, who is surrounded with his Venom Lord
minions. His extra fast bonus will also apply to his minions, so you will face
unusually faster enemies. This is probably the easiest of the three monster
groups. Lure the Venom Lords over to one of the narrow passageways (you should
have found one along the way to the front of the Chaos Sanctuary). You'll force
them to attack you one by one. Some of them in the back may use the Fire breath
attack, but it is not as bad when you only get the tail of the flames.
The Grand Vizier of Chaos is a Burning Soul, who has Burning Souls with him.
As annoying as they are, they get worse in groups. They can overlap each other
which means they can all get close to you. Plus, they have mana burn which will
quickly get rid of all your mana for special abilities. The best strategy is to
lure them away from the group, one by one. One less enemy is one better for
you. If you run out of mana, you can run away for a bit and let your mana
recharge itself.
Lord De Seis is an Oblivion Knight, who brings other Oblivion Knights with him.
To me, this is the hardest group. The Oblivion Knights will most likely be of
different types, so you'll be hit by fire, lighting, cold, and poison attacks.
And it doesn't help that Lord De Seis is a Thief, which means when he hits you,
potions will fall out of your belt. You may quickly run out of potions than you
think. Take out the minion Oblivion Knights first. That is a critical first
step. Don't take any big risks, only fight the Knights that are seperated from
the group. When they are taken care of, go after Lord De Seis.
If your last seal released an Unique monster, you still have to get rid of that
Unique monster. However, once you've killed that Unique monster, the minions
will die, no matter how many are left. If your last seal didn't release an
Unique monster, don't worry.
Well, maybe you should worry. When all the seals are open and no Unique
monsters are around, you'll release the Lord of Terror, Diablo. He is not easy,
so don't expect a quick fight, whatever class you are. He possess a lot of life
and many attacks. He has a very powerful claw swipe, which he can modify to
freeze you as well. If you get frozen, I suggest you run or thaw immediately.
He can create a fire circle or a fire chain attack. The circle is less deadly
at long range (it seperates), but the fire chain is deadly if you stand still.
If you see a line of flame coming at you, move out of its way. However, his
worst attack in my opinion is his Lightning Snake attack. If your close and he
does it, your probably dead if you don't get out of the way. Its easier to get
away from it far away. Ranged attacks are harder since he does move around more
than the usual boss. However, there is a great risk when going up to his face,
as you could get frozen and then get killed by the Lightning Snake attack.
One other thing, Diablo can use trap you in a Bone Cage. He doesn't use this
attack that much, but if you create a Town Portal in the center area of the
Chaos Sanctuary, he will most likely create a Bone Cage around it. So when you
get back, you'll be trapped. To avoid this, create a town portal behind the
pillar (Diablo doesn't seem to follow you into the narrow entryway of the
Sanctuary).
Potions are a necessary evil. If you use a lot of mana attacks (probably will)
get healing and mana potions (use any rejuvenation potions you have). You could
choose to ping away at him with ranged attacks, but it'll be draining on your
patience. It poses the least risk, since you'll have fair warning of attacks
and can easily get out of the way.
If you decide to just throw caution into the wind and go up to him, be very
prepared. You'll need eyes like a fox. Make sure to turn auto-run on. Most of
his attacks aren't that bad. The only bad ones are the Fire Chain, Lightning
Snake, and his freezing attack. You can quickly thaw yourself after the
freezing attack. But get out of the way of the Fire Chain attack. And if Diablo
even tries the Lightning Snake get out of the way. You'll probably lose all
your life just in the escape. Run away and use a healing potion.
Use whatever strategy your comfortable with. Or make your own. In the end, all
you want is Diablo to die. Any way that does that is a good way. If you do
get Diablo to fall, he'll release some rare/unique equipment. You'll have 80
seconds to get everything you want into your stash and inventory. Have a few
extra seconds? Talk to Cain and Tyrael. Then enjoy the ending.
---------
10. Lists
---------
Prefixes/Suffixes
Uniques
Axes:
The Gnasher - Hand Axe (20% of crushing blow, 50% chance of open wounds, +30
attack rating)
Deathspade - Axe (+2 mana after every kill, blind target, +8 minimum damage,
15% attack rating bonus)
Bladebone - Double Axe (+40 attack rating and 200% damage vs. undead, adds 4-7
fire damage, +20 defense, increased attack speed)
Skull Splitter - Military Pick (Hit blinds target, regenerate mana 20% bonus,
+50 attack rating, adds 1-12 lightning damage)
Rakescar - War Axe (+50 attack rating, poison resist 50% bonus, adds 18-28
poison damage over 3 seconds)
Axe of Fechmar - Large Axe (Freezes target, +2 to light radius, enhanced
damage, cold resist +30)
Goreshovel - Broad Axe (Greatly increased attack speed, +25 to strength, 60%
chance of open wounds)
The Chieftain - Battle Axe (cold, fire, and lightning resist +10, poison resist
+30, enhanced damage, slightly increased attack speed)
Brainhew - Great Axe (+4 to light radius, +25 to mana, +14 to minimum damage,
10% mana stolen per hit)
Humongous - Giant Axe (Adds 8-15 damage, +10 strength, 33% chance of crushing
blow, requirements +20%)
Bows/Crossbows:
Pluckeye - Short Bow (+2 to light radius, +10 to life, +28 to attack rating, 3%
mana stolen per hit, enhanced damage)
Witherstring - Hunter's Bow (Adds 1-3 damage, fires magic arrows, +50 to attack
rating, greatly increased attack speed)
Raven Claw - Long Bow (+3 to dexterity and strength, 50% bonus to attack
rating, fires explosive arrows)
Rogue's Bow - Composite Bow (30% deadly strike, all resistances +10, +60 to
attack rating, 200% damage to undead)
Stormstrike - Short Battle Bow (Piercing attack, +8 to strength, lightning
resist 25%, adds 1-10 lightning damage, +28 to attack rating)
Wizendraw - Long Battle Bow (Fires magic arrows, +36 to attack rating, +30 to
mana, increased attack speed, cold resist 26%)
Hellclap - Short War Bow (Fire resist 40%, +12 to dexterity, +20 to attack
rating, adds 6-9 fire damage, slightly increased attack speed)
Blastbark - Long War Bow (+1 to Amazon skill levels, 3% mana stolen per hit,
enhanced damage, +5 to strength)
Leadcrow - Light Crossbow (+10 to dexterity, +10 to life, +40 to attack rating,
25% deadly strike, poison resist 30%, enhanced damage)
Ichorsting - Crossbow (+20 to dexterity, +50 to attack rating, piercing attack,
adds 7-9 poison damage over 3 seconds)
Hellcast - Heavy Crossbow (Fires explosive bolts, +70 to attack rating, +15
fire resist (can go above Max), increased attack speed)
Doomslinger - Repeating Crossbow (+1 to Amazon skill levels, +15 to life,
piercing attack, greatly increased attack speed)
Daggers:
Gull - Dagger (adds 1-15 damage, -5 to mana, 50% better chance of getting magic
item)
The Diggler - Dirk (+15 to dexterity, cold and fire resist +25, enhanced
damage, greatly increased attack speed)
The Jan Tan Do - Kris (+75 to attack rating, cannot be frozen, adds 7-14 poison
damage over 3 seconds)
Spectral Shard - Blade (fastest cast rate, +55 to attack rating, +50 to mana,
all resistances +10)
Maces:
Felloak - Club (lightning resist +60, fire resist +20, adds 6-8 fire damage,
knockback)
Stoutnail - Spiked Club (Magic damage reduced by 2, enhanced damage, attacker
takes damage of 1-10, +15 life)
Crushflange - Mace (+2 to light radius, +15 to strength, fire resist +50,
knockback)
Bloodrise - Morning Star (enhanced damage, slightly increased attack speed, +2
to light radius, 50% bonus to attack rating)
The General's Tan Do Li Ga - Flail (+25 defense, adds 1-20 damage, 5% mana
stolen per hit, slows target by 50%)
Ironstone - War Hammer (enhanced damage, +80 to attack rating, -5 to dexterity,
adds 1-10 lightning damage)
Bonesnap - Maul (40% chance of crushing blow, enhanced damage, cold and fire
resist +30)
Steeldriver - Great Maul (heal stamina rate 25% bonus, greatly increased attack
speed, requirements -50%)
Polearms:
Dimoak's Hew - Bardiche (enhanced damage, increased attack speed, +15 to
dexterity, -8 defense)
Steelgoad - Voulge (all resistances +5, +30 to attack rating, 30% deadly
strike, hit causes monster to flee)
Soul Harvest - Scythe (all resistances +20, +45 to attack rating, 30% chance of
open wounds, adds 15-23 poison damage over 5 seconds)
The Battlebranch - Poleaxe (+40 to attack rating, +10 to dexterity, enhanced
damage, greatly increased attack speed, 7% life stolen per hit)
Woestave - Halberd (+2 to light radius, poison resist +15 (can go above Max),
adds 7-28 poison damage over 3 seconds, slows target by 50%)
The Grim Reaper - War Scythe (5% mana stolen per hit, -20 to life, 50% deadly
strike, prevent monster heal)
Scepters:
Knell Striker - Scepter (25% chance of crushing blow, +35 to attack rating, +15
to mana, fire and poison resist +20)
Rusthandle - Grand Scepter (magic damage reduced by 1, adds 3-7 damage, 8% life
stolen per hit, +1 to paladin skill levels)
Stormeye - War Scepter (adds 1-6 lightning and 3-5 cold damage, replenish life
+10)
Spears:
The Dragon Chang - Spear (+2 to light radius, +35 to attack rating, +10 to
minimum damage, 200% damage to undead)
Razortine - Trident (+8 to dexterity, +15 to strength, slows target by 25%,
lowers enemy defense by 50%, greatly increased attack speed)
Bloodthief - Brandistock (+10 to strength, +26 to life, 8% life stolen per hit,
35% chance of open wounds)
Lance of Yaggai - Spetum (all resistances +15, attacker takes damage of 8, adds
1-40 lightning damage)
The Tannr Gorerod - Pike (+3 to light radius, fire resist +15 (can go above
Max), adds 12-18 fire damage, +60 to attack rating, +30 to life)
Staves:
Bane Ash - Short Staff (fire resist +50, adds 4-6 fire damage, +30 to mana,
increased attack speed)
Serpent Lord - Long Staff (adds 2-37 poison damage over 3 seconds, poison
resist +50, -1 to light radius, +10 to mana)
Spire of Lazarus - Gnarled Staff (+9 to strength, all resistances +30, +20 to
mana, magic damage reduced by 3, adds 7-12 fire damage, increased attack speed)
The Salamander - Battle Staff (fire resist +20, adds 1-10 fire damage, +50 to
attack rating, +2 to fire skills for Sorceress)
The Iron Jang Bong - War Staff (+1 to Sorceress skill levels, adds 1-25
lightning damage, +25 defense, 50% bonus to attack rating, faster cast rate)
Swords:
Rixot's Keen - Short Sword (+2 to light radius, +5 to minimum damage, +25
defense, 25% crushing blow, 20% bonus to attack rating)
Blood Crescent - Scimitar (+4 to light radius, enhanced damage, all resistances
+15, +15 to life)
Skewer of Krintiz - Saber (ignore target's defense, +10 to dexterity and
strength, 3% mana stolen per hit, enhanced damage)
Gleamscythe - Falchion (+3 to light radius, increased attack speed, +20
defense, +30 mana)
Azurewrath - Crystal Sword (Adds 3-6 cold damage, 30% deadly strike, 10% better
chance of getting magic item)
Griswold's Edge - Broad Sword (adds 8-16 fire damage, knockback, slightly
increased attack speed, +40 to attack rating)
Hellplague - Long Sword (5% life and mana stolen per hit, adds 28-56 poison
damage over 6 seconds)
Culwen's Point - War Sword (faster block rate and hit recovery, +60 attack
rating, poison length reduced by 50%, +1 to all skill levels)
Shadowfang - Two-Handed Sword (-2 to light radius, 5% mana stolen per hit, cold
resist +20%, adds 5-10 cold damage)
Soulflay - Claymore (4% life stolen per hit, 4-10% mana stolen per hit,
enhanced damage, all resistances +5)
Kinemil's Awl - Giant Sword (adds 6-12 fire damage, +45 to attack rating, +20
to mana)
Blacktongue - Bastard Sword (poison resist +50, -10 to life, adds 14-18 poison
damage over 3 seconds, prevent monster heal)
Ripsaw - Flamberge (50% open wounds, +15 to maximum damage, 6% mana stolen per
hit)
The Patriarch - Great Sword (hit blinds target, physical and magic damage
reduced by 3, 100% extra gold from monsters)
Wands:
Torch of Iro - Wand (+1 to Necromancer skill levels, adds 5-9 fire damage, 6%
life stolen per hit)
Maelstrom - Yew Wand (half freeze duration, adds 1-9 lightning damage, faster
cast rate, lightning resist 40%, +13 to mana)
Gravenspine - Bone Wand (5% mana stolen per hit, adds 4-8 cold damage, +10 to
dexterity and strength)
Ume's Lament - Grim Wand (Hit causes monster to flee, faster cast rate, +2 to
Necromancer skill levels, +40 to mana)
Belts:
Lenymo - Sash (+1 to light radius, regenerate mana 30%, all resistances +5, +15
to mana)
Snakecord - Light Belt (Adds 4-8 poison damage over 3 seconds, replenish life
+5, poison resist +25, +11 defense)
Nightsmoke - Belt (all resistances +10, +20 to mana, damage reduced by 2, 50%
damage taken goes to mana)
Goldwrap - Heavy Belt (slightly increased attack speed, +2 to light radius, 30%
better chance of finding magic items, +40 defense)
Blackbuckle - Girdle (damage reduced by 3, +20 defense, +5 to strength,
attacker takes damage of 8, +10 to dexterity)
Body Armor:
Greyform - Quilted Armor (+10 to dexterity, 5% life stolen per hit, magic
damage reduced by 3, cold and fire resist +20)
Blinkbat's Form - Leather Armor (adds 3-6 fire damage, fast run/walk, +25
defense, +16 missile defense)
The Centurion - Hard Leather Armor (+15 to life, mana and stamina, +25 to
attack rating, +30 to defense, regenerate life +3, damage reduced by 2)
Twitchthroe - Studded Leather (+10 dexterity and strength, +15 defense,
increased chance of blocking, slightly increased attack speed)
Darkglow - Ring Mail (all resistances +10, all resistances Maximum +5, +3 to
light radius, +25 melee defense, +20 attack rating)
Hawkmail - Scale Mail (cannot be frozen, cold resist +15 (can go past Max), +12
defense)
Sparking Mail - Chain Mail (Attacker takes 1-10 lightning damage, adds 1-10
lightning damage, +40 defense)
Venom Ward - Breast Plate (+2 to light radius, adds 7-9 poison damage over 3
seconds, poison resist +15 (can go past Max), enhanced damage)
Iceblink - Splint Mail (+4 to light radius, cold resist +30, freezes target,
magic damage reduced by 1)
Boneflesh - Plate Mail (5% life stolen per hit, +35 defense and attack rating)
Heavenly Garb - Light Plate (Enhanced defense, regenerate mana +25, all
resistances +10)
Rockfleece - Field Plate (+25 defense, +5 strength, poison resist +50, damage
reduced by 3, requirements -10%)
Rattlecage - Gothic Plate (25% crushing blow, +45 defense and attack rating,
hit causes monster to flee)
Goldskin - Full Plate Mail (+2 to light radius, +75 defense, all resistances
+30, attacker takes 1-10 damage)
Silks of the Victor - Ancient Armor (+2 to light radius, +1 to all skill
levels, 5% mana stolen per hit)
Boots:
Hotspur - Leather Boots (fire resist +15 (can go past Max), adds 3-6 fire
damage, +15 to life)
Gorefoot - Heavy Boots (faster run/walk, 2% mana stolen per hit, attacker takes
damage of 2)
Treads of Cthon - Chain Boots (fastest run/walk, 50% less stamina drain, +10
life, +50 missile defense)
Goblin Toe - Light Plate Boots (25% crushing blow, physical and magic damage
reduced by 1, +5 defense, -1 light radius)
Tearhaunch - Plate Boots (faster run/walk, +5 to dexterity and strength, +10
defense, all resistances +10)
Gloves:
The Hand of Broc - Gloves (3% life and mana stolen per hit, poison resist +10,
+20 to mana)
Bloodfirst - Heavy Gloves (fastest hit recovery, +40 to life, +5 to minimum
damage)
Chance Guards - Bracers (24% better chance of getting magic items, 200% extra
gold from monsters, +25 to attack rating, +15 defense, +2 to light radius)
Magefist - Light Gauntlets (+1 to fire skills (Sorceress only), faster cast
rate, regenerate mana 25% bonus, adds 1-5 fire damage)
Frostburn - Gauntlets (enhanced damage, maximum mana 40%, adds 1-6 cold damage,
+30 defense)
Head Armor:
Biggin's Bonnet - Cap (enhanced damage, +15 life and mana, +30 attack rating)
Tarnhelm - Skull Cap (25-50% better chance of getting magic items, 75% extra
gold from monsters, +1 to all skill levels)
Coif of Glory - Helm (attacker takes 4 lightning damage, hit blinds target, +25
missile defense, lightning resist +15)
Wormskull - Bone Helm (+1 to Necromancer skills, 5% life stolen per hit, +25
poison resist, +10 mana)
Duskdeep - Full Helm (all resistances +5, +8 to max damage, -2 to light radius,
damage reduced by 3)
Howltusk - Great Helm (35% damage taken goes to mana, enhanced defense, magic
damage reduced by 2, attacker takes damage of 3)
Undead Crown - Crown (Half freeze duration, 4% life stolen per hit, poison
resist +50, +8 defense)
The Face of Horror - Mask (150% damage to undead, +20 strength, hit causes
monster to flee, all resistances +5)
Shields:
Pelta Lunata - Buckler (+10 life and mana, +2 strength, +40 defense)
Umbral Disk - Small Shield (Hit blinds target, +20 life, +18 defense, +10
dexterity, -2 to light radius)
Stormguild - Large Shield (Magic damage reduced by 1, adds 1-6 lightning
damage, lightning resist +25, +15 defense)
Wall of the Eyeless - Bone Shield (+5 to mana after each kill, faster cast
rate, 3% mana stolen per hit, poison resist +20)
Swordback Hold - Spiked Shield (Attacker takes 3-5 damage, 50% open wounds,
increased chance of blocking)
Bverrit Keep - Tower Shield (magic damage reduced by 4, fire resist +25, +20
defense, +5 strength)
The Ward - Gothic Shield (Increased chance of blocking, magic damage reduced by
2, +10 strength, +40 defense)
Jewelry:
The Eye of Etlich - Amulet (3-7% stolen per hit, +1-5 to light radius, adds 1-5
cold damge, +10-40 missile defense, +1 to skill levels)
The Mahim-Oak Curio - Amulet (+40 attack rating, +20 life and mana, +10
defense, +5 dexterity and strength)
Nokozan Relic - Amulet (+3 to light radius, fire resist +10 (can go past Max),
adds 3-6 fire damage)
Manald Heal - Ring (4% mana stolen per hit, replenish life +5, +20 to life)
Nagelring - Ring (attacker takes damage of 3, magic damage reduced by 2, 15%
better chance of getting magic items, +18 attack rating)
The Stone of Jordan - Ring (+1 to all skill levels, adds 1-12 lightning damage,
maximum mana 25% bonus, +20 to mana)
=========
Set Items
Angelic Raiment:
Angelic Halo - Ring (replenish life +6, +20 life)
Angelic Mantle - Ring Mail (enhanced defense, damage taken reduced by 3)
Angelic Sickle - Sabre (350% damage to undead, +75 attack rating)
Angelic Wings - Amulet (20% damage taken goes to mana, +3 light radius)
Full set bonus - All resistances +25, 40% chance of finding a magic item, half
freeze duration
Arcanna's Tricks:
Arcanna's Deathwand - War Staff (25% chance for deadly strike, +20 life)
Arcanna's Flesh - Light Plate (+2 light radius, damage reduced by 3)
Arcanna's Head - Skull Cap (regenerate life +4, attacker takes damage of 2)
Arcanna's Sign - Amulet (regenerate mana 20%, 15% mana bonus)
Full set bonus: 5% mana stolen per hit, faster cast rate, +25 mana
Arctic Gear:
Arctic Binding - Light Belt (cold resist +40, +30 defense)
Arctic Furs - Quilted Armor (enhanced defense, All resistances +10)
Arctic Horn - Short War Bow (20% bonus to attack rating, enhanced damage)
Arctic Mitts - Light Gauntlets (+20 life, slightly increased speed)
Full set bonus - Adds 6-14 cold damage, impossible to be frozen
Berserker's Arsenal:
Berserker's Hatchet - Double Axe (30% attack rating bonus, 5% mana stolen per
hit)
Berserker's Hauberk - Splint Mail (+1 Barbarian skills, magic damage reduced by
2)
Berserker's Headgear - Helm (fire resist +25, +15 defense)
Full set bonus - Attacks add 4-9 poison damage over 3 seconds, poison length
reduced by 75%
Cathan's Traps:
Cathan's Mesh - Chain Mail (50% less requirements, +15 defense)
Cathan's Rule - Battle Staff (+1 fire skills, +10 fire damage)
Cathan's Seal - Ring (6% life stolen per hit, damage taken reduced by 2)
Cathan's Sigil - Amulet (attacker takes 5 lightning damage, fast hit recovery)
Cathan's Visage - Mask (cold resist +25, +20 mana)
Full set bonus - Magic damage taken reduced by 3, +60 attack rating, all
resistances +25, +20 mana, fast casting rate
Civerb's Vestments:
Civerb's Cudgel - Grand Scepter (+75 attack rating, +21 to maximum damage)
Civerb's Icon - Amulet (regenerate mana +40%, regenerate life +4)
Civerb's Ward - Large Shield (+15 defense, increased block)
Full set bonus - 200% damage to undead, +15 strength
Cleglaw's Brace:
Cleglaw's Claw - Small Shield (poison length reduced by 75%, +17 defense)
Cleglaw's Pincers - Chain Gloves (slows target by 25%, knockback)
Cleglaw's Tooth - Long Sword (50% critcal hit, 30% bonus to attack rating)
Full set bonus - 6% mana stolen per hit, +50 defense, 35% crushing blow
Death's Disguise:
Death's Guard - Sash (cannot be frozen, +20 defense)
Death's Hand - Leather Gloves (poison length reduced by 75%, poison resist +50)
Death's Touch - War Sword (4% life stolen per hit, enhanced damage)
Full set bonus - 40% bonus to attack rating, +10 minimum damage, all
resistances +25
Hsaru's Trim:
Hsaru's Iron Fist - Buckler (damage taken reduced by 2, +10 strength)
Hsaru's Iron Heel - Chain Boots (faster run/walk, fire resist +25)
Hsaru's Iron Stay - Belt (cold resist +20, +20 life)
Full set bonus - +5 maximum damage, cannot be frozen, lightning resist +25
Infernal Tools:
Infernal Buckle - Heavy Belt (+25 defense, +20 life)
Infernal Cranium - Cap (20% of damage taken goes to mana, all resistances +10)
Infernal Torch - Grim Wand (+1 Necromancer skills, +8 minimum damage)
Full set bonus: 20% open wounds, 20% bonus to attack rating, +1 Necromancer
skills
Iratha's Finery:
Iratha's Coil - Crown (lightning and fire resist +30)
Iratha's Collar - Amulet (poison length reduced by 75%, poison resist +30)
Iratha's Cord - Heavy Belt (+25 defense, +5 minimum damage)
Iratha's Cuff - Light Gauntlets (half freeze duration, cold resist +30)
Full set bonus: +10 to maximum cold, fire, lightning, and poison resist, all
resistances +20, +15 dexterity
Isenhart's Armory:
Isenhart's Case - Breast Plate (+40 defense, magic damage reduced by 2)
Isenhart's Horns - Full Helm (damage reduced by 2, +6 dexterity)
Isenhart's Lightband - Broad Sword (+3 light radius, +10 minimum damage)
Isenhart's Parry - Gothic Shield (attacker takes 4 lightning damage, +40
defense)
Full set bonus: 35% bonus to attack rating, all resistances +20, 5% life stolen
per hit
Milabrega's Regalia:
Milabrega's Diadem - Crown (+15 mana and life)
Milabrega's Orb - Kite Shield (+25 defense, +20% chance of getting a magic
item)
Milabrega's Robe - Ancient Armor (damage reduced by 2, attacker takes damage of
3)
Milabrega's Rod - War Scepter (+1 Paladin skills, enhanced damage)
Full set bonus: +2 light radius, +2 Paladin skills, 8% life stolen per hit,
poison resist +15
Sigon's Complete Steel:
Sigon's Gage - Gauntlets (+20 attack rating, +10 strength)
Sigon's Guard - Tower Shield (increased block, +1 all skills)
Sigon's Sabot - Greaves (faster run/walk, cold resist +40)
Sigon's Shelter - Gothic Plate (enhanced defense, lightning resist +30)
Sigon's Visor - Great Helm (+3 light radius, +30 mana)
Sigon's Wrap - Plated Belt (+20 life, fire resist +20)
Full set bonus: Adds 12-24 fire damage, damage reduced by 7, attacker takes 12
damage
Tancred's Battlegear:
Tancred's Crowbill - Military Pick (enhanced damage, +75 attack rating)
Tancred's Hobnails - Boots (stamina regeneration +25, +10 dexterity)
Tancred's Skull - Bone Helm (enhanced damage, +40 attack rating)
Tancred's Spine - Full Plate Armor (+40 life, +15 strength)
Tancred's Weird - Amulet (damage reduced by 2, magic damage reduced by 1)
Full set bonus: 5% mana stolen per hit, all resistances +10, slow target by
35%, 75% extra gold from monsters
Vidala's Rig:
Vidala's Ambush - Leather Armor (+50 defense, +11 dexterity)
Vidala's Barb - Long Battle Bow (adds 1-20 lightning damage)
Vidala's Fetlock - Light Plated Boots (fastest run/walk, +150 max stamina)
Vidala's Snare - Amulet (cold resist +20, +15 life)
Full set bonus: Piercing attack, enhanced damage, freeze target
========
Monsters
========
Shrines:
"effect" means the effect will only last while the icon stays above your
character's head.
"regenerate" means the shrine can be used again over time.
Armor - Defense rating increase. (Effect, regenerate)
Combat - Attack rating and damage dealt increase. (Effect, regenerate)
Experience - You gain more experience for each kill. (Effect)
Exploding - Will cause several explosions (that do damage, to you and enemies)
and drop a few exploding potions.
Fire - Using this shrine will cause many firebolts to go off that does damage
to anything it hits.
Gem - Upgrades a gem in your inventory and drops it. If you don't have any gems
it will drop a random chipped gem.
Health - Full health recovery. (Regenerate)
Mana - Full mana recovery. (Regenerate)
Mana Recharge - Increases the mana regeneration speed. (Effect, regenerate)
Monster - Turns a monster into a Unique one.
Poison - Will cause several poison clouds to appear and drop a few poison
potions.
Portal - Creates a permanment town portal.
Refilling - Full health, mana, and stamina recovery. (Regenerate)
Resist Cold - You get maximum resistance to cold. (Effect, regenerate)
Resist Fire - You get maximum resistance to fire. (Effect, regenerate)
Resist Poison - You get maximum resistance to poison. (Effect, regenerate)
Resist Lightning - You get maximum resistance to lightning. (Effect,
regenerate)
Skill - All skills you have learned are increased by 2. (Effect, regenerate)
Stamina - Your stamina bar turns blue (you gain unlimited stamina). (Effect,
regenerate)
=====
Gems:
Amethyst (Purple)
Helm Bonus Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 3 Strength 5-6 Defense 15-19 Attack Rating
Flawed: 4 Strength 7-8 Defense 20-29 Attack Rating
Normal: 5-6 Strength 9-10 Defense 30-39 Attack Rating
Flawless: 7-8 Strength 11-13 Defense 40-49 Attack Rating
Perfect: 9-10 Strength 15-17 Defense 50-59 Attack Rating
Diamond (White)
Helm Bonus Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 10 Attack Rating 5-6 All Resist Damage 125-129% versus undead
Flawed: 15 Attack Rating 7-8 All Resist Damage 130-135% versus undead
Normal: 20 Attack Rating 9-11 All Resist Damage 136-145% versus undead
Flawless: 25 Attack Rating 12-15 All Resist Damage 146-155% versus undead
Perfect: 30 Attack Rating 16-20 All Resist Damage 156-170% versus undead
Emerald (Green)
Helm Bonus Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus*
Chipped: 3 to Dexterity 10-12 Resist Poison 2 Poison damage
Flawed: 4 to Dexterity 13-16 Resist Poison 3 Poison damage
Normal: 5-6 to Dexterity 17-20 Resist Poison 4 Poison damage
Flawless: 7-8 to Dexterity 21-25 Resist Poison 5 Poison damage
Perfect: 9-10 to Dexterity 26-30 Resist Poison 6 Poison damage
*Poison damage is over 3 seconds
Ruby (Red)
Helm Bonus Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 6-8 to Life 10-12 Resist Fire 3-4 Fire Damage
Flawed: 9-11 to Life 13-16 Resist Fire 3-5 Fire Damage
Normal: 12-15 to Life 17-20 Resist Fire 4-5 Fire Damage
Flawless: 16-20 to Life 21-25 Resist Fire 5-6 Fire Damage
Perfect: 21-25 to Life 26-30 Resist Fire 6-10 Fire Damage
Sapphire (Blue)
Helm Bonus Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 6-8 to Mana 10-12 Resist Cold 1-3 Cold Damage (1 sec freeze)
Flawed: 9-11 to Mana 13-16 Resist Cold 2-3 Cold Damage (1.5 sec freeze)
Normal: 12-15 to Mana 17-20 Resist Cold 2-4 Cold Damage (2 sec freeze)
Flawless: 16-20 to Mana 21-25 Resist Cold 3-5 Cold Damage (2.5 sec freeze)
Perfect: 21-25 to Mana 26-30 Resist Cold 3-7 Cold Damage (3 sec freeze)
Skull (White Skull)
Helm Bonus* Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 2 Life/8% Mana 2 damage to enemy Steal 2% Life/1% Mana
Flawed: 3 Life/8% Mana 3 damage to enemy Steal 2% Life/2% Mana
Normal: 3 Life/12% Mana 4 damage to enemy Steal 3% Life/2% Mana
Flawless: 4 Life/12% Mana 5 damage to enemy Steal 3% Life/3% Mana
Perfect: 4-5 Life/16-20% Mana 6-7 damage to enemy Steal 4% Life/3% Mana
*Signifies Life Regeneration and Mana Regeneration Bonus
Topaz (Yellow)
Helm Bonus* Shield Bonus Weapon Bonus
Chipped: 7-9% Chance 10-12 Resist Lightning 1-6 Lightning Damage
Flawed: 11-13% Chance 13-16 Resist Lightning 1-7 Lightning Damage
Normal: 14-17% Chance 17-20 Resist Lightning 1-8 Lightning Damage
Flawless: 18-20% Chance 21-25 Resist Lightning 1-10 Lightning Damage
Perfect: 21-25% Chance 26-30 Resist Lightning 1-15 Lightning Damage
*Chance to find magic items
---------------
11. Multiplayer
---------------
(Well, I wasn't planning on working on this section for awhile, but since I
came across the next part, I might as well add it).
Player vs. Player
Amazon (you) vs. Barbarian
The long range queen against the close up destroyer? You'd think the Amazon
have an advantage, but if your Barbarian enemy is any good, they'll have a good
damaging weapon. Most Amazons don't have a lot of strength to wear big armor,
so only a few hits from a Barbarian attack can take you down (god forbid that
they have a lot of Mastery points). Barbarians are horrible with thrown or
ranged weapons, so you should always have a long range advantage.
The first part is taking the battle into an open location. Find a large area
with a few walls that you can hide behind and fire from (think the pillars from
the Rogue Monastery). Next, always be on the run. I don't care if the enemy
says you should stop running, if you stay still, your dead.
If you've focused on bow attacks, the freezing arrow (or its lower level
counterparts, cold and ice, if you only have those) is a super valuable tool.
You can slow down (not freeze completely sadly) your Barbarian opponent, giving
you a bit of time to run or fire a few more shots. Strafe and Multiple Shot are
basically useless wastes of mana (for obvious reasons). Immolation Arrow (or
Exploding Arrow) is a very good damaging attack, but it may be too mana costly
for regular use. I've even seen Amazons fight back well just firing a lot of
Guided Arrows, and that might be a good attack plan. Just check your mana.
Bring mana potions, it never hurts to be prepared.
Javelin users have a tougher time. Usually they have to get up and close with
their close range attacks. Of course, you can throw the javelins, but you may
run out of them very quickly. Javelins are not as easy to find like arrows or
bolts. The Lightning attacks (Lightning Fury, Strike, and Bolt) were mainly
meant for attacking large groups, but you may have to rely on them, since they
are some of the most powerful Amazon javelin attacks. If you have to get close
with your javelin, don't forget about Power Strike, Impale (watch your weapon
durability), and even Jab. Very good Amazons can use the multiple hits from Jab
to quickly take down an over-confident Barbarian. I don't really find the
Poison attacks to be that useful (most players do have some sort of poison
protection), but if you developed them, go with it.
You may want to use Inner Sight every so often. It lowers the defense of your
enemy, giving you extra chances to hit them. But it requires to you stay still,
a bit of a risk. Hopefully you have been working on your Dodge and Evade
skills. Avoid is useless (it only works for ranged attacks). You'll be thankful
when your Dodges and Evades kick in. Critical Strike (and Penetrate if you use
a ranged weapon) is a very powerful skill, espcially now. When you see the
Barbarian's life go down in bunches, you'll know that the skills are working.
And don't forget about Decoy and Valkyrie. I've found many a frustrated
Barbarian trying to find the real you and then handle the Valkyrie at their
backs. They might say its unfair, but hey, just say they shouldn't be picking
on girls.
As for your Barbarian enemy, you have to worry about their weapon. Know of
their mastery. Always consider the weapon they have in their hand as their best
mastery weapon. This means they have big attack rating and damage bonuses, so
you'll never want to get in range of their attacks. Luckily, this means they
will be using a close range weapon (unless they were dumb enough to use
Throwing Mastery). Watch out for Warcries such as Battlecry and Warcry.
Battlecry will lower your defense rating and damage dealt. So you are basically
weakened. Watch for the orange dot over your head, this makes you an easier
target to be killed. Warcry will damage you as well as stun. Its the stun which
may be your end. Luckily the length of Warcry is not that far. If you stay on
the run you should be able to avoid many of the negative warcries. But, watch
out for Barbarians who may use Shout and Battle Orders. Shout gives a defense
bonus, Battle Orders increases max life and mana. Just stay calm when they
start shouting and keep attacking.
Most Barbarians have a mana drain weapon and have either Concentrate or Double
Swing as their main attacks. Force them to whiff at air and drain their mana.
Smart enemies won't use Whirlwind or Berserk, since they leave the Barbarian
open (espcially Berserk, which lowers their defense to zero, easy pickings for
you). However, watch out for jumping Barbarians. They will get the best use out
of Leap and Leap Attack, effectively stopping your run (if they get near to
you) and getting a few hits for their cause.
So, basic strategy when your an Amazon fighting a Barbarian? Keep running, ping
away with your bow, or hit and run with your javelin/spear. Make the best use
of your special abilities, and hope your passive skills kick in.
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12. Thanks
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Blizzard, for making this great game. Okay, so it took them a few extra years,
but hey, it was worth the wait.
All those very helpful players on b.net. I can't mention them all, but you were
all very nice for answering all my questions :)
Dragonblood from Ancient Anguish. She probably doesn't know she's on here, but
she's a great gal anyway!
Me for obvious reasons.
There were a whole lot of people who sent in info on set items (it seems
everyone playing Diablo 2 has Death's Guard :). For space reasons, most of them
are okay with being nameless, but in any case I thank all of them.
A few to be mentioned though, so here: YeelRek, brother3, Sonic Koo Yee Hui,
CivicJon, Matthew Ezekiel Wei, David Crichton, XvHaydon, Matt Renfrow,
Cakewalk12, Boon.
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13. Legal Junk
--------------
This guide can and should be given out as long as it is not altered in any way.
The guide's purpose is to help people play Diablo 2 and that is its only
purpose. This guide cannot be used in any commerically such as, but not limited
to, Magazines, Books, Guides, without first contacting the author for his
consent. Credit must given if you take information from this guide.
Diablo 2 is a trademark of Blizzard Entertainment, copyright 2000.
All other trademarks copyright their respective owners.