Diablo 2 Lod GG

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction
2001 GameSpot, a division of CNET Networks.

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by, nor licensed or affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment. Diablo II Expansion
Set: Lord of Destruction and its characters are trademarks of Blizzard
Entertainment. All titles, items, characters, and products described or referred
to in this guide are trademarks of their respective companies.
Guide Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Expansion Concepts
Runes and Jewels

Crafted Items
Better Hirelings
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Chapter 2: Assassin Strategies

Assassin Initial Attributes
Assassin Attributes
Assassin Initial Equipment
Fashioning a Powerful Assassin
Assassin Weapons
Fighting Enchanted Monsters and Bosses
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Chapter 3: Assassin Skills

Martial Arts Specialist
Shadow Discipline Specialist
Traps Specialist
Skills
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Chapter 4: Druid Strategies

Druid Initial Attributes
Druid Attributes
Druid Initial Equipment
Creating a Master Druid
Fighting Wisely
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Chapter 5: Druid Skills
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Elemental Master
Shape-Shifting Master
Summoning Master
Skills
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Chapter 6: Act V Walk-Through

Act V Waypoints
Act V, Quest I: Siege on Harrogath
Act V, Quest II: Rescue on Mount Arreat
Act V, Quest III: Prison of Ice
Act V, Quest IV: Betrayal of Harrogath
Act V, Quest V: Rite of Passage
Act V, Quest VI: Eve of Destruction
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Introduction
n Blizzard's Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, the expansion pack to the

critically acclaimed and wildly popular Diablo II, you are sent to a new
region, the Barbarian Highlands to the north, upon defeating Diablo in Act
IV. Here you must track the last of the Prime Evils, the wicked Baal, across six
quests in a challenging, though quite rewarding, fifth act. The game offers two
exciting new character classes, the assassin and the druid, and thousands of
new items for battling the new monsters, bosses, and uniques.
This GameSpot Diablo II: Lord of Destruction game guide features complete
coverage of the two new character classes and a complete walk-through (with
battle tips) for the challenging Act V. Search the game guide for:
Expansion Concepts: This section includes a brief guide to the
expansion's new concepts, including runes and crafted items.
Assassin Strategies: This section includes coverage of the assassin
character class, complete with important skill concepts, strategies for
selecting attributes, and combat techniques.
Assassin Skills: You'll find a complete list of assassin skills here with
suggestions on applying valuable skill points.
Druid Strategies: This section includes coverage of the druid character
class, complete with important skill concepts, strategies for selecting
attributes, and combat techniques.
Druid Skills: You'll find a complete list of druid skills here with
suggestions on applying valuable skill points.
Act V Walk-Through: This section features a complete walk-through for
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Act V. The walk-through includes solutions
to all quests, the location of important quest items, and vital information
on monsters, townspeople, and dealing with boss creatures.
Chapter 1: Expansion Concepts
he Diablo II expansion Lord of Destructions offers much more than just

two new classes and a new act to battle through. The expansion
includes thousands of new items and even new ways of creating those
items! This section of the Diablo II: Lord of Destruction game guide offers a
brief primer to understanding the expansion's new tools, including runes and
jewels, crafted items, and better hirelings.
Runes and Jewels

The expansion offers two new item types to socket into weapons and armor:
jewels and runes. Jewels feature various magical properties and can be
placed inside a socketed item much like a gem.
Let's take a look at runes, which are identified by a particular syllable--for
instance, you may discover the Ral rune or the Tal rune. The runes can be
placed into sockets to instill items with new magical properties. However,
runes are best used in their "runeword" form.
For instance, in Act V you receive the Ral, Ort, and Tal runes for completing a
quest. If you place the runes inside a socketed shield in the correct order, you
receive a much better bonus than if you place the runes in an incorrect order.
For more on Diablo II: Lord of Destruction runes, visit GameSpot's Diablo II:
Lord of Destruction hint and FAQ section at:
http://gamespot.com/gamespot/filters/products/0,11114,370600,00.html
Rune and Runeword FAQ:
http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/faqs/d2rune.txt
Crafted Items
The Horadric Cube you gained during Act II has the ability to transmute items
to create other items (for instance, using health and mana potions to create a
rejuvenation potion). Diablo II: Lord of Destruction adds an exciting new ability
to the Horadric Cube--the ability to create crafted items. You will create crafted
items by using the Horadric Cube to transmute a perfect gem, weapon or
armor type, jewel, or rune into a new item. Crafted items have specific
combinations and can create some exciting items.
For more on Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Crafted Items, visit GameSpot's
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction hint and FAQ section at:
http://gamespot.com/gamespot/filters/products/0,11114,370600,00.html
Crafted Item FAQ: http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/faqs/d2craft.txt
Better Hirelings
Hirelings prove much more useful in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction then
standard Diablo II For instance, you can now equip the hirelings as you like
with the weapon and armor of your choice. Hirelings have been improved
across the board. For instance, use the hirelings in Act V to hire a sturdy
barbarian that use several barbarian skills. Especially if you are playing the
game alone, don't neglect the assistance of a hireling. They can absorb a lot
of punishment meant for you and distract many enemies from your
spellcasting, powerful melee attacks, or ranged attacks.
Furthermore, keep your hirelings intact by using healing potions on their icon.
The hireling actually gains experience like any other party member and can
steadily improve as you keep him or her alive throughout the current act.
Bolster your hireling's resistances (quite important depending on the act and
current battle) by switching out specific armor. Though remember that attribute
requirements apply to hirelings as well.
Chapter 2: Assassin Strategies

"Schooled in the martial arts, her mind and body are deadly weapons."
ike a mimic, the assassin can be fashioned into a character that

resembles any of the other character classes. An assassin specializing in
traps may keep her distance like a sorceress; an assassin focusing in
martial arts may battle like a barbarian; and an assassin who has learned
shadow master may let her minion assist her like a druid or necromancer. Yet
her speed, cloaking ability, and finishing moves give the assassin her own
special flavor. Her trap-setting skills and ability to damage crowds of foes also
make the assassin a valuable asset in groups of adventurers.
Assassin Initial Attributes

Strength: 20
Dexterity: 20
Vitality: 20
Energy: 25
Assassin Attributes
Thanks to her nimbleness, stealth skill, and traps, the assassin does not need
to focus on defense to the extent that paladins and barbarians must. None of
her skills take tremendous amounts of mana, and quite a few skills generate
effects that last a long time; for example, burst of speed lasts for a couple of
minutes, and shadow warriors stay alive until they are slain.
An assassin character specializing in traps and martial arts will want to put
more points into the energy attribute than one who relies on stealth or
summoning. Trapping can often be done from a safe vantage point, allowing
for the peaceful quaffing of a mana potion, while martial arts assassins need
mana in the thick of a fight--thus, it is especially important for these hand-tohand masters to have plenty of available energy.
Summon shadow warriors and shadow masters in town, where you can
quickly replenish your mana at the appropriate shop.
Assassins may choose to wield a weapon and a shield or two weapons-almost always, two claw-class weapons. The choice should be based on your
style of play. A player who is tired of dying or who is playing hardcore will likely
wish to emphasize defense and will therefore tend to use shields. A player
who runs more risks to become a slaying machine will likely opt for a pair of
claw-based weapons.
TIP: Although a dual-weapon assassin may learn a skill that allows her to
block, this skill's benefits are easily attained by a decent blocking shield.
Assassin Initial Equipment

Weapon: Katar
Armor: Buckler
Fashioning a Powerful Assassin

The assassin's wide range of abilities allow her to become almost anything
she likes, from a raging melee fighter defended by spinning blades to a more
standoffish spell caster to a hit-and-run poisoner. If you attempt to create an
assassin who is well-rounded in all of these areas, however, you will likely find
the higher skill levels (nightmare and hell) quite difficult.
An assassin character should be focused in one of the three main skill types-martial arts, shadow disciplines, and traps--and should then be semiproficient
in one of the other two. This will put her in a specific role, whether fighting
alone or in a group, while giving her the option of approaching certain tough
situations in an alternative way.
For example, an assassin who is highly proficient at martial arts will spend
most of her time charging her attacks and releasing finishing move spells on
large groups of creatures--but there will be times when a few traps, or a
shadow warrior, will make it easier for her to stay alive. An assassin who is a
master of traps will be called on to soften up crowds of enemies but should
have some weapon mastery to help polish off the survivors.
Martial arts are the best route for players who thrive on excitement and who
enjoy the challenge of mastering the back-and-forth mouse clicks that the
martial arts require. Players who prefer to strike first and mop up later will
likely enjoy the trapping skills, which allow for this kind of approach. And some
players will dive into the role of the assassin, learning to cloak, backstab with
poison, and control the minds of enemies.
In any case, an assassin character will be best served not by being a jack-ofall-trades, but by specializing in one field, while keeping a second as a weaker
but viable option. The makeup of the other players in her group, should the
assassin player opt to join one, will affect your decision as to which skill to
specialize in.
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Assassin Weapons
In stark opposition to the barbarian, whose skill tree lets him specialize in any
of six weapon classes, the assassin can gain special mastery in only one
class: the claw-class weapons. Many of the assassin's martial arts and
shadow disciplines rely on her wielding one or two sets of claw-class
weapons. For these reasons, it is a rare assassin who will not use a weapon
of this type.
Hardcore players may prefer to use a shield rather than two claw-class
weapons for defensive protection.
Every assassin must decide whether to wield two sets of claw-class weapons
or to wield just one with a shield. An assassin player who is gung ho and
daring will be more likely to go without a shield, while a more patient and
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careful assassin will opt for the safety of a shield. Hardcore players may wish
to go the latter route, giving the nod to defense rather than offense.
TIP: Some assassin players who have chosen to focus on martial arts skills
like to go without a weapon, using their quick fists to charge up their
devastating finishing moves rapidly. Certain claw-class weapons carry a
speed bonus, however, which can make them as fast as (but more damaging
than) plain old fists. The appeal of going weaponless may override such
considerations, however!
The assassin may learn the weapon block skill, which gives her some safety
when she fights with a pair of claw-class weapons and no shield. But most
good shields provide quite a bit more blocking ability at no cost to skill points,
especially for an assassin with high dexterity.
Several of the assassin's skills can rightly be considered weaponry, especially
the blade skills. Her level-30 blade skill, blade shield, has a name that sounds
defensive, but this skill offers quite an attacking bonus, especially against
enemy melee.
Fighting Enchanted Monsters and Bosses

An assassin's tactics in all-out brawls with the game's toughest foes depend
on what development path her character has pursued.
The right trap will do great amounts of damage not only to the swarm of
minions surrounding enchanted monsters, but also to the enchanted boss
itself. A trap assassin can often dispatch an entire enchanted monster group
using traps alone, if she has a mana potion or two along. Many enchanted
monsters are located behind closed doors in caves, temples, and the like; look
for glowing lights on the floor behind closed doors, and set some traps on the
far side of the door (hover the cursor over the door until "Closed Door"
appears, and then release the trap). Watch for it to activate, and watch for
signs of corpses appearing.
TIP: Traps also work quite well against bosses, who can often be lured
mindlessly into a waiting group of five. Test your traps against your most
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powerful enemies to see which ones do the most damage; some bosses are
immune to or protected against certain kinds of damage.
If you have the ability to summon a shadow warrior or shadow master, use her
to distract an enchanted monster or boss, while you use the assassin's
quickness to dart in and out of danger. An assassin at full health (with
reasonably high resistance percentages) can take a wallop from just about
any monster in the game, giving you time to recover and dash away if a boss
turns from your summoned partner to face you.
An assassin who is talented in martial arts can dispatch the minions of most
enchanted monsters easily enough, but area-effect finishing moves are not as
efficient once the battle turns to the enchanted monster itself. Against a single
foe, it is usually best to turn to finishing moves, which specifically do damage
against a single opponent (or steal life and mana from the foe).
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Chapter 3: Assassin Skills
new assassin is quite capable of advancing through the first two acts
without spending many skill points at all, enabling her to have a nice
supply when she begins encountering serious resistance. Therefore,
you should consider saving spell points up until your character begins to face
opponents that require more determination. For some players, this may occur
quite early in the game, but for most, it will not happen until Acts III or IV.
This will give you a chance to accustom yourself to the assassin's special
abilities, and you will know better what kind of assassin you would like to
concoct. In general, don't spend skill points (unless you are dying to have a
particular skill) until the monsters you are facing begin to pose significant
problems to your character.
Save your skill points until the monsters begin to give you a pretty
tough time of it.
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Below are several distributions of skill points for a variety of assassin

characters, each of which has specialized in a different type of play and has
completed the game. We assume that such a character is at level 35, and
therefore has 39 spell points (one per level and four from quests) available.
Note that some items increase skill levels, but such items are not assumed.
Remember that these examples are just that--examples! These are certainly
not the only way you could choose to apply skill points, and they aren't
necessarily the best way. Apply skill points to cater to your particular style of
play. Use these examples as guidelines for specializing your character class in
a particular skill.
Martial Arts Specialist

Here is an example of how an assassin learned in the martial arts may have
spent her skill points:
Martial Arts
Tiger Strike -- 1 skill point
Cobra Strike -- 3 skill points
Phoenix Strike -- 5 skill points
Dragon Talon -- 1 skill point
Dragon Claws -- 1 skill point
Dragon Tail -- 1 skill point
Dragon Flight -- 8 skill points
Fists of Fire -- 1 skill point
Claws of Thunder -- 1 skill point
Blades of Ice -- 4 skill points
Shadow Disciplines
Claw Mastery -- 6 skill points
Burst of Speed -- 1 skill point
Weapon Block -- 1 skill point
Shadow Warrior -- 1 skill point
Traps
None
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To accomplish this distribution, you must have at times saved skill points to
spend on higher-level skills. Furthermore, because of the restriction on how
quickly level-30 skills can be upgraded, this player will have four skill points
available at this point. This assassin will use phoenix strike (left mouse button)
and dragon flight (right mouse button) for the most part, although she will
switch to cobra strike from time to time for its life- and mana-leeching benefits.
Note that an assassin who prefers to use dual claw-class weapons would
likely put skill points into dragon claws and weapon block rather than dragon
flight. This layout also allows for the assassin to summon a shadow warrior,
who can help distract difficult enemies, and cast burst of speed, which
increases the rate of attack.
In the early game, this assassin would rely on the basic combos of charge-up
and finishing moves; these, even with few invested points, will easily suffice. In
midgame, blades of fury and shadow warrior will come in very handy. Finally,
the assassin would make the big move to phoenix strike and dragon flight.
TIP: In nightmare and hell difficulty levels, enemies have increased resistance
to elemental damage, so you may have better luck beefing up tiger strike
and/or cobra strike than phoenix strike.
Shadow Discipline Specialist

Here is an example of how an assassin focused on shadow disciplines may
elect to distribute skill points:
Martial Arts
Tiger Strike -- 3 skill points
Cobra Strike -- 5 skill points
Dragon Talon -- 1 skill point
Dragon Claw -- 1 skill point
Dragon Tail -- 1 skill point
Dragon Flight -- 6 skill points
Shadow Disciplines
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Fade -- 1 skill point
Venom -- 4 skill points
Shadow Master -- 3 skill points
Psychic Hammer -- 1 skill point
Cloak of Shadows -- 1 skill point
Mind Blast -- 3 skill points
If you summon a shadow fighter while another is present, the previous

one will automatically be unsummoned.
Traps
None
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spend on higher-level skills. One nice feature of shadow disciplines is that
relatively low investments of skill points can bring nice returns. Shadow
masters, for example, have quite a lengthy life span right off the bat and do not
require resummoning often. Mind blast, cast in a crowd, has a hefty chance of
converting monsters even at level one. These advantages give a disciple of
the shadows the freedom to invest in either martial arts or traps.
The benefit of going the martial arts route is that it lets you get close to
enemies, who can then be turned by a mind blast. This assassin will fight
throughout the game with her martial arts, summoning shadow warrior or
shadow master when she reaches the appropriate level. In the end game, she
will use cloak of shadows and venom to attack particularly tough monsters,
and she'll use mind blast to convert enemies to her side.
Traps Specialist
Here is a sample distribution for an assassin who has great skill in the traps
discipline:
Martial Arts
Tiger Strike -- 1 skill point
Shadow Disciplines
Shadow Master -- 1 skill point
Traps
Fire Blast -- 1 skill point
Shock Web -- 3 skill points
Charged Bolt Sentry -- 1 skill point
Lightning Sentry -- 1 skill point
Wake of Fire -- 4 skill points
Wake of Inferno -- 5 skill points
Death Sentry -- 4 skill points
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Blade Sentinel -- 1 skill point

Blade Fury -- 1 skill point
Blade Shield -- 1 skill point
spend on higher-level skills. Furthermore, because of the restriction on how
quickly level-30 skills can be upgraded, this player will have seven skill points
available at this point. At this point, the assassin will rely on fire traps to soften
up enemy groups, a shadow master to accompany her into the fray, and blade
shield to assist in her close-combat attacks. The tiger strike skill point will,
when charged up, multiply her basic claw attack.
As the game opens, this assassin will rely on shock web and simple attacking
to plunge through the first couple of acts. As the game grows more difficult,
she will begin to use shadow warrior along with lightning and fire traps to
make her way easier. Finally, this assassin will summon death sentry traps
and a shadow master to help her blast apart enemy monster crowds.
TIP: Note that if this assassin plays in a party, her death sentry skill may be
wasted if she is accompanied by party members who freeze and shatter
opponents. Only whole corpses will explode, not shattered ones.
Skills
The assassin's skills are divided into martial arts, shadow disciplines, and
traps.
Martial Arts
The martial arts come in two flavors: charge-up skills and finishing moves.
They work best when paired, one on each mouse button. Each hit an assassin
scores while attacking with a charge-up skill creates an orbiting white globe
(up to a total of three). When a charged-up assassin then attacks with a
finishing move (or a normal attack), the charge-up and finishing move together
release an enhanced amount of damage and some sort of elemental spell.
Check each finishing move to see what kinds of damage these combo attacks
provide.
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The white globes will fade simultaneously after a short while, so use them if at
all possible before they do. If you can, charge up your attack on a peripheral
creature, and then perform your area-effect finishing move on a creature in a
crowd.
If you are battling a single opponent with a charge-up skill that provides both
single-opponent and area-effect results, be sure to use mana efficiently by
selecting the charge-up that harms only a single opponent. Read the info in
the skill tree, or simply watch the effects of your attacks, to determine whether
or not a charge-up is affecting more monsters than just your target.
Finishing moves can be used as a normal attack, although this is a poor use of
mana.
Tiger Strike
Description: A special attack that adds damage to a finishing move or normal
attack
Level prerequisite: 1
Skill prerequisite: None
Mouse button: Left or right
Thoughts: This low-level skill is powerful indeed, even with just one skill point
devoted to it. Your damage can be quadrupled right off the bat, with a very low
commitment of mana. This skill actually becomes more valuable as you
progress through the game's difficulty levels because of its very high damage
multiplier and the increased resistances among the monsters to elemental
damage.
Dragon Talon
Description: A finishing kick that knocks back enemies
Thoughts: This finishing move is all right for low-level characters, but its
damage modifier is weak enough to make more advanced skills far more
useful in the long run.
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Fists of Fire
Description: A special attack that adds fire damage to a finishing move or
normal attack
Thoughts: Charged up to two or three globes, this attack, coupled with a
finishing move, does fire damage not only to your target, but to enemies in
close proximity to the target as well. Against just one enemy, one charge-up is
the most efficient use of mana, because you have no need to cause area
damage.
Dragon Claw
Description: A finishing move that requires dual claw-class weapons, which
increases the damage of the attack
Skill prerequisite: Dragon Talon
Thoughts: Players who like using two claw-class weapons should sink some
extra skill points into this attack. Others should use it simply as a steppingstone to more advanced skills.
Cobra Strike
Description: A finishing weapon attack that leeches the victim's life and mana
Skill prerequisite: Tiger Strike
Thoughts: A great charge-up skill that steals life, or life and mana, from the
enemy you attack with a finishing move. Hitting the most powerful monster
available with your finishing move will steal the most life and mana.
Claws of Thunder
Description: A special attack (for claw-class weapons) that adds lightning
damage to a finishing move or normal attack
Skill prerequisite: Fists of Fire
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Thoughts: While not as effective as cold damage, lightning damage can harm
just about any creature in the game, making this a good midlevel charge-up.
Be sure to use just one charge-up if you are facing a single opponent, or you
will waste the mana that goes into creating the area-effect damage.
Dragon Tail
Description: A finishing kick that knocks enemies back explosively
Skill prerequisite: Dragon Claw
Thoughts: This move knocks the target backward but does not do area
damage unless coupled with a charge-up skill like fists of fire or phoenix strike.
Blades of Ice
Description: A special attack (for claw-class weapons) that adds cold effects
to a finishing move or normal attack
Skill prerequisite: Claws of Thunder
Thoughts: Aside from phoenix strike, this skill is the only charge-up that
allows for freezing enemies--and as anyone who has benefited from cold
damage knows, freezing enemies is a great way to fight in crowded conditions.
Dragon Flight
Description: A finishing kick that allows for teleportation
Skill prerequisite: Dragon Tail
Thoughts: This skill is not only useful for attacking but also for fleeing tight
situations. Use it on an enemy at the outskirts of a fight to escape the clutches
of a monster crowd.
Phoenix Strike
Description: A special attack (which does not require a claw-class weapon)
that adds your choice of fire, lightning, or cold damage to a finishing move or
normal attack
Skill prerequisite: Blades of Ice, Cobra Strike
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Thoughts: This is the only charge-up that uses three distinct types of
elemental damage. As such, you should keep an eye out for creatures that do
not seem very affected by certain kinds of damage, and charge your attacks
up accordingly.
Shadow Disciplines
It is the shadow disciplines that really give the assassin her own unique
character. We associate assassins with stealth, speed, and poison, and it is
these disciplines that make her excel at these skills. An assassin who
emphasizes the shadow disciplines will not need to put as many stat points
into strength and dexterity as a martial artist would, because she may rely on
her shadow master and converted mind blast foes to do her dirty work.
Claw Mastery
Description: Improves claw-class fighting skill
Mouse button: Passive
Thoughts: Katars, hatchet hands, and other claw-class weapons are an
assassin's best weapons, making this skill very useful. At least one skill point
should go into claw mastery to get an easy one-third boost in both damage
and attack ratings.
Psychic Hammer
Description: Knocks enemies back while damaging them
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: A ranged attack, psychic hammer can strike any visible enemy, not
just those near your character. It is best learned so you can then advance to
the more powerful skills, like cloak of shadows and shadow warrior.
Burst of Speed
Description: Increases both moving and attacking speed
Skill prerequisite: Claw Mastery
Mouse button: Right
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Thoughts: An extremely useful early skill, burst of speed lets you not only
attack more quickly but also get from point A to point B with greater haste than
any other character class. Note that when burst of speed has been cast, it
cancels the effects of both fade and venom.
Weapon Block
Description: Allows an assassin with dual claw-class weapons to block
Skill prerequisite: Claw Mastery
Thoughts: This skill does not provide any bonus to a moving assassin, and
its blocking statistics do not easily approach those provided by certain fairly
common shields. Further, blocking does damage to claw weapons, which
drives up repair costs. It is, however, a requirement for shadow warrior, which
is a very useful skill.
Cloak of Shadows
Description: Conceals the assassin for a short time
Skill prerequisite: Psychic Hammer
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: This spell affects enemies within a certain radius of the player (or
shadow fighter) who casts it. Any enemy who has not already spotted you (or
a member of your party) will act as if you are not present, although if you bump
into such an enemy, your presence will be revealed to it. Any enemies that
already knew of your presence will come to the spot where they last saw you,
making it wise for you to move to one side after you cast this spell. You cannot
stack this spell but must wait for the duration before you can recast it.
Fade
Description: Increases all resistances and protects against curses
Skill prerequisite: Burst of Speed
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: Some enemies possess special attacks (fire, poison, and so on),
and this spell is best saved for the times when you face such foes. Note that
when fade has been cast, it cancels the effects of both burst of speed and
venom.
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Shadow Warrior
Description: Summons a mimic assassin who uses your two equipped skills
Skill prerequisite: Weapon Block, Cloak of Shadows
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: A shadow warrior lives until her life runs out. The best time to
summon a shadow warrior is in town, where you can instantly replenish your
mana at no expense. A shadow warrior uses only the two skills that you have
equipped, but it is not necessary to summon a new shadow warrior when you
wish to switch to new skills, as she will follow your lead and begin using the
new abilities. You cannot equip a shadow warrior, and you may only summon
one at a time. You cannot directly heal her, although her life will return to full if
you contact the appropriate shopkeeper in town who returns the assassin's life
to full.
Mind Blast
Description: Stuns and damages nearby enemies, with some chance of
temporary conversion
Skill prerequisite: Cloak of Shadows
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: Mind blast affects enemies in a small area in the direction it is
aimed. It is not necessary to attack an enemy with mind blast; simply clicking
the ground is sufficient. Mind blast can attack any enemy or point that is visible
to your character, not just those near you. Because of its chance to convert,
this spell is best used against a crowd of enemies; it is possible to convert
multiple enemies with one casting. Aim in such a way that the maximum
number of enemies are affected by this spell.
Venom
Description: Temporarily adds poison damage to an equipped weapon
Skill prerequisite: Fade
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: Although the duration of this spell is quite long, it is best to cast it
just before you intend to use it. Remember that poison damage extends over a
period of seconds; it is therefore best to use it once on a monster and then
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switch to new targets so that the enhanced poison damage will have its full
effect on each target. Note that when venom has been cast, it cancels the
effects of both burst of speed and fade.
Shadow Master
Description: Summons a mimic assassin who uses all of your learned skills
Skill prerequisite: Shadow Warrior
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: A shadow master behaves like a shadow warrior, although she
may use any skill you have learned, not just the two you have equipped. The
best time to summon a shadow master is in town, where you can instantly
replenish your mana. Only one shadow master may be present at a time;
summoning either kind of shadow fighter will banish any existing one. You
cannot equip a shadow master, and you cannot directly heal her, although her
life will return to full if you contact the appropriate shopkeeper in town who
returns the assassin's life to full.
Traps Skills
The assassin who masters traps may focus more of her stat points into
energy, because the quantities of monsters she must face hand to hand will be
reduced by her devastating traps.
Traps may be set on the far sides of closed doors (select a trap, and click
when the cursor is hovering over the door so that "Closed Door" appears).
Use this sneaky trick especially when you see the colored glows of special
monsters within the next room you'd like to explore.
An assassin may create up to five traps (regardless of type or mix) at one time;
if she summons more than five, the oldest among the existing traps will
detonate harmlessly. Traps will stay indefinitely, so long as they do not use up
their charges and so long as the assassin stays near them to keep them
active. If an assassin sets a trap and then moves so that it is offscreen, the
trap will soon fade.
Fire Blast
Description: Tosses a small globe of fire that explodes on contact
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Thoughts: This low-level spell will likely be a simple stepping-stone to more
advanced spells. It does not need to be targeted on an enemy; clicking on any
open ground will do.
Shock Web
Description: Creates a web that does area-effect lightning damage
Skill prerequisite: Fire Blast
Thoughts: This spell does more damage for less mana than the more
advanced traps, although it immediately activates, even if no enemies are
nearby. Several shock webs can be cast into the same area, multiplying the
effect of this nasty spell. This spell may be targeted on the ground as well as
on enemies.
Blade Sentinel
Description: Shoots a blade in the direction of the attack that flies to and from
the endpoints until a time limit expires
Thoughts: This spell need not be targeted on an enemy, but it must be aimed
in the direction you wish the blade to fly. For the duration of the spell, the
blade will move between your original firing position and the target point. If you
want the blade to make more trips back and forth during its short life, click an
enemy or the ground near you. You may have at most two blade sentinels in
the air at one time.
Charged Bolt Sentry

Description: A trap that releases lightning damage when an enemy
approaches it
Skill prerequisite: Shock Web
Mouse button: Right
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Thoughts: This trap releases small charges of lightning that spread toward
the intended target, hitting anything in their path. Due to the ever-widening
spread of the charges, lucky enemies may escape its effect. This trap is
especially useful in crowds, where the charges are unlikely to miss, and in the
open, where the charges will not expend themselves against walls.
Wake of Fire
Description: A trap that inflicts several waves of fire damage upon nearby
enemies
Skill prerequisite: Fire Blast
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: Once it chooses its target, this trap emits a V-shaped set of flames
that point toward that target. All other monsters caught in the flames will suffer
damage, however, making this a very useful trap in open areas.
Blade Fury
Description: Shoots three blades in the direction of the attack
Skill prerequisite: Blade Sentinel, Wake of Fire
Thoughts: These blades do not boomerang like a blade sentinel, but travel in
a straight line toward the enemy or piece of ground that is targeted. You may
have at most two sets of blade fury active at one time. When a blade has done
its maximum damage, it shatters, although its companions, if any, will continue
on their way.
Lightning Sentry
Description: A trap that attacks nearby enemies with a blast of lightning
Skill prerequisite: Charged Bolt Sentry
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: This trap blasts a stream of lightning at nearby foes, causing
damage to any monsters caught in the stream. Because this trap fires in a
straight line, it is especially useful in narrow hallways and walkways, where
monsters are likely to be approaching single file. Be aware that a lightning
sentry may choose to fire at an enemy that is just out of its range, wasting the
mana it cost you to cast the trap.
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Wake of Inferno
Description: A trap that incinerates nearby enemies with a stream of fire
Skill prerequisite: Wake of Fire
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: This trap ejects a billow of flame at nearby foes, causing damage
to any monsters caught in the way. Like the lightning sentry, this trap fires in a
straight line, so it is especially useful in narrow hallways and walkways, where
monsters are likely to be approaching single file. This trap may choose to fire
at an enemy that is just out of its range, wasting the mana it cost you to cast
the trap.
Death Sentry
Description: A trap that detonates any corpses by nearby enemies or fries
the enemies with a blast of lightning
Skill prerequisite: Lightning Sentry
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: This devastating trap creates a wonderful chain effect, sizzling an
enemy with its lightning discharge and then detonating the corpse the moment
approaching enemies come near it. Without a doubt, this is the best trap to
use in a crowd full of tough monsters.
Blade Shield
Description: Defends the assassin with a cocoon of whirling blades
Skill prerequisite: Blade Fury
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: This seemingly defensive skill actually causes great harm to
nearby enemies, making it possible to rage through a crowd of monsters
without even lifting a claw. Its duration is not affected by any other skills.
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Chapter 4: Druid Strategies

"Commanding the forces of nature, he summons wild beasts and raging
storms to his side."
master of summoning, the druid can also cause massive spell damage
and shape-shift into a powerful melee fighter. How massive and how
powerful are questions left to each druid player, who must decide which
of the druid's three skill disciplines to learn deeply. While at first somewhat
daunting in their complexity, his skills, once mastered, make for an ideal
single-player character.
Druid Initial Attributes

Strength: 15
Dexterity: 20
Vitality: 25
Energy: 20
Druid Attributes
The three disciplines that a druid can master each require a particular attribute
distribution. If a druid player takes the elemental route, emphasizing spells that
cause fire and ice damage, he will require a larger mana supply than one who
focuses on shape-shifting or summoning. An elemental druid will need to sink
more stat points into energy than one who uses summoned creatures, or a
transformed body, to fight for him.
A shape-shifter will most often be found in were form, which, especially for
werebear users, amplifies the druid's life supply. Still, shape-shifters will most
often be found in melee combat, biting and clawing at enemies, and this takes
its toll on vitality. A shape-shifter would be wise to put a stat point or two into
vitality as often as he levels up. Melee fighters should also attend to their
strength statistic as well.
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Druids can summon many helpers, who not only provide bonuses but
also distract enemies.
Summoners create minions to do the dirty work for them and can either shapeshift to join in the fray or hang back and support the minions with elemental
spells. Depending on a summoner's preferences, either energy or vitality
should be augmented at each level, as described above.
Druid Initial Equipment

Weapon: Club
Armor: Buckler
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Creating a Master Druid

Each of the druid's three skill disciplines tempts every player, yet to succeed in
the higher skill levels (nightmare and hell), a druid must focus on one of the
three, while using a second discipline to supplement his proficiency. Druids
can be fashioned into characters that resemble quite a few of the other
character classes--an elemental druid, for example, may elect to stand aside
from large battles and cast devastating spells like a sorceress, while a shapeshifting druid will often be found ripping enemies apart like a barbarian.
Any combination of primary and secondary discipline from among the three
choices--elemental, shape-shifting, and summoning--may be used
successfully. You could play through the game nine times, just using the druid
class, to try them all. A few moments of thought before applying skill points will
lead you to the combination you are likely to prefer most.
A player who prefers to play a calmer sort of game, for example, can play a
summoner who moonlights as an elemental spell caster. This player would
create a wolf or grizzly, or would play with a group containing barbarians,
paladins, or assassins, and would back the melee fighters up by releasing fire
and ice spells onto the opponent.
A player who prefers to hack and slash, on the other hand, can choose to
become proficient at shape-shifting, transforming himself into a werewolf or
werebear, and learning a few summoning skills to boost the party's attack
rating, or suck mana and life out of the fresh corpses. Keep in mind that your
equipped weapon stats are still in effect in both werewolf and werebear form.
For example, a slow attack weapon reaps the rewards from the faster attack
speed of the werewolf.
Joining a regular group of other players will affect the druid's decisions, as a
group without melee fighters will likely benefit most from a summoner or
shape-shifter, while a group without spellcasting power will be grateful for the
help of an elemental druid. A player who takes on Diablo alone is free to play
with any style, as the druid is a well-balanced character for solo play.
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Fighting Wisely
A druid, especially one who specializes in elemental spells, must be careful to
manage his mana supply. Each elemental spell (to varying degrees) can affect
numerous enemies with one casting. A volcano, for example, not only
damages creatures at the point of eruption, but rains down fire damage on
enemies in a wide radius around it. A molten boulder likewise attacks as many
enemies as it encounters as it rolls away from the druid to its intended target
point.
If you have eliminated all but one enemy, switch to skills that make you
more powerful (rather than those that make all enemies weaker).
A summoned raven, wolf, or bear, on the other hand, never causes damage to
more than one creature at a time. These creatures, while certainly a boon to a
druid who needs to distract some enemies while he casts spells or assists in
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the attack, cannot quickly dispatch a group of tough monsters. Nor can a
shape-shifted druid mow down batches of the game's most difficult foes.
These characteristics of the druid's three disciplines become important when
the druid faces the four basic types of enemy encounters in the game: small or
scattered groups of normal monsters, large groups of normal monsters, gangs
of monsters who serve an enchanted boss, and climactic battles against
extremely difficult foes.
Against small or scattered groups of normal monsters, almost anything goes. A
druid will likely rely on a summoned minion or two, and perhaps a shape-shift,
when going up against these run-of-the-mill enemies. Large groups are best
weakened with an area-effect spell and then mopped up with the help of
minions or shape-shifting.
Enchanted bosses almost always attack surrounded with a posse, and it is
here where area-effect spells play their most important role. A druid, if he can,
should blast apart these big groups before shape-shifting and/or entering the
melee. Once the battle is reduced to the enchanted monster, the druid should
begin to favor those skills that focus damage onto single opponents.
Spells like volcano and armageddon, for example, make for good initial
attacks; a shape-shift or hurricane helps to mop up the sidekicks; and finally, a
shape-shifted melee skill like feral rage, maul, or fury works well against the
enchanted boss. Summoned minions will of course do their own things during
these fights.
The important point to note is that area-effect spells should be saved for large
groups, while single-opponent attacks ought to be used against small groups
or single enemies. This is especially true for fights against the game's most
mighty creatures, many of which are resistant to magic attacks, although their
minions are often less so.
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Chapter 5: Druid Skills
f you are playing as a druid for the first time, you should find that
progressing through the first few acts of the game is easy enough that you
should not have to spend all of your skill points as soon as you get them.
Your advanced skills are worth saving points for! A good rule of thumb is this:
Do not put more than one point into a skill until you feel that it needs to be
upgraded for you to succeed. In other words, if you find yourself struggling to
complete an act or a quest because your opponents are suddenly tougher
than you can handle, you should start to spend the skill points you have stored
up.
Saving up skill points not only lets you put more emphasis on the more
powerful skills, but also gives you a chance to acclimate to the kind of fighter a
druid is. When you get familiar with the skills you like using most, you can
pump up those skills with assurance that you will get your money's worth.
Below are several distributions of skill points for a variety of druid characters,
each of which has specialized in a different type of play and has completed the
game. We assume that such a character is at level 35 and therefore has 39
spell points (one per level and four from quests) available. Note that some
items increase skill levels, but such items are not assumed.
Remember that these examples are just that--examples! These are certainly
not the only way you could choose to apply skill points, and they aren't
necessarily the best way. Apply skill points to cater to your particular style of
play. Use these examples as guidelines for specializing your character class in
a particular skill.
Elemental Master
Here is an example of how a druid skillful at elemental spells may have spent
his skill points:
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Elemental Arts
Fire Storm -- 1 skill point
Molten Boulder -- 1 skill point
Fissure -- 1 skill point
Volcano -- 4 skill points
Armageddon -- 3 skill points
Arctic Blast -- 2 skill points
Cyclone Armor -- 2 skill points
Twister -- 1 skill point
Tornado -- 1 skill point
Hurricane -- 1 skill point
Shape-Shifting
None
Summoning Skills
Raven -- 1 skill point
Spirit Wolf -- 1 skill point
Dire Wolf -- 2 skill points
Grizzly -- 2 skill points
Poison Creeper -- 1 skill point
Carrion Vine -- 1 skill point
Solar Creeper -- 1 skill point
Oak Sage -- 7 skill points
spend on higher-level skills. Because skills cannot be upgraded multiple times
until you have gained new levels, this particular distribution leaves you with six
remaining skill points. You most likely would continue to beef up your grizzly
and armageddon skills as you level further.
This druid relies on his summoned creatures to engage the enemy, while he
casts area attacks to devastate the crowded foes. In the beginning of the
game, the druid should have little problem beating back foes with his
summoned creatures and personal attacks. In midgame, the druid will rely
more heavily on wolves and area attacks.
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During the end game, the high-level oak sage will endow a summoned grizzly
with bountiful life, and the druid will use volcano and armageddon to demolish
the enemies that surround the grizzly.
Don't use area-effect spells unless you are fighting multiple enemies.
Shape-Shifting Master
Here is an example of how a druid who has mastered shape-shifting may have
elected to distribute skill points:
Elemental Arts
None
Shape-Shifting
Werewolf -- 1 skill point
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Lycanthropy -- 1 skill point

Feral Rage -- 1 skill point
Rabies -- 1 skill point
Fury -- 1 skill point
Werebear -- 5 skill points
Maul -- 8 skill points
Fire Claws -- 1 skill point
Hunger -- 2 skill points
Shock Wave -- 3 skill points
Summoning Skills
Poison Creeper -- 1 skill point
Carrion Vine -- 3 skill points
Solar Creeper -- 1 skill point
This shape-shifter has emphasized werebear form over werewolf form,
although it is certainly possible to do the reverse. A werebear, while very
powerful, is not very quick and has a tough time running down a group of fast
ranged enemies. A point in each werewolf skill will give this druid the option of
switching to wolf form in such situations. If you find yourself switching back to
druid form too quickly, consider additional points in lycanthropy.
The high-level oak sage will give the werebear a great amount of life. This
druid will attack with maul after an initial shock wave, occasionally switching to
hunger when the need for life is pressing. The accompanying vines will also
serve to replenish the druid's vital juices while he fights.
Summoning Master
Here is a sample distribution for a druid who has great skill in the summoning
discipline:
Elemental Arts
Firestorm -- 1 skill point
Molten Boulder -- 2 skill points
Fissure -- 2 skill points
Volcano -- 6 skill points
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Arctic Blast -- 1 skill point

Cyclone Armor -- 2 skill points
Shape-Shifting
None
Summoning Skills
Raven -- 1 skill point
Spirit Wolf -- 1 skill point
Dire Wolf -- 3 skill points
Grizzly -- 5 skill points
Heart of Wolverine -- 1 skill point
Spirit of Barbs -- 1 skill point
One way to conserve mana as a summoner druid is to do as much

summoning in town as you can.
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Because skills cannot be upgraded multiple times until you have gained new
levels, this particular distribution leaves you with 7 remaining skill points. This
druid would likely beef up his grizzly or head for the cold damage that
hurricane offers.
In situations where the enemy is pesky and quick, the druid would summon a
trio of dire wolves to help him track down the opposition. In most situations,
however, the druid would rely on his oak sage and grizzly to draw enemies
together and then strike them with his fire spells to weaken and destroy them.
Skills
The druid's skills are grouped into elemental, shape-shifting, and summoning.
Elemental Arts
Mimicking his comrade the sorceress, a druid may cast two of the four major
types of elemental damage--fire and ice--as well as spells that harness the
power of wind. These skills do not require that a particular enemy monster be
the intended target, and they all have the ability to do damage to multiple foes.
As a result, a druid specializing in elemental arts will shine most brightly
against crowds of enemies.
The most powerful elemental arts use quite a lot of mana; fortunately, among
the summoning and shape-shifting disciplines are skills that allow the druid to
recoup mana from enemy creatures, both alive and dead.
Firestorm
Description: Sends tendrils of flame along the ground, damaging any
enemies it contacts
Thoughts: While this spell is ineffective against single opponents, especially
at medium to long range, it is quite effective against crowds of enemies at
close range. It needs no particular target and can be fired onto any visible
piece of ground. Aim it behind oncoming groups of enemies, and the fire
40
tendrils will snake through the group, causing damage to each creature they
come in contact with.
Molten Boulder
Description: Rolls a burning globe of magma, causing knockback damage
Skill prerequisite: Firestorm
Thoughts: The fiery boulder created by this spell rolls from the casting druid
in the direction of the attack. A creature need not be targeted, so attacking a
piece of ground beyond the intended target(s) is most efficient. A small delay
between castings will prevent the druid from having more than two molten
boulders in play at any one time.
Arctic Blast
Description: Emits a gout of frozen air at enemies in front of the character
Thoughts: This unusual spell lets the caster determine how long the spell will
be cast; as long as mana holds out (and you hold down the casting button),
arctic blast will hold forth. Better yet, the spell can be swept in any direction-just aim while it is activated to freeze enemies on all sides. This spell is best
used when you're with a party or summoned creature that can administer
damage while the enemy crowds are immobile.
Fissure
Description: An area attack that causes fire damage by cracking open the
earth's crust beneath enemies
Skill prerequisite: Molten Boulder
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: This spell can be directed at any piece of ground, preferably
beneath the scampering feet of a crowd of enemies, who will all suffer fire
damage in a region near the casting target.
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Cyclone Armor
Description: A personal aura that protects against all elemental damages
except poison
Skill prerequisite: Arctic Blast
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: This spell acts like a disposable piece of armor, which absorbs
fire, lightning, and cold attacks until it can no longer do so. Its longevity is
roughly indicated by the number of swirling blobs of light surrounding the
character--as the armor wears off, the number of blobs drops from three to
zero.
Twister
Description: Sends a small group of whirlwinds on an erratic course from the
druid to the target spot
Skill prerequisite: Cyclone Armor
Thoughts: This spell can be targeted at the ground and will affect any enemy
that it contacts along the way. Affected enemies are stunned for a duration
based on the skill level. This spell can be activated with the left mouse button
and requires relatively little mana, so it is suitable as a primary attack.
Volcano
Description: Pops a hole in the ground, through which globs of magma erupt
and fall to the ground on all sides
Skill prerequisite: Fissure
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: A druid can summon a volcano on any open piece of ground.
Enemies near the crater receive instant damage, but enemies all around the
site are affected by the magma that drops from the sky as well. Cast volcano
in enemy groups, and put the target point on or near the toughest foes.
Tornado
Description: Creates a funnel cloud that moves generally in a straight line
from the caster to the target point
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Skill prerequisite: Twister

Thoughts: While tornadoes do a respectable job of hitting their target, they do
not always make contact, due to their erratic motion. It is possible to have
multiple tornadoes in motion at one time. This spell can be activated with the
left mouse button, and requires relatively little mana, so it is suitable as a
primary attack, especially when combined with the solar creeper, which drains
mana from corpses.
Armageddon
Description: Brings fire damage down from the skies around the casting druid
Skill prerequisite: Volcano, Hurricane
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: A devastating area-effect spell, armageddon's rain of fire follows
the druid as the druid moves, until its duration runs out. A short delay between
castings prevents more than two of these spells to be active at once. Any
creature or piece of ground may be targeted to activate the spell, but the fire
damage will occur only in the vicinity of the druid.
Hurricane
Description: Envelops the druid in a swirling storm that damages all nearby
monsters
Skill prerequisite: Tornado
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: A hurricane may be cast at any target or piece of ground but will
always activate itself around the druid himself. This spell will follow the druid
as he moves, letting him sweep the spell's effects through large crowds as well
as simply enjoy the effects of the spell on surrounding monsters while he fights
hand to hand.
Shape-Shifting
Strictly a personal skill, shape-shifting lets a druid transform himself into a wolf
or bear creature and then apply skills particularly suited to each of these types
of beings.
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Werewolf
Description: Transforms a druid into wolf form
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: As a werewolf, a druid's attack speed, attack rating, life supply,
and stamina are all increased. When used in conjunction with lycanthropy,
feral rage, and other skills, this skill enables the druid to transform into a
fearsome melee fighter. To leave werewolf form, cast werewolf again--this
returns you to human form. In were form, a druid cannot cast elemental skills.
Lycanthropy
Description: Bumps up the amount of time that a druid can stay in were form
and augments the druid's life supply
Skill prerequisite: Werewolf
Thoughts: Players tired of re-shape-shifting will want to sink a few skill points
into lycanthropy, as will hardcore players who focus on shape-shifting.
Werebear
Description: Transforms a druid into bear form
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: Much like werewolf, this spell changes the druid into another form
that has increased life and defense and dishes out greater damage. Werebear
is not as nimble as werewolf but is hardier. To leave werebear form, cast
werebear again (or werewolf)--this returns you to human form. In were form, a
druid cannot cast elemental skills.
Feral Rage
Description: An attack that becomes ever more powerful as the druid, in
werewolf form, strikes enemies
Skill prerequisite: Werewolf
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Thoughts: The strength of feral rage is indicated by the blob of orange light
that orbits the werewolf; the brighter the blob, the more powerful the effects of
feral rage. After a short time without attacking enemies, feral rage will subside
to nothing.
Maul
Description: An attack that becomes ever more powerful as the druid, in
werebear form, slays enemies
Skill prerequisite: Werebear
Thoughts: Much like feral rage for werewolf form, this skill's strength is
displayed in the guise of an orbiting globe that brightens as the werebear
defeats enemies. If no enemies are slain within a short time period, maul will
fade away.
Rabies
Description: A werewolf attack that poisons not only the target but also any
enemies who brush up against the target
Skill prerequisite: Feral Rage
Thoughts: Spread a plague among the foes by attacking with rabies, which
causes a chain-reaction poison attack to spread throughout the attackers. Any
poisoned foe will transfer that poison to anyone it comes in contact with.
Because poison takes time to have full effect, and because of this spell's
unique plague-like characteristic, a werewolf with rabies should attack multiple
targets in an enemy crowd, using his stamina and speed to dart around the
edges of mobs.
Fire Claws
Description: A were attack that not only adds fire damage but also boots the
attack rating of a changeling druid
Skill prerequisite: Maul
Thoughts: This attack may be used with either form of were creature. It
affects only the target creature, not those surrounding it.
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Hunger
Description: A were attack that trades in damage benefits for life- and manaleeching benefits
Skill prerequisite: Fire Claws
Thoughts: At a tremendous cost to damage, this attack returns life and mana
to the druid for each hit scored.
Shock Wave
Description: A wave that emits from a werebear, stunning all enemies in its
path
Skill prerequisite: Maul
Thoughts: Not to be used as a primary attack, shock wave temporarily stuns
all opponents close to and in front of a werebear, letting it strike with impunity.
Its high mana cost and low damage makes it a skill that should be used in
conjunction with some other attack, like fire claws or maul. When assigned to
the right mouse button, shock wave does not need a specific target; when
assigned to the left mouse button, it does.
Fury
Description: Increases attack bonuses for a werewolf and automatically
attacks multiple times
Skill prerequisite: Rabies
Thoughts: Much like a paladin's zeal skill, fury lets a werewolf attack two or
more targets with a single click. If only one target is available, all attacks will
be unleashed on it alone.
Summoning Skills
Increasing the number of minions in your party can never hurt, and this branch
of the druid's skill tree does that in spades. Some minions directly attack the
enemy, while others augment the druid's already existing skills and life and
mana supply. All minions (apart from the airborne raven) serve to distract
46
enemies at no cost to the druid's personal health, making them very useful to
players who dislike, or cannot afford, dying.
Certain summonings can cancel previous summonings; for example, a druid
may have active only one type of vine (poison creeper, carrion vine, or solar
creeper), one type of spirit (oak sage, heart of wolverine, or spirit of barbs),
and one type of ground creature (spirit wolf, dire wolf, or grizzly). Ravens are
not dispelled when wolves or bears are present.
Vines creep along behind their druid, performing their particular skills at their
own discretion. Spirits tag along, casting their helpful auras on any party
member near enough to be affected. Summoned creatures generally follow the
druid but choose their own targets, and they will often attack without waiting
for the druid himself to make contact.
Raven
Description: Summons a raven (or more than one, depending on skill level)
that attacks a certain number of times before vanishing
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: Ravens cannot be damaged by enemies, thanks to their wings,
guaranteeing that when you summon them, you will benefit from their attacks.
A raven can also attack across gaps where wolves and grizzlies cannot roam.
Poison Creeper
Description: A vine that does poison damage to its own targets
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: This low-level vine is most useful in the early game and against
enchanted monsters, since poison damage doesn't take full effect immediately.
Most players replace the creeper with more powerful vines when they can do
so.
Oak Sage
Description: A spirit that boosts the life level of the druid and all members of
his party
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Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: A high-level oak sage is a tremendous boon to a party, especially
a group of hardcore characters. An oak sage needs a moment before its lifegiving benefit takes effect, but when it does, it automatically fills each party
member's life globe as it increases the maximum life level. A powerful oak sage
can make a high-level character extremely difficult to kill.
Summon Spirit Wolf

Description: Calls forth a spirit wolf, who assists in a druid's attacks
Skill prerequisite: Raven
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: A spirit wolf makes a good early-game minion, but more advanced
creature-summoning skills will likely take its place once they are available.
Carrion Vine
Description: A vine that consumes fallen enemies and transfers the life to the
casting druid
Skill prerequisite: Poison Creeper
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: This vine sucks the last bit of life out of corpses and gives it to the
druid. This ruins the corpses for necromancers (who can raise the dead as
minions) and barbarians (who can search the dead for potions and items), and
there is no way to directly unsummon a carrion vine. However, summoning a
poison creeper will cause the carrion vine to disappear, and the creeper has
no effect on corpses. A carrion vine requires an unshattered corpse in order to
be effective, so bear this in mind when using such a vine while you attack with
cold damage.
Heart of Wolverine
Description: A spirit that boosts the offensive skills of a druid and his party
members
Skill prerequisite: Oak Sage
Mouse button: Right
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Thoughts: This skill is primarily for offensively minded druids who wish to
augment the attack rating and damage of all party members. Only one spirit
may be present at a time, so summoning this spirit will cancel all others.
Summon Dire Wolf

Description: Calls forth a dire wolf, who assists in a druid's attacks
Skill prerequisite: Oak Sage, Summon Spirit Wolf
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: The dire wolf is a tougher version of the spirit wolf and will assist
the druid by attacking its own chosen targets. It's a good minion for the
midgame, until the grizzly becomes available, and it may be a better choice if
you prefer the multiple minions provided by playing more skill points into dire
wolf.
Solar Creeper
Description: A vine that sucks the mana from corpses and adds it to the
druid's supply
Skill prerequisite: Carrion Vine
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: This vine is more sentient than the carrion vine, which feeds on
corpses regardless of the druid's health. A solar creeper will wait to feast on
fallen enemies until the druid requires mana. This vine is especially beneficial
to druids who use mana-intensive spells like hurricane and armageddon.
Switch to carrion vine when life, not mana, is in short supply.
Spirit of Barbs
Description: A spirit that reflects damage back at attacking enemies who
score hits on party members
Skill prerequisite: Heart of Wolverine
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: Much like a paladin's thorns skill, spirit of barbs harms any enemy
that successfully causes damage to a party member.
Summon Grizzly
Description: Summons a grizzly bear, which assists in a druid's attacks
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Skill prerequisite: Summon Dire Wolf
Mouse button: Right
Thoughts: Truly a ferocious comrade, the grizzly absorbs the toughest
onslaughts while his druid summoner assists him with spellcasting. Grizzlies
stay alive better than any other summoned creature. Alas, it's only one pal and
it may not occupy an entire group of enemies like several dire wolves may.
Purchase a hireling at camp to assist the powerful grizzly if you're attempting
the game alone.
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Chapter 6: Act V Walk-Through
fter defeating Diablo in the Chaos Sanctuary to complete Act IV, open a
town portal and return to the Pandemonium Fortress. Speak with Tyrael
at the top of the fortress near the waypoint. He opens a portal to
Harrogath where you and your party will face off against Baal and his minions.
Be prepared for your toughest battles yet!
Tyrael: "Praise by to the Light! You have accomplished the impossible. Diablo
and Mephisto have been banished back into the Black Abyss that spawned
them, and the corrupted Soulstones are no more. However, while you were
fighting here, Baal remained behind in the mortal realm, building an army of
hellish minions. Now, Baal's army is searching for the Worldstone, the ancient
source of all the Soulstones and their power, while leaving behind a wake of
destruction. They have forged deeply into the barbarian homelands, heading
directly for the summit of Mount Arreat! Baal knows, mortal hero! That is the
very site of the blessed Worldstone! Now, enter the portal I have opened for
you. It will take you to the barbarian city of Harrogath, the last bastion of order
on the slopes of Arreat."
Begin Act V by speaking with Larzuk, the local blacksmith who's a little wary of
your abilities. Prove your hero's stature by taking out one of Baal's generals in
command of some nearby catapults raining fire and death down on the people
of Harrogath.
Act V Waypoints
Harrogath
Frigid Highlands
Arreat Plateau
Crystalline Passage
Glacial Trail
Halls of Pain
Frozen Tundra
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The Ancients' Way

Worldstone Keep, Level 2
Harrogath, like other towns, is occupied by several nonplayer characters who
offer quests and information and who assist with weapons, armor, healing
items, and repair. Explore Harrogath to find:
Malah: Speak with Malah to receive information on Baal and his movements.
She offers healing and potions and provides information on the other
inhabitants of Harrogath. You'll also find the town portal and identify scrolls
among her wares.
Qual-Kehk: He's the senior man-at-arms in Harrogath. Though he seems to
serve no purpose at the beginning of Act V, Qual-Kehk offers hirelings for your
quests once you complete a mission for him.
Deckard Cain: He made the trip from the Pandemonium Fortress to
Harrogath! As in the other acts, Deckard Cain provides information on the
town and its people, and he offers the ability to identify items.
Nihlathak: Speak with Nihlathak for the ability to gamble on unidentified
weapons, armor, and magic items. You need to do this early in Act V if you
wish to conduct business with Nihlathak specifically. Initiate the second and
then the third quest in Act V to begin to discover why.
Larzuk: Speak with Larzuk to purchase weapons and armor. Also, if you need
to repair damage to a weapon or armor, seek Larzuk out for repair. You must
also talk with Larzuk to begin the first quest in Act V.
Anya: Although she doesn't begin Act V inside Harrogath, Anya plays an
important role. Once she arrives in Harrogath (see quest three), Anya
assumes the role of shopkeeper and gambling specialist and offers some
fantastic quest rewards.
Act V, Quest I: Siege on Harrogath

Activate the first quest in Act V by speaking with Larzuk in Harrogath.
Completing this first quest not only offers a decent reward (Larzuk sockets one
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of your items) but also provides the gateway to the act's larger, and much
tougher, quests.
Act V, Quest I Objective from Larzuk: "If you're here to defeat Baal...you
must prove it! As we speak, Harrogath is under siege by Baal's demons.
Catapults rain death just outside the town walls. Baal himself travels up the
sacred mountain, having left in charge here one of his most vicious generals,
Shenk the General. A ruthless taskmaster, he lashes his own minions into
suicidal frenzies on the battlefield. If you wish to prove yourself to us, destroy
the monster, Shenk, that commands those infernal catapults outside
Harrogath. If you manage to do this, return to me."
Act V, Quest I Location: You'll find General Shenk the Overseer in the
Bloody Foothills. Simply exit Harrogath through the main gate; the Bloody
Foothills is the first area adjacent to Harrogath. Cross the bridges and
walkways and discover General Shenk the Overseer far from Harrogath
surrounded by many monsters and catapults. You'll probably find General
Shenk the Overseer not far from the next land, the Frigid Highlands. There is
no waypoint in the Bloody Foothills. Use town portal scrolls to return to
Harrogath should you need to replenish health or mana potions, sell recovered
equipment, or repair damaged weapons and armor.
Recommended Level to Complete Act V, Quest I: Most players end Act IV
of Diablo II around level 26 to 28 depending on the number of side quests
taken and the quantity of replay of the larger areas and dungeons. You can't
reach Act V unless you possess a character that has already beaten the four
acts in Diablo II. Thus you should be whatever level you were when Diablo
was slain. Expect to be around level 26 to 28 as you enter the Bloody Foothills
and take on General Shenk the Overseer.
Act V, Quest I Log Entry #1: Stop the siege by killing

Shenk the Overseer in the Bloody Foothills.
Activate the quest by speaking with Larzuk at Harrogath's main gate into the
Bloody Foothills. Stock up with health potions and a town portal scroll or two-you're about to face some of the new, and quite deadly, Act V monsters!
According to the objective, you will locate Shenk the Overseer within the
Bloody Foothills. Time to search for Baal's nefarious general.
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The Bloody Foothills are overflowing with enslaved and death maulers. But
you must deal with troublesome catapults as well. When you spot a burst of
poison, cold, or lightning fall from the sky, there's a catapult nearby. When the
poison, cold, or lightning bursts are dropping down, avoid standing toe-to-toe
with enslaved or death maulers or you may fall victim to the catapult's blast.
Seek out the catapult quickly and destroy it with the aid of skills or spells.
Avoid walking through the poison bursts; couple the drain of poison with the
power of Act V monsters, and you could find yourself low on health in a matter
of seconds.
The Bloody Foothills contain catapults, which launch cold, lightning, or

poison bursts.
As you move through the Bloody Foothills, you will spot Harrogath barbarians
attempting to hold off Baal's hordes. Assist these barbarians in their battle.
While they won't officially join your party, they will help by defeating nearby
monsters and taking some of the monsters' damage meant for you. Follow the
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barbarian and continue to pummel the monsters in your path. Expect the
barbarian to eventually fall to the tough monsters. Be wary of overwhelming
yourself by simply following the barbarian, who may trigger more monsters
than you're able to fight. Be prepared to make a hasty retreat, either toward
Harrogath away from the hordes or with a town portal scroll for a quick exit
back to town.
Act V, Quest I Log Entry #2: Kill Shenk the Overseer.

Certainly by now you have mastered the art of demon killing--even against an
extra-strong brute like General Shenk the Overseer! The toughest part of the
battle isn't necessarily Shenk himself but the enslaved and death maulers
surrounding him. There are also likely catapults nearby that make a standing
fight even more difficult.
Shenk's entourage may be more intimidating than the general himself.

Defeat Shenk and return to Larzuk for your reward.
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Use area-effect spells if you possess them to clear out some, most, or all of
the enslaved and death maulers protecting General Shenk the Overseer. If
you are playing with more party members, have a barbarian or druid pound
any nearby catapults to protect the party as you near Shenk. Avoid
approaching Shenk if he's still surrounded by many minions. Since the Bloody
Foothills don't offer much maneuvering room to begin with (many narrow
bridges, many trenches), it's possible to become trapped by a group of
monsters. Instead, use the bridges and trenches as choke points against the
monsters protecting General Shenk the Overseer. And, by the way, Shenk the
Overseer is extra strong.
Act V, Quest I Log Entry #3: Return to Larzuk for

your reward.
Killing General Shenk the Overseer triggers a new entry in your quest log. It's
time to return to Larzuk, who offered the quest in the first place, to notify him of
Shenk's death and your apparent worthiness to combat Baal and his dark
forces. Before you town-portal back to Harrogath, continue beyond Shenk the
Overseer's corpse and locate the entrance into the Frigid Highlands.
The Bloody Foothills don't contain a convenient waypoint marker, but the
adjacent land--the Frigid Highlands--does contain a waypoint. You will find the
entrance to the Frigid Highlands not far from where you killed General Shenk
the Overseer. Enter the Frigid Highlands and seek out the waypoint. Use the
waypoint to return to Harrogath. That way, when you activate the next quest
(which will take you into the Frigid Highlands), you won't have to traverse the
long, windy (and potentially dangerous, if the monsters and catapults have
been reset) Bloody Foothills, and you can simply use the waypoint.
Act V, Quest I Reward: When you return to Larzuk with news of your
accomplishment, he offers his thanks and agreement that you may be the one
to combat Baal. For a reward, Larzuk offers to add sockets to one of your
items. Choose wisely and consider your current inventory of runes, gems, and
jewels. You don't have to complete his reward on the spot. If you would rather
wait until you have gained more or new runes, gems, or jewels, cancel the
socket procedure and return to Larzuk later in Act V when you are prepared.
Just talk to Larzuk and select "Add Sockets" when you are ready to complete
the reward.
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Act V, Quest II: Rescue on Mount Arreat

Activate the second quest by entering the Frigid Highlands (the area beyond
the Bloody Foothills) or by speaking with Qual-Kehk upon completion of the
Siege on Harrogath quest. You'll find Qual-Kehk near the center of Harrogath.
Speak with him to learn about the 15 missing barbarians.
Act V, Quest II Objective from Qual-Kehk: "My concerns have turned to my
men taken prisoner on the battlefield by Baal's demons. I hate to think what's
happened to them. As you journey up the mountain, keep your eyes out for my
soldiers and bring them back to me if you can. Those of my men fortunate
enough to escape on their own told me that they were held captive in the
highlands and plateaus."
Act V, Quest II Location: You'll find Qual-Kehk's missing men in the Frigid
Highlands. There's a waypoint there, and you may have activated the
waypoint upon completion of the Siege on Harrogath quest (if you continued
beyond the Bloody Foothills and into the Frigid Highlands to seek out the
waypoint). Use the waypoint in Harrogath to bypass the Bloody Foothills and
travel straight to the Frigid Highlands. Otherwise you will have to traverse the
complex Bloody Foothills and its narrow bridges and winding trenches. If
you're seeking more combat or experience, take the path through the Bloody
Foothills to toughen you up for the combat that awaits you in the Frigid
Highlands.
Recommended Level to Complete Act V, Quest II: You'll likely begin the
second quest not long after you complete the first quest in Act V. Your level
probably won't be much higher than when you completed Act IV or the first
quest in the fifth act. If you feel the need to be stronger, explore the side
dungeon Abaddon within the Frigid Highlands to gain experience, or battle
through the Bloody Foothills a number of times before making your way into
the Frigid Highlands.
Act V, Quest II Log Entry #1: Find the soldiers in the

Frigid Highlands.
The Frigid Highlands is a fairly large map area that bridges the gap between
the Bloody Foothills (adjacent to the town of Harrogath) and the Arreat
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Plateau. You'll find a waypoint in the Frigid Highlands. Trigger the waypoint
after completing the Siege on Harrogath quest (which entails killing Shenk the
Overseer along the outskirts of the Bloody Foothills near the Frigid Highlands)
so you can travel back and forth between the Frigid Highlands before and
after this quest.
Qual-Kehk's soldiers are being held in three separate jail pens in the Frigid
Highlands. Each pen holds five soldiers. To complete the quest, the soldiers
must escape the pen and return to Harrogath via the opened town portal.
Locate the pens off the edge of the map toward the center of the Frigid
Highlands. You'll be able to spot the distinct square-shaped thick white fence
of the pens on the overhead map. The pens are heavily protected by several
walls and are typically near towers and catapults.
You'll find the soldiers in groups of five inside small pens. Look for the
thick white fence on the overhead map.
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Act V, Quest II Log Entry #2: Rescue 10 more

soldiers in the Frigid Highlands.
Once you have assisted a single pen of soldiers in their escape, your quest
log updates with a new entry. The Frigid Highlands offer a new variety of
dangers. You'll find catapults, as you did in the Bloody Foothills, though not
the same quantity. As you did in the Bloody Foothills, avoid standing still in
toe-to-toe battles while the catapult's burst of poison, cold, or lightning
smashes on top of you. Most of the catapults are positioned near the mini-forts
and soldier pens within the Frigid Highlands.
New creatures include demon imps (teleporting fireball-hurling demons) and
crush beasts (large creatures that the demon imps can actually ride on to
produce an additional attack). It's wise to equip any fire-resistance items you
may have or use a paladin in your party to use fire-resistance auras for the
betterment of the group. Be careful when you approach the towers positioned
along the mini-fort walls. Demon imps can climb to the tops of the towers and
launch fire attacks. Take out the towers when no demon imps are on them for
the safest alternative. The demon imps can also mount the crush beasts and
launch a flamethrower-like attack. Use ranged spells or attacks to take out the
crush beasts ridden by demon imps; attempt to avoid a close-range fight.
Act V, Quest II Log Entry #3: Rescue five more

soldiers in the Frigid Highlands.
After locating two of the three pens and rescuing ten barbarian soldiers, a new
entry appears in your quest logbook. You have just one more pen to find.
Search any remaining unexplored ground in the Frigid Highlands and keep
your eye open for the distinct white fence marking the remaining pen. As you
should with each pen, clear out all the defenders before opening the door and
freeing the barbarians. Nearby monsters will target the soldiers, and you could
fail the quest if too many of the soldiers die before returning through the portal.
Act V, Quest II Log Entry #4: Return to Qual-Kehk

for your reward.
Successfully rescuing the 15 barbarian soldiers triggers a new entry in your
quest logbook. Return to Harrogath using a town portal scroll or via the Frigid
Highlands waypoint. You may also want to consider exploring the Arreat
Plateau to locate the waypoint there. That way you can receive your reward
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from Qual-Kehk and use the waypoint to travel quickly to the Arreat Plateau
after opening up the third quest in Act V.
Act V, Quest II Completed from Qual-Kehk: "Thank you for rescuing my
men. They have spoken well of your bravery in battle. Perhaps there is hope
for us after all. If you wish, you may hire some of my mercenaries that you
saved. And please...take this set of runes. I had been saving them for a
socketed shield, but I think you'll make better use of them. Be sure to set them
in the right order for their fullest effect."
Act V, Quest II Reward: Return to Qual-Kehk to receive your reward for
rescuing the barbarian soldiers. Qual-Kehk offers a double set of rewards.
First, from the completion of the quest and onward, you can hire hirelings from
Qual-Kehk to assist you. Hirelings in the Diablo II Expansion are a bit more
useful than the hirelings in Diablo II. You can equip them with specific
weapons and armor and even use healing potions on their portraits to restore
their hit points.
Qual-Kehk offers a second reward as well: a set of runes that can be used to
socket different items, though you only receive the runeword benefits within a
socketed shield. Qual-Kehk hands you three runes: Tal, Ral, and Ort.
Tal: In a weapon, +19 poison damage; in armor/helm/shield, +35 percent
poison resistance
Ral: In a weapon, +5-30 fire damage; in armor/helm/shield, +35 percent fire
resistance
Ort: In a weapon, +1-50 lightning damage; in armor/helm/shield, +35
percent lightning resistance
Qual-Kehk mentions that putting the runes in a specific order offers greater
benefits. Place the runes in the order Ral, Ort, Tal into a shield to create the
Ancient's Pledge. The shield offers +43 to all resistances, +50 percent
enhanced defense, and 10 percent damage taken goes to mana. You won't
receive the same degree of benefits unless you create the designated
runeword in a socketed shield.
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Act V, Quest III: Prison of Ice

Activate the third quest in Act V by speaking with Malah in Harrogath. She
asks for your assistance in finding Anya. Malah, as well as the other residents
in Harrogath, believe Nihlathak (the nonplayer character responsible for
gambling when you arrived) may be involved. In fact, thorough exploration of
Harrogath reveals Nihlathak has apparently disappeared without a trace...
Activate the third quest in Act V by venturing inside the Lost City. Entering the
Lost City triggers the desert darkness. Return to Drognan to receive your
quest objective.
Act V, Quest III Objective from Malah: "There is a matter which I hesitate to
share, but I believe you are the only one who can help me now. Anya, the
young alchemist and daughter to one of our slain elders, has been missing for
some time. She is a strong, crafty woman with a spirit like no other. One night,
just before your arrival, I overheard her and Nihlathak arguing about her
father's death. The next morning she was gone. Nihlathak has his own talk as
to where she went and why. Don't believe him! I fear he is at the root of her
disappearance. Please, if you can, search for Anya and bring her back to us.
She'll know what to do about Nihlathak. If it were anyone else, I would assume
her dead. However, Anya is not so easily beaten. I know she must be alive."
Act V, Quest III Location: You'll find Anya's prison of ice fairly far from
Harrogath. Use the waypoint in town to immediately transport to the Arreat
Plateau (if you triggered the waypoint after rescuing the barbarian soldiers
from the Frigid Highlands). From the Arreat Plateau, seek the entrance to the
Crystalline Passage along the outer wall. Explore the edge of the Arreat
Plateau to discover the cavern passage. You're nearly there once you reach
the Crystalline Passage. Although you'll find two new entrances down in the
Crystalline Passage, you're seeking out the Frozen River. Descend into the
Frozen River and search for Anya. You'll know you're close when you
encounter Frozenstein, a powerful unique abominable.
Recommended Level to Complete Act V, Quest III: Both the Crystalline
Passage and, especially, the Frozen River offer the toughest fights yet in the
fifth act. You may wish to explore the two possible side dungeons encountered
so far to gain experience. Descend into Abaddon from the Frigid Highlands or
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into the Pit of Acheron within the Arreat Plateau. You should ideally have
gained a couple of levels when you defeated Diablo. Experience jumps as you
battle the Act V monsters, and you will find yourself gaining levels more quickly
than you did in Act IV.
Act V, Quest III Log Entry #1: Look for Anya under
the Crystalline Passage by the Frozen River.
Exit Harrogath and use the waypoint system to proceed directly to the Frigid
Highlands or the Arreat Plateau (if you triggered the waypoint before returning
back to Harrogath from the second quest). Alternatively, you can exit
Harrogath and proceed through the Bloody Highlands and move to the Frigid
Highlands and then to the Arreat Plateau.
The entrance to the Frozen River stands between you and finding
Anya.
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Once you're in the Arreat Plateau, fight your way through the new land and
search the edge of the Arreat Plateau to find the cavern entrance into the
Crystalline Passage. The Crystalline Passage has two exits: the Glacial Trail
and the Frozen River. You're searching for the opening into the Frozen River.
Before heading down into the Frozen River, be sure to locate and trigger the
Crystalline Passage waypoint.
Expect to encounter some new monsters in the Arreat Plateau and especially
within the Crystalline Passage and the Frozen River. The Arreat Plateau
contains a new suicide creature (it goes by several different names). The
suicide creature maneuvers its way toward you, your party, or your hirelings
and summonings, and instead of attacking, it just explodes! The explosion can
inflict significant damage and can catch you unprepared if you're currently in
the middle of a difficult battle. If you spot one approaching, back away quickly,
and you will likely move out of the explosion's range and not take any damage.
Act V, Quest III Log Entry #2: Rescue Anya.

Once you reach the Frozen River and get close to Anya's position, a new entry
appears in your quest logbook. The Frozen River contains several new
beasts, including the abominable, frozen creepers, and the succubus. Cold
resistance pays off in the Frozen River; tough monsters to fight plus your slow
speed as a result of cold damage could prove extremely difficult for you or
your party.
You'll find Anya imprisoned in a block of ice and surrounded by several
abominable minions faithful to the powerful Frozenstein, a unique abominable
with cold resistance and mana burn. If you rely on cold damage, it will take
something more to eliminate Frozenstein quickly. Attempt to tackle his large
group of minions a few at a time by luring the abominable away from the main
group near Anya.
Once you have defeated Frozenstein and the monsters surrounding Anya's
prison of ice, approach her and speak with her. There's nothing you can do to
free Anya just yet. Listen to what she has to say and receive a new entry in
your quest logbook.
From Anya: "Hero. Nihlathak did this to me! If you've come to help me, my only
hope lies with Malah. Please...tell her you've found me."
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Act V, Quest III Log Entry #3: Talk to Malah.

After you have spoken with Anya, she instructs you to return to Harrogath and
talk with Malah. There's nothing you can do about Anya's ice prison, but Malah
may have a solution. Open a town portal scroll (though you could take the long
way or use the waypoint at the Crystalline Passage to return to Harrogath)
and proceed through back to Harrogath.
Locate Malah and speak with her. Malah's quite pleased with your success
thus far and offers a special potion to thaw Anya (a standard thawing potion
won't do). Pick up Malah's potion, and, as instructed, keep it to thaw Anya.
Return through the town portal to the Frozen River, or take the long way if you
would rather do so by using the waypoint system to the Crystalline River or by
making the trek on foot through the various maps.
Act V, Quest III Log Entry #4: Use the potion Malah
gave you to thaw Anya.
After returning through the portal, using the waypoints, or making the trip on
foot, approach Anya and her prison of ice with Malah's special potion in your
inventory. Speak with Anya to automatically use Malah's potion. The ice
holding Anya captive thaws and Anya escapes. She enters a town portal
automatically and without a word. Don't worry. She'll offer plenty of thanks
soon enough!
Act V, Quest III Log Entry #5: Talk to Malah for your
reward.
Anya's return through the town portal triggers a new entry in your quest
logbook. You're instructed to return to Harrogath and speak with Malah for
your reward. Open a town portal or use the waypoint (or go the long way on
foot) to return to Harrogath.
Find Malah and speak with her about Anya and the mission you have just
completed. Malah offers the first part of your reward for completing quest
three. Malah has constructed a special scroll that permanently adds +10
percent to your character's resistances. You can receive this scroll three times
(one for each level of difficulty) for a total of +30 percent. Any other
resistances you possess are added on top of your new baseline of 10 percent.
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Once you speak with Malah, you receive a new entry in your quest logbook.
Time to speak with Anya and receive the second part of your reward.
Act V, Quest III Log Entry #6: Talk to Anya.

Anya shows her gratitude with an item reward as well as the trigger to the next
quest in Act V. Speak with Anya and you receive a rare class-specific item.
After you have completed the quest and Anya is safe back in Harrogath, she
takes on Nihlathak's former role--you can now gamble for items with Anya. You
can also purchase some armor and weapons from her. Speaking with Anya
after receiving your reward for quest three automatically triggers the next
quest. Time to hunt down the nefarious Nihlathak!
Act V, Quest IV: Betrayal of Harrogath

To activate the fourth quest in Act V, you must first complete the third quest in
Act V, Prison of Ice. Rescue Anya from her prison of ice down in the Frozen
River below the Crystalline Passage. Once you rescue Anya, speak with her
for your reward for quest three, and she automatically triggers the beginning of
quest four with a speech.
Act V, Quest IV Objective from Anya: "Nihlathak told me he struck a deal
with Baal to protect Harrogath. In exchange for the demon's mercy, the
misguided fool plans to give Baal the Relic of the Ancients, our most holy
totem! Doing so will allow Baal to enter Mount Arreat unchallenged by the
Ancients. I tried to stop Nihlathak, but he imprisoned me in that icy tomb.
Nihlathak must be stopped before he dooms the whole world. As much as I
would love to strangle the life out of him, I'm afraid I haven't the strength. You
must go to his lair through this portal I've opened, kill him, and then bring back
the Relic of the Ancients. Stop Nihlathak from destroying what we have striven
eons to protect."
Act V, Quest IV Location: You'll find Nihlathak deep inside the Halls of
Vaught. Anya opens up the portal into Nihlathak's Temple. You must follow
this portal to reach Nihlathak hiding out in the Halls of Vaught. Once inside
Nihlathak's Temple, locate the entrance downstairs into the Halls of Anguish.
Search the Halls of Anguish for the entrance downstairs into the Halls of Pain.
Once in the Halls of Pain, seek out the waypoint marker before searching for
the entrance downstairs into the Halls of Vaught. There's no waypoint in the
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Halls of Vaught, and if you're killed during the battle with Nihlathak and fail to
erect a town portal, you could face a lot of walking to return to your corpse and
Nihlathak!
Recommended Level to Complete Act V, Quest IV: Nihlathak's a tough
necromancer, as are the minions scattered throughout the Halls of Anguish,
Pain, and Vaught. You will certainly be over level 30 by this point, especially if
you ventured into the side dungeons for further experience or took your time in
the first four acts. Time to put those level-30 skills to use in this battle against
the Betrayer of Harrogath!
Act V, Quest IV Log Entry #1: Take Anya's portal to

Nihlathak's temple.
After speaking with Anya and triggering the Betrayal of Harrogath quest, Anya
opens a portal to Nihlathak's Temple. You must use this portal to reach
Nihlathak. You won't find him by exploring the maps around Harrogath. Enter
Nihlathak's Temple and battle the fire-enchanted unique monster, Pindleskin,
almost immediately.
Act II, Quest IV Log Entry #2: Find Nihlathak in the

Halls of Vaught.
Once in Nihlathak's Temple, a new entry appears in your quest logbook with
Nihlathak's location. He's in the Halls of Vaught. Inside Nihlathak's Temple,
you must locate the staircase down into the Halls of Anguish. Comb the Halls
of Anguish in search of the staircase leading down into the Halls of Pain.
Though you should search for the staircase leading down into the Halls of
Vaught once you reach the Halls of Pain, don't neglect to seek out the
important waypoint marker.
In the Halls of Pain you'll find an important waypoint marker. There's no
waypoint in the Halls of Vaught. If you happen to be killed during the battle
with Nihlathak or his minions and fail to cast town portal, you could have quite
a trek ahead of you if you failed to find the Halls of Pain waypoint. Even if you
do use the waypoint, it could still be quite a walk!
Keep that in mind as you approach Nihlathak, and cast a town portal away
from the minions so you can return to the Halls of Vaught with ease. There are
66
a lot of undead in the Halls of Anguish and Pain, including prowling dead.
You'll also face the lumbering putrid defiler and death maulers.
Act V, Quest IV Log Entry #3: Kill Nihlathak.

As you near Nihlathak in the Halls of Vaught, a new entry appears in your
quest logbook. Immediately cast a town portal away from Nihlathak and his
plentiful monster entourage. The town portal helps protect you in case you
perish during the fight, or it can be used as a means of quick escape if the
battle becomes especially difficult.
Should you die during the battle, use the town portal to return to the Halls of
Vaught and recover your corpse and equipment. Otherwise, you'll have to
enter the portal to Nihlathak's Temple near Anya or use the waypoint to
venture into the Halls of Pain and retrace your steps back into the Halls of
Vaught.
Nihlathak, a powerful necromancer, uses the deadly corpse explosion.
67
Nihlathak is a necromancer and loves to use corpse explosion. A large force of

fairly weak ice spawn monsters (easy to kill but not so weak when their
corpses are exploding!) surrounds Nihlathak, giving the necromancer a ton of
ammunition to use against you. Be careful when fighting the weak monsters
around Nihlathak. He'll explode the corpses, which inflicts serious damage on
your character, party, hirelings, or summonings. Use ranged skills to stay
away from the fallen monsters (Nihlathak's corpse-explosion range is large).
With the monsters out of the way, defeat the necromancer Nihlathak to receive
a new entry in your quest logbook.
Act V, Quest IV Log Entry #4: Talk to Anya before

you continue through the Crystalline Passage, past
the Glacial Trail, to proceed up Mount Arreat to the
summit.
After defeating Nihlathak, open a town portal or retrace your steps back to the
waypoint in the Halls of Pain. Once in Harrogath, seek out Anya. She
congratulates your victory over Nihlathak but notes that he didn't possess the
relic.
Act V, Quest IV Completed from Anya: "You have stopped Nihlathak, but
he didn't have the relic! He must have already given it to Baal. Now, Baal will
not be tested when he reaches Arreat's Summit. Damn, Nihlathak. I do thank
you for trying, though. Please, allow me to honor your courage by magically
inscribing your name to an item of your choosing. It's the least I can do."
Act V, Quest IV Log Entry #5: Anya will personalize

an item for you.
As a reward for your courage, Anya offers to magically personalize an item for
you. Speak with her after completing the quest and note the new selection
"Personalize." Select the new dialogue and give her the item you wish to
personalize. Your character's name will be added to the item.
Act V, Quest IV Reward: Anya will magically personalize an item for you
upon completion of the Betrayalof Harrogath quest. You can personalize an
item on all three difficulty levels.
68
Act V, Quest V: Rite of Passage

To activate the fifth quest in Act V, speak with Qual-Kehk after returning from
the Halls of Vaught and killing Nihlathak. You can speak with Anya to receive
your reward for finishing off Nihlathak (she will personalize an item for you),
then locate Qual-Kehk in Harrogath and speak with him to trigger the next
quest. You can also trigger the quest by exploring the Ancient's Way and
returning to Qual-Kehk.
Act V, Quest V Objective from Qual-Kehk: "Every time I hear of you,
warrior, your deeds become more legendary. But take heed. You are
approaching the very summit of Mount Arreat. I have never dared venture
there. It is sacred--our most holy place. The legends say it is guarded by the
Ancient Ones, who block the path of all who are unworthy. Your reputation
here does not matter...it will be the Ancients who determine your worthiness.
Good luck."
Locate the Glacial Trail waypoint to make trips back to Harrogath

easier.
69
Act V, Quest V Location: You'll encounter the Ancient Ones far from
Harrogath. You should use the waypoint marker to transport yourself to the
Crystalline Passage or the Glacial Trail if you have already triggered its
waypoint. Once in the Glacial Trail, locate the entrance into the difficult Frozen
Tundra. Cross the Frozen Tundra to locate the entrance into the Ancient's
Way. From there, you must enter the Arreat Summit to spot the Altar of the
Heavens. Approach the Altar of the Heavens to speak with the Ancient Ones.
Recommended Level to Complete Act V, Quest V: You should probably
be at least level 34 to 36 by the time you reach the Ancient Ones, especially if
you are taking time to explore the side dungeons (which include the Infernal
Pit in the Frozen Tundra and the Icy Cellar in the Ancient's Way). You will also
gain a level upon defeating the Ancient Ones in battle. Read on to hear about
the battle and its rewards.
Act V, Quest V Log Entry #1: Travel through the

Ancient's Way to find the Ancients at the Arreat
Summit.
The Arreat Summit is quite far from Harrogath. Exit Harrogath and move
through the Bloody Foothills and Frigid Highlands into the Crystalline
Passage. Alternatively, simply use the waypoint marker and travel instantly to
the Crystalline Passage. From there, you must locate the entrance into the
Glacial Trail, into the Frozen Tundra, and through the Ancient's Way into the
Arreat Summit.
Act V, Quest V Log Entry #2: Consult with the

Ancients by activating the Altar of the Heavens.
You'll notice that the Arreat Summit is a small area. You begin on one side of
the Arreat Summit, the Ancients rest in the middle around the Altar of the
Heavens, and the far side of the Summit includes the entrance into the
Worldstone Keep, Level 1.
The stone statues surrounding the Altar of the Heavens will play an important
role within moments. The statues represent powerful barbarians; their names
are Talic the Defender, Korlic the Protector, and Madawc the Guardian, and
they use barbarians' skills. For instance, Talic the Defender uses whirlwind,
while Korlic employs leap attack.
70
Before you click on the Altar of the Heavens to summon the Ancient Ones,
cast a town portal and restock health potions and mana potions and do
whatever else you may need to do before a difficult battle. There's a reason
you need to town-portal before the battle!
Click on the Altar of the Heavens to hear from the Ancient Ones.
"We are the spirits of the Nephalem, the Ancient Ones. We have been chosen
to guard sacred Mount Arreat, wherein the Worldstone rests. Few are worthy
to stand in its presence; fewer still can comprehend its true purpose. Before
you enter, you must defeat us."
Approach and click on the Altar of the Heavens to initiate the battle with
the barbarian Ancients.
71
Nihlathak's betrayal of Harrogath included giving a special relic to Baal. This

relic permitted Baal to enter the Worldstone Keep without having to deal with
the powerful Ancient Ones. You're without the relic, however. Therefore, to
follow Baal into the Worldstone Keep, you must battle the Ancient Ones.
Act V, Quest V Log Entry #3: Defeat all three

Ancients without leaving Mount Arreat.
As the new entry in your quest logbook indicates, you must defeat all three of
the barbarian Ancients without leaving the Arreat Summit. You can town-portal
back to Harrogath if you wish, but upon your return to the Arreat Summit, the
barbarians will have returned to their initial state--with full health restored!
Although you may need the town portal for a quick escape, realize that you
must restock your potions and return to the Arreat Summit for a brand-new
battle.
The same occurs if you perish during the fight. Not only will you have to
traverse all the way through the waypoints back to the Arreat Summit, but
once again you will have to combat and defeat the barbarian Ancients at full
strength. As you battle, be ready with your potions, and use any damageassistance skills you possess. The barbarian Ancients are fast and powerful,
especially at nightmare and hell difficulty levels, and they have several special
properties and immunities.
These immunities are reset each time you use a town portal scroll or die in
battle. Even though resetting the barbarians to full health doesn't sound like
the most inviting prospect, it's possible to simply reset the barbarians because
of their difficult immunities. You'll find this even more important in nightmare
and hell difficulty.
Act V, Quest V Reward: You receive the quest reward the instant the last
barbarian Ancient falls. The reward is an experience reward. You receive
approximately 1.4 million experience points for defeating the barbarians on
normal difficulty, 20 million on nightmare, and 50 million on hell difficulty.
Essentially, the quest offers an instant level-up or multiple levels-up depending
on your current level and experience. Its an excellent reward but a task quite
difficult to accomplish on higher difficulty levels.
72
Act V, Quest VI: Eve of Destruction

Trigger the sixth and final quest in Act V by defeating the barbarian Ancients
on the Arreat Plateau. When you defeat one barbarian, he returns to statue
form (now gold). Defeat all of them, and a new entry in your quest logbook
appears under the sixth quest. Walk beyond the Ancients and open the
passage into the Worldstone Keep, Level 1.
Act V, Quest VI Location: Enter the Worldstone Keep, Level 1 from the
Arreat Plateau (you will probably need to town-portal back to Harrogath before
you enter the Worldstone Keep). You must traverse three levels of the
Worldstone Keep to the Throne of Destruction, where you encounter the
expansion's final boss, Baal. There's a waypoint marker at the Worldstone
Keep, Level 2. Make sure you activate this waypoint in case you die and need
to return to the keep's depths.
Descend into the Worldstone Keep to begin your quest to find Baal.
73
Recommended Level to Complete Act V, Quest VI: You gained a level

upon defeating the barbarian Ancients. You're likely nearing level 40 by this
point (approximately 35 to 37). Should you wish to attempt to level up, make
sure you have visited Act V's optional dungeons: Abaddon, Pit of Acheron,
Infernal Pit, and Icy Cellar. Proceed to the Worldstone Keep and the Throne of
Destruction after exploring these areas.
Act V, Quest VI Log Entry #1: Find Baal's Throne

Room.
You'll find Baal's Throne Room at the bottom of the Worldstone Keep.
Traverse three levels of the Worldstone Keep (beginning at the entrance off of
the Arreat Plateau) and enter the Throne of Destruction from the Worldstone
Keep, Level 3. Be sure to activate the waypoint in the Worldstone Keep, Level
2 or you could be in for some serious backtracking should you perish without a
town portal in the Throne of Destruction.
When you reach the Throne of Destruction map, cross to the far side and
locate Baal on his throne. You can't harm Baal just yet! Instead, he summons
five sets of minions and unique monsters for you to battle through before you
can get a shot at defeating him.
Act V, Quest VI Log Entry #2: Kill Baal's Minions.

Reaching Baal in the Throne of Destruction triggers a new entry in your quest
logbook. You must defeat Baal's minions (five groups, each with a unique
monster) before you can battle Baal. The minions come in five consecutive
waves. Once you defeat one wave, the next appears. Here are the five waves
of minions and the unique monster with each (expect additional randomized
properties on higher levels).
Colenzo the Annihilator (demon fire enchanted; immune to fire) with
warped shamans
Achmel the Cursed (undead; immune to poison) with unravelers and
death mages
Bartuc the Bloody (demon lightning enchanted) with council members
Ventor the Unholy (demon extra fast) with venom lords
Lister the Tormentor (demon spectral hit) with minions of destruction
74
All of these minions and unique monsters appear at the foot of Baal's throne.
Stay away from this area! If there's a single minion left from a set, lure him far
away from Baal's throne before you kill him. It's easy to be surrounded by
these powerful monsters if you hang around Baal's throne carelessly.
Likewise, cast town portal away from Baal's throne toward the entrance to the
Throne of Destruction so you are far away from the minions should you need
to return to Harrogath and then reenter the map.
Act V, Quest VI Log Entry #3: Kill Baal.

You've reached Lord of Destruction's final boss battle. Once you eliminate the
final unique monster and set of minions, Baal exits his throne and moves into
the Worldstone Chamber. Follow Baal through the opened portal. In the
Worldstone Chamber, Baal begins on the narrow walkway above the
Worldstone. Maneuver around the map and defeat the festering appendages
holding you back from Baal himself.
Baal is the toughest beast you've faced thus far. He has several different spell
attacks, including a close-range lightning attack, a ring of fire, and an arrowlike
cold burst. All of these can be devastating, depending on your resistances.
Baal also creates a double, which causes problems for you, since hitting the
double does nothing to further your goal of defeating the lord of destruction.
Make sure Baal's moniker "Demon" is centered under his name so you can
distinguish the real Baal from the fake one.
There's no correct strategy for defeating Baal, but there are some important
things to remember. Make sure you have a town portal up at all times so you
can return to the Worldstone Chamber after a death or take a trip back to
Harrogath to replenish health potions and town portal scrolls. Use some type
of ranged attack or summoning to keep away from Baal's attacks or to distract
Baal to attack something else besides you.
As an assassin, use your traps if you possess the necessary skills. A druid
should use his pets, if you have chosen that specialization. Even a shapeshifting werebear or werewolf with ample hit points (use oak sage) and armor
can withstand a close encounter with Baal. Be prepared with ample health
potions and town portal scrolls for a quick exit back to Harrogath to regroup for
another assault.
75
Festering appendages appear all over the Worldstone Chamber.

If you're playing as a sorceress, use mana shield to get close and cast static
field to weaken Baal. Hide behind a pillar or stalagmite to blast Baal where he
can't return fire. If you're playing as an amazon, summon a valkyrie to distract
Baal's attacks and use guided arrows to damage Baal. As a paladin, position
yourself behind a pillar or stalagmite and use blessed hammer attacks.
Necromancers can use minions and bone spirits. Barbarians may have to
battle toe-to-toe but can use whirlwind to spin quickly past, causing damage
but moving away at a distance, or they can use leap attack as a pseudo range
attack.
Act V, Quest VI Completed from Tyrael: "I am impressed, mortal. You have
overcome the greatest challenge this world has ever faced and defeated the
last of the Prime Evils. However we are too late to save the Worldstone. Baal's
destructive touch has corrupted it completely. Given enough time, the
Worldstone's energies will drain away and the barriers between the worlds will
shatter. The powers of hell will flood into this sanctuary and eradicate your
76
people and everything you've labored to build. Therefore, I must destroy the
corrupted Worldstone before the powers of hell take root. This act will change
your world forever--with consequences even I cannot foresee. However it is
the only way to ensure mankind's survival."
Act V, Quest VI Rewards: Baal drops several rare, unique, or magical items
(better items on the higher difficulty levels), and you also unlock the
concluding cutscene. Your character receives a new title depending on
difficulty level and game mode. The new titles are:
Standard, Normal Difficulty: Slayer

Standard, Nightmare Difficulty: Champion
Standard, Hell Difficulty: Patriarch (Matriarch for female characters)
Hardcore, Normal Difficulty: Destroyer
Hardcore, Nightmare Difficulty: Conqueror
Hardcore, Hell Difficulty: Guardian
77

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GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

2001 GameSpot, a division of CNET Networks.

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Chapter 1: Expansion Concepts

Runes and Jewels

Chapter 2: Assassin Strategies

Chapter 3: Assassin Skills

Chapter 4: Druid Strategies

Chapter 5: Druid Skills

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Chapter 6: Act V Walk-Through

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

n Blizzard's Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, the expansion pack to the

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Chapter 1: Expansion Concepts

he Diablo II expansion Lord of Destructions offers much more than just

Runes and Jewels

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Chapter 2: Assassin Strategies

ike a mimic, the assassin can be fashioned into a character that

Assassin Initial Attributes

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Assassin Initial Equipment

Fashioning a Powerful Assassin

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Fighting Enchanted Monsters and Bosses

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Chapter 3: Assassin Skills

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Below are several distributions of skill points for a variety of assassin

Martial Arts Specialist

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Shadow Discipline Specialist

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Burst of Speed -- 1 skill point

If you summon a shadow fighter while another is present, the previous

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Blade Sentinel -- 1 skill point

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Mouse button: Left or right

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Charged Bolt Sentry

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Chapter 4: Druid Strategies

Druid Initial Attributes

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Druid Initial Equipment

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction

Creating a Master Druid

GameSpot Game Guide: Diablo II Expansion Set: Lord of Destruction