Diablo II Quests - Guide To Act One Quests in Diablo 2 PC Game

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Diablo II Quests Overview

Diablo II is a hugely popular and enjoyable hack-and-slash RPG from Blizzard; the same people behind MMORG, World Of Warcraft. In the game Diablo II, your character must travel the lands in search of the demon lord Diablo and kill him. En route, however, your character will be tested with a range of quests.

The original Diablo II PC game featured 21 quests in all, spread across four Acts. The expansion pack – Lords Of Destruction – added a further Act and 6 additional quests to the game.

If you’re a newcomer to Diablo II, or revisiting the game in anticipation of the upcoming Diablo III, or a current player and need a refresher of the quests in the game then this brief guide will detail the various quests your character will perform as they travel throughout the Diablo II world.

Not all of the quests in Diablo II require to be completed in order for the character to progress through the game. However, the rewards for doing so are worthwhile and can yield a decent return for the time spent doing them.

Act One Quests in Diablo II

Act One in Diablo II features a total of six quests to perform. You should expect by the end of Act One for your character to be around 14th level. Your character will begin Act One in the Rogue Encampment and this area will also act as your base throughout the first chapter of the game. The six quests are detailed below:

Quest One: The Den of Evil

This quest is given by Akara and requires your character to journey to the Den of Evil and kill the inhabitants. The Den of Evil is a cave, which is located in the Bloodmoor not far from the Rogue Encampment. This quest is not a compulsory quest and can be passed over.

It is worthwhile to explore and kill all the monstersin the surrounding area, prior to entering the Den, as this will raise your character’s level to level two; perhaps even level three, depending on the enemies you encounter. This in turn will make clearing the Den of Evil that little bit easier. The quest itself is pretty straightforward, but be prepared for swarming by your enemies.

Once you have completed the quest, return and talk to Akara. She will reward you with one skill point to be placed in your skill tree. For the next quest, you need to talk to Kashya, the Rogue mistress.

Quest Two: Sisters’ Burial Grounds

Kashya will give you the quest to find and kill Blood Raven, a former Rogue archer who has become a demon. To find Blood Raven, you will need to pass through the Blood Moor until you reach the area called the Cold Plains. From here, there are two exits – the Burial Ground and the Stony Field. Blood Raven can be found in the Burial Grounds area. This quest is not mandatory, but does offer some good rewards and loot for its completion.

As Blood Raven is a quest boss she is a little more powerful than the average monster found for your character level at this point; she has a smattering of minions at her command also, who can swarm you if you get too close.

Around the perimeter of the Cemetery, there are numerous skeletons and zombies around which can be killed for additional experience or you can attack Blood Raven straight away. I would recommend clearing the perimeter area in order to both gain some extra XP and also to give yourself a clear area should you need to withdraw and heal. Blood Raven does have the power to raise more zombies though, so you will need to kill her quickly to avoid being swamped.

Blood Raven is an archer and will try to avoid engaging in close combat with your character. Instead, she will run around the cemetery while her minions swarm you and she will stop to shoot arrows when your character is mobbed. Don’t underestimate her, however, if you do manage to engage in hand-to-hand combat with her; she is very fast and deals much more damage than most other creatures you’ll likely have encountered up to this point. Make sure you have plenty of healing potions.

Once you have killed Blood Raven, any Undead monsters are automatically destroyed. There are also two side areas to explore in the cemetery – the Mausoleum and the Crypt. You’ll find more monsters and loot in these areas. Then, once you have completed the quest, return to the Rogue encampment and speak again with Kashya. She will reward you by giving you a Rogue mercenary to accompany you.

Quest Three: Search for Cain

The third quest of Act One is given by Akara. This quest involves the character returning to Tristam – scene of Diablo I – and rescuing Deckard Cain. Like quests one & two, this quest isn’t obligatory but it is worthwhile. The quest itself it split into two distinct parts.

Part one of this quest involves the character retrieving a scroll from the Tree of Infuss in the Dark Woods and returning the scroll to Akara for translation. The Dark Woods is accessed via an underground passage from the Stony Field.

Somewhere on the Stony Field, the character will find the Cairn Stones which activate the portal to Tristam. Using the now-translated scroll, touch the corresponding stones in the correct sequence to open the portal and enter it to be transported to the village. While exploring the Stony Field, you may also come across the Moldy Tome, which is the trigger for Quest four.

Part two of the quest begins once you enter Tristam, and involves freeing Deckard Cain from his cage before returning through the portal and making your way back to the Rogue encampment. An aside to part two of this quest, there are a lot of monsters in Tristam which can be killed for experience and loot; there are one or two Diablo I NPCs among the monsters too, including a demonic Griswold. It’s up to you whether you fight the monsters or not, but the rewards could prove valuable if you do. Alternatively, you can simply free Cain and flee the village. You’ll also find Wirt’s legin this area, which you’ll need to open the Secret Cow level.

Once you have returned to the Rogue encampment after rescuing Cain, talk to him to receive free item identification throughout the remainder of the Diablo II game. Also talk to Akara, who will give you a magic ring for your troubles.

Quest Four: The Forgotten Tower

This quest is triggered by reading the Moldy Tome, which found in the Stony Field; you don’t need to activate the quest to explore the Forgotten Tower, which is another non-essential quest in the game. You’ll come across it anyway, and it does yield a good treasure drop at the end so is worthwhile taking on either way, even though it can be rather difficult. The Forgotten Tower is found in the Black Marsh area.

The tower consists of five small levels, which are each filled with a number of boss monsters and packs; killing them can be tough, but expect a fair amount of loot in return. Rooms on each level are very small and leave little room to manoeuvre, so you will find yourself being swamped by enemies. Once you reach level five of the Forgotten Tower you’ll come up against the Countess, a melee Rogue, who guards a golden chest filled with loot. Other gold stacks and chests can be found littered around level five for plundering also.

The Countess will enter hand-to-hand combat with your character. She is very quick, although she doesn’t deal a lot of damage per hit. She can also cast Firewall spells and is highly resistant to fire attacks.

Once you have killed her, return to the Rogue encampment and talk to Charsi, the Rogue blacksmith for the fifth quest.

Quest Five: Tools Of The Trade

Like other quests in Act One, this quest is not compulsory, although the reward is definitely worth the effort. For this quest, Charsi, the Rogue’s blacksmith asks you to recover the Horadric Malus – a magical hammer, which has been left behind in the Rogue’s barracks.

The barracks are situated through the Black Marsh and into the Tamoe Highland area. Find the monastery and explore until you find the barracks. You’ll find the Malus here, but it will be guarded by a boss monster, known as the Smith. The Smith is very quick and tough and he will be a difficult fight, should you choose to confront him. You may find a better tactic could be to draw him away from the Malus and then try to dodge around him and grab the Malus from the stand, rather than try to fight.

Another tactic is to play on the fact that the Smith cannot open doors. You could lure him into a room with barred walls or corners and jump out, while closing the door behind you. The Smith will be trapped in the room and you’ll be able to take him down with missile weapons.

Regardless of your tactic, whether or not you fight the Smith, once you have the Malus, return to Charsi where she will use it to imbue a normal item into a rare item. This item will have randomly generated stats, based on your character’s level. For the sixth – and final – quest of Act One, talk to Cain.

Quest Six: Sisters to the Slaughter

You’re almost at the end of Act One, but to complete the Act and move on in the game you’ll face your toughest battle yet – the demon witch, Andariel. She is the end boss and is unsurprisingly the hardest monster to defeat in all of Act One. She can be found on level four of the Catacombs, which are located beneath the monastery. If you are having trouble defeating Andariel, then this article on how to kill Andariel may help.

Andariel is extremely tough, and it is unlikely characters will be able to stand up against her onslaught. Not only is she very quick and powerful in the attack, but she also has a vicious poison sting, and can spew out poison gas to debilitate you. It’s worthwhile stocking up on healing potions and poison antidotes before facing her. Also make use of Town Portals to enable a fast getaway should you need to retreat or restock.

Once you finally manage to defeat her, she will drop an assortment of treasures – including some magic items and gems – and a portal will open which will take you back to the Rogue encampment. When you return to the Rogue encampment, talk to everyone in the village - if only for gratitude - and head off to explore any unseen areas of Act One if the mood takes you.

When you are finally ready to move on, talk to Warriv, the caravan driver, who will transport you to Act Two – the desert city of Lut Golein.

This post is part of the series: Diablo 2 Quest Guides

A collection of guides and walkthroughs for Diablo II.

  1. Diablo 2 Special Quests – How to Access Special Quests in Diablo II
  2. Diablo II Quests Guide: Act One Quests in the Diablo II PC Game
  3. Diablo II: Lord of Destruction Guide: Act I Townsfolk
  4. Act Two Quest Guide for Diablo II – Lut Golein Quests in Diablo II
  5. Guide to Act III Quests in Diablo 2 – The City of Kurast - Diablo II Quests
  6. Act IV Quests Guide for Diablo II - Guide to Act IV Quests in Diablo 2 – Hell Quests
  7. Lord of Destruction Quests – Diablo II Quest Guide for Act V – Mount Arreat & Harrogath