What is Diablo II?
Diablo II is an action roleplaying game set in the dark world of Sanctuary. The events of this game take place shortly after Diablo I, and you play a new set of adventurers unrelated to the previous cast - although there are a few cameos to keep an eye out for!
The Lord of Destruction expansion pack adds a fifth act to the game, up from four in the base game. An "act" is basically a chapter in the story - the fifth adds a true ending to the plot.
Release dates:
- Diablo II - June 28, 2000
- Diablo II: Lord of Destruction - June 29, 2001
- Diablo II: Resurrected - September 23, 2021
- Diablo II: Resurrected: Reign of the Warlock - February 11, 2026
Quest Guide
Waypoints are noted by the image to the left of a location. The directions in this guide will begin from the closest waypoint to the destination.
Acronyms to know:
n- Normal difficultynm- Nightmare difficultyh- Hell difficultyclvl- Character levelilvl- Item level
I - The Den of Evil
Town > Blood Moor > Den of Evil
This quest is optional.
Notes: Well greetings stranger, this is not hard on Normal or Nightmare. It serves as the best tutorial you're going to get. If you're a single-element user in Hell, make sure your hireling can dish out the hurt, or enjoys full rejuves. Additionally, this is the earliest area you can get Diablo Clone in Hell - Corpsefire is a valid Super Unique to become Uber Diablo.
II - Sisters' Burial Grounds
Town > Blood Moor > Cold Plains > Burial Grounds
This quest is optional.
[1] - Only if you have never hired a mercenary.
[2] - You can hire Act 1 mercenaries at level 8 without completing this quest.
Notes: Blood Raven is really zippy, and can raise quite a lot of undead. Bring a source of cold to slow her if you having trouble hitting moving targets. She has a habit of running away from you so it can be a bit of a process corner her. When you kill her, most all of her summons die, so you can ignore them if they are overwhelming you.
There's two optional dungeons in this area with a poorly guarded magic chest each. The hireling you'll get is generally the one you didn't want. My consipiracy theory is that the game gives you the cheapest one it can.
III - The Search for Cain
Cold Plains > Stony Field > Underground Passage (1, 2) > Dark Wood
This quest is optional.
This quest can be failed: If you do not rescue Deckard Cain before leaving Act I, he will appear in Act II and beyond, but you will be charged to identify items and the quest will be marked as failed.
Notes: Wirt's Leg is located in the westernmost side of the map. You can use this item when you've finished the difficulty to go "somewhere". In Resurrected, the portal to Tristram stays open and you can get a new leg after using the one you have. I recommend grabbing it after finishing the difficulty. It just takes up space otherwise.
IV - The Forgotten Tower
Dark Wood > Black Marsh > Tower Cellar (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
This quest is optional.
The Countess drops the Key of Terror on Hell difficulty.
[1] - Only on the first kill of the difficulty.
Notes: You can begin and end this quest without ever seeing the tome. The fight down the cellar floors takes some time, and in Hell there are a few immunes that get in the way. The Countess drops 0-3 runes, quality varying by difficulty (n - El-Ral, nm - El-Ko, h - El-Lo), making her valuable to farm if you are running out of runes on your dozen mules. The Countess likes to drop a fire wall in the doorway and cook your brave Act 2 hireling who just wants to "poke" around.
V - Tools of the Trade
Black Marsh > Tamoe Highland > Monastery Gate > Outer Cloister > Barracks
This quest is optional.
You need an item in your inventory to complete this quest: Horadric Malus
Notes: You can also just grab the Malus and leave, as killing The Smith is not required. If you decide to fight, keep in mind that he is Extra Strong, so do your best to get him stuck behind other enemies or parts of the forge if you're weak to physical damage. The Barracks are a bit of a maze, but you will likely find the exit to the Jail in your search. Holding onto the reward for this quest until you get to Hell is a strategy you can do in order to get three chances to buff high-tier items from Hell.
VI - Sisters to the Slaughter
Outer Cloister > Barracks > Jail ( 1, 2, 3) > Inner Cloister > Cathedral > Catacombs (1, 2, 3, 4)
Notes: Andariel uses potent poison. Remember that unlike you, your hirelings can die from poison, so stock up on spare antidotes or poison length reduction equipment. It's a good idea to not step too far into the boss room (big wooden doors) at first as there are some minions you can kill without activating the fight.
With this quest completed, you have done every step required to finish The Sightless Eye. Warriv is eager to leave. I think you're just a free bodyguard for him.
I - Radament's Lair
Town > Sewers (1, 2, 3)
Notes: Hope you brought antidotes. You can get an Act II hireling as soon as you get to Lut Gholein if you so choose. In other news, Radament is Extra Fast, and can resurrect undead. The trek down the sewers to get to him is what will take the longest. Radament will drop a Book of Skill for you to chow down on as a reward. Remember to get the Horadric Scroll from the magic chest and show it to Deckard Cain!
II - The Horadric Staff
Town > Rocky Waste > Dry Hills > Halls of the Dead (1, 2, 3)
Dry Hills > Far Oasis > Sand Maggot Lair (1, 2, 3)
Far Oasis > Lost City > Valley of the Snakes > Claw Viper Temple (1, 2)
You need an item in your inventory to begin this quest: Horadric Scroll
This is a multi-step quest: You need to collect all three pieces to complete this quest.
Notes: Quest III begins partway through this quest. Each Super Unique at the end of the dungeons here has some sort of buff. Transmute the staff and amulet in the cube to get an item you have to hold on to until Quest VI. If you aren't using your weapon swap slot, this is a good place to store the staff. Just don't be like me and forget, and scratch your head as to if you dropped it somewhere.
Keep the Horadric Cube in your inventory - it's larger on the inside, expanding your inventory. In Resurrected, Deckard Cain will identify the contents of your cube as well as your main inventory. Remember that charms do not function inside the cube.
III - The Tainted Sun
Lost City > Valley of the Snakes > Claw Viper Temple (1, 2)
Notes: While not required to move to the next act, this quest can't be avoided: When you continue past the Lost City and smash the altar in the Claw Viper Temple for the Horadric Amulet, this quest completes as well. The only thing that happens during this quest is that it's permanently night time. Townsfolk have unique dialogue in their talk options while this quest is incomplete!
IV - The Arcane Sanctuary
Town > Harem (1, 2) > Palace Cellar ( 1, 2, 3) > Arcane Sanctuary
Notes: Twenty-five percent chance to get it right, and you've got a zero percent chance of getting it right on the first three tries. If you don't have Leap or Teleport, navigating the Arcane Sanctuary can be tedious. If you are a melee-only character, the flying enemies can be tedious. If you are negative resistant to lightning, the sentry towers can be tedious. Otherwise, this quest is just time consuming and not particularly difficult.
V - The Summoner
Arcane Sanctuary
The Summoner drops the Key of Hate on Hell difficulty.
Notes: This quest activates once the Summoner is close enough to you that he starts doing things. The quest completes when he dies, which is quickly, because he has a very low life pool even on Hell. There's lore reasons as to why, I swear! Some classes are quite rude to him upon his death. You may not even notice this quest activate as you will likely be in combat at the time.
VI - The Seven Tombs
Arcane Sanctuary > Canyon of the Magi > Tal Rasha's Tomb
You need an item in your inventory to complete this quest: Horadric Staff
Notes: The correct tomb is displayed in your quest log. The other tombs have a magic chest at the end of them if you want to get some loot and levels. The correct tomb has an Orifice in it that you must put the Horadric Staff into. Be ready to fight when entering, as it immediately drops you into the fight against the dusty act boss, Duriel. If your device is slow, Duriel will attack you while you're still loading! Remember to drop a portal before entering. He uses cold attacks to stop you from running away, and otherwise uses melee - thawing potions will help you here. Duriel is known to be a skill check, so don't be afraid to portal out. If you die, he tends to camp your corpse. Once he is dead, speak to Jerhyn and he will allow you to get a boat to Act III.
I - The Golden Bird
Town > Spider Forest
This quest is optional.
You need an item in your inventory to begin this quest: Jade Figurine
Notes: The Jade Figurine drops at random off any Unique in the Spider Forest. After finding the figurine, talk to Deckard Cain. Then talk to Meshif. Then talk to Deckard Cain. Then talk to Alkor. After that, leave the area (get Alkor offscreen) then talk to Alkor again to get a potion which grants you a permanent +20 to your Life.
II - Blade of the Old Religion
Spider Forest > Great Marsh > Flayer Jungle
This quest is optional. You need an item in your inventory to complete this quest: The Gidbinn
Notes: This is easy to miss. Navigating the swamp areas of Kurast is a Nightmare. The Gidbinn appears on your automap with a distinct icon. Yet again, if you have Leap or Teleport, you have an advantage, but bear in mind that it's easy to accidentally teleport into a pack of fetishes and die before you can cast again. Teleport to places you can see, or just use it to cross gaps.
III - Khalim's Will
Spider Forest > Spider Cavern
Spider Forest > Great Marsh > Flayer Jungle > Flayer Dungeon (1, 2, 3)
Flayer Jungle > Lower Kurast > Kurast Bazaar > Sewers (1, 2)
Kurast Bazaar > Upper Kurast > Kurast Causeway > Travincal
This is a multi-step quest: You need to collect all four pieces to complete this quest.
Notes: Optionally, talk to Deckard Cain after getting the Flail to get a little lore. This quest is more of a checklist, you're going to be at the end of the act when you complete it. A lot of cold, fire, and lightning immunes await you at the ends of these dungeons. Travincal contains the Council: five members, three of which are Super Unique. They are eager to tear you to pieces just like Khalim! The Hydras that they can summon are particularly painful if you lack fire resistance. There is no reward besides the Super Unique loot on completion of this quest.
IV - Lam Esen's Tome
Kurast Bazaar > Upper Kurast > Kurast Causeway
This quest is optional.
You need an item in your inventory to complete this quest: Lam Esen's Tome
Notes: This quest is very easy to miss if you don't talk to Alkor much, and don't scour all the side dungeons for fun. Similarly to the Arcane Sanctuary, you tend to pick the wrong temple four or five times. The experience isn't fantastic in these areas as they're rather small. The Super Unique awaiting you in the correct temple is Battlemaid Sarina, who can take you by surprise if you are slogging through five other temples before getting to the right one. She is Extra Fast, Spectral Hit - meaning damage is applied as various elements.
Click to see the correct location for the Tome.
Kurast Bazaar's Ruined Temple.
V - The Blackened Temple
Travincal
You need an item in your inventory to complete this quest: Khalim's Will
Notes: This quest gives you the ability to destroy the Compelling Orb. Kill the Council members for the Flail to do so in the first place. Again, the Council members are pretty rough considering they cast Hydra from offscreen. Keep moving and they will miss. This quest completes at the same time as Quest III.
VI - The Guardian
Travincal > Durance of Hate (1, 2, 3)
Notes: You're too late! Undead Stygian Dolls are here to ruin your day on any difficulty. If you can Teleport or Leap, consider not doing so. The fight with Mephisto can be difficult for characters with low Lightning resistance, as he casts Lightning Bolt and has a poison attack. If you hug him he will generally prefer melee, which hurts a little less. If you have a ranged attack, you can get across the moat where you fight the Super Uniques and attack him at range - he will only use Lightning Bolt. Upon Mephisto's death, a portal opens to Act IV, but if you go back to town first you can get some celebratory dialogue. If you don't pick up Mephisto's Soulstone here, Deckard Cain will give it to you later.
I - The Fallen Angel
Town > Outer Steppes > Plains of Despair
This quest is optional.
Notes: Izual is roaming around the Plains and you're going to just end up walking up to him. He has a lot of health and funnily enough uses cold attacks despite being in the warzone between Heaven and Hell. This fight may take a while just to wear him down. You may want to kill the minions around him to prevent your hireling from getting too distracted. Keep a portal open to come back, since there's been no waypoints so far, and the next quest is further along.
II - The Hellforge
Town > Outer Steppes > Plains of Despair > City of the Damned > River of Flames
This quest can be "failed": If multiple players with this quest available are in one game, the quest will be marked as failed for all players except the one who destroyed their stone. Someone who hasn't destroyed their Stone can make a new game and still complete this quest at a later time.
You need items in your inventory to complete this quest: Mephisto's Soulstone, Hell Forge Hammer
Notes: If you didn't pick up the Soulstone, Deckard Cain will comment about such and give you it. Hephaesto the Super Unique guards the Forge. He has a couple buffs, including Spectral Hit, meaning your resistances will be tested if he gets his hands on you. Take the hammer he drops along with the Soulstone to the anvil, and watch as you miss on an attack on an inanimate object. If you're playing online, be aware the loot drops on the floor. If you're playing with the Lord of Destruction expansion pack enabled, you will get a rune from the Forge (n - El-Amn, nm - Sol-Um, h - Hel-Gul).
III - Terror's End
River of Flames > Chaos Sanctuary
Notes: Diablo wants to be left alone. In order to fight him, you have to open five Seals first. Think of them like dinner bells - every time you open one, a pack of monsters come to eat you. Three of the seals will spawn a Super Unique each - Lord DeSeis, Infector of Souls, and the Grand Vizier of Chaos. They spawn with special attributes, and can mob an unsuspecting party when they end up with Extra Fast on all their minions.
Diablo himself uses all the elements. You'll want to move in a circle around him when he uses his lightning attack - it can kill you in one volley. Additionally, Act bosses deal heavily multiplied damage to hirelings and summons. Remember that Diablo will cast Bone Prison around any one town portal he can see so if you're solo, try to open it far away. In multiplayer, have at least two portals open. If you make the mistake of entering through a bone-prisoned portal, Diablo will shoot lightning into it to kill you. If he is being crowded, he will cast a fire nova which deals a moderate amount of damage in one hit.
If you are playing pre-expansion, this is the end of the game. You will receive your title as well as access to "somewhere" and the ability to 'new game plus' into a higher difficulty, unless you're in Hell already.
I - Siege on Harrogath
Town > Bloody Foothills
This quest is optional.
Notes: You'll complete this quest just by progressing, unless you run from enemies. Shenk the Overseer isn't particularly tough, and the reward is well worth holding on to. The reward will grant various amounts of sockets depending on what the item is:
- Normal (white) item: Maximum possible for that item (uses ilvl and base type)
- Magic (blue) item: 1-2
- Rare (yellow), Set (green), Unique (tan), Crafted (orange) item: 1
- Items that already have sockets, exempt item types: Can't redeem
Some players will wait until they get a good "base" item to socket, for example to make a runeword for their hireling. Similarly to the Charsi reward, waiting to claim this reward until Hell is a good choice.
II - Rescue on Mount Arreat
Town > Bloody Foothills > Frigid Highlands
This quest is optional.
Notes: Further up the way you were going, you'll find an open map full of fire breathing fetishes and mounted calvary. Besides needing fire resistance, you'll also find the imprisoned Barbarians - 15 total, three bunches of 5. While you rescue them and are busy clearing the entire area, you'll also begin to wonder why they don't just use the portal scroll they have in their pocket from inside the "cage", or 
Bash (clvl 1 btw) down the "door", or 
Leap (clvl 6 btw) over the "walls". Makes you wonder, huh?
On completion, Qual-Kehk gives you three runes: one 
Ral, 
Ort, and 
Tal. These are required to make the runeword Ancient's Pledge in a 3 socket shield. This runeword grants you more than +40 to all elemental resists, and is very good when starting out. It can carry you until Hell in some cases. The only thing better than this is 3 or more perfect diamonds (+57 or +76 all resist).
III - Prison of Ice
Frigid Highlands > Arreat Plateau > Crystalline Passage > Frozen River
This quest is optional.
Notes: You'll find Anya somewhere in the Frozen River. Once you do, head back to town and talk to Malah, get a special thawing potion, and free her. Getting to her is achievable by just wandering around until you stumble across her. Malah will give you a scroll which grants you a permanent +10 to your resistances! Additionally, Anya will give you a random class-specific rare item. It's not guaranteed to be for your class, though. Now that Nihlathak is gone, Anya will help worsen your gambling addiction.
IV - Betrayal of Harrogath
Town > Portal to Nihlathak's Temple > Halls of Anguish > Halls of Pain > Halls of Vaught
This quest is optional.
Nihlathak drops the Key of Destruction on Hell difficulty.
Notes: Nihlathak is being accused of making a deal with Baal, giving him the Relic of the Ancients - which allows someone to ascend to the Arreat Summit without resistance from its guardians. This would be rather useful in your hands instead. Nihlathak is a Necromancer, and uses 
Corpse Explosion on his own summons after you kill them. He also uses 
Teleport on rare occasions. Besides that, he's relatively squishy.
Once you have terminated him, go back to town and talk to Anya where you will find out that he already performed the deal with Baal. You're right on Baal's tail now though, so she will urge you to hurry to the Arreat summit and catch him before he gets too far. In Resurrected, activating the Halls of Pain waypoint does not close the red portal, so you can kill Pindleskin repeatedly without having to avoid it.
V - Rite of Passage
Town > Bloody Foothills > Frigid Highlands > Arreat Plateau > Crystalline Passage > Glacial Trail > Frozen Tundra > The Ancient's Way > Arreat Summit
This quest is optional in multiplayer: If a party member opens a town portal in the area you go to after this fight, you can skip it and return later, potentially making better use of the reward.
You may not attempt to leave during the boss fight: Even opening a town portal will immediately reset the Ancients and force you to try the fight again from the beginning. Drop extra potions on the floor in the arena if you aren't confident.
You must meet a level requirement to complete this quest: If you are not at least level 20/40/60 in Normal/Nightmare/Hell respectively, the quest will not complete and you will get nothing.
Notes: Fighting the three Ancients, you will be exposed to the main abilities of the Barbarian:
Leap Attack (Korlic the Protector)
Double Throw (Madawc The Guardian)
Whirlwind (Talic the Defender)
Their true potency lies in mobbing you. Staying mobile and trying to keep a couple of them behind pillars or otherwise off-screen can do a lot to help. For example, Talic tends to get distracted by slowly spinning off in a random direction, so dodging him shouldn't be incredibly hard. Madawc doesn't hit incredibly hard, and he frequently pauses. Korlic can be aggravating because he can't be hit mid-leap and will just land on top of you. Prioritizing Korlic by standing near him as the fight is starting can help get the fight over with faster.
On delaying this quest until later (multiplayer only)
On the defeat of the final Ancient, you are instantly granted 1.4 million exp in Normal, 20 million in Nightmare, and 40 million in Hell - but keep in mind that if you would gain more than one level, the experience is cut off! If you have someone able to help you skip this quest in Nightmare and Hell, the value of delaying this quest skyrockets - the reward given by this quest is not scaled by your experience rate!
The most effective levels to cash this quest in on each difficulty are:
- Normal: Level 36 - 1.4 million experience is enough to skip to level 37.
- Nightmare: Level 66 - 20 million experience is enough to skip to level 67.
- Hell: Level 74 - 40 million experience is enough to skip to level 75.
VI - Eve of Destruction
The Ancient's Way > Arreat Summit > The Worldstone Keep (1, 2, 3) > Throne of Destruction > The Worldstone Chamber
Notes: There's a lot of information here. Don't get overwhelmed - a lot of it is just descriptions. This quest is a two-parter. First, you get to the Throne of Destruction, and defeat five waves of Super Uniques and their company, before Baal runs off and you face off in the Worldstone Chamber.
Information on the Super Uniques you will fight
- Colenzo the Annihilator - Fire damage.
Minions: Warped Ones. Representative of Act I. - Achmel the Cursed - Magic damage.
Minions: Unravelers, Burning Dead - representative of Act II. - Bartuc the Bloody - Lightning damage.
Minions: Council Members - representative of Act III. - Ventar the Unholy - Extra Fast.
Minions: Venom Lords - representative of Act IV. - Lister the Tormentor - Spectral Hit.
Minions: Minions of Destruction - representative of Act V.
Once you've defeated or otherwise removed the Super Uniques from the boss room, Baal will laugh nervously and skedaddle into the portal to the Worldstone Chamber. Baal can be difficult when you're geared at-level.
Baal's abilities during the fight
- Hoarfrost: A V-shaped frost wave which repeatedly applies knockback as well as chills you. This is extremely annoying for melee characters, so wedging yourself near a wall helps mitigate it.
- Incineration Nova: An upgraded version of Diablo's Fire Nova attack. Deals a lot of damage, and hard to dodge. He uses this more often if you are crowding him.
- Mana Rift: Instantly saps 50% of your current Mana pool and deals Magic damage.
If you watch the Act 5 cutscene, this what Baal used to explode the Sescheron emissary!
- Festering Appendages: If you run away from him, he will summon what are basically headless Hydras to slap you. You can kill these, but they expire after a short time.
- Vile Effigy: Baal duplicates himself. The clone can use all of Baal's spells except this one. You can tell them apart by the fact that the fake Baal's "Demon" tag is centered under name. This is difficult to see in Resurrected, so you should switch to Classic view if you lose track of who is who. When he casts this, Baal will say "My brothers will not have died in vain!"
- Lower Defense: This is a curse which, as it says, lowers your defense by 60%/75%/90% in Normal/Nightmare/Hell.
- Blood Mana: This curse causes you to draw from your Life pool when casting spells. You can only be affected by this if your Mana pool total is larger than your Life pool total.
- Teleport: It's Teleport. Have fun chasing him.
Decrepify: This is the Necromancer curse which lowers your speed, damage, and physical resistance by 50%.
After Baal finishes his death theatrics, you will be visited by Tyrael - who politely did not help at all during the fight but oh-so-conveniently shows up the moment you finish it. He will open a portal called "DESTRUCTION'S END" after telling you a story and making an executive call. This ends the game, awards you another cutscene and a title for your character, and if you're not on Hell, access to a harder difficulty. Congratulations!
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