DIABLO 2 v1.2
by Samdelazie. Email : samminh@hotmail.com
================
Revision History
================
SEP 09 2000 Version 1.2
- Updated 'Question and Answer'
- Updated 'Wish List'
SEP 02 2000 Version 1.1
- Added a new column - 'Question and Answer'
- Added a new column - 'Wish List'
AUG 28 2000 Version 1.0
- I finished writing 90% of this FAQ about a month ago. It
is not until now that I decided to launch it. Just
finished Threads of Fate and Icewind Dale. I will now
have more time to concentrate on DiabloII. By the way,
if you're wondering, this FAQ was accurate for v1.02
patch. I will try to insert the v1.03 patch changes in
the next update.
=================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
Disclaimer
Objective
For the Sorceress Only
General Instructions * please read
General Tips/Strategies
Walkthrough :
ACT I - Rogue Encampment
- Blood Moor
- Cold Plains \waypoint/
- Burial Grounds
- Stony Field \waypoint/
- Underground Passage
- Dark Wood \waypoint/
- Tristram
- Black Marsh \waypoint/
- Forgotten Tower
- Tamoe Highland
- Monastery Gate
- Outer Cloister \waypoint/
- The Barracks
- Jail \waypoint/
- Inner Cloister \waypoint/
- The Cathedral
- The Catacombs \waypoint/
ACT II - Lut Gholein
- Sewer \waypoint/
- Rocky Waste
- Dry Hills \waypoint/
- Halls of the Dead \waypoint/
- Far Oasis \waypoint/
- Maggot Lair
- The Lost City \waypoint/
- Valley of Snakes
- Claw Viper Temple
- Harem
- Palace Cellar \waypoint/
- Arcane Sanctuary \waypoint/
- Canyon of the Magi \waypoint/
- Tal Rasha's Tomb
ACT III - Kurast Dock
- Spider Forest \waypoint/
- Spider Cavern
- Great Marsh \waypoint/
- Flayer Jungle \waypoint/
- Flayer Dungeon
- Lower Kurast \waypoint/
- Kurast Bazaar \waypoint/
- Sewers
- Ruined Temple
- Upper Kurast \waypoint/
- Kurast Causeway
- Travincal \waypoint/
- Durance of Hate \waypoint/
ACT IV - Pandemonium Fortress
- Outer Steppes
- Plains of Despair
- City of the Damned \waypoint/
- River of Flame \waypoint/
- Chaos Sanctuary
Bonus Stage! - Moo-Moo Farm
Boss Strategies - Blood Raven
- The Countess
- The Smith
- Andariel
- Radament
- Fangskin
- The Summoner
- Duriel
- High Councils
- Mephisto
- Izual
- Hephasto the Armorer
- Diablo
Sorceress Skills - Cold Spells
- Lightning Spells
- Fire Spells
Something You Should Know
Wish List
Question and Answer
Credits
==========
Disclaimer
==========
Copyright Samdelazie 2000
This FAQ cannot be reproduced and can only be used in its original
form. Do not use it to gain profits of any sort because it was not
meant to be used like that. This FAQ is by gamer for gamers. It is
also my way of expressing appreciation towards the game and I will not
tolerate any misuse of this guide.
Permission for any commercial use will definitely be denied but
other reasons may be considered. You may get my permission by
sending an e-mail to -samminh@hotmail.com- and receive a reply,
stating permission is granted.
P.S. Despite the copyright warning, I wonder why my works still get
ripped off. They would, of course, shamelessly deny it. Anyway,
it has proven one thing though - that the tips and strategies are
truly great :)
=========
Objective
=========
This FAQ is intended to help out those who have problems/questions
regarding the sorceress in DiabloII. I may not be the best person to
ask, but I will try to help out with what my limited knowledge and
wisdom can provide, so that it can be combined with the others to make
out a perfect strategy guide.
This FAQ is not written to satisfy all needs. it is aimed the help
the beginners especially. They are the ones who needed an FAQ or
walkthrough to get them started. If my FAQ was able to help ONE new
gamer to like the game as much as I do, I already consider myself being
very successful.
======================
For the Sorceress Only
======================
This FAQ is dedicated to the sorceresses in DiabloII. So, if you are
playing other than the sorceress, go somewhere else! Some tips and
strategies may not work for other character classes anyway.
Also this is an in-depth FAQ, so don't expect to see some kind of
literature craps here. If you are looking for other informations like
the list of items/rares/uniques/HCRecipes or strategies for other
classes, you won't find it here.
====================
General Instructions
====================
This FAQ is best viewed in Microsoft Wordpad with Courier New(Western)
fonts size 10. If you notice some crappy spacing, change the fonts.
Read the tutorial in other websites such as DiabloII.net. They have
done a great job with it. My knowledge was solely based on what is
written and this FAQ will not repeat what's already in there. So, I
would assume that you have read it and possess some basic knowledge
about EVERYTHING.
I did this FAQ all by myself, no copying from any other source
without giving relevant credits. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this but
if you really going to rip off my work, make sure you do a nice job.
Don't let me, or anyone notice the similarities. If I get emails like
'hey, did you copy from %#$@$'s FAQ?' or anything that indicates I'm the
copycat. Well, who knows what I'm gonna do. I'd be too furious to know!
(Of course, you can always try the good ol' way : ask permission)
I think I should mention this. This WHOLE FAQ is based on my gaming
experience and observations. Basically, it's all MY OPINION. Nothing
official from Blizzard. So, read at your own risk and don't send me
e-mails saying that I lied or something.
This FAQ can only be found in www.gamefaqs.com. If you have read
this FAQ elsewhere, please e-mail me about this as soon as possible.
All information is much appreciated.
My final instruction is that this FAQ IS and WILL NOT be a COMPLETE
guide to the game. The way to use this FAQ/Walkthrough or whatever you
call it, is to complement it with other wonderful FAQs on the internet,
which will cover all other subjects in much greater depth.
=======================
General Tips/Strategies
=======================
1) Check out the wares in the blacksmith on each Act. Take note of
the Strength requirements, so that you will know how many points
to put into Strength.
2) Do NOT miss out on chests, barrels, urns etc. These are the most
common places to find rares. Characters now kick to destroy
urns/barrels. So don't worry about losing weapon's durability.
3) You can guess some of the monsters resistances by checking their
names. You don't think monsters with names like 'Burning Dead'
will be scared of fire, do you?
4) Try to keep the rejuvenation potions. Although it only recovers a
relatively small portions of life and mana, the healing is instant
and is based on percentage. Besides, you don't get much for selling
it anyway.
5) For the sorceress, it's advisable to run always. Learn to dodge
attacks in this mode too, whether it's missiles or melee. When
you're low in stamina, pause for a while and then press 'R' to walk.
If you're forced to walk when there's monsters nearby, either take
a stamina potion, or you can try this. When you see the monster is
going to make a strike, press 'Ctrl' to make a boost. I would
expect you to have a little bit stamina left to make a boost. This
way, the monster will still continue his attack BUT miss. By then,
you're already at a distance and can continue walking. Remember,
one of the sorceress' main strength lies in her mobility.
6) You may ask, running makes the sorceress have almost zero defense
against attacks. I would say : the best way to dodge missile
attacks is to run away from it. As for melee, yeah, you are
vulnerable to melee attacks when running. But, not if you cast
-Frost Nova- or -Glacial Spike- beforehand, or have some speed
boots. You WILL manage to escape before they hit you. Frankly,
I've been doing this all the time, and I've been receiving far
less hits this way. Moreover, I don't seem to entrust the life of
the sorceress to her defense anymore; especially after suffering
from that '8% a level ? will hit you' incident. More about this
later.
7) If you find it hard to decide on how to put in skill points, you
can always try buying staves from merchants. Choose the staff with
the skills that you want, and then try it out to see how you like
it. Don't worry, the sorceress is probably the richest character
in the game. In fact, she's so rich, I don't know how to spend the
money. I rarely use the money to repair her equipments because
the sorceress seldom get hits. So I spend it all on buying staves
and gambling.
8) If you think you can fight the monsters without much of a struggle,
reserve the skill points. Learn to live with the annoying presence
of the skill tab. Quit complaining about it because it's already
something that cannot be changed.
9) An observation about cold : It seems that having resistances
against cold will not only reduces the damage taken, but it will
also shorten the duration time as well. This applies to both
normal cold and freezing attacks. Furthermore, it will even
affects the slowness one would get when hit with cold attacks. If
a monster with high cold resistance is hit with cold attack, it
will receive less cold damage, shortened chilling/freezing length
and less penalty in terms of speed. I think the same applies to
human players too.
10) A note about items of Regeneration. If you don't have an item that
replenishes life, your life will NOT be healed by time AT ALL. It
acts much like the Paladin's -Prayer- aura, but without the mana
consumption. In fact, I have the Amulet and the Armor that gives
me like 'replenish life +6' in total. Now, I can always enter a
battle with my life at full.
11) Almost everything that's 'fast' will benefit the sorceress. I'm
talking about equipments like 'fastest hit recovery', 'fastest
walk/run' and 'fastest cast rate'. So give priority to these
attributes when you have to make a choice between two equally good
items.
12) I've read about chances of getting unique/rare items from Jarulf's
Diablo Guide. If I remember correctly, it says something like :
"Chances of finding rares/uniques will be increased if you
clear up the whole level and killed all monsters"
And this is what I think :
When a game is generated, the locations of rare/unique items is
set on the map at the same time. The rare/unique for the map may
be in one of the chest or on one of the monsters itself. So, if
you open that loaded chest or kill that particular monster, you
will get the rare/unique items for the level. Which leads back to
what I've read. If you clear up the whole level, open all the
chests and kill all the monsters, it will almost ensures that you
wlll get the rare/unique item for that level.
But it will only work if:
a) It implies to DiabloII as well as its predecessor.
b) rare/unique items are NOT generated in real time in DiabloII.
c) the levels have rare/unique items. If the level does not
have it, you won't find it no matter what.
This tip is definitely not confirmed, but I see no serious harm for
applying it either. So, the next time you want to move on to
another level, make sure you search the current level thoroughly.
You may miss out some good stuffs.
13) " It's always good to go back and check places you've already
visited. You might find rare items and stuff you missed
earlier. " - Threads of Fate
It's a norm for me to play a few games at the same time, and I'm
playing both DiabloII and Threads of Fate(Playstation) right now.
I come across this quote when playing Threads of Fate and I can't
help to notice that this principle seems to apply to DiabloII as
well. Although this tip can never be verified (by me at least),
but I think it's worth sharing it to the DiabloII gamers. You can
try this. When you have reached ACT IV, go back to Lower Kurast
in ACT III. For some reasons, you will find a lot of rares this
time round. I'm not sure if there are other contributing factors,
but it's working. Another method you can try is when you have
finished the game once. Let's say you have just finished Normal
and started Nightmare. Play a few rounds in ACT I Nightmare and
then go back to ACT IV Normal. It seems like you'll be playing
a brand new map, so it's not surprising if you find rares. Then
switch back to ACT I Nightmare and then back to ACT IV Normal
again. Repeat until you're sick of it.
14) When choosing a battleground, look for features like :
a) an exit
b) refilling shrine/well nearby
c) wide and spacious
d) platforms with different heights
e) obstacles that block melee attackers from charging towards.
15) A note about mapping skills to left mouse click. There will be
times when you want to cast spells on the left button, but ended up
charging to enemies instead. To avoid this from happening, press
'Shift' + left button.
16) You gotta love shrines - wells, mana shrine, mana recovery shrine.
If you happen to find one, try this. Lure a bunch of enemies near
the shrine. Then cast as many spells as you can. When you're
empty, go hit the shrine and start killing again. The best spell
to do this is of course -Frozen Orb-!
=============
WALKTHROUGH
=============
I've included some information on the most common monsters in each
area. It seems that the amount of experience changes as you level up.
It depends on your character level. I don't know the exact formula
for it, so I would suggest that you visit other websites for more
information. Anyway, I still make notes of the experience gained, so
that you can figure out the best place to level up. Try to look at it
as percentages and you'll get the rough idea. Bear in mind that some
monsters in some areas DO NOT give you experience when defeated. So,
it's better not to waste your time and resources in those areas. I
hope you will find it as useful as I did.
Also, there are some information on the uniques that I've encountered.
I'm not sure how it may help you, but it's still nice to know whether
it's worth the effort to kill it. I myself have more problems dealing
with unique monsters than with major bosses (damn those lightning-
enchanted bastards!)
The level indicated is the level at the time I reach the place.
Experience is accumulated WITHOUT doing optional areas or activating
experience shrine, but killing ALL other enemies. This bit of
information is useful when you want to make a character plan. For
example, you know that you're going to deal with Andariel at level 13,
so make sure that you already have an effective 'boss strategy' planned
out at level 13.
=======
Act I
=======
----------------
I) Rogue Encampment
----------------
NPC : Akara - healer
- Den Of Evil (free 1 skill point)
- The Search for Cain (magical ring, free item
identification from Cain)
Kashya - Sister's Burial Grounds (mercenary ally)
Charsi - Tools of the Trade (imbue)
Warriv - takes you to Lut Gholein (Act II)
[ Note ] : 1) Talk to Akara for a personalised conversation.
-------------------------
II) Blood Moor - evil beware!
-------------------------
Level : 1
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Den Of Evil - this place is trouble
- this cave has been purged of evil
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Fallen Exp 18 (1st time)
Fallen Shaman Exp 32
Gargantuan Beast Exp 48
Quill Rat Exp 21
Zombie Exp 33
Unique : Corpsefire Exp 165
- Zombie
- Spectral Hit
Spells Recommended : -Firebolt-, -Charged Bolt-
[ Note ] : 1) Fallen will net you experience only when slain for
the first time. If they're raised, you get 0 exp
for killing it again.
-----------
III) Cold Plains
-----------
Level : 3
Waypoint : Cold Plains
Quest Area : None
Optional Area : Cave
Enemy : Dark Hunter Exp 31
Dark Spearwoman Exp 36
Fallen Exp 18 (1st time)
Fallen Shaman Exp 32
Gargantuan Beast Exp 48
Unique : Bishibosh Exp 160
- Fallen Shaman
- magic resistant, fire enchanted
Stone Break the Jagged Exp 180
- Dark Spearwoman
- mana burn
Spells Recommended : -Firebolt-, -Charged Bolt-
[ Note ] : 1) -Charged Bolt- is quite useful in this area. The
bolts that missed may hit the monsters at the back.
2) There are actually two types of Fallen Shaman here,
one will raise Fallen and the other is a mere minion.
But they give the same amount of experience.
-------------------------------------------------
IV) Burial Grounds - there is dark magic in work here
-------------------------------------------------
Level : 5
Waypoint : None
Quest Area : None
Optional Area : Crypt, Mausoleum
Enemy : Hungry Dead Exp 44 (pre-existent)
Skeleton Exp 34
Unique : Dark Raven Exp 181
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : Blood Raven' for more
details.)
Spells Recommended : -Firebolt-, -Charged Bolt-
[ Note ] : 1) Hungry Dead summoned by Blood Raven will NOT net you
any experience. Only those pre-existent ones will.
-----------
V) Stony Field
-----------
Level : 5
Waypoint : Stony Field
Quest Area : Cairn Stone
The Moldy Tome (initiate 'The Forgotten Tower' Quest)
Underground Passage
Optional Area : None
Enemy : Carver Exp 42
Dark Ranger Exp 54
Foul Crow Exp 22 (pre-existent)
Foul Crow Nest Exp 88
Hungry Dead Exp 44
Moon Clan Champion Exp 162
Unique : Moon Cloud Exp 110
- Foul Crow
- fire enchanted
Rakanishu Exp 210
- Carver
- lightning enchanted
Spells Recommended : -Firebolt-, -Charged Bolt-
[ Note ] : 1) The Foul Crows that come out from the nest give no
experience.
2) This 'Rakanishu', is he some kind of a hero to the
Carvers? I often heard them calling out his name.
(Frankly not only them, I also often called out his
name)
-------------------
VI) Underground Passage
-------------------
Level : 6
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : to Dark Wood
Optional Area : Underground Passage level 2
Enemy : Fallen Exp 18 (1st time)
Fallen Shaman Exp 32
Misshapen Exp 56
Skeleton Archer Exp 62
Vile Hunter Exp 54
Unique : Gray Claw Exp 280
- Misshapen
- mana burn
Spells Recommended : -Charged bolt-, -Ice Bolt-, -Inferno-,
-Ice Blast-, -Frozen Armor-.
[ Note ] : 1) This is where things can get a bit hard. I would
assume that you have reached level 6 by now and should
have one of the spells mentioned above.
2) The location of unique monsters varies for every game.
If you are unlucky like me, you will encounter the
unique (in my case it's 'Gray Claw') straight on. As
you should realize it by now, the sorceress needs a
wide battleground. So, at first, you may think you
can find a decent place to fight it if you venture
deeper. DON'T! You will end up meeting more monsters;
and getting surrounded by those creepy crawlies is the
last thing you want for the sorceress. (at least for
now)
3) What should you do? One of the biggest improvement
DII over its prequel is that, travelling between two
areas involves no significant loading time. So, take
advantage of it! Stay near the entrance. Avoid the
urge to move too far. Take down as many regular
monsters as you can, especially those near the
entrance. When you are near death, forget about
healing. Go up the entrance first, then heal. You can
take some time off for -Warmth- to take effect too
while you're there.
4) You may think I'm wasting my time here since this is a
fairly easy area. Well, don't say it too soon. You'll
be thanking me for this tip when you're playing on
Nightmare/Hell difficulty or in other similar areas.
---------
VII) Dark Wood
---------
Level : 7
Waypoint : Dark Wood
Quest Area : Tree of Ignifuss - this ancient tree has a magic
aura about it
Optional Area : None
Enemy : Brute Exp 84
Carver Exp 42 (1st time)
Carver Shaman Exp 64
Skeleton Archer Exp 62
Spike Fiend Exp 49
Vile Hunter Exp 54
Unique : Blade Tongue Exp 210
- Carver
- stone skin
Treehead Woodfist Exp 420
- Brute
- extra strong, extra fast
Plague Cloud the Quick Exp 310
- Skeleton Archer
- extra strong
Spells Recommended : -Charged bolt-, -Ice Bolt-, -Inferno-,
-Ice Blast-, -Frozen Armor-
[ Note ] : 1) Here's a tip : this is a wide area. Move along the
sideway when exploring. Don't rush into the middle.
Conquer the sideways first and then proceed slowly
into the middle. That way, you won't have to deal
with a large pack of monsters.
--------------------------------------------------
VIII) Tristram - Tristram was no match for Diablo's fury
--------------------------------------------------
Level : 8
Waypoint : Dark Wood
Quest Area : Cain Gibbet - Deckard Cain, get to the Rogue Camp!
Wirt's Corpse
Enemy : Carver Exp 42 (1st time)
Carver Shaman Exp 64
Carver Shaman Champion Exp 192
Night Clan Exp 72
Returned Champion Exp 204
Skeleton Archer Exp 62
The Returned Exp 68
Unique : Griswold Exp 955(!)
- Walking Dead?
- cursed
Rot Fang Exp 310
- Skeleton Archer
- cold enchanted
Sharp Fang Exp 310
- Skeleton Archer
- teleportation
Spells Recommended : -Charged bolt-, -Ice Bolt-, -Inferno-,
-Ice Blast-, -Frozen Armor-
[ Note ] : 1) Explore the area SLOWLY. Secure a battleground and
lure a small pack of enemies into it. Defeat the
regular ones first, then proceed with the champion/
unique.
2) If you're wondering about Griswold's 'cursed', here's
what it'll do: if he successfully land a hit on you,
you'll be inflicted with the 'Amplify Damage' curse
at the same time. 'Amplify Damage' will cause the
next non-magical attack to hit for double damage
until the curse expires. (I learned this from
playing the necro).
3) Many will tell you to pick up Wirt's Leg. I'd say
DON'T! Not yet. If you pick it up now, you have no
where to put it but in the stash. It would be
stupid to let it occupy the inventory space for the
rest of the game. So, only pick it up when you want
to play the cow level. Oh, but pick up Wirt's gold
though.
4) As you might have noticed it by now, the champion
edition of monsters gives triple the normal
experience. The unique gives 5x the experience.
-----------
IX) Black Marsh
-----------
Level : 8
Waypoint : Black Marsh
Quest Area : Forgotten Tower
Optional Area : Hole
Enemy : Blood Hawk Exp 29 (pre-existent)
Blood Hawk Nest Exp 177
Brute Exp 84
Carver Exp 42 (1st time)
Carver Shaman Exp 64
Night Clan Exp 72
Night Clan Champion Exp 216
The Returned Exp 68
Vile Archer Exp 63
Unique : Ooze Crawler Exp 320
- Carver Shaman
- cursed
Bile Lust the Slayer Exp 360
- Brute
- extra strong
Sin Vex the Unclean Exp 340
- Carvers Shaman
- cursed
Spells Recommended : -Charged bolt-, -Ice Bolt-, -Fire bolt-,
-Frozen Armor-
[ Note ] : none
-----------------------------------------------
X) Forgotten Tower - this place holds many secrets
-----------------------------------------------
Level : 9
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Blood Clan Exp 81
Dark Archer Exp 81
Dark Stalker Exp 78
Devilkin Exp 53
Ghost Exp 83
Ghost Champion Exp 249
Unique : Fireweb Exp 265
- Devilkin
- lightning enchanted
Bone Horn the Jagged Exp 415
- Ghost
- fire enchanted
Wind Maim Exp 415
- Ghost
- extra strong
Gray Slime Exp 405
- Dark Archer
- mana burn
The Countess Exp 390
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : The Countess' for more
details.)
Spells Recommended : -Charged bolt-, -Ice Bolt-, -Fire bolt-,
-Frozen Armor-, -Static Field-.
[ Note ] : 1) This is probably the first time you meet with the
Ghost-like creatures. They often come in packs and
attack in packs. Although, they move slowly, they
are very dangerous to go melee with them. The fact
that they have excellent defense and life, plus their
insanely high attack rating makes them nothing easier
to fight with than a unique monster. I once fought
them with a barbarian with defense that goes like '8%
a level ? monster will hit you'. At first I thought,
'Wow, 8%, that's low'. So, I charged in confidently
without any strategy in mind; and boy, I got beaten up
so badly, I couldn't even take one of them down with
me! To make things worse, they can manage to stack
themselves up into like one entity and perform
continuous streams of attacks, which is needless to
say, fatal.
So, thank goodness you're playing a sorceress.
-Frost Nova- them and they'll go REALLY slow. Later
on, when you have -Chain Lightning-, these guys are
the no.1 target for gaining easy experience.
--------------
XI) Tamoe Highland
--------------
Level : 9
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : Pit
Enemy : Carver Exp 42 (1st time)
Carver Shaman Exp 64
Dark Lancer Exp 90
Dark Stalker Exp 78
Devilkin Exp 53
Razor Spine Exp 77
Returned Mage Exp 55
Returned Mage Champion Exp 165
Unique : none
Spells Recommended : -Charged bolt-, -Ice Bolt-, -Fire bolt-,
-Frozen Armor-.
[ Note ] : none
----------------------------------------------------------
XII) Monastery Gate - Uh.. the Monastery, Andariel's stronghold
----------------------------------------------------------
Level : 10
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Returned Mage Exp 55
Unique : none
Spells Recommended : -Ice Bolt-, -Fire bolt-.
[ Note ] : none
--------------
XIII) Outer Cloister
--------------
Level : 10
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Razor Spine Exp 77
Black Rogue Exp 86
Unique : none
Spells Recommended : -Charged Bolt-, -Ice Bolt-, -Fire bolt-
[ Note ] : none
------------
XIV) The Barracks
------------
Level : 10
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Horadric Malus
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Black Rogue Exp 86
Bone Archer Exp 98
Bone Mage Exp 66
Death Clan Exp 108
Death Clan Champion Exp 324
Devilkin Exp 53
Devilkin Shaman Exp 88
Devilkin Shaman Champion Exp 264
Unique : Rust Fist the Jagged Exp 490
- Bone Archer
- extra strong
Storm Hack the Quick Exp 430
- Black Rogue
- lightning enchanted
Viper Shard the Cold Exp 490
- Bone Archer
- multiple shots
The Smith Exp 890
- extra strong
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : The Smith' for more
details)
Spells Recommended : -Charged Bolt-,-Ice Bolt-, -Fire bolt-,
-Static Field-.
[ Note ] : none
--------------------------------------------------
XV) Jail - if there was magic here, it's long gone now
--------------------------------------------------
Level : 11
Waypoint : Jail level 1
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Bone Archer Exp 98
Bone Archer Champion Exp 294
Bone Mage Exp 66
Death Clan Exp 108
Death Clan Champion Exp 324
Gargoyle Trap Exp 197
Tainted Exp 104
Wraith Exp 110
Unique : Gut Maul the Dark Exp 550
- Wraith
- cursed
Gloom Cloud Exp 490
- Bone Archer
- extra fast
Pitspawn Fouldog Exp 520
- Tainted
- cursed, cold enchanted
Direhawk the Mad Exp 490
- Bone Archer
- extra fast
Icefeast the Slayer Exp 490
- Bone Archer
- aura enchanted
Spells Recommended : -Charged Bolt-, -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-,
[ Note ] : 1) At this point of the game, I already treat myself a
nice staff that grants me +3 to -Inferno- and +1 to
-Ice Bolt-. So, this place seems like a breeze to
me. As I've already said, the sorceress is rich, or
going to be VERY rich. Start trying out on those
fancy spells and see which one you like best.
2) There's a room in level 1 that SEEMS to have no
entrance. At first you may thought it's the way it
is because you can grab the gold WITHOUT getting into
the room anyway. But the truth is the room IS
accessible, that is by touching one of the walls
nearby. This is supposed to be a BIG secret, but no
one's making a big fuss about it.
3) You actually gain experience for destroying a trap.
Don't miss out on it.
--------------
XVI) Inner Cloister
--------------
Level : 12
Waypoint : Inner Cloister
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Razor Spine Exp 77
Unique : Flamespike the Crawler Exp 385
- Razor Spine
- cursed, fire enchanted
Spells Recommended : -Charged Bolt-,-Ice Bolt-, -Fire bolt-,
[ Note ] : none
-------------
XVII) The Cathedral
-------------
Level : 12
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Dark One Exp 71 (1st time)
Dark Shaman Exp 104
Wraith Exp 110
Wraith Champion Exp 330
Unique : Storm Pus the Mad Exp 520
- cursed
- Dark Shaman
Bone Ash Exp 465
- Burning Dead Mage
- magic resistant, extra strong, cold enchanted
Spells Recommended : -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-
[ Note ] : none
------------------------------------------------
XVII) The Catacombs - this place chills me to the bone
------------------------------------------------
Level : 12
Waypoint : Catacombs level 2
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Afflicted Exp 112
Afflicted Champion Exp 336
Arach Exp 147
Dark One Exp 71 (1st time)
Dark Shaman Exp 104
Dark Shaman Champion Exp 312
Ghoul Exp 152
Ratman Exp 95
Tainted Exp 104
The Banished Exp 154
Unique : Puke Crawler the Hunter Exp 520
- Tainted
- cursed
Viper Horn Exp 520
- Dark Shaman
- aura enchanted
Foul Maim Exp 520
- Dark Shaman
- teleportation
Star Spawn the Dead Exp 735
- Arach
- mana burn
Bone Shade Exp 770
- The Banished
- teleportation
Mold Jade the Slasher Exp 560
- Afflicted
- mana burn
Foul Maggot the Witch Exp 560
- Afflicted
- cursed
Andariel Exp 1281
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : Andariel' for more
details)
Spells Recommended : -Ice Bolt-, -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-,
-Fire Ball-.
[ Note ] : 1) It's obvious that beating monsters in this place
will net you the best experience in Act I. So, if
you think a few more level ups would help to deal
with Andariel, do so.
========
Act II
========
-----------
I) Lut Gholein
-----------
NPC : Atma - Radament's Lair (10% discount on all items)
Cain - The Horadric Staff
Drognan - Tainted Sun
Fara - healer
Jerhyn - Arcane Sanctuary
Meshif - takes to the Kurast Docks (ACT III)
[ Note ] : 1) Talk to Drognan for a personalised conversation.
2) No discount for repairing items after the 'Radament's
Lair' quest.
-----
II) Sewer
-----
Level : 14
Waypoint : Sewer level 2
Quest Area : Horadric Scroll (chest)
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Burning Dead Exp 130 (1st time)
Burning Dead Archer Exp 137 (1st time)
Burning Dead Mage Exp 93 (1st time)
Dried Corpse Exp 132
Horror Exp 143 (1st time)
Huntress Exp 119
Sand Raider Exp 179
Unique : Rot Spawn the Slayer Exp 685
- Burning Dead Archer
- lightning enchanted
Moon Flame Exp 660
- Dried Corpse
- cold enchanted
Radament Exp 2230
- Extra Fast
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies: Radament' for more
details.)
Spells Recommended : -Ice Bolt-, -Ice Blast-, -Fire Ball-,
-Lightning-.
[ Note ] : 1) The only place the enemy wlll get resurrected is in
level 3. So, stick around the first two levels if you
want to gain experience.
2) The Burning Dead (archer,mage) are fire-resistant.
I've tried using both -Ice Bolt- and -Fire Bolt-
against them. As expected, the -Ice Bolt- takes them
down with less hits. So, it's not really a mere guess.
-----------
III) Rocky Waste
-----------
Level : 15
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : Stony Tomb
Enemy : Carrion Bird Exp 140
Dung Soldier Exp 140
Slinger Exp 113
Unique : Snot Growler the Hungry Exp 700
- Dung Soldier
- spectral hit
Star Hack Exp 700
- Dung Soldier
- spectral hit
Spells Recommended : -Ice Bolt-, -Ice Blast-, -Fire Ball-,
-Lightning-, -Inferno-.
[ Note ] : 1) Dung Soldier releases charged bolts if hit by non-
magical attack. Now aren't you glad you're playing
the sorceress?
---------
IV) Dry Hills
---------
Level : 15
Waypoint : Dry Hills
Quest Area : Halls of the Dead
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Cave Leaper Exp 174
Saber Cat Exp 140
Spear Cat Exp 113
Undead Scavenger Exp 154
Unique : Foul Growler Exp 770
- Undead Scavenger
- extra fast
Sharp Break Exp 770
- Undead Scavenger
- teleportation
Spells Recommended : -Ice Blast-, -Fire Ball-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-.
[ Note ] : 1) Cave Leaper will heal if it manage to hit you.
Furthermore, it will be knocked back when being
attacked too. So the best spell to use against it for
now is -Ice Blast-, as it will freeze it in position.
Therefore, it cannot heal itself and experience no
further knockback.
-----------------
V) Halls of the Dead
-----------------
Level : 16
Waypoint : Halls of the Dead level 2
Quest Area : Horadric Cube (chest)
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Decayed Exp 160 (pre-existent)
Desert Wing Exp 151
Hollow One Exp 252
Hollow One Champion Exp 1260
Mummy Sarcophagus Exp 608
Returned Exp 3 (1st time)
Spear Cat Exp 113
Unique : Storm Wing Exp 800
- Decayed
- fire enchanted
Bloodwitch the Cold Exp 565
- Spear Cat
- extra strong, cursed
Spells Recommended : -Frost Nova-, -Ice Blast-, -Fire Ball-,
-Lightning-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-.
[ Note ] : 1) This place is a real piss off : those skelies just keep
coming back! I remember getting most annoyed when
playing the Amazon(Bowazon) here as I wasted so many of
my arrows and -Town Portal- scrolls. What's worse, I
only get 3 exp for doing that!
2) Again, thank goodness that you're playing the sorceress.
It could never be easier for other characters. All you
used up is just mana. If played right, you won't need
to use mana recovery potions at all.
3) Here's a quick way to deal with them. Whenever you see
a pack of skelies charging towards you, just -Frost
Nova- them. Then, casually run past them to seek out
the Hollow One, which should be nearby. If you
encounter some more of skelies, cast -Frost Nova- again.
Remember, you don't have to deal with them yet. If you
find Spear Cats among the swarm, take them down first
if you want, because they can deal some serious damage.
4) When you finally found the Hollow One, cast -Ice Blast-
to freeze him. Then, use something damaging like
-Inferno- to kill him quickly. You may also want to
seek out more of the Hollow Ones nearby before finally
dealing with the swarm.
5) When it's just the skelies left, cast -Blaze- to
create some streams of fire. Then sit back and watch
them burn!
6) There is a more straightforward method to use when you
have -Chain Lightning-. More on this later.
7) You get experience for destroying a Mummy Sarcophagus.
But the Decayed that comes out of it will not. So try
this fun method : use -Inferno- right in front of the
Mummy Sarchophagus. It's like killing two birds with
one stone.
---------
VI) Far Oasis
---------
Level : 16
Waypoint : Far Oasis
Quest Area : Maggot Lair
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Death Beetle Exp 170
Itchies Exp 124
Undead Scavenger Exp 154
Unique : Beetleburst Exp 850
- Death Beetle
- magic resistant
Haze Maw the Mad Exp 620
- itchies
- teleportation
Spells Recommended : -Frost Nova-, -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-,
-Fire Ball-.
[ Note ] : none
-----------
VII) Maggot Lair
-----------
Level : 16
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Maggot Lair
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Black Locusts Exp 136
Death Beetle Exp 170
Rock Worm Exp 261
Rock Worm Egg Exp 1
Rock Worm Young Exp 88
Sand Maggot Exp 238
Sand Maggot Young Exp 80
Scarab Exp 187
Unique : Plague Eater Exp 935
- Scarab
- magic resistant
Death Venom Exp 850
- Death Beetle
- cursed
Cold Worm the Burrower Exp 865
- cold enchanted, magic resistant
Spells Recommended : -Lightning-, -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-,
-Fire Ball-.
[ Note ] : 1) Take advantage of the narrowness of tunnels. When
encounter enemies like Scarab and Death Beetle,
cast -Blaze- and run through narrow tunnels. They
will chase after you, but not for long. Stop when
you think you have done enough and trace back to
where you started. Repeat if there's still some
left. Collect goodies along the way.
2) -Lightning- works wonders here. Line the enemies up
in a narrow tunnel and two shots of -Lightning- is
all it takes to take most of them out. The same
applies for high level -Inferno-.
-------------
VIII) The Lost City
-------------
Level : 17
Waypoint : Lost City
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : Ancient Tunnels
Enemy : Fire Tower (trap) Exp 14
Marauder Exp 261
Marauder Champion Exp 783
Night Slinger Exp 142
Plague Bearer Exp 245
Tome Creeper Exp 211
Unique : Dark Elder Exp 1225
- Plague Bearer
- extra fast, magic resistant
Spells Recommended : -Ice Blast-, -Blaze-, -Fire Ball-.
[ Note ] : none
----------------
IX) Valley of Snakes
----------------
Level : 17
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Valley of Snakes
Optional Area : none
Enemy : none
Unique : none
Cool Find : none
Spells Recommended : You don't need spells here.
[ Note ] : none
----------------------------------------------------------
X) Claw Viper Temple - I sense strong magic within this place
----------------------------------------------------------
Level : 17
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Tainted Sun Altar - Top of Horadric Staff
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Bone Warrior Exp 3
Claw Viper Exp 144
Claw Viper Champion Exp 432
Embalmed Exp 213
Guardian Exp 336
Salamander Exp 192
Unique : Foul Skull the Impaler Exp 720
- Claw Viper
- cursed
Fangskin Exp 960
- Salamander
- lightning enchanted, extra fast
( Refer to 'Boss Strategies : Fangskin' for more
details. )
Spells Recommended : -Lightning-, -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-,
-Fireball-, -Frost Nova-.
[ Note ] : 1) Claw Vipers and Salamanders are deadly. Their only
weakness is their low health. Avoid any chance of
getting surrounded by these creatures.
2) -Ice Blast- will be able to freeze them, but it's slow
and single targeted. Other cold spells seems to have
little or no effect on them. Their dashing cold
attack seems to defy the chilling effects. I still
find that the safest way is to use -Blaze-. Create
well-placed streams of fire for them to walk over it,
hoping they will not survive the flames due to their
low health.
3) But the main priority is to avoid their attacks by all
means. They have the tendency to deliver multiple
consecutive attacks, which leaves you not much of a
chance for recovery. For the sorceress, it would means
instant death.
-----
X) Harem
-----
Level : 18
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Blunderbore Exp 282
Dune Beast Exp 238
Invader Exp 288
Unique : none
Spells Recommended : -Lightning-, -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-,
-Fireball-, -Frost Nova-, -Chain Lightning-,
-Glacial Spike-.
[ Note ] : none
-------------
XI) Palace Cellar
-------------
Level : 18
Waypoint : Palace Cellar level 1
Quest Area : Portal
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Blunderbore Exp 282
Dune Beast Exp 238
Horror Archer Exp 221
Horror Mage Exp 123
Invader Exp 288
Unique : Spine Snarl Exp 1440
- Invader
- aura enchanted
Gore Skin Exp 1410
- Blunderbore
- cold enchanted
Fire Eye Exp 1440
- Invader
- extra fast, fire enchanted
Spells Recommended : -Lightning-, -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-,
-Fire Ball-, -Frost Nova-, -Chain Lightning-,
-Fire Wall-, -Glacial Spike-.
[ Note ] : 1) There are many ranged attackers. So -Fire Wall- is
quite handy here. Cast it on them, and they will
just stand still and take damage. Obviously, those
skelies are resurrected without brains :)
2) The Horror Mages are a bit aggresive. They will seek
after you if detected. Take advantage of this and let
them come to you. Destroy them first, this way you
can avoid a heavy 'projectile fight'.
----------------------------------------------------------
XII) Arcane Sanctuary - this place actually distorts reality...
fascinating!
----------------------------------------------------------
Level : 18
Waypoint : Arcane Sanctuary
Quest Area : Horazon's Journal
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Ghoul Lord Exp 299
Hell Clan Exp 245
Lightning Spire (trap) Exp 14
Specter Exp 251
Unique : Gore Fang the Shade Exp 1495
- Ghoul Lord
- cursed
The Summoner Exp 305
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : The Summoner' for more
details)
Spells Recommended : -Lightning-, -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-,
-Fire Ball-, -Frost Nova-, -Chain Lightning-,
-Fire Wall-, -Glacial Spike-.
[ Note ] : 1) This is my most favorite place in DiabloII. Great
settings, tons of treasures, easy to kill monsters;
Man, this whole place is like a bonus stage to me!
Highly recommended if you want to gain a level or
two, or even three! It is certainly the best place
to gain experience in Act II.
2) The Specters and Ghoul Lords often drop rings,
amulets, staves, wands and scepters. Needless to say,
these are much sought after items, not only for the
sorceress but also for the necro and the paladin.
They would sell for a good price too. So, this is
when you should start considering about 'gambling'
and upgrading your equipments.
3) I have an incredibly fun time using -Chain Lightning-
here. This is what I did. When there's enemies,
doesn't matter if it's Specters, Ghoul Lords or Hell
Clans; first cast -Frost Nova- then -Chain Lightning-
them to death. It only takes about a few seconds.
4) There are actually four routes to take. One of them
will lead to The Summoner, but it is random. The
others will have treasure chests at the end of it.
5) I believe there would be one route suitably designed
for each character. For the sorceress, I prefer the
route with lots of platforms as to take advantage of
the different heights.
6) Here's what I did. I finish one of the route in
about 10 minutes, save and exit game, then start a
new game, and begin killing monsters in the same
route again. It nets me tons of magical items and
experience points this way. You should try it too,
as it's really effortless, with absolutely no risk
of dying. (This is exactly when I undoubtedly feel
that the sorceress rules!)
4) The Ghoul Lords can drain life, but it makes no
difference to me. They still die like the rest.
------------------
XIII) Canyon of the Magi
------------------
Level : 20
Waypoint : Canyon of the Magi
Quest Area : Tal Rasha's Tomb (true)
Optional Area : 6 Tal Rasha's Tomb (fake)
Enemy : Crusher Exp 328
Devourer Exp 317
Devourer Egg Exp 1
Devourer Young Exp 107
Hell Slinger Exp 182
Unique : none
Spells Recommended : -Lightning-, -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-,
-Fire Ball-, -Frost Nova-, -Chain Lightning-,
-Glacial Spike-.
[ Note ] : none
-----------------------
XIV) Tal Rasha's Tomb (true)
---------------- ------
Level : 20
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Orifice
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Apparition Exp 276
Gorebelly Exp 341
Unraveler Exp 406
Unique : Dragon Skull Exp 2030
- Unraveler
- teleportation
Duriel Exp 6005
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : Duriel' for more
details)
Spells Recommended : -Lightning-, -Ice Blast-, -Inferno-, -Blaze-,
-Fire Ball-, -Frost Nova-, -Chain Lightning-,
-Glacial Spike-.
[ Note ] : 1) A different set of spells is needed for the fight
with Duriel. If you have problems defeating him,
I'd suggest that you gain some levels, to 24 if you
must, in Arcane Sanctuary or Canyon of the Magi.
=========
ACT III
=========
-----------
I) Kurast Dock
-----------
NPC : Alkor - The Golden Bird (elixir +20 life)
- Lam Esen's Tome (free 5 char points)
Asheara - Blade of the Old Religion (free mercenary)
Cain - Khalim's Will
- Blackened Temple
Hratli - Blade of the Old Religion
Meshif - The Golden Bird (Golden Bird of Ku Y'leh)
Ormus - healer
- Blade of the Old Religion (magical ring)
[ Note ] : 1) Talk to Hratli for a personalised conversation.
2) Act III is all about annoyance. You may want to
consider hiring a mercenary to ease things up a bit.
Asheara is the one to talk to if you're interested.
By the way, listen to her gossips while you're there.
Really cool tips.
-------------
II) Spider Forest
-------------
Level : 20
Waypoint : Spider Forest
Quest Area : Spider Cavern
Jade Figurine - I don't sense any magic about this
item.. very strange.
Optional Area : Arachnid Lair
Enemy : Fetish Exp 260 (1st time)
Fetish (range) Exp 214 (1st time)
Fetish Shaman Exp 276
Flesh Beast Exp 330
Jungle Hunter Exp 317
Thorned Hulk Exp 403
Thorned Hulk Champion Exp 1209
Unique : Spirit Ripper the Tainted Exp 2015
- Thorned Hulk
- teleportation
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Nova-, -Blaze-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Fire Ball-, -Fire Wall-,
-Chilling Armor-.
[ Note ] : 1) You get 276 exp for blowing the Fetish Shaman's cover.
Killing the Fetish that comes out of it will net you
another 260 exp.
2) Flesh Beast are the critters that come out from the
Dark Wanderer that you meet at the entrance of the
Kurast Dock.
3) Jade Figurine may not necessarily dropped by the first
unique that you encounter. I remember finding the
Jade Figurine by defeating the unique in the Spider
Cavern when playing the necro. That is the third
unique. Sometimes it may not be carried by a unique
at all but a champion.
4) -Nova- made its first appearance in the list of
spells recommended. Although you may already get it
earlier on, it is around this time that you can
actually afford to use it on regular basis.
5) But THE spell to use here is the everyone's favorite
-Glacial Spike-. Cold attacks that only chill are
less effective against the ultra fast Fetish. But
freeze works wonders. Not only you can halt them
from attacking, you can reliably shatter them into
pieces as well. Needless to say, it's the best way
to prevent them from getting resurrected by the
Shaman.
6) Another spell worth mentioning is -Chilling Armor-.
With it activated, it will send out ice bolts when
being attacked by those ever-so accurate ranged
Fetish. Although the ice bolts does minor damage, at
least the Fetish will be slowed with it, thus attack
less often. Also, you can determine where those
pellets came from and throw some -Chain Lightning-
towards that direction. That would teach them not to
play with that toy anymore.
7) The Fetish would make you love and hate them at the
same time. While they are doing incredibly well in
making your life a living hell. But at the same time,
you will actually find them.. adorable. Personally,
I couldn't help but to imitate the sounds that they
make everytime I fight them - those 'ugh', 'eeyah',
'uuah' and their very own warcry - 'ablelelele'. I
like the fact that they try so hard to sound
'threatening'. Some of them even disguise themselves
as the self-proclaimed Shamans, as if putting on their
mothers' wigs and aprons and dunno-where-they-get-from
flamethrowers would scare off invaders. But the truth
is they're just a bunch of innocent small kids trying
their best to protect what's left of their territory.
Can't really blame them for it, can you?
-------------
II) Spider Cavern
-------------
Level : 21
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Khalim's Eye (chest)
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Fiend Exp 222
Flame Spider Exp 410
Giant Lamprey Exp 383
Giant Lamprey Young Exp 129
Giant Lamprey Egg Exp 1
Poison Spinner Exp 372
Unique : Sezark the Burning Exp 2050
- Flame Spider
- extra strong, cursed
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Blaze-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Fire Ball-.
[ Note ] : 1) It's -Blaze- time again! Get the spiders to follow
you into the blazing flame. Then pause, turn back
and cast either -Glacial Spike- or -Ice Blast- to
freeze them in place. Another fun area. So, you can
consider gaining some experience here if you want.
2) -Frost Nova-/-Chain Lightning- combo works well too.
But -Blaze-/-Glacial Spike- use up less mana.
-----------
III) Great Marsh
-----------
Level : 22
Waypoint : Great Marsh
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Bog Creature Exp 396
Bramble Hulk Exp 444
Drowned Carcass Exp 395
Fetish Exp 260 (1st time)
Fetish (range) Exp 214 (1st time)
Fetish Shaman Exp 276
Gloam Exp 241
River Stalker Exp 258
Unique : Shadow Maim the Hunter Exp 2220
- Bramble Hulk
- stoneskin
Steel Feast the Cold Exp 1975
- Drowned Carcass
- extra strong
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Nova-, -Blaze-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Fire Ball-, -Fire Wall-,
-Chilling Armor-.
[ Note ] : 1) River Stalker is the giant snake that spits poison
in the swamp. They can be annoying sometimes, you
get knocked back when hit with the poison. You have
to hit for the head to completely kill it.
2) Drowned Carcass is slow. Perfect target for -Chain
Lightning-.
3) Gloam has the ability to become invisible. But you
can guess where they are if you look closely. -Frost
Nova- and -Nova- will be able to track them down.
But they can be cheap sometimes. The Gloams are
large in numbers and can cast lightning from a great
distance. If they come from all direction, it will
be difficult to dodge those lightning. Can be quite
painful, let me remind you. To avoid this from
happening, hide behind a tree or something and let
THEM come to you. When they 'materialise', kill
them with ice or fire spells. I suspect they're
lightning-resistant.
4) Whoa, camouflage is in the game. I have to say it's
implemented VERY well. And the rumor has it that
the Assassin have a skill similar to it. Now this is
something that gets me excited all over again! I
certainly have high hopes for the Assassin, and
Blizzard better not screw it up. -'The Grandmaster of
PvP', I can't wait!
-------------
IV) Flayer Jungle
-------------
Level : 22
Waypoint : Flayer Jungle
Quest Area : Gidbinn - I must take this to Ormus
Flayer Dungeon
Optional Area : Swampy Pit
Enemy : Flayer Exp 286 (1st time)
Flayer (range) Exp 235 (1st time)
Flayer Shaman Exp 303
Rat Man Exp 4
River Stalker Exp 258
Slime Prince Exp 479
Winged Nightmare Exp 330
Winged Nightmare Champion Exp 1650
Unique : Death Drool the Hungry Exp 20
- Rat Man
- spectral hit
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Nova-, -Blaze-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Fire Ball-, -Fire Wall-,
-Chilling Armor-.
[ Note ] : 1) Death Drool comes out together with a few Rat Man
when you activate the Gidbinn altar. He will then
drop the quest item 'Gidbinn' upon defeat.
--------------
V) Flayer Dungeon
--------------
Level : 23
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Khalim's Brain (chest)
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Dark Shape Exp 334
Flayer Exp 286 (1st time)
Flayer (range) Exp 235 (1st time)
Flayer Shaman Exp 303
Gloombat Exp 295
Soul Killer Exp 315
Soul Killer Shaman Exp 334
Undead Flayer Exp 286
Water Watcher Exp 213
Unique : Sin Eye the Hammer Exp 1175
- Flayer (range)
- fire enchanted
Mind Grumble Exp 1575
- Soul Killer
- extra strong
Witch Doctor Endugu Exp 1670
- Soul Killer Shaman
- magic resistant, fire enchanted
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Nova-, -Blaze-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Fire Ball-, -Fire Wall-,
-Chilling Armor-.
[ Note ] : 1) This place will be a lot easier if you have -Teleport-.
Besides having to avoid travelling through the
confusing tunnels, you can also gain some strategical
advantage. Lure the enemy to chase after you. Find a
fence and teleport over to the other side. Then you
can cast spells safely from there.
2) When encounter Endugu and friends, remember not to deal
with them ALL at one time. Lure a few of them out,
take them far and then kill them.
3) Sometimes, when you see some golds lying on the
ground, you know that you'll activate the traps once
you try to pick it up. Well, use you mind power,
-Telekinesis-! Be a Jean Grey wannabe!
------------
VI) Lower Kurast
------------
Level : 23
Waypoint : Lower Kurast
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Hell Buzzard Exp 300
Thrasher Exp 488
Tree Lurker Exp 339
Zakarumite Exp 297
Unique : Stormtree Exp 2440
- Thrasher
- extra fast, lightning enchanted
Mind Cloud the Grim Exp 1485
- Zakarumite
- aura enchanted
Mold Maim the Mad Exp 1485
- Zakarumite
- cursed
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Nova-, -Blaze-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Fire Ball-.
[ Note ] : 1) My advice for this place : sell off everything,
leave yourself almost naked. It's because this is
the BEST place to level up in the whole ACT III. The
annoyance is over.. at least for now. You may even
consider this place as 'The Paradise' because it's
a straightforward area, the enemies are easy to
kill, no resurrecting creatures, no range attackers,
lots of goodies to pick up, and the list goes on and
on. So drop everything and start killing already!
2) -Glacial Spike- is still the best spell to use. The
Zakarumite can move very fast, so not even -Frost
Nova- will be able to slow them down enough.
3) You can forget about -Chilling Armor- for now and
switch to -Shiver Armor- or -Frozen Armor- if you
haven't do so.
4) About treasures in this place, it's quite common to
find rare items here. You'll find lots of rare
weapons especially, which will make you envious and
wish you could wield that weapon as other characters
would.
5) Now, if you have heard of the legendary 'Sigon's
Guard', spend some time here and maybe you're lucky
to find one. I found Sigon's Guard for both the
sorceress and the paladin right here. So, it's a
good idea to equip yourself some items that
increases your chance of finding magical items.
Remember, Sigon's Guard are sometimes DROPPED by
monsters.
-------------
VII) Kurast Bazaar
-------------
Level : 23
Waypoint : Kurast Bazaar
Quest Area : Sewers
Optional Area : Disused Fane*
Ruined Temple*
Enemy : Hell Swarm Exp 219
Thrasher Exp 488
Sexton Exp 381
Zakarumite Exp 297
Unique : Grief Grumble the Hungry Exp 1095
- Hell Swarm
- spectral hit
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Blaze-, -Chain
Lightning-, -Fire Ball-.
[ Note ] : 1) * The quest item 'Lam Esen's Tome' may be in one of
these optional areas.
2) The Sexton has the ability to heal the Zakarumite,
and also teleport. So -Fire Wall- does not work very
well as they can easily teleport away.
3) When I first come across the Sexton, I thought 'Boy,
they are corrupted alright to be given a name like
that.' But later I found out that it's actually the
name of one of the developers of DiabloII. No pun
intended.
4) The Zakarumites have become smarter. Whenever they
are near dying, they will retreat in order to be
healed by the Sexton. So make sure that you kill
them before they come back to you with full life.
------
VIII) Sewers
------
Level : 23
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Khalim's Heart (chest)
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Gloambat Exp 295
Horadrim Ancient Exp 540
Horror Exp 8 (1st time)
Stygian Watcher Exp 312
Undead Soul Killer Exp 315
Unique : Dire Hawk Exp 1575
- Undead Soul Killer
- teleportation
Sin Crawler Exp 2700
- Horadrim Ancient
- spectral hit
Icehawk Riftwing Exp 1475
- Gloambat
- cold enchanted, teleportation
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Blaze-,
-Fire Wall-, -Frost Nova-, -Chain Lightning-,
-Fire Ball-.
[ Note ] : 1) There are two exits leading to Upper Kurast. So,
the sewers must be a shortcut or something.
2) In order to get to the chest with Khalim's Heart,
you must first find a lever that will open the route
to second level. To do that, I would advise you to
have the automap activated at all time.
3) You would really wish for -Teleport- in this place.
The area is big and confusing, it's even worse than
Flayer Dungeon.
-------------
IX) Ruined Temple
-------------
Level : 23
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Lam Esen's Tome - May the black book brings black
days to hell!
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Flesh Hunter Exp 311
Night Lord Exp 438
Spider Magus Exp 451
Wailing Beast Exp 479
Unique : Shadow Snell the Unholy Exp 2395
- Wailing Beast
- cursed
Pulse Killer the Hunter Exp 2190
- Night Lord
- extra fast
Blood Kill the Impaler Exp 2395
- Wailing Beast
- fire enchanted
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Fire Wall-, -Blizzard-,
-Meteor-.
[ Note ] : 1) This is where I found 'Lam Esen's Tome'. In fact, I
found the tome here almost everytime. I wonder why.
2) When you see monsters swarming at you the moment you
enter, you know you have come to the right place. It
is no joke, this can be one of the toughest battle in
the game. The combination of monsters here is deadly.
You face the powerful Wailing Beast, the fast-moving
Flesh Hunter, the poisonous Spider Magus and the most
dangerous of all, the life-stealing and meteor-casting
Night Lord.
3) NEVER venture deep into this place in the beginning.
All you'll get is deep shit. Stay near the entrance.
Never let any of those monsters blocking your way out.
4) I hope you have -Fire Wall-, -Blizzard- or -Meteor-
by now. The moment you step into this place, the
monsters are sure to give you a really 'warm' welcome.
Give them back something in return for their gesture.
Now, what could be better than a gift from heavens
perhaps? Cast as many -Meteor- as you can, if you
have it, and then leave immediately. If not, -Fire
Wall- or -Blizzard- works well too. Let them be for a
while and then head back to cast some more. Repeat
until the place is not that crowded anymore.
5) You can try using -Glacial Spike-, but it will only
freezes those at the front. So use it only when
there's no Night Lord around.
------------
IX) Upper Kurast
------------
Level : 23
Waypoint : Upper Kurast
Quest Area : Sewers
Optional Area : Forgotten Temple*
Forgotten Reliquary*
Enemy : Cantor Exp 419
Faithful Exp 360
Thrasher Exp 488
Winged Nightmare Exp 330
Zealot Exp 435
Unique : Dragon Maw the Destroyer Exp 1650
- Winged Nightmare
- aura enchanted
Soul Maw Exp 1650
- Winged Nightmare
- cursed
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Blaze-, -Chain
Lightning-, -Fire Ball-.
[ Note ] : 1) * The quest item 'Lam Esen's Tome' may be in one of
these optional areas.
---------------
X) Kurast Causeway
---------------
Level : 24
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : Ruined Fane*
Diused Reliquary*
Enemy : Infidel Exp 509
Unique : Dire Eater Exp 2545
- Infidel
- mana burn
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Blaze-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Fire Ball-, -Blizzard-,
-Fire Wall-.
[ Note ] : 1) * The quest item 'Lam Esen's Tome' may be in one of
these optional areas.
---------
XI) Travincal
---------
Level : 24
Waypoint : Travincal
Quest Area : Compelling Orb
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Council Member Exp 696
Heirophant Exp 461
Night Lord Exp 438
Water Watcher Exp 172
Zealot Exp 435
Unique : Ismail Vilehand Exp 3480
- Council Member
- extra fast, cursed
Geleb Flamefinger Exp 3480
- Council Member
- extra strong, fire enchanted
Toorc Icefist Exp 3480
- Council Member
- cold enchanted, stone skin
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : High Councils' for more
details)
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Blaze-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Fire Ball-, -Blizzard-,
-Fire Wall-.
[ Note ] : 1) I don't know whether it is random or not, but the
quest item 'Khalim's Will' was dropped by Ismail
Vilehand.
2) The walkthrough for this area is too lengthy, so I
put it in Boss Strategies column. Be sure to check it
out if you have problems in this area.
---------------
XII) Durance of Hate
---------------
Level : 24
Waypoint : Durance of Hate level 2
Quest Area : Portal
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Cadaver Exp 415
Council Member Exp 696
Dark Lord Exp 482
Mauler Exp 550
Undead Stygian Doll Exp 346
Blood Lord Exp 530
Unique : Moon Shard the Sharp Exp 2750
- Mauler
- fire enchanted
Storm Break Exp 1730
- Undead Stygian Doll
- fire enchanted
Bremm Sparkfist Exp 3480
- Council Member
- aura enchanted, lightning enchanted
Wyand Voidbringer Exp 3480
- Council Member
- mana burn, teleportation
Maffer Dragonhand Exp 3480
- Council Member
- extra strong, extra fast
Mephisto Exp 10714
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : Mephisto' for more
details)
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Ice Blast-, -Blaze-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Fire Ball-, -Blizzard-,
-Fire Wall-.
[ Note ] : 1) The walkthrough for this area is too lengthy, so I
put it in Boss Strategies column. Be sure to check it
out if you have problems in this area.
========
ACT IV
========
--------------------
I) Pandemonium Fortress
--------------------
NPC : Cain - Hell's Forge
Jamella - healer
Tyrael - The Fallen Angel (free 2 kill points)
[ Note ] : none
-------------
II) Outer Steppes
-------------
Level : 24
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Corpulent Exp 604
Doom Caster Exp 482
Doom Knight Exp 486
Flesh Beast Exp 0
Flesh Spawner Exp 622
Trapped Soul Exp 1
Unique : Ash Wolf Exp 3020
- Corpulent
- lightning enchanted
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Frost Nova-, -Fire Ball-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Shiver Armor-, -Frozen
Armor-.
[ Note ] : 1) Flesh Beasts that are spat out from Flesh Spawner give
0 exp for killing it. I for one hate killing monsters
that gives me no experience. What's worse that those
son of a b*tch are no easy kill either. No matter how
high your defense might be, they can still manage to
scratch you. What a nuisance!
2) -Shiver Armor- and -Frozen Armor- can ease a bit of
the irritation. But it's much better to use -Glacial
Spike- when dealing with them. Personally, I enjoy
every moment seeing those pests explode into pieces.
That's what they get when they keep pestering the
sorceress!
-----------------
III) Plains of Despair
-----------------
Level : 24
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Izual
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Doom Caster Exp 482
Doom Knight Exp 486
Flesh Beast Exp 0
Flesh Spawner Exp 622
Pit Lord Champion Exp 1893
Trapped Soul Exp 1
Unique : Izual Exp 22760
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : Izual' for more
details)
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Frost Nova-, -Fire Ball-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Shiver Armor-, -Frozen
Armor-.
[ Note ] : 1) Doom Casters seem to resist lightning spells. -Chain
Lightning- doesn't work so well against them.
2) Doom Knight has high defense especially against
missiles. Even the Amazon's always-hit cold arrow
will miss. I have also seen -Glacial Spike- missed
when trying to hit them with it. Use -Blizzard-
instead to avoid this from happening.
3) A different set of spells required when dealing with
Izual.
4) If you are wondering if I made a mistake with the
experience gained for defeating Izual, I didn't.
I have already double-checked it. Believe or not but
he is really THAT generous! So it's evident that
the best place to level up in ACT IV is here. Kill
Izual again and again for easy experience.
------------------
IV) City of the Damned
------------------
Level : 24
Waypoint : City of the Damned
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Damned Exp 470
Dark Familiar Exp 439
Maw Fiend Exp 891
Pit Lord Exp 584
Stygian Dog Exp 0
Stygian Hag Exp 690
Unique : Black Drinker the Unholy Exp 3450
- Stygian Hag
- cold enchanted
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Frost Nova-, -Fire Ball-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Shiver Armor-, -Frozen
Armor-, -Blizzard-, -Fire Wall-.
[ Note ] : 1) I remembered encountering Gloam-like monsters here.
Now, if you happen to meet them, be careful. Their
lightning attacks are not to be taken lightly, as it
is fast and hard to avoid. It's best that you seek
cover first and let them come to you.
2) The enemies here always attack in large. If you have
to, retreat all the way to Plains of Despair to thin
out the crowd.
--------------
V) River of Flame
--------------
Level : 24
Waypoint : River of Flame
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Blood Maggot Exp 627
Blood Maggot Egg Exp 1
Blood Maggot Young Exp 172
Grotesque Exp 918
Grotesque Wyrm Exp 0
Pit lord Exp 584
Strangler Exp 593
Urdar Exp 836
Unique : Plague Claw the Dead Exp 4180
- Urdar
- teleportation
Hephasto the Armorer Exp 7111
- extra strong, cursed, magic resistant
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : Hephasto for more
details)s
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Frost Nova-, -Fire Ball-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Shiver Armor-, -Frozen
Armor-, -Blizzard-, -Fire Wall-.
[ Note ] : 1) Here's tips on how to use -Blizzard-. For the best
results, cast -Frost Nova- first. They will be chilled
for a longer time when they enter -Blizzard-. They will
take more damage when slowed. When enemies comes in
large but have to pass through a narrow path e.g a door,
cast -Glacial Spike- instead. It is to freeze those in
the front and block those at the back. Then quickly
follow up with -Blizzard- and keep freezing the front.
---------------
VI) Chaos Sanctuary
---------------
Level : 25
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : Diablo
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Doom Knight Exp 486
Oblivion Knight Exp 717
Storm Caster Exp 711
Venom Lord Exp 699
Unique : Gray Head the Unclean Exp 3555
- Storm Caster
- lightning enchanted
Lord De Seis Exp 3391
- Oblivion Knight
- extra strong, aura-enchanted, thief
Infector of Souls Exp 3664
- Venom Lord
- extra fast, spectral hit
Grand Visier of Chaos Exp 3364
- Storm Caster
- extra strong, fire enchanted
Diablo Exp 28223
(Refer to 'Boss Strategies : Diablo for more
details)
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Frost Nova-, -Fire Ball-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Blizzard-, -Fire Wall-,
-Meteor-, -Thunder Storm-.
[ Note ] : 1) The walkthrough for this area is too lengthy, so I
put it in Boss Strategies column. Be sure to check it
out if you have problems in this area.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This marks the end of the walkthrough. If you have questions to
ask, you know what to do. By the way, what do you get for finishing the
Normal difficulty with a hardcore sorceress? Well, you get the title
'Countess'! At last, the sorceress can finally escape the fate from
being 'damned' for once! Also, if you're not too exhasted, try out the
bonus stage - Moo-Moo Farm. Not that it's a good place to level up, but
it's certainly a place for a good laugh!
==============
BONUS STAGE!
==============
------------
Moo-Moo Farm
------------
Level : 26
Waypoint : none
Quest Area : none
Optional Area : none
Enemy : Hell Bovine Exp 74
Hell Bovine Champion Exp 222
Unique : The Cow King Exp 335
- Hell Bovine
- magic resistant, lightning enchanted
Spells Recommended : -Glacial Spike-, -Frost Nova-, -Fire Ball-,
-Chain Lightning-, -Blizzard-, -Fire Wall-,
-Meteor-, -Thunder Storm-.
[ Note ] : 1) To unlock this area, do the following :
a) finish the game at one difficulty;
b) go back to Act 1 Rogue Encampment of that
difficulty;
c) get Wirt's Leg from Tristram;
d) purchase a Tome of Town Portal, or if you happens
to have one with you, use that;
e) put Wirt's Leg and Tome of Town Portal into
Horadric Cube.
f) press the cube's 'transmute' button, and a portal
leading to the Moo Moo Farm will be accessible.
2) Just when I thought the Stygian Dogs are too much to
handle, the cows give me another shock of my life. If
you can see enemies in the automap, trust me, this place
will scare the shit out of you!
3) There are many ways to do this area. But having ice
apells will make things a lot easier. Try this. Use
-Frost Nova- to slow them down first. When all are
chilled, cast -Blizzard- in the midst and run in circles
around them. Then just count the cows as they fall.
(By the way, turn on the sound when attempt this.)
4) Although this is supposed to be a bonus area, you will
still die. It's totally optional whether to explore
this place or not. If you think you can't beat them with
the spells that you have, skip it for now.
5) Also, because it is optional, the Cow King does not
qualify to be in Boss Strategy column.
---------------
Boss Strategies
---------------
--------------
I. BLOOD RAVEN
--------------
Level : 5
Attack : Bow and Arrows
Special : Fire Arrow
Summon Hungry Dead
Exp : 181
Spell : -Charged Bolt-, -Firebolt-
[ Strategy ] : Early in the battle, she will constantly summon
Hungry Deads from the ground. That would be your
best opportunity to lay some shots. If you missed the
moment, she'll be so hyperactive, you can hardly ever
find her standing still. So, try to take down as many
Hungry Deads and Skeletons as you can, to prepare the
battleground. After the area has been cleared, it will
be just you and Blood Raven.
As she's always on the move, try to identify her
running patterns and make some good guess shots. By
shooting more bolts, it will increase the chance one of
them will hit. -Charged Bolts- seems to work quite
well.
Of course, when she starts attacking, you're the one
who would be running around instead. But at the same
time, the opportunity to make a clear hit will also
arise. It's kinda risky though, so make sure you
brought along a sizable amount of healing potions to
keep your life up.
Here's a tip for range attackers : When you see her
shoots an arrow AND run, chances are her next attack will
be *multiple shots. So, for the *multiple shots sessions:
when she shoots the first arrow, dodge it like normal but
quickly counter-attack with something fast like -Firebolt-.
If she's hit with it, she may run OR continue her shooting.
And if she continues, dodge some more and counter-attack.
You should be able to land 2-3 hits this way.
You can even use melee to defeat her, as you can
still score a hit with that Dexterity of yours. Make
sure you're using a 'Fast' or a 'Very Fast' weapon.
(Recommended only in Normal difficulty)
If all the above methods didn't work for you,
there's still one way you can try. Enter the Crypt or
Mausoleum and then back again. You will notice Blood
Raven will start summoning Hungry Deads again. Hit her
when she does it.
* When I mention multiple shots, it's not to be mistaken
with the Amazon's -Multi-Arrow- or -Strafe-. It's
just a few shots of arrows that's fired successively
in normal speed, nothing special. But you can expect
her standing still for quite some time when doing this.
That's exactly what I see as an opportunity.
" Rest now, Blood Raven. "
----------------
II. THE COUNTESS
----------------
Level : 9
Attack : Fire Axe
Special : Fire Wall
Exp : 390
Spell : Any offensive spell will do.
[ Strategy ] : If you have beaten the game once, chances are you
couldn't even remember a fight with someone by the name
of 'The Countess', as it was an easy and effortless
battle. But I will still make some notes in case
someone's stuck with it. Maybe not in Normal, but she
may pose more of a challenge in Nightmare/Hell difficulty.
You never know.
First off, she may move in formidable speed, but her
attacks are rather slow and weak. It's easily avoidable.
Even if you get hit, it's nothing to worry about either.
I've tried standing still to receive a few hits before.
It turns out that the damage is not too severe, even for
the sorceress.
As on how to finish her off, it may requires some
strategies though. Do not try to cast a spell when she's
chasing after you; you'll be interrupted. Try doing this
instead. Find a spacious spot and stand still. Wait for
her to come to you. When you see her trying to make a
strike, dash away quickly. In return, counter-attack
with anything of your choice. Repeat until she's dead.
-Static Field- comes highly recommended. -Firebolt-
works well too. If you have -Frost Nova-, -Ice Bolt- or
-Ice Blast-, it almost ensures that you will never get a
single hit from her Fire Axe attack.
Other things to take note of this battle is that she
may cast -Fire Wall- right at the doorways when she first
sense your presence. I think she does this to discourage
you from coming in and out as you wish. This, of course
does nothing to stop you from getting those precious
treasures. Also, I noticed that she doesn't like to go
out of her 'chamber' often. I have once lured her
outside of it. But she quickly turned back the moment
she stepped outside the door, sorta like she's shy or
something. It's funny watching her doing it.
" I hope to find other such treasures! "
--------------
III. THE SMITH
--------------
Level : 10
Attack : Hammer
Special : none, really.
Exp : 890
Spell : -Ice bolt-, -Ice Blast-, -Frost Nova-, -Fireball-,
-Static Field-, -Blaze-.
[ Strategy ] : He reminds me of 'The Butcher' in Diablo. He has the
same fast stunning attack, which makes him extremely
dangerous to go melee with. So keep your distance ALWAYS.
I remember fighting him with Storm in Nightmare
difficulty. Storm had kept her -Energy Shield- and
-Shiver Armor- activated. She also had her life near
full at all time. Then I was careless at one time, as
Storm could not dodge one of his attack. Guess what
happened? The computer lagged for about 5 seconds and
POW, she died in one bloody shot! This is just too
ridiculous! Be extra cautious when dealing with him.
As The Smith can move in relatively high speed, it's
recommended that you use spells like -Ice Bolt- and
-Frost Nova- to slow him down. Then alternate to use
something fast like -Fireball- or even -Static Field- to
do some real damage. Or better, use -Ice Blast- all the
way. It will slow him down AND deal great damage at the
same time. -Blaze- is also highly recommended. Make
streams of fire along the walls and let him chase right
behind.
The safest location to have this fight is at the Outer
Cloister waypoint, all the way back. As this battle may
take some time, you may want to take a break or something
by getting back to the Rogue Encampment through the
waypoint. You can also get the free healing from Akara
if you want. That will lower the risk of the sorceress
getting killed.
After a few rounds, The Smith will eventually fall.
But don't forget to head back to the Barracks to fetch
what you're looking for : the Horadric Malus.
" I hope the sister appreciate this thing. "
------------
IV. ANDARIEL
------------
Level : 13
Attack : Poison Claws
Special : Poison Spray
Poison Projectile
Exp : 1281
Spell : -Static Field-, -Ice Bolt-, -Ice Blast-, -Frost Nova-,
-Blaze-, -Fire Ball-
[ Strategy ] : Our necro guy said that Andariel is NOT using -Poison
Nova-, so I made up names for her attacks. Nothing
official, let me remind you. Well, how am I supposed to
know their names! It's not like she screams out "Poison
Spray!" or "Spray of Death!" when she does it. Geez.
Back to the subject, let's discuss about her attacks
first. She has three known types of attack : melee that
does both physical and poison damage. The other two is
ranged attacks: one is a single fast-travelling
projectile; the other is a wide-area spray attack. The
projectile, though fast, is quite easy to avoid. The
sprays, however, requires more finesse to attempt an
escape. Both are equally damaging but they will
dissipate after travelling some distance. Take advantage
of this. If you can't avoid the sprays by running
diagonally, try to outrun it. Hope that it will
dissipates before it reaches you.
If you can't avoid her attacks, you will most probably
be inflicted with poison condition. For the sorceress,
life seems to drop at an incredibly alarming rate. So
whenever this happened, forget about healing first. You
will waste the healing potion anyway. Quickly find your
way back to the entrance and go up to level 3. While
you're there, wait for the poison effect to subside, THEN
only consume a healing potion or two. Don't worry, the
poison won't kill you. Life will stop dropping when it
reaches 1. Go back down when you're ready for the second
round. As for antidote potions and poison resistant
equipments; although it may helps, is not a necessity.
To take her down, you will need some good spells. As
you are expected to be at level 13, you should have a
handful of spells besides everything into -Warmth-. If
you have only -Firebolt-, you CAN defeat her. But the
problem is you will need more of healing potions and not
to mention, PATIENCE. It will be a lot easier if you have
cold spells like -Ice Bolt-, -Ice Blast- and -Frost Nova-.
They work wonders against Andariel. The slower Andariel
gets, the less often she attacks.
But it will REALLY be a piece of cake if you have
-Blaze-. The fastest way to defeat her is : cast -Blaze-
and make a stream of fire for her to walk over it. When
she's in the middle of it, you may cast -Ice Bolt- or
-Frost Nova- to slow her down. She will eat more flames
this way. If you can't get her into the fire, try to
make use of the doorway. Make a stream of fire as you
walk past a door and taunt her to chase after you. That
should burn her up a little. Repeat until she's dead.
Also, you can try using -Static Field- on her. It
works well too. But I would suggest that you slow her
down first, this way you get less retaliation.
Spell NOT to be used in this battle is -Inferno-.
This is what happened. I used a Slvl4 -Inferno- just to
try things out. It turned out that the damage is too
slow; it leaves the sorceress open for attack. Andariel
casts Poison Spray while I'm doing this and the sorceress
eats three sprays straight! Man, you should've seen the
instant drop in life. It will make almost anyone to
swear out his/her most frequently-used curses, which in
my case, WTF! So, AVOID using it here if you can.
" The evil queen has fallen. "
-----------
V. RADAMENT
-----------
Level : 15
Attack : Normal Physical
Special : Extra Fast
Poison Breath
Dark Projectile
Heal/Raise Minions
Exp : 2230
Spell : -Static Field-, -Ice Bolt-, -Ice Blast-, -Frost Nova-,
-Blaze-, -Fire Ball-, -Fire Bolt-.
[ Strategy ] : This can be difficult if you don't know the way. The
key to this battle is to prevent the minions from getting
the healing and resurrection from Radament. To do this,
you will first need to secure a place FAR away from
Radament. When I said far, I mean really, REALLY far.
Radament's 'influence' has a very long reach, it can be
about 2-3 screens away. Once you have found the ideal
location, start luring the minions in to get them
butchered. Do this until all minions are down. This may
be a tiring and time consuming task but it is by far the
safest way to deal with Radament.
Another method you can try is to use -Ice Blast- on
each and every of his minion. By doing this, they will
be shattered into pieces by the freezing attack. Thus,
it's impossible for them to get resurrected.
Without the minions, Radament is nothing to be feared
of. Both his Poison Breath and Dark Projectile only do
minor scratches. His most damaging attack is probably
his normal physical attack, but that is nothing either.
So, finish him off with anything you like. You can even
insult him by using the measly -Fire bolt- to kill him.
" What a misguided monster! "
------------
VI. FANGSKIN
------------
Level : 17 (18 Recommended)
Attack : Normal Physical
Special : Extra Fast, Lightning Enchanted
Dashing Cold Attack
Exp : 960
Spell : -Blaze-, -Fire Wall-.
[ Strategy ] : You may find it surprising to find a seemingly ordinary
unique to be placed under the Boss Strategies column. But
in my opinion, he's more than deserving to be considered
a major boss in the game, at least for the sorceress.
It's simply because Fangskin, a unique Salamander, has
everything it takes to be the PERFECT 'sorceress killing
machine'.
The extra-fast attribute for the already speedy
Salamander is a major hindrance for any kind of sorceress.
It leaves almost no opportunity for the sorceress to cast
a spell safely. Cold spells will only do like reducing the
speed from 'super ultra fast' to 'ultra fast', which is
not much of a help I'd say. So, conquering by speed
would be out of the question.
The REAL thing to be feared of is actually his
Dashing Cold Attack. Although his normal attack is as
damaging, but it is THIS surprise dashing attack that
causes instant death. One of the attack's main strength
is its long reach. At first, you may think that you could
cast a spell or two since you were able to keep a
distance. But you can bet that he would suddenly charge
towards you with his overwhelming cold attack. Now, if
the attack connects, the sorceress will be pushed back
and get chilled at the same time. Then he will be likely
to continue his attack.
If the sorceress are pushed against a wall; and she
doesn't have any 'fast recovery' and cold resistant
equipments on; in another word being cornered; then
undoubtedly, she will be stunlocked to DEATH. But this
seldom happens, especially when you already know that
you should avoid being cornered at all times.
As if he's not powerful enough, he's been granted
lightning enchantment. Now, what could be worse. Cast
something multi-hitting like -Inferno- and he'll be
sweating like hell! I can assure you, you wouldn't want
to try that. So multi-hitting spells are out. You will
need something that you can cast out fast and deals
great damage. -Static Field- fits the requirements,
doesn't it? But wait, he is lightning enchanted, that
means lightning resistant! -Static Field- will do as
much damage as other spells will but you have to get
close to score a hit. Not very wise, I would say. So
-Static Field- is also out.
It seems like I can talk about this forever but what
you're really interested in, I assume, is how to defeat
him.
After such long discussion, you should realised it by
now that many spells are rendered useless in this battle.
For that, you need specific spells, namely -Blaze- and
-Fire Wall-. I've never been so rigid when it comes to
which spell to use, but to ensure a battle with zero
casualty, I have to make an exception. This is exactly
how I defeated him. As I've mentioned before, the
position of the unique monster varies for every game.
In my case, Fangskin is to the sorceress' left. The
moment I stepped into Claw Viper's Temple level 2, I
quickly move the sorceress to the right, the opposite
direction of Fangskin. If done right, it should not
attract Fangskin's attention. Then deal with the
monsters that's already there. You SHOULD NOT be
having problems dealing with them, as I will be
wondering how you manage to get this far in the first
place. If you're really stuck, refer back to the
'Walkthrough : Claw Viper's Temple' for tips on how to
defeat them. Try to thin out as many enemies as
possible, so that you will only have to deal with
Fangskin.
I will now assume that it's just you and Fangskin.
Get his attention and start the fight. He will start
chasing after you. Cast -Blaze- when he does, and create
streams of fire by running away from him. Let him walk
over it and take damage. Repeat until he's dead. Sounds
easy, doesn't it? But practically, you should know that
you may run a chance of running out of stamina. You can
remedy the situation quickly with a stamina potion OR
you can retreat and head back to level 1. Wait until all
stamina is recovered and continue to second round.
Another situation may occur is that you encounter
Fangskin right in front of the level 2 entrance, together
with a bunch of other Claw Vipers. If you are really
that unlucky, then I would suggest that you spend some
time levelling up to level 18 to gain -Fire Wall-. Get
-Fire Wall- by either putting a skill point into it OR
head back to town and buy a staff with -Fire Wall-.
When you have -Fire Wall-, this is what you should do.
I would assume that Fangskin and friends are right in
front of the entrance, waiting to feast. Bravely, step
into level 2 and cast a -Fire Wall-, two if you can, in
front of the entrance. Then quickly get back to level 1.
The -Fire Wall- that you cast will continue to take
effect in level 2 even when you're at level 1. So wait
some time for it to burn. That would take a few of the
them down. It's normal to get hit when you're doing this.
So keep life at full with healing potions. Then repeat
this routine, but try to increase the number of -Fire
Wall- casted each time. More -Fire Wall- deal more
damage. Hopefully, Fangskin will die eventually this
way.
There is another method that I found out recently.
If you can manage to get past all the enemy and reach the
altar, you will have the advantage to cast spells without
the fear of retaliation. It's simply because you're
protected by the different height that the altar provides.
The best way to do this of course, is to use -Teleport-.
That would be the solution when you face him in
Nightmare/Hell difficulty.
" Who would've thought that such primitive beings could
cause so much trouble. "
-----------------
VII. THE SUMMONER
-----------------
Level : 19
Attack : staff
Special : Glacial Spike
Fire Wall
Fire Ball
Frost Nova
Dunno-what curse (doesn't matter anyway)
Exp : 305
Spell : -Fire Wall- and everything else
[ Strategy ] : The only thing to look out for is his Fire Wall.
Counterattack with a -Fire Wall- on him and he's dead.
That's it. I don't think he deserves further elaboration.
But you can try something though, use -Telekinesis- to
kill him. -Fire Bolt- would be too much for him.
" That couldn't have been Horazon. Poor wretch. "
------------
VIII. DURIEL
------------
Level : 20 (24 if you must)
Attack : Claw
Special : Freezing Aura
Stun
Exp : 6005
Spell : -Frost Nova-, -Static Field-, -Blaze-, -Nova-, -Fire Wall-
-Thunder Storm-, -Blizzard-.
[ Strategy ] : Duriel has been receiving a lot of attention in the
DiabloII forum and naturally being throned as the most
difficult boss to defeat in the game. It's not hard to
see why.
First off, there's one misconception to be cleared.
Duriel does NOT have a cold attack. In fact, he has an
attack that stuns, much like the Barbarian's -Stun-.
What's chilling or slowing you down is actually the
Freezing Aura. It looks and works like the Paladin's
-Holy Freeze- aura. But the difference is there's
nothing holy about it, just cheap. -Holy Freeze- does
no damage, it will only slows one down to a certain
percentage. I would assume that Duriel's Freezing Aura
works about the same. With it, the sorceress will
suffer a major slowdown in movement and spellcasting
rate.
The battle is set in a small chamber with no apparent
exit nearby. By looking at the automap, there IS
actually a mark that indicates a door at the north but
it's not to be reached. This means that it's a closed
battle : a great disadvantage to the sorceress indeed.
You should know by now that the sorceress gains
advantage by speed and space. With this two being
seriously handicapped, it would really requires pure
skill, and not to mention some really good luck to win
this battle. The fastest way, which is also the best
way to defeat Duriel is to use -Static Field-. I find
that he's specially vulnerable against it.
This is how you should do it. The first thing you do
when you step into Duriel's chamber is cast a -Frost
Nova-. You don't have to wait until you see him. He'll
be charging at you in high speed definitely. If he
really missed the -Frost Nova-, cast it again. Make sure
he's chilled at ALL time. Having Duriel in his full
speed is too much of a risk to take. When he's chilled,
make a distance and cast -Static Field-. Hopefully, your
sorceress' -Static Field- is at a decent skill level to
score a hit. But you will only manage to lay one or two
hits before you have to cast another -Frost Nova-.
By right, at this time you will see Duriel's Freezing
Aura starting to take effect. The sorceress will be
chilled in an unavoidable situation. But you can reduce
the slowing effect by equipping some boots with 'fast
walk/run'.
This method requires no aiming, so it's quite easy to
pull. But you should check on Duriel's life from time
to time by moving the cursor over him. When you see that
his life is near critical, finish him off with -Blaze- if
you have it. If not, continue to use -Static Field- or
any other spells that you see appropriate to kill him.
-Nova- is one good example.
But this method will only apply if you have -Static
Field- that works, which I would say not many young
sorceresses can afford it. I'm talking about -Static
Field- of level 3 and above. I have Slvl3 -Static Field-
and still get a lot of misses. For those with low level
or no -Static Field- at all, either gain a few level up
to put more skill points into it OR you can try the
following methods.
You can use -Blaze- all the way. It sure works but it
would take quite some time to finish him off. So make
sure that you bring along loads of stamina potions if you
want to attempt this. Nothing's worse than to be forced
to walk in this battle.
Although there's no exit to this place, you can
actually get out from the scene using -Town Portal-.
Take advantage of this. You can try casting a few -Fire
Wall- and leave through the Town Portal, with Duriel
kept burning in the flame. Sure, it would take many
-Town Portal- scrolls to do this, but remember, life is
more precious than hundreds of -Town Portal- scrolls.
Sometimes you just can't afford to die, especially when
you're in Nightmare/Hell difficulty. What's more if
you're playing a hardcore character. Dying is certainly
no longer an option.
Here's another one. The first time I beat Duriel is
using sorceress Storm. At that time, I didn't realise
the power of -Static Field- yet. But Storm was already
at level 24 by the time she reached Duriel (too fond of
hanging around Arcane Sanctuary to collect goodies). So,
with the newly gained power, I used -Frost Nova-,
-Thunderstorm- and -Blizzard- to defeat him. It's quite
an easy battle I would say. I first casted -Frost Nova-
to chill him, then -Thunderstorm- and started running.
It wasn't long until he recovered from -Frost Nova-, so I
casted another one. But this time, I added -Blizzard- to
deal more damage. I kept doing this for some time and
Duriel fell not much later. So, you can try this method
if you found that none of the above methods applicable.
When it's Hell/Nightmare, Duriel seems to have high
resistance against cold. That means Duriel's on steroid.
Well hopefully by then, you already have a pair of
'Fastest Walk/Run' boots. It is the boots that determine
the outcome of this battle. You will have to try
something extremely risky, but it works. When he's
charging towards you, run diagonally from him. Example,
if he's charging from north, run to east or west. But
you cannot do it too soon. You have to time your dash-
away exactly when you see he is going to stop his charge
and start his attack stance. That's less than a second
to do it. It's tough but if you're used to 'timing'
games, it should be a piece of cake. If you're fast
enough, you'll be able to dodge his charge attack. When
you see him stopped to recover, that's when you cast
spells. This is why I said that this battle requires
pure skill and some good luck. If you have listened to
me and have been practising with dodging/avoiding by
running, you will be able to do it.
-----------------
IX. HIGH COUNCILS
-----------------
Level : 24
Attack : Normal Physical/Elemental (depends on enchantment)
Special : Lightning Zap
Heal
Hydra
Exp : 3480
Spell : -Frost Nova-, -Static Field-, -Blaze-, -Thunder Storm-,
-Blizzard-, -Meteor-.
[ Strategy ] : This battle can be easy, can be tough. It depends on