for the PS version
by Joseph Christopher
version 1.0
Oct. 23, 1999
this faq is copyright 1999 Joseph Christopher
by reading this faq you agree that I, the author, am not in any way
liable for any harm that anybody thinks came from reading this faq
* With Diablo out on the PS, many people will surely have the opportunity
to play with their bros and sis at home. Now we can play with someone
we know, without the fear of being hacked or townkilled or whatever.
Diablo is a great game that, although involves a lot of fighting, requires
less fighting skill compared to the conventional arcade fighting games.
Rather, it is more of knowing your own abilities, comparing them with
the opponents', and deciding to back out or not from a fight or to ask
for help. It's quite complicated, but once you learn to like the basics
the rest will simply follow.
Why read this guide:
I. Comparisons with the PC version
II. Controls
III. Definitions
IV. Town
V. Labyrinth
VI. Quests
VII. Basic Items
VIII. Special Names
IX. Unique Items
X. Other Items
XI. Spells
XII. Shrines
XIII. Unique Creatures
XIV. History as told by the Books - will be updated soon
XV. Ending
XVI. Credits
XVII. Revision History
XVIII. Final Words
I. Comparisons with the PC version
* most their differences are found when in multiplayer mode so I'll be
using that as a basis.
____________________________________________________________________
|_PC_________________________________|_PS____________________________|
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| easier point and click interface | faster joy-pad based contols |
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| up to four players using one | up to two players using the |
| console each | same console |
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| cheap, hack-prone saves | costly, hack-immune saves |
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| automatic, non-transferable saves | manual, transerable saves |
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| ability to move on without a | ability to pause the entire |
| teammate's consent | game |
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| all links to the labyrinth below | level skip feature in pause |
| are opened | mode |
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| better graphics, better sound | better gameplay |
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| useful unique items may be carried | all unique items cannot be |
| on to a different game while the | carried on to another game & |
| useless ones may be sold for 1/4 | if you do, will be converted |
| the price | to its full value in gold |
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| can be very easy for beginners | can be very challenging for |
| | experts |
|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|____________________________________|_______________________________|
1. Character Classes:
a. Warrior - your typical knight in shining armor---only he doesn't
have a shining armor yet. You'll have to either fight for
it or raise the money to buy it. Good at swords as well
as axes and other heavy weapons.
b. Rogue - every game that allows you to select from different players
must include a female, otherwise its creators will be called
sexists. Good only at bows, but very good at that.
c. Sorceror- you're dealing with the supernatural, so what else do you
expect? A magician, of course! Good only at staves, but
as good at that as a rogue is with her bows.
2. Select menu buttons:
a. Inventory - displays the items you have and where you have
put them
b. Character Info - displays your name, class, level, experience,
and other things about your player
c. Quests Log - displays a menu of all the quests that are known
to you at present. If you select any of these
quests, a replay of what any person or book told
you about this quest will be presented to you
d. Full Spell Book - displays what spells you can do, their damage,
and casting cost. If the icon of the spell you're
looking at is white, that spell isn't available
for the moment
e. Save/Load - allows you to either save a character, save a
game, or load
f. Volume Adjstmnt - very self-explanatory
g. Controller Setup- allows you to assign commands that aren't enabled
by default to you controller
h. Screen Adjstmnt - if ever there's a black part on one side of your
screen and you can't see the edge of the opposite
side, you'll need this option
i. Help - gives instructions and basic actions like picking
up and dropping items, absolute and relative
movement, etc.
j. Game speed - provides players with the option of speeding up
the way their characters walk, and a lot of other
actions
k. Quit - don't tell me you don't know what this does!
3. Character Stats:
The box on the upper-left most contains your name, and your class
is next to it. Your level determines how well you will fare against
different monsters. Max level: 50. Experience is basically the number
of points you have gather via slaughtering numerous demons. A certain
number of experience points, stated in the Next Level box, is your goal
to raise your level by one. Everytime your level is raised by one,
you gain five stat points which you should distribute wisely among
your strength, magic, dexterity, and vitality. Just press >< on the
desired stat. The numbers under Base tell you how high that specific
stat really is, while those under Now tell how high that specific stat
is when under the influence of the different magical weapons and items.
Ok, on to the other parts. The life box explains in numbers
what the red liquid explains in amount---how much more damage can you'
take without dying. The same goes with mana, which is the amount of
"magic" you can use to pay for a spell's casting cost. Gold and Damage
are self-explanatory, while armor class is your chance of evading an
enemy's attack and To Hit is your chance of landing a hit everytime
you attack. The Resist to boxes tell you how much damage from a said
form of attack can you be invulnerable to.
4. Belt:
The small boxes just beside your "life & mana bar" is your belt.
They pretty much work just like your inventory, but they cannot be
hidden, cannot hold gold coins, rings, amulets, and everything larger,
and can be accessed quickly if you assign a corresponding button for
the task.
This is where you're at whenever you start from scratch. You are
in front of a house, the back of which is where half the town's population
is gathered. Yes, there are four is already half of them. Sorry, but this
town is rather low on inhabitants. Here's the cast:
Ogden the Tavern Owner - he's not much use, except for the fact that
you'll get info on some of the game's quests
from him
Griswald the Blacksmith - the main man of the town, this guy is especially
useful warriors and rogues because it is he
trades weapons of interest to them. You can
also ask him to repair your damaged items,
but of course nothing is for free nowadays.
Be careful when choosing something to buy.
If you decide to re-sell it, he will only
pay you one-fourth the original price.
Cain the Elder - his main use is the identification of unidentified
items (of course, what else?) but even that has a
cost---100 gold to be exact. Quite worth it since
you got a 99.99% chance of increasing the value of
your item by more than a hundred once it is identified.
Not to mention take advantage of its special abilities.
Pepin the Healer - this guy's the ONLY one who'd serve you for free!
Talk to him and you're healed instantly! He also
sells items that heal, but won't buy anything from
you.
Gillian the Barmaid - a little further from the center with Ogden as
the nearest neighbor, this lass does not have
a single dam use in the whole game! Rather not
talk to her.
Wirt the Peg-legged - doesn't the barmaid's position tell there's more
to be seen in the town? You're right. Go beyond
her and eventually you'll find this boy in the
upper-left part of the town. He's just like Griswald,
except for three things: he doesn't buy, doesn't
repair, and sells only one item at the time. He
doesn't even show you what he's selling if you
don't pay him 50 bucks.
Adria the Witch - you explored the left part of the town, but how about
the right? Only one person resides there, the witch.
She's especially useful to sorcerors, but since she
buys or sells almost everything Griswald doesn't,
she's quite an all-around useful gal too. As the
blacksmith repairs weapons, so can she recharge staves.
And again, not without a "reasonable" fee.
Farnham the Drunk - I forgot about this guy, but then again maybe I
should have. Just as useless as the barmaid is,
this guy (I know you don't care already but) is
found just beside the house you started from.
Another feature of this town is its links to the labyrinth below.
There are a total of four links, one of which is the chapel located in
the north. The other three are not accessible when you start from scratch
because they can only be opened from the other side which is down there.
You can, however, just press start to pause, then hit up or down to view
the level select menu and warp to any level!
Nothing much can be said about the labyrinth as it is randomly
generated by software. The only pattern I can observe is the fact that
the level's ambience changes dramatically every after four floors. The
type of monster you will battle also changes in accordance with this
pattern. For levels 1-4, you are in the dungeon level of the chapel,
surrounded by skeletons, zombies, and goblins. Move on to levels 5-8 and
you'll find yourself in the catacombs battling your way through hundreds
of goatmen, bats, and dogs. Levels 9-12 puts you in a cave with lotsa lava
and a multitude of rhinomen, gargoyles and storm demons. The final four
levels are expectedly in hell itself. It's a different interpretation
of hell, as it is not burning, just filled with dead bodies and lotsa
blood. Here, you face witches, mages, and dark knights (no, not batmans)
There will always be exceptions to the rule of distribution of monsters,
as Blizzard tries to stick to the randomness of the game.
As I have mentioned above, the labyrinth has links to the town
above and are opened only from the inside. These links also follow the
same four-level pattern. Levels 1,5,9, and 13 will always have a link
to the town, though there's no telling where it is in the vast area.
Even the quests in Diablo have a somewhat random quality. There
is only one set of quests the computer has in store, but you'll get to
be assigned only about two-thirds of it. You'll have to beat the game
over and over before you finally are sure you've successfully witnessed
all there is to the game's quests. Don't worry, whatever you've achieved
in previous battles (i.e. items, gold, experience) except the uniques,
you'll carry on to your next game even if you start all over---pretty
cool. Below is a list of quests and how to predict which you'll be assigned
to.
Dungeon Quests A (you'll get to solve one of these)
King Leoric
You start the game and look at the fountain beside Cain. If there's
nothing wrong with it then you're sure you won't have to go through
the Poisoned Water Supply quest. Instead you'll face King Leoric. Ogden
the Tavern Owner will tell you about him. He's one tough guy he doesn't
even need buldging muscles to give you a hard time. In fact, he doesn't
have any muscles at all...he's all bones! He's got a big sword, which,
unfortunately, you can't acquire after defeating him. He also has the
ability to raise his minions from the dead so keep him away from them
to avoid unnecessary obstacles. He's best dealt with using your Holy Bolt
Spell.(refer to spells section) He'll give you his crown when he finally
rests in peace, the "UNDEAD CROWN" It's a unique item.
Poisoned Water Supply
If notice the fountain's color is yellowish, then you'll know
that the passageway towards the King is nowhere to be found and in its
place is a crack leading to the underground the water from which springs
to the town. It's Pepin who informs you of this quest, and also he who
rewards you for it---with a "RING OF TRUTH", another unique item. All
you have to do is rid the place of monstrosities and move on.
Dungeon Quests B (you'll get to solve two of these)
The Butcher
There's supposed to be a wounded townsman outside the chapel, and
he's the one who's gonna tell you about the genocidal maniac known only
as the Butcher. Otherwise, you'll be quite sure you'll get to solve the
remaining two quests of the dungeon. The Butcher carries with him a giant
axe---cleaver as you may call it, and this time you can pick it up after
he falls. It's a cool weapon but only until the 7th or 8th level. By
that time you should already have sold it for something else. How to
kill him without suffering a single cut? First, get yourself a bow.
Then show yourself to him and he'll chase you. Go into a room that has
bars for a wall and close the door. Dam demon is too dumb to know how
to open doors so you'll be fine. The arrows will go through the bars
and hit him. You have to be patient for he does not easily yield to
beginners. By the way, his unique weapon is, quite dumbly, named, "The
BUTCHER'S CLEAVER"
Ogden's Sign
Just before you go down to the 5th level, you notice there are
no entrances to the room that contains the stairway. You try the adjacent
room and find a single goblin named Snotspill standing in front of you
He can trigger this quest, but so can Ogden if you talk to him first.
Anyway, Snotspill tells you to beat the crap out of the monsters in the
other adjacent room, get Ogden's sign, and bring it to him, or else...
Does that sound much of a threat? Not really. What you do is kill the
monsters, get the sign, and bring it back to Ogden. At first he'll hurt
your feelings by saying he didn't need the sign anymore, but then he
gives you a unique helm for your effort, the "HARLEQUIN CREST" Quite
useless, though, and should only be sold to get its worth. When you
get back to Snotspill, the walls guarding the stairway have already been
lowered, and replacing them are a multitude of goblins. Just stay where
you are when you first saw him (the doorway) and you're ready to take
them all on! (one by one, that is)
Gharbad the Weak
You notice this odd-colored goatman who isn't supposed to be around
yet since you're only in the dungeons. He won't attack and you can't
kill him, yet. Talk to him and he'll say, "Please don't kill me, I will
prove to be useful to you." (I already translated that to formal English)
Walk away and turn in a corner to make sure he doesn't see you. Walk
back and talk to him the second time. He'll give you a weapon and make
the same plea. Do this several times. Sometimes, you'll get a weapon,
sometimes, you won't. Finally, he creates a weapon that he thinks is
too powerful for you so he decides to use it for himself---against YOU!
As his name suggests, he IS weak. You'll find it easy to defeat him,
now that you've defeated the Butcher (if you got his quest). He'll
drop one last weapon when he dies to which you'll murmur, "I am not
impressed."
Catacomb Quests (you'll get to solve three of these)
Magic Rock
Griswold tells about some sky rock that had fallen to earth and
was nowhere to be found. This is a very easy quest. All you have to
do is look for the said rock somewhere down in the catacombs. It will
be handed to you on a silver platter---literally. Griswold crafts these
stones into another unique ring, the "EMPYREAN BAND"
Valor
For this and the rest of the catacomb quests, you'll have to read
a specific book on a stand somewhere on the level before you get assigned
for the task. For this quest, you'll find it in a long, rectangular
room with two doors at the lower width. Entering these doors will reveal
room with a "blood stone" (seems useless at first) and another door to
go further on. Enter that second room and find a pedestal of blood to
which you will place the blood stone (just press [] on the pedestal while
your blood stone is in your inventory) It turns out that the long,
rectangular room is actually a group of adjacent rooms, and placing
the blood stone on the pedestal unveiled on of them. Go to that room,
get a second blood stone, and again place it on the pedestal. Another
room is uncovered. That room will also contain a blood stone, the last
one which, when placed on the pedestal, reveals a passageway beyond the
wall you are facing. Venture forth, killing the demons on your way, and
be rewarded by the only unique armor that can be acquired through a
quest---the "ARMOR OF VALOR"
Chamber of Bone (always included)
This is the only quest the rewards you with a spell rather than
an item. Here's what you have to do: Read the book regarding it, find
the stairway between eight pillars, and go down. When you're in, massacre
all the skeletons and rhinomen by staying directly in front of the door
of their respective rooms, That way you'll fight only one of them at
a time. When you're through, look for another book on a stand and read
it. (This will give you the Guardian Spell)
Halls of the Blind
I kinda like the poem that triggers this quest and have quite
memorized it by heart; here goes:
I can see what you see not,
Vision milky then eyes rot.
When you turn they will be gone,
Whispering their hidden song.
Then you see what cannot be,
Shadows move where light should be.
Out of darkness, out of mind,
Cast down into the halls of the blind
In this quest you just have to eradicate a bunch of demons that
can go invisible (quite simple yet challenging as well) You'll find
in a small room your reward---the "OPTIC AMULET"
Cave Quests (you'll get to solve two of these)
Zhar the Mad
Ok, sorry. This guy's nowhere to be found in the caves (he appears
on the level preceeding it) but he's included in this group of quests
that the computer choses from so I included him. You'll find him in a
library, busy reading. He'll give you a book, and tell you to be on your
way. Something tells me you wouldn't, and try to press [] on his library.
He becomes enraged, and throws fireballs at you. Non-warriors won't have
much problems with him, as they'd probably be using a bow or a staff that
can throw something as well. If you chose to be a warrior, you'd probably
be using a short range weapon and therefore will have to chase him down.
Just remember that when he teleports, a faint light can be seen moving
on the floor. Follow that light for it will lead you to where he'll
appear next.
Black Mushroom
The most insulting quest of all, this one makes you look like a
gullible errand boy that blindy follows the whims of his master. First,
you find a Fungal Tome which you should present to Adria. She then asks
you to look for big black mushroom somewhere in the same area and bring
it to her. This big black thingy is found along with a patch of smaller
ones. Pick it up (it's actually as big as your shield!) and give it to
the witch. She appreciates what you've done and remembers Pepin telling
her something about needing the brain of some demon to experiment on.
She also "requests" you to give her a sample of the elixir Pepin will
make from the brain. You then kill any demon after that conversation
its brain can automatically be picked up. Bring (starting to get tired
now?) this brain to the healer who will, in turn give you a spectral
elixir which you should fetch to the witch. The dam bit...uh witch tells
you she doesn't need it anymore and that you should keep it. The spectral
elixir will increase all your stats by three so maybe it was worth the
effort.
The Anvil of Fury
The best of the quests as I would see it. Fairly easy. Griswold
tells you about it and all you have to do is find and bring it to him
and voila...a powerful sword, "GRISWOLD'S EDGE" is at your disposal.
On my opinion, there are only two other swords better than this, namely
the "Grandfather" and "Grizzly Sword" and these are very hard to find.
Hell Quests (you'll get to solve three of these)
The Warrior of Blood
Another book-on-a-stand triggered quest, this one yields a LOT
of high-priced items(none unique though) that's sure to catch your
attention. You fight the Warrior of Blood, along with his own band of
minions just before you locate the stairway to the next level. The trick
is not to enter his room. Lure one knight at a time to chase you, and
you'll be fine.
Lachdanan
Just when you've readied your best weapons, you find out this guy's
on your side, and needs your help. He begs of you to find a golden elixir
which is the only thing that could finally put him to rest (poor guy)
This elixir is found on the next level so you have to remember where
he was standing so you could come back up for him. He'll reward you with
one of these, "VEIL OF STEEL" and "GOTTERDAMERUNG" Both are helms and
both are worth trying.
Archbishop Lazarus (always included)
This time an item---a "Vile Staff" that rests on a stand triggers
your quest. Well, not exactly. You still have to present this staff to
Cain who'll identify it by saying it belongs to the Archbishop himself.
When you get back to the level where you found it, walk along to find
a red portal that leads to his corruptness' lair. Exit through the only
door you see, fighting your way through succubuses. You can go either
to the left or to the right, they contain the same problems. Just ignore
the jailed witches for a while, continue fighting, and when all's over,
stand on that grey circle and read the book on the stand beside it. You'll
be taken inside the room with the witches but this time the bars are lowered.
fight your way through them, go to the other side of the lair and do
just the same. When both sides are cleaned up, go back to where you
started and step on the grey circle. No book-on-a-stand to read this
time, you are instantly teleported beyond the wall---where Lazarus is.
Accompanying him are the unique succubuses, Red Vex and Black Jade
(boy, I'm starting to like this guy) and a multitude of succubuses
(oh yeah baby) along with fellow mages (yuck!) After he finishes talking
you can commence with the fight. I'd rather stay in the middle and
honorably fight them all at the same time, but I'd suggest, for beginners,
running away even before he finishes his speech. That way you can, one
by one, lure the witches, and the mages, and the uniques, into their
deaths. Deal with the playboy himself just as you did with Zhar (if
you faced him) and you're on your merry way to the Dark Lord.
Diablo (always included)
Of course this is always included! Why'd they call the game Diablo
in the first place? After you defeat Lazarus, go back through the red
portal and notice that the pentagram near it is now red, flashing, and
opened in the middle. Go through the opening and you land in the center
of another lair---Diablo's. It's made up of four rooms, each containing
a skull lever that opens the next. First thing you do is eradicate all
who are outside these rooms. They don't come in groups and if they do,
they're only composed of two to three members and that only happens if
you don't walk slowly and lure more than one at a time. One of the rooms
is already opened so you'll have to clear that too. Once everything's
quiet, it's time to turn on the noise again: Press [] on the next lever
to open the next room, eradicate all that moves, repeat the process for
the third room, create a town portal (by this time you must already know
what that is) to go back, prepare all you want, and get ready to face
the final challenge, er, challenges. Press [] on both the skull levers
in order to open the last room. Both these levers are in the third room
so no sweat. Go to the last room, walking around it, one by one luring
knights ang mages alike to their deaths, and finally barging in to kill
the big red machine (no, not KANE!) inside. Don't forget to save the game
at the moment you killed him to maximize the number of experience points
you'll carry with you to your next adventure.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
* for the rest of the item sections I won't be including much strategies
because that's what the game is all about---building your OWN strategy
and relying on the items of YOUR choice.
* These are found on the descriptions of the magic weapons (written in
blue) There are two kinds: One that appears before the weapon's basic
name and the other that appears after. They say what special ability
that weapon has so here is a list:
descriptions that come before the actual name:
Amber - +16-20% resist all
Angel's - +1 spell level to all
Arch-Angel's - +2 spell level to all
Awesome - +131-150% armor
Azure - +21-30% resist lightning
Bent - -50-75% damage
Blessed - +91-110% armor
Blue - +10-20% resist lightning
Bountifull - charges tripled
Brass - -1-5% to hit
Bronze - +1-5% to hit
Brutal - +81-95% damage
Burgundy - +31-40% resist fire
Champion's - +126-150% damage ;
+51-75% to hit
Clumsy - -50-75% damage ;
-1-5% to hit
Cobalt - +41-50% resist lightning
Crimson - +21-40% resist fire
Crystal - +41-50% resist magic
Deadly - +36-50% damage
Diamond - +51-60% resist magic
Dragon's - +51-60 mana
Drake's - +41-50 mana
Dull - -25-45% damage ;
-4-5% to hit
Emerald - +41-50% resisr all
Fine - +20-30% armor
Frog's - -1-10 mana
Garnet - +41-50% resist fire
Glorious - +71-90% armor
Godly - +171-200% armor
Gold - +20-30% to hit
Grand - +41-55% damage
Heavy - +51-65% damage
Holy - +151-170% armor
Hyena's - -11-25 mana
Hydra's - +81-100 mana
Iron - +6-10% to hit
Ivory - +31-40% resist magic
Jade - +21-30% resist all
Jagged - +20-35% damage
King's - +151-175% damage
+76-100% to hit
Knight's - +96-110% damage
+31-40% to hit
Lapis - +31-40% resist lightning
Lord's - +81-95% damage
+21-30% to hit
Massive - +96-110% damage
Master's - +111-125% damage
+41-50% to hit
Mithril - +41-60% to hit
Merciless - +151-175% damage
Meteoric - +61-80% to hit
Obsidian - +31-40% resist all
Pearl - +21-30% resist magic
Platinum - +31-40% to hit
Plentiful - charges doubled
Raven's - +16-20 mana
Red - +10-20% resist fire
Ruby - +51-60% resist fire
Rusted - -25-50% armor
Ruthless - +125-150% damage
Saintly - +111-130% armor
Sapphire - +51-60% resist lightning
Savage - +111-125% damage
Serpent's - +30-40 mana
Sharp - +20-35% damage
+1-5 to hit
Silver - +16-20 to hit
Snake's - +21-30 mana
Soldier's - +66-80% damage
+16-20% to hit
Spider's - +10-15 mana
Steel - +11-15 to hit
Strong - +31-40% armor
Strange - +101-150% to hit
Sturdy - +20-30% armor
Tin - -6-10% to hit
Topaz - +10-15% resist all
Useless - -100% damage
Valiant - +56-70% armor
Vicious - +66-80% damage
Vulnerable - -51-100% armor
Warrior's - +51-65% damage
+11-15% to hit
Weak - -25-45% damage
Weird - +81-100% to hit
White - +10-20% resist magic
Wyrm - +61-80 mana
descriptions that come after the actual name:
(starts with "...of..." or "...of the...")
Absorption - -3 damage from enemies
Accuracy - +11-15 dexterity
Ages - indestructible
Atrophy - -1-5 dexterity
Balance - fast recovery
Bashing - 8-24 damage to armor
Bat - steals 3% mana
Bear - knocks target back
Blocking - fast block
Blood - steals 6% life
Brilliance - +11-15 magic
Brittleness - -26-75% durability
Burning - 1-16 fire damage
Carnage - +13-16 damage
Corruption - mana=0
Craftsmanship - +51-100% durability
Crusaders - damage of this attack
+50% damage of last one
Dark - -40% light radius
Dexterity - +1-5 dexterity
Disease - -1-5 vitality
Dyslexia - -1-5 magic
Eagle - +21-30 hit points
Fire - +1-6 fire arrow damage
Flame - +1-3 fire arrow damage
Fool - -6-0/+1-10 magic
Fox - +10-15 hit points
Fragility - durability=1
Frailty - -6-10 strength
Giant - +16-20 strength
Gore - +9-12 damage
Harmony - fastest hit recovery
Haste - fastest attack
Health - -1 damage from enemies
Heavens - +12-15 all stats
Illness - -6-10 vitality
Jackal - -1-10 hit points
Jaguar - +16-20 hit points
Leech - steals 3% life
Life - -4 damage from enemies
Light - +20% light radius
Lightning - +1-10 lightning arrow
damage
Lion - +51-60 hit points
Magic - +1-5 magic
Maiming - +3-5 damage
Mammoth - +61-80 hit points
Many - +100% arrow durability
Might - +6-10 strength
Mind - +6-10 magic
Moon - +4-7 all stats
Night - -20% light radius
Pit - -1-5 all stats
Quality - +1-2 damage
Radiance - +40% light radius
Pain - +2-4 damage from enemies
Paralysis - -6-10 dexterity
Perfection - +21-30 dexterity
Piercing - 2-6 damage to armor
Plenty - +200% arrow durability
Power - +11-15 strength
Precision - +16-20 dexterity
Protection - -2 damage from enemies
Puncturing - 4-12 damage to armor
Readiness - fast attack
Shock - +1-6 lightning arrow
damage
Skill - +6-10 dexterity
Sky - +1-3 all stats
Slaughter - +17-20 damage
Slaying - +6-8 damage
Sorcery - +16-20 magic
Speed - fastest attack
Stability - faster hit recovery
Stars - +8-11 all stats
Structure - +101-200% durability
Sturdiness - +26-50% durability
Strength - +1-5 strength
Spikes - 1-10 damage to
attacking enemy
Swiftness - faster attack
Tears - +1 damage from enemies
Thieves - -1/2 trap damage
Thorns - 1-6 damage to
attacking enemy
Thunder - +1-20 lightning damage
Tiger - +50 hit points
Titans - +21-30 strength
Trouble - -10 all stats
Vampire - steals 6% mana
Vigor - +16-20 vitality
Vileness - enemy stops healing
Vim - +11-15 vitality
Vitality - +1-5 vitality
Vulture - -11-25 hit points
Weakness - -1-5 strength
Whale - +81-100 hit points
Wizardry - +21-30 magic
Wolf - +30-40 hit points
Zest - +6-10 vitality
Zodiac - +16-20 hit points
* As the name suggests, there is only one set of items of this kind and
they cannot be found twice in a single game. It's quite hard to get all
of them, as they can never be bought, only chanced upon while fighting
your way through the labyrinth or by completing certain quests. They
can, however, be sold.
* legend:
Reqment -requirement
Hand -handed
Dam -damage
HP -hit points
MN -mana
AS -all stats
LR -light radius
R -resist
fr -from
fir -fire
lng -lightning
inf -infinite
SL -spell level
SC -spell cost
* you may be wondering why the "Grandfather" sword (mentioned above) has
"One-handed" included in its traits. What's so special about it being
one-handed? Almost every sword is one-handed! Well, the fact that this
unique item takes on the basic form of a "Great Sword" (dam:10-20 ;
durability: 100) it should also be two-handed like any other "Great
Sword", but is not. This sword, on my opinion, is the best weapon,
and probably item, in the game. (not to mention the highest-priced
unique item; 29,950 gold whereas no other unique item even reached
the price of 20,000)
* Ah, yes...the "Messerschmidt's Reaver"---with the word DAMAGE written
all over it. You'll definitely agree this baby's worth the low defense
that comes with it (cause, like other axes, it's two-handed; you can't
use it with a shield) That is, IF you're absolutely sure you'll be
engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Otherwise, you'll need the shield---
still, it's YOUR choice!
* If you choose to rely on bows, which generally do a lot less damage
than any other type of weapon in the game, you'll need one that's
equiped with an ability to increase its damage by a large percent.
You'll also need a bow that knocks your target back since if they
get close, you'll be hopelessly defenseless. Lastly, you'll need a
bow that increases your strength, as this also means increase in
damage. The "Windforce" just does all that.
* Nuthin like a good 'ol Golem by your side, chanting your opponent's
name right after saying the word, "maul" The other staves may give
you a more damaging spell with higher number of charges, but what if
you venture into a level where ALL of the inhabitants are immune to
it? There's no immunity to a Golem since he does physical, not magical,
damage. The only problem is if a single monster is so strong your
Golem isn't enough. But of course you can arrange that. You'll just
have to "help him help you". (now, where did I hear that? hmmm...)
* It's clear in this category that the "Stormshield" outranks the rest.
Having an armor class of 40 is enough to make it number 1 among the
shields. What more with an increase to strength! And who cares if
it makes the opponent do more damage? They can't inflict it anyway
because of this shield's fast block ability.
* The "Demonspike Coat" has the unique armor class of 100 while the next
best value is 75 (and as low as 49 among the uniques) It definitely
is the best among the unique armors, but I'd rather have a Godly Plate
of whatever since a 75 armor class increased by 200% yields 150, a
lot more than the 100 the Demonspike Coat boats about.
* Would you choose to proudly walk in the dark, as you would wearing
a "Veil of Steel"? or to humbly walk in the light, as is the case of
a "Lightforge"? Either way, both must have been second only to the
"Gotterdamerung" if not for its "resistance to all = 0". That's a big,
big, disadvantage and I don't think it's worth the large plus to all
the attributes.
* These items were made for the sole reason of adorning one's body. They
look cute but there are tons of better, non-unique rings and amulets
out there that can prove to be more usefull. Again, it's your choice,
therefore it's up to you to find a suitable bargain for these if you
come across them in the labyrinth.
X. Other Items
* Sadly, I can only put a few items on this section. I'm sure I just forgot
the rest, as I am just writing this whole faq (except for the charts)
from memory. Please email me on things you think should be included in
this section.
1) Potion of Healing
A faint red liquid that's contained in a somewhat cylindrical
bottle. Restores part of your health and does it at random values. You
can have anywhere from 1 hit point to all your health EXCEPT one hit
point restored. Costs 50 gold.
2) Potion of Full Healing
A bright red liquid that's contained in a somewhat pot-shaped
bottle. Restores 100% of your health, no matter how many hit points
it's composed of. Costs 150 gold and on my opinion is better than
to risk losing a fight when you buy a potion of healing, use it when
you really need it, and suddenly find out it just restored a hit
point and nothing more.
3) Potion of Mana
A faint blue liquid that's contained in a somewhat cylindrical
bottle. Has basically the same effect as that of the potion of healing
except that it affects not your health but your mana. Also costs 50
gold.
4) Potion of Full Mana
A bright red liquid that's contained in a somewhat pot-shaped
bottle. You probably have an idea of what this does just by reading
the other three. If not, well it restores all your mana and costs
150 gold.
5) Potion of Rejuvenation
A faint yellow liquid contained in a somewhat canteen-shaped
bottle. Has the combined effects of a potion of healing and potion
of mana. It may be random in restoring your health and your mana, you
can be sure that whatever value it used to raise the amout of health
you have will always be the same to the corresponding increase in
mana. Costs 150 gold---definitely a no-no. Buying a full potion
of whatever it is you need the most is simply a better idea.
6) Potion of Full Rejuvenation
A bright yellow liquid contained in a somewhat flask-shaped
bottle. Has the combined effects of a potion of full healing and a
potion of full mana. Just think of it: you'll be filling up two meters,
namely, your health and mana, but are paying for four full potions of
either of them! Now, why should you waste a good 300 bucks just for
the convenience of restoring everything in one tap of a button.?
7) Elixir of Strength
A whitish liquid contained in a somewhat pot-shaped bottle. It
increases your strength by one and is very useful for the warriors.
Elixirs, in general, can only be available after you've reached level
20. They all cost 5000 gold.
8) Elixir of Dexterity
A black liquid contained in a somewhat canteen-shaped bottle.
Increases your dexterity by one and is very useful for rogues.
9) Elixir of Magic
An orange liquid contained in a somewhat pot-shaped bottle. It
increases your magic by one and is very useful for sorcerors. This,
as well as the three other elixirs listed above, should not be bought
as soos as you see them. You have to wait fir the time you need them
the most before you spend on them (i.e you need just a couple of more
points to use a great weapon)
10) Elixir of Vitality
A whitish liquid contained in a somewhat cylidrical bottle.
Increases your vitality by one and your life by one or two points,
depending on your character class (only warriors will increase by
two) This elixir is a lot harder to find but really, you don't have
to spend much time looking for it. You'll need the other ones a lot
more.
XI. Spells
* There is a total of, well, I forgot, number of spells. I really can't
judge because there are different types, mainly:
1) Skills unique to each character class: (these types of spells are
called skills because whoever can do them has mastered the art and
therefore do not need any mana as a casting cost)
a) Item Repair - unique to the warrior class, this skill enables you
to restore the durability of any item, at the expense
of the maximum durability it had when it was brand
new. Only recommended on items with a ready replacement.
Otherwise, spend a little and let the master blacksmith
do the work for you.
b) Trap Disarm - unique to the rogue class, this skill enables you
to disable any booby traps that come with opening
doors, chest, and the like. You don't have to use
it all the time, cause as a rogue you can detect
which door or chest is booby trapped.
c) Staff Recharge - unique to the sorceror class, this skill enables
you to restore the number of charges a staff has
yet, like the warrior, at the expense of the maximum
number of charges the staff could hold when it
was brand new. Also only recommended on staffs
with a ready replacement. Otherwise, spend a little
and let the powerful witch do the work for you.
2) Multiplayer spells: (these can only be done in multiplayer mode since
they need another player as a target)
a) Heal Other - restores the health of any player you choose. Increases
in number of hitpoints restored and decreases in casting
cost as you read more books on this spell.
b) Resurrect - what else but bring back to life a player who has already
been killed. Make it a rule to carry at least two of
these whenever you play in multiplayer
3) Staff and Scroll only spells: (these spells are too powerful to learned
just by reading a book on it once; they are also too useful to be
further upgraded so they come in their weakest form)
a) Apocalypse - THE most powerful spell in the game, it affects your
every foe and does great damage at that. There is also
no single immunity to it because, I think, it's a
combination of fire and magic. Besides, this is Diablo's
own skill so isn't it supposed to be more powerful than
any of his minions? Oh, I forgot to tell what it does.
Well, basically, it just creates big, sudden bursts
of flame wherever enemies are located.
b) Nova - Another very powerful spell, this one creates a circle of
electricity around you that increases in diameter by the
moment. In effect, all your enemies, except those behind
walls, are hit and is damaged hard by this spell.
c) Identify - It's not that powerful, (actually, there is NO power
involved whatsoever in this spell) but is still too
useful to be set free from the limits of staves and
scrolls. It identifies unidentified items (again, of
course, what else?) not for a hundred bucks but for
mana.
d) Infravision - Another powerless yet extremely useful spell that
allows you to see through walls and therefore be able
to estimate the kind of weapon you'll need before
you enter any room.
4) Conventional spells: (those that can come in books and are more commonly
found, used, or made available than any other type)
* arranged in order of availability: (from easiest to hardest to find)
a) Firebolt - A spell so common, sorcerors actually already have learned
it as you start from scratch. You launch a ball of fire
(shouldn't this be called a "Fireball"? you'll see why...)
and it hits the opponent, doing very little damage even
if your enemy has no resistance at all to fire.
b) Charged Bolt - Just the same as the firebolt in terms of availability
and uselessness, but this time three puny shards
of slow-traveling electricity are launched and split
up in different directions.
c) Holy Bolt - Notice the pattern with the bolts? This one's even
worse. It does just about as little damage as the other
two but this time you can only hurt the undead. I'm
not that sure what is under the category of undead,
but the skeletons are definitely members of this. There
is a bright side to this spell, however, as it is one
of the few that can hurt the Dark Lord of Terror himself.
Still, I don't like it that much.
d) Healing - Self-explanatory. Your health is restored, what more is
there to it? It consumes less amount of mana than the
number of hit points it restores so use it when you happen
to have enough time to run from your enemies and cast
this spell in private. Otherwise, resort to the potion
of full healing which is a must in your belt.
e) Inferno - Consider yourself a fire-breathing dragon when you cast
this spell. You do know how dragon's breathe fire, don't
you? Well, that's just like how you're gonna toast your
opponents---via a slow, straight-forward, burst of flame.
f) Firewall - Obviously, this spell creates a wall of fire in front
of its caster. The wall lasts longer and gets hotter
each time you read another book on it. A good strategy
would be to cast this when you open a door to a room
filled with monsters and wait outside. Every enemy that
comes out to play will have deminished health and therefore
greater chances of losing against you. Another good
use for this spell is against gruops of enemies with
projectiles. They usually form a horizontal line in front
of you and hurl their weapons/spells. Cast the firewall
spell rightaway and watch them roast. I most certainly
recommend trying your best to find books on this spell
if you want to finish the game.
g) Telekinesis - No, you cannot move items to another place, you can
just do one of two things: If you cast this spell
on an inanimate object, the effect would be the same
as if you pressed [] on it (i.e. weapons get picked
up, doors get opened, etc.) OR, if you cast this
on an opponent, he will be pushed back.
h) Lightning - Well, not really. Clouds don't suddenly form and lightning
strikes. You just shoot forth a beam of electricity,
that's all.
i) Town Portal - It's a very useful spell, this Town Portal. In case
didn't get it, this spell opens a portal that takes
you back to the town. Sure, you can try the long way
(through the stairs of each floor) but isn't that
just plain tiring? You could get books on this, but
maybe not for now. You don't need it that much since
you'll always come across scrolls of town portal
which does just the same thing.
j) Flash - Very powerful but I haven't mastered the art of using this
spell effectively yet because I really do not rely on it.
Maybe you shouldn't too. It's a blast of white energy that
surrounds you and hits all monsters that are close enough.
k) Stone Curse - Useful but only on level bosses and unique opponents
and only if you fight them alone. It turns an enemy
of your choice into stone, but only for a limited
amount of time. It consumes so much mana casting it
on several opponents will prove to be quite futile
as some of them will recover before you even hit them
once.
l) Phasing - Whoever casts this spell is teleported to a random place,
usually beyond the nearest wall.
m) Mana Shield - This spell is timed and in its duration, getting
hit will decrease your mana, not your health. Useful
for sorcerors who have a lot more mana than health.
If you lose all your mana the spell also ends.
n) Elemental - First read the description of the Fireball spell. Finished?
Well, this spell does just the same, except for the
fact that you launch a human flame that looks for the
enemy and runs for him. May look cool, may look corny,
I really can't decide. It costs much more than the
Fireball, but that's because it's homing. I'd rather
use my own targeting skills though.
o) Flame Wave - Imagine an advancing Firewall, and the picture you
get is actually that of a Flame Wave. These babies
are especially useful whenever you're walking on a
seemingly endless corridor.
p) Fireball - Ahh, yes...the real Mccoy. Makes your firebolt seem
like spark. You launch a ball of fire which basically
looks the same as your firebolt, but when it connects,
BOOM! Your enemy is a mess. It can even take out a group
of monsters as long as they're more or less in the same
vicinity.
q) Chain Lightning - Imagine multiple Lightning spells cast in different
directions, and the picture you get is actually
that of a Chain Lightning. It causes much more
damage than the Nove spell, but is obviously less
accurate.
r) Guardian - Cool. very cool. You make the ground crack and from that
crack manifests a three headed dragon that spits firebolts
on anyone who dares come close. When I said cool, I meant
cool-looking. It cannot do much damage since it launches
Firebolts, remember?
s) Teleport - Whoever uses this spell, unlike the Phasing, is teleported
to a place of his choice. Of course, that choice is
within the screen because you still have to select it.
On my opinion, it takes too much mana for a simple
effect.
t) Golem - Nuthin like a good 'ol Golem by your side, chanting your
opponent's name right after saying the word, "maul" There's
no immunity to a Golem since he does physical, not magical,
damage. The only problem is if a single monster is so strong
your Golem isn't enough. But of course you can arrange that.
You'll just have to "help him help you". (now, where did
I hear that? hmmm...) Did I just say that whole paragraph
somewhere in this faq? By the way, a golem is a mindless,
stone creature.
u) Bone Spirit - Consumes some of your health as part of its casting
cost. It's a homing ghost that takes one-third of
your opponent's life, therefore three of these is
enough to kill ANYONE. That is, excluding those
who resist or are immune to magic.
v) Blood Star - This looks just like what the succubuses offer you
when you meet them---a red ball of pure magical
energy. Will, like the Bone Spirit spell, hurt and
kill only those who do not resist magic and again
like the said spell, will consume part of your health
as a casting cost.
XII. Shrines
* These areas of worship come your way throughout the whole game. All
you have to do is press [] on them and they'll give you something in
return. Be warned, though: not all the time you'll like what they'll
give. They have different names, different things to say, and therefore
different corresponding effects.
______________________________________________________________________
Name_________|_Message___________________|_Effect____________________|
| | |
Abandoned | The hands of men may be | +2 Dexterity |
| guided by fate | |
| | |
Creepy | Strength is bolstered by | +2 Strength |
| heavenly faith | |
| | |
Cryptic | Arcane power brings | restores mana , one free |
| destruction | Nova spell |
| | |
Divine | Drink and be refreshed | two free full potions, |
| | restores health and mana |
| | |
Eerie | Knowledge and wisdom at | +2 Magic |
| cost of self | |
| | |
Eldritch | Crimson and azure become | all health and mana |
| as the sun | potions in your inventory |
| | become rejuvenation |
| | |
Enchanted | Magic is not always what | -1 SL to one spell, +1 SL |
| it seems to be | to the rest |
| | |
Fascinating | Intensity comes at the | +1 SL to Firebolt spell, |
| cost of wisdom | -10% max mana |
| | |
Glimmering | Mysteries revealed in the | indentifies all items |
| light of reason | |
| | |
Gloomy | Those who defend seldom | +2 armor to all items |
| attack | that apply, -1 max damage |
| | to all weapons |
| | |
Hidden | New strength is forged | -10 dur to one item, +10 |
| through destruction | to the rest |
| | |
Holy | Wherever you go there you | free phasing spell |
| are | |
| | |
Imposing | A surge of blood | moves 25% of mana to |
| interrupts your thoughts | health |
| | |
Magical | While the spirit is | one free Mana Shield |
| vigilant the body thrives | spell |
| | |
Mysterious | Some are weakened as one | +5 to any stat, -1 from |
| grows strong | the rest |
| | |
Mystic | Your skills increase, but | +700 experience points, |
| at a price | lose all gold but 1 |
| | |
Orante | Salvation comes at the | +1 SL to Holy Bolt spell, |
| cost of wisdom | -10% max mana |
| | |
Quiet | The essence of life flows | +2 Vitality |
| from within | |
| | |
Religious | Time cannot deminish the | repairs all items |
| power of steel | |
| | |
Sacred | Energy comes at the cost | +2 SL to Charged Bolt |
| of wisdom | spell, -10% max mana |
| | |
Secluded | The way is cleared when | completes automap for the |
| viewed from above | level you are in |
| | |
Spiritual | Riches abound when least | all empty inventory boxes |
| expected | are filled with random |
| | amounts of gold |
| | |
Spooky | When avarice fails, | restores health and mana |
| patience gains reward | of all other players |
| | |
Stone | The power of mana | recharges all staves |
| refocused renews | |
| | |
Tainted | Those who are last may | random shrine effect on |
| yet be first | another randomly chosen |
| | player |
| | |
Thaumaturgic | What once was opened now | all chests are randomly |
| is closed | filled with new items |
| | |
Weird | The sword of justice is | +1 max damage to all |
| swift and sharp | weapons |
| | |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
* notes: what to do before you access these shrines
Cryptic - lure enemies near it
Eldritch - go back to town and spend all you want on full potions
Gloomy - unequip all your weapons
Imposing - restore full mana
Magical - restore full mana
Mystic - unequip all your gold
Spiritual - empty your inventory
Thaumaturgic - open all chests and collect all treasures for the level
* Other, shrine-like areas:
1) Goat Shrines - does a random shrine effect. To find out what, you'll
just have to rely on what it has to say. These shrines
are found in the middle part of the game
2) Cauldrons - does a random shrine effect and just like the goat
shrine, you can only find out what it did by reading
its quote
3) Blood Fountains - restores one hit point everytime you press [] on it.
The number of times you can press [] on it is infinite.
4) Fountains of Tears - +1 to one stat and -1 to another
5) Murky Pools - one free Infravision spell
6) Purifying Springs - restores one mana everytime you press [] on it.
The number of times you can press [] on it is
infinite.
* I remember a shrine that says "There's no place like home" and the
effect is one free Town Portal spell but I forgot the name of the shrine.
I also remember coming across a Supernatural shrine that says, "You
hear a strange cry from a distance." But I forgot the effect. Sorry
bout these.
Since the beginning, the forces of light and darkness have engaged
in an eternal war: The Great Conflict, whose victor will rise from the
apocalyptic ashes to hold sway over all creation. To ths end, the angels
of the high heavens adhere to strict militaristic disciplines. Seraphim
warrioirs strike at the enemies of light with swords imbued with righteous
wrath and justice. The angels believe that only absolute discipline can
properly restore order to the myriad realms, while the demonic denizens
of the burning hells hold that absolute chaos is the true nature of all
things.
The battles of the Great Conflict rage across both time and space
often infringing upon the very fabric of reality itself. From the Crystal
Arch at the very heart of the high heavens to the arcane Hellforge of
the underworld, the warriors of these eternal realms journey to wherever
their timeless conflict carries them. The legendary deeds of the heroes
of the realms beyond elicit both veneration and insight.
The greatest of these heroes was Izual, lieutenant to the arch-angel
Tyrael and bearer of the angelic runeblade Azurewrath. He once led a fierce
attack upon the Hellforge as the creation of the dark demonblade Shadowfang
was nearing completion. His quest was to destroy both wielder and weapon---
a charge that he was destined never to complete. Izual was overcome by
the legions of chaos and, tragically, was lost to the Darkness. His fate
stands as testament to the fact that Angels and Demons alike shall fearlessly
enter into any domain---so long as their hated enemies dwell within.
Although the Great Conflict burned hotter and longer than any of
the stars in the sky, neither side could gain dominion over the other
for long. Both factions sought some way to turn the tides of the war to
their favor. With the ascension of man and his mortal realm, the Great
Conflict ground to a mysterious halt. Both armies paused in a breathless
stalemate, waiting to see to whose side man would eventually turn.
Mortals had the unique ability to choose between darkness and light,
and it was held that this would be the deciding factor in the outcome
of the Great Conflict. Thus, the agents of the nether-realms descended
to the mortal realm to vie for the favor of man...
2. The Sin War -
The coming of the Great Conflict to the mortal realm is known as
the Sin War. Angels and demons, disguising themselves while traveling
amongst men, attempted to secretly lure mortals to their respective causes.
Over time, the forces of darkness discovered that mortals responded much
more to brute force than to subtle coercion, and so began to terrorize
man into submission. The angels fought to defend humanity against this
demonic oppression, but all too often their austere methods and severe
punishments succeeded only in alienating those whom they sought to protect.
The violent battles of the Sin War occurred often, but they were
seldom witnessed by the prying eyes of man. Only a few "enlightened"
souls were aware of the supernatural beings that walked amongst the huddled
masses of humanity. Powerful mortals arose and accepted the challenge
of the Sin War, allying themselves with both sides in the Great Conflict.
The legendary deeds of these great mortal warriors served to earn both
the respect and hatred of the netherworlds. Although lesser demons kneeled
before those possessing power and strength, they also cursed the very
existence of mortal man. Many of these fiends believed that the deadlock
brought about by the emergence of Man was a perverse offense to their
"higher" role in the great scheme of things.
This jealousy of man led to harsh, atrocious acts of violence by
the demons against the mortal realm. Some men learned of this deep hatred
and used it against the denizens of the underworld. One such mortal,
Horazon the Summoner, delighted in summoning demons and then breaking
them to his will. Horazon, along with his brother Bartuc, were members
of the Eastern mage clan known as the Vizjerei. This mystic clan studied
the ways of demons and had catalogued their lore for generations. Empowered
by this knowledge, Horazon was able to take the work of the Vizjerei and
pervert it for his demented purposes. The denizens of hell sought revenge
against this bold mortal, but Horazon managed to keep himself well protected
within his arcane sanctuary.
Bartuc, the brother of Horazon, was eventually lured to the side
of darkness. He was granted exceptional strength and longevity, and fought
alongside the legions of hell against the cursed Vizjerei, and eventually
his own brother during the Sin War. Although Bartuc was renowned amongst
the warriors of many realms, his dominance in battle came with a terrible
price. An insatiable lust for mortal blood pervaded his every thought
and deed. Bartuc soon became as fond of bathing in the blood of his enemies
as he did of shedding it, and in time he came to be known only as the
Warlord of Blood.
3. The Dark Exile -
"Seven is the number of the powers of Hell, and Seven is the
number of the Great Evils."
Duriel, the Lord of Pain
Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish
Belial, the Lord of Lies
Azmodan, the Lord of Sin
These are the true names of the lesser of the great evils. For
ages uncounted each have ruled over their own domains within the burning
hells, seeking absolute dominion over their infernal brethren. As the
lesser four continuously vied for the control of those forces that dwelled
within their realms, the greater three held absolute power over the whole
of Hell. The lesser four used dark and evil measures in their quest for power,
and herein begins the legend of the Exile.
Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred
Baal, the Lord of Destruction
Diablo, the Lord of Terror
These are the prime evils of hell that wielded their power as
a dark, sovereign triumvirate. The three brothers ruled over the lesser
four by brutal force and malicious cunning. Being the eldest and strongest
of the evils, the three brothers were responsible for countless victories
against the armies of the light. Although they never held sway over the
high heavens for long, the three were justly feared by enemies and subjects
alike.
With the ascension of man and the subsequent standstill of the
Great Conflict, the three brothers began to devote their energies to the
perversion of mortal souls. The three realized that man was the key to
victory in the war against Heaven, and thus altered their rigid agendum
that they had propagated since the beginning. This change caused many
of the lesser evils to question the authority of the three, and so brought
about a great rift between the prime evils and their servitors. In their
ignorance, the lesser evils began to believe that the three were afraid
to continue the war with heaven. Frustrated by the cessation of the war,
Azmodan and Belial saw the situation as their chance to overthrow the
prime evils and take control of hell for themselves. The two demon lords
made a pact with their minor brethren, assuring them that the wretched
plague of humanity would not deter the ultimate victory of the Sons of
Hell. Azmodan and Belial devised a plan to end the stalemate, achieve
victory in the Sin War and ultimately ride the bloody crest of the Great
Conflict straight into the very arms of Armageddon. Thus, a great revolution
was set into motion as all of hell went to war against the three brothers...
The brothers fought with all of the savagery of the underworld,
and to their credit, annihilated a third of Hell's treacherous legions.
In the end, however, they were overcome by the Horned Death led by the
traitors Azmodan and Belial. The prime evils, weakened and bodiless were
banished to the mortal realm where Azmodan hoped that they would remain
trapped forever. Azmodan believed that with the three set loose upon
humanity, the angels would be forced to turn their focus upon on the
mortal plane---thus leaving the gates of heaven abandoned and defenseless.
Those few demons who still pledged allegiance to the three brothers fled
the wrath of Azmodan and Belial, escaping to the realm of man to seek out
their lost masters.
As the warfires died out upon the battlefields of hell, Azmodan
and Belial began to argue over which of them held the higher authority
The pact that they had made quickly fell to ashes as the two demon lords
took up arms against each other. The legions of hell that remained were
polarized behind either warlord, launching themselves into a bloody civil
war that has lasted to this day...
4. The Binding of the Three -
In the ancient days, before the rise of the western empires,
the dark and terrible entities known as the three evils were exiled to
the world of man. These eternal entities wandered throughout the waking
world and fed upon the lusts of men, leaving chaos and attrition in their
wake. The evils turned father against son and prompted many great nation
into brutal and petty wars. Their exile from hell left them with an insatiable
hunger to bring suffering and pain to all those who would not kneel before
them, and so the three brothers ravaged the lands of the far east for
countless centuries.
Eventually, a secretive order of mortal magi was gathered together
by the enigmatic arch-angel Tyrael. These sorcerers were to hunt the three
evils and put an end to their vicious rampage. The order, known as the
Horadrim, consisted of wizards from the diverse and numerous mage-clans
of the east. Employing disparate magical practices and disciplines, this
unlikely brotherhood succeeded in capturing two of the brothers within
powerful artifacts called Soulstones. Mephisto and Baal, trapped within
the swirling, spiritual constraints of the Soulstones, were then buried
beneath the dunes of the desolate eastern sands.
The powers of hatred and wanton destruction seemed to diminish
in the east as a nervous peace began to settle over the land. Yet, for
many decades the Horadrim continued their grim search for the third brother,
Diablo. They knew that if the Lord of Terror was left untamed, there could
never be any lasting peace within the realm of humanity.
The Horadrim followed in the wake of terror and anarchy that spread
throughout the western lands. After a great battle which claimed the lives
of many brave souls, the Lord of Terror was captured and imprisoned within
the last of the Soulstones by a group of Horadrim monks led by the initiate
Jered Cain. These monks carried the cursed stone to the land of Khanduras
and buried it within a secluded cave near the river Talsande. Above this
cave the Horadrim constructed a great monastery from which they could
continue to safeguard the Soulstone. As ages passed, the Horadrim constructed
a network of catacombs beneath the monastery to house the earthly remains
of the martyrs of their order.
Generations passed in Khanduras, and the numbers of the Horadrim
slowly dwindled. With no quests left to undertake, and too few sons to
sustain their guardianship, the once powerful order faded into obscurity.
Eventually, the great monastery that they had built fell to ruins as well.
Although villages grew and thrived around the shell of the old monastery,
no one knew of the dark, secret passageways that stretched into the cold
earth beneath it. None could have dreamed of the burning red gem that
pulsed within the labyrinth's heart...
No matter which character you choose, you end up with the same ending.
Only your voice will change depending on your character, nothing else.
The guys there at Blizzard didn't even change the graphics. They just
created an unclear figure that can be taken as any of the three classes.
Anyway, here's the ending:
Diablo is finally crushed, his body lying helplessly on the ground. You
get a pocket knife, and carve a gem out of his forehead. Almost instantly
He turns to ashes, leaving behind the body of his host (presumably Prince
Albrecht, approx. ten years old, and son of King Leoric---see quests
section) You look at the gem, which holds Diablo's essence, and decide
to bury it---in your own forehead! You have contained his essence in your
own and that he cannot control since he is weak from centuries of sleep.
He can, however, make your life a living hell so you decide to isolate
yourself from the masses to be able to concentrate on keeping him a bay.
Please feel free to email me if there's something about Diablo I left out
(I'm sure there will be as this faq barely tries to tell everything about
such a big, big game) or if you just want to comment on my work. Thank
you. If ever I revise this faq and add something you feel came from one
of your emails to me, email me again and remind me bout it so I can give
you credit. Thanks again.
