Diablo II Beta: The Quests of Act I Revealed

Diablo II's beta test offers all of Act I, including the six quests in the game. Presumably, there will be six quests for each of the first three acts. Act IV, the finale, is still a complete mystery, so we can't even guess how it will be laid out. However, having played through the beta and beaten Andariel, we have a good idea of what the first act has in store for players.

The main nonplayer characters in the game in the rogue encampment are Akara, the spiritual leader of the rogues; Kashya, the rogue's general; Charsi, the rogue blacksmith; Gheed, the travelling salesman; and Warriv, the caravan master. Later on, after completing a quest, Deckard Cain will also appear in the town.

A quick warning first: If you don't want the quests of Act I spoiled for you, don't read the rest of the article. Also, the screenshots include two shots of the final showdown with Andariel. They are the last two of the nine screenshots, so don't click on them don't want to see Andariel.

There are six total quests in Act I, and the first is given to you by Akara, who asks you to cleanse the Den of Evil to prove your intentions to the rogues. As the gameworld is always randomly generated, the Den of Evil is never in the same place twice and is always slightly altered in its configuration. However, it lies in the wilderness of the Blood Moors, just beyond the town. Inside are a bunch of monsters - skeletons and fallen gargantuan beasts - and once you slay them all, you have completed the quest. You then return to Akara for a reward that is not monetary.

The second quest is then offered by Kashya, who asks you to kill Blood Raven, a former captain of the rogues who has been animated in undead form by Andariel's magic. Blood Raven lies in the Burial Ground, which lies beyond the Cold Plains, an area beyond the Blood Moors. You'll find a massive graveyard in the Burial Ground, with a great tree in the center, from which dangle the hanged corpses of rogues. In the midst of this unholy place are lots of hungry dead (a type of zombie) and Blood Raven, an undead rogue who attacks you with bow and arrow. Killing her releases her spirit and destroys all the walking dead in the graveyard. When you return to Kashya after completing this quest, she gives you rogue hireling, and from that point forth, you can hire a rogue NPC to replace her at any time. Unfortunately, you can never have more than one hireling with you at a time.The third quest is offered by Akara again. This time, she asks you to return to Tristram to rescue Deckard Cain, for he is the only one that can shed light on the dark situation. The way to Tristram is tough, as you must first find a secret message from the Tree of Inifuss before you can pass through the Cairn Stones portal to Tristram. Rest assured, there are surprises in store for you at Diablo's old haunt, and they are not pleasant. After completing this quest, Deckard Cain sets up residence in the rogue encampment and will identify items for you for free, just as in the previous game.

Quest four is not given to you by an NPC, but rather found by reading a book in the Stony Plains. This book, called the Moldy Tome, reveals to you the location of the Forbidden Tower and asks that you cleanse it of all evil. It is a quest similar to the Den of Evil quest, but much harder.

The fifth quest comes from Charsi, the blacksmith, who lost her Horadric Malus when she and her sisters fled from the rogue's monastery. The monastery is a vast dungeon, and the barracks, where the Malus can be found, are but a portion of it. Here, you'll fight the mysterious figure called the Smith, who covets the Malus. If you recover Charsi's prized possession, she will reward you with a considerable boon.

The final quest is, of course, your mission to destroy Andariel, the lesser evil who has built her throne in the very bowels of the corrupted monastery. Deckard Cain reveals the existence of Andariel after you first explore the monastery, and it is he who tells you she must be destroyed. In the lowest reaches of the monastery, Andariel sits and waits. You'll descend through several levels of dungeons before you reach her, and when you do, the final confrontation will be more difficult than the last battle against Diablo himself in the original game. Of course, once you defeat Andariel, the way to the east is open. Now, you can track Diablo's journey to the deserts of the east. When you return to the rogue encampment, the rogues will thank you and Warriv will offer to take you to the east, as Deckard Cain accompanies you on Diablo's trail.