Diablo - Playing Guide More of a role-playing game than a hack ‘n’ slash-‘em-up, Blizzard’s Diablo is nonetheless a lot of fun. It can also be a tad hard at times. Because of the way Diablo randomly generates the levels every time you start a new game, a step-by- step walkthrough is impossible. Instead, what follows contains hints and tips on the various characters, and details of all the quests, spells, and shrines in the game. CHARACTERS WITH CLASS The first decision you have to make when playing Diablo is which character class to play. Although any class can, in theory, use any spell or item in the game, each has its own strengths and weaknesses which will affect the strategy you need to win. The key differences between the classes lie in their maximum attributes, and how many health and mana points they gain as their vitality and magic attributes increase. As ever, your choice will affect the way you play the game. The choices are particularly important in the multi-player game, where a good party (if you’re co-operating) mix is essential. Attributing the gains The most important decisions you have to make about your character once the game begins are which equipment to use and which attributes to raise as you go up levels. Equipment is largely a matter of taste, and every game of Diablo features a vast range of magical weapons, armour, and other items which you can choose to concentrate on a variety of types of bonus. A Sorcerer, for example, might choose items that give magic and mana boosts, to maximise their spell casting abilities, or could concentrate on items which make up for their weaknesses in close combat. Likewise, there are a variety of strategies for attribute raises. The first is simply to put all five points into your primary attribute. Although this is simple, it’s not particularly effective - it doesn’t matter how strong your Warrior is; if he can’t take enough damage, he’s still going to be dying often. The second strategy is the ‘whatever I need at the time’ plan, in which you put the points where they’ll have the most effect in the short term. For example, if you’ve found a book teaching a great spell but your magic attribute isn’t high enough, you keep putting points into it until it is. The problem with this idea is that it’s short sighted - what looks like a good idea now might prove less sensible later on. Perhaps the best of the simple strategies is to put two points into your primary attribute and one into the other three every time you go up a level. This approach will result in a balanced set of attributes that still emphasises your character class’ strength. If you need a higher magic to learn a spell, for example, keep your eye out for attribute-raising magical items. Warriors Warriors are the hand-to-hand combat experts of Diablo, and excel at beating on monsters with any melee weapon they can find. The most important attribute for Warriors is strength, which can be raised to a maximum of 250 (before magical bonuses are taken into account), allowing them to do awesome amounts of damage with their blows. Warriors also tend to have higher health scores, as they gain more health from increases in vitality than any other class. On the downside, Warriors gain the least mana from increasing magic. Warriors are, as usual, the easiest character class to play at the start of the game. They initially outclass the earlier monsters and can kill the Butcher (which tends to be the first quest) without too much trouble. As the game progresses and the monsters get tougher, the Warrior can still hold their own, provided you find and use decent weapons and armour. Monsters with ranged attacks cause the most problems for Warriors, and for this reason it’s a good idea to carry a decent bow as a secondary weapon, or learn a couple of damage spells. Sorcerers Sorcerers are the opposite of Warriors. While the Warrior is a close-combat expert, Sorcerers are best at range, and while the Warrior can soak up lots of damage but can’t cast many spells, the Sorcerer is physically weak but excels at magic. The most important attribute for Sorcerers is, unsurprisingly, magic, which can be raised to 250 before any magical bonuses. Sorcerers also gain more mana points from increases in magic than any other class, and these two abilities combined allow them to both learn any spell in the game and cast them lots of times before running low on mana. The key weakness of Sorcerers is their health score, which tends to be low as they gain the least health points from increases in vitality. Sorcerers tend to have the hardest time at the start of the game, as their initial repertoire of spells is very limited, and their hand-to-hand combat ability is very weak. Once they find some decent spells, though, the situation reverses. No other class has the sheer destructive potential of a Sorcerer with area-effect spells like Fireball and Chain Lightning, with which entire rooms full of monsters can be cleared in seconds. Rogues As well as being expert archers, Rogues are the most flexible of Diablo’s character classes. Stronger in close combat than a Sorcerer and much better with magic than a Warrior, a Rogue is a Jack-of-all-trades. The most important attribute for Rogues is dexterity, which can reach a maximum of 250 before magical bonuses are applied. Their high scores in this attribute make Rogues fantastically accurate and blindingly fast with both bows and melee weapons. Rogues tend to have fairly balanced health and mana scores, as they gain a moderate amount of each from increases in vitality and magic - not as much health as a Warrior, but more than a Sorcerer, and vice versa with mana. Rogues tend to be fairly easy to play for most of the game, easier at the start than Sorcerers, but not quite as effective at later levels. Their only real weakness lies in their weapons of choice, bows. Although bows can hit enemies at range and never run out of ammunition, they don’t do as much damage as a Warrior’s melee attacks or a Sorcerer’s spells. To defeat the later monsters, a Rogue needs to learn some good spells, or carry an effective melee weapon and find some good armour. IN SEARCH OF A QUEST Throughout each game of Diablo, your character will be set a number of quests by other characters you meet (most often the residents of the town), and by books found in the dungeon. The game’s random level design means that few, if any, games will feature all of the quests, but you’ll certainly come across quite a few. What follows is an alphabetical list of the quests in the game, complete with how to solve them where the quest is given, and what level they tend to appear on (bear in mind this may vary from game to game). Dungeons can have up to 16 levels. Anvil of Fury From: Griswold the Blacksmith Level: 9 or 10 Reward: Griswold’s Edge (unique sword) On one of the cave levels, you’ll find a peninsula in the middle of a lake of lava, with a lot of monsters on it. The Anvil lies on the ground in the centre of the peninsula. Take it back to Griswold to get Griswold’s Edge. Archbishop Lazarus From: Cain the Elder Level: 14 or 15 Reward: At least three magical items Get the quest by taking Lazarus’ Staff to Cain. Then go back and find the red portal (normally on Level 15) which takes you to his lair. Kill all the monsters and grab the books. Step on the grey circles and use the books to teleport to different areas. Eventually you’ll come to Lazarus himself. Kill him, and the red portal taking you back to the dungeon will reappear. Black Mushroom From: Adria the Witch Level: 9 or 10 Reward: Spectral Elixir (permanent +3 to all attributes when drunk) On Level 9 you may find a book called the Fungal Tome. Take this Adria and she will tell you she needs a black mushroom. Go back to the dungeon and search for a mushroom patch - click on it to get the black mushroom. Take this back to Adria, and she will tell you that the healer needs a Demon brain. Somewhere on Level 9 or 10 you’ll kill a monster and its brain will ‘pop out’. Take this to Pepin the Healer, and he’ll give you the Spectral Elixir. Take this to Adria, and she’ll tell you she doesn’t need it any more, so you can drink it. The Butcher From: Wounded man outside the Church entrance Level: 2 Reward: The Butcher’s Cleaver (unique weapon) The Butcher is not very tough to find - just look for a medium-sized room full of blood and bodies. Once you open the door he’ll charge out and start hacking at you. Warriors should be able to beat him face to face, while Sorcerers and Rogues are best off running for a room with a door and barred windows. Make sure the Butcher is following, then run in and close the door. The Butcher is too stupid to open doors, and so you can happily sit and pepper him with arrows or spells. Alternatively, make for the stairs to the next level, and run behind them. The Butcher will get stuck at the top of the stairs, and you can fire away. Chamber of Bone From: Book in dungeon Level: 6 Reward: Lots of magic items and the Guardian spell Look for the stairs leading to the Chamber, which should be on the same level as the book. Then just pull all the levers, kill all the monsters, and finally read the book on the pedestal to learn the Guardian spell. Curse of King Leoric From: Ogden the Tavern Owner Level: 3 Reward: Undead crown The entrance to the Tomb of Leoric should be on the third level. Once inside there are two rooms to either side, and a barred gate leading to the tomb itself. The lever in the room to the east opens a secret door leading to some magic items and books. The lever in the west room opens the gate. Go through until you see the king (a massive skeleton with a huge sword), and then run back through into the entrance area. The King can summon skeletons, so you have to deal with him before killing his minions. Don’t try fighting him up close, he’s far too tough - use the Holy Bolt spell. Once you’ve killed him, mop up the rest of his followers, and then destroy the crucified skeletons in each corner of the main tomb to open another secret area with more magical goodies. Garbad the Weak From: Garbad the Weak Level: 4 Reward: Two magic items Garbad is a ‘goatman’, who you can’t attack or hurt with spells. Click to talk to him and he will plead with you not to hurt him. He says that if you don’t hurt him, he will give you some special items in exchange. Leave him for a while, then go back and he’ll give you a magic item. Go away again, and then come back and he’ll say that the new item he’s made is too powerful for you, and you’ll have to kill him to get it. Do so (he’s far from tough). Halls of the Blind From: Book in dungeon Level: 7 Reward: The Optic Amulet (unique amulet) Somewhere on the same level as the book that gives you the quest should be a four-room area full of ‘lurker’ monsters - the ones which fight then disappear into the shadows. Kill them all and search the rooms for the amulet. Lachdanan From: Lachdanan Level: 14 Reward: Veil of Steel (unique helmet) Lachdanan is a huge knight who may be found on Level 14. Talk to him and he will ask you to find a golden potion with which he can lift the curse that has befallen him. The potion should be lying around on Level 15 somewhere. Bring it back to him to get the Veil. Magic Rock From: Griswold the Blacksmith Level: 5 Reward: The Empyrean Band (unique ring) Somewhere on the fifth level you should find a large rock sitting on a pedestal, guarded by a large pack of monsters. Kill all the monsters and get the rock, then take it to Griswold to get the ring. Ogden’s Sign From: Ogden the Tavern Owner Level: 4 Reward: Harlequin Crest (unique helmet) There are two ways to complete this quest. The sign can be found in a chest on Level 4, in a room with some of the large demon monsters. Once you have it, you can either take it back to Ogden and get the helmet, or give it to Snotspill, the Dark One boss guarding the stairs to Level 5. Either way you end up having to fight Snotspill and his cronies, so giving it to Ogden is the best solution. Poisoned Water Supply From: Pepin the Healer Level: 3 Reward: The Ring of Truth (unique ring) The entrance to the water supply is on Level 3, and is a large ‘crack’ in the wall of the dungeon. Once inside the caverns, just kill all the monsters (the yellow-green water will turn blue again), and return to Pepin for the ring. Valor From: Book in dungeon Level: 5 Reward: Arkaine’s Valour (unique armour) Behind the room where you find the book is another room with a bloodstone lying on the floor and a small altar. Get the stone, then click on the altar. This opens another room in the same area (look at your automap to see it), containing another bloodstone. Get this, then click on the altar again. Another room will open. Get the last bloodstone from here, take it to the altar, and a passage will open up behind it, leading to the armour. War Lord of Blood From: Book in dungeon Level: 12 or 13 Reward: Inferno (unique sword) plus lots of magical items The War Lord should be on the same level as the ‘Steel Tome’ which gives you the quest - his room contains the stairs down to the next level. Kill him to complete the quest. Zhar the Mad Level: 8 Reward: Magical item and books or scrolls Zhar is a wizard who can be found in a library - room on Level 8. When you step up to him and talk to him, he says he’s too busy to talk to you and gives you a magic item. Take everything else in the room, and eventually he will attack you. Kill him to complete the quest. And... Diablo From: Cain the Elder Level: 16 Reward: Winning the game! Somewhere on the last level you should find a teleporter to Diablo’s Lair Ð getting to it normally requires you to pull several levers. Once there, just kill him to finish the game and see the ending cinematics. For the big boss of the whole dungeon, he’s very easy to kill with just about any method you care to use. THE SHRINES Scattered throughout the dungeon you will come across a wide variety of shrines. Each has a unique effect on you. Here’s a list of all the shrines, the message they give, and their effects. For simplicity, this list also includes the various fountains, pools and other fixtures which have similar effects. Abandoned Shrine ‘The hands of men are guided by fate.’ +2 to your dexterity attribute. Blood Fountain Restores lost health at a rate of one point per click - can be used multiple times. Cauldron Has the same effect as one other shrine, selected at random. Creepy Shrine ‘Strength is bolstered by heavenly faith.’ +2 to your dexterity attribute. Cryptic Shrine ‘Arcane power brings destruction.’ A Nova spell erupts from the shrine, damaging you, but your mana is completely replenished. Divine Shrine ‘Drink and be refreshed.’ Completely replenishes your health and mana, and gives two full mana, health, or restoration potions. Eerie Shrine ‘Knowledge and wisdom come at cost of self.’ Increases mana and reduces health. Eldritch Shrine ‘Crimson and azure becomes the sun.’ All potions of health or mana are turned into equivalent strength restoration potions. Enchanted Shrine ‘Magic is not what it seems to be.’ One random spell loses a level, while all the rest are increased one level. Fascinating Shrine ‘Intensity comes at the cost of wisdom.’ Gain two levels of the Firebolt spell at the cost of a permanent reduction in mana (5 points for Warriors, 7 for Rogues, 10 for Sorcerers). Fountain of Tears +1 to one random attribute and -1 to another. Glimmering Shrine ‘Mysteries are revealed in the light of wisdom.’ All items in your inventory are identified. Gloomy Shrine ‘Those who defend seldom attack.’ All armour and shields carried gain +2 armour class, while all weapons lose one point from their maximum damage. Goat Shrine Has the same effect as one other shrine, selected at random. Hidden Shrine ‘New strength flows from destruction.’ One item carried is selected at random, and has its maximum durability reduced by 10. The maximum durability of all other items is increased by 10. Holy Shrine ‘Wherever you go, there you are.’ Casts the Phasing spell on you, teleporting you to a nearby spot at random. Imposing Shrine ‘A surge of blood interrupts your thoughts.’ Drains some of your mana and replenishes your health. Magical Shrine ‘While the spirit is vigilant, the body thrives.’ Casts the Mana Shield spell on you. Murky Pool Casts the Infravision spell on you. Mysterious Shrine ‘Some grow weaker as one grows strong.’ One of your attributes increases by five, while all the others drop by one. Mystic Shrine ‘Your skill increases, but at a price.’ Lose all gold carried but one, and gain experience points. Ornate Shrine ‘Salvation comes at the cost of wisdom.’ Gain two levels of the Holy Bolt spell at the cost of a permanent reduction in mana (5 points for Warriors, 7 for Rogues, 10 for Sorcerers). Purifying Spring Restores lost mana at a rate of one point per click - can be used multiple times. Quiet Shrine ‘The essence of life flows from within.’ +2 to your vitality attribute. Religious Shrine ‘Only time can diminish the power of steel.’ All items carried are fully repaired. Sacred Shrine ‘Energy comes at the cost of wisdom.’ Gain two levels of the Charged Bolt spell at the cost of a permanent reduction in mana (see Fascinating Shrine). Secluded Shrine ‘The way is made clear when viewed from above.’ Gives you a full map of the level. Spiritual Shrine ‘Riches abound when least expected.’ All empty slots in your inventory are filled with some gold, the amount depending on the dungeon level. Spooky Shrine ‘Where avarice fails, patience grows.’ Health is fully replenished. Stone Shrine ‘The power of mana refocused renews.’ All staffs carried are fully recharged. Thaumaturgic Shrine ‘Everything that once was open, is now closed.’ All opened chests on the level are closed and refilled. Weird Shrine ‘The sword of justice is swift and sharp.’ All edged weapons carried gain +1 to their maximum damage. THE SPELLS Although the Diablo manual details some of the more common spells available, it’s far from comprehensive. As you progress through the game you will come across far more powerful (and useful) magic. Here are all the spells available in the single-player game, arranged in alphabetical order. Some of these are very hard to find, and because of the random level design, you may not find them all in a single game. All of these spells increase in effect as you learn them to higher levels. Apocalypse: The most powerful spell in the game, Apocalypse is very rare and requires a very high Magic attribute to learn or use. Casting it will engulf all monsters on the screen in exploding balls of fire, inflicting heavy damage. Bloodstar: This is the spell used by the Witches found in the Hell levels of the dungeon. It casts a ball of red energy at the target, and will affect monsters immune to fire or lightning. Unfortunately, Bloodstar costs health as well as mana to cast. Bone Spirit: Summons a ghostly being that zooms at the target and removes 1/3 of its hit points. Like the Elemental spell, the Bone Spirit can turn once in flight to track its target. Like Bloodstar, it costs health as well as mana to cast. Chain Lightning: One of the best ‘room clearing’ spells in the game, Chain Lightning casts multiple bolts of electrical energy at groups of creatures, and inflicts very heavy damage. Charged Bolt: Creates a number of small bolts of lightning which spread out, bouncing off walls and damaging any monster hit. As the spell’s level increases, more bolts are formed and they last longer. Elemental: Summons a fire elemental which charges the target and explodes, doing a lot of damage. The elemental can turn once as it charges, homing in on its target. Fireball: When cast, Fireball appears to be a normal Firebolt, but upon hitting the target it explodes, damaging anything in the surrounding eight squares. Firebolt: The basic damage spell, Firebolt is the standby spell for all Sorcerers. Although it only affects one target, at higher levels it does a lot of damage, is fast to use, and costs very little mana. Firewall: Summons a wall of fire that will damage anything passing through or standing in it, and lasts for a variable amount of time based on the spell level. Flame Wave: Summons a wall of fire similar to Firewall, which then moves away from you in the direction you cast it. Although not as damaging as the Firewall spell, it can mow down a room full of smaller monsters with ease. Flash: An electricity-based spell that damages any monsters in the eight squares next to you. Just the thing if you get surrounded by monsters. Golem: One of the neatest spells in the game, Golem summons a creature of stone to fight for you. The golem will attack any monsters it finds, and lasts until you leave the level or it’s destroyed. The golem is fairly intelligent, and will wander off in search of monsters when all nearby ones are killed. Guardian: Another very handy ‘independent’ spell, Guardian summons a three- headed dragon in the target square, which will spit fireballs at any monsters near to it. Can be used to block doorways, or cast into the centre of a group of monsters. Healing: No surprises here. Nonetheless, Healing is a very, very useful spell to have. Holy Bolt: Casts a ball of energy at the target, which will only damage undead monsters (skeletons and zombies). By far the best way to deal with the Skeleton King. Identify: Casting Identify automatically opens your inventory screen, allowing you to select a magical item to be, well, identified. Cheaper than paying the old bloke to tell you what you’ve found, and allows you to make use of magical items immediately - they have no effect until identified. Inferno: A jet of flame shoots out in the direction chosen, damaging any monsters caught in it. The length of the jet increases as the spell level rises. Infravision: While the Infravision spell lasts, any monsters on screen but outside your line of sight and ‘light radius’ will be highlighted red. Useful for seeing how many monsters are behind a door, or targeting creatures you can’t ‘see’. Lightning: A great attack spell, Lightning throws a bolt of electricity at the target, which will damage the target but then continue in a straight line, hitting anything in front or behind of the monster you cast it on. Great for using in doorways. Mana Shield: For as long as the Mana Shield spell lasts (as signified by the golden globe above your character’s head), any damage done will be taken from your mana instead of your health. Not much use for Warriors, but Sorcerers, with their high manas, can effectively double or triple the amount of damage they can take before dying. Nova: Another great electricity spell, which forms an expanding ring or lightning centred on your character. Like the Lightning spell, the ring will damage monsters and continue through them, only stopping when it hits a wall. Phasing: Casting this spell will randomly teleport you about half a screen away. Not the most useful of spells, but it can get you out of a sticky situation fast. Sentinel: Similar to the Guardian spell, Sentinel summons a floating eye which will cast bolts of fire at any monsters near to it. Stone Curse: The best spell for taking on big, tough monsters, Stone Curse turns its target to stone for a few seconds, freezing it in place. The petrified monster is very fragile, and will shatter after only a few hits. Telekinesis: This spell can be used to open chests from a distance, or can be cast on monsters to push them back a short distance. Not a very useful spell, if the truth be told. Teleport: Casting this spell will teleport you to the spot you target, allowing you to move through walls, and traverse a level at great speed. Town Portal: One of the most time-saving spells in the game. This creates a shining blue door at the target square. Walking through this door teleports you to the town, and will teleport you back to the same spot in the dungeon when you’ve finished buying, selling, and repairing items.