ACT 5 Solution

To start this game, once you've defeated Diablo you'll have another option to speak to Tyrael. Tyrael: "Praise be to the Light! You have accomplished the impossible. Diablo and Mephisto have been banished back into the Black Abyss that spawned them, and the corrupted Soulstones are no more. However, while you were fighting here, Baal remained behind in the mortal realm, building an army of hellish minions. Now, Baal's army is searching for the Worldstone, the ancient source of all the Soulstones and their power, leaving behind them a wake of destruction. They have forged deeply into the Barbarian homelands, heading directly for the summit of Mount Arreat! Baal knows, mortal hero! That is the very site of the blessed Worldstone! Now, enter the portal I have opened for you. It will take you to the Barbarian city of Harrogath, the last bastion of order on the slopes of Arreat."

Pass through the portal and you'll be in Harrogath, the Barbarians' home city.

Harrogath Townsfolk

Anya: She doesn't start in the city but when she does she's a shopkeeper and gambling specialist and offers cool quest rewards.
Deckard Cain: Faithful Deckard Cain has come through Hell with you and he won't stop now. As always, Deckard Cain provides information on the town and its people, and he offers the ability to identify items.
Larzuk: Speak with Larzuk to purchase weapons and amour. Also, if you need to repair damage to a weapon or armour, seek him out. You must also talk with Larzuk to begin the first quest in Act V.
Malah: Speak with Malah to receive information on Baal. She offers healing and potions and provides information on the other inhabitants of Harrogath. You'll also find the Town Portal and Identify scrolls among her wares.
Nihlathak: Speak with Nihlathak for the ability to gamble on unidentified weapons, armour and magic items. You need to do this early in Act V if you wish to conduct business with Nihlathak. Initiate the second and then the third quest in ActV to discover why.
Qual-Kehk: He's the master of the Harrogath soldiery. Qual-Kehk offers hirelings for your quests once you complete a mission for him.

Quest 1: Siege on Harrogath

"If you're here to defeat Baal you must prove it! As we speak, Harrogath is under siege by Baal's demons. Catapults rain death just outside the town walls. Baal himself travels up the sacred mountain, having left in charge here one of his most vicious generals, Shenk the Overseer. A ruthless taskmaster, he lashes his own minions into suicidal frenzies on the battlefield. If you wish to prove yourself to us, destroy the monster, Shenk, that commands those infernal catapults outside Harrogath. If you manage to do this, return to me."

Start by talking to Larzuk then head out to the Bloody Foothills. You are in the middle of a war and the hills are teeming with Baal's armies. Enslaved and Death Maulers are your first new challenge. Some extra fun also comes from catapults. They'll chuck poison, cold or lightning from the sky, giving away their position. If you notice these bolts falling keep moving about or you may take a shot. They hurt. Catapults are your primary targets, so go for them before all else.

As you move through the Bloody Foothills, you will spot Harrogath Barbarians attempting to hold off Baal's hordes. They work somewhat like mercenaries for the space of one screen. They won't join with you but will certainly get in on the action.

The trick with this whole Act is to move very fast or very slowly. Barbarians who can leap or Sorceresses who can teleport can go up the tiers of land and keep free from being overwhelmed. Otherwise you'll find yourself quite often surrounded by tough minions. Get your Town Portals stacked.

Near the entrance to the Frigid Highlands you'll find Shenk. You should be powerful enough by now that he's not much of a challenge, but beware the hordes surrounding him. Assassins should use potent charge-up skills. In fact, area effect powers will be useful here. Once he's dead make a run into the Highlands and activate the Waypoint marker. Use it to return to Harrogath for your reward of three added sockets to one of your items. You don't have to complete this reward on the spot. If you would rather wait until you have gained more or new runes, gems or jewels, cancel the socket procedure and come back when you have what you want.

Quest 2: Rescue on Mount Arreat

"My concerns have turned to my men taken prisoner on the battlefield by Baal's demons. I hate to think what's happened to them. As you journey up the mountain, keep your eyes out for my soldiers and bring them back to me if you can. Those of my men fortunate enough to escape on their own told me that they were held captive in the highlands and plateaus."

Qual-Kehk, the mercenary captain, is your next contact. He'll tell you to free the prisoners. They are being held in three separate jail pens in the Frigid Highlands. Each pen holds five soldiers and you have to rescue 10. To complete the quest, the soldiers must escape the pen and return to Harrogath via a Town Portal that opens. Locate the pens off the edge of the map toward the centre of the Frigid Highlands. The pens are heavily protected by several walls and are typically near towers and catapults.

Freeing the prisoners isn't the hardest mission. It's getting near them that is the problem. Two new enemies are loose in the Highlands and they both suck mightily. Demon Imps shoot powerful fireballs at you and travel in large packs. The crossfire these hell-spawned little bastards can generate is appalling. And then there are the Crush Beasts. By themselves they are just big and lumbering. But the Imps can ride them and project an ongoing stream of fire like a focused inferno spell.

Then there is the fact that Baal's army has set up a war camp filled with towers and walls that can become like mazes. You can't jump into them until the towers, which the Imps can mount, are destroyed. When not rescuing prisoners, do your best to stay out of the city areas. Of course, out of them, Demon Imp spawning areas abound.

In the Highlands you'll also Find some optional dungeons. No quest is related to these but you will find valuable experience and magic within.

There are three prisoner huts. Fifteen prisoners in all and yes, they can die. Which means clear out the prison environs of monsters before you release the prisoners. Once that's done, head back into town and claim a nice little reward.

Firstly, you can hire now mercenaries from Qual-Kehk, but secondly he'll grant you three runes and mention there is an order they can be placed in that will maximise their effectiveness. Place the runes in the order Ral, Ort, Tal into a shield to create the Ancient's Pledge. The shield offers +43 to all resistances, +50% enhanced defence, and 10% damage taken goes to Mana.

Quest 3: Prison of Ice

"There is a matter which I hesitate to share, but I believe you are the only one who can help me now. Anya, the young alchemist and daughter to one of our slain elders, has been missing for some time. She is a strong, crafty woman with a spirit like no other. One night, just before your arrival, I overheard her and Nihlathak arguing about her father's death. The next morning she was gone. Nihlathak has his own talk as to where she went and why. Don't believe him! I fear he is at the root of her disappearance. Please, if you can, search For Anya and bring her back to us. She'll know what to do about Nihlathak. If it were anyone else, I would assume her dead. However, Anya is not so easily beaten. I know she must be alive."

Malah will give you this mission. Go back to the Frigid Highlands and search out the next area, the Arreat Plateau. You'll find it has only one narrow entranceway, fenced in and guarded by a Super Unique creature. Tricky, but you can do it. While you are in the Plateau, the optional dungeon Acheron might be worth a look. You'll Find several creatures here that enjoy suicide attacks. They charge in and explode, doing quite a large amount of damage. Chop them down as quickly as possible. The last thing you need is one or two of these monsters knocking down two-thirds of your Hit points in the middle of a harsh battle.

You'll find the Crystalline Passage at the far end of the Plateau. The Passage has two exits: the Glacial Trail and the Frozen River. You're searching for the opening into the Frozen River. Before heading down into the Frozen River, be sure to locate and trigger the Crystalline Passage Waypoint. When you are in the Passage beware the many varieties of freezing monsters and Ariel's servants, the Succubi. Abominable, a new form of the old Gargantuan monster, travels in large packs. Thawing potions will serve you in fine stead here.

Travel down to the Frozen River, all the while looking for Anya. She is frozen into a block of ice and guarded by an Abominable pack led by the formidable Frozenstein. This beast is quite immune to your freezing weapons so you'd best find some alternatives if that's your tactic of choice.

Anya will tell you that you need Malah to create a potion to free her from the ice. One Town Portal, one old lady located, touch on the ice and use the potion and this part of the mission is complete. That was easy. Then it's simply a matter of getting quite a fancy reward from Anya. She'll give you a rare item that is specific to your class. She'll then give you your next quest and open a Portal to there.

Quest 4: Betrayal of Harrogath

"Nihlathak told me he struck a deal with Baal to protect Harrogath. In exchange For the demon's mercy, the misguided fool plans to give Baal the Relic of the Ancients, our most holy Totem! Doing so will allow Baal to enter Mount Arreat unchallenged by the Ancients. I tried to stop Nihlathak, but he imprisoned me in that icy tomb. Nihlathak must be stopped before he dooms the whole world. As much as I would love to strangle the life out of him, I'm afraid I haven't the strength. You must go to his lair through this portal I've opened, kill him, and then bring back the Relic of the Ancients. Stop Nihiathak from destroying what we have striven for eons to protect."

Nihlathak's Temple is divided into three different Halls: Anguish, Pain and Vaught, that basically work like a three-level dungeon. Be sure to mark the Waypoint on the second level. They're filled with Undead and other nasty creatures and Putrid Defilers that have the corpse-spitting attack you remember from the last Act.

When your quest marker to kill your prey comes up, be prepared to deal with many weak ice monsters. Not much as far as a bodyguard goes, but it must be said that Nihiathak is quite a potent Necromancer and has a genuine love of the corpse explosion power. This can knock big chunks off your Life rating. The most appealing tactic here is to sit back with ranged weapons and stay out of his way, but he teleports and you can waste a lot of time re-targeting him. Try rushing him.

Like the Summoner, he's physically quite weak and a few good hits upside his evil-loving head should solve your problems. Once he's gone simply go back to town.

Your reward is that you have a name inscribed on your item. Not a tangible result perhaps, but it looks good and kind of rocks in multiplayer mode. One you're done with Anya, it's now on to Qual-Kehk.

Quest 5: Rite of Passage

"Every time I hear of you, warrior, your deeds become more legendary. But take heed. You are approaching the very summit of Mount Arreat. I have never dared venture there. It is sacred - our most holy place. The legends say it is guarded by the Ancient Ones, who block the path to all who are unworthy. Your reputation here does not matter: it will be the Ancients who determine your worthiness. Good luck."

This is one of the hardest Fights you'll ever have in the Diablo game. But first you have to get there. You should use the Waypoint marker to transport yourself to the Crystalline Passage or to the Glacial Trail if you have already triggered its Waypoint. Once in the Glacial Trail, locate the entrance to the difficult Frozen Tundra. Cross the Frozen Tundra to locate the entrance to the Ancient's Way. It's not far and you'll just have to talk to some Demon Imps harshly on the way.

From there, you must enter the Arreat Summit to spot the Altar of the Heavens. Approach the Altar of the Heavens to speak with the Ancient Ones. Take note, you really want to be about level 35 before going on. The fight you are about to get into is extremely hard.

Go to the Altar of Heavens which is surrounded by statues that represent powerful Barbarians. Their names are Talic the Defender, Korlic the Protector and Madawc the Guardian, and they use Barbarians' skills. For instance, Talic the Defender uses whirlwind, while Korlic employs the leap attack.

Before you click on the Altar of the Heavens to summon the Ancient Ones, cast a Town Portal and restock Health and Mana potions and all your usual pre-battle rituals. Once you've summoned the spirits, if you Town Portal or leave the area then their health will reset. In other words, you get one go at proving yourself worthy of coming face to face with the Worldstone. If you leave the Summit, you are judged wanting.

The Barbarians use all the skills at the service of their class and should be dealt with accordingly. Let Talic come to you. He's first. He'll only get one shot with the whirlwind attack but he will be hitting you often. If you are multiplaying then it's more important you take him out quickly before you get your entire party attacked in one shot.

Korlic should be next. You need to set him a trap of sorts. A Firewall Justin front of you will damage him when he leaps at you, for example. Icing him down and keeping him still is also useful.

Madawc, while his hollering is damaging, won't be taking you out with a shot or two. Leave him till last. Be aware that each time you face the spirits they have different immunities. If you notice your effects just aren't working, leave and let the guardians reset. This is preferable to simply being carved up as your lightning spell just won't affect them.

Yes, the battle is hard, but the rewards are staggering. You receive approximately 1.4 million Experience points for defeating the Barbarians on normal difficulty, 20 million on nightmare, and 50 million on hell difficulty. Basically, it's a free level up. And you'll need it because now you are on a collision course with the Lord of Destruction himself.

Quest 6: Eve of Destruction

Within the Worldstone Keep you'll find the last and most powerful versions of the creatures you've faced several times during this Act. Great Hell Spawn, Fetid Defilers, Menace Worms, Death Lords and Demon Sprites are all there in great numbers. Don't try and conserve your Health potions on this level. Take them early and take them often, as you'll find yourself in crossfires, ambushed and rushed at by hordes of powerful creatures. And to top it all off, Baal himself is watching and will shoot lightning at you from out of the air. If you hear his laugh then get moving. There is a Waypoint on the second level. Fight your way down to the third level and enter the Throne of Destruction.

You'll have a few monsters to meet before you face the last Prime Evil. When you see Baal you may think that the time for Final battle has begun, but no, not yet. Baal will summon several creatures to finish you off before he dirties his hands with you. They come in five waves.

First, Colenzo the Annihilator (demon fire enchanted; immune to fire) with Warped Shamans. Then, Achmel the Cursed (Undead; immune to poison) with Unravellers and Death Mages. Next, Bartuc the Bloody (demon lightning enchanted) with Council members. Followed by Ventor the Unholy (demon extra fast) with Venom Lords. Lastly, Lister the Tormentor (demon spectral hit) with Minions of Destruction.

The usual rules apply. Lead them away until you can deal with them a few at a time. Don't Fight them at the foot of the throne or you run the risk of being overwhelmed by the next wave. Wall of Fire and Meteor are great spells to use here. The Paladin's auras should be used to full effect as the monsters first appear in tight groups.

Once they're all dead, Baal and his throne move into the Worldstone Chamber. Follow Baal through the opened portal. In the Worldstone Chamber, Baal begins on the narrow walkway above the Worldstone. He has several different spell attacks, including a close-range lightning attack, a ring of fire, and an arrow-like cold burst. Getting to him can be a problem as Festering Appendages are cast around the area you first appear in. Be careful that you are not attacking one of his clones. Baal can create doubles that basically waste your time and energy. Ensure the word Demon appears beneath his name.

An Assassin should use traps or charge-up skills at max. Druids need to summon everything they can or Werebear up with all your physical skill running. Paladins can use protective powers or their Blessed Hammer attacks. Static Field is vital For the Sorceress, as are freezing attacks. Possibly having a Hydra cast to pepper Baal with distracting shots while you prepare spells wouldn't hurt either. Barbarians will do well with a leap attack and a bash prepared. Amazons will find plenty of places to stand far from the Lord of Destruction. A Valkyrie or Decoy doesn't go astray either. Necromancers should have Revive to take a few desirable beasts into the final battle with you. Curses are of extreme importance here.

Fighting Baal is like Fighting Diablo, but without all the space to run around in. Find a way to keep him still, with stun attacks or another immobilisation, then let him have it. Eventually, he'll Fall. Talk to Tyrael, who'll come down From Heaven to purge the sadly corrupted Worldstone. And, well, that's it.

The three Prime Evils are defeated. Evil is destroyed and you, my friend, can give that mouse finger a rest. The final reward comes in a title for your character and the knowledge that the Sanctuary is safe at last.

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