TM

Copyright 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment. All rights reserved. The use of this software product is subject to the terms of the enclosed End User License Agreement. You must accept the End User License Agreement before you can use the product. Use of Blizzards online gaming network, Battle.net, is subject to your acceptance of the Battle.net Terms of Use Agreement. StarCraft and Brood War are trademarks and Diablo, Battle.net, Blizzard Entertainment and Warcraft are trademarks or registered trademarks of Havas Interactive, Inc. and/or its wholly owned subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Pentium is registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratory. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

THE ADEPT (INITIATE, PART II)

I have walked the paths; the shadowed roads that led to terrors breast. I have plumbed the depths of Hatreds womb and scaled Destructions crest. For every secret left unveiled, for every power learned, Id sell the remnants of my soul, regardless how it burned. And still I sought a higher wisdom few could have attained. Though I found it, it would leave me - broken, damned and drained. For now I find this power gained is more unto a curse. My spirit burns with every spell and each irreverent verse. Despite this strength and knowledge earned, I have paid a heavy toll, Never shouldve traded power for my own immortal soul. C. Vincent Metzen

Uses Bink Video. Copyright 1997-2000 by RAD Game Tools, Inc.

+ Table of Contents +
Getting Started (PC) Troubleshooting (PC) Getting Started (Mac) Tutorial Game Menus Controlling Your Character Getting Around Town Developing Your Character The Amazon The Barbarian The Necromancer The Paladin The Sorceress Skills and Abilities
Amazon Skills Barbarian Skills Necromancer Skills Paladin Skills Sorceress Skills

Getting Started (PC)

5 6 7 9 13 17 24 28 39 40 41 42 43 44
45 50 55 60 65
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Computer: Diablo II requires an IBM PC or 100% compatible computer, with a Pentium 233 MHz or better processor. Your computer must have at least 32 megabytes of RAM for single player and 64 megabytes RAM for multi-player or for enhanced 3D graphic features. Operating System: You must be running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 (with service pack 5), or Windows 2000 (running with local Administrator privileges) to play Diablo II on your system. Controls: A keyboard and a 100% Microsoft-compatible mouse are required. Diablo II is not designed to work with game pads or joysticks. Drives: A 4X speed CD-ROM drive and a hard drive with 650 MB of disk space available (single-player) or 950 MB of disk space (multi-player) are required. Video: Diablo II requires an SVGA monitor and a video card compatible with DirectDraw. You must have DirectX 6.1 or higher installed on your system to play the game (DirectX 7.0a is included on the Diablo II Install Disc). Diablo II also supports enhanced graphics features when using a 3D accelerator card compatible with the Direct3D or Glide APIs. In order to use these enhanced graphic features your 3D card must have at least 8 megabytes of texture RAM. Sound: Diablo II works with any DirectX 6.1 or higher compatible sound card. To play the game music, your sound card must be configured for playing digital audio. Some sound cards compatible with EAX and EAX2 sound extensions are also supported. Multi-player Connectivity: Access to Blizzard Entertainments on-line gaming service, Battle.net, requires a low latency Internet connection with support for 32-bit applications and rated at 28.8 Kbps or faster. Multi-player games played over a LAN require a TCP/IP network. INSTALLATION OF DIABLO II Place the Diablo II Install Disc into your CD-ROM drive. If your computer is AutoPlay capable, the Diablo II Installer menu will automatically appear on the screen. Select Install Diablo II from the list to start the installation process. Follow the on-screen instructions. After the game is successfully installed, a Diablo II shortcut is added to your Start menu. If your system is not AutoPlay capable, open the My Computer icon on your Desktop, then select the drive letter that represents your CD-ROM drive. Double-click on the Setup icon and continue as set forth in the paragraph above. INSTALLATION OF DIRECTX Make sure that the Diablo II Install Disc is in your CD-ROM drive. When you begin the instal0 lation process, Diablo II automatically detects whether you have DirectX. Should you need to update your version of DirectX or install it for the first time, you will be prompted to do so. As Diablo II cannot be played without DirectX, we recommend installing DirectX immediately should you be so directed. If you experience any problems with Diablo II, please see our Troubleshooting section before attempting to contact technical support.
Getting Started (PC)
5

Items Map of Sanctuary Encyclopaedia Sanctuaria

The Western Kingdoms The Great Deserts of Aranoch Kehjistan and Kurast The Undead

70 80 81
82 84 87 89

Credits

90

Diablo II Quick Reference

98

Troubleshooting (PC)
Diablo II requires that you have Microsofts DirectX 6.1 or higher installed and that your video and sound cards are DirectX 6.1 compatible. DirectX 7.0a is included on the Diablo II Install Disc and can be installed by running Install DirectX 7 from the list of Installer options. The most common problems with DirectX games are old or outdated device drivers for your sound card and video card. If you have problems with Diablo II, you should first contact your video and sound card manufacturer (either through their web sites or over the telephone) for information on obtaining the latest drivers. You can find the most up-to-date troubleshooting information in the Support HTML files included on the Install Disc. Click the Support link in the Installer menu to access this information. Im trying to run Diablo II under Windows 2000, but it wont recognize my CD In Windows 2000, you must be logged in as a user with Administrative privileges on your local machine in order for the game to properly install and play. Im using Windows NT 4.0, but the video test fails Make sure you have Service Pack 5 or greater installed. You can find the latest Service Packs on Microsofts web site at http://support.microsoft.com Im using Windows NT 4.0, and have a 3D card, but the video test wont give me the option to run in Direct 3D You must have a Glide capable card to run in 3D mode under Windows NT 4.0. Direct3D cards are not supported under this operating system. I do not have any video when I start Diablo II This problem is usually attributed to older, or incompatible DirectX or Glide drivers. Diablo II runs in 640x480 mode during gameplay, and 800x600 mode in Game Menus and Battle.net screens. Some video cards have a problem with DirectX automatically switching between resolutions. Make sure you have the latest drivers for your video card installed on your system, and that Windows has the correct settings to recognize your monitor. Diablo II loads, but after playing for a while, I receive a DirectSound Error, DirectDraw Error, or Page Fault These issues are directly attributed to both the DirectSound and DirectDraw drivers that are in use on your system. To correct these problems, you will want to obtain the latest DirectX compatible video drivers from your video card manufacturer. If this problem persists, please contact our Technical Support department or check the Online Support portion of our web site at www.blizzard.co.uk I am not hearing any music or sound effects in Diablo II. Make sure that your sound card is compatible with DirectX 6.1 or higher. Sound cards that are not supported under Microsofts DirectX will not work with Diablo II. Install DirectX 7.0a from the Diablo II Install Disc. You should also contact your sound card manufacturer to obtain the latest drivers for your system and information on installing them. I keep hearing static, echoes, or feedback during the game. This usually occurs with older sound card drivers. Contact your sound card manufacturer and obtain the latest drivers. You also may want to check your mixer settings by opening the Start menu and then opening the Programs, Accessories, and Multimedia folders in that order. Select the Volume Control option. You may now adjust your mixer settings by moving the sliders up or down. Why am I only getting a black screen when I start Diablo II? Either your video card is not DirectX compatible, or you are using an older version of DirectX. You will need to install DirectX 7.0a from the Diablo II Install Disc and/or obtain DirectX-compatible drivers from your video card manufacturer. Will Diablo II work on my Cyrix M2, AMD K6-2, Athlon, or other Pentium 233 equivalent or better computer? Yes, but Cyrix processors must be at least 250mhz. Can I run Diablo II on system thats slower than 233 MHz? Diablo II has been optimized to run best on a Pentium 233 or faster processor. While systems slower than a Pentium 233 may run the game, it may not run properly or at playable speeds. Is there any way to play the full version of Diablo II without the CD? No. You must have the Diablo II Play Disc in your CD-ROM drive in order to play the game. My CD keeps spinning up and down as I play the game, slowing down my system. CD-ROM drives that spin-down frequently can cause pauses when data is accessed, as the CD must spin back up to speed before the required information can be accessed from the disk. This may inadvertantly happen if youve turned off streaming music from the in-game sound option menu. Keeping streaming music active (even if its at a very low volume level) prevents the CD from spinning down and makes access more efficient. Can I install Diablo II to a compressed drive? Yes. However, we do not recommend this as game performance may suffer.
6

Getting Started (Mac)

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Computer: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction requires a Mac OS computer with a G3 processor or better and 64 megabytes of physical RAM plus Virtual Memory (128 megabytes of RAM recommended). Multi-player games require 128 megabytes of physical RAM plus Virtual Memory. Operating System: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction requires System 8.1 or higher. Controls: A keyboard and mouse are required. If you have a multi-button mouse, make sure you have selected the check box for Use Multi-Button Mouse in the start-up options dialogue. Diablo II: Lord of Destruction is not designed to work with gamepads or joysticks. Drives: A 4X speed CD-ROM drive and a hard drive are required. In order to play Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, you must have the multi-player installation of Diablo II already on your hard drive (950 megs) as well as the Diablo II: Lord of Destruction installation (800 megs). Therefore, a total of 1.75 gigabytes of space must be available on your hard drive to install all of the required files. Video: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction requires that your computer support an 800x600 display at 256 colors. Diablo II: Lord of Destruction also supports enhanced graphic features when using a card with OpenGL (version 1.1.2 or higher), Rave, or 3Dfx support. In order to run with these enhanced graphic features, your 3D card must have at least 8 megabytes of RAM. Sound: Diablo II: Lord of Destruction will work with any Mac OS-compatible systems built-in sound capabilities. Multi-player Connectivity: Access to Blizzards online gaming service, Battle.net, requires a low-latency Internet connection that can support 32-bit applications and is rated at 28.8 Kbps or faster. Multi-player games played over a LAN require connection to a TCP/IP network. INSTALLATION OF DIABLO II: LORD OF DESTRUCTION In order to install Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, you must already have the original Diablo II installed on your system. If you have not installed Diablo II, please refer to the installation instructions in your Diablo II manual. Once you have correctly installed the original Diablo II on your system, place the Diablo II: Lord of Destruction disc into your CD-ROM drive. Double-click on the Diablo II CD icon, and then double-click on the Lord of Destruction Installer to copy the required game and system files to your hard drive. If you experience any problems with Diablo II or Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, please see the Troubleshooting (Mac) section in your Diablo II manual before contacting Blizzards technical support department.

Troubleshooting

Getting star (Mac)

Tutorial
BEFORE YOU CALL FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT
If you are having problems, please consult the Troubleshooting section before calling technical support. We receive many calls every day and can deal with your inquiry more efficiently if you know the following information: + + + + The manufacturer of your computer and its CPU type/speed How much RAM your system has The version and type of operating system that you are using The manufacturer and model of your video card, sound card, and modem

BEFORE YOU START

A quick note on terminology: Throughout this manual there are some terms with which you might be unfamiliar. Since much of your interaction in the game is accomplished by using your mouse, you should be fluent with some mouse-specific expressions. The phrases click or left-click refer to quickly pressing and releasing the button on the top, left side of your mouse. The phrase right-click indicates pressing and releasing the top, right-hand mouse button. A double-click means to rapidly click the top left mouse button twice. Some modern mice have three or more buttons on them. There are special instructions regarding the operation of these mice later on in the manual. Note to Macintosh users: Wherever the manual refers to a right-click, users with a single-button mouse can hold down the Command key (z) while clicking to achieve the same functionality. If you own a multi-button programmable mouse, you can configure the behavior of the additional buttons using the in-game Options menu. When pressing a key on the keyboard duplicates an action that would normally require you to use the mouse to click something on the screen, that key is called a hotkey. In this manual, when we refer to an action that has a hotkey shortcut, we will print the hotkey in bold text. For example, the hotkey for setting the default of your character from walk to run is the R key.

STARTING THE GAME

After installing Diablo II onto your computer (refer to the Getting Started section of the manual), make sure the Diablo II Play Disc is in your CD-ROM drive. If your computer is Autoplay-enabled, a Diablo II menu with a list of options pops up after you insert the Play Disc. If Autoplay is not enabled you can get to this screen by opening the My Computer icon and double-clicking on your CD-ROM icon. Locate the Setup program and double-click on that icon. Once the Diablo II menu appears, select the Play Diablo II option from the list of choices.

CHOOSING A CHARACTER
After Diablo II has loaded, select the Single Player option. This takes you to the Character Selection screen where you select a character from a list of those that you have previously created. However, since this is your first time playing, you dont yet have any characters. Select New Character and either click on OK or simply press the Enter key when New Character is highlighted. This takes you to the Character Creation screen. First, choose the class of your character. This screen depicts five heroes standing around a campfire, each one representing a different character type, or class. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses and possesses a distinctly different skill set. Detailed information on each class can be found in the Character Types section of the manual. For now choose the Amazon by clicking on the blonde female warrior in leather armor on the far left. She steps forward and you are
8

Support Contact

Tutorial

prompted to give your new character a name. Once you have typed in a name, press Enter or click on the OK button and your game will load. Note: When creating characters, it is important to note that the Character Name must be between 2 and 15 characters. Characters Names may only have upper and lower case letters (A-Z). In addition, names may have one dash ( - ) or one underscore ( _ ) as long as it is not the first or last character of the name. Finally, there are no spaces and no numbers allowed in Diablo II Character Names.

Once she is done speaking, a Quest Icon appears in the lower left of the play screen, indicating that Akara has given you a Quest. The Quest Icon appears whenever you are given a new quest or whenever a major event has occurred toward completing an existing one. Quests are missions that help the story of Diablo II unfold and, in completing these quests, the player advances closer and closer to unraveling the mysteries within the game. Quests are given to you by NPCs or are triggered by events while adventuring. Clicking on the red Quest Icon brings up your Quest Log, which keeps track of the quests you have been assigned, the status of current quests, which quests you have completed and how many quests are remaining in the current act. You can access the Quest Log whenever you wish by clicking on the Quest Log button on the Mini-panel or by hitting the Q key. You can close the log by hitting the button or Q key again or by pressing the Esc key or spacebar.

ENTERING THE WORLD

Once the game has loaded you will find your new character standing in the middle of the base camp for the displaced Sisters of the Sightless Eye (the Rogues from the original Diablo game). Your initial starting points for each of the four acts in Diablo II are referred to as towns. Nothing can hurt you within the walls of a town and you cannot hurt anyone else. The game starts with a prompt to open the Help Screen overlay. Click on the Help button to bring up this screen. The Help Screen points out the various functions of the interface bar as well as some important hotkey shortcuts. Once you have familiarized yourself with these commands, click the Close button in the upper right portion of the Help Screen. (Whenever you want to see the Help Screen again, simply press the H key.) After you close the Help Screen, a man in a blue shirt approaches you with a yellow thought bubble containing an exclamation point over his head. His name is Warriv and the exclamation point indicates that he has something important to tell you. Characters in the game that you can talk to and interact with (other than in combat) are called Non-Player Characters, or NPCs. They provide important information and vital services to your character as you play the game. Click on Warriv. Your Amazon will approach him and he will tell you about some of the recent events in the area. Listen to what he has to say (although, if you have played before, you can hit the Esc key or the spacebar to skip an NPCs dialog). When Warriv is done, click on him again. A small menu appears near him. This is the Interaction Menu, where you receive information and services from the NPCs throughout the game. Take a moment to navigate through the Interaction Menu and become familiar with its options. Follow Warrivs suggestion that you find and talk to Akara.

ADVENTURING IN THE WILDERNESS

Now that you have been given your first quest, its time to get to it. Open your Automap again and look for the break in the walls of the camp. Once you have found it, start walking toward the break until you come to the camps gate. As your character passes through the gate, notice that she takes on a more aggressive posture and that the Action Icons on the interface bar lose their red hue, indicating that they are now active. This change also tells you that you have left the safe zone of the town. Watch out! You are now fair game to the monsters that roam the wilderness. To make sure that they dont catch you unprepared, lets cover the basics of combat. Your Amazon starts off armed with a few javelins, which can be used both in melee combat and as ranged weapons.

MELEE COMBAT
Wander around outside the town until you encounter a monster (it shouldnt take too long). Now, position the cursor over the monster you wish to attack. The monster glows slightly and information about the creature displays at the top of the screen. In this way, you can always tell which monster you have targeted for your attack. Once you have targeted the beast, left-click on the creature and hold the mouse button down. Your Amazon approaches and begins to attack. The attack continues until the monster dies or you release the mouse button.

RANGED COMBAT
Once the creature is slain, let go of the mouse button. You can change the action of the left and right mouse buttons through the use of the Action Icons located near the left and right sides of the Interface Bar. Ready the Throw skill by clicking on your left Action Icon and then left-clicking on the Throw skill. Now, find and target another monster. This time hold the Shift key down when you left-click to attack. Your character stands her ground and throws the javelin at the monster. Keep in mind that although you are standing still, the monsters will continue to approach, so position your Amazon at a safe distance before hurling missiles at them. Also remember that ranged weapons are used up as you attack dont forget to keep track of your supply of javelins. As you wound a monster, the red bar behind its name shortens. This is an easy way to keep track of how much damage you are inflicting against the monster. Each character class develops different skills while advancing through the game. While many of these skills add new ways to attack an enemy (explained elsewhere in the manual), the basics outlined here form the foundation of the combat system in Diablo II.

GETTING A QUEST AND USING THE AUTOMAP

Since Akara is not in the immediate vicinity, use your Automap to locate her. Open the Automap by clicking on the Automap button on the Mini-panel or by pressing the Tab key. The Mini-panel is the group of small golden buttons to the center and just above the interface bar on the lower portion of the screen. (The Mini-panel, as well as the rest of the interface, is discussed in greater detail in a later section of this manual). You can close the Automap by clicking its button a second time, by hitting the Tab key again, or by pressing the Esc key or the spacebar. While the Automap is on, a translucent map is superimposed over the play screen and displays the town, as well as any other areas that your character has explored. The blue X in the middle of the Automap represents your character. Any whiteXs represent major NPCs and are named for easy reference. Locate the X with the name Akara, and move your Amazon towards her by clicking on the ground in the direction you wish her to walk. You can also click and hold the mouse button down in the direction you want to go and the Amazon continues to walk in that direction until you release the mouse button. When you get near Akara, click on her and listen to what she has to say.
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Tutorial

Tutorial

11

TREASURE
When a monster dies, it often drops an item. To pick it up, simply left-click on the item. Your character walks up to the item and puts it in her inventory. Some items, such as weapons and armor, are automatically equipped provided that your character is not already equipped with a similar item. Items can also be found in chests, barrels, jars or other hiding places, so be sure to search them all by clicking on them. A word of warning however! Some containers are trapped, and a distinctive warning sound will alert you to the danger. Some chests are locked and will require a key. You can find keys while adventuring or by purchasing them from an NPC merchant in town.

Game Menus
MAIN MENU
When you first launch Diablo II, the game displays the Blizzard Entertainment and Blizzard North logos, plays the Act I cinematic, and after displaying the Diablo II title screen, presents you with the Main Menu. The main menu presents you with these options: Single Player - Select this option to play aSingle Player game. Battle.net - Select this option to play Diablo II on a Battle.net Realm. Other Multi-player - Select this option to play a Multi-player game over a network. You can play Multi-player games on the Internet over Battle.net, or via Direct TCP/IP connection. See the Multi-player section for details. Credits - Select this option to view the list of credits. Cinematics - Select this option to view the Cinematics of the Acts you have completed. Exit Diablo II - Exits the game and returns to the Desktop

DEATH
Much like in real life, death is something you should strive to avoid in Diablo II. If your Life rating is reduced to zero during the game, you have died. When this happens, your character falls to the ground and you lose a portion of your gold. A message is displayed informing you that you have died, prompting you to press the Esc key. When you press the Esc key you will restart in town. However, your corpse remains at the location where you died. You will have to return to your corpse in order to retrieve the gear that you had equipped when you died. When you find your corpse again (hint: when you are near it, your corpse appears as the purple X on your Automap) left-click on it to re-equip your items. You should also collect any gold you might have dropped when you died. When you are once again girt for battle, it is time to exact a furious vengeance upon the monsters that struck you down, just be more careful this time. If your corpse is located in an area where it is too dangerous to retrieve, or if you simply cant find your body, you can simplify matters by exiting and re-entering the game. When you do so, your corpse and all of its items will appear near your starting location in town. The drawback to this method is that you will lose any gold that your character had dropped upon death. You now have a grasp of the key elements to playing the game. Have fun and good luck!

IN-GAME OPTIONS
While playing the game, you can access several options from the Game Menu. To display the Game Menu, click the Game Menu button on the Mini-Panel or press the Esc key. In Single Player, activating the Game Menu also pauses the game. The Game Menu allows you to adjust the various video, audio, automap, and control settings of the game. The Game Menu also allows you to exit the game back to the Main Menu.

When the Game Menu is activated you are presented with several choices:
Options - Clicking on Options allows you to access the Sound, Video, Automap, and Control Configuration submenus. See details at the end of this section. Save and Exit Game - In Single Player this option saves your characters current game and exits to the Main Menu. In Battle.net games this option returns you to the Battle.net chatroom. In Diablo II, it isnt necessary to explicitly save your game, as your character is automatically saved periodically, and when you exit the game.
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Tutorial

Game Menus

13

Single Player games save your character information as well as world layout, automap, quests, and waypoints. Neither your location, nor the monsters, nor any items outside your characters inventory or stash are saved. When you start up a Single Player game again with the same character, you will start back in town. However, your automap and world layout are preserved, along with your inventory, stash, quests, and waypoints. In a Multi-player game, your character information, inventory, stash, quests, and waypoints are stored. However, the world and automap are not stored since starting a Multi-player game creates a new random world layout. If you die and leave the game without retrieving your corpse, you will find your corpse near your starting location when you start a new game. When playing on a Realm in Battle.net, your character is saved on Blizzards server, and not on your computer. In all other cases, your character is stored as a file on your own computer. Return to Game - This option closes the Game Menu.

The Audio and Text option plays the NPC speech and displays the text, too. The Audio option plays the NPC speech, but displays no text. The Text option displays the NPC text, but doesnt play the speech. Previous Menu - Returns you to the main Game Menu.

VIDEO OPTIONS
Lighting Quality Lighting quality has three settings: Low, Medium and High. When set to High, lighting is smoothest. Blended Shadows - Turning this option ON makes shadows translucent. Perspective - Available only with a Direct3D or Glidecapable 3D-accelerated video card, perspective mode adds a parallax scrolling effect to game play, giving the graphics a greater feeling of depth. Gamma - The Gamma slider adjusts the overall brightness and contrast of the graphics in the game. The default setting should be fine for most video cards. If the game appears too dark, move the slider to the right to brighten it. Previous Menu - Returns you to the main Game Menu. NOTE: For the fastest graphics performance on your computer, set the VIDEO OPTIONS as follows: LIGHTING QUALITY: LOW BLENDED SHADOWS: OFF PERSPECTIVE: OFF

OPTIONS
From the Options screen, you may modify the following system options in Diablo II. However, if an option appears dimmed on your screen that feature is not supported by your system and you cannot change it.

SOUND
Sound - The sound slider adjusts the overall volume of all in-game sound effects and music. Volume increases as the slider is moved to the right. Move the slider all the way to the left to turn off all sound effects and music. Music - The music slider adjusts the music volume independently. Volume increases as the slider is moved to the right. Move the slider all the way to the left to turn off the in-game music. 3D Bias - If your sound card supports hardware 3D audio, you may adjust the 3D Bias slider to balance the volumes of 2D and 3D sounds. Moving the slider to the right of center increases the volume of 3D sounds, such as combat sound effects and player speech. Moving the slider to the left increases the volume of 2D stereo sounds such as music, wind, and thunder. 3D Sound - If your sound card supports hardware 3D audio, you can turn 3D Sound ON or OFF from the sound options menu. Environmental Effects - If your sound card supports EAX or EAX 2, you may turn environmental effects such as echoes and obstructions on and off. This option is grayed out if your sound card does not support environmental effects. NPC Speech - This allows you to select one of three options: Audio, Text, or Audio and Text. Change the option by left-clicking on it or pressing the Enter button while it is selected.
14

AUTOMAP CONFIGURATION
Fade Setting this option to CENTER makes the Automap area around your character more transparent. Setting this option to EVERYTHING makes the entire Automap more transparent. Press the F10 key to toggle the Fade setting at any time. Center When Cleared - Setting this option to YES will re-center the map the next time the automap is activated. Press the F9 key to center the automap at any time. Show Party - Setting this option to OFF hides the locations of allied characters (including party members, hirelings, and summoned creatures) from the automap. Press the F11 key to toggle the names of party members at any time.
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Game Menus

Game Menus

Show Names - This option toggles character names (both player and NPC names on the automap. Press the F12 key to toggle the Party Names setting at any time (this toggles party member names as well). Press the F12 key to toggle the display of these names at any time. Previous Menu - Returns you to the main Game Menu.

Controlling Your Character

THE GAME INTERFACE

CONTROL CONFIGURATION
This screen allows you to re-map many of the hotkeys and controls used in Diablo II. It is also a handy reference to see how keys and controls are currently assigned to various commands. In order to change the key assigned to a command, highlight and left-click on the current key entry, causing that entry to flash, and then press the new key. You can do this for any keyboard command in the game. When done changing your control configuration, choose the Accept option at the bottom right of the menu. Note: If you have a mouse with more than two buttons, you can assign the extra buttons using this option. To assign a mouse button to any action, highlight the key associated with a command in the configuration menu,and then press the mouse button you wish to map to that command.

The upper area of the game screen is the Play Area. The Play Area displays your character, the surroundings, and any creatures or items that are within your line of sight. The lower part of the screen is the Interface Bar. The Interface Bar displays important information about the state of your character, and provides the controls you need to access additional information and game features. You can access the controls on the Interface Bar by left-clicking on them. To get more information about a control or button, position your mouse over the control for a moment to bring up a short pop-up description.

The Interface Bar is composed of several elements: Life Orb - The red orb in the lower left of the screen indicates the health of your character, known as life. Life is the amount of damage your character can endure before he or she will die. Life does not automatically regenerate. It must be replenished by drinking healing potions, by the use of special skills, or by visiting a NPC with the power to heal. However, you may find some items with the power to regenerate life. Mana Orb - The blue orb in the lower right indicates the level of your characters Mana, or energy. When you run out of Mana, your character is temporarily unable to cast spells or use certain skills. Over time, your Mana will regenerate and refill the Orb.
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Game Menus

Controlling your Character

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Left and Right Action Icons - Your character can fight, cast spells, use skills and perform several other actions. By clicking the left and right buttons of your mouse, you perform these actions. You can assign different actions to the mouse using the Action Icons. The Action Icon on the left represents the current action for the left mouse button, while the icon on the right represents the action for the right mouse button. Left-clicking on an Action Icon displays a pop-up menu of skill icons. Click on a skill icon to assign it to that mouse button. The Mini-panel - Near the center of the Interface Bar is the Mini-panel. The Mini-panel displays a row of buttons for calling up more information on your character or accessing other game features. You can open or close the Mini-panel by clicking on the Mini-panel Button in the center of the Interface Bar. The Mini-panel buttons are: Character - Brings up a screen displaying your characters attributes. Inventory - Opens your backpack and displays your inventory. Skill Tree - Brings up a screen displaying your skill tree. Party Menu - Brings up a menu of all players in the game. Automap - Displays an overlaid map of your surroundings. Message Log - Displays the history of messages sent in the game. Quest Log - Brings up a menu listing the status of your quests. Game Menu - Brings up the Game Menu of in-game options. For a complete description of these buttons, see the relevant sections in this manual. The Belt - This row of four boxes represents your characters belt. You can hold drinkable potions and scrolls of Town Portal or Identify in the belt for easy access. Later in the game, you will find larger belts that can hold more than four items at a time. Once you have one of these larger belts, move your cursor over the belt to bring up the rest of the available slots, or press the ~ key to open and close these slots. The Experience Bar - This bar fills in as your character gains experience by defeating monsters. When it reaches the end, your character has gained a level and the bar starts all over again. Holding the mouse over the Experience Bar displays a pop-up that tells you exactly how many experience points you have and how many you need to achieve the next level. The Stamina Bar and the Run/Walk Button - Clicking on the Run/Walk Button toggles your characters movement between running and walking. As you run, you use up stamina. The Stamina Bar shows how much stamina you have left. Slowing to a walk will replenish your stamina. However, if the bar runs out completely, you must stop and rest for a moment before you can begin to regain your stamina.

To move continuously, hold down the left mouse button. Your character moves in the direction of the cursor until you release the mouse button. Note that obstacles such as walls, monsters, or closed doors may prevent your character from reaching the desired location.

Running
While your character normally walks, running is faster and is recommended for covering large distances. To run, simply hold down the Ctrl key as you direct your character around the Play Area. You can also run by clicking the Run/Walk button on the Interface Bar or using the R hotkey. Click the button or press R again to return to walking mode. You can only run as long as your character has stamina. The Stamina Bar indicates how much stamina you have, and how fast you are using it. By slowing to a walk, you can regain stamina. If you run until you are completely out of stamina, you will have to stop first before you begin to regain it.

The Automap
As you explore the world, the game maps where you have been. The map shows important terrain features like stairways and magical shrines and helps you navigate the world. To open the Automap, select the Automap icon from the Mini-panel, or press the Tab key on your keyboard. The Automap appears over the Play Area. Note that game play doesnt stop when you bring up the Automapyou can still move, attack, and be attacked by creatures in the world. Blue X - This indicates your characters location on the Automap. Other icons represent different objects in the game and show up on your map as you get close to them White X - These indicate NPCs, townsfolk and friendly characters with whom you can interact. Red X - In Multi-player games, these indicate other players in your game who are not in your party and may be hostile towards you. Light Green X - In Multiplayer games, these indicate other players who have joined your party. Dark Green X - These indicate hirelings or other creatures allied with you or your party. Purple X - If you have died, this indicates the location of your corpse. Yellow X - These indicate the locations of magic Portals that take you to other locations, such as Town Portals. You can scroll the Automap by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. If you need to re-center the map, press F9. To close the Automap, press the Automap button on the Mini-panel or press the Tab key on your keyboard again. You can also press the spacebar at any time to clear any open screens.

MOVEMENT
To move your character around the game environment in the Play Area, simply place your mouse cursor over a location and left-click. If there is a clear path to that location, you character will move there. Notice that the screen scrolls to stay centered on your character at all times and reveals new areas as you move about the world.
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Melee Combat
To attack a monster in the Play Area, move your cursor over the monster and left-click. If you have a melee attack set as your Left Action Icon, your character will move toward the monster and attack it. Note that as you move your cursor over the target monster, its name and dark red health bar appear near the top of the Play Area. Any special properties of the monster appear below the name. You can continuously attack by placing the cursor over the target and holding down the left mouse button (or the right button if an appropriate skill is in the Right Action Icon). Your character is now locked on that target, and will pursue and continue to attack the target until it is dead, even if your cursor does not remain over the target.

Hands - The hands may be equipped with gloves to increase the defense rating of your character. Waist - Belts may be equipped here to improve defense and increase the number of potions or scrolls that may be carried. Feet - The feet may be equipped with boots to increase the defense rating of your character. Neck - Amulets and necklaces may be equipped to imbue the wearer with special powers. However, only one may be worn at a time. Fingers - Rings often contain powerful magic properties. Two rings can be worn at a time. Backpack - The large area near the bottom of the screen is your characters backpack. Items of different sizes take up varying amounts of room in your backpack. Careful packing and rearrangement can maximize the amount you can carry, but from time to time you must decide what to carry, what to sell, or even what to simply throw on the ground. You can find out more about any item in your Inventory by moving your cursor over the item. A window pops up with a description of the item and its properties. To pick up an item from your Inventory, left-click on it. Your cursor changes to an image of that item. To drop the item, simply left-click again. If you drop the item over the Play Area, it falls onto the ground. If you drop the item onto another inventory item, the items swap places. You can put away the item by dropping it into an empty area of your backpack. To equip weapons, armor, or other wearable items, simply pick up the item from your inventory and drop it onto the appropriate location on your character. Note that if you pick up an item from the Play Area while your Inventory screen is open, the item is not automatically placed in your inventory. You must put it there yourself. You can drink potions and cast spells from scrolls or tomes (containing at least one scroll) located in your backpack by right-clicking on them. Another section of your inventory displays how much gold your character is carrying. NPC vendors trade gold for equipment, services, and supplies. The Gold button allows you to select an amount of gold to drop onto the ground, deposit into your Stash, or offer in trade with another player. The total amount of gold you can carry is determined by your characters level. To close your Inventory, click the Close icon on the Inventory screen. You can also press the spacebar at any time to clear any open screens, including your Inventory.

Ranged Combat
When using bows, throwing knives, or other ranged weapons, you may wish to fire without moving. By pressing and holding down the Shift key, your character will stay in place while firing at your target. This works for all other actions as well, allowing you to stand, fight, or cast spells while remaining in place.

USING ITEMS
To pick up items or interact with objects in the world, highlight the item or object with the cursor and left-click. In this way you can open doors, unlock chests, talk to townsfolk, or pick up items on the ground. When you pick up an item, the item goes into your characters Inventory. You can open your Inventory at any time by pressing the Inventory button from the Mini-panel or by pressing the I key. The Inventory screen takes up half of the Play Area. Notice that the game continues in the other half without pausing. The top part of the Inventory screen contains several boxes representing the different areas of your character that can hold equipment. The rectangular grid at the bottom of the Inventory represents your backpack. If you pick up an item that can be equipped, and you have the appropriate equipment slot free on your character, the item is auto-equipped. For example, if your character does not have a helmet, and you pick one up, your character automatically wears the helmet. The equipment areas on your character include: Head - This is where you equip any helms, caps, crowns, and the like. Body - This is where you equip body armor to better protect your character. Right Arm - This is where you equip a weapon such as a sword or a bow. Left Arm - This is where you normally equip a shield. However, if you have a two-handed weapon or bow in your right hand, this area displays a grayed-out version of that weapon, indicating that both hands are occupied. The Barbarian character may also equip a secondary weapon in the Left Arm slot.
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The Belt
The belt is designed to allow quick and easy access to the potions your character finds or buys. The belt is represented on the Interface Bar by a row of four slots. Each slot can hold a single potion or scroll. Larger belts have more slots. To display these additional slots, place your mouse cursor over the belt. A small window appears, showing the additional spaces available. You can also press the ~ key to open and close the extra slots on your belt. Your character starts with two healing potions already in the belt. You can drink a potion from your belt by right-clicking over the potion. A number (1-4) also appears in each occupied belt slot. Pressing one of these hotkeys is a fast way to drink a potion without having to click on it. Larger belts have other advantages. When you drink a potion or read a scroll, the item above it drops down to replace the consumed item. If you have a potion or scroll in a hotkey slot and you pick up another of the same type, the item automatically stacks above the first one. This continues until the stack is full. If there is no more room in the belt, the potion is placed in the backpack. Health potions and Mana potions are both automatically placed in the belt when they are picked up. You may place scrolls of Identify and Town Portal as well as the other drinkable potions in your belt. However, an item of these latter types is not automatically placed into your belt unless a) there is already a matching item in one of your four hotkey slots, and b) there is an empty slot above the one with the matching item.

USING SKILLS AND SPELLS

Your character employs a variety of skills and spells that you activate by using the left and right mouse buttons. You can change which skill or spell is associated with either mouse button by left-clicking on the Left or Right Action Icons. Left-clicking on these icons brings up a menu of all the possible skills and spells for that mouse button. While all active skills are available on the right mouse button, only direct attack skills are available on the left. Which skills are available on the left and right Action Icons depends on the class of character you are playing. As your character learns new skills, they appear in these menus.

A good example of Action Icons is to use your Throw skill to lob a Rancid Gas potion. Some potions can be used as weapons, exploding upon impact or releasing a cloud of poison. To prepare your character, change the Right Action Icon by left-clicking on it, then left-click on the Throw icon in the menu that appears. Next, equip the potion in an Arm slot in your characters Inventory. Now, when you right-click, your character throws the potion at your intended target. You can keep throwing as long as you have potions. A quick way to switch between skills is to assign hotkeys to the skills you use the most. A hotkey allows you to switch to those skills with a single stroke of the keyboard. To assign a hotkey to a skill, left-click on an Action Icon to bring up a skill menu, move the cursor over the desired skill, then press a function key from F1 to F8. Press the spacebar when done. Now, whenever you want to switch to a different skill, you can simply press the hotkey you assigned, and the proper skill will be assigned to the Action Icon and corresponding mouse button. Note that not all skills appear in the Active Icon menus. Passive skills, such as Warmth for the Sorceress, are in effect continuously once you acquire the skill, and thus are not listed in the menus.

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Getting Around Town

INTERACTING WITH TOWNSFOLK (NPCS)
Interacting with townsfolk is important in Diablo II . They tell you about relevant events and people in the world of Sanctuary, and some offer goods or services to assist you in your adventures. Urgent News - An NPC with an exclamation point (!) overhead has urgent news for you. Usually, the news is important information about completing your quests and advancing in the game. You should approach and talk to any townsfolk with an ! overhead. To talk to a town inhabitant, highlight the NPC with your mouse cursor and left-click. Your character automatically walks up and starts a conversation. Note that not all NPCs are inclined to conversation. Rest assured that silent townsfolk do not have any important information for you.

BUYING AND SELLING

On your adventures you will encounter town inhabitants who buy and sell items as well as offer other services. To access these options, you must first bring up the Interaction menu by left-clicking on the NPC. Choose Trade or Trade/Repair from the Interaction Menu to open the Vendor Screen. The Vendor Screen - The vendor screen is broken up into two parts: the vendors inventory on the left and your own inventory on the right. At the top of the vendors inventory are several tabs. Left-clicking on these tabs switches between the types of items that the vendor carries. These can include armor, weapons, magic, and miscellaneous items.

Placing your cursor over the vendors wares displays the name, price and properties of an item. Highlighting your own items displays the price the vendor will pay for that item, along with the items name and properties. To purchase an item, simply left-click on the item you wish to buy. A confirmation dialogue appears, asking if you are sure you wish to buy the item. Select yes, and (if you have enough gold) the item is transferred to your inventory. The cost of the item is automatically deducted from your total gold, including any that is kept in your Stash. Right-clicking on an item buys it immediately, without asking for confirmation of the purchase. To sell an item, pick it up from your inventory by left-clicking on the item. Move the item over to the vendors inventory, and left-click again to complete the sale. Another way to buy and sell items is by using the Purchase and Sell buttons at the bottom of the vendor screen. Purchase Button - Clicking the Purchase button changes your cursor into a solid arrow. Left-click over an item to purchase that item. Provided you have enough gold, a window pops up to confirm the sale. Sell Button - Clicking the Sell button changes your cursor into a hollow arrow. Leftclick over an item in your inventory to sell it to the vendor. A window pops up to confirm the sale. Repair Button - Some vendors can repair worn or broken armor and weapons. Weapons and armor have limited durability. As you use these items, they wear down slowly and eventually break. Once an item is broken, it must be repaired before you can use it again. When an item is close to breaking, a silhouette appears in the upper right of your screen, showing the damaged item in yellow or red. When you see this, it is time to have the item repaired. Check the durability of your items by moving your cursor over them in your Inventory. If a vendor can repair an item for you, a Repair button appears near the bottom of the vendor inventory. Simply click the Repair button to change your cursor into a hammer, and click on the object you wish to repair. A confirmation window pops up, complete with the cost of the repair.
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Interaction Menu - After initial introductions, talking to a townsperson a second time brings up the Interaction Menu. This menu displays the options for that particular inhabitant, such as trading or sharing gossip. These options differ among the various NPCs. You can quickly close the interaction menu by left-clicking on a spot away from the character or by pressing Esc or the spacebar.

Quest Log - Occasionally, townsfolk will ask you to complete a quest for them, or you will come across a quest while adventuring. When you receive a quest, a button titled Quest Log appears in the lower left corner of the Play Area. Clicking this button opens up the Quest Log. This log informs you of the status of quests, and tells you what you need to do next. Quests that you have not yet received appear grayed-out and are not selectable. Assigned quests appear in color and are selected by clicking on them. Click the Speech (!) button at the bottom of the Quest Log menu to play the selected quest speech. Any time an important event occurs that affects the status of the Quest Log, the Quest Log button appears in the lower left corner of the Play Area. Simply click on the Quest Log button to display the new information.
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YOUR STASH
Near your starting location in each of the four Acts you will find a large chest your Private Stash. It is a secure, permanent, SAFE place to store precious items and gold you find along the way. To activate your Stash simply left-click on the chest. A screen similar to the Vendor Screen appears. On the left side of the screen is your Stash, a smaller version of your Backpack grid. Picking up items from your Inventory and placing them in your Stash stores the items there.

WAYPOINTS
The world of Sanctuary is huge and often there are great distances between towns and their outlying regions. During the Sin War, the Horadrim devised a system of magic waypoints to provide instant travel from one place to another. The magics at work have long since been forgotten as the Horadric Mages have all but disappeared. However, these waypoints remain as a legacy to the Horadrims once-great power and the value of these devices cannot be denied. Within every town and at various places throughout each Act you may find waypoints. Click on them to bring up the Waypoint Menu, displaying a list of destinations.

Clicking the Deposit (Gold) button on your inventory screen brings up a dialogue box asking how much gold youd like to deposit in your Stash. Clicking the Withdraw (Gold) button in your Stash allows you to move gold back into your Inventory. For your convenience, gold in your Stash is used along with the gold in your Inventory when making purchases from vendors. As your character travels to later Acts, the amount of gold you can keep in your Stash increases. Use your Stash to hold any items you intend to keep, but dont want taking up precious space in your Inventory. Items left on the ground or in town will disappear after a few minutes.

Waypoint Menu - This menu shows all possible locations to which you can travel. Be sure to click on waypoints as you find them to add their location to your Waypoint Menu. Waypoint destinations appearing in gray text are ones you have not yet discovered and activated. You can jump between any waypoints shown in blue text by clicking on its button in the Waypoint Menu. You may also access waypoints from other Acts using the Act Tab in this menu. Since waypoints are saved with your character between games, they are a quick way to bypass areas you have already explored.

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DEVELOPING YOUR CHARACTER

GAINING EXPERIENCE POINTS AND LEVELING UP
One of your primary goals in Diablo II is the development and advancement of your character. As you play through the game you gain experience points by defeating the evil creatures inhabiting the land. As you achieve certain predetermined levels of experience your character levels up. You can check your progress towards the next level by examining the narrow horizontal Experience Bar just above your Stamina Bar. When the bar fills up completely, you gain a level. Moving your cursor over the bar displays your current experience points and the points required to reach the next level. When you level up, your Life and Mana orbs are refilled and you gain points you can use to improve your characters abilities. Two buttons appear on your screen: the New Stats button in the lower left and the New Skill button in the lower right. Clicking on them opens up screens that allow you to assign your new points to your Stats and Skills.

Next Level - This is the amount of experience necessary to achieve the next level. Strength - Strength increases the total amount of damage inflicted by your attacks. It is also a factor in equipping weapons and armor. Displayed near your Strength are your attack damage ratings associated with the skills you have selected for the left and right Action Icons. Attack Damage - The top Attack Damage field represents the damage for the skill thats currently selected in your Left Action Icon, while the bottom Attack Damage field represents the skill selected in the right Action Icon. Whether the action is an attack, a skill, or a spell, the damage displayed in the field represents the current action. The higher the number the more damage your character can do per attack. If a field is blank, then the action selected in that slot does not directly cause any damage. When playing as a Barbarian, and wielding two weapons, you see two numbers within these fields. These numbers represent the Attack Damage for each of the weapons held. Dexterity - Dexterity is a factor in equipping certain weapons. It also helps determine how often your melee or ranged attacks will succeed, and it affects your characters ability to defend against attacks that is, your Attack Rating and your Defense Rating: Attack Ratings - The top Attack Rating field is the action selected in your Left Action Icon, while the one beneath represents the Right Action Icon. The higher the value the more often your characters attacks will actually land blows in battle. Magical attacks and non-combat skills do not have attack ratings and, if such a skill is selected in an Action Icon, the associated field is blank. When playing a Barbarian wielding two weapons, you will see two number ranges within this field. These ranges represent the Attack Rating for each of the weapons held. Highlighting the top Attack Rating field with your cursor displays the likelihood that your attacks will hit creatures whose level is equal to your own. Defense Rating - The Defense Rating indicates how well your character can avoid being hit in combat. The higher the value the less often your character will be hit. Highlighting the Defense Rating field with your cursor displays the likelihood that a creature of your level will hit you. Vitality - Vitality determines how much life your character has and how far you can run without resting. Stamina - Stamina affects how far you can run. Having more stamina allows you to run farther before tiring out and being forced to walk. Life - Life is the amount of damage your character can endure before he or she will die. Life does not automatically regenerate. It must be replenished by drinking healing potions or by visiting an NPC with the power to heal. There are some items and skills, however, that regenerate life. Energy - Energy determines how much Mana your character possesses. Mana - Mana is your characters spiritual essence. Each time certain skills are used, such as the Fire Bolt of the Sorceress or the Double Swing of the Barbarian, some of this Mana is consumed. When you run out of Mana,
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CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES
Each time you level up, you are awarded 5 points that you may distribute among your four character attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Vitality and Energy. Clicking on the New Stats icon takes you to the Character screen. You can also bring up this screen at any time by pressing the A or C keys or by clicking the Character button on the Mini-panel. On the Character screen, assign your new points by clicking on the large + button next to the attribute you wish to increase. Each click increments that attribute by one point. Once you have allocated all of your Stat points, the New Stats icon disappears from the Play Area. NOTE: Each Stat point assignment is permanent, so choose wisely! To help you decide where to assign your points, take a moment to examine the information displayed on the Character Attribute Screen: Level - This is your characters current level. New characters start at level 1. Experience Points - This is the amount of experience that your character has already earned. You gain experience whenever you or your party members defeat monsters in combat.
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your character is temporarily unable to cast spells or use certain skills. Over time, your Mana regenerates. Stat Points Remaining - This shows the number of statistic points you have available for distribution among your attributes. When you gain a level, you earn five points to distribute to your attributes. Fire Resistance - The likelihood that you will resist damage from a fire attack. The more resistance you have, the less damage you take from fire attacks. Cold Resistance - The likelihood that you will resist damage from a cold attack. The more resistance you have, the less damage you take from cold attacks. Lightning Resistance - The likelihood that you will resist damage from a lightning attack. The more resistance you have, the less damage you take from lightning attacks. Poison Resistance - The likelihood that you will resist damage from a poison attack. The more resistance you have, the less damage you take from poison attacks. Normally the numbers that represent your characters current statistics appear in white. However, when a magical item or other magical effect has boosted a statistic or attribute, the number appears in blue.

Only a few skills are available to a new character. More skills will open up as you advance in level and invest in the prerequisite skills. Follow the lines on the Skill Tree and read the skill descriptions to determine the prerequisites needed for the more advanced skills.

WINNING THE GAME AND DIFFICULTY LEVELS

Just because youve defeated the minions of Hell doesnt mean the adventure has to stop. Diablo II offers three difficulty levels: Normal, Nightmare, and Hell. After youve completed the game in Normal, Nightmare difficulty level becomes available for that character when selecting it from the Character Selection screen. After Nightmare comes Hell. When you select a new difficulty level, the world is again randomly regenerated and repopulated with even tougher creatures, as well as more valuable treasure. This allows you to continue to develop your character as far as you wish.

Multi-player
One of the best ways to experience Diablo II is to play with other people. There are two Multi-player options on the Main Menu: Battle.net and Other Multi-player. On Battle.net, you can find literally thousands of other gamers to team up with (or compete against) in the quest to defeat Diablo. If you choose the Battle.net option, you play with Realm characters that are stored exclusively on the Battle.net Realm servers. By choosing the Other Multi-Player option, you play with Open characters that are stored on your computer, such as your Single Player characters. The Other Multi-Player options are Open Battle.net and TCP/IP. The Section following the Battle.net Realm section below has more detail about these two options.

THE SKILL TREE

Each time you level up, you earn a new skill point. Skills are special abilities that shape the individual nature of your character. By choosing different skill paths, you have numerous opportunities to customize your characters, resulting in a different playing experience. Clicking on the New Skill icon takes you to the Skill Tree screen. You can bring up this screen at any time by pressing the T key or by clicking on the Skill Tree button in the Mini-panel. The skills displayed on the screen are laid out in branching order. Skills available to your character are divided up into three primary areas represented by the named tabs along the right side of the Skill Tree menu. Left-click on each tab to switch between the primary skill areas. Skill Choices Remaining - This field displays the number of skill points that you may distribute within your Skill Tree. Skills - In order to view a particular skill, highlight it to pop-up a description with important information. These descriptions explain what the skill does, for instance, how much damage it causes, its range, and its Mana cost. If you have put at least one point into a skill, its description also details how much the skill would improve at the next level. Left-clicking on a skill when skill points are available assigns one point to the skill. Left-clicking on a skill when no skill points are available assigns the skill as your Right Action icon. To apply skill points simply left-click the desired skill. Keep in mind that increasing the effectiveness of an old skill may be more useful than learning a new one. NOTE: Each skill point assignment is permanent, so choose wisely!
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PLAYING DIABLO II ON BATTLE.NET

Battle.net is Blizzard Entertainments free, on-line gaming network. Battle.net offers a place where gamers can meet, chat, and adventure together. If youve never tried multi-player games before, Battle.net is the easiest and fastest way to play Blizzard games on-line. Note that you must have an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to access this feature. While Blizzard does not charge for use of Battle.net, you will still have to pay your regular fees to your ISP.

CONNECTING TO BATTLE.NET
To connect to Battle.net from the Main Option Screen, click the Battle.net button. At this point, you must Log In to Battle.net with your Battle.net account name and password. If you do not already have an account, you can create one by clicking the Create New Account button. After you have created your account, you will be automatically connected to Battle.net.

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SELECTING OR CREATING A BATTLE.NET REALM CHARACTER

Realm Characters are played exclusively on Diablo II Realms over Battle.net and cannot play in Single Player, Open, or TCP/IP games. A Realm is a Diablo II game server that is hosted and maintained by Blizzard. While playing on a Realm, your character is secure from many cheats, hacks and other abuses that could occur in an Open Battle.net or TCP/IP game. In a Realm game, characters are stored on the Realm and you can access them from any computer when you log into Battle.net. There are several Realms on Battle.net, each located in a different part of the world. When creating a Realm character, choose a Realm whose location is closest to you for the best play experience. Note: You cannot transfer an existing character from one Realm to another, so you should find out which Realm your friends are playing on before you make the choice. If this is your first time logging onto Battle.net with Diablo II, you will be asked to create a character. Choose and name a character in the Character Selection screen, after which you are presented with a list of Realms. Click on each Realm to view a description of that Realm, and then click OK to select it. You may double-click on a Realm as a shortcut for choosing it. You can create up to eight characters with a single Battle.net account. If you have previously created multiple Realm characters, you can choose which character you wish to play from the Character Selection screen. The name and level of each character is displayed along with the name of the Realm to which it belongs. If you wish to create a new character to add to this list, choose the New Character template at the top of the list.

The Chat Window appears on the left side of the screen. Along its right edge is the Chat Window scroll bar. Below the Chat Window are your Text Box and six buttons for commonly used chat commands Send, Whisper, Emote, Squelch, Unsquelch, and Help.

Send - Chat publicly with other players in the Chat Channel. Click inside your text box and type your message. Press the Send button or hit the Enter key to post your message to everyone currently in the chat channel. Whisper - Chat privately with other players in the Chat Channel. Click inside your text box and type your message. Left-click on the character you wish to whisper to, which is now highlighted by an aura. Press the Whisper button to send your message to only the highlighted character. Emote - Allows you to perform an action that the whole channel can see as represented through text. For example, if Doomhammer wants to greet all the players in the chat Channel, he could type, waves hello and press the Emote button. Everyone in the Channel then receives the message Doomhammer waves hello. Squelch - Block messages from a player. Left-click on the character to highlight it with an aura. Press the Squelch button. You will no longer hear any public or private messages from that player. Unsquelch - Allow messages from a squelched player. Left-click on the character to highlight it with an aura. Press the Unsquelch button. Help - Display the Diablo II chat help text.Immediately below the chat window is a space where you can type in your own messages. A scrollbar on the right edge of the chat window lets you scroll the chat window to view past messages. Messages appear in different colors: Gray Text: Indicates when someone joins or leaves the chat Channel. Use the command /d2notify to turn on these messages. White Text: Indicates what you have said out loud to the entire Chat Channel. Gold Text: Indicates what others have said out loud to the entire Chat Channel. Green Text: Indicates what you have whispered to a specific player, or any message that has been whispered to you. Blue Text: Indicates actions performed by players in the channel, or any special Battle.net messages sent to you. Red Text: Indicates error messages sent directly from Battle.net The right side of the screen is used to display information and bring up controls for games, ladders, and other channels. You access this information by clicking on the buttons directly below this region. The buttons and their associated displays are: Create - Allows you to create a game of Diablo II. You must name your game, and you may also give it a password to make it private, enter a description and specify the maximum number of players allowed in this game. You may also choose a difficulty level if you have previously completed the entire game with this character. For more information on difficulty levels, see the appropriate section in this manual.
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After selecting or creating a character, you are placed into a Battle.net chat channel where you can meet and talk to other players and join or create multi-player games.

BATTLE.NET CHAT
Once you have logged in to Battle.net and selected a character, you are placed into one of Battle.nets Diablo II Realm Chat Channels. In the Realm Chat Channels, character portraits, representing other players, appear at the bottom of the screen. If more people are in the Chat Channel than fit across the screen, you can scroll the portraits by clicking on one of the triangular scroll arrows. Holding your mouse over any of these portraits reveals the characters Battle.net account name, class, and level. Left-clicking on a portrait selects that particular character. Right-clicking on a portrait brings up that characters User Profile. From this channel, you can converse with other players, join or create games, and view the ladder rankings of the top Diablo II players.
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Multi-Player

Join - Brings up a screen displaying a list of games you can join. Listed beside each games name is the number of players currently in that game. Selecting one of the games shows you additional game information including the names and levels of the characters currently in the game. To join a game, select one from the list and click the Join Game button. Password protected games are not listed in the Join screen, and you must enter a specific game name and password to join a private game. Channel - This displays a list of other chat channels you can join. You may either select a channel from the list and click OK, or type in the name of the channel directly. If you type in the name of a channel that does not exist, you create a new chat channel. These user-created channels are not publicly listed and others can join this channel only if they know its name. Ladder - Diablo II has several player ranking ladders including the Standard Ladder and the Hardcore Ladder. Select the Ladder by clicking on its button. The Standard Ladder ranks the top characters by experience on your Realm, while the Hardcore Ladder lists the top Hardcore characters. Quit - Click on this button to exit from Battle.net chat and return to the Character Selection screen.

To be the game server, select the Host Game button (your computers IP Address is displayed on this screen). You can then choose one of your pre-existing characters or create a new character to start a game. Once you have started your game, others can select the Join Game option, enter the IP address of your computer, and then join your game.

Multi-player Gameplay
In Diablo II, your character adventures through the same quests, characters, items, monsters and Act progression in both Multi-Player and Single Player. In Multi-player games, however, you have additional features to help you manage parties, trade items, compete with other players, and communicate with others in your game.

IN-GAME CHAT
To chat with other players in your game, bring up the chat window by hitting the Enter key. A transparent pane appears where you can type in your message. Hit Enter again to send the message, which appears on your game screen. As other players send messages, they print on your game screen, and eventually scroll off the Play area. To see a complete history of the chat messages in the game, select the Message Log from the Mini-panel or press the M key. You can also send messages that appear as speech banners above your character. To do so, type an exclamation point as the first character of your message. For example, typing !Hello, Doomhammer displays Hello, Doomhammer over your characters head. A few Battle.net style commands can be used for In-game chat. Consult Battle.nets help feature for a complete list of these commands. To send a message to someone outside of your game, you will need to address that person using their Battle.net account name in the /msg <account name> command. Diablo II also provides a number of built-in messages to help you communicate quickly and efficiently with others. You send these character messages using the numeric keypad (with NumLock on): 0 - Help! 1 - Follow me. 2 - For you. 3 - Thanks. 4 - Sorry!

Other Multi-Player Options

OPEN BATTLE.NET
You can also play Open Characters over Battle.net. Open Characters include Single Player Characters as well as Multi-player characters created after using any of the Other Multi-player Options. Open Characters are stored locally on your own computer and cannot be played on a Blizzard Realm. In an Open Game, one players computer is the game server, while the other players connect to it. Since Blizzard cannot be responsible for the locally stored characters, or the servers on which the games are played, Open Games are more vulnerable than Realm Games to certain forms of manipulation and abuses by other players. The big advantage of Open Games, however, is that you can bring your Single Player characters onto Battle.net. You can play with your friends over Battle.net, and then continue playing that character in Single Player as you wish. To play an Open Battle.net game, select the Other Multi-player option from the Main Menu, and then select Open Battle.net. Log on to Battle.net as you would normally, then create or choose from your list of characters to enter the chat screen on Battle.net. From here you can chat with other players, and join or create open games.

TCP/IP
Multiplayer Diablo II games can also be played without using Battle.net by using the TCP/IP option on a Local Area Network, or over the Internet using your ISP (Internet Service Provider). To do so, one computer must be chosen as the server and all connecting players must know the IP (Internet Protocol) Address of that machine. The IP address of the server is displayed to the game creator. Once you have decided which computer will be the server, each player must enter the IP Address of the server to join the game. Note that the player whose computer is the server can also play. You do not need an additional computer for the server. To host a TCP/IP game, select the Other Multiplayer option from the Main Menu, and then select TCP/IP Game. From the TCP/IP Game screen, you can choose to either host or join a game.
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5 - Bye. 6 - Die!

Multi-Player

Multi-Player

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FORMING PARTIES
While playing cooperatively, it is a good idea to form a party of players to adventure together. While in a party, players share in experience points earned and gold found. Parties use each others strengths to tackle difficult areas and monsters. To form a party, bring up the Party Menu by selecting it from the Mini-panel or by pressing the P key.

TRADING WITH OTHER CHARACTERS

Diablo II provides a secure method to trade with other player characters while in town. To trade with another character, left-click on that character to bring up the Trade Screen. The Trade Screen consists of your Inventory on the right, and two areas on the left that contain the offers that the players are making to each other. To offer an item for trade, left-click on the item in your inventory, move it over to your offer area, and left-click again to drop it. The other players offer appears in that players offer area. You may also offer gold by incrementing or decrementing the gold slot of your offer area. Once you have agreed on a fair trade, click on the Accept button. The trade is completed when both parties have accepted. Either party may cancel the trade at any time by clicking the Cancel button prior to trade completion.

The Party Menu displays a list of all players currently in your game. Beside each character is a set of buttons to control different options for interacting with that player:
Invite - Invites that character to join your party. Once an invitation has been sent, this button changes to Cancel so that you may withdraw the invitation. On the other hand, if someone invites you to join their party, this button will instead display Accept and pressing it joins that party.

GOING HOSTILE
Hostility - When in town, a player can select this option to go hostile with another player. When hostile, both players can attack each other outside of town with skills or spells. This option can only be activated while in town and is only available to those characters at level 9 and above. Consent - Allows this character to loot your corpse. This option is useful when you have died and need the help of another player to retrieve your items. Mute - Press this button to prevent your messages from being heard by that character. Squelch - Press this button to block all messages sent to you from that character. While in a party, members split experience based upon the difference between their levels. A lower level character will not benefit much from a high-level friend doing most of the fighting, and visa versa. Gold in parties is shared equally, with any remainder going to the person who picked up the pile. Normally, players in Multiplayer games cannot attack each other, and spells never cause damage to other players. However, those players who wish to duel one another, prey on the weak, or cause trouble in the ranks may do so by selecting the Hostile option from the Party Menu. When a player goes hostile with another, both players can attack and harm each other. When a player goes hostile to you, you receive a warning message. As an additional alert, hostile players show up as a red X on your Automap and a hostile icon is displayed on the upper right of your screen. When one player kills another, the dead player drops any gold being carried as well as a trophy ear, marked with the characters name and level. Note: You may only activate the Hostile option while in town. A character lower than level 9 cannot be hostile. Also, upon declaring hostility any Town Portal you have cast will disappear. Further, hostiles may no longer use a Town Portal cast by another player.

QUESTS IN MULTI-PLAYER
All of the single player quests in Diablo II are available in Multi-player too. There are, however, some rules that you should be aware of when questing in Multi-player games. + When you join a game, only those quests that the games creator has not yet solved are available. If you wish to complete earlier quests, you must join another game or create your own. + When in a party, your party members may complete quests, even when you are not in the immediate vicinity. When one member of a party completes a quest, that quest is completed for all members of that party, each of whom may share in the reward for it. You must be within the same Act as the members of your party to share in the completion of the quest. + Even if you are not in a party, you are notified when other players have completed quests. When other players complete quests in your game, those quests become unavailable to you until you leave and start a new game.

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Multi-Player

Multi-Player

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+ The difficulty level in the game increases with each person who joins the game. A game with two adventurers is much easier than a game with five, and players will have to work together to complete quests. However, the rewards in experience and treasure are richer as well.

Amazons
The Amazons are women warriors who hail from a group of islands in the Twin Seas, near the border of the Great Ocean. Only the permanently snow-covered peak of Mount Karcheus breaks the expanses of lush forests on the islands. The Amazon people are a relatively isolated culture. Adapting over the centuries to their tropical milieu, they have built magnificent cities in the forest canopy. These cities are an architectural phenomenon and a source of great pride to the Amazon people. They do not follow the teachings of the Zakarum, but instead practice a polytheistic religion that adheres to the strict principles of Order. Their oracles long ago predicted the Dark Exile, and they have been preparing to combat it ever since. Amazons regard the destruction of the Three Prime Evils as their destiny, ushering in a new era when mortal men and women can at long last take their rightful place in the universe, no longer merely playthings for the beings of the Outer Realms. The Amazons are a seafaring people, one of the first to have made trade contact with both the Kingdoms of the West and with Kejhistan in the East. Their prominence in the worlds trade establishment has afforded their warriors the reputation they currently enjoy as cunning strategists and skilled combatants. They are much sought after as mercenaries, being both expert soldiers as well as extremely loyal - as long as the assignment does not conflict with their strict sense of ethics. Their pantheon of gods consists of a well-defined hierarchy, each member upholding some segment of the balance of Order. It is this strong sense of order that drives the Amazon people to achieve greatness in even the smallest of their endeavors. Their prime deity is Athulua who, with her consort, Kethryes, rules over the seasons and the weather. Under these Goddesses are a wide assortment of lesser deities, each responsible for his or her own sphere of influence among the Amazon peoples daily life. The Amazons believe this pantheon is the remnant of the original inhabitants that settled the islands centuries ago. According to ancient records, they share the same names as these gods, although aspects of their personalities seem to have evolved over the centuries. In the Amazon culture, only the women serve as warriors, their intrinsic superior dexterity and lithe body structures are better suited to combat in the dense rainforest environs of the islands. Their society is far from stratified, however, as men are responsible for any number of positions in the community, government, and clergy, as well as merchant and agricultural occupations.

HARDCORE CHARACTERS
After completing the entire game with a Battle.net Realm character, you will have the option to create a new type of character. To create a Hardcore character, select the Hardcore checkbox when creating and naming a new character. The important difference in a Hardcore character is that he or she has but a single life. Should your Hardcore character be slain, it is permanently erased from the game. Hardcore characters can only join games with other Hardcore characters. Hardcore characters are designed for game players who live to ride on the edge of danger. Hardcore characters are ranked on a separate ladder on Battle.net, and receive special honorifics in their names, which appear colored blood red. Note: Blizzard Entertainment is in no way responsible for your Hardcore character. If you choose to create and play a Hardcore character, you do so at your own risk. Blizzard is not responsible for the death and loss of your hardcore characters for any reason including Internet lag, bugs, Acts of God, your little sister, or any other reason whatsoever. Consult the End User License Agreement for more details. Blizzard will not, and does not have the capability to restore any deceased Hardcore characters. Dont even ask. La-la-la-la-la, we cant hear you

Traits and Abilities:

While more than competent in hand-to-hand combat, training in the jungles of her native islands has shaped the Amazons skill with the bow and missile weapons into one of unparalleled excellence. With the bow, her only rivals are the Sisters of the Sightless Eye. But, unlike her sisters in arms, the Amazon is also highly adept in the use of spears and other thrown weapons. The powers they possess are a combination of Prime magic, Holy magic and ingenious weapon construction.
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Multi-Player

The Amazon

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Barbarians
It is said that when the world was very young the tribes of the Northern Steppes were given a sacred charge. Somewhere deep within the great mountain, Arreat, lies a source of great power, crucial to the well being of all humanity. The tribes act as guardians of this artifact, and through this sacred duty, have shaped their way of life in observance of this power. Steeped in mystery and tradition, these people refer to themselves as the Children of Bul-Kathos, the great and ancient king. To better protect their lands from outside forces they adopted a nomadic lifestyle, frequently moving within the confines of the Steppes, and maintaining few permanent settlements. Isolating themselves from the world outside their territories, they eschew the use of magics and complex machinery, as they believe these things can only weaken the resolve developed over so many years. The Children of Bul-Kathos have developed a kinship with the land and have learned to harness the primal energies within nature to enhance their own substantial physical prowess. It is because of this, together with their freedom from the trappings of the outside world, that the Western Kingdoms have historically referred to these tribes as Barbarians, an epithet that belies the rich cultural and spiritual history these people truly possess. Although some trade with these curious folk, they do so only along the outermost borders of their lands. All intrusions into the territory surrounding Mount Arreat are forbidden, and warriors from the northern tribes are quick to thwart any incursions. Every attempt at conquest has always been met with fierce and decisive resistance. An account of one skirmish recounts how hordes of Barbarian tribesmen silently appeared where none had been but moments before. Their bodies painted in mysterious designs and their faces howling as they charged like the fierce mountain winds, the tribesmen descended on the invaders. Fully half of the trespassing army immediately dropped their weapons and fled, the remainder were set upon by the Northmen with fervor that none of the battle-hardened invaders had ever witnessed. No quarter was asked and none was given, but in the end, when the outlanders sounded a full retreat, no chase was given either at least none that could be observed. It is interesting that recently, since news of Diablos re-emergence has spread, a small number of Barbarian warriors has been seen roving the lands outside the Steppes, prepared for war and seeking information regarding the recent activities of the Prime Evils.

Necromancers
As might be expected, the devotees of magic are a segregated lot. They are as leery of students of rival disciplines as a layperson is of all arcane practitioners. None, however, are so widely maligned and misunderstood as the Priests of Rathma. As with most users of magic, the priests of the cult of Rathma hail from the far Eastern jungles. They reside in a vast underground city located deep within those jungles. Their specific geographical locale is particularly secluded, however, preventing their assimilation into a formal mage clan. But it is this same isolation that allowed them to pursue their distinct kind of arcane science. For it is through the teachings of Rathma, as well as through years of research and physical experimentation, that these men have come to understand and hold sacred the delicate balance of life and death and are able to twist the line that borders the two. For although the minions of Hell have long possessed this power, among mortals the knowledge to reanimate and control the dead belongs to these priests alone. It is this practice that has lead outsiders to refer to them as Necromancers. They truly comprehend the balance of all things, and understand and accept their place in what they refer to as the Great Cycle of Being. Their culture has subsisted in the shadow of the great mage clans from the earliest days, and in most ways their practice reaches back to a time before magic was formalized into strict disciplines. Although their art is considered dark, and the people of the outside world shun the priests who practice these arts, these mysterious cultists never suffered the epidemic of corruption that plagued the ancient Mage Clans. Pragmatists in the truest sense, they are above temptation. They see death merely as a natural part of life and do not seek to deny its arrival. Their singular knowledge of the unknown allows them to face death without fear. These ideals, coupled with an understanding of the natural balance between Order and Chaos, explain why they have not fallen prey to the influences of evil. Their desire to uphold this balance has brought the Necromancers forth from the isolation of their remote, dank homeland to destroy Diablo and his brethren. For the mere presence of these Prime Evils on the mortal realm upsets the natural symmetry of not only the mortal realm, but also the Great Cycle of Being, itself. The followers of Rathma seek to right the balance by ridding the mortal realms of non-mortal intervention altogether. They resent any force that would treat humans as pawns in a cosmic game, though they are apparently willing to ally with the forces of Order but only until such time as the balance is restored.

Traits and Abilities

Renowned for their awesome combat prowess as well as their arrogant demeanor, the Barbarians appear to be perpetually girt for battle. Through harsh conditioning, the Barbarians excel in physical combat and tremendous feats of strength. They derive their power chiefly through intense physical training, but they also tap primal energies from the living world around them. They can manifest these or add to their already considerable catalogue of superhuman feats of strength and power.
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Traits and Abilities

Necromancers have the ability to reanimate corpses of most entities and to control the recently dead. The dead release spiritual energies that haunt the mortal realms. The Necromancer can focus these energies, giving them manifestation in the corporal world. Practitioners of necromancy can curse the very fate of a victim by manipulating the Prime energies flowing through all living things.

The Barbarian

The Necromancer

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Paladins
During the mid-twelfth century, after the Church of Zakarum had gained prominence in the East, the Church decreed that the visions of Akarat would be spread throughout the known world in order to redeem the masses. Thus, the Church selected a group of its most charismatic and devoted priests and sent them on a mission to proselytize the people of the West. Unfortunately the Church had not prepared these men for the rigors of travel or the hazards of the world. Those priests who survived their missions recounted tales of harsh weather, inadequate supplies, attacks from bandits and even encounters with horrible monsters. To ensure the success of future missions, the Church set about training holy warriors, Paladins, to accompany and safeguard their missionaries. These Protectors of the Word proved to be more successful at converting the native peoples than the Priests they were assigned to defend. Impressing the locals with daring deeds, powerful weapons, and martial prowess was far more convincing than the condemnations of a softspoken monk. However, once the Word had been spread to every major city of the West, the Protectors of the Word faded from public view. Some decades later, Paladins were again called into service. During the height of the Time of Troubles, the Church commenced a second campaign of conversion. This time, however, the unconvincible were deemed to be evil. The Zakarum Inquisition spread through the lands like a tempest, laying waste to all suspected of demonic possession or corruption. Leading this crusade was a new generation of Paladins, known as the Hand of Zakarum. These cavaliers of righteousness swept through the lands, expunging the taint of demonic contamination wherever they found it. In the midst of this bloody crusade, a rebellion arose within the ranks of the Paladins of Zakarum. The rebels condemned the methods of the Inquisition, proclaiming that their new Order of Paladins should protect the innocent, and that the evil corruption they fought was merely evidence of their forebears failure. They resolved to fight the true source of corruption, the Three Prime Evils - Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto. And so, these rebellious Paladins left their Zakarum brethren and ventured west.

Sorceresses
The female mage clan of Zann Esu is one of the oldest of the ancient clans, although little is actually known about them. Centuries ago, the fourteen powerful covens of Esu witches convened for the first time in generations. What they discussed is not known, but the witches left behind their former lives and, as a group, disappeared into the Eastern jungles. The exact location of their community is a mystery. Until recently, their only contact with the outside world occurred during the recruitment missions. Once every seven years, the Zann Esu visit certain families across Sancutary. These families had one thing in commonthey each had a seven year-old daughter. Always good-natured and polite, the Zann Esu visitors would meet the girls, ask a few questions, and then leave. A select few of the girls were visited a second time and offered apprenticeships. The families of those chosen enjoyed good fortune for many years after. The Zann Esu, or Sorceresses as they are generally known, are on a quest for purity, the pursuit of the perfect magic. They feel the other disciplines of magic are haphazard, and have instead chosen to focus strictly upon elemental magic. They mold the base elements into whatever magical forms they need threatening all other magic disciplines with obsolescence. In order to achieve perfection in these elemental transmutations, they choose only those daughters of Sanctuary with the highest level of attunement to the magical elements. The Sorceresses believe that it is through the search for perfection that they will attain ultimate purity and ascend to their destined role as the most powerful mages in Sanctuary. For centuries they have studied in secret, perfecting their art and biding their time until the Emergence of Evil. Then, they will face their greatest challenge, either proving the purity of their magic or fading from existence. The Zann Esu oracles have decreed that the time of the Emergence is at hand. The destruction of the Prime Evils is to be the great test of their clan. Recently, Sorceresses have appeared mysteriously throughout Sanctuary to do battle with the minions of Evil wherever they are found.

Traits and Abilities:

Paladins use holy magic as gifted by the High Heavens. They must maintain strictly ordered lives, constantly upholding the cause of Virtue and Light. They must never succumb to worldly temptations lest they risk being deceived into following false lights demons masquerading as Heavenly beings Paladins may use their skills to increase their prowess with sword and shield, as well as lend blessing Auras to themselves and to any who join them. They are particularly effective against the undead, as they know many holy incantations effective against these types of creatures.
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Traits and Abilities

Athletic, affable, and self-assured, Sorceresses hardly seem like scholarly bookworms hidden away from civilization. Sorceresses possess many of the same skills as the male members of the Eastern mage clans, but excel at the use of Elemental magic. Like most mages, they consider melee combat vulgar, and use magic almost exclusively to fight their enemies.
The Sorceress
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The Paladin

Skills and Abilities

Every character class has a unique set of skills, allowing them abilities far beyond simple combat. As you develop your character, you are presented with options on the types and nature of skills to develop. Your choices help to customize your character, giving them unique combinations of abilities you can truly call your own. While each class specializes in different skills, it is useful for all character classes to have an understanding of the general types of magic they may encounter in the field: Active Skills - To use an active skill, you must assign the skill to one of your characters Action Icons. In general, active skills are split between the left and right Action Icons. You will need to examine the Action Icon menus for your character to determine how your active skills are split between them. Passive Skills - Passive skills are always in use, and are never assigned to an Action Icon. Passive skills are colored red with a gold symbol in your skill-tree to help you identify them. Passive skills do not consume Mana, and are active from the time you learn the skill. Auras - Unique to Paladins and certain creatures, Auras project a field of influence around the caster. Any allied character, hireling or minion will benefit from the aura so long as they are within the auras range. Those who are under the effect of an aura are indicated in the Play Area by a glowing halo beneath their feet. Curses - Necromancers and some monsters possess the ability to influence the fate of others around them. A curse affects those within a certain radius of the caster, and victims are marked for misfortune by a fuming haze above their heads.

AMAZON SKILLS
Intense training and stern discipline make the Amazons formidable foes. Their agility and combination of magical and physical combat abilities make them flexible and adept opponents in battle.

Bow and Crossbow Skills

Magic Arrow Far in the ancient past, Amazons found their glorious arboreal city of Tran Athulua under siege by the pirates of the Twin Seas. These cut-throats were determined to turn the Amazon Islands into their base of operations. The conflict lasted many months as the pirates laid in for a long siege. During the battle, supplies ran short, and the Amazon archers found themselves without ammunition. Realizing that their defense rested solely upon the ability of the archers to keep the corsairs at bay, the priests of the city prayed to Athulua to aid them. In answer, Athula infused the minds of the Amazons with the power to harness their natural spiritual energies. One by one the archers melded their determination and will into shards of physical force that they then unleashed from their bows by the thousands, firmly routing the corsairs back to sea. Effect: Creates an arrow composed entirely from Mana. Damage starts at the same level as a normal arrow and increases with higher levels of training. Fire Arrow Hefaetrus is the Amazonian god of fire and rebirth who lives deep within the great volcano, Mount Arnazeus, on the island of Philios. Although primarily the patron deity of farmers, from time to time he bestows his favors upon the warriors of the Islands, so they may keep safe his congregation. Through proper prayer and the sacrifice of many fierce enemies, an especially brave Amazon can attain the power to imbue her shots with the destructive power of fire, allowing her to rake blazing missiles from her bow. Effect: Enchants an arrow with the additional damage of fire. Cold Arrow Although winter never seems to find its way to the ever-balmy Amazon Islands, cold climates are not unheard of. The summit of Mount Karcheus on the island of Philios is covered with snow all year long. Deep within an icy cave secluded amongst its towering peaks, is the Great Hall of Mirrors where mighty Karcheus the Watcher sits upon his throne. Ever vigilant, Karcheus keeps watch over the people of the Amazons. Warriors who have trained within his temple are able to instill their shots with the power of a freezing wind. Effect: Enchants an arrow, adding cold damage and slowing your enemy. Multiple Shot Legend has it that the fabled Amazon archer, Palashia, bragged in her youth that she could best the combined skills of all her greatest rivals. Taking umbrage, her rivals gathered to challenge her outrageous boast, arranging a contest to decide the question. To preserve her honor, Palashia was to strike the targets of all her rivals before they could land a single arrow. When dawn arose on the day of the contest, Palashia stood ready with her bow. At the signal, her rivals nocked their arrows and loosed a volley towards their targets. Palashia gathered her energies, and let fly with her own, single arrow. To the amazement of onlookers, her arrow split into many, cleaving the arrows of her rivals, and moving on to strike every target directly in their centers. This mysterious technique quickly became a martial secret that only the finest archers are able to master. Effect: Splits one arrow into several.

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Skills and Abilities

Amazon Skills

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Exploding Arrow Another gift of Hefaetrus, an Amazon warrior practiced in this skill can imbue the arrows that she fires with the ability to explode upon impact. The resulting detonation not only allows her to damage her intended target, but also anything caught within the explosive blast. The sight of a full battalion of Amazon archers firing a volley of such arrows is eerily beautiful. Many warriors, having witnessed good friends consumed by the flames of these arrows, vow never to fight against Amazon warriors ever again. Effect: Adds fire damage to normal arrows and explodes on impact. Ice Arrow The second of the prizes Karcheus bestows to a true warrior, this skill enables the Amazon to instill her arrows with the glacial force of a fierce blizzard. Enemies struck by this power not only feel the icy sting of the enchanted shaft, but also the force of a chilling arctic wind that, mysteriously, they alone can feel. Effect: Arrows have additional cold damage and momentarily freeze the target. Guided Arrow Hunting and fighting during the night and in the deepest darkness is a necessary skill to any daughter of the Amazon islands. Devoted disciples of Athulua can, with great difficulty and strict discipline, train themselves to fire their arrows at targets blindly, as if the hand of Athulua herself guided the arrows. As might be imagined, this is an art that the Sisters of the Sightless Eye have long envied and yet have never replicated. Effect: Imbues an arrow with the ability to seek its nearest target. Strafe Once a warrior has attained this facility, she can fire a volley of arrows with amazing speed and precision, striking one target after another. Veteran mercenaries often tell a tale of a new recruit who was nearly struck down in battle because he was too distracted when first seeing an Amazon use this ability. Do not doubt his word, as he is probably referring to himself. Just smile and buy him another tankard of ale. Effect: Fires a volley of arrows at multiple nearby targets. Immolation Arrow Hefaetrus will sometimes bestow this ability to his greatest champions. These fire-instilled arrows burn with such a fierce intensity that the very earth surrounding where they impact ignites into flame. Although the fires last but a few moments, some say the effect is as if the pillars of the mighty kingdom of Hefaetrus were reaching up through the ground to strike down the enemies who linger nearby. Effect: Enchants an arrow that does fire damage, and explodes into a patch of fire on the ground. Creatures passing through the flames take additional damage. Freezing Arrow The greatest of the powers attained by those dedicated to Karcheus is the skill to imbue their arrows with the freezing power of a devastating avalanche. Enemies within the impact of a freezing arrow are frozen in their tracks and feel crushing pain, as if a mass of magical ice had toppled onto them. Effect: Enchants an arrow to deliver cold damage that freezes any monsters near the point of impact.
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Passive and Magic Skills

Inner Sight The lush canopy of trees covering the Amazon homeland allows little sunlight to reach the ground. To better adapt to their environment, the Amazons have developed a technique whereby they can attune themselves to the life forces in the surrounding area and transfer these energies into a source of luminescence. This enables the Amazon and her companions to see her enemies in shadow and darkness. Effect: Illuminates monsters and decreases their ability to defend themselves. Critical Strike (passive) Among the arsenal of techniques employed by the Amazon warrior is her ability to study opponents carefully and detect any weaknesses. She can then use these deficiencies in her adversary to strike at precisely those areas that will cause the greatest injuries. Effect: Grants a chance to do double physical damage with ranged and thrust attacks. Dodge (passive) To anyone familiar with their natural agility, it should came as no surprise that the training regimen of an Amazon warrior includes exercises specifically designed to avoid potentially devastating blows in combat. Effect: Grants a chance to move out of the way of a melee attack while standing still. Slow Missiles Through strict martial discipline and focus, an Amazon warrior can attune herself to her environment and the dangers around her, allowing her to react to these hazards with superhuman agility. One aspect of this ability is her knack for avoiding missile fire. Just as the Amazon must master the bow and javelin, she must also learn to defend herself from these same weapons. When an Amazon uses this ability, incoming projectiles appear to move slower than normal, enabling her to avoid them. Effect: Slows the missiles of nearby enemies. Avoid (passive) This ability hones the natural defensive ability of an Amazon. If she stands still, she can predict incoming missile attacks and elude them before they reach her. Most Amazon people can do this if all of their thoughts to the task, but only a warrior trained in this skill can do this even whilst caught unaware. Effect: Grants a chance to move out of the way of a missile attack while standing still. Penetrate (passive) The warriors of the Amazon Islands are legendary for their ability to strike their mark with ranged weapons. Warriors with this skill are more likely to hit targets at a distance. Effect: Additional chance to hit for ranged attacks. Decoy Amazons derive another benefit while learning to fight in the rainforests of their homeland. They learn, through misdirection and deception, to fool attacking forces into thinking there is another Amazon nearby. This subterfuge causes enemies to waste time and energy hunting down false prey while the Amazon moves in for the kill. Effect: Creates a duplicate image to distract enemies.
Amazon Skills
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Amazon Skills

Evade (passive) A warrior skilled in Dodge and Avoid may eventually learn this additional ability. Once an Amazon has sharpened her defensive concentration to this level, she will eventually be able to dodge blows and other attacks while moving. This skill can also help keep the Amazon from harm as she moves out of the way of an exploding siege engine or avoids the wrath of an enraged Sorceress! Effect: Grants a chance to escape any attack while moving. Valkyrie When a warrior has proven her devotion to Athulua through her brave deeds and exceptional skill in battle, the Goddess shows her favor by granting a spiritual emissary to aid the Amazon. These emissaries of Athulua are called Valkyrie, and they are the spirits of the greatest heroes from the Amazon people. The power to summon a Valkyrie is the greatest honor that an Amazon warrior can receive. It is believed this gift is a sign that your place beside the Goddess is assured when you pass from this worldperhaps even as a Valkyrie. Effect: Summons a powerful Valkyrie warrior to fight by your side. Pierce (passive) After long hours of training, an Amazon warriors bow arm can develop tremendous amounts of strength. With this strength, and some additional training, the Amazon is able to maximize the power of her bow, enabling her to penetrate multiple targets with a single arrow. Effect: A chance that your missile will continue through its victim.

Impale Although deftness and superior hand-eye coordination are the hallmarks of the Amazon warrior, they are also well known for the ferocity of their attacks. An experienced warrior is able to focus her fury and deliver blows so powerful that they have been known to shatter their weapon in the process. Effect: A more powerful attack with an increased chance the weapon will lose durability. Lightning Bolt If an Amazon warrior has proven herself worthy, the goddess Zerae can empower her with the ability to strike down enemies by hurling javelins charged with power as if she had snatched lighting from the heavens. Effect: Leaves a trail of lightning and does lightning damage. Charged Strike An Amazon devoted to the path of Zerae will be able to harness the forces of vengeance and storms. During Rites of Vengeance, Zerae will confer to the Amazon attacks that unleash a wild burst of electrical energy, striking down nearby enemies. A grizzled veteran of the Time of Troubles once said: Spear-women walking the Path of Zerae are best given wide berth, for they can be as violent and indiscriminant as the storms on the Twin Seas. Effect: A lightning attack that releases charged bolts Plague Javelin Practiced and cunning warriors are able to incorporate poisonous vegetation into the organs of wildlife, creating highly infectious and deadly bladders that the Amazons affix to their javelins. These javelins strike a target and explode into noxious and putrescent clouds. Entire armies of creatures and of men have been slaughtered by the ingenious use of these biological agents. The choking cloud created by a plague javelin will incapacitate even the strongest foes. Effect: Similar to Poison Javelin with an additional cloud of expanding poison at the point of impact. Fend Once an Amazon warrior has attained mastery over the spear, she can engage and destroy multiple enemies in close quarter battle. Many of those enemies will be lucky to be alive after the vicious onslaughts of these attacks have ended. Grand Mistress Celestia was able to demonstrate this ability to the Initiates of Athulua by striking down a dozen experienced warriors in the space of an arrows flight. Effect: Rapidly strikes several close targets. Lightning Strike Through focus and intense devotion to Zerae, an experienced warrior can harness Zeraes gift of lighting to great effect. Such a warrior is able to call upon the Goddess might to destroy her enemies, unleashing a bolt of lighting that arcs from foe to foe. Effect: Does lightning damage and releases chain lightning from target.

Spear and Javelin Skills

Jab Hunting in the dense rain forests of the Amazon Islands is fraught with many obstacles. Confining overgrowth and fierce indigenous animals conspire to make combat difficult, if not impossible. Early in training, Amazon spear-women must learn to overcome these conditions. By honing their hunting techniques to the point where they are able to deliver many powerful spear thrusts in rapid succession, they learn to finish off one opponent before turning to slay another. The Jab is the most basic of the skills designed to accomplish this tactic. Effect: Multiple attacks within the time span of a normal attack, each jab a bit less powerful than the last. Power Strike Zerae is the bride of Hefaetrus, and her dominion is vengeance and storms. If an Amazon warrior is on a mission to right a great wrong and has proven herself worthy, the goddess will empower her with the ability to add the electrical power of the mighty hurricanes of the Southern Seas to her stabbing spear attacks. Effect: Adds lightning damage and increases normal damage to thrusting attacks. Poison Javelin Amazon healers have long since ascertained the potent toxicity of their native flora. Any Amazon warrior devoted to this study is able to recognize particularly lethal strains of plant life, even while traveling in foreign lands. This knowledge allows her to create weapons from particularly virulent woods. Effect: Thrown javelin causes poison damage and leaves a trail of poison clouds.
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Amazon Skills

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Lightning Fury Possibly the most devastating, and certainly the most spectacular, of all the techniques learned by an Amazon warrior is Lightning Fury. The High Priestess of Zerae will teach select Amazons the secret of focusing the power of the goddess, consecrating a javelin to become the ultimate weapon of vengeance. The energy contained within the javelin is so powerful that its electrical energy explodes from its stricken target, releasing bolts of lightning that strike down hapless foes nearby. Swift and powerful is the justice administered by an eminent Amazon. Effect: Creates a powerful lightning bolt that releases multiple lightning bolts from target.

ern games almost as often as they do in battle, winning wagers from unsuspecting drunkards. Effect: Throws two weapons. Leap Attack A young treasure hunter once sought his fortune in a raid for Barbarian gold on Mount Arreat. Hearing tales of the Barbarian peoples expertise in close combat, he hired a phalanx of mercenary spearmen to accompany him, thinking their long spears would force the Barbarian warriors to fight from a distance. He soon learned his mistake as a single Barbarian warrior was enough to slaughter his entire party. Ambushing the raiding party from a patch of scrub grass, the Barbarian leapt over them, slaying one whilst airborne, and skewering two more as he landed. Before the would-be thief could draw a single breath, all of his hired lancers had been dispatched. It was a long walk home. Effect: Leaps onto a target and attacks when landing. Concentrate Sometimes a series of blows is not nearly as effective as a single, concentrated strike. A Barbarian trained in this skill learns how to focus his strength into a single blow that cuts through the guard of an enemy and slices through their armor. This technique also puts the warrior in a superior defensive position. Effect: An uninterruptible attack that also temporarily improves your defense. Frenzy Although a Barbarian is capable of calculated blows and tactical fighting techniques, it is his fierce passion for battle that distinguishes him in battle. While using this skill, a Barbarian drives more and more force into each successive blow as his anger and bloodlust mounts. Effect: Every successful hit increases your velocity and attack speed. Whirlwind Of the Barbarian people, the Tribe of Thunder was the first to draw upon the primal forces of the weather. Tornadoes would ravage their plains as summer turned to the harvest season. The shaman of the tribe would interpret the tornadoes as an omen of evil during times of peace, and as a harbinger of great victory during wartime. Observing the strength of the whirlwind, these Barbarians learned to emulate the swirling mlange of the cyclone in their attacks. As time went on and the tribes intermingled, the ability to attack in the manner of the whirlwind was passed down to all of the Barbarian people. Effect: A fierce spinning attack. Berserk There is a fine line between passion and rage, something the Barbarian warrior knows well. A Barbarian must learn to tread this line while separating one from the other and drawing strength from both. One of the most powerful combat skills a Barbarian can learn is to cross that line into rage, expending the sum of his energy and slaying everything without regard for consequences. When you have slain all of your enemies, what is left to fear? Effect: A powerful attack that leaves the Barbarian more vulnerable.
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BARBARIAN SKILLS
Out of necessity, the nomadic Barbarians must be highly skilled to survive in their harsh environment. Through oral tradition, patient teaching, and the occasional hard knock, Barbarians quickly acquire a host of combat and survival skills that are unrivalled throughout Sanctuary.

Combat skills
Bash The immense physical strength of the Barbarian people is widely known, so it should come as no surprise that this is one of the first skills that they develop as a warrior. Summoning up their renowned brute strength a Barbarian can deliver a powerful and painful blow that staggers an enemy from its feet, knocking them back. Effect: A powerful smashing blow that knocks the target back. Leap Because of his great strength, a trained barbarian warrior is able to perform great leaps. These jumps are noteworthy, enabling the Barbarian to spring free of dangerous swarms of enemies, and landing with an impact that sends them reeling. Effect: Barbarian jumps and knocks back enemies where he lands. Double Swing A Barbarian warrior learns to fight with a weapon in each hand, for after all, are not two weapons better than one? A young Barbarian learns to use both hands independently of each other, striking simultaneous blows at separate targets. As his talent grows in this skill, he attacks with increasing control and accuracy. Effect: A quick double attack that can damage two nearby enemies. Stun An experienced Barbarian can learn to strike an opponent in areas that promote the maximum effect. By putting enough strength behind a well-placed blow, he can leave an opponent dazed and unable to strike back or flee. Effect: A successful attack briefly stuns the enemy. Double Throw To a Barbarian, fighting with two weapons is considered a fairly simple feat. Not so simple is mastering the art of throwing two weapons simultaneously and accurately. Many young Barbarians are eager to learn this skill, for they will tell you it is concrete proof that they have risen to greatness as a warrior. In truth, they use this skill in tav50

Barbarian Skills

Combat Masteries
Sword Mastery (passive) Although there are many gifts from the Great and Ancient King Bul-Kathos, the greatest of these is the secret of steel. Raw iron is hardened and made resilient, forged into weapons of honor and power. Most mortal swords are patterned after the blade first wielded by Bul-Kathos himself. Balancing offense with defense, it is the perfect weapon for the defense of Mount Arreat in the coming apocalypse. All Barbarian warriors learn the secrets of steel at an early age, yet few truly master the deadly elegance of the sword. Those few who do often disdain all other weapons. Effect: Increased damage and Attack Rating when using swords. Axe Mastery (passive) Barbarian warriors of the Shadow Wolf Tribe are masters of the axe. Through the axe, they sought to match the swiping claws and the biting teeth of the wolves with which they lived and fought beside. These first axes were but crude stones mounted on wooden hafts, and after learning the secret of steel and swords from Bul-Kathos, the axe soon fell into disfavor. Recently, however, warriors and smiths from the Steppes have perfected the axe as a weapon equal to or greater than the sword. The Wolf Tribe once again teaches the swift and terrible power of the axe to those who wish to learn how to cull the weak from the herd and to protect their pack from the legions of Hell. Effect: Increased damage and Attack Rating when using axes. Mace Mastery (passive) Barbarians who have quested with the mighty Bear Tribe are masters of the Mace. From simple wooden clubs to the contemporary, armor-defeating flanged mace, warrior masters wield these weapons to devastating effect. As the Bear shaman, Koth, said to those who favor the sword and axe, When you are beset by hordes of the walking dead, do not come weeping to me if you have turned away from the wisdom of Bear. Effect: Increased damage and Attack Rating when using maces. Pole Arm Mastery (passive) Members of the Crane Tribe value distance, grace and a single overwhelming blow over the close grappling form advocated by the Bear Tribe. Though the two clans were wary of one another for many generations, recently the nomadic peoples have commingled and now share their powerful techniques with all that would learn. Crane warriors evolved their pole arm technique from dealing with mounted raiders and fighting in the shallow river waters found in the steppe. A master of the pole arm avoids physical contact with his opponent until he can land a single killing blow. Effect: Increased damage and Attack Rating when using pole arms. Throwing Mastery (passive) Although not as well known for their use of bows and other such ranged weapons, hunters from the Steppes have practiced the use of thrown weapons since earliest times. The open grasslands of their native soil are well suited for taking down game with swift and accurate blows from a hurled blade. It seems a natural evolution and a simple matter for them to have transferred this skill to combat. Effect: Increased damage and Attack Rating when throwing a weapon.
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Spear Mastery (passive) Warriors of the Snake Tribe, who favor the spear and are known for their cold eyes and sibilant battle chants. Only seasoned warriors may apply to the spear the techniques of the Snakea patient teacher that reminds us that all foes can be defeated in time. These are lessons learned from the many dangerous pit vipers that breed among the steppes surrounding Mount Arreat. Effect: Increased damage and Attack Rating when using spears. Increased Stamina (passive) The tribes of the northern Barbarians are a nomadic people, roaming the vast open plains of the Northern Steppes. Being raised in this environment has strengthened the Barbarian people. Simply by looking at a member of the northern clans, you can tell that they are more hale and hearty than the average person. Such is their vigor! Through strict conditioning, the Barbarian warriors can train their bodies to endure tremendous physical exertions, and at a moments notice can be ready for battle. Effect: Increases stamina, and stamina recovery rate. Iron Skin (passive) The harsh grasslands of their homeland offer the Barbarian people little refuge from the elements. Constant prolonged exposure to the sun, wind, rain and other elements has toughened their skin to the resilience of natural leather. Effect: Improves overall defense. Increased Speed (passive) It is a fatal assumption that the Barbarian warrior is slow and ponderous. His great bulk belies a very agile individual. A lifetime of patrolling the vast plains of his native soil, where it is often necessary to cover great distances in very little time, has empowered the Barbarian warriors with the ability to walk and run at surprising rates of speed. Effect: Increases your walk and run speeds. Natural Resistance (passive) In order to survive the unforgiving lands of the north, the people of the Barbarian tribes have developed hardy resistances to the common elements. Heat and cold alike are something they endure often. Since food is scarce while foraging, they have learned to consume species of plants that would slay normal men. Through additional training, a warrior can further fortify himself against these dangers, allowing him to better survive while traveling to unfamiliar lands and battling unknown foes. Effect: Increases resistances to elemental damage.

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War Cries
Howl A Barbarian warrior in battle is a fearsome enough sight. They cover their bodies with strange markings and the fire in their eyes can be seen from across a battlefield. Early in his training a warrior must learn how to tap the primal energies around him and utter a howl in battlea bellow so fierce that it will send even the battalions of the Burning Hells running in fear. Effect: Frightens monsters into retreating. Find Potion When a warrior is injured while out in the field, he must find ways to effectively heal wounds. By picking among the glands and entrails of the recently dead, a Barbarian warrior can sometimes scavenge enough ingredients to make a powerful healing elixir. Some Barbarians are skillful and fortunate enough to find ingredients for a potion that restores not only their health but their spirit as well. Effect: Grants a chance that a Health, Mana or Rejuvenation potion can be derived from a corpse. Taunt Pinpointing an opponents physical weakness is not the only talent a warrior of the Steppes possesses. He can often ascertain what emotional strings might push a foe into a fight, against its better judgment. A Barbarian taunting an opponent into a blind rage hopes to capitalize on the mistakes enemies may make while so angered. It is this ability that causes Barbarians to have a poor reputation as drinking partners. Effect: Taunts a monster to fight you. Shout Barbarian warriors are born to command in battle. When a warrior learns this skill he can raise his voice above the din of combat to shout warnings of impending blows to his comrades in arms. This will alert them in time to allow them to guard against the incoming attack. Effect: Increases the defense of friendly units. Find Item To most people, searching the bodies of the recently slain is a distasteful chore. Quite happy with procuring whatever items are readily visible and moving on, most people often miss useful items. The Barbarian people have never had the luxury of abundance, and their harsh existence has taught them to scavenge every part of the dead for the items they need to survive. What use do the dead have of gold? Effect: Grants a chance that an item can be found on a corpse. Battle Cry Gifted Barbarian warriors can benefit from their connection to their totem animals to exploit the primal fears of their opponents. Once a Barbarian unleashes the Battle Cry, even the legions of the dead will become so distracted that they falter in their quest for victory. This permits the warrior an easy kill. Effect: Frightens nearby enemies and lowers their defense.
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Battle Orders Although skillful in single combat, the Barbarian warrior also has a talent for group tactics. It is this ability that makes him a natural leader in combat. An experienced warrior can use this skill to better array his forces in battle, enhancing their ability to overcome the enemy. Effect: Increases Mana, Life, and Stamina of party members. Grim Ward This skill allows the Barbarian to fashion a totem out of the carcass of his slain enemies. The resulting talisman serves as a grave warning to all of the minions of the Prime Evils. The mere sight of the Totem causes monsters to flee in terror. With additional training the warrior can increase the potency of the ward. Effect: Turns a corpse into a fetish that will frighten monsters away. War Cry Summoning the ancient powers known to his people, a Barbarian warrior can call on his spirit animal and lash out at his enemies with a cry that halts them in their tracksa powerful anguish rising to burn the depths of their being. It is this skill that gives rise to the legends of Barbarians being able to sap the life from a creature with a single word. Effect: Damages and stuns your enemies. Battle Command Using this skill a Barbarian can examine the abilities of his companions and, during battle, determine how best the group should apply their various skills. It is this skill as well as their natural abilities as leaders that are gradually shedding the long held stereotype that the Barbarian people are merely ignorant savages. Effect: Temporarily increases the skills of party members.

NECROMANCER SKILLS
The Art of Necromancy is mysterious and commonly misunderstood. Though Necromancers yield neither to the shadows nor to the light, outsiders still refer to their craft as the Black Arts. Regardless of rumor, the skills that Necromancers employ are truly some of the most terrifying powers in the land.

Curses
Amplify Damage This deceptively potent curse rapidly advances the age and putridity of any wound. Ordinary blows will cut through flesh and carve particularly vicious wounds that fester and seethe. Effect: Increases the amount of damage received.

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Dim Vision Damning an enemy to the darkness of their own evil, this curse surrounds the afflicted in a sphere of perfect darkness and silence, blinding them. This allows a Necromancer and his party to slip by unnoticed or maneuver close for a more effective attack. Effect: Decreases radius of awareness. Weaken This bane allows the Necromancer to sap the strength from his enemy. Enemies are enfeebled to the point that their blows become highly ineffective. Effect: Decreases the damage the target can do. Iron Maiden This spell curses a creature, condemning them to receive whatever pains they inflict upon others. The greater the skill of the Necromancer, the greater the magnitude of torment the victim receives for his wrongdoings. Effect: Damage dealt is damage received. Terror This curse causes its victim to hallucinate, conjuring their greatest fear in corporeal form before their eyes. They believe these apparitions are real and run from them as long as the curse affects them. Effect: Cursed monsters run in fear. Confuse Necromancers can tap into the spirit realm, channeling bitter and mischievous spirits into the minds of nearby enemies. The victims are bombarded with the gibbering of the dead, which, indistinguishable from their own thoughts, urge them to strike at friend and foe alike. The discordant wailing of these spirits builds to a crescendo, eventually driving the victim mad. Effect: Cursed monsters attack randomly. Life Tap This skill allows the Necromancer to literally suck the life from his victims. The Necromancer is able to reach into the wellspring of mortality and siphon off its essence, consuming it to replace his own. Effect: Attacking a cursed soul gives you health. Attract This hex causes hallucinations in enemies which force them to stop whatever activity they were engaged in and aid the Necromancer in his attacks. Battling their former allies with an unnatural ferocity, this is a vastly demoralizing turn of events for the enemy. Effect: Causes other monsters to target your enemy. Decrepify This curse gives the victim a glimpse of his own mortality, briefly aging the victim. Imagining itself with an infirm body of advanced age, the afflicted believes it is no longer capable of youthful exertions. Effect: Slows speed of the cursed.
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Lower Resist Simply put, this skill increases an enemys susceptibility to the harsh effects of the elements and elemental magics. Skin burns like paper, chills cut to the bone, and lightning is drawn to the victim as if the were a bar of iron in a rainstorm. Effect: Elemental attacks do more damage to the cursed monster.

Poison and Bone Spells

Teeth One of the first gifts of Rathma, this skill allows the Necromancer to summon forth the DenTrag, or Teeth of the Dragon TragOul. The Necromancers believe that TragOul is the beast on whose back the world lies. In the balance of all things, it is thought that TragOul is the fulcrum point. He is the closest thing the cult of Rathma has to a deity and this spell is the manner in which he protects his chosen. Effect: Summons multiple projectiles that damage enemies. Bone Armor This spell summons a barrier created from the bones of fallen warriors. The armor revolves around the Necromancer, protecting him against all attacks. Although enchanted, the armor does take damage and will eventually crumble. Effect: A protective shield that absorbs damage. Poison Dagger The apothecary skills of the Necromancer lay fundamentally in the studies of venoms, toxins and other poisonous substances. Not only can a skilled Necromancer identify the various strains of poison that he might come across, but he also maintains a ready supply of samples. Rarely does he shy from their use. In a common application of this skill, the Necromancer paints his dagger with a thin coat of virulent poison. The greater his ability, the more potent the poison. Effect: Adds poison damage to a dagger. Corpse Explosion Every corpse created as a result of a violent death carries with it the anguish of its final moments. With this spell the Necromancer is able to call upon those energies and focus them into a single violent force. This force then expels itself from the carcass with such power that it causes a dramatic explosion. Effect: The targeted corpse explodes, damaging all nearby enemies. Bone Wall This spell enables the Necromancer to call upon the remnants of the spirits of all the creatures who have ever died in the area. It accumulates their fossilized remains and summons forth from the ground a barrier of dense, fossilized bone. This spell is an effective method for keeping adversaries from reaching a Necromancer, while allowing him to attack from range or make his escape. Effect: Creates a barrier of bone.
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Necromancer Skills

Poison Explosion This spell permits the Necromancer to accelerate the decomposition of a corpse to an alarming degree. So rapidly does the corpse putrefy, that the toxic gases, normally accumulated in dead tissue over time, explode forth from the carcass in a cloud of poisonous vapors. Effect: Releases a cloud of poisonous gas from a corpse. Bone Spear Also known as the Talon of TragOul, this spell summons a long shaft of bone issuing forth from the caster and piercing any opponents in its path. Since the force of this projectile is mystical as well as physical it can pass through one opponent and carry on to the next, rending and tearing through whatever is in its path. Effect: Summons a magical missile of bone. Bone Prison Similar to the Bone Wall, a Necromancer with this skill can summon a spirit wall of bone in the form of an enclosing ring. This prison traps all enemies within its circumference. Imprisoned within a cage of bone, the captives are held helpless until they can summon the strength to break through its skeletal confines or the Necromancer loses his hold over the spirits. Effect: Summons a ring of bone to surround a target. Poison Nova This spell befouls the atmosphere surrounding the caster. With an arcane chant, the Necromancer corrupts the very air we breathe and causes it to erupt in all directions. It is from years of investigation and preparation that the Necromancer can choose a poisonous gas that is toxic to the minions of evil, yet harmless to himself and his companions. Effect: A ring of poison explodes from the Necromancer. Bone Spirit This powerful spell briefly summons the spirit of a vengeful revenant. This skeletal specter immediately seeks out its objective, ripping free a portion of the targets soul and carrying it away to the plane of the dead. This is not a true summoning spell, however, as the Necromancers have not yet determined how to control these wraiths. For now, it is enough that they are able to shield themselves and their companions from their wrath! Effect: Spirit tracks down a target, or finds one of its own.

Skeleton Mastery As the Necromancers knowledge of the undead improves, he is able to harness and divert more powerful spirits to inhabit the corpses of the recently dead. A Necromancer who possesses this skill is able to raise skeletons and skeletal mages of a much more powerful variety. Effect: Improves the quality of your raised skeletons, magi, and revived. Clay Golem While it is fairly simple for a Necromancer to animate dead tissue, it is another matter entirely to instill the spark of life into inanimate objects. The Clay Golem is the simplest form of this complex art, creating a servant directly from the earth to serve the Necromancer. The intense drain this places on the psyche of the caster only allows him to maintain a single Golem of any type at a time. Effect: Raises a Golem from the earth to fight for you. Golem Mastery Developing this skill permits the Necromancer to divert more of his will and energies into his artificial creations. This allows the Necromancer to create more robust golems and control them with greater finesse. Effect: Enhances speed and life of golems. Raise Skeletal Mage Dead warriors are not the only heroes that a Necromancer may summon to inhabit his creations. Many a Necromancer regales in raising the corpses of long dead wizards and bending them to his will. The priests of Rathma feel that this is the proof of the dominance of their particular branch of the mystic arts. Effect: Raises a Skeletal Mage that fights for you with an elemental attack. Blood Golem Utilizing a small quantity of his own blood, the Necromancer is able to give life to a creature neither living nor dead, yet formed of human tissue. This homunculus gains nourishment from the fresh blood of its slain enemies, from which it replenishes its strength. Tied to the Necromancer through the mages own blood, the Blood Golem is able to share this stolen life force with his master. Unfortunately, the link flows both ways, and any damage taken by the Golem is also transmitted to the caster. Effect: Summons a Golem that is linked to the casters health. Summon Resist Powerful heat, freezing cold and intense electrical attacks can take a serious toll on the bound servants of any Necromancer. By developing this skill, a Necromancer can permeate his summoned minions with a protective energy that strengthens their protection to the natural and mystical elements alike. Effect: Raises elemental resistances of your minions. Iron Golem While many mages spend their lives devoted to studying the transmutation of base metals into gold, the Necromancers have always had a somewhat different approach to transforming metals. Through complicated arcane rituals and great mental concentration, a Necromancer can summon forth a Golem from common base metals. The construct takes on the properties of the original source material, including any magical effects or other properties the original metal might have possessed. Effect: Summon a Golem from a metal item. The golem gains properties of the item.

Summoning Spells
Raise Skeleton Early on, Necromancers learn to control the skeletal remains of deceased creatures. Invoking this skill causes a nightmarish jumble of animated bones to rise from a fresh corpse. Animated partially through their own will and partially through the summoned spirits of ancient warriors, Necromancers often maintain a small host of these reanimated soldiers to do their bidding. Effect: Raises one skeleton per skill level to fight for you.

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Necromancer Skills

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Fire Golem It is believed that all life was forged when fire, earth, iron and flesh were combined. A Necromancer learned in this art can summon a Golem constructed entirely from living flame. The Necromancer summons the Golem through accelerating particles of the air at an ever increasing pace. These particles then ignite and the Golem crackles into existence, seemingly out of thin air. Effect: A Golem of fire that uses fire damage to heal itself. Revive The ultimate goal of a Priest of Rathma is the perfect reanimation and control of a dead creature, maintaining the purity and properties of its body while releasing its soul to allow the Necromancer full control. When a Necromancer at long last gains this ability, he can truly claim mastery of the Great Cycle of Being. Effect: Resurrects a monster to fight for you.

Zeal A noble Paladin, fervent in his dedication to righteousness, can draw upon the spirit of that dedication to perform seemingly impossible tasks. When surrounded by his enemies, a Paladin versed in this skill sets upon his adversaries with the zealous fervor of many times his number. Effect: Quickly attacks multiple adjacent enemies. Charge In showing fear, a Paladin displays his lack of faith, and a faithless Paladin is less than a man let alone a knight. This is vital in that when all else fails, it is faith that will carry the Paladin through to victory. Warriors of faith never shirk from combat, but rush forward with heads down and shields up, allowing their glory to carry them into the thick of battle to deliver the first blow. Effect: Closes the distance with an enemy, delivering a bash on contact. Vengeance When a Paladin undertakes a crusade to banish evil, he is permitted to call upon the just souls of past crusades. Thus summoned, the spirits of the honorably vanquished manifest themselves and lend their energies to the weapons of the Paladin and his party. Effect: Adds Fire, Lightning and Cold damage to all melee attacks. Blessed Hammer The Visions of Akarat tell of a hopeless battle. Legions of the undead had laid siege to a small convent of nuns who were the keepers of a sacred relic, the Hammer of Ghrab Thaar. Suspended over a fiery chasm within the convent, the sisters knew the Hammer to be a powerful vessel of the Light and vowed never to allow it to fall into the hands of evil. With no weapons of their own, and no one to defend them, the nuns sacrificed themselves to destroy the hammer. Rather than let the undead despoil the church and the relic, they took the hammer and plunged themselves into the fiery chasm. At that moment, a powerful force of Light washed over the undead legion, striking them down where they stood. Since that time a well-trained Paladin is able to tap the remnants of this released energy, whirling a magical hammer to strike down his adversaries, especially the forces of the walking dead. Effect: A magical Hammer spirals outward, damaging enemies. The Undead take additional damage. Conversion Through force of will and strength of steel, a noble Paladin with this skill is able to blind his enemies with the glory of the Light. After trading blows with the Paladin and facing the fire of righteousness burning in his eyes, an enemy will sometimes be struck with a divine epiphany and momentarily repent his past undertakings. So complete is the transformation, that the converted will turn to slay its former comrades. Effect: A successful attack has a chance to convert the target to fight evil.
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PALADIN SKILLS
Fueled by their zeal, Paladins wield powerful skills made possible only through years of devout dedication and sacrifice. Long campaigns in the Crusades have further tempered their abilities, honing them to razor sharp manifestations of the will of the Light.

Combat Skills
Sacrifice At what price glory? By sanctifying his weapon with some of his own blood, a Paladin of Zakarum is able to increase his efficiency in combat by forfeiting a portion of his own physical essence. This sacrifice is a symbol of faith that even the lowliest Paladin must submit before the Light, in order that he may prove himself worthy of victory. Effect: Increased damage and speed, at the cost of health. Smite The sword of a Paladin represents the might of righteousness and his shield symbolizes the strength of his faith. Both are tools he uses to mete out justice. Just as righteousness can give his spirit the fortitude to overcome the attacks of the unjust, so too can faith be a weapon to strike back at those who work to defeat him. To this end, the Paladin has developed several combat techniques that use the shield not only for defense, but also as an offensive weapon. Effect: Shield bash that does damage and knock back. Holy Bolt The Paladin can learn to summon bolts formed of pure, righteous energies. These projectiles are vessels of life, bane to the undead, and succor to the faithful. At the battle of Taelohn Bridge, the villagers feared the day was lost when an army of the walking dead besieged them. Just as the battered militia was about to be overwhelmed, a small band of Paladins appeared. Wading through the rotting carcasses of the living dead and hurling spheres of pure Light that expelled the evil controlling the battling corpses while renewing the strength of the remaining villagers. Effect: Bolt of energy that damages undead, or heals friendly units.
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Holy Shield To a Paladin, the shield is a symbol of his faith. Particularly devout Paladins can channel their faith into their shields, bolstering its defensive value with holy energy. The purer his faith, the greater his defense. Effect: Magically enhances shield to give defense bonuses. Fist of the Heavens This spell allows the Paladin to summon the power of holy vengeance. Manifesting as lightning from the heavens, these bolts rain down from the sky, exploding into a thousand shafts of light that radiate outwards to banish the evil from the battlefield. Effect: Lightning attack from the sky that releases Holy Bolts.

Holy Freeze Using this aura, the Paladin causes the temperature of the air around him to drop drastically, freezing the flesh of his enemies . Those so affected will find their movement drastically hindered and are easily dispatched back to the Hells from whence they spawned. Effect: Periodically does Cold damage to enemies nearby. Holy Shock A Paladin blessed with the power of this aura calls upon the power of the Light to strike forth at all enemies surrounding him. Divine bolts spring from the earth to smite the Paladins enemies. Effect: Periodically does Lightning damage to enemies within a radius. Sanctuary This aura causes the Paladin to shine with an inner, holy light. This light is an anathema to the undead, summoned as they are through the machinations of the Prime Evils. The aura carries with it the essence of life and the strength and purity of the Paladins convictions. Effect: Damages and does knocks back the Undead. Fanaticism True faith can cause its believers to perform fantastic feats. With this aura the Paladin, and all those allied with his cause, carry themselves with a zealous fervor, allowing them to strike down their foes as swiftly as the scythe reaps the harvest. Effect: Increases the Attack Rate for all party members. Conviction It is fearsome enough to behold the power of a Paladin, yet alone a Paladin aglow with the aura of Conviction. This halo of righteousness demonstrates, with force, the grim determination of those who shine within its brilliance. Any who stand against the Paladin and his allies will understand the meaning of folly. Effect: Reduces the Defense and Resistances of all enemies.

Offensive Auras
Might Caught up in the fervor of battle, the Paladin calls upon the power of righteousness and the strength of justice to add force to the attacks of his party. What would be glancing blows now strike their mark, and otherwise deflected strikes rend through armor to bite flesh. Effect: Increases damage dealt by party members. Holy Fire With a hint of brimstone in the air, the noble Paladin strides into battle encased in this holy aura. All those within its range are burnt with the fires of divine virtue. Beware, Beasts of Hell! The fire of purification is upon you! Effect: Periodically does Fire damage to nearby enemies. Thorns An eye for an eye is sometimes not enough. Those who would strike the emissaries of the Light had best take warning, for retribution shall be swift and certain. The might of your blows shall be felt a hundred fold unto you! Effect: Enemies take damage when they cause melee damage to party members. Blessed Aim The spirits of the Light are ever vigilant, and in times of great need, have been known to aid their loyal disciples in subtle ways. When this aura is enabled, these spirits work to guide the hand of the Paladin and his companions, striking true where blows would normally miss. Effect: Increases Attack Rating. Concentration Those within the sphere of influence of this skill gain the gift of clarity. A serene sense of lucidity eases the minds of those within, giving them the freedom to focus on individual tasks despite the chaos and distractions of battle. This sense of tranquility allows the Paladin and his comrades to strike calculated and devastating blows. Effect: Reduces the chance that your attacks will be interrupted.

Defensive Auras
Prayer With this aura the Paladin basks himself and all he deems faithful in a warm, healing light. His prayers for salvation carry him through the direst situations, allowing him to heal even the deepest wounds in time. Effect: Heals all party members. Resist Fire Shrouding himself in his devotions, the fervent servant of the Light can walk a lake of fire and feel only the comforting warmth of his convictions. A Paladin can withstand the might of a fierce conflagration if his piety is strong enough. Effect: Increases the Fire resistance of all party members.

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Defiance Shielding himself and nearby companions within a glow of holy light, the Paladin girds himself to face the unjust in combat. By standing resolute and earnest in the face of opposition, his faith is his shield against harm. Effect: Boosts the Defense of all party members. Resist Cold The splendor of absolute devotion is all the warmth and comfort a Paladin requires. Embraced deep within the shelter of this aura, the faithful need never fear the frost. Effect: Increases the Cold resistance of all party members. Cleansing Chaste is the Paladin in the face of all temptations. Pure in body and spirit, he trusts to the splendor of the Light to rid him of all impurities. A Knight of the Faith shall neither be tainted, nor corrupted. Effect: Reduces Poison duration for all party members. Resist Lightning Even the elements of nature must yield before the glory of the Light. When a knight of Zakarum has manifested this aura, he and his allies undergo a lessening of their bodys natural conductivity, protecting them from attacks empowered by electricity. Effect: Increases the Lighting resistance of all party members. Vigor A noble knight of Zakarum feels the rapture of his salvation at all times. In his need, the weight of the world lifts from his shoulders, allowing him to march forth without heed to the lamentations of his body. Effect: Increases Speed, Stamina, and Stamina recovery for all party members. Meditation With the observance of this aura, the Paladin supplicates himself to the Light with silent utterances of prayers. It is in these times of silent worship that the Paladin is rejuvenated in spirit. Effect: Boosts Mana recovery for all party members. Redemption A Paladin must be true to his duty and belief that all souls are worthy of attempted salvation. With this aura, the Paladin shares the glory of the Light with his vanquished enemies. With each administration of these final rites, the Paladin and his party are redeemed physically as well as spiritually. Effect: Periodically attempts to redeem corpses for Health and Mana. Salvation Trust in the glory of the Light, for its authority supercedes all power in the moral world. With this aura, the Paladin calls upon the Light to protect his allies from elemental attacks. Effect: Increases all Elemental resistances for all party members.

SORCERESS SKILLS
The Sorceress is the Mistress of elemental magics. Binding fire, ice and electricity to her will, she seeks the purity of natures essence. Dancing with power, her skills are regarded with fear among the most powerful of mages.

Fire Spells
Fire Bolt The Fire Bolt is among the first cantrips a young Sorceress must learn before traveling out into the known world. Gathering a small amount of elemental energies, the Sorceress hurls darts of pure fire at those who would seek to injure her. Effect: Creates a bolt of fire. Warmth (passive) If a Sorceress wishes to truly become a formidable spellcaster, she will pursue this talent. By collecting the essence of the ambient heat in the surrounding air, she can convert this energy into the mystical force that powers her spells. In this way, she recovers more quickly from her magical exertions. Effect: Increases your Mana recovery rate. Inferno Using this spell, a Sorceress can reach into the depths of her being and issue forth a gout of fire, incinerating any opponents standing within its reach. Effect: A spout of flame that burn your enemies. Blaze Using this spell, the Sorceress ignites the very ground she walks upon, leaving behind a blazing wall of flame. Effect: Leave a wall of fire in your footsteps. Fire Ball Once she has learned the basic incantation of this spell, the Sorceress can collect a large amount of elemental fire and contain it within a globe of energy. Discharging it toward her enemy, those energies are released in a devastating explosion upon impact. This spell of mass destruction is ideal for bombarding the encampments of her enemies. Effect: Creates a ball of fire that explodes on impact. Fire Wall This skill allows the Sorceress to raise a barrier of flame to block her flanks from attack, creating a tactical advantage for both herself and her allies. Any creature unwitting enough to attempt to cross the barrier will feel the full force of these flames as they advance to their ruin. Effect: Creates a wall of fire.

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Enchant Upon learning this skill, an experienced Sorceress has the ability to imbue a weapon with the power of fire. The renowned Sorceress, Habacalva, once assaulted the elemental planes themselves wielding such an enchanted mace. Her enemies soon came to fear the mention of the weapon as much as her name. Effect: Temporarily adds Fire damage to a weapon. Meteor Reaching out to the heavens, the Sorceress calls down a falling star to strike her adversaries. This is one of the strongest of her spells, capable of reducing large areas to cinders. During the Vactayan uprising, a Sorceress by the name of Hepsheeba took pity on the plight of the revolutionaries, and joined their cause. During the final battle of the conflict she cast this spell to great effect, single-handedly destroying the entirety of Lord Bareens troops and delivering the Vactayans from his tyranny. Effect: Draws down a meteor from the heavens to smash your enemies. Fire Mastery (passive) Even for the Sorceress, the destructive powers of the flame can prove uncooperative at times. The very unpredictability of elemental flame poses a danger to those unskilled in its usage. Sisters of the flame must take this last step to complete their training in the use of fire, and to maximize its effects. Effect: Increases the damage done by your fire spells. Hydra This skill enables the Sorceress to summon a beast of pure flame from the core of the world. The Hydra have been allies of the Zann Esu women for generations, owing their freedom in ancient times to the actions of the renowned Sorceress, Habacalva. They never fail to answer a call from a proven Sorceress, and stand ready to spit bolts of scorching magma at her enemies. Effect: Creates a multi-headed beast that attacks your enemies with bolts of fire.

Telekinesis With this skill a Sorceress can reach out with her mind and manipulate distant objects. By manipulating the Ether that permeates the world, she is even able to retrieve items out of her reach, or send her attacks to distant enemies. Useful to a cunning Sorceress, this spell rewards quick thinking to make the most of opportunities when they present themselves. Effect: Allows you to pick up items, trigger objects, and attack others at a distance. Nova With this attack the Sorceress creates a wave of electrical energy radiating from her fingertips, bathing all nearby enemies with its destructive force. This spell is ideal for defeating melee opponents who swarm too closely. Effect: Creates an expanding ring of electricity that does massive damage. Lightning This spell allows a Sorceress to summon the very power of the heavens and emit a tremendous surge of electrical energy. Creating a channel of lightning directed at her target, she cuts a swath through her opponents with pinpoint accuracy. Effect: Casts a bolt of lightning. Chain Lightning An improved and more complicated version of the Lightning spell, Chain Lightning arcs from foe to foe, branching out until all of its energy is dissipated. The stench of burnt flesh and ozone is often all that remains after this spell is cast. Effect: Casts a lightning bolt that jumps through multiple targets. Teleport A Sorceress trained in this arcane skill has the ability to traverse the Ether, instantly rematerializing in another location. Without the aid of waypoints or portals, she may teleport anywhere within her immediate vicinity. Though not suitable for larger distances, a Sorceress can make good use of this spell for evading capture, or to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. Effect: Instantly transports you between two points. Thunder Storm Weather manipulation is the most impressive form of elemental magic a Sorceress may attain. A Sorceress learned in this skill may manifest a tempest of dark storm clouds that follow her wherever she travels. Any who approach the canopy of her storm are subject to the full force of the gale and bolts of powerful lightning! Effect: Summons a thunderstorm that periodically blasts a nearby enemy with a bolt of lightning. Energy Shield Sheathing herself in pure energy, the Sorceress walks fearlessly into the fray. So long as she can maintain her concentration over this magical buffer, she diverts harmful magical energies and absorbs physical harm into her store of Mana. Effect: Absorbs magical and some physical damage to Mana instead of Life.
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Lightning Spells
Charged Bolt By charging the ions in the air surrounding her, the Sorceress discharges bursts of electrical energy. These missiles flit about randomly, chasing down her opponents and shocking them to the core. Effect: Fires multiple, jumping bolts of electricity that seek their targets. Static Field A devastating spell of limited range, Static Field instantly removes a good portion of the health of nearby enemies. Thusly injured, enemies are easy prey to the follow-up attacks of the Sorceress or her party members. Subsequent castings do less damage, but in combination with other spells or a decisive melee attack, a Sorceress can rely on this powerful ability to quickly dispatch even the strongest of foes. Effect: Every enemy in a radius around you loses a quarter of their health.
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Lightning Mastery (passive) The final step in mastering the destructive powers of the firmament, this skill gives a Sorceress finer control and mastery over her powers. Once she has reached this point in her studies, she can begin to rival the powers of the Heavens themselves. Effect: Reduces the Mana cost of lightning spells.

Blizzard This is the most effective offensive spell that this discipline has to offer. With the invoc ation of this spell, entire hordes of enemies are left frozen or dead, drowned in a hail of ice. Wretched survivors of this wintry storm can do little but crawl and lament their fallen kin before they, too, succumb to the cold. Effect: Summons an ice storm to rain cold death onto your enemies.

Cold Spells
Ice Bolt One of the first spells a novice of the frigid elements learns is the power to summon crystals of pure freezing energy. When hurled at her enemies, these bolts subject their targets to freezing pain and impaired movement. Effect: Shoots a bolt of ice that damages and slows your victim. Frozen Armor This defensive spell is a useful tool for protecting the novice from the dangers of combat. This icy shield both protects the Sorceress and impairs the progress of all who would attack her with blade or club. Effect: Gives a defense bonus and freezes any melee attacker that hits you. Frost Nova Like the Lightning Nova, this spell is effective against large groups of swarming melee attackers. Although less damaging than its electrical kin, the immobilizing effects of the cold can convey other advantages. Effect: Creates an expanding ring of ice and frost that damages and slows enemies. Ice Blast The freezing damage of this spell can shatter an opponent into icy shards, leaving enemy spellcasters little material with which to resurrect their minions. In this way the Sorceress can make quick work of those who would use the dead against her. Effect: Creates a bolt of ice that completely freezes a target. Shiver Armor A significant upgrade from frozen armor, this defensive shield deals an icy blast to any attackers, numbing them with cold, searing pain. Effect: Defense bonus, plus any melee attacker that hits you takes damage and is slowed. Glacial Spike More powerful than an Ice Blast, this is the offensive spell of choice for a higher-level Sorceress seeking a quick deathblow. The Sorceress who wields this spell will find herself often treading over the shattered and frozen remains of her opponents. Effect: A shard of ice that inflicts massive cold damage and explodes to freeze nearby enemies.
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Chilling Armor The best defensive spell available to a Sorceress is manifest in this formidable armor. The spell actually defends against ranged attacks, turning aside arrow and bolt. Those seeking to engage the Sorceress in melee shall soon feel the icy bite of their folly. Effect: Confers a defense bonus and launches an ice bolt against ranged attackers. Frozen Orb An intimidating sight that strikes fear into the hearts of her opponents, the Frozen Orb is an awesome spectacle to behold. The Orb coalesces from the air, unleashing freezing bolts at all nearby, and wreaking havoc, seemingly at random, before bursting into a brilliant explosion of frigid destruction. Effect: A pulsating orb that shreds an area with ice bolts. Cold Mastery (passive) Once mastery over this powerful elemental force is attained, a Sorceress achieves perfect command over this school of magic. Her freezing spells are now of such potency that those adversaries formerly impervious to their effects soon find themselves the surprised victims of a vicious, chilly assault. Effect: Pierces the cold resistance of your enemies.

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ITEMS
As you journey through the lands of Sanctuary you will come across numerous items that can help you accomplish your goals. You can view the properties of an item in your Inventory, or in a vendors inventory, by highlighting the item with your cursor. When an item is highlighted in your inventory, your stash, or a vendors inventory, a description with all known properties appears over the item. Whenever there are items lying on the ground, press and hold down the Alt key to display a nametag for each item in the immediate area. You can pick up items by clicking on their nametags, or by clicking on the item, itself. Be wary! While holding down the Alt key you cannot interact with other objects or attack monsters! Various magic items need to be identified before they can be equipped. For safety reasons, these items must have their properties revealed through the use of an Identify Scroll or by a learned sage before they can be pressed into service. MAGIC ITEMS (Names Appear in Blue) As Hells will has corrupted the land, mages and smiths crafted many magical means to keep the people safe from harm. Fine jewelry, armor, and weapons were often enchanted with arcane energies in an effort to assist those who battled against the tide of evil. During your travels you will likely encounter items imbued with these magics, whose names appear in blue when highlighted. RARE ITEMS (Names Appear in Yellow) Some magic items radiate energy beyond that of a simple enchanted item. Although much less common, these rare items are significantly more powerful than standard magically enhanced items. A Rare item is distinguished by a yellow title when highlighted. Rare items contain more than two magic properties and are highly valued by those that have them. UNIQUE ITEMS (Names Appear in Gold) Once in a long while, a dedicated and intrepid adventurer may come across an item of particularly legendary and unique power. SET ITEMS (Names Appear in Green) Rumors persist of unique, distinguished item sets that once belonged to great champions and heroes from the past. These sets are said to bestow additional magic abilities once all its pieces have been found and equipped. Set items are recognizable by their green names. Once identified, each set item names the other pieces required to complete the set.

SOCKETED ITEMS (Names Appear in Gray) Smiths of ancient times mastered the art of bestowing magical properties upon weapons and armor by setting them with powerful gems. Most surviving examples of this art have long since been stripped of their valuable stones by ignorant thieves, rendering their true power silent until new gems are found and set into their empty sockets. The exact nature of the enchantment depends on the type and quality of the gemstones inserted into the item, as well as the item type. Socketed items are easily recognized, as their names appear in gray text when highlighted. While in your backpack, you may insert a gem into a socketed item by left-clicking on the gem to pick it up, and leftclicking over the item to fuse the gem and the item together. Once fused, you will not be able to remove the gem from the item. STACKABLE ITEMS Some items can be stacked to fit, one on top of the other, in the same inventory slot. Examples include: keys, and all items that can be thrown or shot by a bow arrows, bolts, throwing knives, javelins, exploding potions, poison potions and such. Stackable items have as part of their property description a quantity (even if the quantity is 1) when highlighted. As you use the item, this number decreases until you have exhausted the stack. You may consolidate stackable items of the same type, like quivers of arrows, by picking up one stack and dropping it onto another stack. The quantities in both stacks are added together to form a new stack. If the resulting stack would exceed the maximum allowable number of stacked items in a slot, any extras will form a separate stack. You cannot un-stack items once they have been stacked. Note that only items that are exactly alike may be stacked. When using ranged weapons, an icon of crossed arrows appears on the Play Area whenever your quiver is running low on ammunition. DURABILITY The rigors of battle inflict great wear and tear on a heros equipment, eventually rendering the equipment unusable. Items subject to wear show a numeric Durability rating in their description, when highlighted. The first number indicates the current durability of the item while the second number represents the items total durability. When an items durability is low, a silhouette appears in the upper right corner of the Play Area. Items with low durability will appear in yellow. A red item has 0 durability and cannot be used or re-equipped until repaired. A blacksmith can repair items restoring them to their original condition. Repairing magically enhanced items can be expensive, but often is worth the gold. WEAPONS Since the coming of the Three, the world has become a very dangerous place. With the minions of Hell freely roaming the land, only the suicidal would travel without protection of some kind. There are numerous weapons available to those who wish to keep their limbs intact, some better suited than others for dealing with threats. Many weapons are usable only by those with sufficient physical strength and skill. A weapons description indicates the minimum strength or dexterity needed to wield it. If your character does not meet the minimum requirements, the weapon cannot be equipped. An unusable weapon has a red background in your characters inventory. Weapon descriptions contain other important information, including: the number of hands required to wield the weapon, the damage the weapon inflicts, the durability of the item, the quantity (whenever appropriate), the weapon category, the attack speed, and finally any special properties or magical enhancements that the weapon may possess.
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Daggers & Throwing Knives - Although generally considered secondary weapons, some have found the faster-striking, smaller-bladed weapons protection enough. Many necromantic priests of Rathma have long favored the reduced size and excellent carving abilities of daggers. And no adventurer interested in self-preservation can deny the peace of mind provided by finelybalanced throwing knives. A quick barrage of knives can inflict great damage, making them unequaled as ranged weapons. Swords - Swords are the staple of the warriors arsenal. Swords come in many shapes and sizes, reflecting the cultures that produced them. Single-handed swords, such as the short swords of the West and scimitars from the Eastern deserts make excellent weapons when combined with the defenses of a shield. At the same time, the effectiveness of the enormous, two-handed swords of the North is undeniable. Some two-handed swords can be wielded in a single hand by a powerful Barbarian. To do so, equip the sword, then place a shield or another weapon in your Barbarians other hand. Axes - Although considered slow and cumbersome by some, the fearsome power of larger axes is without equal. Axes are found in many different forms, from small single-handed weapons, designed to be quickly swung, to massive, double-bladed versions that can cleave a body in a single blow. The smallest of these are specially weighted throwing axes. There are tales of Barbarians who wield such throwing axes in each hand, efficiently dispatching foes in both melee and ranged combat. Clubs, Maces, and Scepters - These blunt weapons are especially effective against the undeadthose who resist the eternal slumber. For this reason, the holy knights of Zakarum are commonly seen brandishing such weapons against these living dead. The Church of Zakarum is rumored to have created scepters of incredible power to be wielded by those that devoutly follow the ways of Light and Virtue. Wands - Their usefulness in combat often underestimated, skillfully wielded wands cause damage similar to that of clubs and maces. For the most part, wands are used for the enchantments they bestow upon the wielder rather than for combat. Necromancers are commonly observed wielding these inscribed and decorated rods. High-ranking priests of the dead are rumored to store magical energies within these artifacts by marking them with powerful and arcane symbols. Staves - Although not generally a warriors weapon of choice, staves are still effective in melee combat. Those skilled in the arcane arts have long relied upon wooden staves as channeling foci. In fact, a staff is a badge of sorts, usually carried by a Sorceressan expert in the use of elemental magic. Bows & Crossbows - Bows and crossbows are excellent weapons, especially for those who dare not risk hand-to-hand combat. Skilled archers can fell the most powerful of opponents without subjecting themselves to direct physical danger. Amazons are perhaps the most skilled archers in existence. Stories have circulated of Amazons who, through skill and training, can shoot projectiles enchanted with the essence of fire or ice.
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Bows require dexterity for quick assessment and steady aim as well as for the ability to rapidly nock and loose arrows. The slower-firing crossbows require dexterity, too. However, their higher velocity bolts do even more damage. Arrows & Bolts - Bow and crossbow wielders must always be alert to ensure that their supply of ammunition doesnt run out in the midst of battle. Bows use quivers that can be filled with up to 250 arrows. Crossbows, on the other hand, use smaller bolts as ammunition. Up to 150 bolts can be held in a quiver. Both arrows and bolts are stackable items and partial quivers of the same type can be combined. Pole arms - Larger, heavier, and more cumbersome than even the most massive of axes, the various pole arms do incredible amounts of damage in a single blow. Pole arms can be unwieldy and so are always held in two hands. They require a great deal of strength as well. Spears & Javelins - Spears, tridents, and the other longer, two-handed stabbing weapons are designed for attacking enemies from a short distance away. Javelin class weapons, a shorter version of the spear, are specially weighted and extremely effective as throwing weapons. In order to throw a javelin, you must first equip it in one of your characters hands. Next, set one of your characters Action Buttons to Throw. Javelins can inflict great damage when thrown; yet they still allow your character to unleash deadly jabs upon any opponents who make the mistake of getting too close. Amazons are renowned for their skill with javelins and spears. Throwing Potions - As far back as the Sin War, alchemical mages have studied the properties of the elements and combined them in various ways. Eventually, the mages developed some extremely toxic and volatile liquids. Many of these substances have proven to be effective weapons when placed in glass bottles and lobbed from a distance into groups of enemies. Some of these volatile grenades explode into fireballs when they shatter upon the ground. Others release thick clouds of toxic fumes that quickly poison and weaken the opponents enveloped within them. To ready a throwing potion for use, equip it as you would a weapon. The Left Action Icon changes to the Throw action. Left-clicking on a target tosses one of your readied potions at it. As you use them up, a potion icon appears in the Play Area to warn you that you are running low. When you run out of potions, your character automatically equips the item that had previously been in your hand. Throwing potions of the same type can be stacked up to 10 potions in a single inventory slot.

ARMOR
Any warrior who has stared in the face of death during battle knows that even a piece of leather can mean the difference between life and death. Wearing stronger armor will make an opponent less likely to land a damaging blow on your character.
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An armors description indicates the strength needed to don the protection. If your character does not meet the requirement, the armor cannot be equipped. Unusable armor has a red background in your inventory. Armor descriptions also contain other important information, including defense value, chance to block an attack (if applicable), current and total durability, and any magical properties. Armor can also affect your ability to run. Heavier armor depletes your stamina more quickly. This can be offset to some extent by increasing your characters vitality. Light Armor - For the most part, light armor is composed of material other than metal. From simple padded cloth like quilted armor to boiled, hardened leather, this type of armor generally balances protection with freedom of movement. Weighing far less than other armor types, light armor is more easily donned by those lacking physical strength. In order from least to most protective, the types of light armors are: quilted, leather, hard leather, and studded leather armor. Medium Armor - Armor composed mostly of metal, but lacking large, contiguous plates is considered medium armor. The hundreds of small metal components linked together offer greater protection against the cutting and chopping effects of weaponry. Medium armor is much heavier than light armor and requires more strength to equip. In order from least to most protective, the types of medium armor you are most likely to come across in your journeys are: ring mail, scale mail, chain mail, and splint mail Heavy Armor - Heavy armor consists of reinforced metal plates laid over chain mesh and worn over heavy padding. Although this type of armor provides unmatched protection, this armor can quickly tire even the stoutest of warriors. Different forms of heavy armor cover various portions of the body. For example, a breastplate, while extremely strong and virtually impenetrable, only protects a wearers torso, leaving the vital areas of the neck, arms, and legs exposed. Full plate, on the other hand covers the entire body and offers unequaled protection. The heavy armors, from least to most protective, are: breast plate, light plate, plate mail, field plate, gothic plate, and full plate. Rumors persist of even stronger armor, but many smiths claim that full plate can never be bested.

Helmets - Experts consider the head to be the most important part of the body. Without protection of some kind, one could easily become separated from this vital extremity. Helmets ensure that such an event is as unlikely as possible. From simple leather caps to royal crowns, helms offer protection from the harsh realities of combat. Shields - Shields are an excellent way to increase ones defense in combat. The holy Paladins of Zakarum are even said to use them as weapons. Wielding a shield increases your characters defensive rating. Additionally, some shields can completely block an attack. Only Barbarians may wield both a shield and a two-handed weapon. Boots - Standard shoes offer nothing more than basic protection to the soles of the feet. Once your character dons leather boots, the additional protection afforded to your feet and the lower portions of your legs boosts your overall defense. Heavier boot material provides even more protection to the wearer. Some heavier boots require greater strength to wear. Gloves - Like boots, gloves offer protection, but to the hands. Gloves add to your characters overall defense. Belts - Belts play an important role in the survival of your character. Designed for quick access, belts contain numerous slots to hold drinking potions and scrolls of Identify or Town Portal. The larger the belt, the more items it holds. Wearing a sash or larger belt expands the basic 4-slot belt by adding one, two, or three extra rows of slots.

GOLD
Gold has long served as the monetary means of trade in the world of Sanctuary. This precious metal is melted into small gold slugs that are flattened and stamped with the heraldry of the kingdom that created it. Regardless of shape and size, the amount of gold per coin is consistent throughout the realms. To access your Gold, bring up the Inventory screen. Near the bottom of this screen is the Gold button near which appears the current amount of Gold your character carries. Left-click the button to select an amount of Gold to either drop or offer in trade with another player. Your characters level determines the maximum amount of Gold that he or she can carry.

JEWELRY
Before gold coins were accepted as the universal currency, the wealthy fashioned gemstones and precious metals into jewelry in order to display their riches to others. Court mages eventually discovered that these adornments could be charged with magical enchantments.

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These enchantments are delicate in nature, and too many pieces of jewelry in close proximity to one another nullify their magical effects. In fact, only three enchanted pieces of jewelry may be worn at any one time. Two rings may be worn one on each hand with a single amulet around your characters neck. Because of their small size, rings and amulets are not subject to mundane wear and tear (unlike weaponry and armor) and never need repair.

SCROLLS
There are only two types of scrolls- Scrolls of Town Portal and Scrolls of Identify. Both types are extremely useful during your characters travels. If you cannot find enough of them, you can always buy some from an NPC vendor. A scroll of Town Portal opens a magical oval near your character, that acts as a gateway to a safe camp, town or city. A Town Portal remains active until your character re-enters it in town and returns to the place where it was originally cast. Casting a Town Portal closes Portals previously cast by the same character. Scrolls of Identify are used on unidentified magically enchanted items, helping you decide whether to equip or sell them. Right-click on an Identify scroll to cast it. Your mouse cursor changes into a question mark. Move the cursor over the unidentified item and left-click. The magical properties of the item appear in its description.

GEMS
Precious gems embody innate magical abilities. When set into a socketed item these gems can add powerful magic effects. Higher grades of gems have stronger effects. There are five grades of gems: chipped, flawed, standard, flawless, and perfect. Once inserted, gems cannot be removed from a socket. Touching a gem shrine either produces a gem or upgrades one gem (randomly chosen from your characters inventory) to the next higher grade. The skulls of some demonic creatures, inscribed with eldritch symbols, are said to work much like gems.

TOMES
Designed to hold volumes of similar spells, each tome can store up to 20 scrolls of the same type. Vendors who sell scrolls generally sell tomes as well. Rightclick on a tome to cast one of the scrolls stored within it. When a tome is empty, it remains in your inventory until it is replenished with more scrolls, sold, dropped, or traded. Add scrolls to a Tome in your inventory by dropping them on it. Dropping one Tome onto another consolidates them into one Tome.

POTIONS
Throughout your adventures youll find several types of magically enhanced elixirs. The most common of these are Healing potions. Red in hue, they mend broken bones and repair burned or tattered flesh. Mana potions are infused with the raw magical power to restore the energy expended while using skills. Both healing and Mana potions are available in five levels of potency. Potions of Regeneration restore both Life and Mana. Another common elixir restores stamina. These smaller, white vials instantly restore the ability to run. There are also antidotes to remove the various afflictions that can plague an adventurer, and thawing potions to combat cold or ice based magics. Beneficial potions of antidote and thawing should not be confused with the poisonous and volatile throwing potions. The grenade-like throwing potions cannot be consumed. Alchemists are careful to mark their concoctions properly to avoid accidents. Throwing potions are discussed in greater detail earlier in this section. Use your cursor to read about a potions properties and potency. To drink a potion, right-click on it in either your backpack or your belt. Alternatively, press one of the four belt Hotkeys (1-4) to drink potions from the ready slots of your belt. See the belt section for more details.

SHRINES AND WELLS

The many realms of Sanctuary contain wonders of all kinds. Some of the most mysterious are the shrines and wells scattered across the lands. These shrines and wells are always beneficial, but you should choose the best times to use them. Highlight each shrine to display a descriptive name. Left-click on a shrine or well to invoke its magical effect. Shrine effects wear off after a period of time. Your character can be under the influence of only one shrine at a time, and activating a second shrine replaces the effect of the first. Most wells and some shrines recharge after a brief period of time and can then be used again.

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LONG ROADS END What fires burn within my heart and force me to contend With the perils that await me at this tragic journeys end? I have walked the roads that lead to Hell, I have challenged all but Fate. I have fought and bled and carried on just to reach this final gate. And now the task before me looms, this dire deed undone; I shall make my stand against the Three until the battles won. What fear or wound could ever still this last defiant cry, As I stand against the Shadow neath the endless burning sky?

C. Vincent Metzen

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THE WORLD OF SANCTUARY

The coming of the Three marked a time of evil in the history of Sanctuary unlike any other. The cataclysm that followed their arrival brought immense change to the world when the Three unleashed their hellish followers upon the world. These followers wrought great destruction upon the lands of Sanctuary. That which was not consumed by the arrival of this malevolence was often twisted and altered by the effects of the resulting chaotic forces. Many of the native creatures inhabiting the world became vile and depraved shadows of their natural forms. A world that once allowed the unfettered development and expansion of mankind became a place where only the strongest could survive. The areas most tainted by the Prime Evils arrival in the mortal realm are the Western Kingdoms, the desert regions of Aranoch, and the jungles of Kejhistan. Unnatural and evil forces are influencing most, if not all, of Sanctuarys beasts to at least some degree. Many have witnessed creatures outside their native habitats, assisting the minions of Hells wrath. Such sights grow more common as one nears a lair of demonic nobility. Greater demons gather these controlled beasts to their location in an effort to protect themselves. These powerful monsters harbor deadly capabilities, and occasionally appear in unexpected areas. Let the adventurer beware!

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THE WESTERN KINGDOMS

Sandwiched between the Barbarian lands to the north and the vast deserts to the east lie the mountainous, verdant forestlands of the Western Kingdoms. The Western Kingdoms are comprised of the three regions: Entsteig, Khanduras, and Westmarch. The smaller, self-contained kingdoms contained herein have developed unique rules of protocol and etiquette, leading many to consider the Western Kingdoms as the most civilized of lands. Such exalted opinions stand in surprising contrast to the youthful age of the realm. While long a destination of merchants and peaceful travelers, recently infighting has made the Western Kingdoms a common destination for mercenaries and other, more sordid, visitors. The Western Kingdoms are well known for their rich woodlands, a result of the areas nutrient laden soil, pleasant rainfall, and mild climate. From the massive pine and spruce, to the supple yew and ash, these woodlands are unequaled anywhere in Sanctuary. These abundant, fine-grained woods are forested for housing, farming tools, and weapons of warfare. The Sisters of the Sightless Eye, who make their homes within the provinces of Entsteig, are renowned for the bows that they fashion from these trees. But as the shadows fall across all of Sanctuary, the Western Kingdoms too, are changing. The once familiar creatures that have inhabited these forests have become warped, aggressive versions of their natural forms. Woodsmen have spotted several of the following creatures, and have submitted their report so that travelers and heroes alike may be better prepared to encounter these foul beasts: Blood Hawks Spawned from nests that have infested the wildernesses, these winged monsters assail passersby with quick swooping attacks. They retreat quickly after an attack, and a flock of them can be difficult to eliminate if the nest is not dealt with hastily. Both Foul Crows and Black Raptors have been spied in the regions of Entsteig. Spike Fiends Defensive quills dot the backs of these troublesome creatures. All species of Spike Fiends can fire their quills at range, and more developed variants have a more vicious rate of fire and tend to fire in volleys. At least two subspecies, the Quill Rat and the Thorned Beast, are known to fire their quills without provocation. Caravans traveling to the Rogue Pass have reported several attacks by these aggressive monsters.

Wendigo Large but agile, these creatures are most often found in the wilderness, but are also reported to occupy the caves and dungeons of the Western Kingdoms. Sadly, the Gargantuan Beast, Brute, and Yeti (Wendigo subspecies) were previously known to coexist peacefully with humans, avoiding contact whenever possible. Chaos ill effects have changed them, as they are now quick to anger and attack with huge, sweeping blows of their massive claws. Once provoked, they do not relent until their opponent is slain or they themselves have fallen. Few live to tell the tale of an angered Wendigo, but those that have exclaim how nothing is more terrifying than the sound of these angry creatures bearing down on the attack. Fallen Ones These demonic imps have of late become very common throughout the woodlands of the Western Kingdoms. Small and vicious, many worry that if these beings were to band together in large numbers, they might easily overthrow some of the smaller cities in the region. Luckily, cowardice appears to be one of the chief features of this species, and they quickly retreat at the sight of one of their brethren falling in battle. Although Fallen seek to congregate together, so far only small encampments have been found, with no obvious overall organization. While there are wild rumors of Fallen Shaman Priests leading camps of Fallen, supposedly with the power to raise them from the dead, this has yet to be substantiated. Carvers and Dark Ones, tougher cousins of the Fallen, have also been seen closer to the fringes of civilization, indicating that the Brothers sway may be stronger than previously understood. Corrupt Rogues The corruption of the Sisterhood is perhaps the worst atrocity that the surviving Rogues endure. The sight of their own sisters, marching against them in service of their enemy, drives the Sisterhood into deep despair. The tainted Sisters are seldom caught alone, preferring to attack in groups. Many of the corrupted ones have forgotten their skills with ranged weapons, or are so driven by Hells rage, that they blindly melee with whatever weapon is at hand. Goatmen These demonic atrocities have been seen in many regions of Sanctuary and within the Western Kingdoms. These mutations of Evil are half man, half goat and signify the foulest form of Hells will. Once confined to only the darkest labyrinths, they now venture out into the wilderness, ever closer to the encampments of man. Walking upright as men, with heads of horned goats, they tread upon cloven hooves and are skilled with weapons of war. They are cunning, working together to form organized clans that accomplish the desires of their devilish commanders. Their strength is immense and some of the more powerful clans are rumored to guard the lairs of Hells more renowned demons.

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THE GREAT DESERTS OF ARANOCH

The Tamoe mountain range, which lines the eastern border of the Western Kingdoms, acts as a natural barrier into these provinces. Although impassable in most areas, these mountains hold a vast and lush woodlands. These forests stand in stark contrast to the bleak wastelands lying beyond them to the east: the flat, unforgiving, sand-swept deserts of Aranoch. Boasting one of the harshest climates in the world, the deserts of Aranoch claim the lives of many each year. Only the most robust and highly trained nomads survive longer then a few hours in this scorching environment. This vast desert land is mainly comprised of vast, empty tracts, punctuated with but a few specially adapted plants and trees. Water is a rarity among the sand dunes of Aranoch, with dry spells reportedly lasting for years. The climate of this desert ranges from life threatening heat during summer days, to dry frigid winds during winter nights. Set on the western edge of the Twin Seas, the jewel city of Lut Gholein has actually prospered in the merciless environment of Aranoch. Most credit this to the citys coastal location and strong sea trading ties with the kingdoms to the east and west. Although a few bands of nomadic people have found ways to survive in this hostile desert, most steer clear of these sandy wastelands. The perilous nature of Aranochs unique and deadly environment is without equal. Few creatures could survive in habitats so unforgiving, but some hardy beasts have managed. Now twisted by the chaos brought about by the arrival of the Prime Evils, these unique beasts are fearsomely powerful: Sand Maggots Sand Maggots, named for their burrowing abilities, are actually arthropods and not worms at all. These insects were once a staple diet for those that resided in the desert regions. The eggs were gathered and prepared as a protein-rich paste. Serving to supplement the dry foods naturally available in the region, the paste enhanced the nutritive value and flavor of meals. Now, however, the eggs, larvae, and flesh of the adults have acquired poisonous properties. Adults of the species even spit a poisonous substance that is not only toxic, but corrosive to unprotected flesh. In maturity, the chitinous exoskeleton of a Maggot is tough to penetrate, although once pierced, the creature is easily felled. Sand Maggots can burrow into the earth and often lie in wait for potential meals. This same ability is used to quickly retreat from threats, allowing the beast time to heal before re-emerging in another location to attack the unwary.

Leapers These pesky creatures largely inhabit the desert regions. Although other species are known to exist, the desert leapers are the most common. Leapers get their name from their tremendous leaping ability. As a result, these extremely agile creatures make for difficult targets. Leapers are versatile animals and the desert variety has an extremely slow resting metabolism to minimize water use and storage. The harsh environment of the Aranoch, however, leaves little room for mistakes, and these creatures never pass up the opportunity to eat or drink. Packs sighting a potential meal leave their resting spots and work together to bring down their quarry with great tenacity. Vulture Demons Believed to be the mutated offspring of the large, native vultures that once inhabited these deserts, vulture demons seek only to kill and consume mortal beings that cross their paths. The giant vultures of old were, for the most part, scavengers who ate only the dead or dying. Now befouled, these creatures circle the desert in search of live prey. Their razor sharp beaks and talons can cause deep wounds, and a group of these demons can quickly bring down a victim. Although impossible to target while in flight, these vultures must land to attack, and are vulnerable when on the ground. Swarms The extreme temperatures of Aranoch drive many creatures into varying degrees of insanity. This holds true even for mindless insects. Coupled with demonic influence, large numbers of insects often swirl and twist into tight swarms. These swarms of stinging, biting, and sucking insects consume every living thing in their path. Swarming bugs are difficult to target and are resistant to most attacks. Swift to anger, they are not easily chased off. Their stinging attacks often drain stamina, making it all the more difficult to retreat from combat. Scarab Demons A vastly mutated beetle from the region, only Hell could produce something so vile. Scarab Demons are large, mobile insects that rapidly pursue and surround their enemies. When struck, these demons unleash a deadly spread of electrical energy that proves fatal to many attackers. It is perilous to fight these monstrosities without ranged weapons or a suitable resistance to lighting.

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Saber Cats Saber Cats are a race of bipedal, intelligent beings with many feline features. These cat-beings were once found only in the jungle environments of Kehjistan, trading freely with the cities there. Although always considered somewhat aloof and untrustworthy, the Saber Cats had never before behaved in a threatening manner toward human society. But now, marauding bands of these Cats roam the deserts of Aranoch. Many blame the disappearance of whole caravans upon them. Some enlightened sages believe that the creatures were summoned or otherwise moved en masse through Hellish measures to Aranoch. Saber Cats attack with swords, javelins, whips, and by throwing potions. They are quick to the chase, and enjoy the hunt. They rarely retreat and generally attack in large, well-organized groups.

KEHJISTAN AND KURAST

On the eastern edge of the Twin Seas lie the emerald jungles of Kehjistan. Several thousand years ago, hunter-gatherers found themselves drawn to the lush, fertile rain forests and bountiful game inhabiting Kehjistan. But there was something else; Kehjistans geography was rife with nodes of magical energies, and eventually those with innate, arcane abilities began to sense and recognize these forces, gathering in groups to settle these special areas. It was here that the original mage clans, the Vizjerei, the Ennead and the Ammuit, were founded. Unfortunately the history of Kehjistan is not a peaceful one, and the Mage Clan Wars that erupted nearly destroyed the clans. Geographically, Kehjistan encompasses almost one-third of Sanctuarys eastern hemisphere. With an average rainfall of over four hundred inches per year, Kehjistan has the largest rainforests in the known world. This huge expanse of jungle feeds the Argentek River, which is the longest, widest river in Sanctuary. Hundreds of smaller rivers and tributaries twist and turn their way through the lush tropical forests until they finally unite with the mighty Argentek. Herbalists and alchemists revere the rainforest environment for its ecological diversity. Until recently, these sages would come from far and wide to study and collect the rare plants and animals that make their homes here. Now the jungle is far too dangerous to visit, let alone inhabit. Entire villages, even small cities have been wiped out. News has broken that Kurast, the current capitol of Kehjistan, is now under siege by the powers of Hell, and is kept safe only through powerful magical barriers that even now begin to ebb and fade. What reports do escape this besieged area tell of terrible creatures: Giant Spiders Several species of giant arachnids inhabit the jungle regions of Kehjistan. One of the most deadly of these spiders, the Poison Spinner, is found not far from the city of Kurast. Even in their largest forms, the giant arachnids had never been much of a problem for the inhabitants of the tropical forests. The Prime Evils have changed them, however, as large numbers of the spiders now actively seek meals of the human variety. These creatures are highly poisonous and generally have fatal bites. Despite their defenses they often flee when struck, sometimes spinning webs to entangle and slow pursuers.

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Giant Mosquitoes The wet, humid atmosphere of the Kehjistan rainforest is an environment perfect for fly and mosquito larvae. Pools of stagnant water gather after the frequent rain storms, providing excellent spots for the adults of these species to lay their eggs. Some of the mosquitoes found here are enormous, with wingspans as large as four feet. Luckily the larger species are also much more rarely encountered than their smaller cousins. Giant mosquitoes, referred to locally as suckers, are known disease carriers. Their large size makes them appropriate targets for hand or missile weapons. These insects can quickly drain the blood from a victim, causing a quick loss of stamina, and making escape extremely difficult. By themselves, Suckers are not usually deadly. However, if other threats lurk nearby, Suckers will drain a victims stamina while other creatures move in for the kill. Tentacle Beasts Tentacle Beasts are a species of aquatic reptile that inhabit the waterways of the Kehjistan jungle. Travelers should be extremely wary of these creatures, especially when near pools of water, streams, or rivers. Bubbles rippling across the surface of a body of water are a telltale sign that a Tentacle Beast waits below. Fearsome to look upon, these reptiles are also extremely dangerous. They secret a poisonous saliva, which they spit from their mouths with incredible force, often knocking targets off their feet. Occasionally, groups of Tentacle Beasts work together, with one using the poisonous missiles to knock prey into the maw of another. Fetish Shamanistic creatures that attack with knives the size of their own bodies, or at range with blow darts, the Fetish are native jungle inhabitants. Known cannibals, they are small, intelligent beings in league with the forces of Hell. Individually, Fetishes are weak and easy to kill. However, they are much more formidable when attacking en masse. When accompanied by a Shaman, they are doubly dangerous, as their Shaman possess the power of resurrection, the ability to revive their fallen kin. The Shamans are often borne upon the shoulders of a lesser Fetish. Undoubtedly, they believe that this appearance of added height makes them look more ferocious. Thorned Hulks Composed mostly of wood, Thorned Hulks are the ancestral protectors of the jungle lands. Despite their strength and immense bramble and thorn-covered arms, even they have been twisted by the Prime Evils. Their now glassy, lifeless eyes hint at a deep sorrow beneath a glowing Hell-induced hatred.

THE UNDEAD
Scattered throughout all the lands of Sanctuary are these walking vessels of Hells influence on the mortal realm. For in recent times, the newly dead have risen anew to terrorize and assault the living. These corpses and spirits of the deceased, twisted and corrupted, are imbued with a hatred for the living that defies understanding. The undead loathe the living and seek only to consume warm flesh and blood. It has reached the point where all who value their lives are sure to butcher and burn the remains of loved ones and pets who have fallen prey to death. One needs to be sure in these troubled times. Below are descriptions of a few of the living dead known to exist: Zombies The lowest rank of the undead, zombies befoul much of the wilderness of the Western Kingdoms, as well as the tombs and crypts of the whole of Sanctuary. Zombies serve the darkness blindly and without thought, attacking only with their bare hands. They move slowly, but with relentless determination, seeking to consume the flesh of the living. They are simple-minded and easily outwitted, but in large groups can overwhelm the unwary. Skeletons Fierce undead warriors, skeletons do not seek to consume the flesh of the living, but only to extinguish the life of their victims. Skeletons, unrelenting in their goal, move faster than zombies and have some spark of intelligence as demonstrated by their use of weapons. These bony undead have been observed wielding swords, clubs, bows, and even armor and shields, and are often equipped in the same armament in which they fell. Even more terrifying are the animated skeletal remains of expired magic wielders, who prove that even the dead can wield the forces of magic. Wraith Wraiths are ethereal physical manifestations of tortured souls from the planes of the Hells. Often called ghosts or evil spirits by mortals, these shades are driven by an intense hatred for the un-suffering living. Wraiths often inhabit the darkest dungeons, having either been drawn there by the imprint of pain and suffering, or summoned and bound by powerful mages, to serve as unwilling guardians. These ethereal creatures can pass through solid objects, and contact with a wraith can quickly drain ones life force. Spellcasters and other energy-reliant mortals may not only be drained of health, but are also left defenseless as their Mana is quickly spirited away to slake the spiritual thirst of these damned souls. Mummy The inhabitants of Aranoch have long practiced the art of preserving the dead. As a reverence to the deceased, priests fill bodies with preservative fluids, then wrap them in specially treated cloth, and bury them in tombs below the deserts surface. This mummification is believed to provide benefits for the deceased in the afterlife. Physically, a mummified body maintains its flesh and sinew for hundreds, even thousands of years. Under Mephistos manipulation, these honored dead have been summoned and bound with the spirits of malicious demons to fill the ranks of his undead army. Instilled with eternal loathing for the living, Mummies are stronger and better suited for combat than the zombies, who due to their advanced decay, are weak and infirm. Mummies are slow-moving, but can deliver powerful blows, often with the touch of poison from the chemicals used in their embalming. Fallen mummies often burst asunder from their wrappings, leaving behind a poisonous cloud that the living should best avoid.
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Diablo II
Game Design
Blizzard North

Cinematic Director
Matt Samia

Story Concept and Script Editor

Chris Metzen

Cinematic Producer
Scott Abeyta

Project and Design Leads

Dave Brevik, Erich Schaefer, Max Schaefer

Production Manager
Karin Colenzo

Cinematic Editor
Joeyray Hall

Executive Producer
Mike Morhaime

Network Administration & Technical Services

Joe Morrissey

Cinematic Animation Supervisor

Harley Huggins

Senior Producer
Matt Householder

Cinematic Script Writers

Matt Samia, Chris Metzen, Harley Huggins, Joeyray Hall, Paul Limon

Production Assistant
Charlotte Grant

Producer
Kenneth Williams

Cinematic Design Lead

Technical Producer
Michael Huang

Blizzard Entertainment
Senior Producer
Bill Roper

Nick Carpenter

Cinematic Artists/Animators
Scott Abeyta, John Burnett, Nick Carpenter, John Chalfant, Jeff Chamberlain, Jay Hathaway, Paul Hormis, Harley Huggins, Paul Limon, Matthew Mead, Matt Samia, Mark Skelton, Patrick Thomas, Tharyn Valavanis

Design
Stieg Hedlund

(Kashya), Tiffany Hayes (Charsi), Brian George (Gheed, Drognan, & Alkor), Michael Gough (Cain), Lani Minella (Andariel & Blood Raven), Nina Minton (Flavie), Martitia Palmer (Fara), Roz Witt (Atma), Tony Pope (Elzix & Guard), James Harper (Griez), Frank Gorshin (Lysander), Deam Bristow (Meshif), Jim Killeen (Jerhyn), Castulo Guerra (Geglash), Ed Trotta (Tyrael & Izual), Jennifer Smithee (Asheara), Fredrick Bloggs (Ormus), Bernie Wilkens (Hratli), Carrie Gordon (Natalya), Paul Eiding (Narrator & Mephisto), Bill Roper (Diablo & Hadriel), And the Blizzard North players: Cheeming Boey, Evan Carroll, Michael Dashow, Derek McAuley, Doug McCreary, Scott Petersen, Michael Scandizzo, Stefan Scandizzo, Max Schaefer, Eric Sexton, Sheriff Jon Stone, Matt Uelmen

Quality Assurance Manager

John Lagrave

Lead Programmer
Rick Seis

Producer
Mark Kern

QA Project Lead Tester

Ian Welke

Programmers Pete Brevik, Jon Morin, Tyler Thompson, Steven Woo, Ted Bisson, Mike Scandizzo, Doug McCreary, Peter Kemmer, Jonathan Stone, Peter Hu, Jason Regier, Divo Palinkas, Jesse McReynolds, Doron Gartner Lead Character Artist
Phil Shenk

Battle.net & Realm Programming

Carl Chimes, Mike Scandizzo, Peter Hu, Pat Wyatt, Mike OBrien

Cinematic Technical Artists

John Burnett, Paul Hormis, Tharyn Valavanis

QA Assistant Lead Tester

Joe Frayne

Programming
Brian Fitzgerald

Cinematic Music
Jason Hayes, Glenn Stafford

QA Technical Engineer
Frank Gilson

Macintosh Programming
Brian Fitzgerald, Dave Lawrence, John Stiles, Tony Tribelli, Brett Wood

Additional Orchestration
Andrea Pessino

QA Team Leads
Christian Skullder Arretche, Roger Eberhart, David K Fried, Carlos Eschuta Guerrero, Jason Pagan Hutchins, Brian Doc Love, Matthew Morris, Mike Murphy, Justin Parker, Derek Simmons

Cinematic Sound Design

Glenn Stafford, Jason Hayes, Tracy Bush, Tami Donner, Victor Crews

Character Artists
Michio Okamura, Kelly Johnson, Chris Root, Michael Dashow, Bob Steele, Cheeming Boey, Evan Carroll, Eric Sexton, Anthony Rivero, John The Kid Kubasco, Kris Renkewitz, Patrick Tougas, Ben Haas

Macintosh Graphic Design

Ted Park, Peter Underwood

Cinematic Voice Acting

Frank Gorshin (Marius), Milton James (Baal), James Harper (The Wanderer & Tal Rasha), Ed Trotta (Tyreal), Paul Eiding (Mephisto)

Strike Team
Mike Morhaime, Mark Kern, Bill Roper, Eric Dodds, Chris Sigaty, Ian Welke, Rob Pardo, Geoff Fraizer, Ted Park, Allen Adham

Game Testers
Bo Bell, Connor James Franklin Brandt, James Chadwick, Ryan Creasey, Les Douglas, Michelle Elbert, Ron Frybarger, Gary Gibson, Katt Jean, Ed Kang, Damon Kilcoin, Josh Kurtz, Jeff Ockerman, Matt Sanders, Michael Smith, Omari Valentine

Cinematic Strike Team

Stieg Hedlund, Phil Shenk, Matt Householder, Scott Petersen

Background Artists
Ben Boos, David Glenn, Alex Munn, Alan Ackerman, Fredrick Vaught, Marc Tattersall, Mark Sutherland

Technical Strike Team

Mike Morhaime, Mark Kern, Mike OBrien, Pat Wyatt, Isaac Matarasso, Adrian Luff, Rob Bridenbecker, Carl Chimes

Voice Casting Agents

Donald Paul Pemrick, Dean E. Fronk, Rick Briar

Additional Testers
Zach Allen, Todd Allison, Magid Ahmadi Kashani, Dave Fleischmann, Shawn Ingram, Joe Kim, Yong Kim, Joe Lee, Kelly Stover

Music
Matt Uelmen

Presidents Special Strike Team

Bill Roper, Frank Gilson, Brian Fitzgerald, Carl Chimes Irvine Play-Balance Team Kevin Beardslee, Shane Dabiri, Eric Dodds, Geoff Fraizer, Dave Hale, Mike Heiberg, Scott Mercer, Chris Millar, Ted Park, Dean Shipley, Jeremy Smith

Voice Direction
Jason Hayes, Chris Metzen

Sound Design
Scott Petersen, Jonathan Stone, Matt Uelmen

Voice Casting
Jason Hayes, Matt Householder, Chris Metzen, Bill Roper, Stieg Hedlund, Tom Keegan

Compatibility Testers
Victor Larson, Mark Moser, Brandon Riseling

Additional Sound Effects

Joseph Lawrence

Network Security Consultants

Redline Games, Inc. James E. Anhalt III, Carl Chimes

Voice Editing
Tami Donner, Jason Hayes, Scott Petersen

Level Design
Grant Wilson, Stefan Scandizzo, Derek McAuley

Battle.net and Realm Network Engineer

Adrian Luff

Voice Recording Engineer

Rich Seitz

Macintosh Project Lead Tester

Dave K. Fried

Additional Game Design

Eric Sexton

Manual Design & Layout

Peter Underwood, Mark Kern, Chris Sigaty, Chris Metzen

Voice Acting
Larry B. Scott (Paladin), Liana Young (Sorceress), Michael McConnohie (Necromancer & Warriv), Jessica Straus (Amazon), David Jean Thomas (Barbarian), Eve Brent (Akara), Glynnis Talken

Macintosh Assistant Lead Tester

Edward Kang, Brian Doc Love

Story and Dialog

Stieg Hedlund, Matt Householder, Phil Shenk, Kurt Beaver, Bob Vieira

Manual Artwork
Ben Boos, Evan Carroll, Samwise Didier, Chris Metzen, Alex Munn, Phil Shenk

Macintosh Help
Collin Smith

Director of Support Services

Robert Bridenbecker

Marketing & Creative Services

Neal Hubbard, Stewart Weiss, Kathy Carter, Jessica Monson, Steve Parker, Mike Bannon, Neal Johnson

Assistant Technical Support Manager

John Schwartz

Online Support
Pat Nagle, Kevin Jordan, Mick Yanko, Alen Lapidis, Mark Downie, David Nguyen, Collin Smith

U.S. Sales
Randy Brown, Mark Iverson

International Sales
Christophe Romboz, Jean-Daniel Pages, Hubert Larenandie

Technical Support
Michael Barken, Thor Biafore, John Hsieh, Jason Schmit, Daniel Choe

Direct Sales
Rob Beatie, Kim Chaudhry

Localization Producers
Flavie Gufflet, Louis Mutter, Matt Householder, Chris Sigaty, Paul Cooke, Ken Williams

Manufacturing
Bob Wharton, Tom Bryan, Jaime Chavez

Recruiting
Bernie Wilkens, Fred Wallace

Globalization Manager
Louis Mutter

Battle.net Hosting Partners

AT&T, DACOM, Exodus, Telia

Localization Project Lead

Mike Loftain

Supplemental Play Balance Team

John Cash, Jeff Chow, Kyle Harrison, Scott Hartin, Brandon Idol, Tom Jung, Twain Martin, Dan Moore, Bill Petras, Gary Platner, Duane Stinnet, Justin Thavirat, Peter Underwood

Localization Engineers
Jason Chiu, Chris Yoshimura, Damien Monaghan, Steve Woo, Anthony Fitzgerald, David Doheny, Kevin Boyle

Localization QA
Fiachra Synnot, David Hickey, Andy Clark, Charles Shepherd, Steve Thompson, Jan Wagner, Thorsten Kiefer, Markus Rafflenbeul, Aurlien Mehdi, David Picco, Fabrice Lochon, Jose R. Pascual

Directors of Dunsel Development

Frank Pearce, Alan Dabiri

Thanks To
Wendy Brevik, Jennie Brevik, Katie Brevik, Johanna Carroll (Schaefer), Richard & Sandra Schaefer, Megan Williams, Candi Strecker, Nicola Householder, Karin Colenzo, Anna-Marcelle Okamura, Amber Okamura, Megan Okamura, Rick Seis, Dad & Mom Colenzo, Andrea Thelen, Shelley Cooper, Paige Nittler, Karen Weiss, Bernadete Sexton, Stephen Hu, Alan Hu, Johnathon Root, Caralee Schaefer, the beautiful Kris Brevik, Denise Hernandez, Talia Ehrlich, Kyle Matthews, Christina Shenk, Liz Scandizzo, Kelly Regier, John Tavish & Natalie Fay, the Idaho Crew, Grace and Christina Huang, Erica Juhn, Residential Computing at Berkeley, Professor Allan Cruse, Brother John Keck, Myra Rivero, Shannon Kelly, Mike McBrine, Lynn & Ernest Brown, Zeno Dickson, Rosemary Morrissey, Rebecca Owen, Tim Hunter, Flying Hands Massage, Hyla Lacefield, Diane Kodama, Brad Mason, Betty Morin, Tom Ricket, Yun-Fong Loh, Nezumi, the Boey Family & Nok, Chan Kuan Chean, Cheemings Homies, Friends of Bill W., Miles Inada, Kira England-Carroll, Fil DeAngelis, Big Idea Girl, Everquest, The Office Park Gym, Naps, Jerry Garcia, Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, Scott Kurtz, Tom at EBX, Mad Mixers, Napster,

Chris Rock, Noam Chomsky, The Sunday Night Game, Chevrolet, LMCTF & Lokis Minions, Sluggy Freelance, The Poxy Boggards, Mind Control Software, Mego Micronauts toys, McFarlane Toys, TO GO, Pancho Villa, Piazzas, the Sex-Ball, Arthur Guinness, Gottlieb Daimler, Karl Benz, Bongo & Clyde, Scarlet & Apollo, Littles & Baby, Leroy & Tyson, Ring of a Thousand, The Discreet guys -Shawn Stiener, Kevin Blaker, Scott Ryan, Dave Campbell, & Eric Pinkle, Edwin Braun at Cebas, Beau Perschall at Digimation, Ivan KolevShag Hair, Stephanie Samia, Melissa Huggins, Jo Anne Carpenter, Greg Dale, Laura Clifton, Elizabeth Skelton, Tara Thomas, John and Gai Burnett, Sheryl Swak Narahara, Shelly Saucy Tasher, Lori Limon, Fred and Josephine Hormis, David Fincher, Mike and Anne Chamberlain, Jeremy Appelbaum, Special cinematic thanks to The Ramones, Suzanne Di Piazza, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Nuclear Rabbit, Ray the Soda Guy, Jean-Marie Messier, Eric Licoys, Agnes Touraine, Luc Vanhal, Andy Bond, Cameron Buschardt, James Anhalt, Jeff Strain, Paula Duffy, Todd Coyle, Danny Kearns, Ralph Becker, Marie-Cecile Pineau, Fabrice Gibelan, Frederic Tibout, Michael Fuller, Karine Augoyat, Treff Laplante, and the rest

Special Thanks To
Hubert Joly Bob and Jan Davidson We at Blizzard would like to give special thanks to our families, for their Saint-like patience and support throughout the long years of this project. Thank you. Honey, Im home!

Localization Support
Nabil Debira, Veronica Pajuyo

Localization Graphics and Design

Bill Sweeney, Caroline Peelo, Joeyray Hall

Information Technologies
Jeremy Smith, Hung Nguyen, Kirk Mahony, Mike Hale

Office Administration
Christina Cade, Karin Colenzo, Jamie Neveaux, Linda Bailey

Public Relations
Susan Wooley-Sams, Lisa Pearce, Tony Gervase

Web Team
Geoff Fraizer, Mike Huang, Ted Park, John Schwartz

Business Development & Operations

Paul Sams, Isaac Matarasso, Kenneth Williams, Melissa Edwards

Legal Counsel
Eric Roeder, Kevin Crook, Rod Rigole, Will Glenn

Diablo II Quick Reference

Basic Game Controls
Esc Toggles the Esc menu on/off and exits other menus. Mouse Button Performs smart actions depending on the situation: + Click on a spot on the ground to go that spot. + Click on a monster to attack it using the skill currently assigned to the Left Mouse Button. + Click and HOLD on a monster to attack it repeatedly until you release the button, or the monster is dead. + Pick up/drop items from/onto the ground, inventory, or belt. + Operate shrines, doors, and chests. + Interact with the NPCs Talk, Trade, Gamble, Hire, and Imbue. Arrow Keys Scrolls the Automap.

Configurable Game Controls

H Toggles the Help screen. A (or C) Toggles Character Attributes screen on/off. B (or I) Toggles Backpack Inventory screen on/off. P Toggles the Party screen on/off. M Toggles the Message log on/off. Q Toggles the Quest log on/off. Enter Opens/closes In-Game Chat overlay. Tab Toggles the Automap on/off. Home Centers the Automap (if Numlock is OFF). T Toggles Skill Tree screen on/off. S Toggles mouse button Skill button overlay on/off. F1 through F8 Readies (or sets) the associated Left or Right Mouse Button Skill. Set by opening the Skill menu then place your cursor over the skill you wish to assign to a hotkey. Press the desired hotkey while the cursor is still over the skill icon. ~ Toggles a belt larger than 1x4 open/closed. 1, 2, 3, and 4 Uses the item in that belt slot. Ctrl Hold down to run. R Toggles auto-run mode on /off. Shift Hold down while clicking a mouse button to use that skill while standing in place. Alt Highlights all items dropped on the ground. Spacebar Cancels all the above screens and overlays to return to gameplay. Numeric Keypad Voice communication (turn NumLock ON for the following) 0 Player character says Help! 1 Player character says Follow me. 2 Player character says For you. 3 Player character says Thanks. 4 Player character says Sorry! 5 Player character says Bye. 6 Player character says Die! Mouse wheel up Scrolls up thru all hot-keyed (F1-F8) skills in the Right Mouse Button slot. Mouse wheel down Scrolls down thru all hot-keyed (F1-F8) skills in the Right Mouse Button slot. N Clear text messages. Print Screen Save the screen to your D2 directory as screenshotX.jpg. Z Toggle all party member portraits on/off.