Act II: The Desert City

The Town:

Act II´s town area is the desert city of Lut Gholein.  The city is, on the average, much larger than the Rogue´s Encampment of Act I, with many more places to explore and much more detail to everything.  And unlike the Rogue´s Encampment, Lut Gholein itself has areas you must explore that are populated with various creatures and NPC´s.

A look at the Lut Gholein Environs...

One area on interest in Act II´s Lut Gholein is the Palace of Lord Jerhyn, now overrun with foul creatures.  The Palace itself is breathtaking in both look and feel, and will probably be a triumph of level design.  Although the Palace´s interior is rather peaceful, going down into its depths reveals an assortment of creatures out to make the hero´s life a misery.  Inside the Palace are the living dead such as Skeletons (better armed and armored than Act I´s) and Dried Corpses, as well as Hunter, Huntresses, and other such creatures.

Another area of interest is Lut Gholein´s tavern, which is featured in an abundant amount of screenshots.  My guess is that this tavern area has a very special quest attached to it, quite possible a critical quest for getting past Act II.  The tavern itself is beautifully rendered, sparing absolutely no detail to make it look like an authentic setting right out of Arabian Nights.  In all of the shots featuring this masterpiece only one thing is truly missing: people.  But perhaps the tavern isn't quite complete yet, and is missing all of the NPC´s that frequent here.

Another place of intrigue in Lut Gholein has to be its sewers, which are actually a level unto themselves.  The sewers have apparently become infested with the same evil creatures as the rest of the area, and it is up to the hero to clean them up as well.  We are pretty sure the sewers connect to a quest somehow.  The sewers seem to be infested with vermin like Thorn Beasts (the more powerful form of Quill Rats), Dried Corpses, and Hunters and Huntresses.  There also appears to be more than one entrance to the sewers as well, as evidenced in the Paladin Gameplay movie (see our Downloads section). 

Although we know little about the NPC´s in the Lut Gholein area, there are a few that have made appearances in other shots.  There´s also a familiar face, all of them are listed here:

Asthih - This cloaked figure certainly gets around, he or she appears in a different place in nearly every screenshot.  It is unknown what Asthih does as yet, but we expect he or she will sell either items or other services.




Atma - A simple home-owner, Atma is an NPC who will offer some stories and information about Lut Gholein, although she isn't vital to any quests.





Drognan - A sorcerer who sells magic and miscellaneous items, Drognan has a mysterious, tragic past that is somehow related to Tristram during the events that transpired there in the original Diablo.




Fara - An armorer, she can sell you suitable armors to survive this Act´s increased difficulty.





Elzix - The owner of the inn in Lut Gholein, Elzix was once a bandit who raided caravans from the west. He has since settled down and given up his evil ways and now runs an establishment for tired travelers.




Greiz - Griez is the captain of the mercenary guards. He is in charge of the defense of the city and might be persuaded to lend you some of his warriors if you can complete a quest for him.




Jerhyn - The Lord of Lut Gholein, this man seems to have more play into what is happening than it seems.  When you first arrive in the city he will greet you, but later on he disappears.  It in unknown what side he may be for in the end.




Lysander - An alchemist, Lysander will most likely supplies you with miscellaneous magical items, such as potions.





Meschief - A ship´s captain, this NPC will ferry you to Act III´s City of Kurast once you defeat the evil of the desert.





"The Giant" - The name basically says it all, this giant man is another of Lut Gholein´s frequently occurring NPC´s.  It is also unknown as to what he will do, but we suspect he is a weapons dealer of some sort.




Tal Rasha - An intiate of the Order of the Horadrim who decided to sacrifice himself to contain the raging essence of the Greater Evil known as Baal, for this demon´s Soulstone prison had been shattered in the conflict with him.  Tal Rasha´s sacrifice did contain Baal, but for how long can the Demon Lord be denied?



Warriv - The caravan leader supplies your transport from the Rogue´s Encampment to the desert city of Lut Gholein after you defeat Andariel.





Wilderness Area:

Act II´s Wilderness Area is a trackless desert, vast and unexplored by those before you.  In keeping with the theme of nonlinear gameplay, Act II´s desert is very open ended, so vast you could even get lost in its complexity.  The desert wilderness is also very beautiful, the attention to detail is utterly breathtaking.  Everywhere you go is a monument or some other way of tracking your way through the area.

As for combat in this area, there´s enough variety to make any adventurer feel weak.  Not only do all of the creatures we´ve mentioned thus far make an appearance, but so do other species.  Two of the most dangerous we´ve seen so far are Blunderbores and Claw Vipers.  Blunderbores are hulking giants of muscle and sinew, standing taller than any monster around them.  They carry unusual clubs, which are basically victims of their wrath wrapped in steel chains.  Claw Vipers are reddish lizard creatures capable of attacking two spaces away with a tail swipe.  The Claw Viper may also have a sort of projectile attack, but right now this is unknown.  Any way you look at it, the deserts of Act II will be dangerous to traverse if you are not experienced enough.  They might even be dangerous if you are experienced enough.

The Quests:

The Infested Harem - Jerhyn´s Palace is filled with creatures now, making the place a dangerous one for the ruler to rule from.  Jerhyn himself will most likely charge you with cleaning out the Harems if you can find him, and he might possibly allow you to keep some of the treasures you find.

Anyone familiar with the backstory of Diablo will recall the name of Tal Rasha.  This powerful initiate to the mysteries of the Horadrim was the one who committed an ultimate act of sacrifice by allowing the shards of a Soulstone to be placed inside him.  The Soulstone contained the raging essence of Baal, the Lord of Destruction.  For millennia the Lord of Destruction has been kept in check by the soul and will of Tal Rasha.