INTRODUCTION(2)
I have given you details on the game in general, discussing the overall story, new map, skill system, multiplayer support, and other features. This introduction(2) is for part two of my Diablo II preview. I'll cover the three acts, revealing information about the NPCs, monsters, and quests in each act. Understandably, Blizzard North is reluctant to reveal too much information about the later acts, so I have more details on acts one and two than we do on act three, but don't worry, I spent enough time with the game to bring you a report of substance.
Part three of my five-part preview turns to the game's three acts. |
The game's plot requires that you trail the Lord of Terror, Diablo, as he makes his way east on a quest to free his two brothers, Mephisto and Baal. Diablo is much stronger than he was in the first game, sporting a more monstrous and horned look and wielding more power and attacks than a simple Apocalypse spell. Unfortunately, to get to him, you'll have to run a gauntlet of evil that spans three acts and a finale. The first act takes place around the Monastery of the Sisters of the Sightless Eye, the order to which the rogue from Diablo belonged. The monastery has been conquered by Andariel, a wicked she-devil who has corrupted the rogues and forced the survivors into a makeshift camp around the area. You start the game here. Then you make your way back to Tristram before returning to the monastery and making your way through the mountain passes to the town of Lut Gholein and act two. Lut Gholein is a much more impressive city than the tent town of act one, and it has many residents. However, it is no less subject to the evil of Diablo's wake. In this act, you'll need to combat the terrors of the desert before you can ride aboard a boat to act three and the town of Kurast, built at the foot of a ruined temple in the jungle.
Now that you've got the general idea of the game's plot, let's take a look at specifics.