Diablo II/Horadric Staff

If you don't already have any of the artifacts required for a Horadric Staff, then a Horadric Scroll drops from the chest in ../Radament's Lair/ in the sewers beneath Lut Gholein, triggering this second quest.

Return to the surface to talk to Cain:

Alternatively, if you've already acquired a (as should always be the case in Nightmare and Hell),  or, then this quest is activated when you do so:

Once you've talked to Cain about the Horadric Scroll or at least one of the artifacts, you receive your instructions:

Rocky Waste
The exit to the Rocky Waste is in the north corner of Lut Gholein, in either the northwest or northeast wall. It's randomly populated by three of the following five monster types, all animal: s, s, es, s and s.

The entrance to the is somewhere on the perimeter, but not that shared with Lut Gholein: it's best to go around the perimeter until you find it, although if you explore the interior you can find the entrance to the Stony Tomb.

Stony Tomb Level 1
This optional area is randomly populated by electric s, s and s. If you explore it then you should find the stairs down to a second level.

Stony Tomb Level 2
The second level is similarly populated to the first. If you explore it then you should find a chest guarded by a non-random Unique monster, in addition to those randomly generated, and you can encounter Creeping Feature elsewhere.

Dry Hills
The Dry Hills are randomly populated by three of the following four monster types: s, s, s and s. In Nightmare and Hell, you should already have a and you can simply travel around the perimeter until you find the entrance to the. Otherwise, you'll need to explore the area until you find the entrance to the Halls of the Dead, and ideally the waypoint.

Halls of the Dead Level 1
The first level is randomly populated by three of the following five monsters:, s, s (2) with , and s (this means Hollow Ones can be picked twice, for 90% chance of spawning, while the others each have 'only' 60% chance of spawning). There can also be s and Mummy Sarcophagi, which can generate.

The most direct route to the second level is most likely to be found by traveling left, in an anticlockwise direction, after entry.

Halls of the Dead Level 2
The second level is similarly populated to the first. The most direct route to the third level is also most likely to be found by traveling left, in an anticlockwise direction, after entry: before descending, you can continue to do so for the most direct route to the waypoint, or travel right after entry, in a clockwise direction, to find the waypoint before the entrance to the third level.

Halls of the Dead Level 3
The third level is similarly populated to the first two. The most direct route to the room containing the chest in which the can be found is once again most likely to be found by traveling left, in an anticlockwise direction, after entry: However, it is not unguarded...

Bloodwitch the Wild


When you realize you've found the room containing the chest in which the can be found, do not enter, or retreat back outside as soon as you can: there are no other exits to the room and, apart from any other randomly generated monsters, the room also contains Bloodwitch the Wild and her minions, fast and aggressive melee attackers. Extra Strong and Cursed is already bad, and in Nightmare and Hell it's more likely that with  or  will be selected, which is a truly nightmarish (or hellish) combination: her minions will also always be physically stronger, and being cursed with  makes you much more susceptible to physical damage from any source.

You can try to just run, charge, leap or teleport in, open the chest to retrieve the Horadric Cube and then make your escape, but if you're unlucky then the situation can deteriorate very rapidly: it's best to use the door as a choke point to limit the numbers that can attack you at any one time, and focus on Bloodwitch the Wild as soon as possible: if you're cursed before she's killed, you may even want to create a portal to return to town to be cured by Atma or Fara before continuing.

Far Oasis
Beyond the, the Far Oasis is randomly populated by three of the following five monster types: s (which generate s), s, , s (which generate s, which in turn generate ) and s. There can also be s.

Once again, the exit to the next area, the, is on the perimeter, but you need to explore this area more thoroughly to find the entrance to the Maggot Lair, and ideally the waypoint as well: if you find the former before the latter, create a portal at the entrance before exploring further (although if you find the entrance to the Lost City first, you can explore that area for another waypoint).

Beetleburst


You may encounter this Scarab and its minions as you explore the Far Oasis.

Maggot Lair Level 1
The first level is randomly populated by three of the following five monster types, all animal: s, s, s (which generate s, which in turn generate ), s (which generate s, which in turn generate ) and s.

The most direct route to the entrance to the second level is most likely to be found by traveling right, in a clockwise direction, after entry. However, the lair is a series of small chambers interlinked by tunnels so narrow that they can normally only be traveled in single file: this is good to great news for those who use skills with piercing missiles, or single-target attackers who are normally more easily overwhelmed, but bad news for others. is normally one of the most powerful Paladin skills, but in the tunnels it's reduced to a close-range attack against single targets, and a summoner like a Necromancer may find it much quicker and easier to unsummon Necroskeletons and mages and rely on a golem and mercenary, supported by and possibly other direct damage spells like  or.

Maggot Lair Level 2
The second level is similarly populated to the first, and once again the most direct route to the entrance to the next level is most likely to be found by traveling right, in a clockwise direction, after entry.

Maggot Lair Level 3
The third level is similarly populated to the first two, but you always enter a chamber on the southwest side. The chamber containing the chest in which the can be found is always at the northeast end of a tunnel, on the northeast side of the level.

Coldworm the Burrower
Queen (

The chamber with the chest containing the in its west corner also has Coldworm the Burrower in its midst, who's Immune to Cold, even in Normal, and cannot be poisoned or cursed. Although she cannot move or attack you directly, she generates s (which in turn generate s, which in turn generate ): so if you don't find the chamber quickly, aside from any randomly generated monsters it can be crawling with maggots, making it difficult (but not necessarily dangerous) to get to the chest.

You don't have to kill her, and doing so may not be recommended: she explodes in a cold nova and a shower of poison.

Artifacts
Once you've found one of the artifacts required to make a and returned to town to talk to Deckard Cain about it, you'll be instructed where to search for the remainder:

You'll receive a reminder of this whenever you find the next artifact, until you have all three.

Horadric Cube
The Horadric Cube can be found in the chest guarded by on the third level of the Halls of the Dead under the, beyond the  outside Lut Gholein: it requires 2x2 inventory space, but right click to open and it has 4x3 inventory space of its own. If you talk to Deckard Cain after acquiring it:

Once you have one, unlike the other artifacts it can be used in any difficulty so you don't need to find it again. Ignore the erroneous formula for a socketed long sword and consult the ../Horadric Cube/ page for all other formulae.

Staff of Kings
The Staff of Kings can be found in the chest 'guarded' by on the third level of the Maggot Lair under the, beyond the.


 * Staff of Kings
 * Two-Hand Damage: 10 to 15
 * Durability: 45
 * Required Strength: 25
 * Staff Class – Speed 0
 * Range adder 2
 * 50% Increased Attack Speed
 * All Resistances +10
 * +50% Damage to Undead

It requires 3x1 inventory space. If you talk to Deckard Cain after acquiring it:

To acquire this headpiece, you'll need to complete the third quest...

Amulet of the Viper
The Amulet of the Viper drops from the ../Tainted Sun/ Altar guarded by on the second level of the Claw Viper Temple beneath the, beyond the  and.
 * Amulet of the Viper
 * +10 Life
 * +10 Mana
 * Poison Resist +25%

It requires one inventory space. If you talk to Deckard Cain after acquiring it:

Once you have all three artifacts, you can use them to make a Horadric Staff.

Horadric Staff
Right click to open the, place the and  inside and remove any other items, then left click the Transmute button.


 * Horadric Staff
 * Two-Hand Damage: 12 to 20
 * Durability: 50
 * Required Strength: 30
 * Staff Class – Speed 0
 * Range adder 2
 * 50% Increased Attack Speed
 * +10 Life
 * +10 Mana
 * Cold Resist +10%
 * Lightning Resist +10%
 * Fire Resist +10%
 * Poison Resist +35%
 * 50% Damage to Undead

It requires 4x1 inventory space. If you talk to Deckard Cain after making it:

You'll need to find and explore the ../Arcane Sanctuary/ beneath the palace, reading to discover the location of the True Tomb of Tal Rasha in the  beyond, before you can complete this quest by placing the Horadric Staff in the Orifice you'll find in the tomb.