Diablo II: Lord of Destruction/Siege on Harrogath

Siege On Harrogath

• Objective: Kill Shenk the Overseer
• Objective Location: Bloody Foothills
• Quest Giver: Larzuk
• Reward: Socket an item.

Getting the Quest

Activate the first quest in Act V by speaking with Larzuk in Harrogath. Completing this first quest not only offers a decent reward (Larzuk sockets one of your items) but also provides the gateway to the act's larger, and much tougher, quests.

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

Location

You'll find General Shenk the Overseer in the Bloody Foothills. Simply exit Harrogath through the main gate; the Bloody Foothills is the first area adjacent to Harrogath. Cross the bridges and walkways and discover General Shenk the Overseer far from Harrogath surrounded by many monsters and catapults. You'll probably find General Shenk the Overseer not far from the next land, the Frigid Highlands. There is no waypoint in the Bloody Foothills. Use town portal scrolls to return to Harrogath should you need to replenish health or mana potions, sell recovered equipment, or repair damaged weapons and armor.

Recommended Level

Most players end Act IV of Diablo II around level 26 to 28 on normal, depending on the number of side quests taken and the quantity of replay of the larger areas and dungeons. You can't reach Act V unless you possess a character that has already beaten the four acts in Diablo II. Thus you should be whatever level you were when Diablo was slain. Expect to be around level 26 to 28 as you enter the Bloody Foothills and take on General Shenk the Overseer.

Quest Logs

Log Entry #1

Stop the siege by killing Shenk the Overseer in the Bloody Foothills.

Activate the quest by speaking with Larzuk at Harrogath's main gate into the Bloody Foothills. Stock up with health potions and a town portal scroll or two--you're about to face some of the new, and quite deadly, Act V monsters! According to the objective, you will locate Shenk the Overseer within the Bloody Foothills. Time to search for Baal's nefarious general.

The Bloody Foothills are overflowing with enslaved and death maulers. But you must deal with troublesome catapults as well. When you spot a burst of poison, cold, or lightning fall from the sky, there's a catapult nearby. When the poison, cold, or lightning bursts are dropping down, avoid standing toe-to-toe with enslaved or death maulers or you may fall victim to the catapult's blast. Seek out the catapult quickly and destroy it with the aid of skills or spells. Avoid walking through the poison bursts; couple the drain of poison with the power of Act V monsters, and you could find yourself low on health in a matter of seconds.

As you move through the Bloody Foothills, you will spot Harrogath barbarians attempting to hold off Baal's hordes. Assist these barbarians in their battle. While they won't officially join your party, they will help by defeating nearby monsters and taking some of the monsters' damage meant for you. Follow the barbarian and continue to pummel the monsters in your path. Expect the barbarian to eventually fall to the tough monsters. Be wary of overwhelming yourself by simply following the barbarian, who may trigger more monsters than you're able to fight. Be prepared to make a hasty retreat, either toward Harrogath away from the hordes or with a town portal scroll for a quick exit back to town.

Log Entry #2

Kill Shenk the Overseer.

Certainly by now you have mastered the art of demon killing--even against an extra-strong brute like General Shenk the Overseer! The toughest part of the battle isn't necessarily Shenk himself but the enslaved and death maulers surrounding him. There are also likely catapults nearby that make a standing fight even more difficult.

Use area-effect spells if you possess them to clear out some, most, or all of the enslaved and death maulers protecting General Shenk the Overseer. If you are playing with more party members, have a barbarian or druid pound any nearby catapults to protect the party as you near Shenk. Avoid approaching Shenk if he's still surrounded by many minions. Since the Bloody Foothills don't offer much maneuvering room to begin with (many narrow bridges, many trenches), it's possible to become trapped by a group of monsters. Instead, use the bridges and trenches as choke points against the monsters protecting General Shenk the Overseer. And, by the way, Shenk the Overseer is extra strong.

Log Entry #3

Return to Larzuk for your reward.

Killing General Shenk the Overseer triggers a new entry in your quest log. It's time to return to Larzuk, who offered the quest in the first place, to notify him of Shenk's death and your apparent worthiness to combat Baal and his dark forces. Before you town-portal back to Harrogath, continue beyond Shenk the Overseer's corpse and locate the entrance into the Frigid Highlands.

The Bloody Foothills don't contain a convenient waypoint marker, but the adjacent land--the Frigid Highlands--does contain a waypoint. You will find the entrance to the Frigid Highlands not far from where you killed General Shenk the Overseer. Enter the Frigid Highlands and seek out the waypoint. Use the waypoint to return to Harrogath. That way, when you activate the next quest (which will take you into the Frigid Highlands), you won't have to traverse the long, windy (and potentially dangerous, if the monsters and catapults have been reset) Bloody Foothills, and you can simply use the waypoint.

Reward

When you return to Larzuk with news of your accomplishment, he offers his thanks and agreement that you may be the one to combat Baal. For a reward, Larzuk offers to add sockets to one of your items. Choose wisely and consider your current inventory of runes, gems, and jewels. You don't have to complete his reward on the spot. If you would rather wait until you have gained more or new runes, gems, or jewels, cancel the socket procedure and return to Larzuk later in Act V when you are prepared. Just talk to Larzuk and select "Add Sockets" when you are ready to complete the reward.

Quest II: Rescue on Mount Arreat

• Objective: Free the captured barbarians.
• Location: Frigid Highlands
• Quest Giver: Qual-Kehk
• Reward: Ability to higher Barbarians as mercenaries; runes Ral, Ort and Tal.

Activate the second quest by entering the Frigid Highlands (the area beyond the Bloody Foothills) or by speaking with Qual-Kehk upon completion of the Siege on Harrogath quest. You'll find Qual-Kehk near the center of Harrogath. Speak with him to learn about the 15 missing barbarians.

Objective, from Qual-Kehk

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

Location

You'll find Qual-Kehk's missing men in the Frigid Highlands. There's a waypoint there, and you may have activated the waypoint upon completion of the Siege on Harrogath quest (if you continued beyond the Bloody Foothills and into the Frigid Highlands to seek out the waypoint). Use the waypoint in Harrogath to bypass the Bloody Foothills and travel straight to the Frigid Highlands. Otherwise you will have to traverse the complex Bloody Foothills and its narrow bridges and winding trenches. If you're seeking more combat or experience, take the path through the Bloody Foothills to toughen you up for the combat that awaits you in the Frigid Highlands.

Recommended Level to Complete Act V, Quest II: You'll likely begin the second quest not long after you complete the first quest in Act V. Your level probably won't be much higher than when you completed Act IV or the first quest in the fifth act. If you feel the need to be stronger, explore the side dungeon Abaddon within the Frigid Highlands to gain experience, or battle through the Bloody Foothills a number of times before making your way into the Frigid Highlands.

Log Entries

Log Entry #1

Find the soldiers in the Frigid Highlands.

The Frigid Highlands is a fairly large map area that bridges the gap between the Bloody Foothills (adjacent to the town of Harrogath) and the Arreat Plateau. You'll find a waypoint in the Frigid Highlands. Trigger the waypoint after completing the Siege on Harrogath quest (which entails killing Shenk the Overseer along the outskirts of the Bloody Foothills near the Frigid Highlands) so you can travel back and forth between the Frigid Highlands before and after this quest.

Qual-Kehk's soldiers are being held in three separate jail pens in the Frigid Highlands. Each pen holds five soldiers. To complete the quest, the soldiers must escape the pen and return to Harrogath via the opened town portal. Locate the pens off the edge of the map toward the center of the Frigid Highlands. You'll be able to spot the distinct square-shaped thick white fence of the pens on the overhead map. The pens are heavily protected by several walls and are typically near towers and catapults.

Log Entry #2

Rescue 10 more soldiers in the Frigid Highlands.

Once you have assisted a single pen of soldiers in their escape, your quest log updates with a new entry. The Frigid Highlands offer a new variety of dangers. You'll find catapults, as you did in the Bloody Foothills, though not the same quantity. As you did in the Bloody Foothills, avoid standing still in toe-to-toe battles while the catapult's burst of poison, cold, or lightning smashes on top of you. Most of the catapults are positioned near the mini-forts and soldier pens within the Frigid Highlands.

New creatures include demon imps (teleporting fireball-hurling demons) and crush beasts (large creatures that the demon imps can actually ride on to produce an additional attack). It's wise to equip any fire-resistance items you may have or use a paladin in your party to use fire-resistance auras for the betterment of the group. Be careful when you approach the towers positioned along the mini-fort walls. Demon imps can climb to the tops of the towers and launch fire attacks. Take out the towers when no demon imps are on them for the safest alternative. The demon imps can also mount the crush beasts and launch a flamethrower-like attack. Use ranged spells or attacks to take out the crush beasts ridden by demon imps; attempt to avoid a close-range fight.

Log Entry #3

Rescue five more soldiers in the Frigid Highlands.

After locating two of the three pens and rescuing ten barbarian soldiers, a new entry appears in your quest logbook. You have just one more pen to find. Search any remaining unexplored ground in the Frigid Highlands and keep your eye open for the distinct white fence marking the remaining pen. As you should with each pen, clear out all the defenders before opening the door and freeing the barbarians. Nearby monsters will target the soldiers, and you could fail the quest if too many of the soldiers die before returning through the portal.

Entry #4

Return to Qual-Kehk for your reward.

Successfully rescuing the 15 barbarian soldiers triggers a new entry in your quest logbook. Return to Harrogath using a town portal scroll or via the Frigid Highlands waypoint. You may also want to consider exploring the Arreat Plateau to locate the waypoint there. That way you can receive your reward from Qual-Kehk and use the waypoint to travel quickly to the Arreat Plateau after opening up the third quest in Act V.

Completed from Qual-Kehk

"Thank you for rescuing my men. They have spoken well of your bravery in battle. Perhaps there is hope for us after all. If you wish, you may hire some of my mercenaries that you saved. And please...take this set of runes. I had been saving them for a socketed shield, but I think you'll make better use of them. Be sure to set them in the right order for their fullest effect."

Reward

Return to Qual-Kehk to receive your reward for rescuing the barbarian soldiers. Qual-Kehk offers a double set of rewards. First, from the completion of the quest and onward, you can hire hirelings from Qual-Kehk to assist you. Hirelings in the Diablo II Expansion are a bit more useful than the hirelings in Diablo II. You can equip them with specific weapons and armor and even use healing potions on their portraits to restore their hit points.

Qual-Kehk offers a second reward as well: a set of runes that can be used to socket different items, though you only receive the runeword benefits within a socketed shield. Qual-Kehk hands you three runes: Tal, Ral, and Ort.

• Tal: In a weapon, +19 poison damage; in armor/helm/shield, +35 percent poison resistance
• Ral: In a weapon, +5-30 fire damage; in armor/helm/shield, +35 percent fire resistance
• Ort: In a weapon, +1-50 lightning damage; in armor/helm/shield, +35 percent lightning resistance

Qual-Kehk mentions that putting the runes in a specific order offers greater benefits. Place the runes in the order Ral, Ort, Tal into a shield to create the Ancient's Pledge. The shield offers +43 to all resistances, +50 percent enhanced defense, and 10 percent damage taken goes to mana. You won't receive the same degree of benefits unless you create the designated runeword in a socketed shield.

Prison of Ice

• Objective: Save Anya.

Betrayal of Harrogath

• Objective: Slay the traitor Nihlathak.

Rite of Passage

• Objective: Defeat the Ancients.

Eve of Destruction

• Objective: Destroy Baal and his minions.