- "Andariel was the only female Evil. She aided the Lesser Evils for many years, but eventually she lost faith in their plots. Two decades ago, she chose to help Diablo during his resurgence and seized the Citadel of the Sightless Eye. Ultimately, she perished at the hands of brave heroes."
Deckard Cain, writing on Andariel[1]
Andariel, Maiden of Anguish was one of the Lesser Evils.
Biography
As with all the Great Evils, Andariel was spawned from one of the seven heads of Tathamet. She controlled the Realm of Anguish in Hell. She was considered to be a close confidante of Diablo.[2]
The Dark Exile
"How dare you question! How dare you deny yourselves victory! Long have the Primes lorded over us. Long have they thought themselves our betters. Diablo...Diablo will fall, as will the rest. Do not be swayed or led to fear by him. Do not, for each of you will reign. Each of you will share the power we will earn."
—Belial addressing Duriel and Andariel[3]
The Lesser Evils came to be discontent with the Prime Evils' focus on humanity after the events of the Sin War, furious that the Great Conflict had been apparently abandoned. Led by Azmodan and Belial, the Lesser Evils enacted a stratagem to overthrow the Three.[2] Andariel and Duriel had their doubts at first, afraid that they would fall in the coming conflict. Belial however, kept them in the fold.[3] The plan worked, and Andariel reveled in Diablo's misery, enjoying a state of unmatched bliss through the humiliation of her former ally. However, the pact that the Lesser Evils had made soon fell apart, as Azmodan and Belial warred for the position of supreme ruler of Hell.[2]
The Return of the Three
Nearly three hundred years after the Dark Exile, Diablo escaped from his captivity beneath the Tristram Cathedral, heading east to reunite with Mephisto and Baal. Andariel and Duriel concluded that the Primes would inevitably reclaim their position in Hell. Therefore, they endeavored to gain favor with the Lord of Terror by protecting his human host.[2] Andariel was thus sent by Diablo to invade the citadel of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye in order to close the passage through the mountains into the eastern lands of Aranoch. During the assault on the Rogue Monastery many sisters were slain and others were turned to serve Andariel herself.[4] By the time Diablo arrived and passed through the Eastgate, Andariel's position of power was well solidified.[2]
Andariel confronts her foes
Andariel's reign did not last long however, as a group of heroes pursuing Diablo stormed the monastery, coming to face her in the catacombs. She not only struck out at her foes physically, but battered them emotionally as well, stirring within each of them memories of loss, sadness, betray and regret, feeding on their anger and relishing in their despair. Despite the heavy toll on the minds of those she attacked however, the heroes succeeded in dispatching her.[2]
Legacy
Andariel had failed in killing Diablo's pursuers but had still bought Diablo valuable time.[2]
Andariel's spirit ended up in the Black Soulstone. Over 20 years[5] after her defeat, she would become merged with Diablo, now the sole Prime Evil.[6] After Diablo's defeat, all the lords of Hell were returned to the Black Soulstone, their souls screaming for release.[7] The stone was destroyed by Malthael in an effort to defeat the Nephalem, but he was defeated, and Diablo freed,[8] still containing the essence of Andariel and the other Evils.[9]
In-game
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Andariel's in-game model
Andariel is the end boss of the first act of Diablo II and is found on the fourth level of the Catacombs. The first rooms are filled with undead and demonic minions; it is usually best to clear them so you can focus on Andariel. However, high level characters that plan on rushing Andariel can safely skip the first two rooms altogether. Open the gates and proceed into the throne room; if you venture far enough Andariel should approach you, saying either Die, Maggot! or Fear me!
This pool can be used to escape Andariel for a while.
It might be best to fight Andariel in the room with the blood pool in the center; you can run around the pool while Andariel chases you when you need to buy some time for healing potions to take effect or to flee back to town via Town Portal. Andariel uses a potent Poison Spray ability that spreads in a large area: Mercenary units and minions that get hit will most likely die from the poison damage, given enough time. When you engage her in melee combat she can still poison you.
Andariel's remains burning
Though it is possible to limit the damage from the poison attacks by getting Poison Resistance and bringing Antidote Potions, it's probably better to just heal through the poison damage with healing potions or retreating to town to avail Akara of her healing services. Andariel hits for a decent amount of damage in melee combat as well. Just keep hitting her and she will eventually fall (if you run out of potions you can always portal back to the Rogue Encampment and get some more). Andariel has negative Fire Resistance of -50. That means Fire attacks deal extra damage to her, so use Fire based attacks or spells if possible.
When Andariel dies, her body erupts in a pillar of flame. Chunks of the ceiling fall (the debris is not harmful), and a Town Portal opens, which will take you back to the Rogue Encampment. Now the way east is opened once more, you can continue your journey in Act II.
If you return, the fallen ceiling debris will have "magically" disappeared due to the game engine's limitations.
Tactics for individual classes
Andariel's death animation
Andariel has a weakness for any fire based damage, so try to use fire-based skills and weapons as much as possible. Amazons can use Fire Arrow, Paladins can use Holy Fire, Sorceresses can use any fire skill she might possess, and so on. Melee builds can also opt to augment their weapons with rubies or use charms to increase their fire damage if concerned about spending skill points on skills they will use only once. While Andariel's poison can be quite lethal, returning to town whenever the poison damage starts to overtake the healing effect, and returning to the battle is an effective tactic.
Here are some helpful hints on how to beat her with different classes:
Amazon - Utilize ranged attacks. Using a bow or javelins from long range allows Amazons to stay away from Andariel and possibly dodging some of her Poison attacks. Any damage increasing Fire Arrow or Cold Arrow will help.
Barbarian - If dual weapons are in use, then skills like Double Swing are excellent. Mana Stealing/Life Stealing weapons are useful too. Andariel isn't too tough to kill, and should go down fairly quickly to good weapons.
Druid - Molten Boulder or your best ranged weapon or spell. If you are a Shape Shifter, Werewolf can be good for fast damage, or Werebear for added hit points and damage.
Sorceress - The Sorceress is an excellent spell caster. The main downfall for the Sorceress is her weak armor and health but, if she can get Andariel into the room outside her starting room and get her stuck on one side of the lake, the sorceress may bombard her with as many spells as possible before she can retaliate. If she attempts to get within melee range, use Cold Spells to slow her down. Static Field is quite effective here, but keep in mind that in order to use it one has to get perilously close to the Maiden of Anguish. Use it once or twice to drop Andariel's hit points by about 1/3, and then get away. Do not forget that the element of Fire is Andariel's weakness, making spells like Fire Ball and Enchant useful, even on Nightmare/Hell. If you have Blaze, have her chase the sorceress, cast, and enjoy the spectacle.
Necromancer - Make sure to kill the creatures in Andariel's throne room before the fight. These corpses will provide a nearby place to raise more skeletons if the necromancer is utilizing summoning skills, but be aware that skeletons tend to die extremely quickly to Andariel's poison. Also, keep a golem in action at all times, as they are good tanks for the weaker skeletons. Use Poison and Bone spells to whittle down Andariel's life quickly while she is distracted, and Amplify Damage is a great way to bring her down.
Paladin - The Might and Concentration auras massively increase the Paladin's damage output; direct damage attacks such as Zeal and Vengeance help out too. The Cleansing aura can also help the Paladin and his group if poison is an issue. The Holy Fire aura is also a good offensive tool against the Maiden of Anguish, though this will not add fire damage to any other friendly entities nearby.
Assassin - Tiger Strike with a good finishing move can help bring down Andariel. Use traps to increase damage output.
Quotes
- "Die, maggot!"
- "Fear me!"
- "The East is beyond your grasp!" (removed)
Personality and Traits
The Maiden of Anguish
Andariel was a sadistic entity, not unlike Duriel. However, while Duriel reveled in physical pain, Andariel derived pleasure from emotional anguish, believing in the "purity" of the emotion. A master manipulator, she set up scenarios in which the victim's mental state was twisted inside out. She loved seeing people torn apart by their own inner agony and emotional pain. Her general bearing is one who is in a constant state of ecstasy, experiencing unthinkable pleasures.
Considered one of the most relation orientated of the Great Evils, Andariel was said to abhor isolation, as she sustained herself on the suffering of others.[2]
Despite being spawned from Hell, Andariel was not fond of fire.[4]
Trivia
Andariel
- In Diablo II, Andariel has a unique item to her name, Andariel's Visage. It is a Demonhead, which may be her severed head or a prized trophy rather than her actual head. The item reappears as a different version in Diablo III.
- Although it was implied in earlier materials that she was the daughter of Lilith (and thus the granddaughter of Mephisto),[citation needed] the Book of Cain debunks this, as Andariel was born from the heads of the Dragon Tathemet alongside the other Great Evils.
- In Andariel's throne room, there is a Bone Throne placed at the back, surrounded by flames.
- Andariel was voiced by Lani Manella.
References
- ↑ Diablo III, Act II
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Book of Cain
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Darkness Falls, Heroes Rise, Theater Macabre: The Dark Exile
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Diablo II, The Sightless Eye
- ↑ Diablo timeline
- ↑ Diablo III, Act III
- ↑ Reaper of Souls, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2013-09-09
- ↑ Diablo III, Act V
- ↑ 2014-05-19, More Info From The Anniversary Dev Stream. Diablo Fans.com, accessed on 2014-05-20
Prime Evil — Tathamet
Prime Evils — Baal • Diablo • Mephisto
Lesser Evils — Andariel • Azmodan • Belial • Duriel