Act II (Diablo III)

Borderlands Ruins

After Act I, the story of Diablo III takes the player across the Twin Seas to the Borderlands and then on to Caldeum, the capital city of the Empire of Kehjistan.

Quests

• Shadows in the Desert - Maghda's coven terrorizes the Borderlands around the great city of Caldeum. Seek them out and exact your revenge.
• The Road to Alcarnus - The Coven has blocked all roads to Alcarnus. Take the pass that leads through the Khasim Outpost.
• City of Blood - Alcarnus has fallen to the Coven, its streets running red with the blood of its citizens. Kill Maghda and free the city.
• A Royal Audience - Demons hide in plain sight under the guise of Caldeum's Imperial Guard. Show the emperor that he is surrounded by deceit and lies. Leah's mother Adria is alive, but she is being held in the sewers of Caldeum by agents of Belial. Rescue her.
• Betrayer of the Horadrim - Retrieve the disembodied head of the dark Horadrim Zoltun Kulle to learn the secret of the Black Soulstone.
• Blood and Sand - The blood of Zoltun Kulle is the key to opening the Shadow Realm where his body is hidden away. Find his blood that he may be resurrected.
• The Black Soulstone - The Black Soulstone is the key to defeating the last two Lords of Hell. Resurrect Zoltun Kulle so that he will activate it.
• The Scouring of Caldeum - Save the citizens of Caldeum from the wrath of Belial.
• Lord of Lies - The demon lord Belial hides himself away inside the Emperor's Palace. Find him and kill him.

Zones and Waypoints

There are three major areas in Act II: In the East a road that leads to Alcarnus and to Maghda, in the West a road that leads through the Dahlgur Oasis and the Desolate Sands to the Archives of Zoltun Kulle and finally the City of Caldeum with the final battle against Belial.

Quest Hub

The quest hub is the Hidden Camp. The roads to the different areas of Act II are accessible through Caldeum Bazaar.

• Hidden Camp (Waypoint)
• Caldeum Bazaar

The East: Road to Alcarnus

• Sundered Canyon
• Howling Plateau
  • Sirocco Caverns
  • Fuad's Cellar
  • Hidden Conclave
  • Secret Altar
• Black Canyon Mines (Waypoint)
  • Deserted Cellar
  • Blood Cellar
• Stinging Winds
  • Khasim Outpost (Waypoint)
  • The Lost Caravan
  • The Crumbling Vault - Timed dungeon
  • The Ruins
• Road to Alcarnus (Waypoint)
• Alcarnus
  • Alcarnus Cellar
  • Sandy Cellar
• Lair of the Witch - Maghda

The West: The Reawakening of Zoltun Kulle

• Sewers of Caldeum (Waypoint)
• The Wretched Pit
• Flooded Causeway
• Ruined Cistern
• Path to the Oasis (Waypoint)
• Dahlgur Oasis (Waypoint)
  • Tomb of Khan Dakab
  • Ransacked Cellar
  • Storm Cellar
  • Old Fisherman's Cellar
  • The Forgotten Ruins
• Ancient Waterway
  • Western Channel
  • Western Flow Control
  • Eastern Channel
  • Eastern Flow Control
  • Waterlogged Passage
  • Hidden Aqueducts
• Ancient Path (Waypoint)
• Desolate Sands (Waypoint)
  • Cave of the Betrayer
  • Vault of the Assassin
• The Archives of Zoltun Kulle
  • The Terminus
  • The Unknown Depths
  • The Storm Halls
  • Realm of Shadow
  • Soulstone Chamber

City of Caldeum

• Caldeum Bazaar
• Gates of Caldeum
• City of Caldeum
• Imperial Palace

Reveal History

In an interview for IGN, Jay Wilson, game director on Diablo III, revealed that the Act boss is Belial, the Lord of Lies. Another area in Act II is a place called Alcarnus. Mentioned during the Monk's cinematic, it is a city that has been overrun with demons and cultists. Players will get a chance to go to Alcarnus as seen in a gameplay video.

BlizzCon 2011

During the Diablo Lore panel at BlizzCon 2011, Three new areas were shown from Act II. All three of these areas are playable and play an important part in telling the story as we progress through this Act.

Caldeum - Caldeum was the jewel of the East. It became the trading center for all of Sanctuary. However, there was turmoil due to the Zakarum, rich merchants, and Wizards all vying for power over the city. Hakan eventually took rule and united the three groups to create the most prosperous city. However, his death left a son too young to rule the city. The Iron Wolves, lead by Asheara from Diablo II, were hired to protect him until he was old enough to rule the city. However, Hakan II removed them and replaced them with his own Caldeum guards. Asheara is unsure of why he made this decision and now helps the people on the lower parts of Caledum.

Dahlgur Oasis - This small paradise was the birth of Caldeum. A mysterious man rose from the waste and showed the original settlers this source of water which was used to help begin Caldeum. However, the story is said that this mysterious man disappeared back into the waste after showing them.

The Archives of Zoltun Kulle - Zoltun Kulle was one of the original members of the Horadrim who helped capture the Great Evils the first time. However, he eventually became corrupt and evil. He was so strong that the Horadrim could not kill him, so they removed his head and buried it underground surrounded by magical runes. His body has been sent into another dimension.

BlizzCon 2009 Demo

In the BlizzCon 2009 Demo, players start in an area called Sundered Pass, and is tasked by the woman called Asheara to reach the town called Alcarnus, which has apparently been desecrated by the Cultists. The player then sets off through several areas, of which some are the Stinging Winds and the Canyon Rim Mines. Some new monsters were revealed, like the Desert Dervish and the Desert Wasp. At the end of the Monk Reveal Trailer, the hero fought against a Morlu Caster, but this enemy did not appear in the demo.

Diablo III Acts

Act I • Act II • Act III • Act IV • Act V