Diablo 2 Walkthrough: Act 1, Rogue Encampment to Andariel

This is part 1 of our full Diablo 2 walkthrough, written for Diablo II: Resurrected (which includes Lord of Destruction). It starts with picking a class and ends when you kill Andariel in the Catacombs and travel east to Act 2. Every Act 1 quest is covered in the order most players do them, with the rewards that matter.

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The whole walkthrough

Pick your class (short version)

Every class can finish the story on Normal, so don't stress. A few are easier for a first run:

• Sorceress: strong spells from range and, later, Teleport. Fragile early, but very fast.
• Paladin: tough, forgiving and good in melee. A safe first character.
• Necromancer: raises an army of skeletons that fight for you. Very safe, a bit slower.
• Amazon, Barbarian, Druid, Assassin: all good, but they lean more on gear.
• Warlock: the eighth class, added in February 2026 by the paid Reign of the Warlock DLC. You only see it if you own the DLC.

Quests in this act give you a free respec (see Den of Evil), so an early mistake is not the end of the world.

Playing the Warlock? See our Reign of the Warlock guide.

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Don't have it yet? Diablo II: Resurrected is often on sale.

Quests in Act 1

1. Den of Evil
2. Sisters' Burial Grounds
3. The Search for Cain
4. The Forgotten Tower
5. Tools of the Trade
6. Sisters to the Slaughter

Only the last one is required to reach Act 2. The rest are optional, but most are worth it.

1. Den of Evil

Talk to Akara in the Rogue Encampment. She asks you to clear a cave full of monsters.

1. Leave camp into the Blood Moor and find the cave entrance, the Den of Evil.
2. Kill every monster inside. When few are left, the quest log tells you how many remain, so check the corners.
3. Return to Akara.

Reward: 1 skill point and one free respec from Akara. Always do this one. Save the respec until you know your build.

2. Sisters' Burial Grounds (Blood Raven)

Kashya asks you to kill Blood Raven, a fallen Rogue captain. Go through the Cold Plains and find the Burial Grounds.

• Blood Raven shoots fire arrows and raises zombies from the graves around her.
• Keep moving so her arrows miss, and fight near the edge of the area so the zombies don't surround you.
• If things get bad, back off, drink potions and come back in.

Reward: Kashya gives you a free Rogue mercenary (if you don't already have one). A hireling soaks up hits and adds damage. Worth doing.

3. The Search for Cain

This one sends you to rescue Deckard Cain from Tristram.

1. From the Cold Plains, go to the Stony Field. Take the Underground Passage to reach the Dark Wood.
2. In the Dark Wood, find the Tree of Inifuss. It is guarded by Treehead Woodfist. Click the tree to get the Scroll of Inifuss.
3. Take the scroll back to Akara. She decodes it, and you now know the order of the stones.
4. Back in the Stony Field, find the ring of Cairn Stones. Click them in the order shown. A red portal opens.
5. Step through to Tristram. Fight your way to the middle of town and free Cain.

Reward: Cain moves to camp and identifies items for free on this difficulty. Akara also gives you a random magic ring. Worth doing, mainly for free identifying.

4. The Forgotten Tower (the Countess)

In the Stony Field you may find a Moldy Tome. Reading it starts this quest.

1. Go from the Dark Wood into the Black Marsh and find the Forgotten Tower.
2. Head down through the Tower Cellar. The Countess waits on the fifth and lowest level.
3. Kill her and pick up everything she drops.

Reward: a big pile of gold, plus the Countess has a special chance to drop runes. Worth it early for gold, and many players come back later to farm her for runes.

5. Tools of the Trade (the Horadric Malus)

Charsi the blacksmith wants her hammer back.

1. Follow the Black Marsh to the Tamoe Highland and the Monastery Gate, then the Outer Cloister.
2. The next area is the Barracks. The Smith guards the Horadric Malus here.
3. Kill the Smith (or dodge him), grab the Malus and take it to Charsi.

Reward: Charsi will imbue one normal (non-magic) weapon or armor with no sockets, turning it into a rare item. Higher character level means better rolls, so many players wait and use it later, even in a later act.

Waypoints worth grabbing

Waypoints let you jump back to any area you have touched. In Act 1 the ones you will use most are:

• Cold Plains, Stony Field, Dark Wood and Black Marsh (for Cain and the Countess).
• Outer Cloister and Jail Level 1 (for the Malus and the route onward).
• Inner Cloister and Catacombs Level 2 (your jump-off point for Andariel).

6. Sisters to the Slaughter (Andariel)

This is the main quest. The route from the Barracks goes through the Jail (three levels), the Inner Cloister, the Cathedral and down into the Catacombs. Andariel is on Catacombs Level 4.

What Andariel does

• She is a melee boss who hits fast and hard.
• Her big threat is poison: she sprays poison in front of her and the poison keeps hurting you after the hit.
• Her room on level 4 also holds her guards, so the area is crowded.

How to beat her

1. Before going down, raise your poison resistance with any gear you have.
2. Buy healing potions and some Antidote Potions in town. An antidote clears poison and briefly raises your resistance.
3. Cast a Town Portal just before her room so you can step out to refill.
4. Clear her guards first, then pull her away from them.
5. Ranged classes: keep moving and attack from range. Melee classes: let your mercenary tank while you hit, and back off when the green cloud hits you.

Most players are around level 15 to 20 here on Normal. If you are dying fast, kill a few more packs first.

After she dies, talk to Warriv in camp to travel east to Lut Gholein. That is Act 2.

For the full lore of the Prime Evils, The Book of Cain is a great read between runs.

Tips for this part

• Put early skill points into one main attack. Spreading points thin makes Normal harder, not easier.
• Keep your mercenary alive. Re-hire costs gold, and an early merc is a big part of your damage.
• Click every chest and barrel. Act 1 gold adds up fast and you will want it for potions and repairs.
• Hold the Charsi imbue for a while. A rare item made at a higher level rolls better stats.
• Socketed white items are worth keeping. You will want them for runewords later.

My take

Act 1 is where I learn a new class, so I never rush it. I always do Den of Evil and Blood Raven first, because a skill point and a free merc make the rest so much smoother. The Countess is still one of my favourite little dungeons. Which class are you starting with this time?

FAQ

How long is Act 1 in Diablo 2?

For a first-time player doing all six quests, plan on roughly two to four hours on Normal. Skipping the optional quests saves time but costs you a skill point and a free mercenary.

What level should I be for Andariel?

Most players beat her on Normal somewhere around level 15 to 20. Good poison resistance and potions matter more than a few extra levels.

Do I need to do every Act 1 quest?

No. Only Sisters to the Slaughter (killing Andariel) is required. Den of Evil and Sisters' Burial Grounds are the most worth doing.

When should I use Akara's free respec?

Wait until you know the build you want, often in Act 2 or later. You only get one per difficulty from Akara.

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