Diablo 3 Walkthrough: Act 5, Westmarch to Malthael

Part 5 of our Diablo 3 walkthrough covers Act 5 from the Reaper of Souls expansion. It starts in the ruined city of Westmarch and ends in the Pandemonium Fortress with the fight against Malthael, the Angel of Death. At the end we cover what to do after the story.

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The whole walkthrough

Quests in Act 5

1. The Fall of Westmarch
2. Souls of the Dead
3. The Harbinger
4. The Witch
5. The Pandemonium Gate
6. The Battlefields of Eternity
7. Breaching the Fortress
8. Angel of Death

You need the Reaper of Souls expansion for this act. It comes with the Ultimate Evil Edition and the Eternal Collection.

1. The Fall of Westmarch

Malthael, the former archangel of Wisdom, has taken the Black Soulstone, and his Reapers are killing everyone in Westmarch.

1. Fight through the streets of Westmarch. The Reapers and the dead come in big packs, so use corners and doorways.
2. Meet Lorath Nahr, a Horadrim scholar, and help the survivors.
3. Reach the Survivors' Enclave. This is your town for Act 5, with the blacksmith, jeweller and vendors.

2. Souls of the Dead

Malthael's forces are gathering the souls of the dead in machines called Soul Crucibles.

1. Lorath sends you to Westmarch Commons.
2. Find the Soul Crucible in Gideon's Row and destroy the corpse piles that feed it.
3. Kill the Reaper commander guarding the area and destroy the Master Soul Crucible.
4. Talk to Myriam, the mystic, and go back to the Survivors' Enclave.

3. The Harbinger: Urzael

1. Use the Westmarch Heights waypoint. It is the closest one to your target.
2. Walk to the Tower of Korelan. The tower has no waypoint, so look around for its entrance.
3. Go down to the bottom floor. The fight with Urzael starts there.

Boss: Urzael. A fallen angel who fights with fire.

• He uses big fire attacks that leave burning ground. The fire on the floor is the main danger. Avoid it at all costs.
• Wait for him to use his big attacks, then move in and hit him while they are on cooldown.
• The fight has two phases. He gets more dangerous in the second, so keep moving and keep your potion ready.

4. The Witch: Adria

1. Myriam gives the quest. Leave Westmarch for the Blood Marsh, a big swamp.
2. Find the Nephalem Guidestone in the marsh and use it to find the way to the Ruins of Corvus, a lost Nephalem city under the swamp.
3. Work through the ruins. Corvus has a few side passages on the way. Follow the quest marker.
4. In the Great Hall, a square room with a pool of blood in the centre, you finally face Adria.

Boss: Adria. Not a hard fight if you are quick, but it can go wrong if it drags on.

• She spins in a whirlwind and throws balls of blood. Avoid both.
• She keeps summoning blood larvae. Kill them if they block you, but don't spend the whole fight on them. Focus Adria.
• Move around the pool rather than through it.

5 to 7. The Pandemonium Gate, The Battlefields of Eternity, Breaching the Fortress

These three quests take you into Pandemonium, the realm where Malthael has his fortress. Tyrael and the angels fight alongside you.

1. The Pandemonium Gate: go through the gate into the realm. Malthael's Reapers are already attacking it.
2. The Battlefields of Eternity: fight across the old war zones, through the Path of War, the Abandoned Siege Camp, the Battlefields of Eternity and the Siege Outpost. These are big open maps. Stay on the quest marker.
3. Breaching the Fortress: fight your way to The Ram, the angels' giant siege engine. Once the quest is done, you enter the Pandemonium Fortress from The Ram.

The monsters in Pandemonium hit harder than anything before. If you're dying a lot, drop the difficulty one step before the final fight.

8. Angel of Death: Malthael

1. Climb through the levels of the Pandemonium Fortress.
2. At the top, Malthael waits. Beat him to end the story.

Boss: Malthael, the Angel of Death. Three phases, and he acts differently in each.

• Soul attacks: he sends out streams of souls. Some travel slowly and are easy to dodge. Soul Sweep fires souls in many directions and knocks you around, which is where most deaths happen.
• Death fog: later phases add a fog of death that covers the arena and makes the fight harder to read. Keep track of where he is and keep moving.
• Center attacks: at times he stands in the middle and fires attacks in all directions, then sends out red beams. Stay away from the centre and find the gaps.
• Adds: he summons minions. Killing them can give you health back.

Keep moving, hit him whenever he stops, and don't get greedy during Soul Sweep. When he falls, the campaign is complete.

What next: Adventure Mode, rifts and seasons

Beating Malthael on a normal account unlocks Adventure Mode. This is where Diablo 3 really lives.

• Bounties: short tasks spread over all five acts. Finish an act's set for a reward cache with materials and items.
• Nephalem Rifts: random dungeons. Kill enough monsters and a Rift Guardian appears. This is the main way to level and find gear.
• Greater Rifts: timed rifts with numbered levels. You open them with keystones that drop from Rift Guardians at max level. Pushing higher Greater Rifts is the main endgame.
• Kanai's Cube: find it in the Ruins of Sescheron in Act 3. It lets you use the power of legendary items without wearing them.
• Seasons: start a fresh character on a new ladder. Seasonal heroes have Adventure Mode open from day one, and the Season Journey gives you goals and rewards along the way.

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Playing with friends? A gaming headset with a mic makes co-op rifts much easier to coordinate.

Tips for this part

• Upgrade your gear before Pandemonium. The jump in difficulty is real. Visit the Survivors' Enclave vendors and blacksmith.
• Kill elites carefully in the Blood Marsh. It is wide open, so packs can surround you. Pull them back toward paths.
• Know your escape skill. Urzael's fire and Malthael's Soul Sweep both punish heroes who stand still.
• Try the Mystic. Myriam can enchant one property on an item. It is a cheap way to fix a bad roll.

My take

Act 5 is the best act in the game for me. Westmarch looks great, the Blood Marsh is creepy, and the step up in challenge makes it feel like a real finale. Malthael is a decent last boss, even if I like Adria's fight more. Are you heading straight into Greater Rifts now, or starting a seasonal hero?

FAQ

Do I need Reaper of Souls to play Act 5?

Yes. Act 5 is part of the Reaper of Souls expansion. It is included in the Ultimate Evil Edition and the Eternal Collection.

What level should I be for Malthael?

No fixed level, as monsters scale to you. If he is too hard, lower the difficulty or improve your gear at the Survivors' Enclave first.

Where is Urzael in Diablo 3?

At the bottom of the Tower of Korelan, during The Harbinger quest. The closest waypoint is Westmarch Heights.

What do I do after beating Diablo 3?

Switch to Adventure Mode for bounties and Nephalem Rifts, then work up to Greater Rifts. Or start a seasonal character for a fresh run.

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