The World
The world of Sanctuary is never the same twice. That's because parts of Diablo III's environments (excepting towns, cities and some landmarks) are randomized. Like puzzle pieces, they fit together to form mazes and dungeons that can be different each time you play through the game.
Every time you start up a new game or load an existing character, the world changes. You'll find unfamiliar foes and unopened treasure chests in new places. What's more, the physical layout of areas can shift; locations of caves and ruins can move around, and the well-trod path you took earlier might be covered with monsters. Even quest objectives can move around!
| ||
Contents
- 1 Camp & Waypoints
- 2 Quests
- 3 Events
- 4 Randomization
- 5 Map
- 6 Monsters
-
7
Monster Affixes
- 7.1 Affixes
-
8
Treasure Goblins
- 8.1 Treasure Goblin
- 8.2 Gem Hoarder
- 8.3 Gilded Baron
- 8.4 Blood Thief
- 8.5 Odious Collector
- 8.6 Malevolent Tormentor
- 8.7 Insufferable Miscreant
- 8.8 Gelatinous Sire
- 8.9 Rainbow Goblin
- 8.10 Menagerist Goblin
- 8.11 The Vault
Camp & Waypoints
| ||
Your allies will gather in your camp.
Not all parts of the world will shift under your feet. Safe areas - like camps and towns - will remain unchanged. In these places, you'll find merchants to trade with and repair your gear. You'll also find your followers and other key NPCs (non-player characters) here. Select any of them to initiate a dialogue and ask for advice or learn about their histories.
| ||
Use waypoints for quick travel.
In towns, you'll also see a magical emblem etched into the ground; identical emblems can be found elsewhere in the world. These are waypoints, arcane circles of teleportation scattered throughout Sanctuary, and you can use them to move between areas. When you discover a new waypoint in Campaign Mode, you'll be able to return there from any other waypoint you've previously unlocked. In Adventure Mode, you'll begin the game with all waypoints already unlocked.
Selecting a waypoint will open the Waypoint map, which displays each location you've discovered. The waypoint closest to your current quest objective in Campaign Mode will flash; when you're ready to progress the story, travel there.
Quests
| ||
Quests begin with exclamation marks.
Quests are the story of Diablo III and your battle against the Burning Hells.
You'll be able to see a full description of your current quest — including your objectives and where you should go next — in your quest log (PC: "J" key; Console: press BACK or SELECT, then navigate to the "Quests" section). Your journal will also keep a record of your journey — a bestiary of the enemies you've encountered, and a collection of books of lore you've collected.
| ||
Complete your quests, and prosper.
Quests provide rewards of gold, experience, and items. Some quests have bonus objectives, optional tasks that can be worth extra experience and gold.
More often than not, quests will be given to you by your closest allies, but on occasion, you'll find that the world itself presents you with a path to tread, a foe to slay, or other "opportunities."
If you want to replay the game’s story mode, you can access the Reset Quests feature from the Game Settings Menu (PC). You will begin the campaign in Act I, and all of your quest progress (and waypoints) will be reset – quests must be completed and waypoints unlocked again as if you’re playing through the game for the first time. Quests you complete after this reset will grant extra rewards.
Though all act bosses drop guaranteed legendary items for characters of levels 1-59, when using the Reset Quests feature, the boss of act IV will drop a guaranteed legendary item for level 60 characters, and the boss of act V will drop a guaranteed legendary item for characters of levels 61-70.
Events
| ||
Expect to be taken by surprise.
As you travel the world of Sanctuary, you'll also come across events—small pieces of gameplay like miniature quests. When you encounter an event, the name of the event will appear on your screen along with its objectives.
Events are the demonic rituals, enemy ambushes, caves full of starved prisoners and other random occurrences that challenge you on your way through Diablo III's main storyline. They can offer different rewards, present different foes and even change their conditions from playthrough to playthrough.
Many events have the potential to offer bonus treasures.
The Infernal Machine
Hellish monsters have been sighted throughout the world of Sanctuary. Defeat these creatures and you may earn artifacts that unlock a passage to a hidden pocket of the Burning Hells. Rumors hint that the Hells' most fiendish champions are cooperating in these tiny realms. When you invade their refuge and stand in triumph over these monstrosities, you may be able to harvest the fell pieces of their bodies, necrotic organs that can be used to forge legendary items of unparalleled power.
The Darkening of Tristram
| ||
An ancient evil stirs in the ruins of Old Tristram, and a mysterious portal has appeared that leads to an all-too-familiar cathedral. Deep beneath the catacombs, the Dark Lord awaits any intrepid adventurer who dares to challenge him.
Every January, you can experience an homage to the original events of Diablo, as we’ve brought everything from familiar enemies to iconic items to life in Diablo III. Those who choose to brave the darkness of these memories can earn transmogrification rewards, achievements, and a handful of extra surprises. You may not remember everything that lurks in the depths of this perilous dungeon...
| ||
To participate in this event, start a game in Adventure Mode, and look for the Darkening of Tristam happening on Act I, by the Old Ruins waypoint. While the event is active, you'll see a red pentagram by the waypoint on your map. Visit the Old Ruins, and you'll find a portal that will transport you to a different era. Defeat the evil beneath the cathedral to claim a unique legendary gem. But beware—fate was not kind to the last adventurer who dared to attempt to contain the Lord of Terror.
Randomization
| ||
Checkpoints are often associated with new areas or quest objectives.
Diablo III's randomization supports replayability, but it also means that saving your progress is handled in a unique manner.
You don't have to manually save your game in order to pick up where you left off. Your game state (including experience you've gained, loot you've acquired, and quests you've completed) will be automatically saved as you progress and reach checkpoints. Your game is also saved when you're done playing and choose the "Leave Game" or "Exit Diablo III" options from the Game Menu. It's important to exit your game in this fashion (rather than simply turning off your PC or Console) in order to make certain your progress saves correctly.
If you ended your game in the middle of a dungeon or wilderness, you won't reappear there when you load your character. Instead, you'll appear at your last checkpoint, or in the closest safe location: usually a nearby town or camp. In order to return to the site of your last battle, you can run back, retracing your steps, or use a waypoint. Once you've unlocked a waypoint, you can then return to that area at any time, so they're very important anchors to your progress through the game.
You have the opportunity to explore as much or as little as you'd like to, but you should always search carefully and find waypoints to ensure that you can move efficiently through the game world.
Map
When you enter a new area, you'll see a greyed-out, incomplete map of that space. As you travel through the area, you'll begin to fill in that map.
| ||
Your map displays quests, allies, waypoints, dungeons and other areas. Explore to fill it out!
If you're lost, you can open your map (PC: "TAB"; Console keys: D-PAD down) to get a rough idea of your surroundings. Areas you haven't yet reached are blacked out until you explore them, at which point they'll fill in and you'll see the boundaries of the area in greater detail. If you see a pulsing circle on your map, head towards it; it indicates the location and direction of your current quest target.
On PC, you can also see the minimap, a smaller, zoomed-in version of your map, in the upper-right corner of your screen. This minimap is useful for quick navigation when you don't want to open your map.
Monsters
Many different monsters lurk in Sanctuary, and they will try to kill you in diverse ways. Some will spit acid or beat hurricanes at you from afar; others will lunge, hoping to knock you back and rip you apart before you can react.
| ||
Suffer no demon to live in your sight.
In addition to the massive variety of "normal" monsters roaming the land, you'll regularly come face-to-face with special monsters.
Champion monsters have their names displayed in blue. They travel in packs and are more powerful than regular monsters: they take more hits to kill, do more damage, and have abilities called affixes, which enable them to do things like teleport away from your attacks or unleash bolts of lightning when they're struck.
Rare monsters have their names displayed in yellow. Rare monsters have more Life than normal for their type, possess a special affix, and are usually surrounded by a pack of three to four minions who are weaker but possess similar abilities.
Unique monsters have their names displayed in purple. They're usually more powerful than champions: they have more health, do more damage, and often have multiple abilities.
Champion, rare and unique monsters give rewards commensurate to their increased difficulty: bigger health globes with greater healing power, more gold, and more (and often better) items.
At certain points in the game, you'll find yourself faced with truly frightening boss monsters: massive or otherwise extremely dangerous foes that overshadow all others. You will have to use all of your skill and cunning to defeat these monstrosities, and, if you're able to dispatch them, you'll earn tremendous rewards.
Monster Affixes
Below is a list of the monster affixes — unique monster powers — you're likely to encounter in Diablo III. Take note:
- You can identify most of a monster's powers by looking at the text under its name.
- As your character grows in power, so will the monsters you face.
- Higher-level monsters will do battle using more than one simultaneous affix, up to a maximum of 4. Be careful!
Affixes
| ||
- Arcane Enchanted: Arcane enchanted monsters summon rotating beams of arcane energy which deal significant damage.
- Avenger: Monsters with the avenger affix grow in power as other monsters in their group are slain — they can increase in damage, attack speed, total life, and other attributes.
- Desecrator: Desecrator monsters conjure burning pools of hellfire beneath your feet. These pools surge after a few seconds, dealing immense damage if you don't move quickly to avoid them.
- Electrified: Electrified monsters release bolts of electricity when struck, causing lightning damage on contact.
- Extra Health: Monsters with extra health have substantially more Life (and, hence, survivability) than normal for monsters of their type.
- Fast: Fast monsters move and attack much more quickly than their normal counterparts. They excel at chasing you down when you're wounded and use their increased speed to move around the battlefield.
- Fire Chains: These monsters are linked together by chains of fire that burn anything they touch. Killing individual monsters in the group limits the length and mobility of the chain.
- Frozen: Frozen monsters fill the air around them with exploding ice crystals. These explosions deal cold damage, slow, and freeze heroes caught in their blast radius.
- Frozen Pulse: Monsters with the frozen pulse affix summon an icy sphere that deals heavy damage over time while it moves across the battlefield.
- Health Link: Monsters with health link share damage and Life pools. Any damage dealt to an individual is split among all members of a group.
- Horde: Hordes of monsters don't gain any particular abilities, but groups with the horde affix are larger than normal for their type.
- Illusionist: Illusionist monsters create duplicates of themselves; these duplicates can deal damage while obscuring your true target.
- Jailer: Monsters with the jailer affix can encase you in a prison, damaging and temporarily immobilizing you. You are vulnerable to attack while immobilized, but you can escape by using certain defensive skills.
- Knockback: Successful hits from monsters with knockback send you flying away from them, interrupting your attack and slowing your movement.
- Missile Dampening: Missile dampening monsters project an aura that slows your incoming projectiles, making ranged attacks less effective.
- Molten: Molten monsters trail burning lava wherever they walk. Shortly after they die, their bodies explode into high-damage gouts of fire.
- Mortar: Monsters with the mortar affix lob volatile globes of fire that can deal extreme damage to you at range. Move close to avoid their attacks.
- Nightmarish: Successful attacks from nightmarish monsters can cause you to lose control of your character and flee for a few seconds.
- Orbiter: Orbiter monsters are able to cover entire areas in an array of electric balls. These balls electrocute anything they touch.
- Plagued: Plagued monsters leave toxic puddles in their footsteps. Standing in these puddles - even to attack the plagued - will deal increasing amounts of poison damage.
- Poison Enchanted: Poison enchanted monsters summon toxic globules that spread in a cross pattern and leave a damaging trail in their wake.
- Reflect Damage: Monsters with this affix deal a portion of the damage they take back to their attackers. Their reflection power turns on and off over time, but you'll be able to tell that it's active if you keep an eye on them.
- Shielding: Shielding monsters can conjure a temporary magic shield that makes them immune to damage.
- Teleporter: Monsters with the teleporter affix can disappear and reappear in different locations on the screen at will, both to make surprise attacks and to escape.
- Thunderstorm: Monsters with the thunderstorm affix use potent lightning strikes to shock enemies from a distance.
- Vampiric: Vampiric monsters feed off of your injuries. They recover a portion of all damage they deal as Life.
- Vortex: Monsters with the vortex affix use a damaging spell to interrupt your attacks and pull you dangerously close.
- Waller: Monsters with the waller affix create walls that can trap you or block your path to the monster summoning them. Summoned walls will vanish after a few seconds - if you can afford to wait.
- Wormhole: Monsters with the wormhole affix tear a pair of magical rifts in the battlefield. After several seconds, the wormholes emerge, and all heroes near one wormhole are teleported to the other.
Treasure Goblins
Not all monsters that roam the world of Sanctuary are prone to destruction. The greedy, sneering Treasure Goblins have no mind for the grander conflicts of the world, and instead concern themselves with material possessions. It is said that they travel to Sanctuary through portals that lead to another realm called The Vault; when a goblin is slain, these passages can linger. Many types of goblins exist, but all of them flee from combat. Goblins cannot be found in Greater Rifts, and their Vault portals will only appear in Adventure Mode (out in the world, not in Rifts). You’ll know you’re within range of a goblin due to its distinct snickering, and an icon on your map which will pinpoint its location.
Treasure Goblin
| ||
Robbing and looting whenever they can, these aggravating creatures will run at the first sign of trouble, their overflowing bags spilling gold, gems, items, and other goods. If you manage to kill one before it escapes, its spoils will be yours!
Gem Hoarder
| ||
When it comes to amassing gems, none can rival a Gem Hoarder. Whether monster-infested caverns, demon realms, or fortified nephalem outposts, no place is too dangerous for these goblins to search. Slain Gem Hoarders leave behind gems of all types and qualities.
Gilded Baron
| ||
Avarice, a flaw found in both demon and nephalem, finds its purest expression in the satchels of the Gilded Barons. Your monetary worries will be lifted if you successfully hunt down a Gilded Baron.
Blood Thief
| ||
Blood Thieves concern themselves with only one currency: Blood Shards, rumored to be pieces of the Worldstone or the fragments of trapped demon souls. Rid Sanctuary of a Blood Thief, and you’ll earn enough Shards to make an opportune purchase from less traditional merchants.
Odious Collector
| ||
Artisan materials used by jewelcrafters and blacksmiths are used to create valuable armaments–and they spark the insatiable curiosity of the Odious Collectors. In an Odious Collector’s bag you’ll find vast quantities of crafting materials as well as unknown recipes for your artisans.
Malevolent Tormentor
| ||
Malevolent Tormentors obsess over the Legendary relics that so define the Eternal conflict, and they’ll do whatever they can to get their acquisitive claws on one. To this end, they teleport to protect the valuable loot they carry. Defeated Malevolent Tormentors will drop an assortment of items, and at least one Legendary item.
Insufferable Miscreant
| ||
Often seen scuttling across the battlefield carrying bags replete with bladed weapons, Insufferable Miscreants equip headgear and plate mail clearly not forged for such a small creature. Despite their misbegotten attire, these goblins have learned a thing or two from their time on Sanctuary. When threatened, they will summon hostile Vault Peons, buying them enough time to open a portal and escape.
Gelatinous Sire
| ||
When in danger, Gelatinous Sires will attempt to hold on to their goods at any cost—including splitting into smaller Gelatinous Spawn, which divide into even smaller Spawn on death. A single gelatinous goblin carries impressive loot—but you’ll need to pry it from the hands of a whole army.
Rainbow Goblin
| ||
A rare sight, Rainbow Goblins seem to belong to a rather different realm than other demons of the same family. Upon death, they drop ordinary loot, but also leave open a prismatic portal that leads not to The Vault, but to a fantastic and joyful realm called Whimsydale! You might even see a rainbow.
Menagerist Goblin
| ||
Unlike most goblins, Menagerists kidnap and collect creatures, both living and undead. There’s no telling what critters may be trapped inside a Menagerist’s knapsack, but rest assured—grateful for their freedom, they’ll become loyal companions and go wherever your adventures may take you.
The Vault
Adventurers that manage to slay a reckless Goblin may be rewarded with a rare sight: a viable portal to The Vault, where vast riches plundered by all kinds of Treasure Goblins are stored. Presiding over this place you’ll find a huge demon known as Greed—Baroness of the Treasure Realm. Dethrone her, and the infinite wealth of The Vault will be yours.
| ||
| ||